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Death metal feels often more concentrated, while black metal feels more open. Less bassy. It breathes more. A more open sound, more (room for) atmosphere.
 
You mean: why were two genres needed?

Or why do I recognize (or have an urge to describe) two different genres in metal?
 
To me the distinctions are:
  • Death metal is much more rhythm based. You can easily find death metal songs with grooving riffs, whereas it's virtually impossible in black metal.
  • Black metal is very atmospheric. You can find a wall of sound without distinct riffs in black metal, very uncommon in death metal.
  • Black metal is usually lo-fi, death metal can be lo-fi but usually isn't.
  • Layering and instrumentation is richer in black metal.
  • Death metal tends to be more technical in playing.
  • Vocals are different. Death metal uses growls, black metal uses shrieking.
I think the usage of two names is warranted. Quite different styles.
 
The Flash said:
To me the distinctions are:
  • Death metal is much more rhythm based. You can easily find death metal songs with grooving riffs, whereas it's virtually impossible in black metal.
  • Black metal is very atmospheric. You can find a wall of sound without distinct riffs in black metal, very uncommon in death metal.
  • Black metal is usually lo-fi, death metal can be lo-fi but usually isn't.
  • Layering and instrumentation is richer in black metal.
  • Death metal tends to be more technical in playing.
  • Vocals are different. Death metal uses growls, black metal uses shrieking.
I think the usage of two names is warranted. Quite different styles.
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You could come up with a pretty elaborate definition but I think it ultimately comes down to this:

Forostar said:
Death metal feels often more concentrated, while black metal feels more open. Less bassy. It breathes more. A more open sound, more (room for) atmosphere.
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Both styles have had a lot of variation within themselves but they all boil down to this in the end.
 
I have more or less ceased to listen to both genres lately, but I have always felt these are very different from each other. I have, however, always preferred death, being a proghead and all, also considering I usually dislike "SAY TAAAAAN" in my music (well, that's not to say I like gore, but it's usually more tolerable)...

I have always felt black was mostly atmospheric whereas death was mostly technical. Black was Venom on steroids, death was... technical thrash on steroids. On the other hand, Opeth are definitely less technical and more atmospheric than most of their peers, so I'm probably being wrong.

The rules that Flash wrote above are quite all right, I believe. Of course there are to be exceptions (there is no genre, I repeat, no genre at all that wouldn't have exceptions like that).

Even when some of the (Flash's) rules are broken (e. g. Chuck's vocals on the latter Death albums were definitely closer to the black metal mold), there is still enough distinction... unless the band itself is some kind of blackened-death whatever - I know those exist (Behemoth?), but I myself have never heard one.

Pand said:
I thought the main difference was that Black Metal is Only for Black People.
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Ye mean, "separate but equal"?

I don't think so. First of all, those are not equal at all and you cannot have death metal only for dead people.
 
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Good description Flash, although I don't tend to go with the first point that easily, nor with shrieking vocals.
The Flash said:
To me the distinctions are:
  • Death metal is much more rhythm based. You can easily find death metal songs with grooving riffs, whereas it's virtually impossible in black metal.
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"Rhythm based" can be something else as "grooving (groovy isn't it?) riffs". Maybe it's my English but riffs are for me not the drums, while rhythm based can be drums (or included). Death metal uses more bass drums, "drenched" together, and technical bands usually do more variations in time signatures.

And I not sure how to measure grooving (groovy, isn't it?) riffs, but I value the rhythm guitars in black metal very high. It's the most important aspect even. I don't know any black metal record that I like, without holding the guitars in high regard. A vital element.

Perhaps the guitar work is relatively simple, but the sound of it has a massive effect. Take Ancient's The Call of the Absu Deep.
I find these guitars sound so cool that I am not bothered by the simple drum work. It fits and it works. Anyway, all these riffs, I find them very groovy and awesome sounding, and the chorus especially rules.

Also note: the vocals are not shrieking. Shrieking is a painful, annoying high sound isn't it? If this is shrieking, I stand corrected. Black metal can have more variation in vocals. With e.g. (normal) speech, whispering.

Not sure if this was stressed but generally speaking, black metal can be more epic and bombastic. Take the use of keyboards. And there's also room for classical instrumentation. Also, black metal can be way more melodic than death metal.
 
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Forostar said:
Yes you are wrong. Opeth is a very technical band.
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Well, as far as death and its siblings are concerned, they are no Atheist/Cynic/Spawn of Possession/Psycroptic/Anata etc...

I'm not saying they're worse, mind ye, but under the "technical" tag I usually picture something else, more wankery and less atmosphere. Just like you probably wouldn't necessarily call Porcupine Tree or Pink Floyd "technical" bands, compared with, I don't know, King Crimson.

Even though they are very good with their instruments, that's not what I meant.
 
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