10 of the Darkest Bands That Aren’t Metal
Did your girlfriend just break up with you? Are you in the mood to meditate on the shortcomings of the perpetual growth economy? Then you need some dark music to soothe your soul. It’s kind of like having a shoulder to cry on, but for guys — or girls who don’t like crying. It’s cooler than that, though, because you get to seem deep and ruminating.
Sadly, there’s a finite amount of doom and black metal to heal your woes, and you may have to rely on other genres every now and then. Here are a few of the best bands that will get you in the same emotional ballpark.
Drab Majesty
Drab Majesty is easily the most glorious rebirth of the deliberately overwrought sounds and imagery of 80s goth culture. Only musicians this skilled could get away with walking around in sunglasses and white robes, yelling “it’s the emptiness, the emptiness” in sub-harmonic baritone.
Have a Nice Life
Have a Nice Life might be the toughest band on this list to categorize. In 2008 its two members, Dan and Tim, emerged from internet obscurity to indie superstardom. Their release, Deathconsciousness, was a totally unique mix of shoegaze, industrial, black metal, and emo. By the late 2010s, pretty much everyone thought they were done making music, but they randomly started pooping out even more amazing, in-character tracks and albums.
The Angelic Process
It wouldn’t be quite right to call The Angelic Process “not metal,” but their swirling soup of distortion and reverb places them in a category of their own. Shoegaze is perhaps a more fitting categorization, but genres are dumb anyway.
The Soft Moon
The Soft Moon is a great example of what one guy can do with a few instruments and a digital audio workspace. Some would argue that the project peaked with its first release, The Soft Moon, but it’s an impressive leap from obscurity to darkwave and post-punk renown.
The KVB
The KVB feels like the inside of an early 90s computer; everything is muddy and vague and slow. The band is dark but energetic at the same time. If you’re in the mood, check it out. But if you’re on your way to a dance party, it’s probably not a good time.
Kontravoid
Kontravoid is like Drab Majesty for goths who go to Brooklyn clubs. It doesn’t come off quite as artistic, but that’s not the point. It’s just supposed to be fun music for people who like wearing black leather when it’s 90 out.
Alex Cameron
Despite multiple goth options, Alex Cameron is probably the most ridiculous item on this list. Still, there’s something compelling about his themed, on-the-nose portrayals of various trashy characters. Each song tells a different story, and some are hilariously dark. Some sound dark, and others feature bluntly depressing lyrics juxtaposed with upbeat synths, brass, and drums.
Death Grips
Death Grips is what most metal guys probably wish hip hop was. The odd, mathy blast beats, the aggression, and the otherworldly sampling all come together to form something completely unique. Neither drummer Zach Hill nor vocalist DJ Ride seems to have placed much importance on copying influences, but both are masters of their crafts.
Duster
Sometime after shoegaze and post-punk found prominence, an odd, guitar-driven post-rock niche known as slowcore emerged from the musical nether. These bands used distortion sparingly, and the singers seemed eternally depressed. Duster is among the best of the bunch.
Sun Kil Moon
Based on his ridiculous feud with The War on Drugs, Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek is a deeply disturbed individual. But that’s likely what makes him so good at making his trademark brooding white guy music. It’s very possible to OD on this stuff, but it’s great in small quantities.