Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ain’t that the truth? We here at the Doom Charts hope to shine a light upon the music landscape to help you blaze your own trails of fuzz within the heavy underground. Down here are endless routes leading towards some of the best music off the beaten path. The November Doom Chart had over 300 individual albums submitted from our Doom Council and the final outcome yielded the tightest pattern of scores this year with 14 new entries and 2 tie scores.
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. THE NECROMANCERS – OF BLOOD AND WINE
426 POINTS
(Poitiers, France)
The Necromancers came out of nowhere last year with their excellent debut album Servants Of The Salem Girl full of entertaining stoner/doom tunes. It was a hard release to surpass, but with Of Blood Of Wine these guys from Poitiers, France really nailed it. The songs are well crafted and show some prog-rock tendencies at times. Tracks like Secular Lord and Lust are really dynamic and show that the band have improved their songwriting skills.
~Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl)
24. CONAN – EXISTENTIAL VOID GUARDIAN
427 POINTS
(UK)
While Conan has already cemented their place in the doom / sludge hall of fame, their newly minted fifth album is like a summary or showcase of everything the band does: Pounding, bludgeoning riffs, punctuated by thunderous, ponderous rhythms and otherworldly shouted vocals. It just so happens that Existential Void Guardian showcases those elements in the best form possible. This is a creative peak for the band, one that will seem impossible to follow-up until some new sonic element is introduced.
~Lucas Klaukien (Outlaws of the Sun)
23. ARCADIAN CHILD – SUPERFONICA / NEW!
546 POINTS
(Limassol, Cyprus)
Arcadian Child has quickly become one of my favorite artists. The tapestries of sound they weave, effortlessly, are among the best musical pieces that I have heard all year. New album, Superfonica, finds the band settling into a more mature, focused direction, and creating an album that, to me, is second to none this November. This is great stoner-psych from Roque Wave Records!
~Tom Hanno (Tom’s Album Reviews)
22. THUNDER HORSE – THUNDER HORSE
564 POINTS
(San Antonio, Texas)
These bunch of Texans stomp through 6 songs like the bastard child of Motorhead and Orange Goblin. Clean’ish’ vocals sit on top of a powerful mix of riffs, fuzz, a pounding rhythm section and some meaty solo madness. Thunder Horse take all the elements of the music we love, inject it with some punk attitude and present us with something modern sounding while still worshiping at the altar of all things heavy. This is the good shit.
~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
21. BIRNAM WOOD – WICKED WORLDS / NEW!
576 POINTS
(Boston, Massachusetts)
Shakespearean doom. Macbeth and the three witches all can agree, this should be played at devastating levels once a day… and twice on the Sabbath. Favorite track: Return to Samarkand.
~Adam Walsh (Earmunchies)
20. CRANEIUM – THE NARROW LINE / NEW!
602 POINTS
(Turku, Finland)
Craneium deliver an infectiously thrilling rock ‘n roll record laden with elements of psychedelia, desert rock, and much more. Immense grooves drive this music while a simmering commercial appeal flows from its contents… Finland’s Craneium once again prove themselves to be one of the underground’s best.
~Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant)
19. ALL THEM WITCHES – ATW
618 POINTS
(Nashville, TN)
One of the most important bands in the realm of current rock music return with yet another incredible leap of redefining proportions. Always ones to further their sonic spell of genre-melding magic and aural wizardry, All Them Witches cast an album that’s impossible to resist and only a fool would rebuke.
~Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant)
18. SPACELORD – INDECIPHER / NEW!
770 POINTS
(Buffalo, New York)
Blues rock with a southern twang, groovy, wild and dangerous like a stoner truck that’s about to hit a curve at full speed! But they pull out, and gun it straight up into the sky where they continue to surf the cosmic waves while dancing to seventies riffs and hard rock fills. This is some straight up classic stuff! Spacelord’s new album Indecipher has everything to become just as legendary as those albums from the riff Gods of yore.
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
17. KING BUFFALO – LONGING TO BE THE MOUNTAIN
847 POINTS
(Rochester, New York)
For starters: Longing To Be The Mountain is one of the best album titles and already offers an insight to what is to come. In tune with nature the new King Buffalo record takes you through the wide expanse and above the big wide divide. This is sleeping the dream kind of stuff! This is introspective and stellar at the same exact moment. It reminds of that line from a long lost poem: ‘all my life, my heart has sought for a thing I cannot name’. And with this album we can state: it has been found…
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
16. ALASTOR – SLAVE TO THE GRAVE
TIE!! 880 POINTS
(Sweden)
There’s an ice cool, languid, retro doom vibe throughout Slave to the Grave, the new offering from Alastor. Hellacopters kinda vox with Sabbathian riffs is a comparative point of reference, however Alastor very much have their own thing going on. Building upon the momentum from their 2017 releases Black Magic and Blood on Satans Claw, this album is a very worthy entry into the Doom Charts.
~Clint Willis (Hand of Doom Radio)
15. UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS – WASTELAND
TIE!! 880 POINTS
(Cambridge, England)
In an overwhelmed sub-genre as doom metal, with all the “revivalist” and sweet-nostalgic heavy rock acts and compounding numbers of superfans, a fifth album from a band who’s been sticking to its recognizable style and sound from the beginning, might be an easy one to neglect.
