A specific style of metal music with a gloomy atmosphere and slow-tempoed instrument playing. Many consider Candlemass' "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" to be one of the first doom metal albums.

Although in the beginning of the 1970s both Black Sabbath and the American Pentagram performed a kind of music that can be considered proto-doom, neither band is generally considered as an actual doom metal band. From the late 1970s to mid 1980s, bands such as Trouble, Saint Vitus and Witchfinder General contributed much to the formation of doom metal as a distinct genre. The form of music played by these artists can be described as being rooted in both the music of Black Sabbath and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, especially the band Witchfinder General. The slowness of their music is often also seen as a reaction to the constantly increasing speed of contemporary thrash metal and speed metal. Doom metal first became widely popular with Sweden's Candlemass, who are hailed in the mainstream metal press as one of the most important and influential doom metal bands; their 1986 album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is considered a genre-defining release (at least within the epic subgenre of doom metal). According to the proponents of the classic doom metal style, the most descriptive doom band would be Saint Vitus, who released their self-titled debut album in 1984 - two years before doom metal as a genre was recognised in the mainstream metal press.

Doom metal developed further in the early 1990s, when a number of bands started combining the slow, melancholic, doom metal style that was pioneered in the 1980s with influences from death metal and other forms of extreme meta...

Very slow but very heavy metal. Often sung with melodic vocals but also can be sung with growlish and screamish vocals becoming death doom metal. sometimes doom can be very epic too.

A subgenre of heavy metal, which is generally described as very slow and very heavy; it is really a progression and exaggeration of stoner rock. Although very (sometimes mind numbingly) slow, doom metal can be more upbeat. No matter what kind of doom, the genre owes a lot to Black Sabbath, whose early records were very doom.

Doom can also be mixed with other types of music - some bands add a gothic flavour, some a more stoner rock groove, some, such as Forest of Shadows, mix it with black metal.

slow, heavy, depressing metal. Think the first 3 Sabbath albums but darker and heavier.

A subgenre of heavy metal music that is slower and heavier than other genres. It is often ignored by metalheads due to its slow tempos, mainly because those metalheads favor faster metal genres such as thrash metal and death metal. Because of this, doom metal has never actually achieved mainstream popularity, since many metalheads often shy away from doom metal music. For example, when Ministry decided to turn up the heaviness factor after their magnum opus Psalm 69 and released their doom metal-inspired Filth Pig, many of their fans, expecting a faster and heavier record, instantly hated it.

Listening to Doom Metal makes Sabbath's influence obvious.

Even though Sabbath was probably a huge inspiration to modern doom metal, it sounds different in some ways.

It's amazing how Doom Metal is smooth, and slow, as much as it is heavy and creepy.

I like it. My Dying Bride would be my fave Dmetal band.

I think Doom Metal tries to capture beauty more than most Metal genres.

I don't know. This is my personal opinion, I guess.