Sludge metal is a subgenre of Metal that combines the slow, dark instrumentals and atmosphere of Doom Metal with the aggressive, harsh screams and shouts credited to Hardcore Punk. A typical sludge song places heavy emphasis on guitar feedback, groovy riffs, and angry, pained vocals. It also isn't uncommon for songs to engage in occasional quick bursts of speed and technicality attributed to more traditional forms of hardcore. Lyrical themes borrow Read more on Last.fm.
Sludge metal is a subgenre of Metal that combines the slow, dark instrumentals and atmosphere of Doom Metal with the aggressive, harsh screams and shouts credited to Hardcore Punk. A typical sludge song places heavy emphasis on guitar feedback, groovy riffs, and angry, pained vocals. It also isn't uncommon for songs to engage in occasional quick bursts of speed and technicality attributed to more traditional forms of hardcore. Lyrical themes borrow both from the angry social and political commentary of punk and from the sad and melancholic themes of doom metal. This amalgamates into music that can best be described as frustrated and embittered, often either at society or at oneself.
The term "sludge" is a metaphor referring to the slow and dingy atmosphere this blend of metal and punk invokes. While Black Flag and Flipper are often considered to be the first bands to experiment with Doom-esque riffs in punk music, the first bands to truly play sludge include Melvins, Acid Bath, Crowbar, and Eyehategod.
Since its founding in the early to mid 1990s, many sludge artists have sought to experiment with influences from both punk music and metal music. This includes Mastodon (Progressive Metal), Soilent Green (Grindcore), and Dystopia (Crust Punk), among many others. A large following of bands combined the harsh qualities of sludge metal with the psychedelic aspects and repetitive riffs of Stoner Metal; the most notable artists in "stoner sludge" are Melvins, Bongzilla, and Boris.
Many bands have also used the vocals and tempos of sludge with textures and stylings of other atmospheric genres like Post-Rock, giving rise to Atmospheric Sludge Metal. Sludge is also considered to be a major influence on modern Powerviolence. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.