Despite being long-running, there aren’t that many bands (at least compared to death metal overall) that truly could be considered essential death/doom metal. This list is a mix of classic bands and promising new bands. I’ll try to keep it updated and include links. For the latest in death/doom music, see my list of death/doom metal from 2018. If you have a death/doom metal and you want me to check it out and/or review it, I would gladly do it.
My band Soliloquium plays a progressive style of death/doom metal. Our new full-length album entitled “Contemplations” is out in June 2018. All Soliloquium music is available for free from the Soliloquium Bandcamp page.
Death/doom metal playlist(s)
If you want to let the death/doom metal music flow instead of reading a bunch of text, just start up my YouTube or Spotify playlist below and lean back.
Death/doom metal band list with descriptions
This is my full list of good bands that play death/doom metal. I’m probably missing out on some. If this is too massive for you, just head over to 10 essential death/doom metal albums for a smaller list.
(EchO)
Origin: Italy
Recommended album: “Head First into Shadows”
Italian death/doom metal band with two full length releases. Not a top tier band, but certainly one worth checking out. I like the 2016 album “Head First into Shadows” slightly more than debut “Devoid of Illusions”.
Ad Intra
Venezuelan band that released the full length “Inside Us All” in 2013. Solid death/doom metal.
Anathema
Origin: United Kingdom
Recommended album: “The Silent Enigma”
Anathema’s early material is as essential as it is awesome. The debut is pretty good, but the important thing is to not miss out on “The Silent Enigma”. Check out the opener “Restless Oblivion” below to get an introduction to their death/doom style. Check out my top 10 Anathema songs for a guide to band’s whole discography including their clean vocal period.
Apathy Noir
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Across Dark Waters”
Pretty good Swedish band that released albums under the name Apathy before changing it to Apathy Noir in 2016.
As Autumn Calls
Another new band that released pretty good material, this one from Canada.
Atten Ash
Origin: United States
Recommended album: “The Hourglass”
Members of Daylight Dies formed this band that unsurprisingly sounds like a light version, and a light version Daylight Dies is still a damn good death/doom metal band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66zJUWX6_a8
Bilocate
Origin: Jordan
Recommended album: “Summoning the Bygones”
Melodic death/doom from Jordan with Dan Swanö support. Solid, albeit not as good as their countrymen next featured on the list.
Chalice of Doom
Origin: Jordan
Recommended album: “Into Hypnagogia”
Jordan has a booming metal scene, and Chalice of Doom plays quality melodic death/doom metal.
Clouds
Origin: International
Recommended album: “Departe”
International project featuring members from Eye of Solitude, Hamferð and Officium Triste. Expect sorrowful and majestic atmospheric metal. One of those superstar projects that really deliver the quality that is promised. Read my “Departe” review if you want to learn more about Clouds.
Cold Insight
Origin: France
Recommended album: “Further Nowhere”
Atmospheric death/doom with shoegaze influences in the vein of Slumber and Enshine. Read my “Further Nowhere” review if you want to know more.
Dawn of Solace
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “The Darkness”
One of the now defunct pre-Wolfheart Tomas Saukkonen projects. A more traditional take on death/doom metal compared to Black Sun Aeon and Before the Dawn.
Daylight Dies
Origin: United States
Recommended album: “Dismantling Devotion”
One of the best bands in the style. Released three amazing discs as well as a decent one before silently going into a hiatus. “Dismantling Devotion” is an essential album. One of the members continued making quality death/doom metal with Atten Ash.
Decembre Noir
Origin: Germany
Recommended album: “Forsaken Earth”
German band that plays extreme, catchy death/doom metal similar to Inborn Suffering. Their 2016 album “Forsaken Earth” is recommended.
Doom:VS
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Dead Words Speak”
Swedish solo project by a member of Draconian that plays slow funeral doom metal mixed with death/doom. The song “Dead Words Speak” is a highlight.
Doomed
Origin: Germany
Recommended album: “6 Anti-Odes to Life”
German band with a creepy approach to the genre. Very atmospheric. Read my review of “6 Anti-Odes to Life” to learn more about Doomed.
Draconian
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Arcane Rain Fell”
Gothic doom metal band with a long discography. “Arcane Rain Fell” is their highlight but most of their material is worth checking out.
End of Aeon
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “Through Infant Eyes”
Pretty good finnish gothic death/doom sharing members with Kaunis Kuolematon.
Enshine
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Origin”
Excellent post-Slumber project that has produced two quality albums so far. It’s fairly high in tempo and has some shoegaze influences that makes it wonderfully spacy.
Evadne
Origin: Spain
Recommended album: “The Shortest Way”
Spanish death/doom similar to early Swallow the Sun. “The Shortest Way” is an album packed with good material. It’s also excellently mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö.
Exgenesis
Origin: Sweden/Colombia
Recommended album: “Aphotic Veil” (EP)
Another post-Slumber project, this one international (Sweden and Colombia). A bit more aggressive and less spacy than Enshine. Quality none the less. New material is apparently on the way!
