How to Write Doom Metal Songs

You want a riff that feels like a collapsing cathedral and lyrics that make people stare at the ceiling for seven minutes. Doom metal is slow, enormous, and emotionally volcanic. It is the genre you listen to when you want the room to feel heavier than the air. This guide is your toolkit for writing doom songs that hit like ritual, move like tide, and stick like tar.

Everything here is written for artists who want to go from idea to finished song with purpose. You will get practical riff recipes, tuning and gear guidance, lyrical approaches, vocal options, arrangement maps, mixing tips, and exercises that actually work. I explain every technical term and acronym along the way so nothing feels like secret cult knowledge.

What Is Doom Metal

Doom metal is a branch of heavy metal that emphasizes slow tempos, low tuned instruments, thick tone, and a crushing sense of atmosphere. The genre descended from early heavy rock and proto metal and developed its own emotional language. If heavy metal is a scream, doom is a cry that refuses to end.

Key traits

• Slow tempos often below one hundred beats per minute. Beats per minute or BPM is how many beats occur in one minute.
• Low tuned guitars and bass that create a thick low end.
• Riffs that repeat and morph rather than rush from one idea to the next.
• Lyrics about sorrow, doom, the occult, existential dread, heartbreak, or bleak landscapes.
• Production that favors warmth, sustain, and space over tight, clinical precision.

Doom Metal Subgenres to Know

If doom is a forest, subgenres are the trails. You do not need to master every trail but knowing them helps choose tone and tempo.

Traditional doom

Think early heavy metal slow and heavy. Bands like Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus. Emphasis on simple, powerful riffs and often clean or melodic singing.

Epic doom

Large, melodic, often operatic. Bands like Candlemass use long sustained notes and grand lyrical themes about fate and myths.

Funeral doom

Ultra slow, minimal, and dense. It feels like time stretching. Think long songs with huge spaces and a clinical sense of sorrow. Vocals can be deep growls or mournful cleans.

Sludge doom

Combines doom with hardcore punk rawness. Dirty production, shouted vocals, and more aggression in the riffing. Bands like Eyehategod fit this mood.

Death doom

Mixes death metal heaviness and growled vocals with doom tempo and structure. Expect heavy low end and a darker vocal delivery.

Core Tools and Terms Explained

If you see an acronym you do not know I will explain it. These are the building blocks.

• BPM: Beats per minute. Slow doom often sits between 40 and 80 BPM.
• DAW: Digital audio workstation. This is the software you record in. Examples include Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Reaper, and Pro Tools.
• EQ: Equalization. It is how you boost or cut frequencies to shape tone.
• DI: Direct input. Recording a clean instrument signal straight into the DAW before amp emulation or reamping.
• Fuzz: A type of distortion effect that creates thick, fuzzy overdrive. Useful for doom tone because it saturates low end well.

Tuning and Guitar Choices

Tuning matters. The lower the tuning the heavier the sound tends to feel. But heaviness is also about attack, sustain, and how the frequencies interact with your bass and kick drum.

Common tunings

• Standard tuning means E A D G B E from lowest string to highest. Many doom bands tune lower than this.
• Drop D means tuning the low E string down to D. Say drop D as two words. It gives easier power riffs on the low strings.
• Drop C, drop B, or C standard mean all strings are tuned down. C standard tunes every string two whole steps down from standard. Drop B gives an even lower feel if you want a subterranean vibe.
• Seven string guitars add an extra low string, commonly tuned to B. That extends your low range without looser string tension.

Practical advice

• If you play with a drummer and want clarity in the low end do not tune too low without thicker strings. Low tuning with thin strings feels floppy.
• Use heavier gauge strings when tuning down to keep tension. This improves attack and sustain.
• Try C standard if you want classic sludge doom tone. Try drop B for crushing low end that still lets you play simple power shapes.

Riff Writing for Doom

Doom riffs are not speed runs. They are architectural. Think slow construction, with each hit carrying weight. Riffs should breathe. Repetition is a feature not a bug. The goal is to hypnotize. Try these riff recipes.

