Black Metal Songwriting Advice

You want songs that feel like cold wind under a blood moon. You want riffs that scrape the back of the listener's skull. You want vocal delivery that sounds like a banshee throwing up a manifesto. And you want atmosphere that makes a listener check their phone for warmth. This guide gets you there with practical riffs, lyric advice, recording hacks, and exercises you can use today.

Everything is written for hungry musicians who want results without pretension. Definitions and acronyms are explained like your favorite friend who knows everything about synths and also will not let you wear corpse paint to brunch. Expect real life examples, micro drills, and solid production tips you can use in a tiny bedroom studio or on a real stage where floor monitors are as honest as the crowd.

What Is Black Metal and What Makes a Song Feel Like Black Metal

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that emphasizes atmosphere, bleakness, raw texture, and often high tempos. It started in the early 1980s and was refined in Norway in the early 1990s. Bands from that scene built an aesthetic that includes tremolo picked riffs, blast beats, shrieked vocals, reverb heavy production, and lyrical themes that explore nature, isolation, mythology, nihilism, and sometimes controversy. If you are new to the genre, think of it as extreme emotional cinema where tone and space are more important than technical flash.

Key elements that make a song feel like black metal

• Tremolo picking on the guitar or bass which creates a buzzing wall of sound. Tremolo picking means rapidly picking the same note or alternating two notes back to back to create sustained aggression.
• Blast beats which are fast drum patterns where the snare, kick, and hi hat or ride play at high speed. Blast beats push momentum and create an avalanche of rhythm.
• Shrieked or raspy vocals that prioritize expression and texture over perfect pitch. These vocals often sit in the mix as another instrument of menace.
• Atmospheric production using reverb, delay, synth pads, field recordings, and lo fi textures. Atmosphere gives emotional context and room for imagination.
• Minimalist melody in the sense that the riff is repetitive enough to hypnotize but has small shifts to prevent monotony.

Core Tools and Terms Explained Like You Are at a Gig With No Backstage Pass

Before you write anything, understand a few terms and acronyms so you do not nod along and later look like you thought MIDI was an emo friend.

• BPM stands for beats per minute. It is the tempo of the song. If your drummer is sweating by the second chorus you are above 180 BPM and that is probably fine for a blast friendly track.
• DAW stands for digital audio workstation. This is software you record in like Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Reaper, or FL Studio.
• EQ equals equalizer. It is what you use to make instruments sit nicely together. Think of it as the filter that keeps the bass from roaring over your voice.
• DI stands for direct injection. It means recording the guitar or bass signal directly into your interface before reamping or using amp simulation. Good DI gives you flexibility later.
• Reverb is an effect that makes sound feel like it exists in a room or cave. Big reverb equals distance, small reverb equals intimacy.

Real life scenario

You record a song at 210 BPM to catch that raw furious energy. Your drummer plays blast beats that sound like a rain of nails. You record the guitar DI so you can add an amp simulator later when your neighbor stops telling you to be quiet. You use a large plate reverb on vocals when you want the singer to sound like they are at the top of a cliff yelling at the sea. That plate reverb is your emotional cheat code.

Song Structure Options for Black Metal That Still Keep Listeners Hooked

Black metal songs can be freeform and long while still being memorable. The structure should serve atmosphere and narrative. Here are some reliable shapes with intent.

Structure A: Intro Build → Riff 1 → Riff 2 → Bridge → Climactic Riff → Ambient Outro

This classic shape lets you build a mood, introduce the main motifs, escalate, and then dissolve into atmosphere. Use the bridge to change tempo or key to shock the listener into paying attention again.

Structure B: Drone Intro → Continuous Development with Motif Variations → Short Blast Finale

Use this if you want a song that feels like a single breathing organism. The riff evolves slowly. Small shifts in harmony or drum feel become big moments because the listener is invested in the subtle changes.

Structure C: Two Part Suite: Aggressive Movement → Ambient Movement

Write the first half to trigger the pit. The second half to open the headspace. This is great if you like contrast and cinematic arcs.

How to Write Black Metal Riffs That Sound Dangerous

Riff writing in black metal is less about shredding twelve notes per second and more about building a bleak propulsion. Here is a pragmatic method.

