Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres. Both the music and the lyrics are intended to evoke a sense of despair, dread, and impending doom. The genre is strongly influenced by the early work of Black Sabbath, who formed a prototype for doom metal. During the first half of the 1980s, a number of bands such as Witchfinder General and Pagan Altar from England, American bands Pentagram, Saint Vitus, the Obsessed, Trouble, and Cirith Ungol, and Swedish band Candlemass defined doom metal as a distinct genre.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth is the sixth studio album by German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released on 28 April 1998 through Virgin Records. It is a concept album based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a book of tales from the First Age of Middle-earth, recounting The War of the Jewels. The album contains not only songs but also spoken parts narrating parts of the story. The cover depicts Lúthien dancing in front of Morgoth.
Tristania was a Norwegian gothic metal band formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as Gothic metal with death influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the gothic metal history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.
Horror Show is the sixth studio album from the American heavy metal band Iced Earth, released June 26, 2001. It is a concept album based on classic monsters and horror-movie icons, including Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Phantom. It was the first Iced Earth album to feature drummer Richard Christy, and the only album to feature Steve Di Giorgio on bass, though he did not tour with the band. Horror Show is usually considered Iced Earth's only straightforward power metal release, as little of the thrash metal influence from the band's earlier works is present. This album also featured more prominent usage of Matt Barlow's multi-layered vocals as a center point for the songs.
Wintersun is the 2004 debut studio album by heavy metal band Wintersun, then the solo project of Jari Mäenpää. The Japanese edition of the album was released with the original three demo tracks used to obtain a contract with Nuclear Blast.
Third Age of the Sun is the third studio album released by the Finnish heavy metal band Battlelore, released in 2005. As on previous albums, the songs are all based on J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth sagas. This album introduced new bass player Timo Honkanen and new vocalist Tomi Mykkänen, who had previously toured with the band when Miika Kokkola and Patrik Mennander had been unavailable. The sound of the album differs from the first two Battlelore albums, as the instrumentation has a more live and organic feel and also due to the absence of clean male vocals.
Collideøscope is the fourth studio album by American rock band Living Colour. Released on October 7, 2003, it was their first studio album in eight years. Living Colour began recording Collideøscope in 2001; many of the songs are about the September 11 attacks.
Stormwarrior is a German power metal band that was formed in 1998 by vocalist and guitar player Lars Ramcke and drummer Andre Schumann, adding later in the same year guitarist Scott Bolter and bass player Tim Zienert. The members of Stormwarrior draw their musical influences from the 80s heavy metal scene including such fellow German bands as Helloween and Running Wild.
Woods of Ypres was a Canadian doom metal band from Windsor, Ontario. The band was founded in 2002, initially consisting of three members: David Gold, Aaron Palmer and Brian McManus. Their lineup frequently changed afterward, with over 20 members in the band through its various incarnations, which saw operations later based out of Toronto from 2003 to 2007, and Sault Ste. Marie from 2008 to 2011. Their only constant member was multi-instrumentalist and frontman David Gold, with the band ending after Gold's death in December 2011, just before releasing their album Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light, which won the 2013 Juno Award for the Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year.
Long Distance Calling is a post-rock band from Münster, Germany, formed in 2006. The majority of their tracks are extended instrumentals.
Against the Seasons: Cold Winter Songs from the Dead Summer Heat is the first studio release and only EP from the Canadian black metal/doom metal group Woods of Ypres. It was recorded in August, 2002 at Spectre Sound Studios in Tecumseh, Ontario. It is Woods of Ypres' only album featuring founding members Brian McManus and Aaron Palmer, and their only CD on which David Gold does not contribute any vocals or guitar work.
Woods III: The Deepest Roots and Darkest Blues is the second full-length album and third studio release by Woods of Ypres. It was recorded in 2007 in Toronto, Ontario, and it was the band's last album released before relocating to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 2008. Woods III marked the band's only album to feature bassist/producer Dan Hulse, their last with keyboardist Jessica Rose, and their last album with frontman David Gold on studio drums until Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light in 2012.
Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light is the fourth studio album as well as the fifth and final studio release from Woods of Ypres, released two months after the death of multi-instrumentalist and frontman David Gold. On February 19, 2013 it was announced that Woods 5 had been nominated for a Juno Award for "Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year", along with the likes of Devin Townsend, Cancer Bats, and Ex Deo, an award that it went on to win.
Woods 4: The Green Album is the third full-length album and fourth studio release by Ontario blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres. It is the band's only release to feature guitarist Bryan Belleau, the only full album to feature Evan and Shane Madden on bass and drums, and the only full-length Woods of Ypres release to not feature frontman David Gold on drums. It is the band's only full-length album to be released on Gold's final independent label Practical Art Records, and its March 2011 reissue through Earache Records marked their debut on that label as well. A music video was released for the song "I Was Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery". A limited run of 1,000 copies of Woods IV also included a bonus album: Slaughter of the Seoul, the final album by South Korean death metal band Necramyth, who Gold drummed for at the time.
Independent Nature 2002–2007 is a compilation album released by Ontario blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres in 2009. The only compilation released by Woods of Ypres, this album was both the band's first release after relocating to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 2008 and their last full-length release through Krankenhaus Records. Four songs each from Woods of Ypres' first three albums were included on this CD, and were presented in chronological order, documenting notable tracks from the band's early black metal-centric era.
Katalepsy is a Russian death metal band from Moscow. The group formed in 2003, and have released two split albums, one EP, three full-length albums, and one demo. The band's name is a variation of the word "catalepsy", a disorder involving catatonic schizophrenia. Some lyrical themes of the band include gore, violence, splatter, murder and perversions. They are currently signed to Unique Leader Records. Following the departure of guitarist "Helv" in 2009, no original members remain in the band.
The Flesh Prevails is the second studio album by American death metal band Fallujah, released on July 22, 2014. It was produced by Zack Ohren at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. The artwork was made by Tomasz Alen Kopera. It was the first album to feature Brian James who replaced Rob Maramonte on rhythm guitar.
Songs From the North I, II & III is the sixth studio album by Finnish extreme metal band Swallow the Sun. It is a triple album and was released on 13 November 2015, via Century Media. Each disc is focused on a different facet of the band's style: Gloom is a more typical death/doom album, Beauty primarily acoustic and folksy, and Despair a funeral doom album; these disc titles are also a single song title on their second album, Ghosts of Loss. This is the last release with Aleksi Munter and Markus Jämsen, who quit Swallow the Sun in 2016 and 2018 respectively. Songs From the North I, II & III received a generally positive reception from critics.
The White Noise was an American punk rock band from Dallas, Texas, later based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2009 under the name Set the Sun by guitarist and vocalist David Southern and drummer Alex Summers, the band has gone through many lineup changes. In 2013, Southern was the sole founding member and recruited vocalist Shawn Walker and guitarist Josh "KJ" Strock to form what would eventually become The White Noise.
Netherbird is a Swedish metal band from Stockholm. Their signature sound is heavily influenced by the early 1990s Scandinavian black and death metal, as well as elements of doom, gothic and heavy metal present.
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