Riff Recipe 1: The Slow Heavy Groove

1. Pick a low root note. For example C or B.
2. Play a power chord or single note and let it sustain. Power chords are two notes that define a riff with low ambiguity. They are typically the root and the fifth of a scale.
3. Add a minor second or a tritone above the root for tension. A tritone is an interval of three whole tones. It sounds unstable and dark.
4. Space your hits so each one resonates. Try four beats where first and third hits are heavy and the second and fourth are light or muted.
5. Repeat and introduce a one note variation every eight bars to keep listener attention.

Real life scenario

Your phone alarm goes off at noon and you decide to ignore the world. Play a repetitive two note riff that sits like an unresolved thought. Repeat it long enough that your brain stops asking for change. That is doom mood control.

Riff Recipe 2: The Slow Climb

• Start on a low single note. Play it four times with heavy sustain.
• On the fifth bar add a small melodic step up, maybe a minor third or fourth.
• Let the second line resolve then return to the low root and repeat. The climb creates pressure that the listener waits to be released.

Riff Recipe 3: The Drone Ritual

Play an open string or low note and keep it ringing as a drone. Layer above it with slow, dissonant intervals or minor melodies. Use this when you want an oppressive, ritualistic texture.

Melody, Scales and Harmony

Doom is harmonically simple but color comes from careful choices.

• Natural minor scale gives that classic dark sound. If your root is C then the notes would be C D E flat F G A flat B flat.
• Harmonic minor adds a raised seventh that creates a sense of ancient tension. It is useful for epic doom moments.
• Phrygian mode is a minor scale with a flat second. It can sound exotic and ominous.
• Chromatic movement and diminished intervals add creepiness when used sparingly.

Harmony in doom is more about texture than complex chords. Let intervals and droning notes give color. Use power chords and add a suspended second or a flat five for color.

Rhythm and Tempo Choices

Tempo shapes doom mood. Too slow and the song can collapse into boredom. Too fast and the doom feels like a parody. Find the tempo that suits the emotional target of the song.

• Funeral doom might sit around 30 to 50 BPM. That is very slow. It feels like walking through molasses.
• Traditional doom often sits between 60 and 80 BPM. That allows for groove and head nods.
• Sludge and death doom can go slightly faster into the 80s or even low 90s when the song needs aggression.

Groove tips

• Use space. Let notes ring. Avoid filling every subdivision unless you want a more aggressive feel.
• Drums should favor low, round kick drum tone and deep tom hits to complement the guitar low end.
• Play with simple patterns that emphasize the one. Hit the downbeat hard and let the rest breathe.

Vocal Styles and Writing Lyrics

Vocals in doom range from clean melodic singing to deep growls and chants. Choose what fits your song emotion. Each choice affects how you write lines.

Clean vocals

Work well in epic doom or traditional doom. They carry melody and allow for longer phrases. Use sustained vowel sounds for emotional impact. Example vowels that feel good sustained are ah and oh.

Harsh vocals and growls

Better for death doom or sludge moments where aggression needs to pierce the low frequencies. Make sure your vocal delivery does not clash with the guitar range. Keep low end clear.

Chanted or spoken vocals

Useful for funeral doom. Short phrases repeated can become ritualistic mantras. Space them. Repetition here is a feature not a bug.

Lyric Themes and Writing Approaches

Doom lyrics are theatrical without being theatrical for theater. They are real sorrow but often use myth or landscape as a mirror. Use concreteness and avoid cliche. Always give the listener an image to hold on to.

• Personal loss written as physical landscape: the lake that forgot my name.
• Existential dread told through domestic details: the lightbulb hums like a funeral organ.
• Occult or myth themed writing is fine as long as it feels personal or specific. General doom theatre can feel flat.

Relatable scenario

Your relationship ends and you keep their favorite mug on the counter as if it were a relic. Write a verse that names the mug and describes how the sunlight hits the chip in the rim. That small detail carries bigger emotion better than a line that simply says I am broken.

Song Structure for Doom

Long forms are common. Doom allows time to breathe. But long does not mean aimless. Use structure that creates tension and release.

Structure A: The Slow Build

• Intro with drone or single riff
• Verse one with minimal drums and sparse vocals
• Bridge that introduces new chord or melody for contrast
• Chorus with fuller instrumentation and more vocal power
• Instrumental section that expands the riff into atmosphere
• Final chorus with extra layers or an extended fade

Structure B: The Funeral March

• Extended intro atmosphere
• One long unified riff that repeats with variations for twenty to thirty percent of the song
• Middle vocal lament
• Return of the riff with added pedal or synth layers
• Collapse into near silence then final drone

Use recurring motifs. A short melodic fragment that returns in different contexts ties a long song together. Repeat it enough that it becomes a memory anchor. Then change one note each time to keep interest.

