Depressive Suicidal Black Metal Songwriting Advice

Trigger warning This article talks about suicide related themes that appear in Depressive Suicidal Black Metal music. If you are feeling like you might harm yourself, please stop reading and seek help now. In the United States call or text 988. In the United Kingdom call Samaritans at 116123. For other countries visit befrienders.org for local helplines. This guide focuses on writing about heavy feelings safely and responsibly, not on encouraging harm. Keep that in your pocket while you write.

You love bleak atmospheres and lyrics that pierce. You want songs that feel honest and not like an Instagram sadness mood board. You want technique that supports the feeling without sounding exploitative. You also want to keep your band, your listeners, and your own mental health intact. Welcome. This guide teaches you how to write depressive suicidal black metal songs that are atmospheric, authentic, and responsible.

What is Depressive Suicidal Black Metal

Depressive Suicidal Black Metal, commonly abbreviated as DSBM, is a subgenre of black metal that focuses on themes of despair, isolation, self destruction, and grief. DSBM often slows tempo compared to blast beat driven black metal and favors crushing atmosphere, fragile vocals, and lyrics that explore inner desolation. The style emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s when artists wanted to turn the misanthropy of black metal inward into personal sorrow.

Real life scenario: imagine a small DIY venue at two a.m. Someone in the crowd holds a candle. The guitarist plays a slow tremolo picked chord progression. The vocalist whispers then cracks into a raw, fragile shriek. The room feels like a cathedral made of broken glass. That is DSBM energy when done with care.

Why responsibility matters with this subject

When you write about suicidal themes you are not reporting like a newspaper. You are shaping feelings that can be very intense for listeners. Responsible songwriting does not mean sanitizing emotion. It means being aware of potential harm and giving context. It means avoiding glamorization of self harm and offering images that explore consequences and complexity instead. If your music acts like a mirror, make sure the mirror is honest and not an instruction manual.

Core songwriting goals for DSBM

• Create atmosphere that reflects emotional weight.
• Write lyrics that feel specific and lived in rather than generic despair.
• Use vocal delivery to convey fragility and pain without endorsing self harm.
• Craft arrangements that let silence and space do heavy lifting.
• Protect your mental health while writing and performing.

Key terms and acronyms explained

DSBM stands for Depressive Suicidal Black Metal. Do not confuse it with generic black metal which is broader and often faster.

• BPM stands for beats per minute. It is a numerical measure of tempo. DSBM often sits in lower BPM ranges than standard black metal.
• DAW stands for digital audio workstation. This is software you use to record and arrange music. Examples are Reaper, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and Ableton Live.
• EQ stands for equalization. This is the tool you use to boost or cut specific frequency ranges in a sound.
• FX stands for effects. Reverb, delay, chorus, and modulation are common FX that shape atmosphere.
• Tremolo picking is a technique where you rapidly pick the same note or chord to create a wash of sound. Unlike a single pick stroke you sustain intensity with repeated small strokes.
• Blast beat is a fast drum pattern commonly used in black metal. DSBM uses blasts sparingly and often chooses slow, pounding rhythms or minimalist percussion instead.
• False cord scream is a vocal technique that uses vestibular folds to create a deep harsh voice. Learn under a coach if you pursue it so you do not injure your throat.

Atmosphere first not speed first

DSBM lives in texture. You could have two guitars playing minor chord shapes at low tempo with heavy reverb and that can feel heavier than a tremolo hurricane at 240 BPM. Think in soundscapes. Let chords linger. Use long reverb tails and ambient layers. Silence should be considered part of the arrangement. A three second pause after a line can swell meaning more than another scream.

Tools for atmosphere

• Reverb types matter. Plate reverb gives an intimate metallic shimmer. Hall reverb makes spaces cathedral like. Try both and automate length during the arrangement.
• Delay with high feedback and low mix can create repeating echoes that feel like memory loops.
• Analog style tape saturation adds warmth and slight compression that makes slow chords breathe.
• Layer ambient samples such as rain, distant traffic, or a creaking floorboard to add realism without lyric overload.

Harmony and melody in a bleak context

DSBM does not need to rely on complex chord changes. Often a simple progression repeated with small variations will do more emotional work than constant novelty. Use modal colors such as natural minor, harmonic minor, and the Phrygian mode. Try pedal tones where the bass holds one note while chords above shift. That single long bass note under changing chords can feel like inexorable weight.

Examples of chord work

Example 1: Holding an A note in the bass while playing F major and G major above it creates tension and unresolved longing. Example 2: Use a simple four bar loop where bar three adds a suspended chord then resolves back to the minor on bar four. The delay and reverb on the guitar will stretch that resolution into something tragic and beautiful.

