Words Over Ruins..

Introduction: What is Doom Metal?

Doom Metal is a sub-genre of the highly diverse metal genre. This means that the first criteria will always be that the music must be metal at its core. There are also many misconceptions about what metal really is, but that particular topic does not fall within the scope of this article.

What makes Doom Metal so different from other metal genres is that Doom Metal is filled with heaviness, darkness, sadness, depression and melancholy. It emanates a dark and brooding atmosphere that cannot be found with such intensity in any other genre.

Another possible factor that can be used to define Doom Metal: It is slow music, in sharp contrast to most metal. This has given rise to a school of critics that dismiss Doom Metal as being a”boring” genre in which little ever happens. As with any genre, there exists some indubitably talentless, thoroughly unoriginal bands out there who are indeed boring, but in general saying that Doom Metal is boring means that one has not been paying attention to the music. One of the true attributes of Doom Metal is that it can be extremely slow, yet not at all boring. Several forms of Doom Metal have existed since 1970 or thereabouts, but most doom bands originated in the late 80s and onwards. Bands such as Trouble, Saint Vitus and Candlemass are examples of some of the earliest Doom Metal bands. The descriptive label “Doom Metal” is attributed to Candlemass’ ‘Epicus Doomicus Metallicus’ album, although some believe the term comes from the Black Sabbath song ‘Hand of Doom‘.

The bands of the past used clean vocals and it is therefore a misconception that a band needs to resort to grunts to be considered part of the Doom Metal genre

Roots:

“Doom Metal resides in the very core of the human soul“, most experts agree that early dark classical symphonies are the origin of doom metal, and heavy metal in general.

Here I quote from the documentary ‘Metal: A Headbangers Journey‘ [2005]:

“The classical roots of heavy metal are fairly obvious, most of the practitioners are fans of dark classical music, and in some cases, dark, powerful, heavy classical music like Wagner.”, Bob Ezrin .

“I still believe if Richard Wagner had actually been around today, he probably will write metal symphonies, and the music itself because it was so huge, and it didn’t have amplification, they had orchestration, I think again it belongs to that metal environment.”, Malcolm Dome .

History:

Most people agree that Black Sabbath is amongst the most influential bands for all heavy metal in general, and Doom Metal is no exception. Their early albums ‘Black Sabbath‘, ‘Paranoid‘, ‘Master Of Reality‘, ‘Vol. 4‘, ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath‘, and ‘Sabotage‘ are all without doubt, masterpieces, and without them Doom Metal (or even metal in general) would not exist at all.

In 1986, Swedish band Candlemass released the album ‘Epicus Doomicus Metallicus‘, a milestone in early Doom Metal. Once called “the heaviest band in the world” they picked up where Black Sabbath left off in 1976. The material on ‘Epicus Doomicus Metallicus‘ was in the same style as old Black Sabbath (with Ozzy) but with modern contemporary influences. Candlemass’ best years were those with vocalist Messiah Marcolin, a man with an exceptionally clear, deep voice. For doom newbies the CD ‘As It Is, As It Was: The Best Of Candlemass‘ (Music For Nations, 1994) gives a good overview of their works.

Fellow label mates My Dying Bride succeeded in opening the gates for countless new Doom Metal bands. Their first official release on Peaceville, ‘Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium‘, in 1991 already showed this band was destined for greatness and with their second full length ‘Turn Loose the Swans‘ in 1993 they set their status as the largest modern-day Doom Metal band. Another influence on this new form of Doom Metal was the third Peaceville band called Anathema.

Midway through the nineties the need for experimentation within the metal genre as a whole also touched the Doom Metal genre. Bands like The 3rd and the Mortal created a more atmospheric type of doom with albums like ‘Tears Laid in Earth‘ and were one of the first metal bands to have a full-time female lead singer. Following in the wake of Thergothon, slower and more extreme acts than normal Death/Doom also started to emerge like Funeral, Skepticism and Esoteric. The experimentation “disease” lead to the many different types of Doom Metal we know today. From the slow and emotionless sounds of Esoteric, Evoken and Skepticism to the Gothic/Doom Metal hybrids like Theatre of Tragedy. And let’s not forget that there is a whole host of new and old bands who still play the original style of Doom from the 80s.

The new millennium has produced major successes and failures in doom metal, in fact, the transformation of old doom metal bands to modern genres, caused a gap between those who could maintain a great mixture between the quality of doom and modern genres (like Anathema, Saturnus and Forest of Shodows), and those who totally transformed to other genres ( like Theatre of Tragedy).

Types of Doom Metal:

1.Traditional doom:

Slow, melancholic, riff-based metal influenced by Black Sabbath as well as the NWOBHM movement. Typical examples: Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, Reverend Bizarre, Warning, and Solomon Kane. A significant borderline case are (early) Cathedral, who are considered a traditional doom metal act by some and one of the originators of the modern death/doom sound by others. Four “waves” have so far been recognised in the history of traditional doom: the first one started with the originators of the entire genre, the proto-doom bands Black Sabbath and Pentagram; the second one has been located in the mid-80s, especially in the work of Saint Vitus; the third one started with the success of Cathedral’s debut album ‘Forest of Equilibrium’; the fourth one has recently been affiliated with Reverend Bizarre.

