Traditional doom metal is a style of Doom Metal that emerged in the early to mid-1980s, under the influence of bands from the previous decade such as Black Sabbath, Bedemon and Pentagram.

Traditional doom metal is rooted in Heavy Metal and utilizes a monotonous and heavy playing style, similar to that of Black Sabbath's early period: repetitive, rough and sometimes atonal guitar riffs; a "rocking to sleep" bass; and also some influences from both Blues Rock and Psychedelic Rock. Some bands attempt to complement the general slowness of their sound by adding some faster paced, dynamic sections, but this is rare and not essential to the overall sound of the genre. The vocal style utilized in traditional doom metal is clean and the atmosphere in the genre varies from cold, epic grief to despair and fury; rarely does it express any positive emotions.

Lyrics are typically based on themes such as depression, fear, grief, death and other pessimistic topics. Religion can also be a common topic in traditional doom metal; however, for many bands the use of religious themes is for aesthetic and symbolic purposes only.

Saint Vitus and Candlemass are considered to be the pioneers of the genre, but there were many other influential bands at the time, including Trouble, Witchfinder General, The Obsessed and Pagan Altar.