These Black Metal Riffs are BORING

[@a.s.2322]

For me, the Transilvanian Hunger riff is one of the most iconic riffs, cant believe people voted for it being boring. :D

[@HatingAmericans225]

its probably because it repeats too much

[@blackheavyblans]

​ But sometimes less is more.

[@roruso6854]

0 chord progression boring asf not challenging at all

[@a.s.2322]

@@roruso6854 What challenge are you talking about? This album is supposed to be minimalistic and monotonous. If you want chord progression, maybe jazz is the right music for you.

[@vicenteraira]

@@a.s.2322 Dude is wanting Polyphia or what? lol

[@priceyblackwinter2338]

While I like what you’re doing, I definitely think the genius of these songs is their simplicity. They’re stark, cold, and brutal. They make their statement, convey what they have to, and don’t indulge. That’s what black metal is about

[@withonforafteratbyin]

AGREED!

[@BlastMcRiff]

A large part of what's wrong with metal in general is that everyone is afraid of looking like an unimpressive musician. It's easy to let your ego negatively influence your music

[@priceyblackwinter2338]

@@BlastMcRiff facts- they forget to make songs memorable and instead hide behind soulless, technical riffs

[@BlastMcRiff]

@@priceyblackwinter2338 The thing with technical riffs is, they're great when used properly. It's just when everything is flashy, it ends up losing its lustre. Anyone can write a bad primitive riff, but when you can write a good one it stands out much more

[@mrfunnyjoke]

I agree. My favorite black metal riffs are always the simple ones. Darkthrone and burzum master it.

[@WhattheFuggIsWrongWithYou]

The older i become, the more i realize, that simplicity is actually complex. There is something in alot of us that wants to keep adding to a riff or a song, when in reality we might be trying too hard

[@bigolboomerbelly4348]

Totally agree. The hardest thing in all music is writing something novel yet simple. It's a mark of greatness of a composer.

[@Nibblerr]

I get what you're saying but simplicity is not complex. Lack of complexity is not complex. Being aware of different things you could do but decide not to do it yields the same end result as not knowing it to begin with.

[@TheTransylvanian]

The riff of Transylvanian hunger is such a soothing melody it’s one of those songs that relaxes me

[@77blacktrip]

Same. I use that album to get off to sleep

[@TheUnderscope]

Agree. For me it's more akin to classical music than metal

[@JoaoSergio7]

To me, Transilvanian Hunger always evoked the idea of being alone and wandering (or being lost) in a dark, cold, snow covered forest in a starless night. You can feel the stark cold, the freezing winds, the lingering evil, the looming darkness and the inherit melancholy of it all. This riff needs the simple melody and space to create this sort of hypnotic repetition that builds all the atmosphere. I remember Varg talking about writing with the same kind of approach for albums like Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. These songs were what one could call "proto atmospheric black metal". Trying to make a riff like Transilvanian Hunger more "busy" ends up killing it's quintessence. In the other hand, your version of Freezing Moon actually worked much better than one might expect.

[@Kanelipulla420]

Killing it’s quintessence… hmm… I see what you did there

[@gombka1144]

I think that your version of transilvanian hunger would be WAY better with second guitar playing normal version to those single notes, when they are there alone it kinda loses the wall of sound effect and dorsn't really fit the rest of the song, but your version of freezing moon was fantastic!

[@lainroseheart]

agreed 100%! especially the higher notes in the ladder half of the altered th riff felt like they lost a lot of the "body" of the sound. would love to hear it doubled up

[@TheCrucialMetalistMrToxic]

Transylvanian Hunger is definitely one of the coolest black metal riffs of all time… play it normal & it’s iconic - add to it & it sounds like a Dissection riff.

[@Selynn.]

Anyone who shits on the classics shouldn't even be taken seriously.

[@j4yd34d5]

today Farvann discovers that Transilvanian Hunger is immaculate and immune to improvement, nice attempt though :)

[@JoeEnabnit]

the whole reason Black Metal got started was a reaction against popular metal and "commercial death metal" which was focussed on flashy musicianship and guitar solos and so on. The austere, oppressively repetitive riffs and brutally ugly recording quality were completely intentional. Darkthrone recorded a technical death metal album in a professional studio before becoming black metal, then they proceeded to record in Fenriz' living room with an old 4 track recorder. The entire Transylvanian Hunger album is literally 4 tracks played straight through (2 guitars, one bass, one drums) with vocals thrown on top

[@MetalMF0508]

I enjoy transilvanian hunger because of the main simplistic melodic riff, it works well. Is it simple? Yes but not all black metal needs to be riff crazy to achieve is goal, because if all black metal tried to be that way then it would get boring like death metal can often be

[@aaronmartinez5029]

Except Death. Most death metal bands are too repetitive with the same lyrical themes.

