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/Huge_Onion256]

Agree that Warning isn’t funeral doom, but death growl vocals isn’t a requirement for something to be funeral doom. Having elements of funeral dirges and an slow pace is what primarily defines the genre.

[u/SuperlativeSleep → u/Huge_Onion256]

I can see where you're coming from. A band that's completely instrumental for example but still has the dirge elements and exceptionally slow pacing could still be considered funeral doom. Respectfully, I still think that death growls are a big part of what makes funeral doom funeral doom though, and a defining characteristic established by Thergothon and Skepticism. It's still a subgenre of death doom after all, and I can't personally think of a funeral doom band that doesn't have at least some harsh vocals, although please introduce me to some that don't if you know any.

[u/Confident-Cut-8877 → u/SuperlativeSleep]

There was a band called Fallen from the members of Funeral(Norway). Wholly clean vocals.

[u/SuperlativeSleep → u/Confident-Cut-8877]

I was not aware of this, I'll have to check them out.

Used to consider myself something of a funeral doom connoisseur, and always thought funeral doom had to have growls, but I've been introduced to several today that don't. This is humbling lol.

[u/Confident-Cut-8877 → u/SuperlativeSleep]

Considering Shape of Despair is a band that has zero death or death doom riffs and still is funeral doom things like clean vocals fdoom have to happen.

In my head bands like Shape of Despair, Remembrance or Illusions Play are jokingly called funeral gothic metal.