| Drone metal | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1990s,Washington, U.S. |
| Other topics | |
Drone metal ordrone doom[1][2] is a style ofheavy metal that melds the slow tempos and heaviness ofdoom metal with the long-duration tones ofdrone music.[3][4] Drone metal is sometimes associated withpost-metal[5] orexperimental metal.[6]
Typically, the electric guitar is performed with a large amount of reverb or audio feedback[3] while vocals may or may not be present. Songs often lack beat or rhythm in the traditional sense and are typically very long. The experience of a drone metal performance has been compared by novelistJohn Wray inThe New York Times to listening to an Indianraga in the middle of an earthquake.[3] Wray also states, "It's hard to imagine any music being heavier or, for that matter, very much slower."[3] A pioneer band of drone metal calledSunn O))) has indicated a kinship withsound sculpture.[3] Jan Tumlir indicates a "sustainedinfra-sound rumble ofsub-bass—so-calledbrown noise".[4]
Early guitar-produced drone effects go as far back as thekrautrock (for exampleCluster II byCluster, 1972) and earlynoise rock /industrial music era (Metal Machine Music byLou Reed, 1975;Stahlwerksynfonie byDie Krupps, 1981).
Drone metal was first established byEarth,[7] a group fromOlympia, Washington, formed in 1989 by minimalist musicianDylan Carlson,[2] which has been described as "minimalistpost-grunge".[3] Earth took inspiration from thesludge metal ofMelvins and theminimalist music ofLa Monte Young,Terry Riley andTony Conrad.[2]Stephen O'Malley's groupBurning Witch, formed five years later, also in Seattle, continued in this tradition, incorporating unusual vocals and bursts ofaudio feedback. The group initially recorded for the prominentpowerviolence labelSlap-a-Ham. O'Malley's subsequent group,Sunn O))),[3][4] initially formed as a tribute to Earth, is most responsible for the contemporary prominence of the drone metal style.Godflesh is also a stated influence on many groups.Boris,[3][8] from Tokyo, also developed a style of drone metal, parallel with the Seattle groups, as didCorrupted, from Osaka.[2]
Nadja (Toronto),Locrian[9] (US),Jesu (UK), Black Boned Angel (Wellington, New Zealand),Khanate (New York City), Ocean (Portland, Maine),Growing[10] (New York City),KTL (Washington/London), Ascend[11] andEagle Twin (US),[12]Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine (Nottingham, England),Conan (Liverpool, England) andMoss (Southampton, England) are prominent drone metal groups that formed in the early 21st century.[2] Noise musicians, such asKevin Drumm andOren Ambarchi, have also worked in the style.[13]Rhys Chatham's Essentialist project is a contribution to drone metal by an elder composer,[6] attempting to "arrive at ana priori essence of heavy metal, reducing it to a basic chord progression".[14]
Stephen O'Malley fromSunn O))) collaborated on an installation with artistBanks Violette, who has likened drone metal to the work ofDonald Judd.[3] Tumlir locates a precedent inRobert Rauschenberg.[4] Violette points out, however, that drone metal is "as much a physiological phenomenon as an acoustic one",[3] with an attendant physicality. O'Malley has also mentioned an appreciation forCormac McCarthy andRichard Serra.[1] Rhys Chatham's Essentialist included projections byRobert Longo.[6]Jim Jarmusch's 2009 filmThe Limits of Control features music by a number of drone metal groups.[15] Jarmusch said, "I love these kind of visual landscapes they make, and they really inspired things for me for my film ..., because when I write I'm listening to things that inspire me in the direction of whatever world I'm imagining. Boris and Sunn O))) and Earth were really instrumental in me just finding a place in my head."[16]
