The music is typically very slow, reaching an extreme in this aspect in funeral doom. It is not uncommon, particularly in doom/death or blackened doom, for sudden bursts of speed to appear, usually as a method of intensifying the lethargy of the foundational rhythm through the use of dynamic. For instance, blast beats have been effectively utilized by Disembowelment, My Dying Bride, and Pantheist, to enhance through contrast the slowness that forms the primary character of the song. Usually, these blasts of speed arrive abruptly out of ultra-slow sections or ambient keyboard passages, ending just as abruptly to descend once again into lugubrious slowness. The rhythm section is often very heavy, delivering a crushing bottom-end to the sound. Guitars churn out dark and gloomy riffs, often accompanied by weeping lead guitar melodies to further imbrue the music with a melancholy feeling. Paradise Lost, Katatonia, and Anathema have offered some of the best examples of this in their earlier works. Acoustic guitars are also a common element, usually as an introduction or contemplative mid-song breaks. Vocals range from the lamenting wails of the Ozzy Osbourne tradition, which is the premier approach in traditional doom bands such as Trouble and St. Vitus, to grief-stricken growls or suicidal screams of the doom/death and blackened doom styles. Epic and melodic singing is featured in the more magisterial strain of traditional doom, best exemplified in Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus. Mournful and angelic female vocals are sometimes employed to give the music an effect of longing-for-serenity, sometimes contrasted with the leading male voice, which is mostly the case in doom/death, while a few bands feature a lead female singer. Other vocal effects such as whispers and dejected spoken word are sometimes implemented as a way to provide different atmospheric shades. It is sometimes the case that a band will utilize instruments which are non-traditional in metal music, such as violin, cello, and even trombone in the case of Beyond Dawn. Keyboards are featured to varying degrees, most significantly in the more atmospheric doom/death or funeral doom bands.

Songs are characteristically long in duration due to the gradual development of thematic. The idea is usually to establish a mood through a patient build-up, and to maintain this mood throughout so as to lull the listener into the spirit of the music. This is done to an extreme in funeral doom and drone doom. Songs often go through movements similar to classical music, commonly drifting into extended instrumental passages, almost never following a traditional rock song design, save for the more traditional strain of doom, which is mostly concerned with using a rock-structure to showcase a defining riff or melody as well as establish rhythmical groove. Atmosphere is thick with mournful darkness, though ethereal, celestial, or epical atmospheres are not uncommon. The music is heavy, slow, dark, morose, and deadly serious.

Doom metal presents a bleak worldview. In general, it sees existence in this world as inherently tragic, afflicted with countless sufferings with only the oblivion of non-existence as true deliverance from this wretchedness. Themes of social alienation, existential despair, mournful sorrow, paralyzing anguish, political paranoia, dreadful fear of oncoming and unidentifiable misery, and suicidal fantasy are explored in often introspective and contemplative tones. The degree of hopelessness varies usually according to style, though the two predominate approaches are that of hopeful and desperate longing for salvation from the pain of living or a fatalistic nihilism recognizing no true escape from a terrible destiny in a meaningless world. The common images of skulls, cemeteries, dreary landscapes, architectural ruins, or abstract images of dark isolation give visual sensation to this discomforting outlook. Religious symbolism is also a familiar element in visual representation, such as crosses and cathedrals, though this in most cases seems to be merely an atmospheric effect to compliment the more ecclesiastical takes on doom metal. Aside from a small number of religiously orientated acts, these bands are mostly deniers of the idea of salvation through religious faith as they find the thought of such a dreadful world being the work of a merciful god unacceptable. For the vast majority of doom metallers the only salvation comes in refuge in nature or death.

The best doom metal is that which takes an objective, universal account of suffering as opposed to a personalized, individualistic approach. There is a far more profound effect in art that recognizes not a particular emotion, but the emotion itself. In doom’s case, it is the music that aims to represent the whole world’s sadness that offers the most penetrating listening experience. To see beyond the self, to abstract the suffering in order to consider objectively the sufferings of the world is to recognize that it is not the individual and its particular event of a suffering that carries the truest significance, but that of the entire world’s suffering.

