It may be one of, if not the slowest form of metal music, but there’s nothing soft about doom metal. On the contrary it is possibly the heaviest of the metal genres, its characteristically low-tuned guitars, sluggish yet emphatic tempos and air of melancholy and gloom collectively creating an overpowering sound.

This sound has provided a fertile source of inspiration, which has spawned several offshoot sub-genres, among them sludge, stoner rock, epic, funeral and death doom. To some extent or other, all of the above (and more) have been represented in the four editions of the Malta Doom Metal Festival that have been held to date. The fifth promises to keep this inclusive trend intact.

The 2013 edition of this two-day international event will feature no fewer than 14 quality bands – five are local, the remainder foreign.

Among the local contingent one finds Nomad Son, fresh from releasing its acclaimed third album The Darkening and one of this year’s headlining acts. The other local acts are Victims of Creation, whose debut album Symmetry of Our Plagued Existence has been hailed among the best metal releases this year; Weeping Silence, now with its new front line settled in and new material to offer; Dawn of Anguish, currently working on their debut album; and 12th Ode, who will be bringing a different metal taste to this celebration of doom.

On the foreign front, the list is quite diverse, featuring German band Doomshine, Faal from Holland, Magma Rise from Hungary, The Drowning from Wales, English bands Iron Hearse and The Prophecy as well as Italian bands Black Capricorn, Bretus and the legendary Dark Quarterer, the festival’s other headlining band.

The Malta Doom Metal Festival is taking place on Friday and Saturday at the Buskett Roadhouse. Tickets are available online.

www.maltadoom.com