The story of doom metal in 29 songs
The long, dark, winding story of doom metal, told through its most vital tracks – from Black Sabbath to YOB
Words: Nick Ruskell
You could spend a very long time telling the story of doom. Literally, you could, given its frequently slow tempos naturally leading to songs of notable length. But also because its history stretches so far back, and splinters into so many different tangents. From the “scary music” idea Sabbath had in 1970, through to bands who took that idea and really ran with it, to funereal dirges and explorations of doom where it feels like you’re on a different planet to Sabbath altogether, doom is a genre as wide as it is long.