When it comes to heavy and emotionally charged music, doom/death metal and its broader subgenre, doom metal, have carved a niche for themselves. While many fans are familiar with some of the genre’s pioneers, there’s a wealth of underground bands that have been pushing the boundaries and creating unique and captivating sounds.
Here, we delve into the depths of the underground to introduce you to some lesser-known but highly influential doom/death and doom metal bands:
Hailing from the United States, Evoken is known for their extremely slow and crushing style of funeral doom/death metal. Their music is marked by deep, guttural growls and a heavy, mournful atmosphere.
Discography
Shades of Night Descending/ Demo – 1994
Promo 1996/Demo – 1996
Promo 1997/ Demo – 1997
Embrace the Emptiness/ Full-length – 1998
Quietus/ Full-length – 2001
Promo 2002/ Demo – 2002
Antithesis of Light/ Full-length – 2005
A Caress of the Void/ Full-length – 2007
Evoken / Beneath the Frozen Soil/ Split – 2010
Atra Mors/ Full-length – 2012
Rotting Misery/ Single – 2012
A Caress of the Void / Omniscient/ Compilation – 2018
Hypnagogia/Full-length – 2018
Evoken/ Tape Boxset Boxed Set – 2022
Esoteric: A British band renowned for their atmospheric and experimental approach to doom/death, incorporating influences like psychedelia and progressive elements into their music.
Discography
Esoteric Emotions – The Death of Ignorance/ Demo – 1993
Epistemological Despondency/ Full-length – 1994
The Pernicious Enigma/ Full-length – 1997
Metamorphogenesis/ Full-length – 1999
Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum/ Full-length – 2004
The Maniacal Vale/ Full-length – 2008
Paragon of Dissonance/ Full-length – 2011
A Pyrrhic Existence/ Full-length – 2019
Mournful Congregation: An Australian band that blends funeral doom and death metal, offering highly melodic and mournful compositions, often featuring epic and emotive guitar solos.
Weeping/ Demo – 1994
An Epic Dream of Desire/Demo – 1995
Tears from a Grieving Heart/ Full-length – 1999
The Dawning of Mournful Hymns/Compilation – 2002
The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike / Let There Be Doom…/ Split – 2002
A Slow March to the Burial /Gates / Split – 2004
The Monad of Creation / Full-length – 2005
Mournful Congregation / Stone Wings – Split – 2007
Four Burials / Split – 2008
The June Frost/ Full-length – 2009
The Unspoken Hymns/ Compilation – 2011
The Book of Kings/ Full-length – 2011
Weeping / An Epic Dream of Desire/ Compilation – 2012
Concrescence of the Sophia/ EP – 2014
The Incubus of Karma/ Full-length – 2018
The Exuviae of Gods – Part I/ EP – 2022
The Exuviae of Gods – Part II/ EP- 2023
Skepticism: Often credited as the pioneer of funeral doom, Skepticism is a Finnish band with music characterized by slow, majestic, and growling vocals.
Discography
Towards My End/ Single – 1992
Aeothe Kaear/ Demo – 1994
Stormcrowfleet/ Full-length – 1995
Ethere/ EP – 1997
Lead and Aether/ Full-length – 1998
Aes/EP – 1999
The Process of Farmakon/EP – 2002
Farmakon/ Full-length – 2003
Alloy/ Full-length – 2008
Ordeal/ Full-length – 2015
Companion/ Full-length – 2021
Thergothon: Another Finnish band that laid the groundwork for funeral doom/death metal. Their seminal album “Stream from the Heavens” is a must-listen for fans of the genre.
Discography
Fhtagn-nagh Yog-Sothoth/Demo – 1991
Dancing in the Realm of Shades/ Demo – 1992
Stream from the Heavens/Full-length – 1994
Through the Pits of Time/ Boxed set – 2019
Worship: A German band, Worship plays extremely slow and crushing doom/death metal, filling their music with despair and darkness.