[@joshghost661]

@@aaronmartinez5029you can realistically say that about any genre lol. Thrash metal : Blood beer mosh arrrgh , Black Metal: Blegggh Satan , Death Metal: *Pig squeal* Decapitationnn, body dismemberment, eyeball dischargeee

[@planecrazybuilder4234]

@@joshghost661that’s fax though I enjoy death metal and black metal and there’s always the same topic: black metal: Satan death metal: Satan or cannibal type shit

[@joshghost661]

@@planecrazybuilder4234 yeah I enjoy BM, Death, and Thrash lol. But a lot of bands follow the typical stereotypes sometimes to a corny level lol

[@gabrielepesacane5430]

Wait, isn’t the Freezing Moon riff written with power chords instead of single notes? That’s how I always played it

[@christophedenisleet3007]

Me too lol

[@iwannapayback]

To say that the Freezing Moon riffs (or any riffs from the DMDS album) are boring is to admit that one has completely missed the point. The lifelessness, repetitiveness ad absurdum and somnabulic vibes is exactly what makes these riffs immortal and legendary. These traits are absolutely constitutive for them and they just could not have been written otherwise because the album wouldn´t work. The slow, doomish passage on Freezing Moon gives me chills everytime I hear and I´m sure it always will. And it was meant to be exactly like that. It´s fine to say that one dislikes them, but to say that they are boring is just sheer misunderstanding. The same for Transilvanian Hunger.

[@Nori440]

This was amazing to watch. I personally don't think those riffs are boring per se but yeah. Amazing video as always Farvann :)

[@daario4278]

per say

[@lukasmisanthrop8557]

per say

[@RobHellfire666]

* Per sé. 😉

[@Nori440]

@@RobHellfire666 thx 👍

[@MrBX5]

What you said at the end also applies to Key to the Gate by Burzum. The beginning is horrible and Varg has said it himself that it was intentional so that it contrasts well with the second part of the song which is more melodic.

[@altnap]

Freezing moon is one of the only mayhem songs I actually like. Edit: why do all the comments I make shitting on mayhem get so much attention 😭

[@metalhead7319]

I Am Thy Labyrinth is one of their greatest songs.

[@stephantiede9779]

Funeral fog rules

[@altnap]

@@metalhead7319 I feel like my ears just got sexually assaulted. It’s good.

[@heavymetalmusicmanor]

Nope all mayhem songs are amazing

[@sepulchralvoice833]

Come on, Funeral Fog, Pagan fears, deathcrush....

[@kmerk000]

Thanks, Farvann! I discovered a new approach to create my own riffs😄

[@chaoticneutral1090]

I like thst you didnt make many cuts while figuring it out on camera, very cool that your vids are just keeping it real

[@evvldvrk1music-official]

i take this video as a "how to improve a riff" thing, rather than trying to change these old songs :D and yes, I agree about looking at a whole song rather than nitpicking on single riffs. great songs can have simple parts, but there are many parts to a song. 😉

[@gavriel.r]

I think it's important to have "boring" riffs sometimes, they can kind of make you aprreciate the other more catchy parts of the song. Kind of what you said at the end of the video.

[@rodeyoshi]

I don't think people think the riffs are boring, it's just that everyone has heard the songs many many times. Also, I like it when black metal is a bit repetitive and simple. Nice video though!

[@louisyoung1916]

Those worked better than I would have expected. A nice peek into Farvann's songwriting technique, too. And as a bonus, Flashback Friday brings you dial-up modem noises! (1:54) 🤘🤘🙂

[@timothymckane6362]

It's so weird that those legendary 2nd Wave of Black Metal songs are considered so-called "boring" to some people on the internet. Standard Black Metal music has to have the simple riffs and melodies while portraying the sound very evil and cold. If it sounds way too flashy, it'll ruin the trve kvlt element.

[@nbitsolutions8819]

You made Mayhem sound like Darkthrone, and Darkthrone sound like Mayhem 😂👍🏻

[@agucci]

Truth in simplicity. And by "Truth" I actually mean TRVTH.

[@lainroseheart]

will you do another one of these sorts of videos? id love to see more videos focused specifically on black metal riff-writing

[@AvarTyrog]

Very cool video! Would be cool to see more like this!

