I really hate this label for some reason, and I know that is hypocritical because I'm usually the one defending labels, but this type of music really seriously needs a thread here.

Most of us are familiar with Drone/Doom in the form of Sunn O))), Boris, Jesu, Earth, etc. And then we have the sludge bands, which I know even less about and care the same. Then there are hordes of new bands that cross over with noise, or with post-rock, or whatever else.

For the most part I don't care about this kind of music, it doesn't do much for me. However!, there are some real gems out there.

The Angelic Process - they are like Jesu but way spacier, even ambient at times, and their heavy parts are even more dense. This is a pretty incredible band.

Rosetta - I guess this is also considered post-hardcore, because of the vocals maybe. Regardless, they remind me of some heavier post-rock, but they are also very melodic.

Cult of Luna - A pretty awesome progressive metal/sludge/doom band. They sort of edge the line of the genre, but are really good anyway so I'm listing them.

Nadja - I guess these guys kind of typify the genre. Very dense and .... sludgy .... well, they are just a great band. Some of it is boring though, which is a problem I run into with a lot of drone/doom.

Byla - Woah! This is like, just really, really long pieces of distorted guitars. It's pretty droney. Really pretty, really really thick, this music is so much more than just heavy chords chugged really slow like most doom metal is. This is art, not noise!


I know there are a number of people at RM that are waaaaaay bigger fans of this kind of music than I am. Feel free to discuss it here. Or don't.

Actually, someone should recommend me some stuff. Possibly convince me that I should go back and listen to Sunn O))) some more or something. Yeah.

There isn't much i could throw at you that you haven't already heard. I'm interested to see where this thread leads though.

i like cult of luna

There's a french band called Dirge, I think they're sludge
But I don't know if it's the kind of sludge you'll enjoy because I don't know any of the bands you listed. I've been willing to check Rosetta for a while though.

I know i preach this band alot but check out Torche.

I'm not sure if it really fits here, but I really like that last Electric Wizard album.

I like Boris but I am assuming already that it isn't considered "real" doom/drone/sludge or whatever.

I thought Boris was "real" sludge. I could be wrong.

I've given up trying to describe things lol

I really like Drone, Doom and Sludge, although to be honest, I don't listen to all that much stuff that is considered 'classic' Doom, like Cathedral or Candlemass or Saint Vitus. Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, stupid name aside, is fucking awesome.

But I digress. Drone is cool. I haven't listened to Sunn and Sunn esque bands in ages, but I also like the other types of less metally drone, like Om's older albums, and heaven forbid I refer to them as something other than ambient, Stars Of The Lid. Earth is great. Last year's Hibernaculum was a really cool take on older material. I mean, it should have gone without saying, but drone doesn't all heave to be churning, heaving guirs hitting one power chord an hour. They showed some kind of versatility by rocking it clean, and keeping is awesome.

The "Sludge" aspect of it all is kind of saddle point where doom and stoner rock and drone all kind of hit up again, a couple decades after diverging from Black Sabbath (blah blah the beatles of Doom, but still awesome blah blah). Basically, Electric Wizard is balls out and fun and Dopethrone is fucking awesome, but really in my mind the best thing about sludge is Eyehategod. Terrible name aside, it is just the perfect mix of atonality, visceral rhythm, and lazy riffs that keeps you at the borderline, just south of killing yourself. Each of Confederacy Of Ruined Lives, Dopesick, and Take As Need For Pain are glorious. Buffalohed take me up on these. See: ".001%" and "Kill Your Boss" for examples.

Not an expert, just love Eyehategod right now

I can't stand traditional doom or "stoner rock"/sludge. Black Sabbath and all things that sound similar are trash as far as I'm concerned. If it isn't funeral doom or drone, I don't want to hear it.

I'm willing to take your word for it and try out some Eyehategod. It is a pretty cool name. I'm not getting my hopes up though.

By the way, Echoes, do you have all the Drastus material? Someone found their full-length for me a couple days ago. I've been surviving on a strict diet of Taphos.

why the fuck would you start a thread about sludge if you think it is all trash? I don't get it

as for Drastus

one full-length album and a new EP
one three-way split you guys will never see
that is the whole to-date discography
all of your songs sound really good to me

I only have Roars, though. Great stuff. Positively seethes from the fiery bowels of the earth, that one does.

if he started a thread called "sludge" sucks," then this would make sense, CB

Well this thread isn't just about sludge. I like drone/doom and I like sludge when it is mixed with certain other things. The "pure" sludge/stoner rock stuff though, the bands that basically rip off The Melvins or Black Sabbath, I don't like.

Probably the best way to think of it is stuff that veers towards noise or ambient I like (Jesu/drone), and stuff that veers towards rock or Black Sabbath I don't (High On Fire/sludge).

Drastus needs to release more stuff.

Is Type O Negative too 'light' for the category?

yup!

Astral Sludge is where it's at.

Mercury, what are you talking about?

Drone you would probably like is Khanate, bhed. It is very reliant on the high pitched squeals (y'know, the metal on metal thing). Their songs are real long, and slow and pretty cathartic. The guy definitely graduated from the black metal side of vocals, lots of affected screeching. Mostly I find it a little annoying, like he's trying really hard to make himself sound tortured, and it doesn't really jibe with me. The actual music is usually pretty good, though. You may have different opinions on the vocals, though