Atmospheric Sludge Metal

MetalMusicArchives.com — the ultimate metal music online community, from the creators of progarchives.com

Atmospheric Sludge Metal or Post-Sludge Metal is style that mixes the hardcore doom of Sludge Metal with the atmospherics of Post Rock, often with progressive stylings. Atmospheric Sludge Metal was pioneered by US bands such as Neurosis, Isis and Pelican, building on earlier explorations by bands such as Melvins and Swans.

Click for Full Sub-Genre Chart

atmospheric sludge metal top albums

Showing only albums and EPs | Based on members ratings & MMA custom algorithm | 24 hours caching

CULT OF LUNA A Dawn To Fear Album Cover A Dawn To Fear
CULT OF LUNA
4.74 | 10 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
CULT OF LUNA Mariner (with Julie Christmas) Album Cover Mariner (with Julie Christmas)
CULT OF LUNA
4.79 | 8 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
NEUROSIS Souls at Zero Album Cover Souls at Zero
NEUROSIS
4.48 | 22 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
NEUROSIS Times Of Grace Album Cover Times Of Grace
NEUROSIS
4.39 | 36 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
ISIS Panopticon Album Cover Panopticon
ISIS
4.34 | 63 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
INTRONAUT Prehistoricisms Album Cover Prehistoricisms
INTRONAUT
4.33 | 17 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
ISIS Oceanic Album Cover Oceanic
ISIS
4.23 | 52 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
THE OCEAN Pelagial Album Cover Pelagial
THE OCEAN
4.35 | 10 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
CULT OF LUNA Vertikal Album Cover Vertikal
CULT OF LUNA
4.21 | 17 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
NEUROSIS A Sun That Never Sets Album Cover A Sun That Never Sets
NEUROSIS
4.16 | 24 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
THE OCEAN Anthropocentric Album Cover Anthropocentric
THE OCEAN
4.12 | 26 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
SÓLSTAFIR Svartir Sandar Album Cover Svartir Sandar
SÓLSTAFIR
4.39 | 5 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
This list is in progress since the site is new. We invite all logged in members to use the "quick rating" widget (stars bellow album covers) or post full reviews to increase the weight of your rating in the global average value (see FAQ for more details). Enjoy MMA!

atmospheric sludge metal online videos

atmospheric sludge metal New Releases

.. Album Cover
Rot
Album
OHHMS
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
An Altar In Mind
Album
KOLLAPSED
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
A Prelude (Replacements)
Single
KOLLAPSED
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Kahr
Album
KAHR
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Ghost
Album
JUDAS HENGST
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Poudreuse
EP
MONTAGNE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Duel
Album
UPCDOWNC
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
The Fable Of Subjugation
Single
BIG | BRAVE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
To Which I Bore Witness
Album
THEY GRIEVE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Demo 2023
Demo
ORACLE HANDS
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Posthumous
Album
SURUS
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Blade Of The Underground
Boxset / Compilation
EREMIT
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Devouring Gloom
Album
AORTES
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
A Soft Decay
EP
DEAD SUN RISING
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Noce Hivernale
EP
EDELWEISS
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Hymns To A Deaf God
Album
HOLLOWED (KS)
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Solypso
Album
YPRES
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
There Was A Hole Here
Album
SIGNO ROJO
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Monarch
Album
RAUM KINGDOM
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Phantom Centre
Album
KOLLAPSE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
The Scab Of Days
Album
CROSTA
Buy this album from MMA partners

atmospheric sludge metal Music Reviews

ILENKUS The Crossing

Album · 2014 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Necrotica
A lone man walks into a sea of people. He looks quite unassuming, adorned with a hoodie, jeans, and a pair of headphones. He looks like he’s about to spit some bars to the unsuspecting crowd… but then the unexpected happens. Suddenly, we - and, by association, the people around him - are met with a barrage of piercing screams and aggressive shouts. This man, clearly having balls of steel, has opted not to lip-sync his vocals but instead belt them out at the top of his lungs. The public looks on in equal parts terror and awe, probably wondering if the dude is possessed. It’s an absolute spectacle, to say the least.

