Experimental (Avant-Garde) Metal

This week we are going to be getting a bit experimental. That’s right! It’s time to talk about experimental metal, also known as avant-garde metal. The terms “experimental metal” and “avant-garde metal” are usually interchangeable with fans of the subgenre, and each band of the subgenre has a preference of how they wish to be described. For the sake of the blog post, I will simply refer to the subgenre as experimental metal. 

Experimental metal is basically the subgenre for bands that no one knows how to describe. Metal bands that use unusual sounds, instruments, song structures and/or playing techniques all are labeled as experimental metal bands because they don’t fall into any other subgenre. Progressive metal bands also use unusual song structures and playing techniques, which may cause confusion about how they should be labeled. It’s important to keep in mind that progressive metal bands always use standard heavy metal instrumentation and that they rely more on technicality than real experimentation. The difference between the subgenres is huge and anyone who has experience listening to them both can easily identify how a band should be labeled. 

It’s fairly unclear where experimental metal originated from, but the subgenre definitely made its first appearance in the 1990s. Bands such as Neurosis, Boris, Earth, Maudlin of the Well and Sunn O))) all started to experiment with conventional heavy metal music, which led to the formation of many experimental metal groups. Some other notorious experimental metal acts include Ulver, Arcturus, Unexpect, Fantomas, Sigh, The Ocean, Diablo Swing Orchestra and Dog Fashion Disco.

In recent years, experimental metal has become more popular than ever before. Record labels such as The End Records, Hydra Head Records, Southern Lord Records, Profound Lore Records and Misanthropy Records are all known for releasing notorious modern experimental metal records. The internet has really popularized the idea of experimenting with normal heavy metal standards, and now there is a large niche of fans of the experimental metal subgenre. The future of experimental metal is a bright one with limitless possibilities. 

Post Metal

For the past few weeks, we have been discussing several subgenres of metal that are heavily associated and often mixed with one another. These subgenres included sludge metal, stoner metal and doom metal. The last subgenre that is often linked with them is post metal. Post metal is a recently developed subgenre of heavy metal and has only been created because of experimentation with the aforementioned subgenres.

Post metal is essentially the simple combination of post rock and heavy metal. For those who do not know, post rock is a style of rock music that focuses heavily on the texture and timbre of music. This style of rock focuses on dynamics and often consists of musical build-ups and slow progressive changes in rhythm and melody. Post rock bands are usually instrumental and they often incorporate soundscapes as well as looped music during their songs. It’s a very experimental form of rock music and it usually ignores all conventional song traits. 

What makes post metal different from post rock is the way the music is combined with heavy metal. Post metal tends to follow the compositional standards of post rock, but it usually has a grittier and more depressing tone. Post metal is also much more likely to feature vocals instead of instrumentals. These vocals are usually similar to those found in sludge metal. Due to the depressing nature of the music, it is often mixed with doom metal and sludge metal in order to provide moments of experimental depth to the music. 

The post metal subgenre was essentially pioneered by Neurosis and Godflesh, even though the term “post metal” was not actually coined at that time. We have already talked about Neurosis in depth, but it is important to note that their post metal sound was fully realized with their album, Through Silver in Blood.

Godflesh was a strong influence on both the industrial metal and the post metal subgenres, as it was an experimental band in nature. Godflesh is the brainchild of Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green, and has featured several other members during their lifespan. Recently, Godflesh has reunited and is considering releasing a new album.

The most notable band in the post metal subgenre is undeniably Isis. The term “post metal” was initially coined by the group. Their second album Oceanic set the official groundwork for the subgenre. Isis released a few more albums before disbanding, but their influence within the heavy metal genre has been huge. They essentially spawned the entire post metal scene and many bands within the subgenre today have often been accused of mimicking Isis. 

Today, post metal is a growing subgenre. Many bands such as Cult of Luna, Pelican, Giant Squid and Russian Circles have achieved great success by practicing it and often combining it with sludge and doom metal. Similarly, bands such as Agalloch, Lantlos, and Altair of Plagues have combined the subgenre with black metal in order to achieve a following. Post metal is a fascinating subgenre and one that will surely be further expanded upon in years to come.

Sludge Metal

This week on “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” we are going to talk about the dirtiest, slimiest, most disgustingly dense subgenre of heavy metal music known simply as sludge metal. Sludge metal is essentially the complex mixture of doom metal, hardcore punk and stoner rock. The subgenre often also incorporates musical properties found in grunge and Southern rock as well.

Musically speaking, sludge metal is typically characterized by its very slow tempos. However, there are often brief, fast-paced moments that are occasionally reminiscent of hardcore punk music. Similarly, the vocals of sludge metal frequently consist of hardcore shouting. Vocal styles may vary, as many bands incorporate screaming, deep growls and other experimental styles into the music. 

The main focus of sludge metal music is the string instrumentation. Sludge metal is a subgenre that is designed to sound as “filthy” as possible. Guitars and basses are usually downtuned, heavily distorted and make strong use of feedback. This creates very dense guitar tones that are slow and threatening at the same time. 

Many bands that are considered to be a part of the sludge metal subgenre also tend to receive other labels as well. There is a lot of crossover particularly between sludge metal, stoner metal, doom metal, post metal and crust punk. This creates a very experimental nature to the subgenre, and many bands pride themselves on using the sludge metal standards in order to create a unique hybrid of styles. 

