How to Write Post-Metal Songs

You want weight and atmosphere in the same package. You want riffs that feel like tectonic plates moving and quiet parts that make the loud parts actually mean something. You want the vocals to feel like a ritual or a confession. This guide gives you practical songwriting and production methods you can use right now to write post metal songs that hit both the chest and the imagination.

Everything here is written for artists who prefer action over angst. Expect workflows, exercises, tonal cheat sheets, arrangement blueprints, vocal methods, production tips, and a finish plan. We explain every acronym and term so no one has to fake being smart. You will leave with a repeatable method to write songs that sound huge and honest.

What Is Post Metal

Post metal is a style that blends heavy metal sounds with the architecture and dynamics of post rock. Post rock is a kind of instrumental music that focuses on texture and gradual development the way a movie soundtrack might. Metal contributes volume and distortion. Post metal uses long forms, slow or mid tempos, evolving textures, moments of silence, and heavy emphasis on atmosphere over constant riffs.

Key bands: Neurosis, Isis, Cult of Luna, Pelican, Russian Circles, Amenra, and Sunn O))) if you want the droney extreme. Listening to a few records by those bands will teach you more than a week of theory. Play a song all the way through without skipping. Notice how themes return and how loud moments are earned.

Core Elements of Post Metal Songs

• Dynamic contrast Quiet moments that amplify the impact of loud ones.
• Textural layering Pads, drones, feedback, and samples working with guitars and drums.
• Repetition with variation Riffs and motifs return with changes in tone, harmony, or rhythm.
• Long forms Sections breathe and develop slowly. Songs are often five to twelve minutes long.
• Ritualic vocals Clean singing, shouts, screams, spoken word, or chants used as an additional instrument.
• Harmonic darkness Minor keys, modal colors, dissonance, and low tunings.

Start with a Single Emotional Idea

Before you write a riff, decide what the song feels like in one sentence. This is your emotional core. Say it like you would in a text to a friend at two a.m. No adjectives that do all the work for you. Keep it concrete.

Examples

• The coastline keeps swallowing the lights at night.
• We keep silent until the last ember goes out.
• I will carry the weight so someone else can breathe.

That sentence becomes your guide for dynamics, lyric content, and the shape of the track. If your idea is about drowning, build musical spaces that feel submerged. If your idea is about carrying weight, let the low end push like a shoulder under load.

Riff Writing That Feels Immense

Riffs in post metal are not about constant speed. They are about gravity. Here is a process that works when you sit down to write a guitar part.

1. Tuning and strings Start with low tunings. Common choices are C standard, drop C, or drop B. Lower tuning gives the riff a physical heft. Use thicker strings so bends keep their tone. If you do not want to retune, drop the low E to D and write around the new root.
2. Find a skeleton Play a simple interval based shape. Two or three notes are enough. Let a low drone note ring. The repetition creates a hypnotic effect. The drone can be an open string or a sustained note from a synth.
3. Add color notes Use dissonances like minor second, tritone, and major second to create tension. A tritone will sound ominous. A minor second will sound like teeth on chalk. Use them sparingly so they hit when you want a jolt.
4. Use space as rhythm In heavy music the rests are as important as the hits. Count the silence. Let notes breathe. A delayed power chord can feel heavier than a constant palm muted machine gun.
5. Textural variations Record the riff clean, then with overdrive, then with fuzz. Layer the takes and pan them slightly apart. One take can be heavy fuzz, another can be a cleaner crunchy amp. The sum becomes thicker than any single tone.

Real world scenario: You are in a damp basement at midnight. You strike an open A string and add a low minor third on the seventh fret. The room fills. You leave the second note ringing and hit a syncopated palm mute on the beat after the downbeat. That pause makes the next hit feel like a punch. You have a skeleton riff you can build a five minute piece around.

Harmony and Scale Choices

Post metal tends toward darker modal palettes. Here are practical choices and how they feel.

• Natural minor The go to. Familiar, heavy, and melodic friendly.
• Phrygian Flat second introduces an exotic tension. Use for eerie passages.
• Locrian The most dissonant. Use carefully and as color not the main mode.
• Minor pentatonic Great for slow lead lines and simple emotive statements.
• Dorian Minor mood with a raised sixth. Use it for lines that need a hint of hope.

