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…
Let’s cut right to the chase this edition and hand it out to the fine folks behind the scenes listening their asses off in an attempt to either spread the gospel of the heavy underground, satisfy the craving of a real life addiction, bankrupting their households, or just coming together for a communion of a love for doom, stoner, sludge and heavy psychedelics. I think its a combination of all the above. Here we present the hot and heavy month of August! A scorching month of new releases and perhaps record month since the debut of the charts for NEW additions to the charts. All but about 6 repeat entries make their debut this month!
25. TRANSCENDENT SEA – BALLADS OF DROWNING MEN / NEW!
Released July 28, 2016 / Doom, Fuzz, Rock, Space, Psych, Stoner / Sydney, Australia
Superb hard stoner grooves from the land of funnel web spiders, salt water crocs and huge jumping mice! Highly recommend the usual BC stoner crew check this Full review here …..
~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
24. DEMONAUTA – TIERRA DEL FUEGO / NEW!
Released June 27, 2016 / Heavy ass Fuzz, Stoner Rock, Psych / Doom / Santiago, Chile
Architects of fuzz Demonauta, have always been a band to admire but they have excelled themselves with their fourth release “Tierra del Fuego”. Dripping with fuzz and distortion and underpinned with thundering rhythms, offset with surprisingly mellow and harmonious vocals, the album serves up seven songs of the most face melting South American stoner rock and heavy psych your likely to hear this year. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
23. WO FAT – Midnight Cometh
Released May 20, 2016 / Blues, Stoner / USA
Swampedelic Rockers – Wo Fat return with their sixth album – Midnight Cometh. It sees Wo Fat return to their earlier blues rock based sounds though the heavy doomy psych stoner metal vibes from past albums are still present. With the guys now signed to Ripple Music from Small Stone Records, it’s good to see they haven’t lost their appetite for all things psychedelic….
….Midnight Cometh is perhaps their heaviest, most far-out and doomiest album to date. Believe the hype, Wo Fat have created a MONSTER ~ Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun)
22. BUS – THE UNKNOWN SECRETARY
Released March 10, 2016 / Heavy Metal, Proto-Doom / Greece
Landing at #22 the big bad BUS come hot off the caboose of the album debut vinyl release via Twin Earth Records (Storenvy)
Bus rides onto the doom scene , with a retro sound that blends the roots of power metal with the roots of doom. This could easily be a tribute to the first Angel Witch album from 1980 which is considered a legendary early doom classic . This album is full of energy and emotion and demands repeated listens ~ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
21. MESSA – BELFRY
Released May 6, 2016 / Ambient, Doom, Metal, Drone, Industrial, Occult / Italy
Spaghetti western doom is a term not often used to describe a band, in fact I just made it up right now. But that’s what you get with Messa. Their first foray into the popular conscious, ‘Belfry‘ is a sprawling hour long affair that moves like a spectral wraith across the badlands at dawn. It’s female fronted doom from Italy with a western twinge in places, or at least that’s what I hear. It’s all-new, all-different and it’s excellent. Picture Clint Eastwood as the Man With No Name pitted against John Carpenter’s The Thing and you’ll begin to understand what’s going on here. ~ LK Ultra (Paranoid Hitsophrenic)
20. MOS GENERATOR – ABYSSINIA / NEW!
Released July 15, 2016 / Hard Rock, Metal, Progressive, Psych, Stoner / Listenable Records
…From the slower grooves of opening song “Strangest Times” you know there’s no mistaking that Mos Generator sound for it is one of burgeoning substance. There’s something new at every turn, always an audible twist that intertwines itself within the huge guitar tones and those tones take on a very metallic bent on the second song “You’ve Got A Right“. Soon enough things have escalated into a chunky, blues-fueled swing but the real highlight of the track is the rhythmic drumming as its hypnotic cadence constantly propels everything forward…. ~Dragon (Metal Nexus)
19. POSSESSOR – DEAD BY DAWN / NEW!
These guys do not fuck around with meandering intros or acoustic beginnings – plug in, turn up, fuzz boxes set to kill, hey ho, let’s fucking go. This is unstoppable stuff on display. High On Fire heaviness mixed with an almost Discharge menace and drive just ticks all the boxes for me. Vocals are nicely buried in the mix with distortion and a dry edge that gives the gritty feeling needed. Riffs are of course served up with a side order of pounding drums and low end bass to envelop the listener in a total immersion of the vibes being produced. There is a raw/live feeling to the production that does not distract, in fact, it adds to the “in your face” mood that pervades this great album. ~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
Released July 17, 2016 / Doom, Metal, Progressive, Psych, Stoner / UK
18. BLUES FUNERAL – THE SEARCH / NEW!
Released July 30, 2016 / Doom, Metal, Progressive, Psych, Stoner / Houston, TX
Blues Funeral obviously went all out to make ‘The Search sound as authentically 70’s as they could, but on hearing the final mix, even they must have pissed themselves
laughing in wonderment at how much they have succeeded.~Steve Woodier (Shrieks From Below)
17. SLOW SEASON – Westing
Released July 15, 2016 / Stoner, Blues, Psych, Hardrock, Psychedelic / US
Sliding down a few slots from their #8 position in July ‘Westing’ grips itself in the middle of the pack at #15 this month.
