“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.”
― Hunter S. Thompson
Someone asked online the other day about the state of new music and whether or not the coming years could sustain the quality and volume we are witnessing. That questions has been asked about every single year I could remember since I’ve been involved in the heavy underground. Each year we are pummeled with release after release, each one seeming to out do the last and every year thinking there is no way it can top that. Well here we are again, August has past and we are struggling to keep up with the amount of killer albums being released and losing our shit over our favorites throughout the year. Here at the charts we had another 300 album month from a total of 29 lists sent in by contributors. We added some new contributors as well who included Héctor Hurtado representing More Fuzz as well as Adam Walsh who may have slowed down on his blog submissions on Ear Munchies but has managed to stay on the cutting edge of taste in this here heavy underground scene (see credits at bottom for links). Please welcome the newbies and check yourself before this chart wrecks yourself! 12 debut appearances and 13 holding strong in the top 25.
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. RED SUN ATACAMA – LICANCABUR
336 POINTS
(Paris, France)
With grooves inspired by the likes of Kyuss and Fu Manchu and songs that have a Latin theme running through them you might expect Red Sun Atacama to hail from either the California desert or somewhere like Chile or maybe Peru, but you would be wrong on both counts. Red Sun Atacama were birthed from the urban streets of Paris, France but that hasn’t stopped them from creating one of the desert rock hits of the summer. “Licancabur” is an enthralling tome, full to brimming over with caustic riffage, lysergic experimentation and funky desert rhythms all topped off with punk(ish) and aggressive vocal colouring, that is a blast from start to finish.
~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
24. ALMS – ACT ONE
378 POINTS
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Impeccable groove, smooth driving riffs, and pristine yet doom laden vocal melodies. This reminds me of Ruby the Hatchet and that’s high praise in my book.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
23. WITCHSKULL – COVEN’S WILL
380 POINTS
(Canberra, Australia)
Witchskull crushed the charts back in June and somehow missed the boat last month. Have no fear though the witchy Aussies are back again and more driven than ever.
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)
22. ORANGE GOBLIN – THE WOLF BITES BACK
405 POINTS
(London, England)
On their 9th album, the English machine returns after 4 years and in great shape. Wolf Bites Back bites from the first minute confirming 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)
21. SAHARA – II / NEW!
420 POINTS
(Paraná, Argentina)
Like a gem crystallizing out of hell, Argentina’s Sahara have delivered their second genus of heavy doom. This record has everything you need as this trio have taken ample provisions to lay down a solid collection of lawless, blackhearted rock ’n’ roll. There’s a distinctively different vocal style from their previous offering, and I ain’t mad! ‘Artificial Minds’ is a masterpiece straight from the void with heavy everything, ‘Starship’ is fueled with seventies-worship doom while ’20’ and ‘CCR’ are a glimpse of the paradigm all this doom stuff is born of. ‘The Sky (From Hell)’ is my favorite thanks to the melodic vocals and charming song structure, buy maybe it’s the trilogy ‘The Gem’, a tale of a weed soaked journey through time and planetary things that will allure you into Sahara’s archaic approach to doom.
~Melissa Spence (Stoner Witch Radio)
20. GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST – CHAPTER II: OF EARTH
462 POINTS
(San Diego, California)
Chapter II sees a steady growth of facial chop not only physically but sonically as the southern CA beach boys launch their riff wagon deep into the outer playa of the atmosphere where heavy metal grows on trees and rhythm is carved by shards of beer cans fueled by the stench of shotgun foam. OF EARTH continues on the journey of the party riff complete with mucho drum solos and Viking level vocal progression led by next level guitar thrashery.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
19. BLACK ELEPHANT – COSMIC BLUES
474 POINTS
(Savona, Italy)
Black Elephants aptly titled “Cosmic Blues” advertises its intentions up front and delivers right from the opening eastern lick. You know straight away you are in for a psychedelic, magic carpet ride of the first order. What you also quickly realize is these guys have the riffs. The heavy, dropped off the end of a cliff, acme riffs that desert dogs chasing roadrunners like us drool over. The riffs you are always chasing. That Sabbath high you imprinted on your brain when you first experienced that magical Mary Jane infused moment worshipping at the Sabbath altar.
This is it.
