Doom Metal

[Rainbow_Lightning]

[Breathless]

[Rainbow_Lightning]

[Holymagica]

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.

Whilst Black Sabbath were definitely well ahead of their time, and as such one of a kind, they certainly weren't without their contemporaries (Pentagram, Blue Cheer, Black Widow). Some of the earliest prototypes of Doom-Metal were in fact songs of the late sixties and early seventies that, whilst not wholly doomy, contained countless great riffs that came to shape the sound of Doom-Metal in later years. Such songs include Iron Butterfly's 'Inna Gadda Da Vida'.

One of Black Sabbath's main contemporaries - Pentagram - can be counted as one of the earliest Doom bands around, often intertwining with the band Bedemon one could perhaps best label their style of music as "Proto Doom". Black Sabbath has a huge impact on their sound but they focused more on the doomy side of this style. Thus creating some of the first ever Doom-metal records!

[Holymagica]

How do I recognise a Doom-Metal album when I see one?
That is a particularly tough question. It's practically impossible to judge a book by its cover when it comes to Doom-Metal. The best way is obviously to listen to the band! Generally speaking though, Doom-Metal bands tend to put a lot of effort into cover artwork with many dark, sinister or sober pictures like dead flowers, churches and statues, draconian or classical influences and so on (although many black-metal and Gothic-metal albums have adopted this nowadays). If the album itself sounds slow and painful, then it has a good chance of being a Doom-Metal record.
Some Doom albums are also recognisable by way of the name of the band and album. Many Doom bands use uncommon names of mythical, poetic or historical significance. The most vivid example of this is without question My Dying Bride. When it comes to album titles the same principle more or less applies. Naturally this is not something that can be relied upon blindly. A band name such as Unholy conjures up images moresuited to a Black-metal band then a Doom band, but musically are more aptly classified under the Doom-Metal genre. This concept also applies vice versa; a band such as Prophecy of Doom does not play Doom-Metal but Death-metal.

In all honesty, recognising a Doom-Metal record simply by look or a cursonry listen takes a great deal of practice and even then there are no guarantees! Using other peoples' recommendations is a good place to start. Generally speaking, when you can stop listening to a single element of the music such as the lyrics or guitar solos and hear the song as a whole, there's more chance of you detecting a good and doomy record.
What are the best albums to start with?
If you are a tradional Doom-metal fan the following bands and/or albums are worth checking out as a good starting point:
Black Sabbath - the first 4 albums
Candlemass - 'Epicus Doomicus Metallicus' and 'Nightfall'
Electric Wizard - 'Dopethrone'
High on Fire - 'The Art Of Self Defense'
Obsessed, the - any
Pentagram - 'Relentless'
Solitude Aeternus - 'Into the Depths of Sorrow' and 'Beyond the Crimson Horizon'
St. Vitus - 'Born to Late' and 'Mournful Cries'
Unorthodox - 'Balance of Power'
Witchfinder General - 'Death Pentalty'

If you are a Death/Doom-metal fan the following bands and/or albums are worth checking out as a good starting point:
Anathema - 'Pentecost III'
Avernus - 'Sadness'
diSEMBOWELMENT - 'Transcendence Into the Peripheral'
My Dying Bride - 'Turn Loose the Swans'
Paradise Lost - 'Gothic'
Saturnus - 'Paradise Belongs to you'
Skepticism - 'Lead and Aether'
Thergothon - 'Stream from the heavens'
Unholy - 'Second Ring of Power'
Winter - 'Into Darkness'

Other essentials:
3rd and the Mortal, the - 'Tears Laid in Earth'
Burning Witch - 'Crippled Lucifer'
Deinonychus - 'Ark of Thought'
Earth - any
Theatre Of Tragedy - 'Velvet Darkness they fear'
Tiamat - 'Wildhoney'

Note that this is just the first run in a very long ladder! and that there are countless other great classic bands and albums out there. However we can not list every single great doom band album here. This is just a first step for a begining fan.
Source-Doom Metal .com

[Holymagica]

My Dying Bride-For You
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NOMfcSeUdUk
My Dying Bride - The Cry Of Mankind
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FwixeppJBBQ&mode=related&search=
My Dying Bride - The Prize of Beauty
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BzBMqaz7MPY&mode=related&search=


This is Britain's top Doom Metal Band.
http://www.mydyingbride.org/

[piracy_of_life]

I found My Dying Bride awhile back, great band! The Prize of Beauty is an amazing video, the vocalist shows sadness so easily. I read some where that he has stage fright and prefers to not look at the crowd during concerts. They have a new album coming soon too!

IMO, Solitude by Black Sabbath can probably be consider one of the first doom metal songs.
_________________
you put your hope into the sky
for your souls salvation
I put my hope into the fire
for my soul damnation

[Holymagica]

[Rainbow_Lightning]

boo

[King Bayman]

I did see once that Strange Highways was classified as Doom Metal. But I think it was in one of those 12 cds for .01 deals. If anything the song Strange Highways could be classified as Doom Metal.
_________________
Sit Down Honey....Everything will be alright.

[Holymagica]

[King Bayman]

[Holymagica]

King Bayman....sorry to hear about your Father...man...thats hard.
thinking of you...at this time....believe me...it does get easier...you got to give it time.

[King Bayman]

[Holymagica]