Stonerdoom

Stonerdoom is a subgenre of doom metal or heavy rock that blends the slow, heavy riffing and weight of doom with the groove, fuzz and psychedelic atmosphere of stoner rock. The sound typically centers on downtuned guitars, thick bass, and drums played at mid-tempo to slow speeds, often augmented by vintage effects such as fuzz, reverb and phaser to create a hypnotic, spacey mood. Lyrical themes frequently touch on occult, mysticism, cosmic imagery, or introspective perspectives.

Origins and development are linked to late 1990s and early 2000s experimentation, drawing on both desert rock traditions and doom metal. Bands from the desert scene and beyond merged downtuned, riff-driven approaches with hypnotic repetition and a heavy, guitar-driven aesthetic. Early influence is commonly attributed to desert rock acts like Kyuss and Sleep, while Electric Wizard and other European artists helped define a heavier, more ominous edge that became central to the subgenre.

Common examples of bands associated with stonerdoom include Sleep, Electric Wizard, Windhand, Conan, Ufomammut and Bong. These groups vary in emphasis between more groove-oriented stoner rock elements and traditional doom metal heaviness, contributing to a spectrum within the style. The scene has been supported by labels such as Tee Pee Records, Small Stone and Southern Lord, which have released material spanning stoner, doom and related psychedelic metal.

Stonerdoom remains a niche within the broader metal landscape, identified by its characteristic fusion of groove and gravity, its psychedelic textures, and its emphasis on atmosphere as much as aggression. It overlaps with stoner rock and doom, but is typically defined by its heavier, more downtuned sonic footprint.