~Gram ‘Son of Sam’ Pola (Dirty Denim)
18. RIVERS OF GORE – RIVERS OF GORE / NEW!
486 POINTS
(Mexico)
Rivers of Gore self-titled debut brings the heaviest of heavy, hardest of hard sludgy stoner rock music from Mexico City. 3 Earthless-length tracks giving birth to searing Riff after Riff and darkness that comes upon you with punishing percussion, growling bass and heavy rock guitar that just grows and grows. Much of the spirit of Rivers Of Gore’s album comes from conspiracy theories inspired by Clutch.
~Mark Partin (The Ripple Effect)
17. LUCIFER – LUCIFER II
492 POINTS
(Berlin, Germany)
Oh man, as many of you may have seen some live footage from Psycho Las Vegas on the Doom Charts facebook page, Lucifer absolutely was the surprise of the weekend for me. The band was on point, the drumming blew my mind, the guitars ripped, and of course Johanna stole the show with her witchy wailing ways. Definitely converted me to a full blown fan.
From the crypt of doom emerges Lucifer transformed into a bonafide rock band cut out of the bedrock from the plains where Blue Oyster Cult, early Scorpions and other great heavy rock bands have roamed through out history. Johanna Sadonis has teamed up with Nicke Andresson (Hellacopters, Entombed) to create a monumental rock album that breads fire and heavy riffs. No it’s not retro. It is just brilliant heavy rock music. Lucifer is your master.
~Magnus Tannergren (Into The Void Radio)
16. SON OF THE MORNING – SON OF THE MORNING / NEW!
534 POINTS
(“Netherworld”, Iowa)
Son of the Morning certainly know a thing or two about deep, fuzzy groove. Combine that with ethereal vocal melody, chugging riffs, dark occult themes and modern doom sensibilities and you pretty much have it. Check this one out, you may be surprised, just as I was.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
15. BACKWOODS PAYBACK – FUTURE SLUM / NEW!
540 POINTS
(West Chester, Pennsylvania)
The new Backwoods Payback album ‘Future Slum’ slips the mind toward nostalgia, yet hurls you blissfully forward in its modernized heavyweight angst. Wrapped up in no sense of nonsense, ‘Future Slum’ is genuine smiles through trails of gasoline tears. Pure fire.
~ Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant)
14. JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS – HYMNS
545 POINTS
(Bendigo, Australia)
Do yourself a favor and give this sonic masterpiece a good listen. Right from the onset this album has a gritty feel like a Tarantino movie. It’s a journey into psyche and sound. This is the soundtrack to the end of the world. Put it on, crank it up, watch the world burn.
~Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio)
13. SEEDY JEEZUS – POLARIS OBLIQUE
756 POINTS
(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)
12. SPACESLUG – EYE THE TIDE
658 POINTS
(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)
11. HAUNT – BURST INTO FLAME / NEW!
738 POINTS
(Fresno, California)
You will Burst into flame while listen to Haunt’s first full length. They made an amazingly traditional heavy metal album for a stoner generation. Reminds me of Angel Witch from 38 years ago and current powerhouse Bus.
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
10. ROUGH SPELLS – MODERN KICKS FOR THE SOLITARY WITCH / NEW!
742 POINTS
(Toronto, Ontario)
This album is very special. It’s modern kicks for a solitary witch . Even if your not a solitary witch there’s plenty here for you . Riffs galore with unique hooks and melodies. Powerful vocals highlight this Stoner/Metal Masterpiece.
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
9. FIRE DOWN BELOW – HYMN OF THE COSMIC MAN
812 POINTS
(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)
8. KINGNOMAD – THE GREAT NOTHING
864 POINTS
(Sweden)
The Great Nothing is the second album from Sweden’s Kingnomad. A 42 minute trip from the inner workings of your mind to the outer reaches of the universe. Opening with some Beach Boys-esque harmonies the tone is set for your upcoming flight. A journey of emotions, cautiousness, enthusiasm…you’re constantly propelled forward through space and time. There’s also foreboding and mystery. The vocals are soothing and always comforting. You never have to worry Kingnomad is always in control. Sweet production that serves the music perfectly. Progressive rocking that is a pleasure to listen to and never a chore. There’s Jazzy rock elements that are soothing and dreamy, you just along with. Kick back in the back and let Kingnomad do the interstellar driving.
~Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills)
7. TEMPELHEKS – MIDNIGHT MIRROR / NEW!
1125 POINTS
(Oslo, Norway)
Tempelheks debut the charts but only slightly. They were featured in our Friday Freebie a few weeks back and turns out that turned some heads over here at the Doom Charts and drummed up some attention for good reason. Debuting at #7.
