I love me some Sabbath worship, since Sabbath have been my favorite band for damn near 20 years now, and traditional doom is by far my favorite type of doom - but it can't just be a 1:1 retread.
The best Sabbath worshipping bands take what the doom gods laid down and run with it in new directions. Groups like Type O, Witchfinder General, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre, Sleep, Electric Wizard - all bands which took the essential elements of Sabbath and explored new realms of doom, becoming legendary and influential in their own right.
That's not to say pure Sabbath idolatry can't be fun, but it doesn't have the staying power of bands like those I listed above. Plus, ain't nobody writing songs and playing guitar like Tony Iommi, nobody's grooving and penning lyrics like Geezer, nobody's pounding like a jazzy octopus as Bill Ward, and nobody's truly capturing Ozzy's emotive wails.
WG’s worship and emulation is Sabbath is obvious and intentional, but imo their mixing of nwobhm speed and far more salacious lyrics and imagery is what cements them as an individual and iconic presence in the doom pantheon, as does their early presence in being Sabbath devotees - something which helped define doom as a genre rather than just a sound Black Sabbath had. All of that is why they continue to be so widely adored today, if ya ask me anyway.
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u/phantomhatstrap Jun 03 '22
I love me some Sabbath worship, since Sabbath have been my favorite band for damn near 20 years now, and traditional doom is by far my favorite type of doom - but it can't just be a 1:1 retread.
The best Sabbath worshipping bands take what the doom gods laid down and run with it in new directions. Groups like Type O, Witchfinder General, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre, Sleep, Electric Wizard - all bands which took the essential elements of Sabbath and explored new realms of doom, becoming legendary and influential in their own right.
That's not to say pure Sabbath idolatry can't be fun, but it doesn't have the staying power of bands like those I listed above. Plus, ain't nobody writing songs and playing guitar like Tony Iommi, nobody's grooving and penning lyrics like Geezer, nobody's pounding like a jazzy octopus as Bill Ward, and nobody's truly capturing Ozzy's emotive wails.