Doom metal

Doom metal is a form of heavy metal that emerged as a recognized genre of metal in the mid-1980s. Doom metal is slow and heavy, with a pessimistic nature and often with intentions to evoke an atmosphere of dark

Doom metal is a form of heavy metal that emerged as a recognized genre of metal in the mid-1980s. Doom metal is slow and heavy, with a pessimistic nature and often with intentions to evoke an atmosphere of darkness, despair and misery. It is strongly influenced by the early work of Black Sabbath, and a number of early Black Sabbath tracks, such as "Black Sabbath", are often considered embryonic or prototypical doom metal songs. Many of the tracks on their third album Master of Reality (released in 1971) seem to have more in common with what today is seen as doom metal, with tracks such as "Sweet Leaf", "Into The Void", and "Children of the Grave" that featured Tony Iommi's guitar (and presumably Geezer Butler's bass) tuned down to C# for heavier riffing and reduced string tension for his previously injured fingers.

Together with heavy metal, doom metal is the oldest form of metal music, rooted in the music of early Black Sabbath, who are generally considered the first heavy metal band, or at the least, one of the first. In the early 1970s both Black Sabbath and the American Pentagram composed and performed this heavy/slow music which would later on (in the '80s) begin to be known and referred to as Doom Metal by subsequent doom metal musicians and by fans of the music. From the late 1970s to mid 1980s, bands such as Trouble, Saint Vitus and Witchfinder General contributed much to the formation of doom metal as a distinct genre. The form of music played by these artists can be described as being rooted in both the music of Black Sabbath and, especially in the case of Witchfinder General, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The slowness of their music is often seen by some as a reaction to the contemporary trend of constantly increasing speed in the 1980s - thrash metal and speed metal.