Rhythm and tempo choices

DSBM tempo often sits in a slow to mid range. Choose BPM based on the emotional heartbeat you want. Slower tempos let vocal phrasing stretch and create space between words. However tempo is just one tool. A track that switches between dragging slow sections and subtle uptempo sections can feel like an emotional tide. Do not be afraid to use drum machines for precise, machine like pulses or sparse organic drums for a more human feel.

Drum ideas

• Use toms and floor tom hits for a tribal, heavy feeling rather than constant snare work.
• Apply light reverb to the snare and heavy reverb to cymbals so cymbals wash the mix while gritty drums remain tactile.
• Try a heartbeat kick pattern where a low kick plays on one and three to mimic a trapped chest sensation.

Vocal delivery without harm

Vocals in DSBM range from fragile whispers to raw screams. The effect is intimacy and collapse at the same time. You can create believable fragility by mixing near spoken voice with sudden cracks of higher pitched screams. Importantly do not train yourself to self harm as an authenticity exercise. Vocal harm is not romantic. Learn proper technique, warm up before sessions, and hydrate. Consider working with a vocal coach who understands extreme singing to protect your cords.

Vocal techniques and safety tips

• False cord screams and fry screams are common. Practice under guidance. Stop if you feel pain.
• Use breath support from the diaphragm rather than throat tension. This reduces damage and increases control.
• Record intimate lines in a near whisper then blend in a strained doubled track for texture. This gives the impression of fragility without forcing your voice into damage.
• Use microphones with a presence boost and low noise so you can record quieter, strained takes safely.

Lyric craft that respects the listener

DSBM lyrics deal with dark topics. The difference between art and glamor is in detail and consequence. Avoid romanticizing death or presenting suicide as an escape that solves problems. Instead show internal conflict, consequences, failed attempts at coping, or the bleak logic that traps the narrator. Specific images beat vague statements. Replace I am hopeless with The kettle clicks and the apartment answers with silence. That concreteness creates a scene the listener can inhabit rather than an abstract endorsement.

Lyric devices that work

• Ring phrase. Repeat a short line at the start and end of a section to create cyclical despair. Example: The window is not an answer. The window is not an answer.
• List escalation. Start with small losses and escalate to larger ones to show cumulative damage rather than instant collapse.
• Callback. Refer back to an object or line from the first verse in the last verse with a single altered word to suggest change or failure to change.

Real life scenario: you write about a streetlight that blinks every night outside your window. In verse one the light blinks like a heartbeat. In verse two the light is steady and your hands tremble. The streetlight becomes a witness instead of a metaphor for despair. That change carries meaning.

Samples of safe lyrical approaches

Example approach that avoids glamorization

Verse
The curtains keep the cold from the mattress edge.
I count the dents in the plaster and lose the number.
I leave my phone on the table like a coin I cannot flip.

Chorus
I measure myself in small unfinished things.
Not in a single moment I could call an ending.
I watch the kettle and learn to live with the waiting.

Notice the chorus does not present suicide as a solution. It shows counting, waiting, and lived experience. That keeps honesty and avoids instruction.

Sonic examples for creating a fragile feel

• Guitar layer 1: Clean tone with light tremolo picking and plate reverb at long decay.
• Guitar layer 2: Distorted single note with heavy delay panned slightly to one side to create a sense of imbalance.
• Ambient layer: Field recording of a distant train looped low in the mix and low passed so it feels like a pressure in the chest.
• Vocals: Close mic whisper doubled with a room mic scream blended low in the mix to suggest inner voice and outer collapse.

Production and mixing tips for DSBM

Production in DSBM is less about clarity and more about mood. Still, good mixing keeps the feeling from becoming muddy. Use EQ to carve space for each layer. Let the midrange carry the vocal and instruments that carry the hook. Use low end sparingly. Too much bass muddies the feeling of fragility. Automation is your friend. Automate reverb tails, delay feedback, and volume so the track breathes.

Practical mixing steps

1. Start with drums and bass. Sit them in a space that feels grounded.
2. Add your foundational guitar loop and shape it with EQ removing boxy 200 to 400 Hz if it competes with vocals.
3. Place ambient textures and send them to a long reverb bus so they live behind the main instruments.
4. Treat the vocal as the emotional center. Use parallel compression to add weight without losing dynamics.
5. Use sidechain on the ambient pad to duck slightly when the vocal hits so the lyric breathes.

Mastering the final track

Mastering should preserve dynamics. DSBM benefits from quiet and loud contrast. Avoid pushing for maximum loudness at the expense of atmosphere. If you want vinyl style warmth use tape emulation rather than heavy limiting. Avoid brick wall limiting that squashes dynamics into lifelessness.

Live performance considerations

Performing DSBM requires emotional stamina. Plan set lists so you alternate denser songs with sparser ones to avoid emotional exhaustion for both band and crowd. Provide a safe space in the venue where fans can go if the music triggers strong feelings. If a fan looks like they could be in danger, stop the set and ask for help from venue staff. Do not romanticize the breakdown. Take care of your crew. End a song with an instruction to the crowd to breathe. That is not cheesy. It is humane.