1. Choose a small note palette. Pick two or three notes that define your motif. Repetition is a feature not a bug. Think of the motif as a character who returns with slightly different lines each time.
2. Use modal colors. Modes like natural minor, harmonic minor, and Phrygian make black metal sound dark. The Phrygian mode has a flat second which gives an exotic tense flavor. Harmonic minor creates an eerie raised seventh which works well for ascensions.
3. Tremolo picking on a single note or on a two note dyad. Vary the accents so the riff breathes. If everything is constant the listener zones out in a bad way.
4. Add a melodic lead layer that is sparse. This gives the brain a place to latch without turning the track into a guitar hero demo.
5. Contrast with low end. Let the bass or a lower guitar play a slow drone under a frantic tremolo riff. The contrast is cinematic and heavy.

Real life riff scenario

You write a riff centered on E and F. You tremolo pick E for eight bars. On bar nine you hit a sudden F and then a descending minor third. That F landing is like a cold wind. Add a bass drone on low E and a synth pad so the whole room feels like a cave.

Practical Riff Exercises

• The Two Note Spiral. Pick two adjacent notes on a scale. Tremolo pick them with this pattern: long long short short long. Record three variants where you move the accents. Ten minutes.
• The Motif Swap. Write a 16 bar riff. Duplicate it. Change one note in bar five of the duplicate. Repeat that change in bar thirteen of the third repeat. The listener senses development.
• Drone and Peek. Play a low open string drone. Over it, play a high tremolo motif for 12 bars. Stop the high motif for two bars. The silence will feel like a punch.

Tempo and Groove Choices: When to Slow and When to Break Neck Speed

Tempo choice changes mood. Black metal runs the gamut from freezing mid tempo to suicidal speed. Pick tempo with intent.

• Slow tempos around 70 to 100 BPM feel monumental and ritualistic. Use for epic sorrow and deliberate atmosphere.
• Mid tempos around 110 to 160 BPM keep momentum while letting details breathe.
• Fast tempos above 180 BPM allow sustained blast beat sections and tremolo frenzy. Use sparingly for maximum impact.

Real life example

A song that starts at 90 BPM with a cathedral like riff then doubles to 180 BPM for a section of blast beats creates a dramatic dynamic shift. The slow opening makes the fast section feel like an eruption rather than an endurance test.

Drums and Blast Beats Explained Without Pretentiousness

Blast beats are a drum pattern where the snare, kick, and cymbal play high speed pulses. There are many variations. The term blast beat often scares new drummers but with a little focus you can teach any drummer to handle them in context.

• Full blast beat. Snare and kick hit together on every subdivision. It sounds like a machine gun of rhythm.
• Hammer blast. The kick plays faster subdivisions while the snare accents alternate beats. This gives propulsion with articulation.
• Roll based. Use fast single stroke rolls on snare or toms to create a wash instead of a machine gun effect.

Practice drill

Set a metronome at 60 BPM. Play sixteenth notes on a single surface at 90 BPM slowly and aim to tighten over days. Increase the metronome in tiny increments. Practice control more than speed. Think about breathing between sections so the drummer does not pass out on stage.

Vocals: Shriek, Gurgle, and Performance Choices

Black metal vocals range from high pitched shrieks to gritty roars. The priority is expression and longevity. Screaming incorrectly breaks your voice and denies your future self the ability to tour. Use technique not myths.

• Fry screaming uses relaxed vocal folds and controlled breath to create raspy screams. It is sustainable when trained. Think of it like whispering at the top of your range but with airflow managed.
• False cord screaming uses the false vocal folds to create thicker roars. It needs care to avoid strain.
• High shrieks rely on open vowels and head voice. They cut through dense mixes if you keep them tight and supported by breath.

Real life advice

Record multiple takes with different degrees of vocal aggression. If the first take sounds like a cat in a blender you can still layer it as an ad lib. Treat vocals like texture. Use clean singing or spoken narration for contrast to make screams mean more.

Lyrics and Themes That Avoid Clich and Still Feel True

Black metal lyrics often ride extremes. Authenticity beats shock that is obviously for clicks. Your lyrics should create a scene and live in sensory detail.

Common lyrical themes explained and alternatives

• Nature and solitude are standard. Do not just say forest and frost. Show the scene. Write a line about hair of moss that remembers your name. That is more specific and feels lived in.
• Existential despair can avoid cliché by using mundane domestic images that feel out of place. Example include broken light bulbs and stale tea as metaphors for spiritual rot.
• Myth and folklore work well when you retell from a micro perspective. Make the troll kiss the municipal tax form instead of a bridge for a surprising image.

