Doom Metal

Doom metal is a form of heavy metal that emerged as a recognized metal sub-genre in the early/mid-1980s. Doom metal is heavier and slower than other metal genres. Lyrics play a very important role in this genre, and are traditionally rife with pessimism, evoking an atmosphere of darkness, despair and misery. Musically, doom metal is strongly influenced by the early work of Black Sabbath. 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", and "Into The Void" that featured Tony Iommi's guitar and Geezer Butler's bass tuned down to C# for heavier riffing and reduced string tension for Iommi's previously injured fingers. However Black Sabbath was not the only influence- many doom metal bands started up only a few years after Black Sabbath's debut, some of whom hailed from countries that had not yet seen the rise of Black Sabbath's popularity.
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