How to Write Melodic Black Metal Songs

You want riffs that slice like frost and melodies that make people cry while headbanging. You want atmosphere that feels like standing on the rim of a glacier under northern lights. You want songs that are savage and melodic at the same time. This guide gives you a practical, slightly nasty road map to write melodic black metal that actually moves people. No gatekeeping. No mysterious ritual chants. Just real steps, real examples, and the occasional joke about corpse paint maintenance.

Everything here speaks to the artist who wants to make something extreme and musical. We cover the style, the guitar techniques, the melodic language, drums, vocals, bass, synths, lyrics, structure, production, and live translation. Every term and acronym gets a quick clear translation so you do not need to be that annoying person who asks what BPM means in the middle of rehearsal. Expect exercises, examples you can steal, and fixes for the mistakes bands bring to the rehearsal room.

What Is Melodic Black Metal

Black metal is an extreme metal style that began in the early 1980s and crystallized in the 1990s. It is known for raw guitar tones, high pitched shrieks, fast drums, and themes like nature, frost, nihilism, and myth. Melodic black metal keeps the aggression and atmosphere and adds clear, memorable melodies. Think of it as black metal with a melodic backbone. Bands often referenced for this sound include Dissection, Dawn, early Dimmu Borgir when it leaned melodic, and more modern acts that sit between black metal and melodic death metal.

Important terms quick guide

• Tremolo picking means picking the same note rapidly to create a wash of sound.
• Blast beat is an extreme drum pattern with very fast alternation or layering of snare and kick to create a wall of intensity.
• BPM stands for beats per minute. It is the tempo of your song.
• EQ is equalization. It is the tool used to shape the tone by boosting or cutting frequency ranges.
• DAW stands for digital audio workstation. It is the software where you record and arrange the song.
• IR means impulse response. It is used to simulate speaker cabinets or room reverbs.

Core Elements of Melodic Black Metal

Melodic black metal rests on a few pillars. Nail these and the rest becomes seasoning.

• Atmosphere Feeling cold, massive, or vast. Reverb, delays, chords and synths make the world your song lives in.
• Riff based composition Riffs define sections and motifs. Melodies woven into riffs create the album hooks.
• Melodic leads These are memorable lines that can haunt a listener weeks after. They are often minor key and use modal colors.
• Dynamic drums Fast attacks like blast beats and double kick plus slow crushing parts for contrast.
• Vocal texture Shrieked or screamed vocals for intensity with occasional clean or choir style lines for contrast.
• Production that balances rawness and clarity The mix should feel fierce without being a muddy mess.

Guitar Techniques and Writing Riffs

Guitars carry most of the melodic weight in melodic black metal. Here is a toolbox to build with.

Tremolo Picking and Phrasing

Tremolo picking creates motion. Pick the string rapidly on one note to sustain it and to blur the attack. Use it for fast passages and to underpin melodic statements. Practice picking two note groupings versus single note tremolo to create rhythmic interest. If you are turning your wrist like a leaf blower you are doing it right.

Scales and Modes That Work

Melodic black metal loves minor flavors. The most useful scales are natural minor also called Aeolian, harmonic minor with its dramatic raised seventh, Phrygian and Phrygian dominant for exotic tension, and melodic minor for uneasy beauty. Mix these scales. A riff in Aeolian with a lead in harmonic minor can sound heroic and ominous at once.

Example melodic palette

• Aeolian mode gives a raw melancholic feel. It is the standard minor sound.
• Harmonic minor is excellent for leads that want a classical sharpness because of the raised seventh.
• Phrygian and Phrygian dominant give that Spanish or eastern minor spice that cuts through tremolo storms.
• Diminished or whole tone fragments add friction. Use them sparingly like chili flakes not a fire hose.

Interval Choices and Harmony

Use minor thirds for sorrow and suspended fourths for suspension. Harmony in fifths gives a classic metal chug. Melodic black metal often harmonizes leads in thirds or sixths for an emotional double voice. Counterpoint is your friend. Write a tremolo riff in the low register and let a high melodic line weave above it. The contrast between static rhythm and moving lead is addictive.