"We are like lambs in a field, disporting themselves under the eye of the butcher, who chooses out first one and then another for his prey. So it is that in our good days we are all unconcious of the evil Fate may have presently in store for us - sickness, poverty, mutilation, loss of sight or reason." – Arthur Schopenhauer

The pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer is perhaps the most corresponding with doom metal’s ideology. Recognizing suffering as the "direct and immediate object of life", Schopenhauer’s account of the condition of existence as defined by a constant striving in a repeating cycle of desire and satisfaction and desire yet again concludes that we can never find a state of lasting happiness. Our will is absent of purpose and blind, and we are condemned to slavery to its force, and thus doomed to misery. Even suicide, a dominant theme in doom metal, cannot offer true deliverance, says Schopenhauer, as it merely destroys the phenomenon and circumstances of one’s existence and not the essence. In this way, it is not a denial of the will to live, but an affirmation. The suicider is not truly wishing to end its life, but simply the conditions and circumstances that this life has been subjected to, of which it sees no possible way out other than to eliminate its individuality. Our lives are at bottom miserable and tormenting, and any happiness we experience is only a momentary distraction from this reality. As eternally striving beings, we must eternally suffer. Only through aesthetic contemplation or sainthood does Schopenhauer believe we can find some salvation from this pain, as it requires a sacrifice of one’s ego, and elimination of one’s individuality, so that an objective view can be taken of existence, free from personal desires and the risk involved in them. But this is extremely difficult and therefore quite rare. Most doom metal recognizes no way out, though it still longs for a deliverance that it doesn’t fully believe in. As long as it lives, it has no other choice. We must necessarily strive, and thus we must necessarily suffer.

"If you try to imagine, as nearly as you can, what an amount of misery, pain and suffering of every kind the sun shines upon in its course, you will admit that it would be much better if, on the earth as little as on the moon, the sun were able to call forth the phenomena of life..." - Arthur Schopenhauer.

Traditional Doom: Also known as "True" Doom, this strain of doom metal remains faithful to the original formula as introduced by early Black Sabbath of blues-rock made heavier and darker through simple and morose guitar riffs, solid, straightforward, pounding rhythms, and wailing, melodic vocals. Songs usually follow the common rock-song format, based around a central riff and melody. Premier bands of traditional doom include Black Sabbath, Trouble, St. Vitus, Pentagram, Cathedral, Candlemass, and Solitude Aeturnus.

TheBleakHorizon Traditional Doom Recommendations:

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970)
Solitude Aeturnus - Into The Depths Of Sorrow (1991)
Candlemass - Nightfall (1987)
Cathedral - Forest Of Equilibrium (1991)
St. Vitus - Born Too Late (1987)

Doom/Death: Doom/Death, as the label implies, combines elements of death metal with the downcast character and themes of doom. The overall sound is heavier than traditional doom, with thicker guitars, crushing rhythms, and growling vocals, which are delivered with a grief-stricken tone as opposed to the violent and angry growl of death metal. While the music is slow and lugubrious at its core, death metal speed is often used as a method of emphasizing this slowness through contrast, with fast double bass runs, speed-picking, and in some cases, blast-beat drums. Songs typically feature a variety of movements, heavily reliant on dynamic through tempo shifts, where mournful melodies war with angry rhythms. Thus songs are longer than traditional doom, as themes are developed through unfolding passages gradually move toward patient conclusions. Premier bands of doom/death include Paradise Lost, Anathema, My Dying Bride, Disembowelment, Winter, Evoken, and Mourning Beloveth.

Anathema - Serenades (1993)
Paradise Lost - Gothic (1991)
My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans (1993)
October Tide - Rain Without End (1997)
Cemetary - Godless Beauty (1993)

Gothic Doom: There are two approaches to gothic doom. One approach merges doom metal with 1980s gothic-rock influences, such as The Cure, Joy Division, or Sisters Of Mercy. This kind of gothic doom usually operates on traditional rock-song structures with gloomy melodies and catchy-yet-dark riffs, often featuring baritone singing along with death/doom growling. The other approach of gothic doom is a more symphonic style, featuring orchestral keyboards, lovelorn atmospheres, and female vocals that contrast a male vocal of either death/doom growls or deep gothic singing. This symphonic style of gothic doom, through the frequency of female singing and keyboards, strives for a romanticized effect, using flowery visuals and melancholic ambience to establish a contrast between the sentimental and the bombastic. Premier bands of gothic doom are Theatre Of Tragedy, Tristania, Beyond Dawn, Cemetary, and Empyrium.

