You are about to experience one of the strangest meetings ever convened — a joining of […] the most unusual people on Earth! Sit quietly in the shadows of this clandestine conference and observe it well! For from it shall soon be born … The DOOM PATROL (Arnold Drake)

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, radio and podcasters and album reviewers from the doom-stoner underground around the globe. Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom-sludge metal and stoner-psychedelic rock albums.  The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below. This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world.

25. HOLY SERPENT – ‘Shroom Doom’
“Holy Serpent has a flavour…its a lazy, stumbling, tubular tone of garage doom flavour, never better illustrated than on the opener and slow grower ‘Fools Gold,’ where everything always feels just behind the drummer in that lo-fi way…All of the songs are good but the other real stand out is the almost 12 minutes of ‘The Plague,’ which has a chorus that is incendiary. I include that as my patented, fancy adjective for this review.”  GET IT – Gram Pola (Dirty Denim)

24. TANK86 – ‘Obey’
Relentless, harsh, overwhelming. Words that apply to the new album Obey by Dutch sludge formation Tank86. But it has so much more and in the end there is no denying the fact that Obey is a masterpiece and all of us have to submit to its will! GET IT – Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

23. LORD MONTAGUE – ‘The Cave’
This 4-song, 55-minute gem uses Plato’s allegory to smash the listener’s perceptions of big media generated reality. And a healthy dose of paranoia never hurt anyone . Musically, The Cave is an enormous progression from Lord Montague’s self-titled debut, and thankfully they didn’t forget to bring the riffs.  GET IT – Lucas Klaukein (Stoner HiVe, The Sludgelord, You May Be Dead & Dreaming)

22. GRIMMAGE – ‘Tales From Beyond’
If you drew a line in the virtual Cartesian plane of music between Kyuss and Mayhem at the halfway point you would hit Grimmage. A gravity well of Industrial music adds it’s own warped influence on the plane to create a perfect storm of post-doom for the new century. Clean, ‘theatrical’ vocal style and solid compositions makes this a stand-out release. The final song Calypso is the only track sung in the native language and I hope Grimmage feature more of that in their future releases, it seems somehow appropriate to sing Industrial Doom in German. GET IT – Cam Crichton (Motherslug)

21. BLACK RAINBOWS – ‘Hawkdope’
“The latest trippy slab of rock from Italy’s Black Rainbows has been dubbed “Hawkdope”, and it’s everything one has come to expect from this heavy psych band. They’re still marrying that sexy 70’s retro rock chick with a stoned, 90’s California slacker type to create their own little warped, fuzzy sound child. All of the best two decades had to offer musically, blended into one heavy hitting rock and roll band. With long psychedelic and spaced out passages, along with blasts of stoner rock excellency, this album is sure to offer something for fans of everything from Hawkwind and Blue Cheer to Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and Monster Magnet.”  GET IT – Skip (Ride With the Devil)

20. PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT – ‘Black Magic Man’
Oh my. How could I say no to this? The debut of Psychedelic Witchcraft, an Italian occult rock outfit led by the lovely Virginia Monti, released in limited edition 10” vinyl record by Taxi Driver Records this summer. The EP is streaming now and has been a very popular share on social media.  GET IT – Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned)

19. UNDERSMILE – ‘Anhedonia’
Two baby-doll dresses sway from side to side, occasionally strumming, eyes cast skyward. Lumbering bass notes fall down the stairs naked, entangled in the snare. Taz and Hel inhabiting those dresses drone Lunchesque, sporadically harmonising unaccompanied under a full moon, knee deep in weeds until the full weight of atonal, crushing, sorrow tears the heart from a hairy, beast lurking unseen. GET IT – Cam Crichton (Motherslug)

18. NIBIRU – ‘Padmalotus’
The vocals may be written in a dead language, but Nibiru’s chaotic music opens portals from the underworld to the land of the living. They can be terrifying and uplifting all in one song. This Italian band always reminds me of a hidden jungle cult, primitive and deadly. This, Nibiru’s third album, is arguably their best one yet. GET IT  – Lucas Klaukein (Stoner HiVe, The Sludgelord, You May Be Dead & Dreaming)

17. ALL THEM WITCHES – ‘A Sweet Release’
Calling A Sweet Release by All Them Witches an EP; is somewhat misleading. Lasting almost an hour these jams has you soaring high and fading out, releasing all stress and fear. Damn sweet it is! GET IT – Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

16. MOTHER ENGINE – Absturz
Three piece German, instrumental, psyche, stoners can’t help but draw (favourable) comparisons to The Machine and Colour Haze. Their second outing Absturz (loosely translated as ‘Crash’) doesn’t deviate too far from their brilliant debut Muttermaschine. Six ten minute space jams with some upbeat, bangin’ grooves.  GET IT – Cam Crichton (Motherslug)