Harmonic trick: Use pedal points. Hold a low tonic in the bass while the upper voices change mode. The contrast of a stable low note and shifting color up top creates a feeling of immovable gravity with complicated air above it.

Rhythm and Time Feel

Post metal rhythms are often simple but with subtle complexity. The goal is to support mood, not show off chops. Here are practical ideas.

• Mid tempo pocket 80 to 120 BPM is a comfortable place. Slow tempos feel heavy. Faster tempos can work but call for shorter forms.
• Half time feel Play a groove that feels like half the tempo while the drummer plays half time snare. This doubles the perceived weight.
• Polyrhythms and syncopation Use them sparingly to unsettle the listener. One guitar can play 4 over 3 while the drums play straight 4. That tension resolves when the phrases align.
• Odd meters 5 4 or 7 8 can sound ritualic. If you are not comfortable counting they can fall flat. Only use them when the melody needs a lurch or asymmetry.

Pro tip: If you want the song to feel like a slow march, program a snare on two and four and a tom or bass drum pattern that accents off beats. The small delay in the kick can make the riff feel like it is dragging a weight behind it.

Song Structure for Long Forms

Post metal songs often breathe. The form can be long. Here is a template you can steal and adapt.

Template: Ritual Arc

• Intro atmosphere 0 0 90 seconds Ambient pads, field recordings, distant guitar textures
• Riff A 1 30 2 30 Simple motif introduced, sparse drums
• Development 2 30 4 30 Add layers, harmonize, slight tempo change
• Climax 4 30 6 00 Full band, loud, vocal peak
• Breakdown 6 00 7 00 Strip back to one instrument, spoken word or clean vocal
• Final ascent 7 00 9 00 Rebuild with new variation of Riff A, add choir or big reverb tails
• Outro 9 00 10 00 Fade into drone or field recording

Times are suggestions. You can compress to a five minute song or stretch to twelve. The key is to make each transition feel earned. If you jump from whisper to full tilt without a build it will feel like a cheap trick.

Vocal Approaches and How to Write Lyrics

Vocals in post metal act like another instrument. They can be buried for texture, upfront for confession, or chanted like a ritual. Here are techniques and writing prompts.

Vocal Methods

• Shouted chant Short phrases repeated. Use for communal, ritual scenes.
• Harsh vocals Screams, growls, or roars. Use to punctuate peaks.
• Clean singing Melancholic lines that float over the heavy bed.
• Spoken word Place poetry low in the mix to create intimacy.
• Layered choir Multiple takes with slight pitch variance create a ghostly choir.

Write lyrics that are imagistic. Avoid obvious metal metaphors unless you can say them in a surprising way. Use place, object, and physical detail. Post metal lyrics often explore existential themes, nature, ritual, decay, or recovery. The language should be poetic but not obscure for the sake of being obscure.

Example micro prompt: Write three lines that include a single object and a weather element. Turn that into a chorus that repeats one line as a ring phrase.

Textural Production Tricks

Production in post metal is half the sound. Small choices around guitar tones, room mics, and reverb tails make songs giant. Here are practical steps you can do on a budget.

Guitar Tone

• Use a combination of amps or amp sims. Blend a tight modern amp with a scooped vintage amp to get clarity and body.
• Layer a fuzzed octave guitar under a distorted track for low end richness. An octave pedal enriches sub harmonic content.
• Use a noise gate to control sustain and let the room breathe. If too gated the sound will be choppy. Set threshold so the tail of the chord breathes in the quiet.

Ambience and Reverb

• Use long reverb tails for atmosphere. A plate reverb on vocals with a long predelay creates distance and presence.
• Convolution reverbs can put sounds in real spaces. Use a cathedral impulse response for a ritualic vocal.
• Automate reverb size. Make the reverb large in quiet parts and tighten it in heavy sections to keep punch.

Room Sound and Field Recordings

Record a cheap condenser in a hallway for reverb samples. Add field recordings like rain, distant traffic, or waves. Subtle layers of real world noise glue synthetic pads and guitars together.

Mixing Strategies That Preserve Weight

Mixing heavy music is about clarity and power. You want the low end to push without becoming a wet blur. Here are key moves.