Eye of Solitude
Origin: Romania
Recommended album: “Canto III”
Funeral death/doom from Romania. A bit too slow for my personal taste, but certainly a quality band worth checking out.
Forest Stream
Origin: Russia
Recommended album: “The Crown of Winter”
Russian band that sounds like an incoming winter storm. Heavy on the keyboard melodies which gives it a symphonic touch.
Grimegod
Origin: Romania
Recommended album: “Wrong Roads”
Romanian band that is surprisingly unknown. I like their latest album “Wrong Roads” that I’ve reviewed here on the site.
Hadriel
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Liberosis”
Progressive death/doom metal by Victor Parri from Isole and Desolator. Long, experimental songs with a noticeable Opeth influence.
Hamferð
Origin: Faroe Islands
Recommended album: “Evst”
Unique and fascinating band from the Faroe Islands mixing brutal growls and operatic clean vocals. Vocalist Jon Aldara is one of a kind and complement the classy music perfectly. Read my “Evst” review to learn more about Hamferð.
Helevorn
Origin: Spain
Recommended album: “Compassion Forlorn”
Spanish melodic death/doom metal. Released a stunning, professional music video for the song “Burden Me” that you can watch below.
Human Collapse
Russian band with a traditional approach to the genre. Made a fantastic instrumental cover of Anathema’s “Dusk”.
Immensity
Origin: Greece
Recommended album: “Τhe Isolation Splendour”
Solid death/doom from Greece with a lot of atmosphere.
Inborn Suffering
Origin: France
Recommended album: “Regression to Nothingness”
French band with a raw take on the genre. Unfortunately disbanded after its strongest album yet.
Indesinence
Origin: United Kingdom
Recommended album: “Vessels of Light and Decay”
Murky death/doom metal with long songs. Not completely my style, but high quality doom nonetheless.
Katatonia
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Brave Murder Day”
The first two Katatonia albums are simply genre-defining, and “Brave Murder Day” remains one of my favorite albums. Influenced a majority of the acts on this list. There is a bunch of Katatonia material on this site, for instance the 20 best Katatonia songs, bands like Katatonia and the best Katatonia albums.
Kaunis Kuolematon
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “Kylmä Kaunis Maailma”
Finnish band that is surprisingly unknown. Mikko Heikkilä from Black Sun Aeon provides amazing clean vocals next to the melodic death/doom backdrop. Read my reviews of “Vapaus” and “Kylmä Kaunis Maailma” if you want to know more about the band.
Kuolemanlaakso
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “Tulijoutsen”
Finnish project featuring Mikko Kotamäki from Swallow the Sun on vocals. The drony Triptykon feeling and Finnish vocal stylings gives them a rather unique sound.
Loneshore
Origin: Brazil
Recommended album: “From Presence to Silence”
Brazilian band that sounds like a solid mix between Daylight Dies and old Opeth; a progressive take on death/doom. Read my review of “From Presence to Silence” to learn more.
Lying Figures
Origin: France
Recommended album: “The Abstract Escape”
French band featuring previous members of Inborn Suffering. Read my review of “The Abstract Escape” to learn more.
Mar de Grises
Origin: Chile
Recommended album: “Draining the Waterheart”
The South American death/doom giant. Strong sense of melody.
Marianas Rest
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “Horror Vacui”
Marianas Rest stay true to the Finnish style, writing quality songs in a mostly traditional style. Read my review of full-length debut “Horror Vacui” to learn more.
Mourning Beloveth
Origin: Ireland
Recommended album: “The Sullen Sulcus”
Irish band with a lengthy discography. One of the most epic sounding and bombastic bands in the genre. “Narcissistic Funeral” is one of my favorite death/doom metal songs and a perfect place to start out.
Mourning Lenore
Origin: Portugal
Recommended album: “Loosely Bounded Infinities”
Portuguese band that successfully mixes death/doom with post metal and post rock.
My Dying Bride
Origin: United Kingdom
Recommended album: “The Dreadful Hours”
A genre giant that is hit and miss for me personally. I do like the album “The Dreadful Hours” a lot though. The length and average quality of the My Dying Bride discography is highly impressive.
Mythological Cold Towers
Origin: Brazil
Recommended album: “Immemorial”
Long-running doomsters from Brazil with a very melancholic sound. A bit surprised that the band is not more famous, considering their quality and consistency.
Nethermost
New U.S. death/doom metal band with some potential.
Novembre
Origin: Italy
Recommended album: “The Blue”
Italian band with an atmospheric approach. I don’t like all their releases, but “The Blue” and “Materia” are certainly strong death/doom metal albums. A bit different since they really aren’t that depressing compared to other bands in this list.
Novembers Doom
Origin: United States
Recommended album: “The Pale Haunt Departure”
Another genre giant that doesn’t always resonate with me. “The Pale Haunt Departure” is their peak, and the newer stuff is hit and miss. Paul Kuhr is an excellent growler though.
