According to the All Music website, death metal developed from the thrash metal popularized in the late 1980s by bands such as Metallica and Slayer. As its name indicates, lyrics of death metal songs tend to focus on pain, death and suffering, set to heavy, lumbering riffs, occasionally meandering into intricate compositional sidelines reminiscent of the so-called progressive rock of the 1970s.
On the website Chronicles of Chaos, Quentin Kalis notes that black metal originated in Scandinavia, based on an "anti-Christian" philosophy bordering on outright Satanism. Subjects of songs are typically medieval, sometimes involving ancient Norse mythology and the writings of "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien. Kalis describes the black metal sound as "snarled or shrieked vocals and raucous tremolo riffs," with a treble-heavy sound. Unlike other forms of metal, guitar solos are minimal, as musical virtuosity is frowned upon. Black metal songs are typically raw and simplistic.
Some of the bands Kalis lists as representing the black metal genre include Immortal, Satyricon, Burzum, Darkthrone, Enslaved and Emperor, which released its influential album "In the Nightside Eclipse" in 1994. The website Metal Callout lists its picks for the top 10 death metal bands, which include Arch Enemy, Suffocation, Entombed, Obituary, Carcass and Possessed. The number one death metal band on the list is called Death, which was the top-selling death metal band in the world.
The primary differences between death metal and black metal are in the overall sound and subject matter. Vocals in black metal songs tend toward screeching, raspy sounds while death metal vocals are more guttural. Extended guitar solos are a hallmark of death metal but are eschewed in black metal. Subject matter of death metal tends toward morbid, horror-movie-style descriptions of horrific pain and suffering. Although death metal utilizes some satanic symbolism, black metal typically focuses on evil represented in religious systems and various types of mythology and literature.