Napping Cheat Codes 10: Drone Metal

An open letter to Andy Levinson

Our dear friend

Andrew Levinson

recently shared his positive experience napping to country music. Encouraged by his post, I’ve prepared this open letter to him and eagerly await his response in the comments section or perhaps in a Substack Note, where I know he will conduct himself like a gentleman.

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Dear Andy,

I read with interest your recent post about a positive experience with country music vis-à-vis napping. I was thrilled, given my love of napping and increasing appreciation for modern country music (h/t Henrietta). With that, you described your musical tastes as encompassing “anything but heavy metal or country.” Given your recent exploration of country as a napping cheat code, I wanted to introduce you to your new favorite genre: drone metal.

You might be asking yourself, “Self? Why would I explore any subgenre of metal, particularly one that Wikipedia says is derived from something called ‘doom metal’ and was popularized by bands called War, Black Boned Angel, and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine?” 

Well, I’m willing to bet that your stated distaste for metal arises from screaming vocals and crazy fast drums. Fortunately, the absence of those two elements is part of what characterizes drone metal. Novelist John Wray described a live drone metal show as “not unlike listening to an Indian raga in the middle of an earthquake.”¹ It’s somehow so loud it’s quiet, so heavy it’s light, so metal it’s not metal — and I know you love a good oxymoron.

If you’re intrigued by War’s “Glass Ribbon,” linked above, you might like to check out this YouTube playlist and even read this Medium article about “ambient metal” (not quite the same as drone metal but surely of interest to a budding metal fan).

In conclusion, you’re welcome.

Your brother in napping,

Matt

1. I may treat Indian music in a future post on napping cheat codes, as it sometimes has a trancelike quality that surely would lull you into napping — but I digress (perfect for a footnote!).