What I just described is the video for Ilenkus’ single “Over the Fire, Under the Smoke”, and its chaotic energy is complimented perfectly by the music itself. The Irish outfit’s second album The Crossing is basically the twisted bastard child of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s progressive mathcore and Cult of Luna’s dense atmospheric sludge metal, and the results are pretty breathtaking. Combine technical riffs, blackgaze-esque blast beat sections, incendiary vocals, and contemplative quiet passages, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you’ll find here. Much like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ilenkus are compelling in their ability to come off as controlled and focused while also sounding as utterly vicious as possible. And of course, if we’re gonna talk “vicious”, I need to bring up the individual I was referring to in the first paragraph: Chris Brennan. This guy’s vocals are absolutely savage. His inhuman screaming is an excellent fit for the music, especially during the more “blackened” passages in which he lets loose his most intense wails. This isn’t to say that he uses these vocals all the time - he does opt for cleans during the more reflective moments - but his harsh ones are certainly his most impressive.

Still, the other members rise to the occasion as well. One of the biggest marks in The Crossing’s favor is its diversity, and much of that is attributed to the musicians’ versatility and willingness to experiment. Opener “Devourer” is a perfect example of this, as its unpredictable, turbulent nature makes it both unnerving and exciting - especially when you’re hearing it for the first time. What begins as an all-out barrage on the senses, complete with riffing and drumwork ripped out of the Jane Doe-era Converge playbook, turns into a musical labyrinth that’s equal parts mathy and melodic; hell, the middle section of “Devourer” is so serene and calm that you almost forget just how violent and brutal everything started out. But that’s what I love so much about The Crossing - the fact that these songs really feel like journeys, replete with stimulating twists and turns.

The title track explores these dynamic contrasts even more, and is perhaps the closest thing to post-metal on the entire record. The entire first half is a bleak, doomy Neurosis-esque buildup that merges beauty and bleakness while highlighting the guitarists’ abilities to create atmosphere and intrigue. Brennan, Sam Ellis, and Josh Guyett all contribute to the guitar work found on The Crossing, and if you want a good insight to both their technical prowess and synergy, listen to the title track in its entirety; the way the trio transform the piece from a pensive melodic piece into a tightly-controlled blast of math/sludge fury is impressive as hell. As for drummer Rory Guyett and bassist Robin Van Der Klooster’s collective presence on the record goes, I would refer you to the aforementioned “Over the Fire, Under the Smoke”; it’s the most consistently intense track on The Crossing, and its knotty twists and turns create a wonderful musical playground for the rhythm section to mess around with… most notably, a goddamn black metal section in the middle, in which Guyett gets to show off some killer blastbeats and double bass work.

Yet, as we close things out with “Goodbye Denial”, there’s a strong sense of melancholy. Beneath all the brutality and chaos that pervades much of The Crossing, the underlying vibe is one of decadent, sorrowful beauty - something that even the harsh black metal screams and technically impressive performances can’t fully mask. And this closer is a fitting way to bring it all back home, as even its most vicious moments are imbued with the same desolate aura that defined its quiet intro. Unfortunately, “Goodbye Denial” would also be a fitting title for the band’s last song: after several years of inactivity, Ilenkus finally broke up in 2022, with The Crossing being their final full-length record. It’s a real shame, as I consider this album to be somewhat of a forgotten classic; it absolutely belongs in the same company as Converge or Neurosis’ upper-tier work. And the fact that a band could actually merge such disparate influences as sludge metal and mathcore in the first place? That’s fucking awesome.

NEUROSIS Through Silver In Blood

Album · 1996 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
SilentScream213
To my dismay, Neurosis decided to continue the more Industrial, tribal direction they explored on Enemy of the Sun. Gone are the Doomy leads and emotive atmospheres from Souls at Zero and the songs here employ overly repetitive, sample and industrial based soundscapes that end up boring and numb more than anything. The base rock music is bare and simple, and industrial noises are overlayed to give it the illusion of density and complexity, but a slightly focused mind will notice these same noises repeating over and over and over, gnawing away at one’s patience as they fail to build anything epic or moving.

Each transition basically switches one repeating industrial noise/sample for another, alternating between way-too-boring plodding drums or tribal beats. The guitars do little aside from add fuzzy ambiance in many places, what riffs remain are usually boring and uninspired.

The album is also filled with boring song sections or interludes of just samples and noise, breaking up the boring music with even more boring sections of people talking.

For how long and “varied” the songs are, they never seem to go anymore. What’s more, while it is arguably a very negative and oppressive album, it doesn’t really build any mood or convey emotion very well. It’s just a lot of plodding around, fuzz, and tribal madness that mashes together and comes out a dull gray on the other end.

