“The future is uncertain but the end is always near.”
― Jim Morrison
The year is halfway over already and the intensity continues to build each month here at the Doom Charts. We are growing our roster, our team, our family, reaching into deeper waters and harvesting a larger cross section of the heavy underground. This month marks the end of the beginning of the year and the beginning of the end. Nearly 300 individual unique albums were voted for this month of which 25 made the final cut, based on frequency and ranking, presented below. Another month splitting the tally between newcomers and repeat acts vowing towards the throne of Doom at #1. Turn out the lights folks.
Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and album reviewers from the doom-stoner-heavy underground around the globe. Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge metal, stoner-psychedelic and heavy 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. CHRCH – LIGHT WILL CONSUME US ALL / NEW!
(Sacramento, CA)
It’s easy to be consumed by this record. The songwriting allows space for the songs to breath while demanding the listener to commit. Light Will Consume Us All sets the album tone with a dark, distant guitar introduction. The feeling of loss weighs upon the listener and brought me to imagine a vessel adrift. Once the band has collectively established it’s presence, the sonic wall becomes a dense ocean of doom. The return trip through the origin theme feels more peaceful and welcoming. We have weathered the storm and now submit ourselves to the next stage.
~Bobby Rayfield (Trendkill Radio)
24. SPACESLUG – EYE THE TIDE / NEW!
(Wrocław, Poland)
Polish doom/stoner metal trio, SPACESLUG, have all the potential to become international metal superstars. Based on the two tracks released before their upcoming third album ‘Eye the Tide’ (“Obsolith” and “Words Like Stone ”), this band may be turning the heads and blowing the minds of many metalheads worldwide in just a short while. The vast roster of influences I hear when listening to the bands collective discography include (of course) BLACK SABBATH, TOOL, KYUSS, ALICE IN CHAINS, JOY DIViSION, CHEVELLE and early U2. I can see this band having a major crossover appeal. They create heavy, dark, astral, moody, haunting and atmospheric songs that just stick in your mind for days…as you you continue to blaze in the haze ha ha.
~Marc C. Pietrek (VITRIOL, INC / A DARK UNITED FRONT)
23. GOZU – EQUILIBRIUM
(Boston, Massachusetts)
On Gozu’s last record Revival really showed their qualities. The ballsy downtuned guitars and rhythm section were a strong combo with the clean vocals. Equilibrium is all about perfecting Gozu’s kickass sound. The songs are better crafted, the transitions within the songs sound smoother and the (back up) vocal lines catchier than ever. Without losing nothing of that heaviness we love about this band.
~Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl)
22. BOSS KELOID – MELTED ON THE INCH
(Wigan, UK)
I don’t know what happened between this album and their last one, but Boss Keloid have taken a serious evolutionary leap forward. I mean, we were crazy about previous records, but ‘Melted on the Inch’ (2018) is absolutely possessed by a mad fever of creative inspiration. From “Chronosiam” on, we’re treated to unexpectedly fresh songcraft, one surprise (the plucky “Tarku Shavel”) after another (the proggy, jazzy-infused “Peykruve“). You never quite know what’s in store for you next, but what you do know is that each Boss Keloid track will be filled with thoughtful touches, whether that means experimenting with complex rhythms, unusual instrumentation or alluring vocal harmonies in this moment or that. Now, if you loved the “old” Boss Keloid this might have you worried, but fear not – Alex Hurst and the boys have not lost even a fraction of the gritty soul that made them so special to begin with. Melted on the Inch is, quite frankly, just the shot in the arm the heavy underground needed to encourage everyone to start pushing beyond their stylistic moorings.
~Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned)
21. KHEMMIS – DESOLATION / NEW!
(Denver, CO)
Apart from the growling vocals at the end, opening track Bloodletting on Khemmis’s third album Desolation could be spun on every alternative radio station and it would turn on almost every freak. And this is how you could spin every one of the six tracks. It is still stoner metal and doom rock with a hardrock take and sludgy moments. But there is much more eighties metal and extremely perfect vocal delivery on this record and it should cater to everyone. Yet, it might also piss a few fans off! Open mind beardos! Open mind! It’s what this underground stuff is all about!
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
20. WITCHSKULL – COVEN’S WILL / NEW!
(Canberra, Australia)
Coven’s Will is relentless & passionate stoner doom. It picks right up where their highly acclaimed first LP left off. The only let down on this album is when it’s over.
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
19. MYSTIC SONS – MYSTIC SONS / NEW!
(Switzerland)
The Swiss Mystic Sons arrive with a S/T debut constructed with fuzzy riffs, syrupy rhythms and bluesy, southern-infused stoner/desert rock! Using a tapestry of chunky, smoldering riffs as their base, the band serves a heaping helping of psyche-tinged rock and roll bluster on their first full-length offering.
~Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant)
18. FIRE DOWN BELOW – HYMN OF THE COSMIC MAN / NEW!
(Ghent, Belgium)
More expansive than the first one, it still holds all those key elements we loved so much from their first one. That stoner trucking, that speedy delivery of riffs and the slow building pummeling of the drummer. Perhaps the biggest difference is the feel of the entire record, this feels like one gigantic beast, an adventure that needs to be explored on a whole. While their debut felt like a kick ass collection of amazing tracks. Slowly, the album takes you along on the quest through that foreign wasteland becoming atmospheric one moment, oppressive the next and gritty and wild the following. Hymn Of The Cosmic Man has everything you need to get you through the day! The week! The month! The year! One hell of a follow-up!”
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
17. ALMS – ACT ONE / NEW!
(Baltimore, Maryland)
The debut from Alms reminds us the Maryland Doom Scene is alive and well. They summon up the root spirit the scene was influenced by; doomy, hard seventies style psych, haunting female vocals add a special layer of charm.
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
16. HAUNTED DAYBURNER / NEW!
(Catania, Italy)
The new Dayburner record continues on where that luscious occult doom self-titled debut released by Haunted in 2016 left off. But then our world shifts and changes and the amount of variation doubles and Haunted doubles down on giving their own spin on everything doom. This album has it all! Sweltering leads, aggressive drums, floating vocals and ominous riffs. But you can switch those words around as well. Cause that’s how impressively varied this album is!
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
15. CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL – SCIENCE FICTION
(Nothingham, UK)
With exception to the comparably higher budgeted Ghost, no group in the occult rock movement has the same scope and spectacle as Church of the Cosmic Skull. Plenty of other bands have the same adherence to bright 70s-style riffing and organ flourishes, but I’ve not seen a band with such elaborate Beatles-esque vocal work since the early days of King’s X or even ELO. Having seven members in the band makes it easy to achieve such a bombastic sound but even without the extra hands, the Church’s second full-length album Science Fiction would still be just as enjoyable.
~Chris Latta (Indy Metal Vault)
14. HIGH PRIESTESS – HIGH PRIESTESS
(Los Angeles, California)
From the City of Angels, High Priestess makes its exultant return to the Doom Charts with its full label debut on Ripple Music, bringing dreamy harmonies, crushing riffs, and pulsating rhythms that are pleasing to the ear. From middle eastern tones, to a twisted lullabye gone wrong, to lysergic sounds that could have been made in the 70s, High Priestess delivers the stoner/doom/psych goods. This release will have the masses worshipping at the altar of High Priestess in due course.
~Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets)
13. ASG – SURVIVE SUNRISE / NEW!
(Wilmington, North Carolina)
Holy smokes! Survive Sunrise may be their heaviest and most aggressive album to date, while still maintaining that signature groove and alluring pop sensibility. The 2LP limited vinyl package is earth shattering to boot. God, I love this band!
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
12. MOS GENERATOR – SHADOWLANDS
(Port Orchard, Washington)
As indicated by the surprisingly menacing album art, Mos Generator has never been as heavy or dark as they are on Shadowlands. Past outings like 2014’s Electric Mountain Majesty have their hard-hitting moments, but it’s hard to think of a time when the Washington band’s approach has sounded this muscular. There’s not even been any shift to all-out metal either; Tony Reed and co.’s love of all things ’70s rock is firmly intact.
~Chris Latta (Indy Metal Vault)
11. DRUG CULT – DRUG CULT
(Australia)
From their commencing riffs that manifested like distant billowing smoke from a desolate sleeping volcano, the force that is Drug Cult is about to send our natural world into complete musical bewilderment. These are some of the thickest and heaviest riffs, fully laced with a female entity who’s vocal charm alleviates and pulls you back to consciousness throughout this 7 track journey. The atmosphere created by this four-piece from Australia is dark, satisfying and may cause intense hallucinations if not properly dosed. Expect Drug Cult’s immensely powerful new strain to reach full bloom by this Summer Solstice and will be made available for mass consumption through Ritual Productions. In the meantime you can build tolerance by previewing tracks on the official Drug Cult site.
~Melissa Spence, (Stoner Witch Radio)
10. DOPETHRONE – TRANSCANADIAN ANGER
(Canada)
The transcanadian locomotive is back and they are more furious than ever. This new album confirms that their fulminating doom / sludge comes more raw and repulsive, their rising and violent step seems not to stop. Power, fierceness, anger, saturated bass lines, rotten guitars with corrosive grooves, sickly percussion and unique vocal screams of these beasts. Beware! Protect yourself, they will be rammed by one of the most beastly albums of 2018.
~Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235)
9. ORANGE GOBLIN – THE WOLF BITES BACK / NEW!
(London, England)
On his 9th album, the English machine returns after 4 years and in great shape. Wolf Bites Back bites from the first minute, a return after 4 years that confirms Orange Goblin as one of the most consistent bands in the last 2 decades. Wolf Bites Back attacks with hard riffs, accelerated and furious rhythm, and a perfect mix of rock, metal and southern blues, just like the wolf on the cover. This is a threatening and ruthless album. The best they have recorded in a long time.
~Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235)
8. SVVAMP – SVVAMP 2 / NEW!
(Sweden)
Incredible retro hard rock that harkens back to 1972. This is the epitome of hard classic rock, as some of these tracks would be legendary if actually recorded in the seventies. A touch of Stoner psychedelia only adds to the appeal.
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
7. KAISER – 1st SOUND
(Helsinki, Finland)
If ever there was a pure defining example of the ‘stoner-doom’ tag, it’s this debut album from Kaiser. The full spectrum is well and truly covered – motoring down the highway at breakneck speed stoner riffage for the first five tracks… then a brief interlude ushers in the slower paced heavy, reaching into Sleep riffing territory with the superb track Earthquake. Otu (guitar/vox) not only riffs like a demon, but sings just as badass. This is a total party starter of an album worthy of any doom chart readers collection. Rrrrrifffs!!
~Clint (Hand of Doom Radio)
6.BEASTMAKER – EP SERIES / NEW!
(Fresno, CA)
Beastmaker dropped an amazing 32 fuzzfilled, doomtinged songs spanning 8 EPs in just 20 days, no easy feat. What makes the accomplishment all the more impressive is band leader Trevor William Church played every instrument and did all the vocals etc. on all 32 doomerific, horror themed tracks. His secret, he’s a workaholic and he writes constantly, it’s a good thing for fans that the caliber of the material is so high, there’s not a clunker to be found among the 8 EPs, which each feature Max Temblay Horror themed cover art and are destined for a vinyl release that will pair the EPs off in sets of two with flip covers and an insert.
The musical sound is consistent through all 32 tracks, b-Horror movie sound clips are peppered throughout the body of work, spicing things up, I think I even recognized Vincent Price’s voice in there. Doom aficionados will eat these EPs up. The downside, Church foresees a period of inactivity after the glut, predicting 2019 before anything more.
~Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets)
5. WITCH MOUNTAIN – WITCH MOUNTAIN / NEW!
(Portland, Oregon)
Witch Mountain’s fifth album may take a couple extra listens to get a feel for, but it does an excellent job of summing up everything that the band has to offer. You’ll find the same slow blues doom that they’ve been peddling since their 2011 comeback but there’s no denying that the singer switch resulted in what may be their most aggressive album so far. Longtime fans need not fear the changes, Witch Mountain has only gotten stronger.
~Chris Latta (Indy Metal Vault)
4. SLEEP – THE SCIENCES
(San Jose, CA)
The Sciences man, ya dig?! It’s heavy as fuck. It’s weird as shit. The lyrics are insanely trippy and subversive. It’s all wrapped up in a Weedian ethos whose dank stench is stronger than ever. This is the album I’ve been waiting for. This is the album I needed. The Sciences is a genre defining album by the band that defined the genre over 20 years ago. They are the gods of the riff and they are stoned immaculate. The riff tree is risen and the Pterodactyl flies again. Fucking Righteous!
~Pat Harrington (Electric Beard Of Doom)
3. SEEDY JEEZUS – POLARIS OBLIQUE / NEW!
(Melbourne, Australia)
You ever read a band’s self pitch of their new album and then when you get it, leaves you flat? Not in the house of Seedy Jeezus. They bring 70’s hard riffing and killer jam’s and some superb Floydian-like lyrics and sound. From the title track ‘Polaris Oblique’ where the Bill Ward like drumming by Mark Sibson and Paul Crick’s seismic bass rule Lex Wattereus’s guitar is beyond belief at times. Burning through a killer duel with Tony Reed on Oh Lord(Part One), the radioactive heaviness of ‘All My Gods Are Stone’ with ‘Earthless’ Isaiah Mitchell. “Dripping From the Eye of the Sun” will have you hitting replay again and again it’s that good. ‘Treading Water’ is an absolute gem, this is the song you will want to desperately hear live.