Lyric exercise

Write a one verse scene using exactly five sensory details. No abstract words like love or hate. Make each detail tactile and anchored in time. This forces specificity and prevents vague melodrama.

Atmosphere and Sound Design: Make Space Feel Like a Place

Atmosphere is the secret sauce. You can have simple riffs and still sound huge if the space around them is convincing. Atmosphere is made with pad sounds, field recordings, reverb, delay, and low level noise.

• Field recordings. Use rain, wind, creaking doors, or distant bells to create real space. You can record outside with a phone or find free samples online.
• Pads and drones. Use synth pads or sustained guitars with heavy reverb to create a bed under the band. Keep it low in the mix so it supports not overwhelms.
• Reverse reverb. Reverse a short vocal or guitar phrase, add reverb, then reverse it back. This creates a sucking in sensation before a riff hits.
• Lo fi textures. Add tape saturation or subtle vinyl crackle for vintage coldness. Low rate modulation can make things feel like they breathe.

Real life mixing tip

Put a wide reverb send on rhythm guitars and a narrower room reverb on drums. This keeps the guitars spacious but keeps drum transients punchy. Use automation to raise reverb tails at the end of phrases to make the song breathe.

Production Choices: Raw vs Clean and Why Both Are Valid

Black metal was born in raw recordings. Raw can be aesthetic not excuse for lazy production. Clean can be cold and clinical which also can serve emotional intent. Pick a production approach that supports the concept of the song.

• Raw approach uses analog distortion, minimal editing, and reverb heavy mixes. It captures immediacy and fracture. Good if your story is about instability.
• Polished approach uses tight editing, clear EQ separation, and layered textures for cinematic clarity. Good if you want the atmosphere to be a specific architectural space.

Practical recording tips

• Record DI guitar so you can swap amp sims later. Even if you like the raw amp sound keep the DI as insurance.
• Double rhythm guitars for width but vary the pick attack between left and right takes so the stereo image breathes.
• EQ the low mid mud around 250 to 500 hertz out of guitars to let kick and bass breathe. Use a gentle bell cut not a surgical rip.
• Use bus compression lightly to glue drums but avoid squashing transient impact. Preserve the initial hit of the snare so blast beats still cut.

Arrangement Tricks That Make Repetition Feel Like Ritual

Black metal is inherently repetitive. The trick is to make repetition feel like ritual progression rather than boredom. Use small changes to reward patience.

• Layering. Add or remove a pad, a lead line, or a harmony every verse. The riff stays but the color changes.
• Dynamic shifts. Drop to near silence before the chorus or the big moment. Silence increases the perceived volume of what follows.
• Rhythmic displacements. Keep the motif but change the drum subdivision for a few bars. The motif feels familiar and new at once.

Collaborative Writing and Band Dynamics

Writing with a drummer, bassist, or synth player will yield better songs and prevent the all too real band falling out in a garage. Real life advice to stay functional.

• Bring a sketch. Come with a riff loop or a mood map. Do not ask everyone to start from silence unless your band has infinite time.
• Assign roles. Who arranges the intro. Who documents the tempo and sections. Assign one person to be the timekeeper to avoid endless debates.
• Practice transitions. Many bands nail riffs but lose the crowd in the change. Practice the moment between sections like it is choreography.

Live Considerations

Black metal live can be chaotic. Make sure the important parts translate and that you do not drown in your own darkness.

• Monitor clarity. Ensure the vocals are intelligible enough to deliver the message even if extreme processing reduces detail. The audience needs hooks even if they are brutal.
• Simplify parts for stage. A riff that requires three effects changes might be a studio trick better left recorded than performed by two hands and stage lighting.
• Use backing tracks carefully. Pad beds, choirs, and field recordings can be on a backing track to preserve the live intensity of the band while keeping the atmosphere intact.

Finishing a Song: Workflow You Can Rely On

1. Core motif. Lock the riff that carries the song for at least one full pass.
2. Arrangement map. Write a one page map with time stamps for each section. This keeps you focused when tracking.
3. Scratch vocal. Record a guide vocal. Even a bad guide helps the band find emotional targets.
4. Record drums first or guide click. Drums anchor extreme tempos. Use a strong click reference if drums are recorded later.
5. Mix for impact. Keep transients alive. Let the first 20 milliseconds of drums cut through the reverb to preserve aggression.
6. Master with intent. Loud is not a substitute for dynamics. Preserve contrast so the listener feels peaks and troughs.