Palm Muting and Open Strings

Palm muting gives percussive control when you want a marching feel. Open strings create droning roots that create a cold foundation. Alternate between tight palm muted chugging and expansive open string tremolo to create dramatic breadth.

Writing Memorable Melodies

Melodic leads are the hooks. Here is how to write leads that stick without sounding like a cheesy power metal solo.

Motifs and Repetition

Write a short motif. Repeat it with small variations. Return to it in the chorus and again at the end. Repetition builds ear worms. Variation keeps it interesting. One clever rhythmic shift is more effective than ten fast runs.

Voice Leading and Countermelody

Write the lead as a conversation with the riff. If your riff moves stepwise, let the lead leap. If the riff leaps, let the lead move stepwise. Countermelodies that move in contrary motion create a sense of orchestration. Layer a cheap synth or violin doubling to thicken important melodic statements.

Harmonized Leads

Two guitars playing the same melody at different intervals creates that huge melodic metal sound. Thirds and sixths feel warm. Fifths feel open and heroic. Try harmonizing the last phrase of a melody by a third up. It will sound big and inevitable.

Drums and Rhythm

Drums in melodic black metal are relentless and dynamic. They can move like a storm and then collapse into a valley of crunch.

Blast Beats and Variations

Blast beats are the backbone of black metal speed. The classic blast beat alternates snare and kick at high speed. There are many flavors so choose one that fits the groove. A straight blast is harsh. A more measured blast leaves space for melodic lines to breathe.

Double Bass Patterns

Use double bass for propulsion. Fast double bass supports big tremolo sections. Groovier double bass patterns during mid tempo sections allow headbanging without exhausting the drummer or the listener.

Tempo Choices

Tempo matters. Typical ranges are from 120 to 240 BPM. Faster tempos increase intensity but reduce clarity for complex melodies. Mid tempo sections are where the melodic hooks land. Think like a director. Let blast sections be the weather. Let melody sections be the scenery.

Vocals and Delivery

Black metal vocals are a unique instrument. They are raw and emotional. Do not try to mimic with bad technique. Do this instead.

Types of Extreme Vocals

• Shrieks high and piercing. These are common in black metal.
• Harsh low screams or growls used sometimes for variety or contrast.
• Clean vocals reserved for choruses or interludes for dramatic effect.

Quick technique note

Singing with distortion can damage your voice if done incorrectly. Seek a vocal coach who specializes in extreme vocals. Warm up. Hydrate. Use chest resonance for lower harsh sounds and mix in false cord or fry technique for higher rasp. If this reads like boring adult advice it is because your throat is not worth risking for a one off shout on a demo.

Microphone Technique

Close mic for presence. Slightly off axis for less harsh sibilance. Use a pop filter only if you actually make pop noises. Add a little compression to control peaks. Reverb can push the vocals into the cathedral like space black metal loves. But keep the shrieks clear in the mix because clarity matters even in chaos.

Bass That Supports Without Getting Lost

Bass is often the secret weapon. Match the guitar riffs or play counternotes to lift the melody. A slightly overdriven bass sits better in the mix than a totally clean low end because it adds harmonic content. However do not overdrive so much that the low mid mud kills the guitars. Tight low end wins mosh pits.

Synths, Orchestration and Texture

Synth pads create atmosphere. Strings and choirs can push the sound toward symphonic black metal. Use synths to paint the environment. A sparse pad under a tremolo riff makes the riff feel like an island in a vast sea. A choir patch on the chorus adds epic weight but play it sparingly or the song becomes a movie trailer.

Song Structures and Arrangement

Melodic black metal can be structured like a classic song or arranged as a through composed epic. Here are three maps you can steal.

Map A Cold March

• Intro ambient pad with bell hit
• Tremolo riff 1 builds with drums
• Lead melody 1 over riff 1
• Bridge with mid tempo double bass and clean vocals or choral pad
• Tremolo riff 2 with harmonized leads
• Solo or lead development section
• Final chorus like statement with full textures
• Outro ambient fade

Map B Riff Storm

• Opening blast beat and main riff
• Short verse riff variations
• Melodic chorus riff that repeats
• Interlude ambient or acoustic passage
• Return with variation and final statement

Map C Through Composed Epic

• Theme A intro
• Theme B develops
• Theme A returns altered
• Theme C provides contrast with clean choir
• Climax combining motifs
• Short coda repeating a single motif

Pick the map that matches the story you want to tell. The same riff can play different roles depending on context. Use arrangement to make the listener feel journey rather than exhaustion.

