Death-Doom Metal

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Death doom as the name suggests is an extreme metal sub-genre that incorporates elements of death metal into doom. It typically incorporates death growl vocals and aggressive down-tuned guitar parts into slower doom tempos though double kick drum patterns may be used. Its roots can be traced back to the eighties when thrash and early death metal bands started to incorporate doom into their sound. Dream Death are an early example which can be heard on their debut album Journey Into Mystery from 1987 along with bands such as My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Autopsy.

Death doom also had an influence on Gothic metal and played a large part in establishing the funeral doom sub-genre in the nineties.

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MY DYING BRIDE The Dreadful Hours Album Cover The Dreadful Hours
MY DYING BRIDE
4.45 | 34 ratings
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SPECTRAL VOICE Eroded Corridors of Unbeing Album Cover Eroded Corridors of Unbeing
SPECTRAL VOICE
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THE RUINS OF BEVERAST Exuvia Album Cover Exuvia
THE RUINS OF BEVERAST
4.52 | 13 ratings
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PARADISE LOST Medusa Album Cover Medusa
PARADISE LOST
4.37 | 26 ratings
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NOVEMBERS DOOM The Knowing Album Cover The Knowing
NOVEMBERS DOOM
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MY DYING BRIDE Songs of Darkness, Words of Light Album Cover Songs of Darkness, Words of Light
MY DYING BRIDE
4.24 | 24 ratings
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KATATONIA Brave Murder Day Album Cover Brave Murder Day
KATATONIA
4.20 | 40 ratings
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MY DYING BRIDE Turn Loose the Swans Album Cover Turn Loose the Swans
MY DYING BRIDE
4.20 | 38 ratings
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NOVEMBERS DOOM The Novella Reservoir Album Cover The Novella Reservoir
NOVEMBERS DOOM
4.33 | 6 ratings
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NOVEMBERS DOOM The Pale Haunt Departure Album Cover The Pale Haunt Departure
NOVEMBERS DOOM
4.25 | 8 ratings
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THE RUINS OF BEVERAST The Thule Grimoires Album Cover The Thule Grimoires
THE RUINS OF BEVERAST
4.23 | 7 ratings
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THE 11TH HOUR Lacrima Mortis Album Cover Lacrima Mortis
THE 11TH HOUR
4.20 | 6 ratings
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.​.​.​In the Absence of Light
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GRIEF SYMPOSIUM
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death-doom metal Music Reviews

KATATONIA Brave Murder Day

Album · 1996 · Death-Doom Metal
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SilentScream213
There’s so much I could say about this incredible album, and I could never do enough to sing its praises, so instead I’ll relay a personal story.

Many, many years ago now, I lost a very dear friend. Not that they died, no; they chose to go down a dark path I could not follow. And that was almost worse, because there was no closure, no finality to it, and it all ended in a very sad, painful way.

My life after that event was quite dark for quite some time. Hopelessness and lack of trust clouded my view of everything, and once solid goals started to appear meaningless. I continued moving forward simply because.

Enter Brave Murder Day. I had previously heard Katatonia’s debut and their 2 prior EP’s, and while I thought they were good, they were far from incredible releases. I thus put on Brave Murder Day as I was going to sleep one night with no expectations.

Brave immediately captured my attention – no, it would be more appropriate to say that it stole my breath and held it for all 10 of its forlorn minutes. Not only was this nothing like Katatonia’s previous work, it wasn’t like anything I’d heard before (nor have I since). This was the purest form of auditorial depression I’d ever heard. It actually frightened me, as vulnerable as I was at the time. Safe to say my chances of sleep had been murdered.

I kept listening to the album day after day, and it felt awful, in a way. It took me to the darkest depths of the low I was already in and forced me to sit in pitch black. There was no running and no numbing that could escape that dreadful feeling once these twisted chords created that inescapable rainroom.

And yet… comfort. Genuine comfort. Someone else understands this. Someone else captured this feeling. Someone else took this horrible darkness and created art. Someone else felt this and kept going.

And that is why I love Metal, but more importantly why I adore Doom Metal. The genuine darkness and melancholia behind it is so comforting when you just need to know you aren’t alone, and you can survive, and you can make beauty even with your darkness.

Anyway, time passed and I shelved this album for over half of 12 years, simply because it remained incredibly effective at bringing me right back to that place. I’d listen to a track every once in a while when the mood fit, but it had been so long since I have listened to the album in full. Until now, that is, listening as I write this… I can handle it now, but lord, does it remain very effective. One of the greatest albums of all time, or should I say… of Endtime.

ANATHEMA The Silent Enigma

Album · 1995 · Death-Doom Metal
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SilentScream213
Much like it took some time for Death Metal to shed its Thrash roots, and Doom Metal to evolve out of Trad Doom, so too did Death Doom undergo a lengthy transitional phase. In the late 80’s into the early 90’s, Death Doom was, more or less, slow Death Metal, and many of the early releases no longer represent what the genre would become. In time, Death Doom added its signature focus on atmosphere and melancholia, and became something completely separate from Death Metal, named more so for the inclusion of harsh vocals and other extreme metal tropes.

The Silent Enigma is one of the earliest examples of Death Doom in its fully fleshed out form, completely forgoing any hint of Death Metal stylistically and taking a full focus on crafting melodic yet crushing pieces of dark atmosphere and morose despair. A surprising amount of energy is found here, with the opening track aggressively assaulting you with poetic shrapnel of hopelessness. A great deal of variety is found in the following tracks, with classic plodding Doom full of panic-attack inducing atmospheres, gentle gothic style interludes, and a few that sit somewhere in between. The penultimate track, A Dying Wish, remains a crowning achievement of Death Doom, the 8-minute track delivering an uncompromising death throe of mourning and regret.

