Metal is a very diverse genre of music, with more sub genres than you can ever imagine, one such sub genre is Doom.
Now what is Doom you may ask?
Wikipedia describes Doom as “an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres”.
You may just take it at face value, that it is a dark and dirgey style of music. You’d be half right, but it is also meditative, political, powerful, deep, and heavy…very heavy.
I am writing all this for two reasons, that given the times we live in you may argue there is a lot to moan about, in times like these many take refuge in music. I would argue that Doom music is the perfect antidote to all the negativity around right now because it hits you on the most basic, primal level.
Anyone can like Doom, wether you are into the more traditional style created by Black Sabbath, or the evolution of the Doom sound popularised by international acts the likes of Saint Vitus, Candlemass etc, or the heavier death metal influenced stylings of Britain’s own Paradise Lost, there is a full spectrum of sonic delights to be had here.
The other reason is that we British are darn good at it, you just wouldn’t know it. There are a glut of talented British Doom bands touring and producing music right now, but as I discovered over a few gigs I went to, they were not as well attended as they deserved. You may doubt its popularity, but I offer a counter argument to that and it goes far beyond UK Doom. All bands need places to play, promoters need help promoting, this is especially hard for the newer bands and smaller promoters. I was fortunate to visit the excellent Fuel Rock Club and see the liked of Northern Ireland’s Elder Druid, Manchester’s Barbarian Hermit, Bristol’s Cryptworm and Cardiff’s own Tides of Sulphur over the past few weeks and was blown away by their talent and energy, but the U.K. needs more, Cardiff needs more.
Like many other styles of music on the further fringes from the mainstream it craves awareness, folks need to be talking about the bands they see, if you are like my I am addicted to finding new music to digest and enjoy, each with its own unique community, Doom is no different.
Absolutely check out the bands mentioned above and keep digging into the scene, Doom is most certainly not all gloom and it is high time you all knew about it.
Mike Chapman