Slow Season is known to be from the temple of Led Zeppelin worship. Their first two albums are a fine example of some of the best 70’s hard rock that Led Zeppelin never got a chance to write. Westing sees the band writing what one would consider their IV album but it’s so much more. Although not long epic songs, Westing contains a bit more laid back jams while still retaining that short and simple rock that they’re known for. In a nutshell, you need to listen to this album. ~ Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer)
16. INDICA BLUES – RUINS ON THE SHORE / NEW!
Released March 7, 2016 / Doom, Desert, Fuzz, Rock, Psych, Stoner / UK
The new Ruins On The Shore EP by British quartet Indica Blues has suddenly picked up speed and garnered loads of attention in the past weeks and justly so! Starting with a slower, doomy approach on the first track, passionate guitar colors and powerful riffs, it turns even heavier and huge on the second song. And that build-up to bigger and better keeps on going. Full of intense riffage and masterful grooves the four tracks immediately captivate and hold you hostage. Drifting on that last bit of wreckage that survived the storm, you waft along looking for that distant shore. This is thirty minutes of brilliantly executed heavy doom without ever becoming too doomy. Never going the evil or vintage route, instead, they opt for colossal massiveness. Never speeding up or slowing down, they make lumbering through the wasted landscapes their main goal and do this expertly. And with that Indica Blues turn into an example for all those bands out there who want to try their hand at one hypnotic speed as well… Because these guys are one of the few who know how to do it right!” ~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
15. THE JUDGE – THE JUDGE / NEW!
Released July 22, 2016 / Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Retro, Stoner / Ripple Music
When I first heard this j had to make sure I didn’t stumble upon some time travel vortex and go back to the 70’s. This is some of the best hard rock you’ll hear on this side of that timeline. ~Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer)
Eagle eared listeners with a knowledge of 70’s classic/hard rock (myself included) could have a field day picking through the nine songs that make up “The Judge“, pointing out a stolen lick here an obvious influence there but the best way to take in this album is to just sit back and take the whole package for what it is…a damn fine album of damn fine rock music. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
14. FOGHOUND – THE WORLD UNSEEN / NEW!
Released July 8, 2016 / Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Retro, Stoner / Ripple Music
The World Unseen is a the perfect combination of Classic Rock, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal and good old fashioned Hard Rock. The album opens up with the heavy anthemic rhythms of Above The Wake and it’s a song that sets the mood for the next 42 minutes or so. Hazy guitars and confident vocals with Foghound creating a damn fine powerful album. Shades of 70s classic hard rock spliced with a meaner modern day based Doom/Stoner metal sound. ~Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun)
13. STONE ANIMALS – STONE ANIMALS / NEW!
Released July 9, 2016 / Doom, Metal, Fuzz, Psychedelic / San Antonio, TX
The “Lone Star State” is a big place so you would expect the music coming from there to be a reflection of that hugeness and the gnarly heavy stoner doom supplied by Texan “cowboys of groove” Stone Animals does not disappoint. Heavy, in the old sense of the word, and with more swing than Big Ben’s pendulum the band jam a groove that is seductively familiar but at the same time refreshingly new. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
12. VOKONIS – OLDE ONE ASCENDING
Released May 25, 2016 / Rock, Doom, Stoner, Psych, Metal / Sweden
Sweden. One of those chosen countries. And definitely when it comes to all the heavy stuff we all love so dearly. The list of amazing bands coming from that country is simply endless, and new ones pop up every day. Some of which ofcourse stem from outfits that stopped for whatever reason at the time. One of them is Vokonis, comprised out of members from Creedsmen Arise and Ginger Trees. A power trio in every sense of that word. Powerful. Heavy. Doom. Stoner. Metal. All of it applies to a maximum and all of them fall short in telling the real story of Vokonis. For that you will have to experience the full force of the six amazing tracks on their debut effort called Olde One Ascending. They dipped deep into the pool of Iommi and drank heavily of everything Sabbath and Sleep while clashing their cups which are filled to the brim with majestic riffs and exalted repetition with fellow countrymen Monolord. Like the laugh of a man sentenced to death, their trucking sends shivers down your spine. And even though all the tracks have that hazy stoner doom edge, they all have a very own atmosphere and identity. And they are all of such a high level and transcending nature one can only expect Vokonis to rise and reach even greater heights then what was expected or the Creedsmen. Yes, that Ozium Records label knows where the truly good stuff can be found. Yes, Olde One Ascending is solid, roadworthy and amazing. Smoky tunes for gnarly beards drowning in pints of lager. We love it! ~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