Arrangement and Dynamics

Doom music is drama by subtraction and addition. Dynamics matter because the genre uses slow changes for emotional weight.

• Start with sparse elements and add layers slowly. A single new pad or guitar doubling can feel like a revelation.
• Use space. Silence or near silence before a heavy hit increases impact.
• Change drums to signal shifts. Pull out snare or cymbals in verses and bring them back for chorus impact.
• Vocals moving from whisper to full cry across a section creates catharsis.

Tone and Gear Tips

You do not need a huge rig to sound crushing but you need to use your gear smartly.

Guitar and amp

• Choose a guitar with thick low end. Humbucker pickups help. Single coil pickups can work but might need more preamp gain.
• Use heavier strings when tuning low. This helps note clarity and sustain.
• For amp settings, boost mids moderately. Too much scooped mids and your riffs get lost. Boost presence for clarity.

Pedals and effects

• Fuzz or heavy distortion for the core tone. Fuzz adds harmonic richness in the low mids.
• Reverb for atmosphere. Plate or hall style reverb works if you want a cavern sound. Keep it tasteful on the rhythm guitar to avoid smear.
• Delay for lead parts. Short slap delays or long ambient repeats can make solos feel epic.
• Compressor to control dynamics and sustain notes longer.

Bass and drums

Bass should be thick and supportive. A round, warm bass tone anchored under the guitar frequencies gives mass. Do not try to mirror every guitar riff note for note. Lock to the root notes and add subtle fills that support the groove.

Drums in doom benefit from large room sound. Use full reverb on toms or room mics to create depth. Kick should be deep and not too clicky unless you want a sharper attack.

Recording and Production

Production choices determine whether your songs sound huge or muddy. Here are practical steps for clarity and weight.

Tracking order

1. Record a clean DI guitar track for reamping. DI means direct input. It gives you a clean recorded signal you can process later.
2. Record drums with room mics to capture ambience. A big room sound is part of the doom aesthetic.
3. Record bass with a DI and a mic or amp to blend clarity and tone.
4. Record guitars through amp or amp simulation on top of DI. Blend DI and amp to taste for low end control.
5. Record vocals last and leave space for overdubs and harmonies.

Mixing tips

• High pass everything that is not supposed to be in the low end. This removes mud. For example, high pass vocals around 100 Hz to keep them out of the bass region.
• Cut some low mids around 200 to 400 Hz in guitars if the band sounds boxy. Boost presence around 2 to 4 kHz to give attack and clarity.
• Use saturation on the mix bus to glue everything together. Tape style saturation works well for warmth.
• Automate reverb and delay tails to avoid wash in dense parts. Turn effects up during solos and down during heavy riffing if clarity is needed.

Mastering for Doom

Mastering should preserve dynamics. Do not overcompress to chase loudness. Fans of doom value weight and clarity over loudness war victory. Aim for a finished track that still breathes.

• Moderate limiting and conservative compression on the master bus.
• Bring up perceived loudness by controlling midrange clarity rather than slamming the limiter.
• Check your master on small speakers. If the low end disappears, adjust. If the guitars mask the vocal on earbuds, add midrange where the vocal sits.

Songwriting Exercises for Doom

Use these drills to create material fast and keep the doom mojo flowing.

One Riff One Room

1. Pick one heavy riff and play it for twenty minutes. Do not stop. Explore dynamics and small variations.
2. Record the best six bars. Loop them.
3. Write a short vocal phrase that sits on the riff. Keep the phrase under five words.

Drone and Decorate

1. Play a low open note for two minutes as a drone.
2. Improvise a lead line above the drone. Keep it slow and sparse.
3. Choose three notes from the lead and build a chant using them repetitively.

Atmosphere Swap

1. Take a riff you like and play it through three effect chains: heavy fuzz, spacey reverb, and clean with overdrive. Record each version.
2. Pick the one that makes you feel something physical when you listen and write the rest of the arrangement around it.

Examples and Before After Lines

These help you see how to move from flat lyric to concrete doom worthy lines.

