I really like bands that are not sludge metal but have heavy sludge influences. Two examples are Ulcerate (especially Everything Is Fire) and The Ruins Of Beverast (especially Foulest Semen...). I'm open to bands from any genre. So, any other sludge-influenced bands that I should check out? Many thanks!

I'm not really sure what you mean by Ulcerate having sludge influences, but if I got it right you could try bands that take influence from Celtic Frost. Bands like Delirium, Sempiternal Deathreign or Dream Death.

Turbid North are progressive death metal and heavily influenced by Baroness, and to some extent, Mastodon. Orogeny is a great album.

I suppose he's referring to the Neurosis influence, but I agree that Ulcerate aren't particularly sludgy.

That's what I thought, but even there it's more in terms of the used atmosphere rather than having a sludgy tone or musical construction related to sludge.

I'm confused. Ulcerate is dripping with sludge. Right? I mean, listen to :35 onward: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9eebFfDjkE Is that not sludgy? If not, then I don't know what the fuck sludge is.

Moreover, the song posted in this thread seems like standard non-sludgy metal. I don't detect a hint of sludge there.

I'll take a wild guess and say that you've never heard Immolation?!

I understood what you meant in terms of the guitar tone, hence my CF-related recs which I think may come in line with what you're after. But honestly you'e probably better listening to some Immolation then, I'd say Here In After or Close To A World Below would be the best places to go.

Sludge metal vs "sludgy tone" is a discussion that we can have elsewhere, but I'll just say that Ulcerate owe infinitely more to Immolation than they do to Neurosis. I can understand why people associate Neurosis with them, but in practical terms (i.e. the music) I fail to really understand how people do that association so hastily.

If you think TROB has some sludge elements, heu, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe Agrypnie, they seem to have some post and sludge influences.

I've been an Immolation fan for years. I'd say they have some of what I'm after (esp. on Here In After), so the rec is a good one, although they aren't as sludgy (as I've been understanding that term) as Ulcerate. I'll check out the CF-influenced bands.

Never heard of TROB -- I'll check them out. I love Agrypnie, but I don't hear any sludge in their sound. Though I may just be confused as to what sludge is.

TROB = The Ruins of Beverast

Well, my guess is that you're thinking about a specific guitar tone and not a genre-specific aesthetic. Sludge is a crossover between hardcore and doom, which can go from slow doomy hardcore to more hardcore influenced doom metal. Think Crowbar, Acid Bath, Eyehategod for the typical "first wave" sludge. Then there were more experimental bands (Neurosis takes the cake) that approached the sub-genre by mixing post-hardcore/post-rock/tribal/whatever influences, resulting in the "post-metal/atmospheric sludge" scene. So you can understand why I don't see Ulcerate and "sludge" hand in hand, don't you?

I recommended some CF-influenced bands because they had that gritty "sludgy" guitar tone, but bear in mind that none of that is actual sludge metal.

Don't I feel like an idiot. Misread you.

This is very helpful. Thanks.