Doom and Drone, Sludge and Stone Part 4: Stone

The Stone

Josh Homme, guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age and stoner icon band Kyuss, once said that he hates the term Stoner Rock. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the term because I feel it very much pigeon holes the music into only singing about wizards and harsh pipe hits. However, I think the term “Stoner Rock” should stick because the term was created by the bands and the fans. You see, once a “music scene” begins to turn into some sort of fucking fashion function, or ends up being exploited by greedy artists and even greedier record companies: the control is no longer honest. It’s either you got to stay hip or, for lack of a better term, staying the course on what made you money. Music scenes, especially music scenes that start regionally, are always ripe for the taking. From punk to hip-hop to grunge to indie. They are then usually marketed in the corporate friendly, non-judgemental and non-exclusive term of “alternative.” Alternative. Remember Alternative Rock? College friendly love songs or misguided teenage angst that usually just led to keg-stands and one-night-date-rape-parties. Now, alternative has found another feast for the platter. It’s called “indie.” Indie rock is the new Alternative. And so the cycle continues.

Which is why I find it necessary to maintain the term “Stoner Metal.” It really has nothing to do with the actual act of smoking weed. I mean, it’s part of it I guess, but the idea that you need to do drugs to listen to and enjoy music is absurd. It has more of the fact that this is a style of music that its roots are born from 1990’s (going further back than that I know, relax music historians, but go with me.) In the 1990’s we saw the destruction of crappy hair/opera/cock/butt metal by the hands of grunge sound coming out of Seattle. Meanwhile, a few hundred miles south in various parts of California we had the likes of Kyuss and Sleep. The two bands that many would dispute are the ones that re-defined (due to lack of a better term) Stoner Rock. Or at the very least introduced a new way to play rock and roll. The new way was simple: try the old way again.

Riffs. Cymbals. Low bass. High distortion. Sing (or scream) like you mean it.

So, stoner metal fans should feel fortunate that it has a term that wasn’t “given” to us. It was term that we all created and continue to perpetuate. Because if we can keep our name, we won’ t be fooled again. Until they at least de-criminalize marijuana, there is no really long term way to market stoner metal. So if you can’t market it, you leave it alone. Our name is the last defense. They should have just called punk rock, shit rock; or maybe called hip-hop fuck-hop. Keep it dirty. Keep it off the grid. This way we can stay our own community and we can control our own destiny.

Now, onto the lesson….




Remember these guys from our first lesson? Sleep. No stoner fan is complete without hear every track from "Sleep's Holy Mountain" at least ten times. The album was called the album Black Sabbath never made. Sure the lyrics are goofy, but what Sleep demonstrates is the absolute touchstone of the Stoner Metal Genre, the riff. Stoner, Sludge, Doom and Drone all have that in common. The celebration of the riff. While most metal bands are trying to cram a thousand riffs into a 5 minute song , this genre will take 7 minutes to play 2 or 3.

Or in the case of their hallmark stoner masterpiece, "Dopesmoker," where Sleep took an hour to play 3-4 riffs. It's a head rattling journey into heavy. It was later renamed "Jerusalem" and split into tracks, causing the eventual demise of the band. The members of the band have become stoner metal icons, Al Cisneros, Chris Haikus and the mighty Matt Pike. Like I said with Wino, Matt Pike is one of the most overlooked guitarists in all of metal. See: High on Fire.



It's like Elmore James learned how to play metal.

Now we can't talk about stoner metal without talking about their California counterparts, Kyuss.



If "Sleep's Holy Mountain" was the album that Black Sabbath never made, Kyuss is like Alice Cooper's pissed off, pot smoking little brother. The emphasis is still on simple, fuzzy riffs, but this is not dragon slaying music. This is for getting in your car and driving down miles and miles of desolate desert road. The quartet of guitarist Josh Homme, drummer Brant Bjork, vocalist John Garcia and bassist Nick Oliveri only made two albums, but it was more than enough to make an impact.

To me, what stands out about Kyuss is it's cymbal heavy drumming which would eventually become another characteristic of the genre. Most metal bands are about the pounding double bass, but the emphasis on the cymbal adds to the characteristic fuzz of stoner metal.



Doors-esque tripped out guitar solos, Black Sabbathy riffs, and rough unpolished vocals. This my friends is why we so proudly listen to this style of metal. It's funky. It's bluesy. It's evil. It's trippy. It provides some serious rocking in bulk supply. And for stoner metal, you don't have to wander too far from the these California powerhouses. Enjoy!



Today's Command Image: Commander Riker (you knew it was coming)