Lyrics and Imagery

Black metal lyrics are often poetic and visual. Melodic black metal benefits from specific images that allow emotional connection. Avoid cliche chest beating. Use sensory cues.

The Language

Common themes are frost, exile, night, ancient ruins, solitude, revolt, cosmic emptiness, and mythology. But the emotional core is what matters. A line about cold is only interesting if it reveals something specific about the narrator.

Before and after lyric makeover

Before: I am surrounded by darkness.

After: The lamplight dies in the hallway and the wallpaper keeps its secrets.

Use time crumbs and objects. The second is more memorable because it places a detail that evokes a scene.

Prosody and Extreme Vocals

Prosody means making words fit the melody and rhythm. In shrieked vocals keep vowels open because they cut through distortion. Consonant heavy lines can be hard to understand when screamed. Choose short shocking phrases for shouts and longer melodic lines for clean singing sections.

Harmony Tips That Add Melodic Weight

Harmony in melodic black metal is about color not complex progressions. Here are patterns that work.

• Tonic minor to flat sixth gives a sorrowful pull.
• Tonic to harmonic minor dominant use the raised seventh to push into a melodic hook.
• Pedal point hold a low root while upper voices move through chord changes.
• Chromatic passing chords add creepiness and motion between diatonic steps.

Try this simple progression and write a motif over it: Em to C to B to Am. Play a diatonic melody in Em then add a harmonic minor phrase over the B chord to create tension.

Production and Mixing

Production is where melodic black metal either sounds majestic or like a demo in a damp basement. Aim for atmosphere without losing clarity.

Guitar Tone

Use a bright distortion in the mids for tremolo clarity. Layer a dry tight rhythm guitar with a slightly scooped and distorted second rhythm to fill harmonics. Consider reamping through a tube amp if you have the budget. Otherwise use high quality amp sims and impulse responses to simulate cabinet character.

Drum Production

Blend natural drum hits and samples for presence. Triggering can keep snare and kick consistent in blast sections. Use parallel compression to give toms and kick weight while keeping transients alive.

Vocals in the Mix

EQ to remove muddiness around 200 to 400 hertz and boost presence around 2 to 5 kilohertz so the shrieks cut through. Add short medium plate reverb with a small pre delay so the vocal sits in space but does not blur the lyrics. Add a light saturation to give grit.

Reverb and Space

Reverb creates the frosty cathedral sound. Use longer plate or hall reverbs on leads and pads. For rhythm guitars use a shorter room reverb to avoid washing out tremolo attack. Automate reverb sends to make parts feel bigger in the chorus and smaller in the verse.

Mix Checklist

1. Cut mud 150 to 400 hertz on guitar and bass to clean the low mids
2. Make room for vocals by carving a presence boost at 3 kilohertz and slight dip on competing guitars
3. Use sidechain compression from kick to bass to keep the low end tight
4. Layer leads with subtle doubles and stereo wideners for epic feel
5. Check the mix in mono to ensure low end does not disappear

Recording Workflow for Songwriting

Write a looped riff and record a quick demo. This gets the idea from brain to ears fast. Here is a practical workflow.

1. Set BPM in your DAW and click track. Commit to a tempo that supports the riffs and vocals. Slow is heavy. Fast is furious.
2. Record a guide guitar clean to map the form. Use simple markers for sections.
3. Program drums or use a session drummer for a tempo locked drum track. Nothing kills momentum like constantly changing tempo in the middle of a demo.
4. Record rhythm guitars in multiple layers. Pan left and right to taste. Keep one center to hold the body.
5. Record lead melodies and harmonies on separate tracks to allow editing and effect choices.
6. Quickly record a vocal demo. Do not overthink. The first take often captures dangerous emotion.