[@ixoneeigengrau1036]

Freezing Moon went from a Mayhem song to to a Sargeist song pretty fast... And then to Funeral Mist

[@MetalZoned]

Transilvanian Hunger is my favorite Black Metal riff

[@Doomguysdeadbunny]

Same probably

[@cameronblaylock]

believe it or not, the mayhem riff is actually played with power chords, look up the '89 rehearsal and you'll see euronymous fretting power chord shapes, and moving all the way back to the second fret for the open e power chord. i think the power chord you hear is a second guitar, since the guitar tracks are layered. still the weakest riff in the song by far, but the standards set by the other riffs leave a high bar to pass. btw your eq setting are so wonderful! both the original freezing moon and transilvanian hunger riffs sounded way better than they did on their own albums, and i love the tones on dmds and th

[@krum6334]

I like the melodicness you added to Transilvanian Hunger but only on its own, the beauty of the riff is that it's simple and extremely cold and it sticks in your mind, fr I always play it when I pick up the guitar.

[@abyss5229]

8:14 What about the opening riff of Key to the gate? The first 10 seconds are just hard to listen,but what a great song

[@CJ-hq6zz]

Our noble music is not really appreciated here in Uzbekistan, however,there is a huge black metal community in here as well,which really appreciates your content. Keep on rockin pal. Much love from a random black metal musician from Uzbekistan \../ 🇺🇿🇩🇪 \../

[@Maedroth]

Your new Freezing Moon riff was pretty good but the Transylvanian Hunger one caused me pain to listen to.

[@adrianmartinez-lq5he]

I love funeral fog especialy that part Yes you know what it is. Transilvanian hunger riff is mesmerising hipnotic there is not other one alike it shouldnt be another one alike. In case of black metal is actually hard to separete sections since is always made by instruments working as shapes over each other, yes you can be technical in BM and take alone one riffs /drum pattern or bass patern but this genere is always composing as whole unit whit every instrument adding to a one structure and not like other metal generes where every instrument can make its thing alone

[@warlockdruid]

I think the simplicity of the Transilvanian Hunger riff is what makes it powerful, hypnotic and dramatic. It conveys a lot of raw emotion and feelings of angst, despair and darkness. But it also makes me space out, relax and take my mind away from reality. The riff is fine as it is, because it's all it needed to be for the song as a whole.

[@music4me200]

I find that sometimes the simplistic riffs allows my mind to wander through thoughts and images that more complex riffing seems to stifle. By the way, 1st time commenting here from Tennessee.

[@dawidjanecz7315]

"Oh, that was a mistake but it sounded good" Composing a black metal song in a nutshell

[@ThatGreekMF]

How did you get this guitar tone¿?

[@antontipura2686]

Riffs are not boring, these are just the only songs someone who heard about black metal knows

[@RAM-wv1vr]

I love both riffs. They are classics of Black Metal.

[@Kanelipulla420]

Very unique video idea Farvann, I really enjoyed this.

[@Poemwriter_Angelo]

i once got an emotional piano cover recommended to me from Transylvanian hunger. and when i was listening to that, i only realised how much i truly like the rif of transilvanian hunger.

[@amin393]

I guess it's the first video in which Farvann drinks water instead of beer

[@michaelgiesler1896]

"I still have one finger left. Which tone can I reach?"

[@azardes2960]

At the point "I think I'm having a good day because I'm not drunk yet..." after the "äääähm" i hoped so much there comes a cut and you open a beer 😂

[@willf3556]

I was always confused why freezing moon was always so much simpler than the rest of DMDS, but I saw a rehearsal tape from shortly after they released deathcrush where they played that, the eps songs, pure fucking Armageddon songs, and some primitive versions of the riffs that would become part of the rest of dmds. I suddenly realized that Freezing Moon was probably the first song they wrote after deathcrush, and so is simple like deathcrush with the black metal elements that would be refined in future songs.

[@Irion666]

Farvann, what kind of mediator do you use? im just curious

[@SpaceWhaIe]

This was fun to watch, and I really enjoy seeing you coming up with music on the fly like this. The Freezing Moon changes are great, even if I still like the original a ton. The Transylvanian Hunger riff was different. It sounds like it's coming from a different type of BM if that makes sense, like the riff put it into a whole different genre that you might hear from the last 10-15 years or something.

