 | | Considered by many to be one of the heavyweights of Swedish metal, Katatonia had a long and storied career that saw them move from a rough, sludge-like doom metal sound to a more streamlined approach, losing the guttural vocals and adding a more accessible, riff-based sheen to their brand of gothic doom. |
 | | The British doom metal band Paradise Lost formed in Halifax, England in 1988; originally comprising vocalist Nick Holmes, lead guitarist Gregor Mackintosh, rhythm guitarist Aaron Aedy, bassist Steve Edmonson, and drummer Matthew Archer, the group recorded a pair of demo tapes, Drown in Darkness and Frozen Illusion, before signing with Peaceville Records to issue their debut album Lost Paradise in early 1990. |
 | | Brought together in Stockholm by guitarists Peter Lindgren and Mikael Åkerfeldt in 1990, Opeth added progressive influences and acoustic instrumentation to their brand of Swedish death metal. |
 | | Getting their start under the name Solitude back in 1987, guitarist John Perez fronted Solitude Aeturnus' from the start as they were gigging around the Dallas, TX area before releasing their first full-length "Into the Depths of Sorrow" in 1991. |
 | | Culling its membership from various Norwegian black metal luminaries, Arcturus has been an evolving project for founding keyboardist Steiner "Sverd" Johnsen and drummer Hellhammer (also known as a member of Mayhem, one of the most infamous Norwegian black metal ensembles). |
 | | Possibly the most enigmatic entity to emerge from the prolific Scandinavian black metal scene (and that's saying a lot), Norway's secretive In the Woods. |
 | | European goth metal band My Dying Bride formed in June 1990. The four-piece first recorded the demo tape Towards the Sinister, and after the release of a 7" single for the French Listenable label, the group signed to Peaceville Records in 1991. |
 | | The self-described "power ambient" duo Sunn 0))) (pronounced "Sun") were formed in the mid-'90s by guitarists Stephen O'Malley (Khanate, Burning Witch) and Greg Anderson (Goatsnake, Thorr's Hammer). |
 | | Perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band, Northern California trio Sleep had a career that wafted in and out of focus from within their self-mandated cloud of marijuana smoke. |
 | | German funeral doom trio Ahab were founded in the town of Esslingen by Midnattsol and Penetralia musicians Daniel Droste (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Christian Hector (guitar), alongside Endzeit member Stephan Adolph (bass, background vocals). |
 | | Sweden's Candlemass helped reintroduce the lumbering power chords of Black Sabbath to an entire generation of post-New Wave of British Heavy Metal and post-thrash metalheads, almost single-handedly writing the handbook for the modern doom metal movement in the process. |
 | | The secretive instrumental art metal outfit Pelican was formed in Chicago by guitarists Trevor de Brauw and Laurent Lebec, as well as bassist Larry Herweg and his sibling drummer, Bryan. |
 | | Although rooted heavy metal and the punk/hardcore aesthetic, Isis' music relies just as heavily on ambience, atmosphere, and tone as it does complexity and aggression. |
 | | Hailing from the nation of Portugal, the doomy goth metal quintet Moonspell consists of vocalist Fernando Ribeiro, guitarist Ricardo Amorim, keyboardist/programmer Pedro Paixão, bassist Sérgio Crestana, and drummer Mike Gaspar. |
 | | Earth's drone-heavy experimentation is largely the result of its one lasting member, guitarist Dylan Carlson. |
 | | Formed in 1995 by cousins Henri (guitar/keyboards/vocals) and Ville Sorvali (bass/vocals), Finland's Moonsorrow traced a path similar to that blazed by their countrymen Amorphis by combining death and black metal with heavy doses of atmosphere and Finnish folk traditions; but theirs was arguably an even more ambitious and epic approach. |
 | | It's universally agreed that the originators of the doom metal genre are Black Sabbath, but there were several bands of the '80s/early '90s that kept the style alive (during Sabbath's "lean years"), such as Saint Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass, and, especially, the U. |
