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Drone Metal: The Slow Darkside


It's always the same riff? the same bass? for some reason you can't stop listening to it? it's appealing. The whole sound summons you into a spiral, a void? It's always the same thing, over and over again... it's driving you crazy, demented? it's so loud that you'll beg for someone to kill you. But the music won't let it! The music is up to kill from the inside, it's your soul it wants! That chord, trembling over and over again? ''please kill me? please for the love of God, somebody kill me!!! I can't stand it anymore!''
In the end, that music? it took an eternity to end and it was only 25 minutes long? Somewhere in between, you ended up a corpse on a chair, your arms down, your head right-sided with the head-phones on, and darkened empty eyes? It killed your soul. Sshhh? listen? the phones? it's still droning? over and over and over and over?


Drone Metal? very slow music, very slow moods, very slow images, very slow? everything!
Before its appearance in the Heavy Metal realm, drone music first started off side by side with ambient music, instrumental experiments, shoegaze landscapes or some sub-genres of electronic music overall. ''Stars Of The Lid'', ''Birchville Cat Motel'' or ''Emeralds'' are a few just to name some of those artists.
Inevitably, Heavy Metal, with its several sub-genre branches, eventually started to mix drone music within its heavy sound. Doom Metal, the extreme one, is commonly known to be the most combined sub-genre, but drone music managed to ''mingle'' with tones of other metal-a-like tunes, like post-rock, noise, stoner, industrial or black, and nowadays mostly with sludge, as some already started to name it as the 3rd wave of Drone Metal. As a matter of fact, this research offered me the experience of knowing very ''odd'' bands that I didn't know they existed, whose sound is blended with several different music kinds, as I was undoubtedly blown away with their music, being ''Monarch!'', ''Echoes Of Yul'', ''Hyatari'' or ''Menace Ruine'' JUST to name a few! So those of you who thought Drone Metal was only Sunn O))), Earth or Boris? well, you better think twice and dive into this ''encyclopedia''!
This chronological list features the studio recordings i consider unquestionably, essential to any Drone Metal fan. From the purists to the slightly interested ones, and for the drone beginners, I believe this will suit you all. Enjoy!

Created by: Tiago Rocha | 24.09.2010



1. Melvins - Lysol
1992
2. Earth - Earth 2 - Special Low Frequency Version
1993
3. Earth - Phase 3: Thrones And Dominions
1995
4. Boris - Absolutego
1996
5. Thrones - Alraune
1996
6. Corrupted - Paso Inferior
1997
7. Hash Jar Tempo - Well Oiled
1997
8. Boris - Amplifier Worship
1998
9. Sunn O))) - The Grimmrobe Demos
1999
10. Corrupted - Llenandose De Gusanos
1999
11. Boris - Flood
2000
12. The Angelic Process - ...And Your Blood Is Full Of Honey
2001
13. Khanate - Khanate
2001
14. Old Man Gloom - Seminar III: Zozobra
2001
15. Nadja - Touched
2002
16. Hlidolf - V01D
2002
17. Teeth Of Lions Rule The Divine - Rampton
2002
18. Sunn O))) - Flight Of The Behemoth
2002
19. Boris - Boris At Last - Feedbacker
2003
20. The Angelic Process - Coma Waering
2003
21. Khanate - Things Viral
2003
22. Nadja - Corrasion
2003
23. Corrupted - Se Hace Por Los Suenos Asesinos
2004
24. Jesu - Jesu
2004
25. Bunkur - Bludgeon
2004
26. Sunn O))) - White2
2004
27. Moss - Cthonic Rites
2005
28. Nadja - Body Cage
2005
29. Om - Variations On A Theme
2005
30. Asva - Futurists Against The Ocean
2005
31. Monarch - 666
2005
32. Earth - HEX; Or Printing In The Infernal Method
2005
33. Hyatari - The Light Carriers
2005
34. Corrupted - El Mundo Frio
2005
35. Sunn O))) - Black One
2005
36. Nadja - Truth Becomes Death
2005
37. Black Boned Angel - Bliss And Void Inseparable
2006
38. Hjarnidaudi - Pain:Noise:March
2006
39. Battle Of Mice - A Day Of Nights
2006
40. Khlyst - Chaos Is My Name
2006
41. Sunn O))) - Altar [Collaboration]
2006
42. Nadja - Thaumogenesis
2007
43. Like Drone Razors Through Flesh Sphere - D.R.O.N.E.R.E.X.I.A.
2007
44. Earth - Hibernaculum
2007
45. Boris with Merzbow - Rock Dream
2007
46. The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sand
2007
47. Bloody Panda - Pheromone
2007
48. Jesu - Conqueror
2007
49. Nadja - Radiance Of Shadows
2007
50. Menace Ruine - The Die Is Cast
2008
51. Black Boned Angel - The Endless Coming Into Life
2008
52. Asva - What You Don't Know Is Frontier
2008
53. Monarch - Mer Morte
2008
54. Moss - Sub Templum
2008
55. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
2008
56. Hyatari - They Will Surface
2008
57. Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness
2008
58. Bloody Panda - Summon
2009
59. Black Boned Angel - Verdun
2009
60. Greymachine - Disconnected
2009
61. Echoes Of Yul - Echoes Of Yul
2009
62. Hjarnidaudi - Psyko:Stare:Void
2009
63. Bunkur - Nullify
2009
64. Nadja - Nadja / Black Boned Angel [Collaboration]
2009
65. Menace Ruine - Union Of Irreconcilables
2010



Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by Tiago Rocha ]



Comments

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Comments: 15   Visited by: 207 users
08.10.2011 - 00:20
Amo del Merol

Great, bizarre, diferent selection!!!
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08.10.2011 - 00:29
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
True, this is an invaluable list.
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08.10.2011 - 00:29
Frost Beast
Account deleted
You got my vote!
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08.10.2011 - 21:09
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
A few suggestions if you ever wanted to expand:

TenHornedBeast - Hunts & Wars
Methadrone - Retrogression
Robedoor - Rancor Keeper
Arachnotaur - Slo=w Pertinacious Threnody On the Abnegation of Succour
Bong - Beyond Ancient Space
Vøid - Vøid
AUN - VII
Wormphlegm - In an Excruciating Way Infested With Vermin and Violated by Executioners Who Practise Incendiarism and Desanctifying the Pious
Servile Sect - Stratospheric Passenger
Vonn - Victim One: Agony
Verwüstung - Beyond the Watercolor Sunset, We Feel New Life
Terra Tenebrosa - Tunnels
Torture Wheel - Crushed Under...
Barn Owl - (pretty much all their albums, the album and EP released this year are both excellent)

Ascend
Deathprod
KTL
Halo
Transitional
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09.10.2011 - 20:08
Tiago Rocha
Dark Lighthouse
Written by Amo del Merol on 08.10.2011 at 00:20

Great, bizarre, diferent selection!!!

Written by Guest on 08.10.2011 at 00:29

True, this is an invaluable list.

Written by Guest on 08.10.2011 at 00:29

You got my vote!


Thanks guys, much appreciated! seriously!
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09.10.2011 - 20:27
Tiago Rocha
Dark Lighthouse
Written by Guest on 08.10.2011 at 21:09

A few suggestions if you ever wanted to expand:

TenHornedBeast - Hunts & Wars
Methadrone - Retrogression
Robedoor - Rancor Keeper
Arachnotaur - Slo=w Pertinacious Threnody On the Abnegation of Succour
Bong - Beyond Ancient Space
Vøid - Vøid
AUN - VII
Wormphlegm - In an Excruciating Way Infested With Vermin and Violated by Executioners Who Practise Incendiarism and Desanctifying the Pious
Servile Sect - Stratospheric Passenger
Vonn - Victim One: Agony
Verwüstung - Beyond the Watercolor Sunset, We Feel New Life
Terra Tenebrosa - Tunnels
Torture Wheel - Crushed Under...
Barn Owl - (pretty much all their albums, the album and EP released this year are both excellent)