• Low end separation Carve space. Use EQ to let the kick and bass live in slightly different frequency ranges. If your guitar is eating the bass, cut some energy between 80 and 150 Hertz from the guitar and boost the bass there.
• Parallel compression Send a heavy buss to a compressor and mix it under the dry signal to keep attack and add sustain. This gives perceived loudness without squashing transient detail.
• Saturation and tape emulation Gentle harmonic distortion adds warmth and perceived loudness. Use it on guitars, bass, or the entire mix buss.
• Automation Automate volume, reverb and distortion depth across sections so builds feel natural. A little automation goes a long way in long forms.

Definitions you should know explained plainly

• DAW Stands for Digital Audio Workstation. It is the software you record in like Pro Tools, Logic, or Reaper.
• EQ Equalization. It lets you boost or cut frequency ranges to shape tone.
• DI Direct input. It is a way to record an instrument directly to the board without a mic. You can reamp later by sending that DI back through an amp.
• RMS Root mean square. It is a way to measure average loudness. Use it to understand how dense a part feels.
• dB Decibel. It measures volume. Every time you see dB in your DAW you are adjusting loudness or gain.

Arrangement Moves That Make Long Songs Flow

Think in episodes. Each episode should feel like a scene in a film. Use these techniques to make transitions natural.

• Motif return Bring a short melodic or rhythmic idea back in a new color. The listener recognizes it and gains orientation.
• Texture swap Replace a guitar chord with a cello line or a synth pad. Same chord, different instrument, different emotion.
• Dynamic sculpting Gradually add one instrument every eight bars. Remove a key frequency in the mix for one measure to create a vacuum that the next hit fills.
• Silence Use silence as an instrument. One bar of near silence before a drop makes the drop mean more.

Songwriting Exercises for Post Metal

Do these drills in short bursts. The goal is to generate material you can arrange later.

Riff Sculpt

1. Choose a tuning and set a metronome at 90 BPM.
2. Play one low note and one upper note for four bars. Repeat that cell eight times with tiny variations on bar five and bar nine.
3. Record three takes, each with different pickups or amp settings.
4. Listen back and pick the take that created the biggest physical reaction. Build a section around it.

Texture Swap

1. Take an existing riff and write three alternative textures for it. Example: distortion guitar, bowed guitar, synth pad.
2. Place those textures in three different parts of the song to mark transitions.

Vocal Ring Phrase

1. Write one short line that expresses the emotional core in plain language.
2. Repeat it three times in the chorus with a slight change on the third repeat. The change can be a pitch lift or one added word.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too much sameness Fix by introducing a new instrument or moving the riff to a different octave every eight bars.
• Over compressed mixes Fix by backing off on the compressor attack or using parallel compression instead of heavy buss compression.
• Vocals buried without intention Fix by deciding if the vocals are texture or message. If message, bring them forward and simplify the music under them. If texture, embrace the bury and add a distinct melodic instrument to carry the lyrical hook.
• Transitions feel fake Fix by adding a motif return or a texture swap right before the transition so the listener recognizes the movement.

How to Finish a Post Metal Song

1. Lock the spine Identify the two most important motifs. These are the bones you will return to. Print a one page map with time stamps.
2. Lay down a clean demo Record DI guitar, a scratch vocal, and a simple drum guide or click. Do not perfect tones yet. Get the arrangement right.
3. Check dynamics Walk through the song and mark every place a new element enters or leaves. Aim for contrast every 30 to 90 seconds.
4. Record tones Commit to amps, pedals, and mic positions. Save the creative overdubs for last so the core remains audible.
5. Mix rough Get balance and stereo feel. Use automation so the song breathes. If it still feels static you probably missed a build.
6. Get feedback Play to three people who will be honest. Do not explain. Ask what line or moment stuck with them. Fix what hurts clarity.
7. Finalize Make only changes that increase emotional impact. Too many tweaks dilute the ritual.

Performance and Live Considerations

Playing post metal live requires control. The long songs demand stamina. Here are essential live tips.

• Click or not Decide if you will use a click track. For precise transitions and synced samples a click helps. For raw ritualic performance you can do without but practice transitions a lot.
• Monitor mixes Make sure the vocalist can hear themselves without needing the entire band volume in the foldback. In ear monitors are a game changer for dynamics.
• Staging of quiet Quiet sections can be deadly if the audience is loud. Use visual cues and lighting to bring heads down. A dimmed light pulls attention like a remote control.

