stoner metal

For when the trail requires a certain heaviness

By Rob Gordon

Mile 3, already negotiating with myself. That's when I need something that doesn't pretend running is transcendent or joyful or any of that Runner's World bullshit. I need something that sounds like what my legs feel like—heavy, grinding, deliberately forward. I need stoner metal.

Here's the thing about Greenleaf or The Heavy Eyes at mile 4: they don't lie to you. The tempo is slower than your standard workout playlist—we're talking 90-110 BPM, sometimes lower—but the density is what matters. Every riff has weight. It's not pushing you faster; it's reminding you that forward motion, any forward motion, counts. When you're already bargaining over whether to cut it short, that matters.

I started running to stoner metal by accident. Put on a Lowrider album for a supposed "easy" four-miler and realized halfway through that easy doesn't mean effortless. Easy means sustainable heaviness. The riffs cycle and repeat, almost hypnotic, and suddenly you're not thinking about the next mile, you're just locked into the churn. It's meditative in the way doom metal fans talk about—repetition as a feature, not a bug.

Dick and Barry think I'm insane. "Why would you run to music that makes you want to move *slower*?" Because sometimes slower is the point. Sometimes you need Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol or Fomies to remind you that plodding is a legitimate strategy. Not every run is about PRs or negative splits. Some runs are about showing up heavy and finishing anyway.

Stoner metal doesn't try to pump you up. It meets you where you are—tired, stubborn, slightly pissed off that you're out here at all—and says, "Yeah, man, me too. Let's just keep going." That's why I've got eight playlists worth of this stuff. When the Lakefront Trail feels long and my legs feel like concrete, I want music that sounds exactly like that.

8 playlists

Top 10 Stoner metal Running Songs

These tracks appear across multiple curated stoner metal running playlists.

  1. 1. 302 — The Lippies
  2. 2. A Pack Of Wolves — Black Eyes
  3. 3. About A Girl — Nirvana
  4. 4. Ain't Quite Right — Still Blank
  5. 5. Blast Off — Psychlona
  6. 6. Chrome Hammer — High Reeper
  7. 7. Communication Breakdown - Remaster — Led Zeppelin
  8. 8. Crap Is Your Life — MASSIVE HASSLE
  9. 9. DQ — Charly Bliss
  10. 10. Death Train — THE BOBBY LEES

Frequently Asked Questions

What pace should I run to stoner metal?

Easy to moderate, and I mean actually easy—not 'easy for Instagram' pace. We're talking 90-110 BPM here, sometimes slower. This is music for the runs where you're already tired before you start, where every mile is a negotiation. If you're trying to hit 5K pace to The Heavy Eyes, you're missing the point entirely. This is sustainable grind music. Think long runs where you're not racing anyone, recovery days when you still want something with teeth, or those mid-week slogs where showing up is the victory.

Who should I start with if I'm new to stoner metal for running?

Start with Greenleaf. They've got the tempo and the riff density without going full doom-spiral. Then move to The Heavy Eyes—slightly faster, still heavy as hell. Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol is deeper in, more experimental, but worth it once you're committed. Lowrider if you want something that sounds like what mile 8 feels like. Fomies if you're feeling patient. Look, you're either going to get why this works or you won't. But give it three runs before you decide. First time might feel weird. Third time, you'll understand.

Is stoner metal too slow for actual running?

Only if you think running is only about speed, which—come on. Most stoner metal sits around 90-110 BPM. That's a 10-11 minute mile cadence if you sync directly, but here's the secret: you don't have to. The tempo creates a floor, not a ceiling. The riffs give you something to push against, not match exactly. I've run tempo efforts to this stuff by treating the music as a drone, not a metronome. It keeps you from going out too hot. It reminds you that heavy and slow can still be forward. If you need 180 BPM pop garbage to move, fine. But don't tell me this doesn't work.

What kind of workouts does stoner metal actually fit?

Long runs where you're trying to stay out of your own head. Recovery runs where you still want an edge. Those medium-long weekday grinds—7, 8, 9 miles of just showing up. It does NOT work for track intervals or anything where you're checking splits every 400 meters. This is music for unstructured suffering, for runs where the goal is 'finish' not 'fast.' I've used it for trail runs where the elevation is doing the work and I just need to keep moving. It's perfect for the runs you don't want to brag about but are secretly proud you did.

Why does stoner metal have better groove than most running music?

Because it's not trying to motivate you—it's trying to hypnotize you. Bands like Lowrider or Fomies build these massive, repetitive riffs that cycle and mutate just enough to stay interesting but not enough to jolt you out of the pocket. It's designed for zoning out, which is exactly what you need at mile 5 of a boring out-and-back. Most running playlists are frantic—constant builds, drops, tempo changes. Stoner metal says: here's the riff, we're gonna ride it for five minutes, get comfortable. That's the groove. That's why it works when you're already tired and just need something steady and heavy to lean into.