It's been so long since I've posted a blog, and finally I am inspired to blog again! The subject that has lit my authorial fire is once again sub-genres. This time however, I am not starting with a question. I have long been an advocate of people expanding their musical horizons; in 10th grade English, when we where assigned the task of giving a how-to speech, my topic was how to find new music that you like that isn't played on the radio. I come to you, my dear readers, to define some sub-genres (of Metal, of course!) in hopes that you will find something that peeks your interest, and causes you to steer your musical journey in a new and exciting direction. Now I must beg your patients here: the sub-genres here are closely related so I hope that I can clearly relate the differences thereof. If you are ready then, let us dive into the wild and wooly world of (predominantly) underground Metal!
And as we take that dive, waiting for the initial splash, instead our ears are blasted with a *squish!* and we find ourselves stuck in the Heavy Metal mud that is the genre Sludge Metal. It's a term that is getting tossed around the internet more and more as the bands rise in popularity. Sludge Metal bands mix classic metal influences (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple) with Southern Rock and Blues into a thick molten mass of HEAVY Metal. Some of the most well known bands are High on Fire, Mastodon, and The Sword. Some of my other favorites are Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, who started out as Southern Metalcore, and Graveyard, who sound like (and dress like) they are straight out of the 70's.
There is also a style called Sludge Doom Metal. It is not absolutely related to Sludge Metal, and both are often shortened to just Sludge, so you really have to know the bands to keep things straight. There's really no mistaking the sounds though: both are vastly different. Sludge/Doom is Doom Metal that uses hardcore punk vocals. Crowbar are one of the most well known artists in this genre, along with the massivley progressive band Rwake (pronounced "wake"). This genre can get to levels of punishingly slow from it's Doom and torturously harsh due to the hardcore vocals. Bands such as this are: Grief and Noothgrush; not everyone will find these bands listenable. The band Kingdom of Sorrow, a side project of Jamie Jasta (Hatebreed) and Kirk Weinstein (Crowbar, Down), are a unique case. Kirk brings his Sludge Doom influences, and Jamie his Metalcore influences, and they add in the Southern flair of Sludge Metal, essentially making them a Sludge/Sludge Doom band. Crazy.
Since I brought it up, I want to take some time to define Doom Metal. It started in the early 80's when Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Grindcore, and Power Metal were garnering more and more attention. While these genres were not yet so clearly defined, it was obvious to the Metalheads of the era that it wasn't just Heavy Metal any more, but splitting into all the sub-genres we know and love today. Doom Metal started then as the bands that played traditional, 70's style Heavy Metal, influenced by Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, Kiss, Judas Priest, Rainbow, UFO, etc. The name was gleaned after the inception of the genre in 1986, from Candlemass' debut album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, " and when you listen to this album, you know why they called it DOOM Metal! Some other of the earliest bands were St. Vitus, The Obsessed, Trouble, Pentagram, and Witchfinder General.
A funny thing happened though and I still do not really know why, but Doom Metal became a world unto itself, evolving in many directions, few having anything to do with the rest of Metal. My only guess is that Doom Metal has always been underground, thus it was free from the corporate influences that so affected Thrash and other styles of Metal. What happened was that Doom Metal split into many sub-genres too. Many other these genres hardly sound alike, but the thread that binds them all together is some influence of Black Sabbath, and every one is bleak and sloooooooow. It seems like many Doom Metal bands today are having a contest with each other to see who can be the slowest band in the world.
There are now a myriad of Doom Metal sub-genres: Traditional, Epic, Stoner, Sludge, Death, and Drone are only some of them. Traditional Doom is any band that plays Doom similar to the original Doom Metal bands. Some examples: Goatsnake, Count Raven, The Last Chapter, and Place of Skulls. Epic Doom was created by Candlemass and can be described thusly: if Traditional Doom bands are based on the Ozzy era of Black Sabbath, then Epic Doom bands are based on the Dio era. Examples: Solitude Aeturnus, Memory Garden, Doomenicus. The other Doom genre of importance for this blog post is Stoner/Doom. It is a mix of Stoner Rock and Doom Metal. We are now starting to come around because the Stoner Rock element of Stoner/Doom gives it a psychedelic groove, and it can sound like Sludge Metal. The best Stoner/Doom bands in my opinion are: Sleep (one of the heaviest bands ever!), Cathedral, and Yob (also one of the heaviest bands ever).
The last style I will tackle today is Stoner Rock. Simply put Stoner Rock bands want to keep the ethos of "Sex, drugs, and Rock 'N' Roll" alive though heavy hard rock. If you don't listen closely, one can get Stoner Rock mixed up with Stoner/Doom and Sludge Metal because of the similar old school influences, but the main difference is that Stoner Rock is just that, Rock and not Metal. Still it's a KILLER genre and worth checking out. Some noteworthy bands are: Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Fu Machu, and Monster Magnet.
It may not make sense if you just read my blog, you have to go online and listen to these styles. Then you will understand why I included all these styles in this one post. I should also mention that many of you have heard Doom Metal and may not have realized it. The song "Red Lottery" by Megasus is featured as one of the songs you unlock in Guitar Hero 2, and it's pure Doom. I would call it Traditional doom or Stoner/Doom. I must to mention some other bands for you to check out: Priestess, Witchcraft, and Grand Magus are some great Sludge Metal bands, and if you find that you like punishingly slow Metal, it doesn't get any slower than Drone Doom. Start with Earth and Sunn 0))) (pronounced "Sun"). Much of my info has been gathered from doom-metal.com, a great place to start to learn more about the genre. And may your Metal and Rock world ever expand!
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