Before sludge metal was officially pioneered by The Melvins, many bands such as Black Sabbath, Black Flag, Trouble, Swans and Saint Vitus had dabbled with the sludge metal style, but no band had fully implemented it. The Melvins were a band based out of Washington, and their first two releases, the Six Songs EP and Gluey Porch Treatments, released in 1986 and 1987 respectively, are often considered to be the very first legitimate sludge metal records. The Melvins are led by Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, and have since put out many other legendary records. They were also a major contributor to the development of grunge music. 

Around the time of the release of Gluey Porch Treatments, Neurosis also released their debut album, Pain of Mind. This album was a crust punk record, but it contained elements that would later be found in sludge metal. Neurosis would soon become early practitioners of sludge metal during the early 1990s, and eventually their sound began to incorporate doom metal and post metal influences. 

Sludge metal really took off during the early 1990s. The majority of the emerging sludge metal bands came from New Orleans. These bands included Eyehategod, Crowbar and Acid Bath, all of whom have very large and devoted followings. 

Eyehategod is a band primarily run by lead vocalist Mike Williams and guitarist Jimmy Bower. Bower also plays in the sludge metal supergroup Down with many other monumental musicians from the New Orleans sludge metal scene, including Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo. Eyehategod’s most notable album is Dopesick, and is considered to be a classic in the subgenre.

Crowbar is led by vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein, who is also a member of Down. Windstein serves as Crowbar’s only constant member. Crowbar has had a very consistent album release history, and has just recently put out its newest album titled Sever the Wicked Hand, which has received a large amount of critical praise. 

Acid Bath was a band that combined a large amount of styles including sludge metal, stoner metal, doom metal, death metal, black metal and blues rock. Acid Bath most notably consisted of vocalist Dax Riggs and guitarist Sammy Duet. Riggs has experienced a bit of post-Acid Bath success with his band Deadboy and the Elephantmen, as well as guitarist Sammy Duet, who is the main songwriter in the popular blackened death metal band Goatwhore. Acid Bath only released two albums before disbanding, but those two records have given the band a sizable cult following.

Since the 1990s, sludge metal has experienced a rise in popularity, most notably due to the popular metal band Mastodon. Mastodon is the first band to really commercialize the style of music through their three most recent albums, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye and The Hunter. Along with Mastodon, modern sludge metal bands such as Kylesa, Baroness and Black Tusk have helped to stimulate the style of music. Sludge metal’s growing popularity is sure to continue within the upcoming decade, though it still remains a very prolific subgenre of heavy metal music.

Doom Metal

Last week we discussed the most uplifting subgenre of heavy metal: power metal. This week it’s time to discuss the most depressing subgenre of heavy metal: doom metal. Initially pioneered by Black Sabbath, doom metal has gained a strong underground following in the heavy metal community.



Doom metal is distinguishable by several musical characteristics. Guitars and basses are usually tuned down, and they make heavy use of distortion. In doom metal, it is essential that guitarists have a very thick and dense tone. The tempo of doom metal music is usually slow to create a drawn-out, bass-heavy sound. The vocals in doom metal are usually clean singing, but the vocal tonality is always one of despair. When growling is used in doom metal, it’s almost always very deep, usually even more so than in death metal. Lyrics are very important in doom metal, and are typically depressing in nature.



Doom metal basically began with Black Sabbath. The early Ozzy-era music was the basis for which the entire subgenre is derived today. Tony Iommi had an immense guitar tone that was very unique for its time, and every subsequent doom band took influence from that raw, thick tone. Other important pioneers of the genre include Pentagram, Trouble, Saint Vitus, and Candlemass. Pentagram was formed in the early 1970s, but they didn’t release any albums until the early 1980s. Lead by Bobby Liebling, the band had a revolving line-up of musicians that were each well-known throughout the underground heavy metal community. Pentagram continues to perform today, though they still remain a prolific act.



Trouble was another pioneer of doom metal. Their first two albums, Psalm 9 and The Skull, are considered to be landmark doom metal records. Trouble eventually evolved into a stoner metal band, and has had an extensive history consisting of many long periods of inactivity. Nevertheless, Trouble is still recognized as one of the most important pioneers of doom metal.



Saint Vitus is a notorious act, having experienced a moderate amount of success particularly when they were fronted by Scott “Wino” Weinrich. Weinrich is one of the most notable musicians in doom metal, and is also held in high regard for his work in The Obsessed. Saint Vitus is finally about to release their eighth studio album, Lillie: F-65, which is their first album with Weinrich back on vocals in 22 years.



Candlemass is a Swedish band and they helped to popularize doom metal throughout the region in the 1980s. Leif Edling is the main songwriter for the band and is very highly regarded within the doom metal community. Candlemass have broken up several times throughout their history, but they continue to perform today.



Doom metal has changed a lot since its early days. The subgenre is now very frequently combined with stoner metal, sludge metal, gothic metal, and death metal in order to create unique hybrids. Furthermore, the subgenre is one in which many bands choose to innovate and test musical limits. That is particularly noticeable with the band, Neurosis, which is a musically diverse band that has based much of their music around doom metal. Doom metal is a respected genre in the heavy metal community, and has a very large underground following today.