Sludge metal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sludge metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | Doom metal, Hardcore |
| Cultural origins: | late-1980s, United States |
| Typical instruments: | Guitar - Bass - Drums |
| Mainstream popularity: | Small |
| Subgenres | |
| Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Southern Sludgecore | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Post-metal, Sludge/Doom | |
| Regional scenes | |
| United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan | |
Sludge metal is a form of heavy metal music that is generally regarded as a fusion between doom metal and hardcore punk.It is generally regarded to have been invented by The Melvins, and some cite the second side of Black Flag's My War as influential, but was popularized chiefly by a number of New Orleans based bands, a scene and sound popularly referred to as NOLA. It also bears some musical and lyrical resemblance to crust punk (Dystopia), deriving its lyrical themes from crust's tendencies towards depression. The slow, extremely heavy rhythms of doom metal are combined with the shouting vocal delivery and occasional bursts of speed reminiscent of hardcore. There is often crossover between this genre and stoner metal, but sludge metal generally avoids the positive outlook on life that is common in stoner metal, and is usually far more atmospheric. There is a strong influence of southern rock and imagery in some sludge metal, particularly in the swampy sounds of the Louisiana bands, but also in Corrosion of Conformity (from North Carolina), and many of the Texas bands.
Guitars and bass are heavily distorted and often use large amounts of feedback to give a 'dirty' atmosphere. There is often an absence of guitar solos in sludge metal. Drums are rooted in hardcore, with many hardcore beats and rhythms being present in the majority of sludge bands. Vocals are shouted as in hardcore, and lyrics are generally blue-collar in nature, reflecting on society, generally in a cynical or downtrodden manner.
Sludge metal has several loosely defined subgenres. Traditional sludge metal is the purest form of the genre, occupied by bands such as Crowbar. Southern Sludgecore is typified by extreme, almost noise-like distortion, blusier/southern rock-influenced melodies, even slower tempos, and generally hateful and controversial lyrics that revolve around subjects such as misogyny or drug addiction. Eyehategod is generally regarded as the founder of this genre.
Another genre growing as of late, musically and lyrically distinct from the other subgenres, is atmospheric sludge metal. This genre uses a very atmospheric, at times nearly ambient atmosphere, with sometimes less aggression and more philosophical and spiritual lyrics. Pelican and Isis are the forerunners of this genre. Atmospheric sludge bands take influences from bands like Earth, Neurosis and Godflesh and generally have nothing to do with the older sludge bands like Acid Bath. Lastly, a lot of atmospheric sludge bands moved on from a very heavy sound to a more experimental, post-rock sound. It can be seen in bands like Pelican and Callisto, comparing their first and last albums. Moreover, in one of their interviews, Pelican mentioned that the heaviness of their music is not the main priority for them any more like it used to be. That sound is now being reffered to as post-metal by many fans. Terms like postcore have also been used.
It is important to note that not all Sludge is slow. The term Sludge/Doom is usually applied to that slow brand of Sludge. Sludge also is often fused with other genres, such as stoner metal (Electric Wizard), black metal (Unearthly Trance), death metal (Coffins), industrial (Fudge Tunnel) or grindcore (Soilent Green).
Contents |
[edit] Bands
[edit] Atmospheric sludge
- Abandon
- Amen Ra (also knows as Amenra)
- Bones of Giants
- Buried at Sea
- Burst
- Callisto (True Nature Unfolds)
- Circle Six
- Conifer
- Cult of Luna
- Dirge
- Giant
- Impure Wilhelmina
- INDIAN
- Intronaut
- Irreversible
- Isis
- Kylesa
- Mahoney
- Mare
- Methadrone
- Minsk
- Mouth of the Architect
- Nooses for Neckties
- North (not the black metal band)
- Omega Massif
- Overmars
- Pelican (earlier)
- Rosetta
- Silence Kit (earlier)
- Tephra
- Tides
- The Ocean
- Windmills by the Ocean
- Year of No Light
[edit] Sludge/stoner metal
- Alabama Thunderpussy
- Bongzilla
- Boris
- Corrosion of Conformity (later)
- Dot(.)
- Electric Wizard
- Graves at Sea
- God's Iron Tooth
- Sloth
- Weedeater
[edit] Southern Sludgecore
- Acid Bath (Louisiana)
- Alabama Thunderpussy (Virginia)
- Artimus Pyledriver (Georgia)
- Beaten Back to Pure (Virginia)
- Buzzov-en (Louisiana)
- Corrosion of Conformity (North Carolina)
- Crowbar (Louisiana)
- Dixie Witch (Texas)
- Down (Louisiana)
- Eyehategod (Louisiana)
- Floodgate (Louisiana)
- Exhorder (Louisiana
[edit] Traditional sludge/Sludgecore
- Acid Bath
- Beaten Back to Pure
- Buzzov*en
- Crowbar
- Down
- Dystopia
- Exhorder (often overlaps with thrash metal, or more appropriately groove metal, which tends to be a combination of sludge and thrash)
- Eyehategod
- Floodgate
- Graves at Sea
- Grief
- Iron Monkey
- Noothgrush
- Nuisance Drilled
- Putrid Sloth
- Rwake
- Soilent Green
[edit] Other
- 137
- 3D House of Beef
- Artimus Pyledriver
- Atavist
- Atomhick
- Baroness
- Black Cobra (Doom / sludge metal)
- Boris (often drone or stoner metal)
- Cavity
- Clagg
- Corrupted
- Cortisol
- Coffins (sludge/death metal)
- Deadbird (sludge/stoner/black metal)
- Fleshpress
- Floor
- Frogskin
- Fudge Tunnel (industrial/sludge)
- Geezer
- Goatsblood (sludge/grindcore)
- GodEatGod
- Halo (industrial/sludge)
- Indian
- Lair Of The Minotaur (sludge/thrash metal)
- Malasangre
- Mastodon (pre-"Blood Mountain")
- Melvins (proto-sludge)
- Monarch
- Negative Reaction
- Old Man Gloom
- Putrid Sloth
- Roanoke
- Sloth
- Soulpreacher (sludge/death metal)
- Sourvein
- Spancer (sludge/drone)
- Stumm (sludge/drone)
- Subversion
- Syrafex
- Tides
- Toadliquor
- Unearthly Trance (sludge/black metal)
