Drone Rock
tagStarted 1991Peak 2000-2012Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
Heaviness reduced to its raw essence: vast sustained chords, glacial near-static riffs, and walls of detuned feedback that hover and decay across long-form pieces. Rhythm is minimal or absent, vocals rare. Built on volume, overtone and patience, it turns the Iommi riff into a monolithic, meditative, almost ambient slab of sound — hypnotic and immense.
History
Established by Olympia's Earth, whose 1993 Earth 2 stretched detuned Sabbath riffs into monolithic drones. Dylan Carlson, the 'father of drone,' inspired Sunn O))) (formed as an Earth tribute) and Japan's Boris, who pushed the form toward amplifier-worship ritual. Roots run back to Earth's 1991 work and minimalist composers; the style cross-lists into noise and post-rock.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drone_metal
- https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/earth-band-guide
- https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-dylan-carlson/page-2/
- https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/sunn-o/sunn-o/