Ocean of Grief
Origin: Greece
Recommended album: “Nightfall’s Lament”
Greek death/doom band that released their first EP in 2016. Traditional approach and solid songwriting. Improved upon the EP with full-length debut “Nightfall’s Lament” in 2018.
Ocean of Grief on Bandcamp ->
Ocean of Grief on Facebook ->
Oceanwake
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “Kingdom”
Finnish band with a different take on death/doom metal, mixing in atmospheric sludge and post rock. Relased two pretty good albums so far.
October Tide
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Rain Without End”
Released two 90’s classics comparable to Katatonia in quality. “Rain Without End” is a classic that you can’t avoid if when into this style of music. A good band after the comeback as well, while not retaining the same level of emotional impact.
Officium Triste
Origin: Netherlands
Recommended album: “Reason”
Long-running Dutch act with many quality albums in their discography. “On the Crossroads of Souls” below is a standout track with an epic feel.
Okera
Origin: Australia
Recommended album: “A Beautiful Dystopia”
Good Australian death/doom with one album from 2012.
Paradise Lost
Origin: United Kingdom
Recommended album: “Gothic”
Early Paradise Lost is extremely important for the genre and formed the framework for others bands like Katatonia to build upon. They returned to their death/doom ways with “Beneath Broken Earth”, one of the band’s best songs ever. Check out my list of the 10 best Paradise Lost songs to learn more.
Rapture
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “Futile”
Finnish band that released three great albums before disappearing into obscurity. One of the catchiest death/doom metal bands, as well as one of the best.
Saturnus
Origin: Denmark
Recommended album: “Veronika Decides to Die”
Danish My Dying Bride worshippers with a strong sense of melody. They are the best on “Veronika Decides to Die”, but overall a solid band.
Sleepwalkers
U.S. death/doom with a traditional “Brave Murder Day” based sound. The first EP “Hollowpath” came out in 2013 and more material is on the way.
Slumber
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Fallout”
Released the album “Fallout” before disbanding, which is the only album that can compete with “Brave Murder Day” for the death/doom crown. Connected to various projects inside and outside death/doom metal after disbanding: Atoma, Enshine, Exgenesis, Seas of Years.
Soliloquium
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Contemplations”
My band Soliloquium plays a progressive style of death/doom metal that should please fans of the genre. Above is the song “The Sorrow Path” from the album “An Empty Frame”. If you like Soliloquium, you can download our music for free from Bandcamp, follow us on Facebook or stream us from Spotify
Somnent
Origin: United States
Recommended album: “Sojourn”
Fresh U.S. one man project that released debut album “Sojourn” in 2017. Classy death/doom well worth checking out.
Somnent on Bandcamp ->
Somnent on Facebook ->
Somnus Aeturnus
Origin: Czech Republic
Recommended album: “On the Shores of Oblivion”
Pretty good death/doom from Czech Republic.
Swallow the Sun
Origin: Finland
Recommended album: “The Morning Never Came”
I mostly like a song here and there by this band, but “The Justice of Suffering” and “Out of This Gloomy Light” are certainly death/doom classics. Read my list of the 10 best Swallow the Sun songs to know where to start.
Terminus
New band by Sleepwalkers mastermind Mike Watts that released a debut EP in 2016. Terminus has a pretty varied and fresh death/doom sound.
The Crawling
British band that plays a raw take on death/doom metal. Both full-length albums are enjoyable.
The Ashen Tree
Origin: India/Sweden
Recommended album: The Ashen Tree (EP)
The Ashen Tree is a new international death/doom metal project featuring musicians from India and Sweden. Debut EP The Ashen Tree was released on 3 November 2018. It’s available at The Ashen Tree Bandcamp. Check out the opening track “Memories in Monochrome” below!
The Fall of Every Season
Origin: Norway
Recommended album: “From Below”
Norwegian band with long songs and clean vocals similar to Mikael Åkerfeldt.
When Nothing Remains
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “In Memoriam”
Pretty good Swedish band that plays classic death/doom.
Wine From Tears
Origin: Russia
Recommended album: “Through the Eyes of a Mad”
Russian My Dying Bride worshippers with a large dose of sorrow. “Since I Fell” is their most epic song.
Within the Fall
Origin: Sweden
Recommended album: “Where Sorrow Grows”
Melodic death/doom metal from Karlstad, Sweden. Has released one full-length album and various EP’s and singles.
Within the Fall on Bandcamp ->
Within the Fall on Facebook ->
Woccon
Origin: United States
Recommended album: “Solace in Decay”
U.S. death/doom similar to Daylight Dies. Certainly worth checking out if you’re looking for music in that specific style.
Wrath of Echoes
Underrated Canadian band that plays quality death/doom metal in a familiar style.
Read more:
Death/doom metal ->
Death/doom metal from 2018 ->
10 essential death/doom metal albums ->
Melodic death/doom metal ->
Soliloquium, Swedish death/doom metal (Bandcamp) ->