11. BOUDAIN – WAY OF THE HOOF / NEW!
Released April 20, 2016 / Heavy Rock, Stoner, Sludge, Blues / Monroe, LA
Hey, “Uncle” Jerry Guizar Jr. (bandcamp icon) as I like to call him, says he had to buy for the downtuned cover of Godzilla. I cannot disagree with that logic. You also cannot disagree with most everything the dude grabs on bandcamp. Boudain is no exception.
It’s like Fu Manchu meets Grizzly Adams! Thick, burly bearded rawk n roll with bluesy psych flourishes aplenty. ~Bucky Brown (Ripple Music)
10. RE-STONED – REPTILES RETURN / NEW!
Released July 28, 2016 / Instrumental, Heavy Psychedelic, Stoner, Rock / Russia
Russia’s Re-stoned re-turn with a mix of old and new tunes, re-mixed, re- recorded and utterly re-markable soundscapes that criss-cross across genres like tire marks on an old dirt road. Funky and experimental sit side by side with gnarly and rocking, on a breath-taking journey of musical excellence. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
9. OAK – Oak II
Released June 26, 2016 / Rock, Progressive, Doom, Stoner, Desert, Fuzz / UK
Dropping just one spot safely in at #8 with have Oak!
About seven months ago we were treated to the debut four-track by London quartet Oak. A fine ride that was full of grit, testosterone and wild ideas. That EP definitely hinted at a tree in its infancy. One that needed to grow and bear fruit before we would truly be able to appreciate it in all its glory. Well, the brethren have now released a new four-track and it is, without a doubt, a grander one than their debut. On the EP simply titled II, the desert still shines through on occasion, but only so it could deliver the heat and the vistas on tracks like Against The Rain and A Bridge Too Far. For the opening and closing part they move into growling biker and stoner, almost well, sludgy territory. Or perhaps not, cause opener Mirage definitely still shimmers like that grand band from the desert that started it all. And closer Smoke feels like an entirely different bookend, a slower heavy groove that lumbers through a landscape filled with intense guitar work and fuzzy riffs. All four tracks are a completely different and marvelous heavy animal. And heavy is as heavy does and Oak does everything exactly right!” ~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
8. LACERTILIA – WE’RE ALREADY INSIDE YOUR MIND / NEW!
Released July 29, 2016 / Doom, Rock, Psychedelic, Stoner, Blues / UK
Psychedelic Stoner with a punk attitude? For me, a perfect combination. Think Monster Magnet crossed with The 13th Floor Elevators but with dark untested experimental drugs being drip fed into the band members. Sonic barriers are broken as these guys set off on their own trip, hurtling through space and time in a broken down space-ship, surfing cosmic rays as guitar riffs and solos are launched into unstoppable riffs and tunes. Heavy and loud with plenty of head nodding , Lancertilia have monster songs that make me wanna drive fast and break things. ~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
7. HORSEBURNER – DEAD SEEDS, BARREN SOIL / NEW!
Released July 8, 2016 / Hard Rock, Progressive, Sludge, Stoner, Metal / West Virginia
Do we have a new sheriff in Album of the Year Town? ~Bucky Brown (Ripple Music)
‘David’ is a Goliath ~Rhett Huebshmann (Cool Hard Rock Revolutioner)
What do you get when you mix Thin Lizzy harmonized guitar breaks with Mastodon like riffage and Baroness type vocals? ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
6. TURNIP – WINDOW KILLER / NEW!
Released June 27, 2016 / Rock, Southern, Heavy Blues, Stoner / San Antonio, TX
The Evil Engineer nailed it with this find. It’s got a little bit of everything from heavy psychedelic swampy blues, to foot stomping southern country rock n roll. Has its vocals firmly ‘Plant’ed in the Zeppelin school of swoonage. Killer compositions with an evocative Americana meets Texas stoner-rawk atmosphere. ~Bucky Brown (Ripple Music)