MY DYING BRIDE The Barghest O' Whitby

EP · 2011 · Death-Doom Metal
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Warthur
This EP, consisting of a single 27-minute epic track, finds My Dying Bride deep in the death-doom style they pioneered, and makes sure to include prominent keyboard and violin parts to introduce new member Shaun Macgowan to the fanbase. Shaun Steels, former member, comes back on a guest session musician basis to provide drums, so between a new member coming in and a post in the drummer's stool still unfilled this is clearly catching My Dying Bride in a bit of a transitional period between lineups, but it's still an interesting release.

Aaron Stainthorpe seems to be trying out a new lyrical approach here, going in for more harsh, sharp snarls than the deep guttural roars usually associated with death-doom. In the latter half of the song he slips back into the stentorian style of clean vocals which has so often been his trademark. Musically speaking, you know what you are getting with My Dying Bride, and you get about 27 minutes of it here. It's good, and I like the experimentation with longer song lengths, but I wouldn't say it's genre-redefining or absolutely essential.

WINTER Eternal Frost

EP · 1994 · Death-Doom Metal
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UMUR
"Eternal Frost" is an EP release by US, New York/Long Island based death/doom metal act Winter. The EP was released through Nuclear Blast Records in 1994. "Eternal Frost" is a reissue of the material from Winter´s 1989 eponymously titled demo tape plus the addtional track "Manifestations I". Although the droning/ambient noise of "Manifestations I" isn´t exactly worth the price of admission, a reissue of the 1989 demo makes a lot more sense, as the original cassette tape demo was limited to 200 copies, and was at this point in time a sought after object by fans of the band´s 1990 debut album "Into Darkness". Other than the addition of "Manifestations I" one other change has been made to the original demo material from 1989, as the track "Hour of Doom" has been given the new title "Blackwhole". Otherwise nothing has been changed.

Stylistically Winter play an early example of death/doom metal. It´s predominantly bass, heavy guitar riffs, drums, and intelligible growling vocals, and only occasionally lead guitars provide some atmosphere. The heavy organic grooves and the memorable songwriting keep the music flowing and interesting throughout and the fact that not all tracks are ultra heavy doom dirges also provide the EP with some variation. A track like "Servants of the Warsmen" is for example a mid-paced death metal affair, rather than a death/doom metal track.

"Eternal Frost" is a well sounding and very well produced EP, and the fact that most of the material is culled directly from a 1989 demo makes it even more impressive that Winter have managed to produce such a well sounding release. "Eternal Frost" is upon conclusion a good quality death/doom metal release, featuring a relatively unique sound (although the Celtic Frost influences shine through) and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved. If you can´t find neither the demo nor the 1994 EP... despair not...as the material is included on the reissue versions of "Into Darkness" (1990).

WINTER Into Darkness

Album · 1990 · Death-Doom Metal
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UMUR
"Into Darkness" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New York/Long Island based death/doom metal act Winter. The album was released through Future Shock in 1990. "Into Darkness" is the only item released on the label, so I assume that Future Shock was the band´s own label and that "Into Darkness" in that regard is an independently released album. A few years down the line Nuclear Blast Records picked the album up for a reissue, which is probably the version of the album most listeners are familiar with. Winter formed in 1988 and released an eponymously titled demo in 1989. Two of the tracks from the demo ("Servants of the Warsmen" and "Eternal Frost") were re-recorded and included on "Into Darkness".

While the 1989 demo is certainly a doomy and heavy death/doom metal release, "Into Darkness" takes the heaviness and gloom a step further down the dark hole. The addition of eerie cold sounding keyboards is a contributor to the band´s sound being slightly more atmospheric ("Goden" is the best example of that), but it´s still the brick heavy riffs, the organic bass, and the heavy beats, along with the growling vocals which are the focus of the band´s music. It´s relatively simplistic music featuring only few riffs and ideas on each track, but this is the perfect example of getting the maximum out of very few elements. Celtic Frost is a valid reference here, but Winter aren´t a clone or a tribute act in any way. It could be argued that "Into Darkness" is a rather uneventful release, but you´d be missing the point of the crushingly brutal heaviness and simple songwriting approach. Said approach is the exact charm of the release.

"Into Darkness" features a dark, raw, filthy, and heavy sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly. This really does sound like it was recorded down a black hole and it´s the direct opposite to the many digital, lifeless, and sterile sound productions which many post-2000 artists seem to favor. Upon conclusion "Into Darkness" is a seminal death/doom metal album from the early 90s, and although the album (and Winter as a band) is often forgotten when the early releases by other seminal and contemporary death/doom artists like Paradise Lost, Anathema, Cathedral, and My Dying Bride are mentioned, I´d argue that it´s an error. Winter offer something different and unique here (the guitar tone for example could well fit on a stoner/sludge release), that should be praised and definitely mentioned more often. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

death-doom metal movie reviews

PARADISE LOST Live Death

Movie · 2004 · Death-Doom Metal
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martindavey87
Considering this was actually released on VHS in 1990, Paradise Lost must surely overestimate the passion and loyalty of their fan club. Filmed in Bradford in 1989 to coincide with the band’s debut album, this is a 30-minute video of the band playing on stage. They barely move around, you barely see glimpses of the crowd, and in fact, you barely see vocalist Nick Holmes’ face due to his shaggy hair constantly covering it.

I’m not really a fan of their earlier, death metal growly material anyway, but even if I was, this video isn’t enjoyable or interesting to watch at all. Re-released in 2004 on DVD, this isn’t worth the 50p I spent on it if not for the fact that I do, in fact, actually like this band, and have a compulsive obsession to own everything a band puts out.

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