 | | While Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride got more attention from underground doom metal fans, Liverpool natives Anathema were just as important in creating a new strain of doom (sometimes referred to as doom/death) that drew heavily from atmospheric goth metal and, in the early days, featured gruff death-style vocals. |
 | | Upon leaving Saint Vitus -- whose unabashed worship of Black Sabbath helped lay the groundwork for the sludge, stoner, and doom metal mini-movements of the '90s -- vocalist/guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich re-formed the Obsessed, a band he'd founded in Washington, D. |
 | | Formed in Oakland, California in late 1985, Neurosis developed a style blending industrial, heavy metal, and alternative rock with often spiritually focused lyrics. |
 | | Since they were formed in the spring of 2000 by guitarist Juha Raivio and drummer Pasi Pasanen, Finnish sextet Swallow the Sun (later completed by vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, guitarist Markus Jämsen, keyboardist Aleksi Munter, and bassist Matti Honkonen) have made it their mission to reanimate the corpse of classic late-'80s/early-'90s death/doom -- first via 2003's "Out of the Gloomy Light" demo, and then via their critically acclaimed 2005 full-length debut, The Morning Never Came. |
 | | After the release of their first two LPs Rhymes of Lunacy and Life Death and Other Morbid Tales, singer Messiah Marcolin and drummer Snowy Shaw exited the power doom metal band Memento Mori, leaving songwriter/guitarist Mike Wead to start the group over from scratch. |
 | | Often referred to as the "heaviest band in the universe," England's Electric Wizard have consistently redefined the preconceived thresholds of a detuned guitar chord with their peerless doom metal achievements -- this despite an often interpersonally troubled, if musically triumphant, career. |
 | | The origins of Agalloch date back to 1995 and the disintegration of the band Aeolachrymae. As that group died, three phoenixes emerged from the ashes, Sussurrus Inanis, Nothing, and Agalloch. |
 | | Celtic Frost's impact on the evolution of European heavy metal cannot be overstated. Along with power metal kings Helloween (and to a lesser degree, the sometimes cartoonish Mercyful Fate), Frost's enduring influence on Europe's heavy metal landscape is arguably comparable to Metallica's standing in America. |
 | | Long Island, New York's Unearthly Trance came into existence at the dawn of the new millennium and features vocalist/guitarist Rion Lipynsky, bassist Jay Newman and drummer Darren Verni. |
 | | Of all the major second wave black metal bands to emerge from Norway's fertile breeding grounds during the early 1990s, only a handful -- Mayhem, Emperor, Enslaved, Ulver -- have achieved the same exalted status and world-wide recognition as the legendary Darkthrone; and arguably none has been as consistent or prolific in the decades that followed. |
 | | The sparingly named Om reunites the oft-heralded Sleep rhythm section of Al Cisneros (bass, vocals) and Chris Haikus (drums); but this time, rather than producing monolithic stoner/doom metal, the duo is focused on a softer, if no less hypnotic brand of drone rock, partly infused with monastic and Tibetan chanting. |
 | | Formed out of Norway's famed black metal scene, Theatre of Tragedy combine elements of goth and metal with an added touch of drama thanks in part to the dual vocals of Raymond I. |
 | | Japanese cult favorite sludge/doom rock trio Boris take their name from a song on grunge godfathers the Melvins' Bullhead album. |
 | | Formed in Adelaide, Australia, in the early '90s, Virgin Black's lineup features Rowan London (vocals, piano, keyboards), Samantha Escarbe (lead guitar), Craig Edis (rhythm guitar), Ian Miller (bass), and Dino Cielo (drums). |
 | | An off-shoot of Norwegian black metal legends Emperor, Zyklon was founded by guitarist/bassist Zamoth (aka Samoth, as he is known in Emperor), who wanted to focus on the more modern and aggressive aspects of the latter band's style. |