The lines between rock and doom often crossover without any hesitation but sometimes they blend so seamlessly. Midnight Mirror is a very interesting concoction of 70’s Occult Rock, Progressive, and Doom all mixed into one giant cauldron of bad-assery. The vocal melodies are poetic and heavily remind me of something that you would hear if Witchcraft and Reverend Bizarre joined forces. If that excites you then give these guys a shot, because this is one of the most original albums released this year.
~Jason Roach (Indy Metal Vault)
6. SPACETRUCKER – SMOOTH ORBIT / NEW!
1152 POINTS
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Breaker! Breaker! 1-9… this is “Spacetrucker” comin’ at you, got your ears on? Do you have beaver fever for stoner rock and a penchant for great riffs and memorable songs? “Smooth Orbit” is what should be rotating. An expedition you’ll want to take over and over. I’ve had these tunes stuck in my head since the first spin. From the high beams to the back door there isn’t a mud-duck anywhere to be heard.. Eighty thousand pounds of gristle and grunge in a pile of rock. It’s spectacular! 10-4 good buddy? Over and out…
~Adam Walsh (Earmunchies)
5. DEMONAUTA – TEMAUKEL, THE SPIRIT BEFORE TIME / NEW!
1360 POINTS
(Santiago, Chile)
It seems that they release just a few days ago their previous album “Tierra del Fuego” that went into the best albums of 2016. Now they comeback with an album as exciting and as hard. The best fuzz rock of the Andes. Unique and emotional passages of heavy psych. Highly recommended!!
~Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235)
4. SAINT KARLOFF – ALL HEED THE BLACK GOD
1390 POINTS
(Oslo, Norway)
Down tuned Vitus grooves but more catchy. A bit like early Pentagram, but more plugged into a modern trend of catchy songwriting without being poppy or commercial. Gnarly yet chock full of melodies!
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
3. 1968 – BALLADS OF THE GODLESS
1397 POINTS
(Cheshire, UK)
1968 arrive to show 2018 what heavy rock is all about with the molten riff-powered “Ballads Of The Godless”..striking songs constructed with nuances of blues, psychedelia and metallic elements that deliver a full tilt boogie on this magnificent rock record
~Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant)
2. BRIMSTONE COVEN – WHAT WAS AND WHAT SHALL BE
3107 POINTS
(Wheeling, West Virginia)
Brimstone Coven: I was fairly concerned for Brimstone Coven’s future when they decided to continue as a trio after lead vocalist Big John Williams’s departure. The West Virginia band’s sweeping vocal harmonies made them a standout in the occult rock scene, and the other guys do have smooth voices, but could the rest of the snake retain the charisma without its head? Fortunately, a headless snake has become a hydra. Bassist Andrew D’Cagna proved to be a talented frontman in his own right with Ironflame’s 2017 debut and shares that spark with guitarist/co-vocalist Corey Roth on What Was and What Shall Be.
~Chris Latta (Indy Metal Vault)
1. FORMING THE VOID – RIFT
5760 POINTS
(Lafayette, Louisiana)
Forming the Void absolutely dominated the charts this month with 18 votes on 29 lists, many high on the individual rankings. Moving up from the #9 spot last month prior to the album release, its clear the fans and critics hear something special, and seeing them live in Vegas plus meeting and hanging out with the dudes its clear they are on the right path.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Rift ends up being the best-known album of Forming the Void’s career. The revamped dynamic results in the group’s most accessible songwriting and their musicianship retains the power that made Relicso enjoyable. I do wish they had squeezed “To the Wolves” or another similarly direct chugger in here, but that’s hardly a deal-breaker. The band is getting bigger every day and it doesn’t look like the momentum will be stopping anytime soon.
~Chris Latta (Indy Metal Vault)
Special thanks to the ongoing contributors to the monthly Doom Chart. You folks help give voice to the heavy underground:
Adam Walsh (Earmunchies); 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 Willis (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); Héctor “Mr. Heavyhead” Hurtado (More Fuzz); 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); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); 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 (The Ripple Effect); 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 August 2018 edition of the Doom Chart was tallied and edited by Bucky Brown.
Doom Charts 
Sorry, but I gotta write another review for Rough Spells. They are neither stoner nor metal. They are a masterpiece.
Doom dancing right of the womb, bringing 70s occult arena rock riffs to witches and warlocks on every astral plane like Heart fronted by Stevie Nicks. Witch ‘n roll.
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Hell ya man, that is rad. A truly magnificent album.
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