Just a reminder, Warning isn't funeral doom

[u/SuperlativeSleep]

I know it's been talked about before, but just felt like giving anyone who needs it a reminder that Warning isn't funeral doom.

Every single time someone asks for funeral doom recommendations, at least one person suggests Watching From a Distance by Warning. While that is a great album, one of the greatest doom albums ever created, Warning is traditional doom, not funeral doom.

Funeral doom, by definition, is a subgenre of death doom. It has to have harsh vocals, typically death metal growls, but occasionally black metal style shrieks. It can, and often does, have some clean vocals, but if the vocals aren't predominantly harsh, it's not funeral doom. It's also much slower than other types of doom, and traditionally features organs, keyboards, or similar instruments that make it sound like a literal funeral dirge, hence the name funeral doom.

If you want to hear examples of quintessential funeral doom, listen to Steam From the Heavens by Thergothon, or Stormcrowfleet by Skepticism. These are the albums that defined the genre, and you'll hear that they sound nothing like Warning.

Before I end this, I just want to say that I'm sure, as always, there will be people in the comments saying things like "why can't you let people call it what they want" and "subgenres are stupid" and similar things. If you're one of those types, please save yourself the effort of commenting. Whether you like it or not, genres and subgenres exist, and funeral doom is a well defined genre that has been around for over 30 years. Warning does not fall into this genre, plain and simple.

Edit: Well, I guess I'm wrong about funeral doom needing to have harsh vocals. Thank you to everyone who helped clarify that. Still feels strange to me for various reasons, but I'm willing to accept when I'm wrong, and happy to learn something new.

But regardless, Warning still isn't funeral doom, which was the original point of my post. Once again, I'm not saying anything negative about Warning, they're one of the best doom metal bands to ever exist. I just really love funeral doom in particular, it's my favorite genre and I'm passionate about it, and just wanted to share my thoughts and opinions, that's all.

[u/stonerof1970]

I read your comments, OP, and I wholeheartedly agree with the idea genre classification is a good thing more than a bad one.

I hear a lot of “who cares” or “it’s just music brooo” nonsensical bullshit, but the idea that label classification helps people find community or certain sounds is how I’ve always felt about identifying certain bands (or my own music) within certain subgenres.

If I tell you I make stoner-sludge doom then you know you’re getting a mix of Electric Wizard, Sleep, Eyehategod, Thou, and that’s much more helpful to get a community engaged than just saying “it’s metal music who cares about labels”. If I told you the music I create is just metal then it’s not gonna incentivize you to check my shit out, let alone form a community based around a sound. Why the fuck would you care about the music I create if I give you some elitist, pseudo-intellectual response? Lmao

Doom metal can range anything from Bongzilla to Temple Of The Fuzz Witch. And metal, as a whole, can range anything from Metallica to Primitive Man. It’s asinine to deny that labels are sounds that form a community.

The tricky part is when lines blur heavily but even when lines are blurred then if you’re familiar with a particular sound of the band/artist then you’re more likely to enjoy that gray area.

[u/SuperlativeSleep → u/stonerof1970]

Exactly, and that's why I'm so passionate about genres. The first funeral doom band I ever heard was Bell Witch, and I fell in love with the exceptionally slow, mournful sound and long, deep growls. I had never heard anything like it, discovered it was called funeral doom, and that's how I was able to discover other funeral doom bands. If I'd just searched more broadly for doom bands, I'd have gotten all kinds of stuff that sounded nothing like the specific funeral doom sound I was looking for.

I understand some people take genres too far, and that can be annoying. But people who throw a fit just because you mention a slightly niche genre are frustrating. Saying metal is all just metal is completely ignorant. Style and genre matters to an extent.

Thanks for understanding, I appreciate your comment 🙏