[5] Despite the common perception, it has been noted that occult rock is not inherently gloomy nor dark, although many bands have made music with these qualities.
[8] AXS noted that Tony Iommi's doom rock style of riffing defined the genre of heavy metal.
[16][17][18] When Black Sabbath first released their eponymous debut album in 1970, Rolling Stone's Lester Bangs described it as "England's answer to Coven".
[31] Prog Magazine described the revival as encompassing a myriad of styles, including post-rock, psych-prog and progressive rock, as well as a distinct number of bands possessing female vocalists.
[8] Kadavar are considered by some critics to be one of the bands spearheading the German occult rock scene, despite them rejecting the label themselves.