Examples: Before and After Lines for Lyrics

Theme: Isolation in winter

Before: I am cold and alone.

After: My beard freezes into a map and the radio only plays other people's grief.

Theme: Betrayal

Before: You betrayed me and I am angry.

After: You left your footprints in my cellar collection of promises and the mold drank them like wine.

Theme: Ritual

Before: We performed the ritual under the moon.

After: We chalked the doorframe with salt and hummed the line my grandfather never finished.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too noisy without purpose. Fix it by subtracting one layer and asking if it moves the emotional needle. If not, delete it.
• Static arrangements. Fix by introducing a new instrument or changing a drum subdivision every second chorus.
• Vocals buried. Fix by carving space with EQ and adding a short slap delay to give the vocal presence without bumping the drums.
• Riffs that wander. Fix by committing to a motif and writing a clear development path for it.

Black Metal Songwriting Exercises and Micro Prompts

• Ten minute motif build. Set a timer for ten minutes. Create a two note motif and repeat it for eight bars. Make one small change each two bars. Stop. You now have the backbone of a song.
• Field recording incorporation. Record 60 seconds of outside noise. Sculpt it with EQ and cut it into a 30 second loop. Use it as an intro bed.
• Vocal texture test. Record three one minute takes with different vocal intensities. Blend them as layers: one lower grit, one mid shriek, one distant whisper. Use them in different sections.
• Tempo switch drill. Write a 16 bar riff at 90 BPM. Repeat it at 180 BPM for the next 16 bars. Notice how changes in tempo change the emotional meaning of the same notes.

How to Get Better Fast Without Losing Your Soul

Practice consistently and record everything. The best riffs often arrive when you are mildly irritated or slightly tired. Songwriting is about turning annoyance into sharp aesthetics. Also get feedback but be picky. Ask one question when you play a rough mix for someone. For example ask which second made them want to leave the room. If their answer is specific you have a lead on what to fix.

Gear Notes That Actually Matter

• Guitars. Single coils can sound thin but aggressive. Humbuckers give thickness. Use what matches the mood. No gear will save a hollow riff.
• Amps and sims. Tube amps give organic breakup. Amp simulation plugins are powerful and convenient. Record DI so you can audition sims later.
• Mics. SM57 on guitar cabs is a staple because it captures mid aggression. Add a condenser room mic for air if you want size.
• Interfaces. Low latency is critical for tight trem picking and blast timing. Invest in a reliable interface with decent preamps.

Release and Promotion Tips for Black Metal Acts

Presentation matters in metal too. High concept visuals and a consistent aesthetic help people find your music. Use short video clips that highlight atmosphere rather than just performance footage. Create one strong visual motif for an EP and repeat it across artwork, merch, and social video snippets.

• Streaming strategy. Put one hooky 90 second snippet as a lead single and push it to playlists that accept extreme music.
• Video content. Share behind the scenes field recording, lyric explanations, and a short ritual like a late night practice where you build a riff from scratch.
• Community. Engage with niche blogs, forums, and local scenes. Black metal fans value authenticity so show the work not ego.

Black Metal Songwriting FAQ

What tempo should my black metal song be

There is no one tempo. Use tempo as a mood lever. Slower tempos feel monumental. Faster tempos feel frantic. Try writing the same motif at two tempos to see which emotion fits the lyric and atmosphere.

How do I learn tremolo picking quickly

Practice with a metronome at low speeds and focus on alternate picking technique. Use a strict wrist motion and economy of movement. Build speed in small increments and focus on consistent attack rather than raw speed.

Are blast beats necessary

No. Blast beats are a tool. They deliver a specific kind of intensity. Use them when you want a drum avalanche. Do not use them because you think you must. Many memorable black metal sections rely on power and space not constant percussion.

How do I record vocals without wrecking my voice

Learn proper breath support and technique such as fry or false cord methods from a coach or trusted online resources. Warm up like an athlete. Hydrate. Do not push through pain. Record short takes and rest between them.

Can black metal be produced cleanly

Yes. Clean production can heighten atmosphere and detail. Keep the emotional truth intact. Polished production should still sound bleak if that is the artistic intent. Clarity does not equal compromise.

How do I avoid sounding derivative

Be specific. Use personal details in lyrics and unusual sound sources. Instead of saying cold mountain use an image that only you would notice. Combine genres in small ways to carve your voice.