[@marhofficial]

Different time signatures, cleaner sound, then you have your ordo ad chao progressive type riffs. The thing you said at the end reminds me of Victor Wooten ; there is no wrong notes or wrong timing or riffs, just a matter of context.

[@emilbreidling2420]

Yessss, ich bin nicht der einzige, der sich über das wetter und die temperatur beschwert. Ich hab mich an einem black metal song versucht, also gitarre steht schonmal, aber ich brauche hilfe da einen passenden drum beat zu machen, beim gesang bin ich gerade an einem text, könntest du mir vlt. Mit den drums helfen? Feier deine musik und deinen kanal

[@emilbreidling2420]

@@Farvann ich muss sagen, ich hab deutlich negativere ressonanz erwartet, aber dass selbst octoman sagt, dass es gut ist o.0

[@vincentvanghool6723]

I feel like the riff you came up with for Transylvanian Hunger you took it and gave ot to Satyricon and Emperor and told them to make a similar song together.

[@jairomartinez-ortiz2553]

For some reason when I heard the Transylvanian Hunger album for the first time, I thought Transylvanian Hunger was boring and while listening through the album, I was blown away by I en hall med flesk og mjød, even though the main riff is one note for a long time.

[@aaronsearle5809]

As much as i love to hear and play some spicy riffs but also i believe in the rule of K.I.S.S, Keep It Simple Son. Sometimes less IS more in the beautiful world of music, not to overplay, overdo riffs that dont need it, but i see what Farvann is getting to anyway, but thats what the original riffs it makes it so iconic and era defining in the genre of Black Metal itself at that time.

[@phi816]

Damn... how'd you get that guitar tone?

[@michaelgiesler1896]

You could something similar the Doom Metal style: removing(!) notes from existing riffs to improve it...

[@Tysandifer]

I've always thought the freezing moon riff was power chords lol, so thats how I've played it for years

[@snaggletooth5844]

everything aside, how long did it take to be so good at guitar cause man i think its gonna take a while to become like that

[@realcarlspartacus]

Yeah, I love the transilvanian Hunger riff as it is... but ok for improvement as an exercise.

[@cpfantastic5576]

How Transilvanian Hunger riff was boring? What's the matter with you people?

[@blackMetalPiano]

Havukruunu's riff are example of NOT boring riffs

[@ilikevideos4868]

Mgla and Havukruunu are the best modern black metal bands

[@siebensunden]

What's next, Ildjarn songs recreation?

[@denudenovsky]

Kirk Hammet called, asked if the notes in between are fucking with you as well.😅You could have done a dyad in the Transilvanian Hunger, it would be a bit more consistent. Nice vid as always!

[@louisyoung1916]

🤘😀

[@Malkavian_Grin]

Honestly I never heard anyone say these riffs were boring. I mean, we're talking first wave black metal here. These riffs helped invent the genre! What you did with Freezing Moon was okay, but I hate how you changed the Darkthrone riff. It seriously sounds like something I wrote when I was teaching myself guitar XD Just abysmal, sorry.

[@sepeko86]

Transilvanian Hunger is perfect as it is... no need for a change

[@coloradowhite787b]

Have you ever listened to any Progressive Black Metal stuff? Some of my favorite stuff is in that genre. A mix of Progressive and black metal is a perfect blend of entertainment because of tempo switching (fast to slow and slow to fast), time signature change, and odd time signatures to even go with the switching. Goodbye Boring 4/4 hello 7/8, 5/8, 9/8, 13/8, etc... I imagine some other Black metal bands would also use those unique time signatures too at times. (Mirrorthrone and Enslaved are the Progressive Black Metal bands I started with... Borknagar counts? ok...)

[@ЛевапДионараб]

Second one is absolutely amazing, worth turning into a song, call it Transylvanian Satiety

[@mrfunnyjoke]

Awesome video idea I love this.

[@commentarywiseisbias]

Mayhem's My Death has probably their most ominous sounding riff, Freezing Moon clearly got them famous and started but My Death is their best in my opinion, including Rape Humanity with Pride.

[@BLDWR96]

When most loved becomes most hated

[@WMfin]

Imagine how boring AC/DC would be with more chords

[@dee-taylor]

You made Transylvanian Hunger sound like Burzum

[@dylanj7381]

Transylvanian hunger is the greatest black metal riff ever concocted

[@ilikevideos4868]

Wtf Transilvanian Hunger is a PERFECT riff

[@dwimorbergofficial4341]

idk. i love playing transilvanian hunger on my acoustic when its raining and i have no power in my home. also Keliohesten is good example of "boring riff" that can make you go blank

[@thetruemusichead]

I love the Transylvanian Hunger riff so much. But when you isolate it, sometime it can sound almost emo-y to me.

