The difference, by ear
Funeral doom removes the melody, the singer and the tempo. Epic doom keeps all three and is the most listenable thing on the doom branch.
Funeral doom is growled or screamed where epic doom is sung cleanly, and slower: 25 to 50 bpm against 60 to 100. Songs run longer in funeral doom: usually 10 to 25 minutes, against 6 to 10 minutes in epic doom. To hear the difference, play Candlemass next to Thergothon. Both grew out of doom metal, epic doom first and funeral doom seven years after.
In figures
Epic doom
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Doom metal › Epic doom
In short
Doom with operatic vocals and solemn lyrics. Candlemass set the template on their first album.
How it sounds
- Operatic vocals in the tenor or baritone range, with broad vibrato.
- Majestic riffing with long chords and guitar harmonies.
- Solemn structures and lyrics about fate, death and mythology.
Key acts
- Candlemass
- Solitude Aeturnus
- While Heaven Wept
Start here
The pickCandlemass - Solitude. First track on the first album, and all you need.
Full page →Funeral doom
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Doom metal › Funeral doom
In short
The slowest metal in existence: under 40 bpm, organ, guttural vocals and fifteen-minute songs. Music for a single chord.
How it sounds
- Tempos under 50 bpm, often under 40 - the slowest metal there is.
- Chords held for tens of seconds, with organ or keyboards underneath.
- Sparse guttural vocals, ten- to twenty-minute pieces, minimal structures.
Key acts
- Thergothon
- Skepticism
- Evoken
Start here
The pickSkepticism - Stormcrowfleet. Listen at night, on headphones, in one sitting.
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