15. BLOWN OUT – ‘Jet Black Hallucinations’
Three piece English, instrumental, bong pigs. Driving, relentless Neu! beats with heavy riffing, fuzzed bass backed by delay drenched guitar noodling.  GET IT – – Cam Crichton (Motherslug)

14. DORTHIA COTTRELL – s/t
If Pictures are a thousand words, then Dorthia Cottrells debut record is the music of a million words. Hers is the rare art of perfectly distilling the human condition, our very emotions into a few lines. Words that can channel a million voices, a million experiences and a million days is hers. When I hear her voice I am choked with admiration for her bravery and emotional honesty. I hear the emotional echoes of Karen Carpenter and Morrisey. When next your life lays your emotions bare, when you next want to remember how it feels to feel, when you next want to admire the intuitive and magical art of understanding emotions. Then the voice and words you should turn to are Dorthia Cottrell.  GET IT – Gram ‘no rules’ Pola (Dirty Denim)

13. VENUS SLEEPS – ‘Dead Sun Worship’
From Dublin, Venus Sleeps makes it premiere on The Doom Chart this week, with an album as grand as the name implies. The vocals and expansive sound are a true standout on Dead Sun Worship. GET IT

12. LUNA SOL – ‘Blood Moon’
Luna Sol is a new ship captained by Dave Angstrom. You know. The cat from bands like Supafuzz and Hermano. This one sounds a lot like his former project Asylum On The Hill. Catchy, wicked, dark and ominous and with help from longtime friends like Dandy Brown, John Garcia and Nick Oliveri. An amazing album it is! GET IT – Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

11. SHEPHERD – ‘Stereolithic Riffalocalypse’
“Shepherd’s release is one of the best debut albums of 2015. It’s already gaining some major buzz within the Sludge/Stoner Metal world. What’s not to love about it? ‘Stereolithic Riffalocalypse’ plays out like a weird and wonderful hybrid of Noise, Grunge, Stoner, Doom and Sludge Metal riffs. Shepherd feel they were brought up in the legendary Seattle Grunge scene instead of coming from India. From the opening seconds of Snake Pit you know you’re in for a heavy and wild time. Shepherd has combined classic Melvins style humour with hard-hitting riffs. They’ve released a stunning debut that plays out like a warning shot to the doom-stoner world that a truly great band has arrived. Start looking over your shoulders as Shepherd is coming for you all.”  GET IT – Steve Howe (The Sludgelord)

10. CAVE OF SWIMMERS – ‘Reflection’
This power duo will no doubt pummel your mind with its eclectic reflection of opera-esque vocals, proggy weirdness and straight up monster riffs. Sounds a lot bigger than just two dudes originally from Venezuela. Or does it? GET IT – Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

9. DEMON EYE – ‘Tempora Infernalia’
From the very first track on Demon Eye’s sophomore record, you know you’re in for something out of the ordinary. Beautifully recorded, Pentagram and Deep Purple-influenced, up-tempo retro occult, doom, and heavy metal! Enough adjectives for ya? Well, the Raleigh, North Carolina trio live up to each and every one of them. We’ll be talking about this album well into the year. GET IT – Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned)

8. POMBAGIRA – ‘Flesh Throne Press’
London duo Pombagira emerge from the chrysalis that was 2013’s Maleficia Lamiah with a nearly perfected new direction in sound. This painstakingly balanced 86-minute vehicle rumbles through dark shoegaze country leaving doom and stoner clichés hatchecked at the all-nite diner in the next county over. GET IT  – Lucas Klaukein (Stoner HiVe, The Sludgelord, You May Be Dead & Dreaming)

7. ROYAL THUNDER – ‘Crooked Doors’
It took three years to come out with their follow-up, and it was well worth the wait. Crooked Doors boils down their sound to a new level of focused intensity, while also progressing. They do not evolve as startlingly as Baroness did with their last double album that explored roots in indie rock, but “Time Machine,” this time the longest track at 7:21, evokes some of the dark melancholy of The Afghan Whigs. Mlny is a total badass, with a powerful voice and some amazing bass tones. However like the Whigs’s Rick McCollum, the secret weapon, the musical engine driving the band is guitarist Josh Weaver. His guitar lines evoke just as much heart smashing soul as Mlny’s vocals. “Forget You” is anchored by the doomiest riffs on the album, but lift it skyward with angelic Fleetwood Mac harmonies dragging Black Sabbath screaming from the void. “The Line” is a particularly explosive highlight with multiple parts that somehow evoke both punishing Jesus Lizard style drumming and Mars Volta prog. “Forgive Me, Karma,” is subtly intricate, maintaining a simmering tension, while “Ear On The Fool” increases the heat with it thunderous crescendo. GET IT – A.S. Van Dorston (Fast n’ Bulbous)