 | | Madison, WI's Bongzilla specialize in uncommonly heavy and doomy sludge-core dedicated to their one and only love: weed. |
 | | Based in Toronto, this ambient doom/metal/electronic duo was the brainchild (and originally the solo project) of Aidan Baker. |
 | | Solarized are a New Jersey four-piece founded by Jim Hogan on vocals and guitar and Regina Santana on drums, with Lou Gorra on bass and Pete Hauschild, also on guitar. |
 | | Originally named Phlebotomy, Greece's On Thorns I Lay started out in 1992, recording a demo and a 7" EP under that name before making the name-switch in time for their 1995 debut album, Sound of Beautiful Experience. |
 | | Lake of Tears first came together in 1992 when Daniel Brennare, Jonas Eriksson, and Michael Larsson left the death metal band they were playing in and hooked up with Johan Oudhuis. |
 | | Taking their name from the Norewgian word for wolf, Ulver is a black metal band employing both noisy death-metal blasting and more relaxed, morose acoustic instrumentation, depending on the concept of their work. |
 | | After bowing in 1992 with the straightforward death metal album An Evil Shade of Grey, the Swedish band Cemetary began tinkering with the genre on 1993's Goddess Beauty, incorporating both '70s rock and goth rock into the mix. |
 | | While they didn't gain much more than a cult following during their existence, Louisiana's Acid Bath has since attained a somewhat legendary status in the darker corners of the rock/metal underground. |
 | | Regarded as one of the world's premiere goth metal bands, Norway's Tristania have earned their reputation through risk-taking creativity, unquestionable talent, and perhaps more than anything else, an impressive consistency from release to release. |
 | | An unswerving commitment to blasphemy and extremity combined with a relentless touring schedule and a steady stream of recordings has helped establish Sweden's Marduk as one of the better-known bands on the Scandinavian black metal scene. |
 | | Formed at a time when the Scandinavian metal scene was becoming flooded with bands, all striving for "true" rather than "trend" status amongst fans and peers, Sweden's Dark Funeral emerged as one of the most exciting groups in the genre. |
 | | Over the course of the 1990s, Sweden's Tiamat evolved from a typical death metal outfit into one of the leading lights in "symphonic" black metal. |
 | | New York City's Unsane assisted in pioneering a more aggressive, less studied version of noise rock, one that blended the scum/art industrial sturm und drang of Foetus, the Swans, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Sonic Youth with the decidedly more straightforward hardcore idiom favored by acts like Sick of It All. |
 | | Norwegian black metal band Enslaved were formed in 1991 by guitarist/keyboardist Ivar Bjørnson and bassist Grutle Kjellson; a demo titled Yggdrstll followed a year later. |
 | | Not to be confused with the Canadian heavy metal band from the late '80s, named simply Sword, the Sword are a retro-metal four-piece hailing from -- of all places -- the singer/songwriter oasis of Austin, Texas. |
 | | German rockers Pyogenesis began their career in the early '90s, making a gothic death metal hybrid that sounded much like Paradise Lost. |
 | | Finnish death metal legends Impaled Nazarene formed in 1990 originally consisting of brothers Mika and Kimmo Luttinen (vocals and drums, respectively) along with Mika Pääkkö (guitar), Ari Holappa (guitar), and Harri Halonen (bass). |
 | | Heavy metal rockers that compose Orange Goblin are Martyn Millard (bass), Ben Ward (vocals), Joe Hoari (guitar), Pete O'Mally (guitar), and Chris Turner (drums), and together these fine bandmates compose the harsh doom rock sounds similar to the likes of Mammoth Volume, Clawfinger, and Kyuss. |
![Livets Ändhallplats [6 Tracks] Album Cover](http://images.slacker.com/isv1/album/v1/2273711/aol/1/center/5,0/70.jpg "Livets Ändhallplats [6 Tracks] Album Cover")
