O heavy metal costuma estar fundamentado em riffs criados com os três principais traços harmônicos: escalas em progressões modais, trítonos e progressões cromáticas, além do uso de pontos pedais. O heavy metal tradicional tende a empregar escalas modais, em especial os modos frígio e eólio. [32]
Symphonic black metal is a style of black metal that incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. This may include the usage of keyboards to conjure up "pseudo-orchestral" soundscapes with default presets (e.g. strings, choirs, piano, organs, and pads), or full orchestral arrangements.
The term "unblack metal" was derived from "holy unblack metal", which was a wordplay on Darkthrone's "unholy black metal" term. Media became interested in this controversy. On 6 June 1995, the Norwegian weekly newspaper Morgenbladet published an article about the phenomenon of unblack metal, describing Horde's album as "an abrupt satire of the ...