6. ELDER – ‘Lore’
The Massachusetts trio hits us with swirling stoner metal, touched by holy psychedelics and brushed off with some sludge that all seem to shimmer and shine like pure gold. It is progressive and it is fuzz. But perhaps even more importantly, the album is one entire long tension arc that makes you forget all about time and place. Epic!” GET IT – Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

5. UFOMAMMUT – ‘Ecate’
Ecate, or Hecate is the title of the 7th studio record of the legendary Italian psychedelic-doom band. Anyone who has delved into mythologies and ancient religions knows that Hecate is the goddess of magic, theurgy, necromancy, and apparitions. She is the goddess of crossroads, thresholds, and transitions – the guard of the gates between worlds. Not only that, but Hecate even connects the past, present, and future. A more appropriate name could not be offered for this record. Ufomammut connects on this 46-minute record all aspects from the last 16 years of their musical career from Godlike Snake (2000) to the Oro (2012) records.” GET IT – Doombeard (DoomBeardZine)

4. CHURCH – ‘Unanswered Hymns’
Lumbering behemoth riffs inexorably rolling forth, Sacramento California’s Church have got a brilliant debut album on their hands. Slow, low and heavy is the order of the day, reminiscent at times of Windhand with ethereal, reverb-laden vocals and surging, simple yet powerful riffs. Church are very much forging their own way though, weaving lush melody and haunting passages into the three epic tracks that make up the album, clocking in at a total around 45 minutes. They are described as ‘Crushing, Hypnotic, Doom Metal’ on the bandcamp page – I can confirm this to be fact. Battleground Records will be releasing this on 180gram vinyl later in the year, however the riffs that will lay in wait within the grooves of that record weigh many thousands of kilograms.  GET IT – Clint (Hand of Doom Radio)

3. MONOLORD – ‘Vænir’
They climb higher this month even though the competition is fierce. With their second album Vænir, the Swedish trio Monolord continue that doom trek through the meandering psychedelic landscape. Packing multiple punches in their grimy and extremely thick grooves they aim to crush all opposition this time around. With their very own majestic rhythms they stomp on the terra, not aiming to leave an wavering imprint, but to make lasting impression on all that stand before them. And surely one can argue that everyone can pound and destroy with overtones of distortion and bass; but what if we declare that the soundscapes provided by that spaced out guitar are the heaviest of all?  GET IT – Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

2. ACID KING – ‘Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’
“Acid King return with the comeback album of the year. Middle Of Nowhere, Centre of Everywhere sees the band more moodier and focused than ever before. From the opening space rock driven riffs of Intro you know Acid King are here to unleash 10 years worth of heavy Stoner greatness upon us.  Wait until Lori sings. Wow. Majestic as ever. This album is the real deal. Embrace the riffs. Embrace the legend of Acid King before Outro sadly ends this heavy as hell trip.”   GET IT – Steve Howe (The Sludgelord)

1. DOPETHRONE – ‘Hochelaga’
“DOPETHRONE IS BACK! Straight outta Montreal and tearing your speakers a new one, releasing their latest doom-sludge album on Totem Cat Records. This album is a banger that will have you hitting replay more than a couple times.  This is no-bullshit, in your face, gritty, primitive doom and filthy, filthy sludge.  Vincent Houde,  like always, sounds like an evil demon that somehow escaped hell and is just here to drink booze, party and play rock ‘n’ roll.”  GET IT – Frank Heredia (Doomed & Stoned)

Contributors to The May Doom Chart:

A.S. Van Dorston (Fast n’ Bulbous); Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer); Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned); Blasting D (Blasting Days); Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect); Cam Crichton (Motherslug); Clint (Hand of Doom Radio); Doktor420 (Stoner HiVe); Doombeard (DoomBeardZine); Double A Doom (The Sludgelord); Emmit (wonderock.com); Gram Pola (Dirty Denim); Lucas Klaukein (Stoner HiVe, The Sludgelord, You May Be Dead & Dreaming); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Lyk (Phantasmagoria); Mari Knox Knox (Doommabbestia); Melissa (Doomed & Stoned); Mr. Fuzz (More Fuzz); Pat Harrington (The Electric Beard of Doom); Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Skip (Ride With the Devil); Soggy Bob (Soggy Bog of Doom); Steve Howe (The Sludgelord); Steve Miller (Vertical Chamber Apparatus); Steve Woodier (Pull The Legs Off The Spider, Tear The Wings Off The Fly); Tony Maim (Stoner HiVe); Ulla Roschat (Wicked Lady); and Vasilis Durden (All the Heavy Lifting).

This May 2015 edition of The Doom Chart edited by Cam.