Sludge Metal

Just the term "sludge metal" will pretty much tell you what you need to know about its sound. Sludge metal, sometimes simply referred to as sludge, combines the slow tempos and dark, depressive atmosphere of doom metal with the harsh aggression of hardcore punk. As a result, it hits a sweet spot at mid-tempos, trudging along like a punk song hindered by a thick muck. It's visceral, raw, dirty, and often controversial: this is sludge metal.

Sludge metal saw its beginnings from one of hardcore punk's key artists Black Flag. The release of its 1984 album My War saw the band shift from their trademark hardcore sound to something slower, more calculated, and more sinister. This signaled the beginnings of the sludge sound. For the remainder of the 1980s, bands began to pick up on this sound. Bands like Melvins, Gore, YDI, and Godflesh all took major influence from this style, and implemented the thick, muddled guitars and doom influence into their subsequent albums.

Recommended '80s sludge metal listening:
1. Black Flag - My War (1984)
2. YDI - Black Dust (1985)
3. Gore - Mean Man's Dream (1987)
4. Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments (1987)
5. Godflesh - Streetcleaner (1989)

Once the sludge sound had solidified itself in metal and punk circles, it witnessed a small boom in the 1990s. Most of the genre's biggest names reached their peaks in this decade, with fantastic releases from bands such as Acid Bath, Eyehategod, Grief, Fudge Tunnel, Buzzov•en, Noothgrush, Crowbar, Iron Monkey, Dystopia, Corrupted, Corrosion of Conformity, and Neurosis dominating the scene. Melvins and Godflesh continued strong in the genre as well, releasing continuously fantastic albums, and even getting other bands in similar scenes, such as industrial metal bands like Ministry, involved as well.

Recommended '90s sludge metal listening:
1. Corrosion of Conformity - Blind (1991)
2. Crowbar - Crowbar (1993)
3. Eyehategod - Take as Needed for Pain (1993)
4. Melvins - Houdini (1993)
5. Acid Bath - When the Kite String Pops (1994)

The main subgenre of sludge metal is an offshoot called atmospheric sludge metal. By adding loud-soft dynamics and reverb-laden textures to the sludge metal formula (stylistically similar to that of post-metal), atmosludge creates a crushingly heavy sound. Early bands like Neurosis were the first to implement this style in the mid- to late-1990s, but were quickly followed in the early 2000s by bands such as Isis, Cult of Luna, Old Man Gloom, and Dirge. Since then, atmosludge and post-metal have both garnered massively progressive reputations within the metal realm, leading to leagues of incredible releases from later bands such as Minsk, Rosetta, Pelican, Amenra, The Ocean, and Holy Fawn.

Recommended atmospheric sludge metal listening:
1. Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (1996)
2. Isis - Panopticon (2004)
3. Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites (2005)
4. Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway (2006)
5. The Ocean - Precambrian (2007)

In the 2000s, atmosludge was the primary incorporation of sludge metal. Isis and Cult of Luna loomed as quite a force to be reckoned with, but there were other significant sludgers coming onto the scene; the most notorious of which was Mastodon. Though now one of the most prominent forces in progressive metal, Mastodon were once just as formidable as a sludge metal act. Following in a similar "progressive sludge" vein were bands like Intronaut, Baroness, and the previously mentioned The Ocean. Also new to the scene were High on Fire, Ufomammut, YOB, and Kylesa.

One of the common factors that often mixes up newcomers to the genre is the distinction between sludge metal and stoner metal. Though the styles are fundamentally very different, there is a fairly constant overlap between the two. Bands like Corrosion of Conformity, Kylesa, High on Fire, the Melvins, and Boris often take major influence from both sides of the spectrum, resulting in a slow, doomy, often-swung style of crossover metal. Stoner metal bands like Down, Electric Wizard, and Sleep often take influence from sludge metal from the other direction too, though remain firmly rooted in the stoner genre over sludge.

Recommended '00s sludge metal listening:
1. Boris - Heavy Rocks (2002)
2. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)
3. High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings (2005)
4. Baroness - Red Album (2007)
5. Ufomammut - Idolum (2008)

In the 2010s, sludge metal finds itself in the same throne it has always been in; continuing to dominate artistic metal circles with subtle and gradual innovations. Atmosludge still maintains incredible output with bands like Blindead, Ulcerate, Year of No Light, Sólstafir, and Oathbreaker. True sludge metal is being held up by bands such as Thou, Bongripper, Corrupted, Hell, and Cult Leader (born from the ashes of Gaza). A new trend in modern sludge metal is the increased influence from other contemporary metal developments such as blackgaze or mathcore, both known for boasting dense and inaccessible sounds.

Recommended '10s sludge metal listening:
1. Bongripper - Satan Worshipping Doom (2010)
2. Blindead - Affliction XXIX II MXMVI (2010)
3. Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar (2011)
4. Thou - Heathen (2014)
5. Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas - Mariner (2016)

Continuously pushing for innovation without losing touch with roots is a goal that most musical genres aim for but very rarely capture. Sludge metal is one of those few that does this effortlessly. Sludge is unforgivingly heavy and thick, and owns this quality to its fullest possible extent. This is why the genre continues to draw in new fans, new bands, and new groundbreaking progressions: a simple but effective core element. No over-complication, no over-compensation, just pure sludge. And that's the way we like it.

Note: Hey everyone! This will be my last week before going to study away in the desert of New Mexico for the semester. I will do my absolute best to continue writing and releasing these on some sort of schedule, but it may not be every Friday considering the indefinite nature of my internet access. I'll be doing the same amount of advertising I usually do with subsequent updates, but likely on less of an established schedule. Thanks for reading, as always!