sludge
what it is
Sludge metal generally combines the slow tempos, heavy rhythms and dark, pessimistic atmosphere of doom metal with the aggression, shouted vocals and occasional fast tempos of hardcore punk and elements of noise rock as well. As The New York Times put it, "The shorthand term for the kind of rock descending from early Black Sabbath and late Black Flag is sludge, because it's so slow and dense". Many sludge bands compose slow-paced songs that contain brief hardcore passages (for example Eyehategod's "Depress").
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make sludge a playlist
turn these 33 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is sludge?
Sludge metal generally combines the slow tempos, heavy rhythms and dark, pessimistic atmosphere of doom metal with the aggression, shouted vocals and occasional fast tempos of hardcore punk and elements of noise rock as well. As The New York Times put it, "The shorthand term for the kind of rock descending from early Black Sabbath and late Black Flag is sludge, because it's so slow and dense". Many sludge bands compose slow-paced songs that contain brief hardcore passages (for example Eyehategod's "Depress").
What are good sludge albums to start with?
Try Crowbar by Crowbar, Eternal Kingdom by Cult of Luna, Souls at Zero by Neurosis, and In The Name Of Suffering by Eyehategod.
Who are some women making sludge?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/sludge/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making sludge, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20