When Tony Iommi and "Geezer" Butler started to write music, Black Sabbath set up the main stereotype riff-leading, easy-to-recognize, style of rock on which they described as Heavy-Rock back in their hey-days.
Some bands choose to create heavy metal music based on the same riff-wise characteristics, which were categorized, by fans and media, later on, as being the Doom Metal subgenre or Traditional Doom, just to deferience it from other subgenres such as Death-Doom!
The first follower did not take long to pop-up and it might be the American "replica" band, gathered under the name of Pentagram which was formed back in 1971.
The second notable incarnation should be the Swedish band Candlemass as of 1984 and the co-nationals from Count Raven who started back in 1989.
 |
| Candlemass Epicus Doomicus Metallicus GIF |
The British band Pagan Altar starting on 1978 set up their interesting Occult Doom-inspired heavy metal,along with Witchfinder General back in 1979 who is a heavy metal band both part of the N.W.O.B.H.M.movement and apparently, both had a big influence on the genre, as it was revealed later on.
The same goes for the Californian Heavy-Metal band Cirith Ungol established in 1971 or the German Lucifer's Friend who started in 1970 with a quite heavy eponymous output for that time, adorned with some psychedelic and progressive motifs added into their general music structure.
Also, the American band Trouble contributed from 1981, especially with their first two albums. As, with the following LP's they started to diversify their music, no longer being as "pure-doom" so to speak.
The band Iron Man from 1988 could mentioned here, as well, being a Heavy-Metal combo with obvious Black Sabbath influenced riff-work.
They were followed by the American Wino's fronted original band The Obsessed formed in 1979 and later on with the famous Saint Vitus who began back in 1978 to mix Sabbath-ish and Hendrix inspired riffs and solos.
With this said we have the first "map" of this so called the first wave for this subgenre.
By the beginning of the '90's we have the Texan band Solitude Aeturnus 1987, later on labelled as "Epic Doom" along with Candlemass, Solstice, Doomsword or While Heaven Wept.
At the end of the 80's the now well-known man-of-doom Lee Dorrian got upset with the Hardcore-punk scene and the Death Metal musical course Napalm Death took, so he left and dedicated himself, totally, to the Doom scene forming Cathedral and deciding to devote his label Rise Above Records in order to promote the genre's bands.
As a result, he decided to issue a compilation called "Dark Passages" back in 1991.
Bands like: Count Raven, Solitude Aeturnus, Penance,
Stillborn,Revelation, Saint Vitus are featured on this compilation along
with two Cathedral songs.
Cathedral issued their debut "Forest of Equilibrium" in 1991 which is a very slow and extremely heavy album with an interesting vocal approach. Indeed a very original and creative effort.
The following catalog, starting with "The Ethereal Mirror" changed the game a little bit and was described by media and fans as being "Stoner-Metal".
A term that Dorrian dismissed stating that Cathedral's music is just old-school Heavy-Metal, nothing more,nothing less.
The Finnish band Reverend Bizarre managed to resurrect the fans interest in the genre at the end of the 90's and the beginning of the 2000's, along with other bands like Electric Wizard or Sleep.
Another highly recommended band to get into must be the first-ever Finnish doom band Spiritus Mortis,especially for the two long-plays fronted by the one and only Albert "The Witchfinder" the frontman of much appeciated Reverend Bizarre.
The American band The Gates of Slumber had a quality musical contribution here before they split-up, along with Warning hailing from UK.
As many of you might know the Darkthrone's album "Old Star" incorporated some of the doom vibes trying to pay some sort of riff-work tribute to this genre.
Other bands adopted a more not-so-metal, but rock orientation, yet still heavily drenched in the Sabbath sound.
Par example bands like Witchcraft, Lucifer or Orchid.
....article to be further continued,corrected and edited...
 |
| Candlemass - Nightfall GIF |