Theatre Of Tragedy - Aegis (1998)
Tristania - Widow’s Weeds (1998)
Beyond Dawn - Pity Love (1995)
Cemetary - Black Vanity (1994)
Empyrium - Songs Of Moors And Misty Fields (1997)

Atmospheric Doom: Admittedly, this is somewhat of a vague label, as all doom metal is of a high atmospheric nature. However, this atmosphere is often a byproduct of the combination of stylistic and thematic elements of doom, and not the primary focus as such. Atmospheric doom bands intentionally strive to create a certain dreamy atmosphere through the music, incorporating the elements of doom as a means toward this end. Female singing, clean male vocals, liberal keyboards, and long, expansive instrumental passages are common aspects of this style. Usually the music is of an ethereal or celestial atmospheric quality, sometimes even drifting towards New Age territory, with the thematic not so much interested in suicidal despair as a yearning for serenity. Premier bands of atmospheric doom include The Gathering, Celestial Season, mid-period Tiamat, mid-1990s Anathema, and The Third And The Mortal.

The Gathering - Mandylion (1995)
Celestial Season - Solar Lovers (1995)
Anathema - Eternity (1996)
My Dying Bride - The Angel And The Dark River (1995)
Tiamat - Wildhoney (1994)

Funeral Doom: Funeral doom takes the slowness of doom metal to the extreme, and utilizes an ambient approach to composition wherein a central idea is subtly expanded upon through a minimalist framework. The emphasis here is on creating a funereal atmosphere through sparse instrumentalism in gradually unfolding songs of epic length. Deeply contemplative, bleak, and often very beautiful and elegant, funeral doom sedates the listener in a trance-like state in which the world becomes a series of tragically insignificant events in ultra-slow-motion. No contrast or dynamic here, just expansive compositions that function as ambient music, as all instruments converge to create a unified, forlorn sound. Premier bands of funeral doom include Skepticism, Shape Of Despair, Thergothon, Unholy, and Funeral.

Thergothon - Stream From The Heavens (1994)
Skepticism - Stormcrowfleet (1995)
Shape Of Despair - Angels Of Distress (2001)
Unholy - Gracefallen (1998)
Pantheist - O Solitude (2003)

Drone Doom: Drone doom emphasizes tone over all else. Through repetition of a tone and prolonging it through measure, drone doom creates a vibrating, hypnotizing effect in dark, suffocating, unfaltering, humming music. Abstract in structure, the music reflects the inorganic mass of the earth in its primordial insistence. Sparse in components, emotionally unconcerned, and shamanistic in spirit, the result is often one of transfixing on dark depths of existence. Premier drone doom bands include Earth, SunnO))), Moss, Teeth Of Lions Rule The Divine, and Khanate.

SunnO))) - Flight Of The Behemoth (2002)
Earth - Earth 2 (1993)
Khanate - Khanate (2001)
Absolute Misery - Forever Rotting (2004)
Moss - Chronic Rites (2005)

Blackened Doom: Blackened doom incorporates elements of black metal in a doom metal format. The necro production values and screaming vocals of black metal are implemented in nihilistically bleak songs of self-destructive desperation and misanthropic isolation, in the offering of doom metal’s most suicidal strain. Compositions are minimalist in design, while duration and destination are treated as insignificant in the endeavor to establish a haunting, bewildering, and frightful atmosphere. Premier blackened doom bands include early Katatonia, Forgotten Tomb, early Dolorian, Krohm, Norrt, Bethlehem, and Shining.

Katatonia - Dance Of December Souls (1993)
Forgotten Tomb - Springtime Depression (2002)
Dolorian - When All The Laughter Has Gone (1999)
Nortt - Ligfaerd (2005)
Krohm - A World Through Dead Eyes (2004)

Sludge Doom: Merging elements of hardcore and punk with slow, sludgy doom riffs, crashing drums and on-the-verge-of-going-insane vocals, sludge doom wallows in a dirty sound of barely constructed songs and a self-hating character to present an all around unpleasant and unconcerned effect. Drugs, social isolation, and hopelessness are common themes. Premier sludge doom bands include Eyehategod, Crowbar, Grief, Burning Witch, and Buzzov*en.

Crowbar - Obedience Through Suffering (1992)
Eyehategod - Take As Needed For Pain (1993)
Grief - Torso (1998)
Buzzov*en - Sore (1994)
Iron Monkey - Our Problem (1998)

Stoner Doom: A heavier take on 1970s psychedelic rock that features lyrical themes heavily focused on marijuana smoking. Recognizing a hopelessness of life, these bands tend to seek refuge in getting high and zoning out of existence. The music offers catchy, blues-oriented riffs, lazy melodies, typical rock rhythms, and cosmic vibes. Premier stoner doom bands include Cathedral, Sleep, Electric Wizard, Goatsnake, and High On Fire.

Cathedral - The Carnival Bizarre (1995)
Sleep - Jerusalem (1997)
High On Fire - The Art Of Self Defence (2000)
Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (2000)
Goatsnake - Flower Of Disease (2000)