[@Krackedskul]

It fucking sucks bad quality very simple 13 year olds just force themselves to like because it's "cold and dark"(shitty and repetitive)

[@javierwhite8295]

I agree for the Mayhem riff, but Transylvanian hunger? are you kidding me? it carries epic emotions and darkness ! People are insane

[@VincentVegardSvart]

What kind of people say that these songs are boring

[@Lotastic_Films]

These riffs sounds monstrous 🤘🎸🔥

[@OldManDoom]

Honestly this sounds like try-hard contrarians trying to rage bait. A bunch of people who are essentially the record store clerk from Lillehammer in Metalocalypse

[@EmmanuelHernandez-ue9dp]

That fcking noise in 2500hz is killing me, is awful 💀💀💀

[@RandyGarciaGuitar]

I think the problem with freezing moon is the intro riff drags on for too long. The riff is amazing, but play anything for too long and it gets boring. Last I remember that riff is a minute long. Shouldn't have been played more than 4 times, which I think would be like 25 seconds?

[@aussenn4915]

The riffs aren’t bad or boring. Rather everyone copies mayhem and darkthrone so they don’t sound special like they used to

[@lisova_varta]

IMHO that melodic part in the end of modified transilvanian hunger kinda ruined a dark and mysterious atmosphere of the song. It's way too happy for this track. Maybe you should have continued playing in the same style as in the beginning of the riff?

[@usr_alex_sin6620]

Вообще я думаю насчет Freezing moon-скучность риффа вероятнее всего связана с либо пионерией, типа первопроходцы второй волны блэк-метала. Ну либо лень. А у Transilvanian Hunger все-таки что-то есть свое, какой-то шарм. А видос годный (In general, I think about Freezing moon - the dullness of the riff is most likely due to either the pioneers, such as the pioneers of the second wave of black metal. Well either laziness. But Transilvanian Hunger still has something of its own, some kind of charm. And the vid is good)

[@lonix9734]

I feel like freezing moon main riff is actually the drumming, guitar serving as a backing track

[@metaldeth166]

I'm not really into Black Metal that much but the Transylvanian Hunger riff is perfect the way it is and definitely not boring, but I may be biased since that's my favorite style of tremolo riff.

[@ЕвгенийГавриловский]

I liked the result of "Transylvanian Hunger" riff transformation more than "Freezing Moon"'s one but it's just a matter of taste.

[@huttanamaihala2276]

Darkthrone has so many disgustingly great riffs

[@marcioferreira9353]

Are the people who find Transilvanian Hunger boring really into Black Metal at all? Not gatekeeping or anything, just that this riff has many features that are so key to the genre, it's far from boring or bad.

[@wolfmauler]

A re-upload that deleted the comments?

[@wolfmauler]

@@Farvann Nice vid though! It's a fun practice exercise to build your own writing skills, if nothing else 🤘😉

[@CizerKedi]

Perfect video idea.

[@ZauTa]

A real boring DT riff is I En Hall Med Flesk Og Mjod verse riff. It has like 6.5 to 7 measures of trem picking one power chord

[@ohiraeth6625]

Transylvanian hungers riff is so good wtf

[@Kaas_is_Baas]

I don't understand why people find that riff's boring! Simple is mostley better.

[@frvn6756]

[Julius] Evola!

[@VisceralDisgust]

prefer your versions personally. Music should only be what the person creating thinks it 'should' sound like.

[@georgecostan3248]

"Freezing Moon" was the first 2nd Wave black metal song and got maybe, the most overplay. For 1988, when it was composed, it was as great as one such song could have been. Of course, since then, more interesting black metal was released. "Transylvanian Hunger" doesn't have the same excuse, though - the riffs are good, but the song structure is lazy, boring and overlong. The production also castrated its power.

[@get_outofhere]

What's wrong with Transilvanian Hunger? Is essentially a BM masterpiece

[@get_outofhere]

@@Farvann Well I guess in perspective is just how we perceive BM, event though I am from a tropical country I can definitely feel what this riff is conveying and is not beautiful, in my opionion is conveying anguish and eternity. Your interpretation was awesome, I love how much of a hard time it was for you to make it different and it was not where you thought at the beggining.

[@vindictus_1230]

Still like freezing moon original better but that was intuitive so I dig it