Theme: Isolation

Before: I feel alone every day.

After: The mailbox keeps my name in rust and I do not collect it.

Theme: Loss

Before: I miss you so much.

After: Your sweater still folds like a small weather in the drawer.

Those second lines put touchable objects into the emotional space and create the heavy images doom thrives on.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too slow without purpose. Fix by adding a melodic or dynamic contrast. If forty BPM feels flat, add a slow half time section where drums hit twice as often relative to the riff and bring back the original feel for payoff.
• Mud in the mix. Fix by applying surgical EQ. High pass non bass instruments and cut overlapping low mids.
• Riffs that lack identity. Fix by creating a short motif and repeating it early. The motif should be hummable even if it is bleak.
• Vocals buried. Fix by carving a pocket in the guitar mids for the vocal. Use sidechain compression on guitars keyed to the vocal to let words through.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Pick a tuning. Try C standard or drop B if you want very low tone. Put heavier strings on the guitar if needed.
2. Set a tempo target between 50 and 70 BPM depending on mood.
3. Create a two bar riff that emphasizes low root notes and uses one dissonant interval like a flat second or tritone.
4. Loop the riff for ten minutes and vary dynamics every eight bars. Record all takes.
5. Write a three line lyric where each line contains a concrete object that symbolizes the emotional state. Keep words minimal.
6. Record a DI guitar and a rough vocal. Build out drums with a roomy snare and deep kick. Add bass locked to the root and fatten with a low shelf boost.
7. Mix with space in mind. High pass everything that should not live in the sub frequencies. Add reverb to create cavernous atmosphere.
8. Play to people who are not doom fans. If they feel something physical then you did not overindulge in esoterica.

Doom Songwriting FAQ

What tempo should I choose for doom songs

Choose a tempo that supports the emotion you want. Fifty to seventy BPM is a comfortable doom range. Extremely slow funeral doom can sit below fifty BPM but requires careful use of variation so the song does not feel static. Tempo is the emotional backbone. Match it with drums and groove before you commit.

Do I need a seven string guitar to make doom

No. You can achieve crushing doom on a six string by tuning down to C standard or drop B and using thicker strings. Seven string guitars add range and can make life easier for very low riffs but they are not required. Choose gear that lets you play the notes with clarity.

How do I write memorable doom riffs

Make riffs repeatable with small variations. Use a strong motif of one or two notes that listeners can hum. Create tension with dissonant intervals and resolve with a partial resolution. Keep rhythm simple and let sustain do the work. The best doom riffs feel inevitable after the first repeat.

Should my vocals be clean or screamed

It depends on the emotional center of the song. Clean vocals work for epic and traditional doom when you want melody to carry. Harsh or growled vocals fit death doom or sludge when anger or extreme sorrow needs to pierce the mix. Do not force a style that injures your voice. Choose technique you can sustain.

How do I avoid a muddy mix with heavy low end

Use high pass filters on non bass elements. Carve low mid cuts in guitars around 200 to 400 Hz if things sound boxy. Blend DI and amp signals to retain clarity. Keep the kick and bass frequencies separated with slight EQ differences so they do not sit on top of each other. Use reference tracks to compare low end balance.

What lyrical topics work best for doom

Sorrow, isolation, apocalypse, landscapes, myth, and the uncanny are staple topics. The trick is to be specific. Use objects and sensory detail. A single concrete image can carry the weight of an entire verse. Avoid cliche phrases and prefer details you can picture in a scene.

How long should a doom song be

Doom songs often run longer than typical rock tracks. Four to nine minutes is common. Funeral doom songs can stretch beyond ten minutes. Length must serve the atmosphere and not exist for indulgence. If you can justify every minute with a change in texture, vocal, or dynamic the duration will feel earned.

What pedals are essential for doom tone

A heavy fuzz pedal, a quality reverb unit or plugin, and a good compressor are essential. Distortion or overdrive for extra crunch and a boost pedal to fatten solos help. Use amp simulator plugins if you do not have an amp available but remember real amp recordings often breathe better.

How do I keep a long doom song interesting

Introduce small changes every eight to sixteen bars. Change a drum pattern, add a lead line, remove instruments for a bar of silence, or introduce a new harmonic color. Recurring motifs with slight variations give the listener a roadmap. Dynamics and vocal intensity are your friends.