Handling audience and fan safety

Be transparent in your messaging. Use trigger warnings on social posts and release notes. Provide resources in your bio such as national helplines or a link to befrienders.org. If you are a band, assign one person to monitor crowd welfare during shows. If a fan confides suicidal thoughts, do not offer advice if you are not a trained professional. Instead guide them to local services and stay with them until help arrives if it is safe to do so.

Marketing and ethics

Maybe you want to build a brand that leans into tragedy. Ask yourself why. Shock value can attract attention but it can also hurt people and damage your community. Ethics in marketing means you are honest about your intent and you do not exploit suffering. If your online artwork or music video depicts self harm, include content warnings and resources. Consider collaborating with mental health charities if your work engages explicitly with suicide related topics.

Creative exercises to write authentic DSBM

Object mirror drill

Pick a mundane object in your room. Write a verse where that object reveals an emotional truth about the narrator. Be specific. Ten minutes.

Two voice method

Write a line from the perspective of the narrator and reply with a second line as if the environment speaks back. This can show isolation without naming it.

Memory fragment exercise

Write three small sensory memories under one minute each. Combine one image from each into a verse. This helps build specificity and avoids cliches.

Collaboration and feedback

Bring others into the process but choose collaborators who understand the subject and who can give honest feedback about ethics and impact. Play a draft for someone outside the scene and ask what they felt. Ask them if the song felt like an honest portrait or an aestheticization of suffering. That question is brutal but useful.

Protecting your own mental health while writing

Writing about doom can be a drain. Create a ritual to come back to baseline after heavy sessions. That might be a twenty minute walk, a warm shower, a call to a friend, or writing a short gratitude list. Do not shove heavy material into yourself for art without taking careful breaks. Keep a list of trained professionals you can call if you feel overwhelmed. If the music becomes a trap rather than a tool, pause the project and seek help.

Case studies and real life scenarios

Case study one

A songwriter wrote an album about the slow collapse of a relationship that included suicidal imagery. Early demos glorified self harm. A friend asked for clarification and suggested more focus on consequences and seeking help. The artist rewrote several lyrics to show attempts at coping and moments of ambivalence. The record felt more honest and the friend later told the artist the new version helped them seek therapy. Specificity and accountability changed art into something constructive.

Case study two

A solo project released an EP with no warnings. A listener reached out describing a fresh crisis triggered by a lyric. The artist paused further promotion and added trigger labels on streaming platforms. They also partnered with a crisis line and donated a portion of sales. The music remained dark but the artist took responsibility for the effect their work had on listeners.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Vague misery. Fix by adding tactile details and time stamps.
• Glamorizing death. Fix by showing consequences and removing lines that treat death as a prize.
• Thin atmosphere. Fix by layering ambient textures and automating dynamics to make space breathe.
• Vocal damage. Fix by learning technique, using doubles, and protecting your voice.
• No safety plan. Fix by adding trigger warnings, helplines, and a live show safety protocol.

Publishing and metadata tips

When you release a track add content warnings in the release notes and in the metadata if possible. Many streaming services allow a short description. Use that to include a brief trigger label and a link to resources. If you create a video include resources in the description and a visual warning at the start. These small steps show you are taking responsibility while still expressing difficult themes.

Frequently asked questions

Is it wrong to write about suicide in songs

It is not inherently wrong to write about suicide. Many important works explore dark subjects. The key is to do so with nuance, specificity, and responsibility. Avoid glamorization, provide context, and include safety information where appropriate. If you are unsure, get feedback from someone who is trained in mental health or who has lived experience and can speak to the impact.

How do I write honest lyrics without encouraging people to act on harmful thoughts

Focus on internal conflict, consequences, and failed coping. Use concrete images. Avoid framing suicide as a solution. Include a narrative thread that shows the complexity rather than a single glorified moment. Consider adding outreach language in your album notes and online posts so listeners know where to get help.

Can DSBM be cathartic rather than damaging

Yes. For many listeners and writers DSBM can be a cathartic space to feel validated and less alone. The difference between catharsis and harm is often the framing. Music that allows the listener to feel seen and then directs them to support can be healing. Music that celebrates or instructs self harm is damaging.

How do I protect my voice when screaming

Warm up before heavy sessions. Use breath support rather than throat compression. Hydrate and rest. Work with a vocal coach who understands extreme styles. Record fewer takes and comp them together rather than forcing long sessions. If you feel pain, stop and rest. Pain is not a badge of authenticity.

What production tricks create a feeling of collapse

Use slow tempo, sustained reverb, low passed ambient layers, and occasional micro pitch shifts to create instability. Automate volume so that instruments duck and return unexpectedly. Use a shaker or low frequency oscillation to create a subtle physical vibration in the mix that mimics anxiety in the body.

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