I got interested on Drone after hearing an EP called Älma from the band Löbo. I went on for further investigation becoming aware of the best albums on the genre, and in the end, this list come out. After finishing the list, I always wanted to go back, and complete the list the more and best I could. For some reason, I STILL didn't yet... I'm now in hands with my 2011 best portuguese metal records and listening to a lot of records, so probably i won't do it now either... But i'll do it some time around because that's something I always thought on doing: making the list most complete as possible. And throwing my eyes to those suggestions of yours only boil my hunger for more slow trembling torture specially Bong and Terra Tenebrosa, this last one I didn't hear yet, but I came across with very positive writings about it. Thank you so much for the suggestions!
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09.10.2011 - 21:23
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Tiago Rocha on 09.10.2011 at 20:27


I got interested on Drone after hearing an EP called Älma from the band Löbo. I went on for further investigation becoming aware of the best albums on the genre, and in the end, this list come out. After finishing the list, I always wanted to go back, and complete the list the more and best I could. For some reason, I STILL didn't yet... I'm now in hands with my 2011 best portuguese metal records and listening to a lot of records, so probably i won't do it now either... But i'll do it some time around because that's something I always thought on doing: making the list most complete as possible. And throwing my eyes to those suggestions of yours only boil my hunger for more slow trembling torture specially Bong and Terra Tenebrosa, this last one I didn't hear yet, but I came across with very positive writings about it. Thank you so much for the suggestions!

Haha no problem. If I'm totally honest part of the reason I made those suggestions was for my own benefit as I know I can use this page as a total reference point to all things drone in the future ;] I'll be checking out that Löbo EP for sure too.
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18.11.2011 - 11:10
metaleaterr
abstract_bliss
Thanks for the suggestion. But what about Black Boned Angel's latest album "The Witch Must Be Killed". I think its their best effort!
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30.11.2011 - 08:37
metaleaterr
abstract_bliss
Killer list..Killer music! Black Boned Angel's every album is awesome..especially Superecllipse. This music really does what no other music can do..It is like a behemoth..a massive droning viscous mass of evil that sucks the misery whole out of the fucking system! And it rocks hard more any other metal out there!
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09.12.2011 - 03:34
Nightfall

Thank you for this list. It's very helpful for anyone interested on this genre. You have my vote.
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07.10.2012 - 21:29
Oaken
Hipster
Are there any albums in the list that sound very similar to Weighing Souls With Sand?
Thanks.
----
In that case, man is only air as well.
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07.10.2012 - 22:12
Tiago Rocha
Dark Lighthouse
The sound is hard to match but try Seminar III: Zozobra. But if you want something close go outside the list, try White Moth, Cloak Of Altering... try Bloody Panda's Summon, Menace Ruines' The Die is cast... Sailors with wax wings in a slower paced side but cool too... Blut aus nord, Gnaw their tongues' latest 3 or 4 full lenghts, Pyramids vocals are close too... They don't all sound likewise but youll find a bit of the angelic process in each of these bands/albums
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05.07.2013 - 12:42
mz

One of the betterest lists on MS, tnx
----
Giving my ears a rest from music.
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09.08.2014 - 02:34
Death_95

Best list ever!
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25.02.2015 - 05:51
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
A very good list indeed, pretty good place to start for noobs looking to get into all this monotonous amp worshipping foolishness. I especially like how you went in chronological order with these releases, it gives a good context for how drone has diversified in technique over the years. It's definitely a much more varied genre than the common layperson may be tempted to assume.

Might I suggest...

1. Blood Of The Black Owl - A Banishing Ritual: Some of the other albums of the project are funeral doom, this one is straight drone though. All one guy, he does a heavy Native American theme that you can tell he's pretty passionate about and is indeed very interesting.
2. Dark Buddha Rising - Abyssolute Transinite: Dark, expansive, and ritualistic drone doom.
3. Nibiru - Netrayoni: Strong, kinda sludgey psychedelic drone. Really meditative shit.
4. Aderlating - Spear Of Gold And Seraphim Bone Part 1: If you're into drone, I'd assume you know Mories (Gnaw Their Tongues, Cloak Of Altering, etc). Probably his most drone oriented project, there are some hints of black metal in it here and there but overall it's just one massive, sinister dark ambient experience.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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