Translating Dense Arrangements Live

Melodic black metal often has more layers than six hands. Decide what is essential. Use backing tracks for pads or string parts. Keep the core live: two guitars, bass, drums, and lead vocals. Use a music stand with phrase cues. Practice transitions until they are muscle memory because fog machines and sweat do not forgive uncertainty.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too much reverb Fix by using shorter decay on rhythm elements and pushing leads forward with dry signal
• Riffs that all sound the same Fix by adding rhythm variation and a melodic counterpoint in the mid section
• Vocals buried in the mix Fix by carving mids out of guitar and boosting vocal presence
• Clunky transitions Fix by creating a short drum fill or a one measure ambient break to reset listener expectations
• Overcomplicated solos Fix by choosing motifs that support the song rather than show off

Practice Exercises and Songwriting Prompts

Try these drills to get unstuck and write melodically extreme music faster.

Tremolo Melody Drill

Set a two chord loop in E minor. Tremolo pick the root on the first chord. Spend five minutes improvising a short two bar melody two octaves above. Record everything. Pick the best motif and repeat it with three small variations. That becomes a lead hook.

Contrast Drill

Write one minute of pure blast beat and tremolo. Immediately follow it with a one minute melodic slow section with clean vocals or choir pad. The contrast will force you to write more effective melodies because they have to stand against fury.

Lyric micro prompts

• Write five images involving weather. Choose the strangest one. Build a stanza around it.
• Describe an abandoned place without using the words ruin or abandoned.
• Write one line that sounds like a dirge. Repeat it at the end of the chorus to create a ring phrase.

Gear and Plugin Suggestions

You do not need expensive gear to make great songs. Good amp sims, a decent condenser microphone for clean vocals, and a punchy dynamic microphone for harsh vocals will take you far. A solid drum sampler or programmed drum kit with some real cymbal and snare blends keeps the blast sections believable.

Plugins to consider

• High quality amp simulator with cabinet impulses
• Good convolution reverb for cathedral like spaces
• Transient shaper to control pick attack on guitars
• Drum sampler with velocity layers for realistic blast sections

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Pick one riff you like and loop it for ten minutes
2. Over the loop improvise a two bar melody on a higher register for five minutes
3. Record a quick drum arrangement with a blast section and a mid tempo section
4. Write a chorus line with a single vivid image and a short ring phrase
5. Layer the lead melody and harmonize the last phrase by a third
6. Mix quickly using the mix checklist and export a demo
7. Play the demo to two people and ask what line or melody stuck with them

FAQ

What tempo should I use for melodic black metal

There is no single tempo. Use extremes for contrast. Fast tempos around 180 to 220 BPM are great for blast driven fury. Mid tempos around 120 to 160 BPM allow melodies to breathe. Think about the emotional center of each section and set the tempo to let the melody be heard.

Can I mix clean singing with black metal shrieks

Yes. Clean vocals create contrast and emotional clarity. Use them sparingly in melodic black metal to maximize impact. Consider placing clean vocals in bridges or choruses. Balance presence with harsh vocals by carving space in the mix for both.

How do I make my tremolo riffs sound clear in the mix

Layer tight rhythm guitars and use EQ to remove frequency clashes. Keep the pick attack present with transient shaping. Add a slightly bright doubled track to emphasize clarity. Avoid heavy low mid boost in rhythm tracks which can muddy tremolo clarity.

What scales create the most dramatic black metal melodies

Harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant are particularly effective for dramatic leads because of their unique intervallic colors. Aeolian and Phrygian are strong for dark melancholic themes. Mix scales to avoid predictability.

How do I write a memorable melodic hook

Write a short motif and repeat it with variation. Harmonize the last phrase. Use a clean tone or a bright doubled guitar for the hook so it sits forward in the mix. Anchor the hook in a memorable lyric line if you have vocals present.

Should I use a drummer or program drums

Use both depending on goals. A real drummer brings dynamic nuance and energy. Programming drums is cheaper and gives you absolute control for fast blast sections. Many bands use a hybrid approach with programmed drums as a skeleton and real or sampled elements for realism.

How do I keep my voice healthy while screaming

Warm up properly. Learn safe screaming technique from a coach. Use hydration and rest. Do not push through real pain. Recording can be spaced with short takes rather than one long session to reduce strain.