Somewhere between earthshattering feedback and glacial movements, a new genre was born. Drone metal started thickening the air with its sustained, minimalistic sounds in the nineties, and they resonate to this day. These are some of the records you shouldn’t sleep on.
Words. Christina Wenig
Sunn O))) – Life Metal
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – do we even have to explain this? Sunn O))) are drone metal, the corporeal incarnation of screeching feedback and monolithic riffs. Each of their albums is a masterclass in resonance and patience, eradicating the line between sound and music – from their debut ØØ Void to their latest, self-titled offering. Their 2019 album Life Metal, only one of two full-length releases that year, is their answer to „death metal“: a transcendent distortion ceremony bursting with life force.
Nadja – Labyrinthine
Speaking of influential duos: Nadja have shaped the drone world with their „ambient metal“ for almost as long as Sunn O))) have. Their extensive discography led them into various spheres – some more akin to noise, sometimes more akin shoegaze. With their 2022 release Labyrinthine, the band assembled an illustrious group of guest vocalists and doubled down on sludgy heaviness – a stark counterpoint to the gloomy post-punk vibes of their previous release Luminous Rot.
Boris – Dronevil -Example-
There are many incarnations of Boris and their amplifier worship – the noise rock one, the stoner rock one, and obviously the drone metal one. Their influential double album Dronevil from 2005 contained an ambient LP and a doom LP that were designed to be listened to simultaneously. The 20th anniversary reissue Dronevil -Example- combines these song pairs into single tracks, showcasing this masterpiece in its full scope.
Divide And Dissolve – Systemic
Who said that instrumental music can’t have a political message? Divide And Dissolve’s work is shaped by the hope of freedom for all oppressed people and a better future that we get to build. Their heaviness is not to be confused with blind aggression but overpowering joy and love. Their 2023 album Systemic beams with poetic beauty, Takiaya Reed’s saxophone winding through the thick wall of sound like a delicate flower stretching towards the light.
Khanate – s/t
Has drone metal ever sounded more ugly, vile and hostile? When Khanate released their self-titled debut in 2001, the scene instantly became darker and dirtier. Over the course of five albums, most recently their 2023 comeback record To Be Cruel, the drone doom supergroup spat their agony into the world – harsh feedback and frenzied vocals burning through every obstacle – and the raw bluntness of Khanate is where it all started.
