Om is an American band formed in San Francisco in 2003 by bassist Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Hakius, previously the rhythm section of the doom metal group Sleep. Built around Cisneros’s circling, heavily amplified bass lines and incantatory vocals, the music stretches a handful of figures into long, hypnotic pieces whose imagery draws on religion and mysticism from several traditions.
The first albums, Variations on a Theme (2005) and Conference of the Birds (2006), appeared on Holy Mountain, and Pilgrimage (2007) on Southern Lord. Hakius left at the start of 2008 and was replaced by Emil Amos; the band then moved to Drag City for God Is Good (2009), recorded by Steve Albini, and Advaitic Songs (2012), with guitarist Robert Lowe joining in the meantime. For drone listeners Om is a bridge between the weight of doom metal and the repetition of devotional music.