Black Metal bassists are more famous for killing their guitarists than actually being audible. However, Varg is probably one of the most audible.
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Black metal bassists
- Thread starter Jeffbo
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90s Marduk has a lot of sick basslines!
Ved Buenes Ende is also heavily relying on Bass keeping stuff together. Kinda like early Ulver but weirder.
But Black Metal and Geartalk dont seem to fit together. Remember the Virkeneres interview about how to "achieve" NECROSOUND.
There are a lot of BM bands nowadays playing a more ambient version of what the genre was, like Wolves In The Throne Room, Deafheaven, Altar of Plagues. I've seen a gig this last one already, and as far as I remember the bassist, was using an overdrive, Boss ODB-3, a Flanger and a Delay or Reverb, I'm not sure.
So, there isn't a formula for doing the genre. But I'm sure that a distortion and some time effect would feet your needs. The hard part is to choose ONE.
Good luck.
So, there isn't a formula for doing the genre. But I'm sure that a distortion and some time effect would feet your needs. The hard part is to choose ONE.
Good luck.
i am playing actively in a Symphonic Black Metal band and now abt to release our 2nd album and prep for tour.
for recording and live shows. mainly i use a Line6 M9, A/B/Y pedal, EBS compressor, G30. etc.. i dum use dirt pedal as my other grindcore/brutal death bands.
mainly i use dimension-C + Digital Delay (mainly to thicken out the tone) and a slight OD to push the mid out and blend it with the A/B/Y.
both guitarist are not overly scooped and noisy as we need the keyboards to cut thru. once is a bit more mids and the other one a bit more low mids while my bass are lighly scooped to fill out the spaces on the dry setting and wet setting very mid to bring out some bass.
for recording and live shows. mainly i use a Line6 M9, A/B/Y pedal, EBS compressor, G30. etc.. i dum use dirt pedal as my other grindcore/brutal death bands.
mainly i use dimension-C + Digital Delay (mainly to thicken out the tone) and a slight OD to push the mid out and blend it with the A/B/Y.
both guitarist are not overly scooped and noisy as we need the keyboards to cut thru. once is a bit more mids and the other one a bit more low mids while my bass are lighly scooped to fill out the spaces on the dry setting and wet setting very mid to bring out some bass.
Definitely not live. He plays dirty as hell and most definitely has a fetish for Flanger and Delay.
Venom (London 1985) [06]. Bass Solo (Cronos) - YouTube
Man this solo rules i love that chainsaw thing he does to get the crowd all rowdy. Any idea how to do that? im sure he's not hitting a wah since hes moving around so much.
I never knew this thread until I Googled it and it came up. I may be a bit late but oh well. I am a Black Metal Bassist. I have been playing since the early 80's but had a 15 year break in between. I have had a couple basses but I currently only have one, one that I bought around 1987. I have a Westone Spectrum GT Bass. Mahogony candy red with two MagnaBass passive Humbuckers. It is a very long bass, it would not fit in a regular bass case. It is 4 string, but I have it dropped to a low A, then D, G, C. I play it just like a 5 string, but without the top string. Its neck is long and skinny, so fingering on the frets is very user friendly. Because it is so long, it uses a lot of string and with 130 gage and up strings it is awesome. I use DOD Foot switch bass equalizers (one, sometimes two). I have Roland Cube 100 amp for performing but 100% of the time I am recording. In that case I use no amp, I just use one (sometimes two) bass equalizers straight into a Roland Digital Equalizer with bass sustain setting. I both use fingers and a pick to get different tones I need. Very clean, milky sound with a sharp bite and a deep soothing bass sound. With this bass and my settings I have found perfection for me. I have played Ibanez, Philip Kubicki, Fender, a few others, but I prefered the sound of the Spectrum Bass. I am a one man doom influenced black metal band called Black Northern Reign. My band page is in my signature or at:Invalid Link Removed . I have a Youtube(I do make music videos, not concert videos)http://www.youtube.com/user/BLACKNORTHERNREIGN?feature=mhee and Facebook profile. Because my Black Metal is doom influenced, the bass lines are very important. Because I am a one man band, I also play ESP and Jackson guitars, Yamaha Keyboards and Roland electronic trigger drums with a double bass pedals. I do my own black metal voice, lead and supporting.
Uhh.. If you're a black Metal bassist... Just turn it off and try to look evil. No one will notice anyways.
Did black metal many years back with my friends and we always tried to sound "cold" if you know what i mean. Darkthrone-Under a Funeral Moon style. So i used a bass a pick a cable and an amp. And my guitarist did the same.
Recently came across a band called CODE and their album Resplendent Grotesque. Just listen to this bassist, he is awesome. He plays fingers and I didnt notice any effects, but the tone... that tone...
Recently came across a band called CODE and their album Resplendent Grotesque. Just listen to this bassist, he is awesome. He plays fingers and I didnt notice any effects, but the tone... that tone...
90s Marduk has a lot of sick basslines!
Ved Buenes Ende is also heavily relying on Bass keeping stuff together. Kinda like early Ulver but weirder.
But Black Metal and Geartalk dont seem to fit together. Remember the Virkeneres interview about how to "achieve" NECROSOUND.
Newer Marduk does too, Whore Crown and Into Utter Madness from one of their last albums has awesome basslines! Worth checking out!
Guys, there are way more styles of black metal than just the second wave Norwegian sound. Even among those bands there were notable examples of bass heavy/dominant mixes or song structures, such as Ildjarn's "Strength and Anger". Mortuary Drape of Italy is a band that predates all the Norwegians except Mayhem, and is ALL about the bass. Half the time all you hear of the guitar is a light fuzz except for the solos.
The Greek scene, coterminous with that of Norway usually had prominent bass parts; Necromantia even had two bass players and no guitars!
Axis of Advance from Canada had some awesome bass playing as well.
Profanatica (USA) is primitive playing at its best that does not skimp on the bass
This is a BIG genre, dont get it pigeonholed with one country's sound that everyone seems to hink is "the" black metal sound.
The Greek scene, coterminous with that of Norway usually had prominent bass parts; Necromantia even had two bass players and no guitars!
Axis of Advance from Canada had some awesome bass playing as well.
Profanatica (USA) is primitive playing at its best that does not skimp on the bass
This is a BIG genre, dont get it pigeonholed with one country's sound that everyone seems to hink is "the" black metal sound.