CONJURER I

EP · 2016 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
BitterJalapeno
Conjurer is arguably amongst the most exciting and most hyped bands in the UK metal scene today, receiving raving reviews from big players in the alternative music media. While this praise is fully warranted, 2016’s EP “I” has been overshadowed and undeservedly left behind.

Opener “Behold the Swine” achieves plenty in its 6-minute run-time. Punishingly heavy riffs lurch underneath anguished growls and screams that come from the depths of hell. The guitar interplay between Dan Nightingale and Brady Deeprose exhibited here is fantastic – filthy, sludgy riffs, rapid, intricate, thrashy riffs and beautiful clean atmospheric guitar work all play off each other to create a truly monstrous track. As the journey through the EP continues, it becomes apparent just how diverse a palate Conjurer has at this stage of infancy. Post metal, black metal are major influences not to mention the deep grooves which help add maintain rhythmic interest throughout the two tracks which make up the albums centre.

Aside from the combination of barbaric brutality and atmospheric beauty, Conjurer’s other trademark has always been one of overhanging misery and hopelessness. The vile despair projected by the music is perfectly emulated by song titles such as “A Chasm Forged in Dread and Disarray”. The most wretched point on the album is the crushing doom-fest that is the closer “Frail”. “I” also impresses structurally, squeezing touches from a plethora of metal sub-genres into something that feels less a collection of songs but more a single cohesive 23-minute track, leaving the listener’s soul obliterated to dust by the end.

The early EPs of artists are sadly often forgotten by all but the hardcore fanbase and despite Conjurer having evidently developed their songwriting chops significantly with the release of 2018’s “Mire” and further still with 2022s “Páthos”, “I” staunchly stands proudly as the solid foundations for what has rapidly elevated to become a powerhouse of progressive, blackened, post-sludge. A must check for those who have enjoyed the subsequent albums.

NEUROSIS Through Silver In Blood

Album · 1996 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
UMUR
"Through Silver In Blood" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, California based sludge/Post-metal act Neurosis. The album was released through Relapse Records in April 1996. It´s the successor to "Enemy Of The Sun" from 1993 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as keyboard player Simon McIlroy has been replaced by Noah Landis. "Through Silver In Blood" was recorded in December 1995 with producer Billy Anderson. It was a rather painful labour as some band members had personal issues at the time with drug addiction, homelessness, and depression. "Through Silver In Blood" was preceded by its Tribes of Neurot (Neurosis experimental ambient/noise side-project) companion album "Silver Blood Transmission (1995)".

Stylistically the material on "Through Silver In Blood" builds on the experimental and atmospheric sludge/post-metal of "Enemy Of The Sun" (1993). It´s a harsh, bleak, and heavy album reeking of depression, decay, and frustration. The guitar riffs are slow and doomy, but they are still aggressive and hard-edged in nature, showing that the band have not completely forgotten their hardcore roots (there´s an unhinged "close to feedback" sound to them, which suits the music well). The drumming is almost tribal styled, with drummer Jason Roeder playing rhythmic drum patterns rather than the more usual heavy slow drumming of many doom related releases. The vocals are raw and aggressive shouting alternating between an aggressive mid-range vocal style and a lower end slightly more gruff vocal style (not growling though). Landis builds atmosphere with his keyboards and samples, and the band even use bagpipes and violin/cello on a couple of tracks.

The tracks often build from simple mellow beginnings to loud and raw climaxes, but just as often alternate between the styles, and the material are overall quite adventurous and boundary pushing. Early Swans is definitely an influence (I hear influences from artists like Killing Joke and Melvins here too), but Neurosis are generally a much heavier beast. "Through Silver In Blood" features a heavy, detailed, and well sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly, and upon conclusion it´s a high quality release in its genre. It´s also a groundbreaking release, which has influenced many artists since. The combination of doomy hardcore infused riffs, the aggressive vocals, the tribal drumming, and the bleak atmospheric keyboards and samples, ultimately make for a rather unique listen.