2.Epic Doom:

A similar form to traditional doom with a stronger medieval and/or fantasy influence. Epic doom traces its roots through more traditional metal such as Manowar and Iron Maiden in addition to emulating the concepts of pre-doom bands such as Black Sabbath. A number of bands who embraced this style emerged from the West Yorkshire region of England in the mid/late 1980s, such as Solstice, Mourn and Sweden’s Count Raven.

3.Death/doom:

A mixture of death metal with some influences from the classic doom metal sound. Typical examples: Winter, Unholy, (early) Paradise Lost, Saturnus, (early) My Dying Bride, (early) Anathema, Forest Of Shadows, Scald, Black Forest, (early) Katatonia, Disembowelment (with some other influences). A significant borderline case are (early) Cathedral, who are considered a traditional doom metal act by some and one of the originators of the modern death/doom sound by others.

4.Funeral doom:

Funeral doom is an even slower and more basic version of doom death. Funeral bands take the slowness of doom metal to an extreme and emphasize on an atmosphere of despair and emptiness. Pioneers of this style are Thergothon, Disembowelment, Skepticism, and Funeral, and modern examples include Shape of Despair, Stabat Mater, Mournful Congregation, Dimness Through Infinity and Until Death Overtakes Me.

5.Drone doom:

A style which is more minimalistic than funeral doom, drone doom is generally influenced by noise and ambience. Many songs are minimalistic, repeating one or two riffs, each of which can exceed a minute in length, usually accompanied by ambient effects in the background. A typical drone doom song can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, although a few albums consist entirely of one song. Vocals and even drums are often absent, and the music often lacks any beat or rhythm in the traditional sense. Heavy use of feedback and heavy emphasis on bass are also typical. Like funeral doom, drone doom typically emphasizes despair and emptiness. Innovator Stephen O’Malley, heavily influenced by Earth, can be largely credited with the creation of drone doom as a recognised subgenre, being or having been involved with seminal acts such as Burning Witch, Sunn O))) and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine. Typical examples: Sunn O))), Earth, Khanate.

6.Stoner doom:

A hybrid form of doom metal and stoner rock. Typical examples: (late) Cathedral, Sleep, Unearthly Trance, Grand Magus. A significant borderline case are Electric Wizard, who confusingly balance between traditional doom (according to themselves), stoner doom (according to the press), and sludge doom. Australian doom/stoner band Pod People, have coined the term “stoom” (an abbreviation of ’stoner’ and ‘doom’) to describe this style of music.

7.Atmospheric doom:

An often less heavy and generally more melodic kind of doom metal, often with female vocals. Typical examples: (late) My Dying Bride, The 3rd And The Mortal, Avrigus, Theatre of Tragedy, Ashes You Leave, On Thorns I lay, and The Gathering.

8.Sludge doom:

Combining the thick, riffing sound of stoner doom with the raw abrasiveness and shrieked vocals of hardcore, sludge is at the outer limits of doom metal and is an acquired taste (although a couple of bands, such as Eyehategod and Crowbar, are fairly well known within the metal community). Even though many sludge bands sport the “booze ‘n’ bongs” image synonymous with stoner rock, they lack the stoner rockers’ positive outlook on life, with lyrical themes typically centered around misery and hatred. Typical examples: Eyehategod, Crowbar, Grief.

9.Industrial doom:

An offshoot of various doom-metal genres (mostly doom/death) and sludge, but based on the industrial sounds of bands such as early Godflesh, Skin Chamber and early Swans. It is characterised by heavy use of electronic sounds, such as samples or pounding drum machines, with the more traditional guitar on top. It is mostly atonal and dissonant, and usually avoids melody, although some bands mix melody with chaotic distortion sounds. Typical examples: Zaraza, Wraith of the Ropes, Philistine and Blackholepit.

P.S.: These tags are not official, some doom bands may classify their music within other tags, (i.e. Forest of Shadows, Agalloch ), which are better known as dark metal bands within the metal community.

My Favorite Doomed…:

Bands:

• Anathema
• Agalloch
• Forest Of Shadows
• Black Forest
• My Dying Bride
• Ashes You Leave
• Funeral
• On Thorns I lay
• Saturnus
• Scald
• The 3rd and the mortal
• Theatre of Tragedy

Legends of Releases:

• Dance Of December Souls [1993] - Katatonia.
• Eternity [1996] - Anathema.
• Velvet Darkness They Fear [1996] - Theatre Of Tragedy.
• Orama [1997] - On Thorns I Lay (featuring a Syrian female vocalist).
• Alternative 4 [1998] - Anathema.
• Light of Day, Day of Darkness [2001] - Green Carnation.
• Departure [2004] - Forest Of Shadows.
• Veronika Decides To Die [2006] - Saturnus (based on the well known novel by Paulo Coelho).
• Ashes Against The Grain [2006] - Agalloch

Solo:

From the song ‘ The Inheritance Of Sin And Shame ‘ by Ashes You Leave, an amazing combination between soft and hard instruments in a Gothic atmosphere: flute, violin, double bass drum, keyboard, classical and distortion guitar, besides the female and the growled vocals.