Exploring the Depths of Doom Metal
My Personal Journey of Dread and Despair
Doom metal has never been a subgenre I’ve been too passionate about, but I do dabble with it here and there. My preferences mostly lean toward death-doom metal, which is exactly what is sounds like — a combination of death and doom metal. Many of the artists here started as doom metal bands and slowly evolved into a different sound. In many cases, I actually prefer that different sound.
In case you’re not familiar, doom metal focuses on a foreboding and hopeless atmosphere. It differentiates itself from other metal subgenres by its slow tempo, repetition, down-tuned guitars, and usually longer song lengths. It’s understandable that it’s not the most sought out metal subgenre — most metal fans are looking for that adrenaline-pumping speed and aggression. Vocals tend to be harsh, but the use of clean vocals — male and female — is quite common as well, as is the use of spoken word style vocals.
Doom Metal’s roots can be traced all the way back to early 1970’s Black Sabbath, and it slowly evolved into its own genre over time. It remains a relevant and respected metal subgenre to this day, even if it has a smaller fanbase.
This list is definitely not all-encompassing, but rather the artists comprising my personal journey through the genre…
