Drone Metal Music Guide: 4 Characteristics of Drone Metal

Drone metal is a slowly paced, heavy form of heavy metal that incorporates the drone music of avant-garde minimalist composers like La Monte Young. Drone metal is closely associated with doom metal, a bleak, grinding style that stems from iconic metal bands like Black Sabbath and Pentagram. For this reason, the two styles are often grouped together into a drone-doom genre.

Many leading drone metal bands hail from the greater Seattle region, including Earth, Burning Witch, Sunn O))), and Melvins (who began in Montesano, Washington, before decamping for the San Francisco Bay Area). Other drone metal scenes exist in New York City (home of Khanate and Growing), the United Kingdom (home of Godflesh and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine), Canada (home of Nadja), and Japan (home of Boris).

Drone metal music traces its roots to the Olympia, Washington band Earth, which combined the dour blues metal of Black Sabbath with the shoegaze tapestries of My Bloody Valentine. Earth recorded for Seattle's Sub Pop Records, and the group's debut full-length album, Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version, has served as a template for drone metal albums since it was released in 1993.

The Seattle area birthed more drone metal outfits—most notably Burning Witch and Sunn O))), which were both led by Stephen O'Malley. O'Malley's guitar riffs and production style recalls elements of dark ambient, black metal, and stoner metal. Meanwhile in Japan, leading drone metal outfit Boris has infused its own brand of drone metal with noise, experimental metal, avant-garde metal, and post-metal, creating an unsettling and abrasive soundscape in the process.

Drone metal stands out from other styles of heavy metal music thanks to a few defining characteristics.

1. 1. Slow, droning tempos: Drone metal songs are among the longest in all of rock music. Seminal drone metal album Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version features a grand total of three songs, ranging from 15 minutes to over 30 minutes in length.
2. 2. Sustained notes and drones: True to its name, drone metal employs the droning sustained notes pioneered by avant-garde composer La Monte Young and further explored for the guitar by composers like Glenn Branca. In drone metal, these sounds usually come via open, ringing guitar strings and are sustained by overdriven amps dripping with reverb and distortion.
3. 3. Few discernable grooves: While many styles of heavy metal are driven by propulsive drums, including death metal, deathcore, and thrash metal, drone metal tends to use drums for texture rather than groove.
4. 4. Spare, minimal vocals: Some drone metal groups have no formal vocalist. Those that do may only feature singing sporadically. Drone metal vocals tend to be shouted or screamed. This makes it distinct from the closely related doom metal, which has clean melodic vocals in the style of Ozzy Osbourne.

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including St. Vincent, Christina Aguilera, Sheila E., Timbaland, Itzhak Perlman, Tom Morello, and more.