Discography
Last Tape Before Doomsday/ Demo – 1999
Kicked and Whipped / Keep on Selling Cocaine to Angels/ Split – 2000
Worship / Stabat Mater/ Split – 2002
The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike / Let There Be Doom…/ Split – 2002
Worship / Loss/ Split – 2005
Dooom/ Full-length – 2007
Worship / Wither/ Split – 2007
Elemental Doom Trilogy I – Wood/ Split – 2008
Terranean Wake/ Full-length – 2012
Funeral: A Norwegian band known for their melancholic and melodic approach to funeral doom/death metal, often featuring clean and growled vocals.
Discography
Tristesse/ Demo – 1993
Beyond All Sunsets/ 1994 – Demo
Tragedies/ Full-length – 1995
Demo ’97/ Demo – 1997
Demo ’99/ Demo – 1999
In Fields of Pestilent Grief/Full-length – 2001
Tragedies / Tristesse/ Compilation – 2006
From These Wounds/ Full-length – 2006
Demo 2008/ Demo – 2008
As the Light Does the Shadow/ Full-length – 2008
To Mourn Is a Virtue/ Compilation- 2011
Oratorium/ Full-length- 2012
Praesentialis in Aeternum/ Full-length – 2021
Colosseum: Hailing from Finland, Colosseum’s music is characterized by its atmospheric and sorrowful sound, featuring deep growls and melodic guitar work.
Discography
Demo 2006/ Demo – 2006
Chapter 1: Delirium / Full-length – 2007
Chapter 2: Numquam / Full-length – 2009
Chapter 3: Parasomnia / Full-length – 2011
Sorrowful Land: This Ukrainian band creates a melancholic and atmospheric blend of doom and death metal, often featuring clean and growled vocals and rich keyboard arrangements.
Discography
On Another’s Sorrow/ Demo – 2014
Of Ruins…/Full-length – 2016
Where the Sullen Waters Flow /EP – 2017
Solitude Vaults: 13 Years of Doom/ Split – 2018
I Remember/ Full-length – 2018
Faded Anchors of the Past/ Full-length – 2023
Lycus: An American band known for their form of funeral doom/death metal, characterized by slow, crushing heaviness and a forlorn atmosphere.
Discography
Demo 2009/ Demo – 2009
Demo MMXI/Demo – 2011
Tempest/Full-length – 2013
Chasms/ Full-length – 2016
Officium Triste: A long-standing Dutch band known for their death/doom style, combining deep growls with melodic guitar work.
Discography
Demo ’94/Demo 1994
Mountains of Depressiveness/EP 1996
Promo ’96/ Split 1996
Ne Vivam/ Full-length 1997
Officium Triste / Cold Mourning Split 1998
Roses on My Grave/ EP 1999
Promo ’00 / Demo 2000
The Pathway/ Full-length 2001
Reason / Full-length 2004
Giving Yourself Away/ Full-length 2007
Charcoal Hearts – 15 Years of Hurt/ Compilation 2009
Immersed/ Split 2012
Mors Viri/ Full-length 2013
The Weight of the World/ Single 2017
Broken Memories/ Split 2018
The Death of Gaia / Full-length 2019
Live at Willemeen (2007)/ Live album 2020
Morose/ Single 2022
Isole: A Swedish band blending epic and traditional doom metal with death metal influences, characterized by soaring vocals and heavy, crushing riffs.
Discography
Promo 2004/ Demo – 2004
Forevermore/ Full-length – 2005
The Beyond / EP – 2006
Throne of Void/ Full-length – 2006
Bliss of Solitude/ Full-length – 2008
Silent Ruins/ Full-length – 2009
Imperial Anthems No. 4/ Split – 2010
Born from Shadows/ Full-length – 2011
The Calm Hunter/ Full-length – 2014
Dystopia/ Full-length – 2019
The Song of the Whales/ Single – 2023
Open Your Mind/ Single – 2023
Anesidora/ Full-length – 2023
Lurk: Hailing from Finland, Lurk plays a form of death/doom metal that aims to create a bleak and unsettling atmosphere through their music.
Discography
Lurk/ Full-length 2012
Kaldera/ Full-length 2014
Fringe/ Full-length 2016
Aegis/ Full-length 2023
These bands have made significant contributions to the doom/death and doom metal genres, offering a wide range of sounds and influences. As the underground music scene is continually evolving, you may also want to keep an eye out for new bands that have emerged since our last update. Dive into their discographies and immerse yourself in the dark and emotive world of underground doom metal.