5. HOWLING GIANT – BLACK HOLE SPACE WIZARD / NEW!
Releases August 12, 2016 / Hard Rock, Doom, Psychedelic, Stoner, Punk/ Nashville, TN
Howling Giant put the country music capital on the map with their new EP. Its’ killer Anti-Country musical content is space-y psychedelia that fuels this heavy ship’s trek across the expanse of the Rock-o-sphere…Rocketing across the interstellar airways on a stellar path of massive grooves, ones fueled by the thrust of the ever-powerful riff and its incendiary combustion, Howling Giant make themselves heard throughout the cosmos on these four out-of-this-world tracks. ~Dragon (Metal Nexus)
4. MOUNTAIN DUST – NINE YEARS / NEW!
Released July 15, 2016 / Hard Rock, Heavy Blues, Psychedelic, Stoner / Montreal, Québec
Mountain Dust clouds the air with craggy blues swirling with evocative groove while it’s surly vocal chops darken the ozone with plumes of wicked riffage. Demented solos, beefy distortion and spooky harmonic undercurrents give Nine Years a superb debut album rating! ~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
Is it too early to end the year and name this a top release of 2016? This is seriously some great rock and roll. It has a bit of a heavy psych vibe to it sure to please just about anyone that lays their ears on it.~ Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer)
3. STONE WITCH – ORDER OF THE GOAT / NEW!
Released July 13, 2016 / Hard Rock, Occult, Doom, Stoner / Phoenix, AZ
Four wizards dwelling deep within the desert of Arizona come together to create a magical mix of old and new in the form of fivel ass-kicking musical spells. ~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
Low tuned bass meets high output fuzz in a well orchestrated take on occult driven blues. Order of the Goat comes in hot on riffs and heavy in doomy groove ~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
Whoa man ! This reminds me of Clan , or Bang gone stoner. Quite excellent retro vibes with some modern element ~ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
2. SALEM’S POT – PRONOUNCE THIS! / NEW!
Fuzz drenches everything with it’s sonic embrace, making these distorted jams epic anthems which are dedicated to the higher beings who dwell in the Church of Riffs. These voodoo sex mantras have huge outbursts of slow, thick-toned solos running through them with hex like properties making it impossible not to nod out to them.This is their first full length release and unlike the EPs that stuck to massive length tracks of 15 to 20 minutes they have managed to stick to about the 8/9 min mark! This has allowed more variety and a greater chance to get your groove on. Take a dark, slow, sleazy trip into the minds of Salem’s Pot -but beware – this cult will be very hard to escape from – and would you want to? ~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
Released July 22, 2016 / RidingEasy Records Doom, Hard Rock, Stoner / Sweden
1. DUNMUIR – DUNSMUIR / NEW!
Released June 26, 2016 / Rock, Progressive, Doom, Stoner, Desert, Fuzz / UK
Blowing everyones minds and practically coming out of nowhere straight into the #1 slot this month comes the supergroup Dunsmuir. Just ask The Evil Engineer. It’s hard to deny the sweet riffs, and sultry vocals of Neil Fallon.
It’s like The Company Band x100. Some of the best hard rock/70’s metal wrapped up into one sonic package. Great foot stomping and neck bobbing catchy songs all around. Neil Fallon’s lyrics shine on this one, but then again, when do they ever not? ~ Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer)
Thanks again to everybody who contributed to the August 2016 Doom Chart list, these folks help give voice to the underground, so support them by checking out their respective sites:
A.S. Van Dorston (Fast n’ Bulbous); Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned); Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer); Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect); Clint (Hand of Doom Radio); ‘Doktor420’ (Stoner HiVe); Doombeard (DoomBeardZine); Dragon (Metal Nexus); Gram Pola, Son of Sam (Dirty Denim); Pat Harrington (Electric Beard Of Doom); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); Lucas Klaukein – ‘LK Ultra’ (Stoner HiVe, You May Be Dead & Dreaming); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Lyk (Phantasmagoria); Mari Knox Knox (Doommabbestia); Martin Petrov (Rawk’n’Roll – the ‘pass-me-that-bottle’ webzine); Melissa (Doomed & Stoned); MeteorJadd (The Ripple Effect); Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Skip (The Burning Beard); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Miller (Vertical Chamber Apparatus); Steve Woodier (Shrieks From Below); Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe); Tanguy Dupré – “Mr Fuzz” (More Fuzz).
This August 2016 edition of The Doom Chart was edited by Bucky Brown.
Doom Charts 
Hey! I love the site. A “friend” on SoulSeek sent me here. Now, it is a monthly homecoming. Thank you for all the work you all put in. Ps: the link for Re-Stoned album sends browser to Looking Glass bandcamp (which is by no means a terrible thing!)
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