I am currently trying to get my band "Desolate One" started up, but my main fear is that I won't stand out, and ultimately become a forgotten black metal band.

Black metal is my passion, I want nothing more than to have a successful band and create amazing music. I've tried to avoid lame cliches that I see in other bands, such as bands writing in Norwegian about winter even though they are from Fresno. I don't wear badly drawn corpse paint, and I don't dress up in homemade black metal gear to take pictures of myself in the forest. My wardrobe is usually jeans, long hair, a bullet belt, and my trusty Hellhammer t-shirt. I try not to act like a pseudo-misanthropist and I usually portray myself much like the modern versions of Fenriz or Nocturno Culto.

Musically, I play and record with acoustic drums instead of using a drum machine. I personally think that I have great guitar riffs. My lyrics are not about topics that I haven't been exposed to. (I don't talk about Norse mythology, or snow.) I also am looking to form a band with other people in order to play live.

Satanic Destroyer, Slaughter by the Scythe, and 666Satanic Army666 are PERFECT examples of what I do not want to become.

How does a musician stand out from the sea of wannabe Darkthrones?

The only noteworthy advice I can give it is: quit talking about it and just do it.

What do you mean by success - money, fame, notoriety? Friend, if metal is your passion - you are in the wrong genre for any of these. Heavy metal, in general, is one the most unsuccessful and thankless genres. While the pleasure and admiration of the dedicated fans are where the true success and pleasure are at - this is not something that will give you a steady paycheck, pay your bills, or make you look like a credible or respectable musician in non-metaller's eyes. I personally don't care about any of the aforementioned - my aim is to simply create music I like and that others will understand and enjoy as well.

In terms of setting yourself apart, you have to not ask for advice. Simply, do what YOU feel sets you apart. A true individualist will do what they feel necessary for advancement, not take opinions simply based on a lack of knowledge. If you feel that you have great compositional skill then that shall speak for itself.