Sludge Metal
tagStarted 1988Peak 1991-2001Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
Doom's crushing slowness meets hardcore punk's filth and fury: down-tuned, distorted riffs grind through abrasive, feedback-soaked passages, often jolted by sudden hardcore bursts. Vocals are anguished, screamed, and spiteful, lyrics steeped in addiction, despair, and Southern rot. Raw, ugly, dragging and dense, it sounds like decay made audible.
History
Born late-80s as the Melvins slowed hardcore toward Sabbath crawl, then flowered in early-90s Louisiana. Eyehategod's nihilistic dirges, Crowbar's monolithic doom-sludge, and Acid Bath's blues-tinged Houma murk defined the NOLA scene, with North Carolina's Buzzov-en adding extra venom. It later split into atmospheric post-metal and remained a Southern-metal cornerstone.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia (Sludge metal)
- AllMusic
- Encyclopaedia Metallum
- Decibel (NOLA sludge features)