Brand Voice Cheat Sheet for Lyrics

Want lines that are blunt and cinematic? Use this approach.

• One concrete object per verse
• One weather or place detail in the chorus
• One repeated ring phrase that gets slightly changed on the final repeat

Example verses

Verse: The lighthouse blinks once and then refuses to blink again.

Chorus ring phrase: Hold the light as the shore gives up.

Practical Templates You Can Steal

Five Minute Song Template

• 0 00 to 0 45 Intro ambient and motif
• 0 45 to 1 45 Verse with Riff A, sparse drums
• 1 45 to 2 30 Build with added texture and vocal
• 2 30 to 3 30 Climax full band
• 3 30 to 4 15 Breakdown with spoken word
• 4 15 to 5 00 Final ascent and ring phrase repeat

Ten Minute Song Template

• 0 00 to 2 00 Atmosphere intro
• 2 00 to 4 00 Riff A and development
• 4 00 to 6 00 Riff B and tension
• 6 00 to 7 30 Climax
• 7 30 to 8 30 Deconstruction and spoken word
• 8 30 to 10 00 Rebuild and final refrain

Exercises to Finish Songs Faster

• Thirty Minute Skeleton Set a timer for thirty minutes. Create a 90 second riff, a 60 second build, and a 30 second climax. Record them. You will have the core of a song to expand.
• One Motif Rule Write an entire song around one two bar motif. Force yourself to derive everything from it. This limits options and speeds decisions.
• Texture First Make an ambient bed of three layers. Then write a riff to sit on top of it. Starting with texture gives direction and prevents overworking the riff.

Common Questions Answered

What tuning should I use for post metal

Lower tunings are common. C standard and drop C are favorites because they give enough low end without losing note definition on higher strings. If you have a bassist who prefers C drop use that too. The goal is weight not mud. Choose string gauge that holds tension so notes do not go floppy.

Do I need fancy pedals or amps

No. A cheap fuzz or an overdrive into a decent amp can sound huge with the right playing and layering. Pedals add character but the songwriting and arrangement make the song epic. Use pedals to express a color not to mask weak material.

How do I keep long songs interesting

Change one thing every 30 to 90 seconds. That one thing can be dynamics, a new instrument, a shift in harmony, or a vocal texture change. Motifs and callbacks give listeners orientation so the length feels purposeful.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Write one sentence that states the emotional idea of the song.
2. Pick a tuning and record a two bar riff that repeats with space. Do not overplay it.
3. Layer a second texture under the riff. It can be a synth pad or a bowed guitar.
4. Plan your structure using the Ritual Arc template and set rough time goals.
5. Write a ring phrase and place it in the chorus or the climax. Repeat it three times with a small change on the final repeat.
6. Record a simple demo with a click or a drum guide. Focus on transitions.
7. Get feedback from three listeners. Ask what line or moment they remember. Fix the parts that reduce impact.

FAQ

What is the difference between post metal and doom metal

Post metal emphasizes atmosphere, gradual development, and a blend of post rock techniques with metal elements. Doom metal focuses on slow tempos and crushing riffs with a more traditional metal song structure. Post metal borrows more from cinematic pacing and textural experiments.

How do I write a big sounding chorus without vocals that cut through

Use instrumental ring phrases. Double the main motif with another instrument in a different register. Add harmonic support with pads and use automation to pull back other elements so the chorus breathes. A single dramatic chord with sparse backing can feel larger than constant playing.

Can I write post metal on acoustic instruments

Yes. An acoustic guitar or cello can provide the motif and the emotional core. Record the acoustic and then add electric layers. The contrast between organic acoustic timbre and heavy amplified textures can be powerful.

How important are lyrics in post metal

Lyrics are optional as message and mandatory as texture. You can bury them as atmosphere or bring them forward as a statement. The important thing is intent. Decide whether the words are meant to be heard clearly or to add a human timbre to the overall texture.

What mixing tricks help vocals sit in heavy mixes

Use multiband compression on vocals for consistency. Carve space with subtractive EQ on guitars where the vocal sits. Add a small midrange boost on the vocal to help it cut without raising level. Slight reverb with predelay helps the vocal sit behind the guitar but remain present.

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