~Mark Partin (Trendkill Radio)
2. GRAVEYARD – PEACE
(Sweden)
Graveyard gave us a scare when they broke up in 2016, but just a few months later they were back in action with a new drummer. The band is better than ever on their fifth album, even if the songwriting isn’t quite as memorable as on Lights Out (2012). Possibly the most striking song is “Del Manic,” which has Joakim Nilsson reaching down into a lower register. Graveyard has always been more about locking in as an ensemble rather than showing off soloists, and the tensions between restraint and release pays off repeatedly.
~A.S. Van Dorston (Fast n’ Bulbous)
1. YOB – OUR RAW HEART
(Eugene, Oregon)
Our Raw Heart. Yob. What can be said about their new album. Uplifting. Bleak. Reflective. Heartwarming. Challenging. Their most progressive record yet. Carrying on the similar vibes from their last album, Yob channel angry Doom metal sounds with their forward thinking lyrics that leave you questioning reality itself. The entire album channels the whole existence of the band with many familiar sounds but one that gives YOB a more legendary presence and perhaps a more human feel. The music is heavy and violent with the band building upon the historical sounds that they created on previous albums. The album runs for almost 73 minutes but Yob never outstay their welcome. Songs such as Ablaze, In Reverie, Beauty In Falling Leaves and Raw Heart leave you no doubt why they are regarded as one of the world’s best Doom Metal bands. This is Yob at their most aggressive and most passionate. Maybe I’m not the best person to review the new YOB album. However I do fully understand is that YOB IS LOVE and they’ve released the best Doom Metal Album of the year so far. Enough said.
~Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun)
Special thanks to the ongoing contributors to the monthly Doom Chart. You folks help give voice to the heavy underground:
A.S. Van Dorston (Fast n’ Bulbous); Bryan Coffey (Indy Metal Vault); Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer); Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned); Bobby Rayfield (Trendkill Radio); Brandon Collins (Super Dank Metal Jams); Bryan Coffey (Indy Metal Vault); Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect); Clint (Hand of Doom Radio); Chris Latta (Indy Metal Vault); Doktor420 (Stoner HiVe); Doombeard (DoomBeardZine); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); Gram ‘Son of Sam’ Pola (Dirty Denim); Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl); Ken Elliott (Heavy Planet); Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant); Lucas ‘LK Ultra’ Klaukein (Stoner HiVe, You May Be Dead & Dreaming); Jason Roach (Indy Metal Vault); Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio); Joe Eldridge (Shadebeast Records); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Lyk (Phantasmagoria); Magnus Tannergren (Into The Void Radio); Marc C. Pietrek (VITRIOL, INC / A DARK UNITED FRONT); Marcus Greybeard (FuzzHeavy Podcast); Mari Knox Knox (Doomed & Stoned); Mark Partin (Music Geek); Martin Petrov (Rawk’n’Roll); Matt Slighter (Cheeto) (Hwy 420, Core of Destruction Radio) Matthew Thomas (Taste Nation); Matheus Jacques (October Doom); Mathieu Van Der Hert (Dutch European Stoner Rock); Melissa Marie (Doomed & Stoned); Melissa Spence, (Stoner Witch Radio); Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets); Pat Harrington (Electric Beard Of Doom); Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant); ‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned); Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Samir Asfahani (Super Dank Metal Jams); Skip (The Burning Beard); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Miller (Vertical Chamber Apparatus); Steve Woodier (Shrieks From Below); Tanguy ‘Mr Fuzz’ Dupré (More Fuzz); Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe).
Feel free to send in your albums to stonerdoomcharts@gmail.com where they’ll be delegated to the crew above to determine their thoughts and gather the votes at the end of the month.
This June 2018 edition of the Doom Chart was tallied and edited by Bucky Brown.
Doom Charts 
I may have become a bit routine in my check ins with doom charts but when I see two months back to back with the same bands in different ranks I become a bit bummed out. I reached out to a doom chart contributor about a band called “REZN” and felt like they couldn’t be included because of the month it dropped as it was month later. Which means we as DoomCriters are being slighted by epic sh*t due to the frequency things come out….I guess all I’m saying is less chronological and more shred
LikeLike
On average 50% of the albums every month are new albums never on the chart before. As with any chart, its typical for albums to last a while on the “shred” factor. The way it works is we tally up submissions from contributors as what they have been “shredding” and get hundreds of albums every month. REZN has been voted on quite a bit just not to the degree that it scored high enough to make the chart. REZN came in at #161 for the year end review in 2017, which is a great achievement considering how many albums get filtered through on an annual basis. We’re talking thousands of albums. We feel your concern, but as it stands the process is as non-biased as we can get it and the way stands the bands who are fresh on the release circuit just tend to get more votes during those time periods. Thanks for reading man.
LikeLike