It´s not an easy listen and the slow building repetitive nature of the tracks is probably an aquired taste, but that element is used to support and build the sombre oppressive atmosphere of the album, and it´s a key ingredient of the band´s sound. Personally I think Neurosis take it a bit too far and drag the songs out too much on "Strength of Fates", "Aeon", and on "Enclosure in Flame" (which is basically the last 30 minutes of the album), but again it´s probably an aquired taste if you find those tracks too slow building and uneventful, or if you find them purposedly building dark and brooding atmosphere. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

AEQUOREA DIM

Album · 2022 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
siLLy puPPy
Named after the bioluminescent hydrozoan jellyfish, AEQUORIA formed as far back as 2009 in Nevada City, California and hasn’t exactly been the most productive band in the biz with only two releases in its thirteen year run. While a demo emerged in 2010, it took another four years for the first album “Tellurian” to showcase the band’s hybridizing effects of merging atmospheric sludge metal with doom metal and post-rock. The stylistic approach may have been slightly innovative for the time but the band took a hiatus for the next eight years but finally after a long snooze has emerged with its second coming simply titled DIM.

While any album that features an album cover of a stag in the woods may bring Agalloch’s classic album “The Mantle” to mind, the fact is AEQUOREA actually does have its own sound although references to Neurosis, Isis and YOB are readily apparent. This band is a five-piece with the current lineup consisting of Falon Stoval (bass, vocals) Clay Powers (drums, vocals), Phillip Gallagher (guitars), James Brett (guitars, vocals) and Chris Johnson (keyboards, percussion). While Agalloch does have some similarities, AEQUOREA leaves out the black metal references and sticks to the world of sludge metal for its extreme proclivities while mining the world of post-rock for the musical processions and cleaner sounds on board.

DIM is a classic album’s worth of four tracks that is 34 minutes of playing time. While the compositions are clearly in post-metal territory and the vocals, drumming patterns and emotional outbursts reek of sludge, there are also many references to doom metal and thus AEQUOREA has done an excellent job of blending it all together until only a formidable expert can detect which genetic sequences were inherited from which parent genome. Add to that there are touches of grunge with the melodic similarities to Nirvana on the track “Mara of the Hollow Shadow.” The album plays out very nicely with nothing whizzing by overly fast and the transitions between stylistic approaches are tastily executed.


While post-metal can be a lazy sort of metal sub-genre that doesn’t allow musicians to crank out their best wizardry, AEQUOREA on the other hand allows crazy percussive creativity and riffing frenzies that would feel right at home in thrash or death metal at key moments. Despite the overarching theme of sludge metal dominating the soundscape, the tapestries of other metal forces in the mix are nicely performed and the atmospheric touches add icing to the already sweetened bounty of this beautiful dessert. I’m not sure which of the vocalists is the lead but he has a powerful and competent ability to control his guttural expulsions like few others have achieved. This adds subtle nuances that only enhance the atmospheric flow.

I’m quite intrigued by AEQUOREA and this second album DIM as it offers beautiful motifs of sludge driven post and doom metal that eke out all those possibilities between the cracks. Perhaps this band hasn’t quite reached its full potential as DIM seems to lack that extra “something” that puts it leagues ahead of the competition but for a relatively unknown band that has only two albums under its belt, i find the mix of sludgy din sprawled out into post-metal cyclical grooves with heaps of atmospheric splendor laced with just enough melodic mojo to keep from sounding too dissonant the perfect recipe. Perhaps not as inventive as Agalloch or Neurosis but these guys are certainly heading in the right direction.

atmospheric sludge metal movie reviews

ISIS Clearing The Eye

Movie · 2006 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Triceratopsoil
Probably only really for fans of ISIS (I mean, who else would buy a concert DVD than a fan of the band in question?), but an absolutely great experience. Witness an incredible band at their peak. The main feature here is the full 70 minute performance from Sydney Australia in 2005. Great cinematic camera work, a relaxing and overall fantastic performance of some of the best songs ISIS ever wrote. Top notch. No complaints here, though I'm a giant fanboy so take my opinion with a grain of salt or 10.

Most of the other live videos are curios, though they are quite good - not the same professional sound and video quality as the Australia concert.

I made my mom buy me this for Christmas a few years ago, ahaha

Artists with Atmospheric Sludge Metal release(s)

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

At The End Metalcore
HAINT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mammon's Throne Doom Metal
MAMMON'S THRONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
A Violent Truth Sludge Metal
ALLFATHER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Reversion Of The Repressed Sludge Metal
GREH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Deathless Sludge Metal
HELLISH FORM
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us