Alas, the thrill is not gone! It takes a few spins for the sentiment to build up. Especially if you’ve been on the Deadbeats’ boat since I’ll Cut You Down. The latest album release was a bit of a surprise and it didn’t take much more from the first news about it and the actual release from Rise Above Records. Shorter in length than its predecessors, Wasteland is all about melodic guitars and classic vocal harmonies, maintaining the emblematic VHS-rendered audio snippets and synth chillers. Diverse, raw, and complete, these English men have abandoned the mysticism about their image, for whatever reason. Just play it louder, if it resists to fit in, it is worth it!
~Martin Petrov (Rawk’n’Roll)
14. DISRULE – SLEEP IN YOUR HONOUR / NEW!
896 POINTS
(Denmark)
Danish band Disrule is a swaggering swaying and swinging two tons of rock and roll fuzz punch machine. They’re not afraid to drag you through the mud while they’re at it. Excellent song writing that makes me want to run around the room, jump in my car, drive fast into the sunset…then launch into outer space and morph into a space mushroom and melts back into the atmosphere becoming acid rain.
~Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills)
13. WE HUNT BUFFALO – HEAD SMASHED IN
1064 POINTS
(Vancouver, British Columbia)
We Hunt Buffalo have managed to lay down the foundation for their very own sound in the space of eight years. You can count on these cats to deliver a steady current and heavy barrage, full of masterful riffs and intense hooks. Accompanied by grand choruses and wicked lyrics. On the new Head Smashed In they continue this triumphal march and become even more progressive at times and even more emotional. For all the loud bursts and wild atmosphere, We Hunt Buffalo is, without a doubt, delicate and precise. And with every listening session, with every moment of bliss Head Smashed In keeps opening up to your heart more and more.
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
12. DOMKRAFT – FLOOD
1107 POINTS
(Stockholm, Sweden)
Domkraft harness the power of the riff and points it like a sharp arrow straight into your heart and ears. With a unique sound these swedes have managed to develop a whole sonic universe for unlike anything else I have heard this year. Flood is a big step forward for the band adding more psychedelia, atmosphere, bigger dynamics and with a vision for the music that is clearly visible in the music. Amazing!
~Magnus Tannergren (Into The Void Radio)
11. PALE DIVINE – PALE DIVINE / NEW!
1112 POINTS
(Glen Mills, PA)
Six years have passed since “Painted Windows Black”. Now Pale Divine returns with a high class album of traditional, heavy doom. Just a very few bands reach this level of perfection. It’s simple but effective musical structure and in an extremely neat vocal execution by Greg Diener, one of the best voices in the genre. A dream comeback that exceeds many expectations, along with “Excalibur” by Iron Void are, maybe, the best traditional doom album of the year.
~Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235)
10. FULL TONE GENERATOR – VALLEY OF THE UNIVERSE / NEW!
1170 POINTS
(Melbourne, Australia)
Baby, I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time. God damn is this one hell of a good timing album. Simple catchy riffs and mega fuzz-laden groove make Valley Of the Universe an album that longtime Kyuss fans have been waiting for adding a little something extra from just another Bjork solo album. In fact this sounds like a cross between Brant solo and Garcia solo oddly enough.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
9. GREENLEAF – HEAR THE RIVERS / NEW!
1224 POINTS
(Borlänge, Sweden)
It seems, in the stoner scene, there are no doubts about who Greenleaf are, and what are the capable to offer. A characteristic and personal sound, easily identifiable, whose quality left doubts little room. Their reputation gets more and more reinforced each album they release. This occasion wouldn’t be an exception. Ten song imprinted with their personal stamp. Here you have a band born out the stoner cavern that has been refining their sound without the cliches we see in many of the bands of this scene. Hard Rock with Blues genes in a dirty sound. They are the rawness that want to offer you calm moments and that always have another brilliant riff. If there is something to define GREENLEAF is their ability to avoid being just another band and they prove it in HEAR THE RIVERS. Songs rooted in the Blues-Rock without forgiving psychotropic moments with an effective and thoughtful arrangement.
~Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz);
8. HUATA – LUX INITIATRIX TERRAE / NEW!
1332 POINTS
(Rennes, France)
Huata and their newest offering, Lux Initiatrix Terrae, have gifted us with 7 tracks of heavy doom riffs, wonderful clean vocals, and the heaviness of Thor’s mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Only the instrumental interludes are short, as the other 5 tracks all clear the ten minute mark; but that time flies by as Huata takes the listener on a sonic journey that just needs to be heard by one and all. Great album!!!
~Tom Hanno (Tom’s Album Reviews)
7. SAMAVAYO – VATAN / NEW!
1826 POINTS
(Berlin, Germany)
Imagine the progressive crunch of TOOL mixed with the fuzzy groove of say Truckfighters or Gozu and you have yourself a Samavayo sound. These guys have once again destroyed all expectations with an extremely melodic output of heavy rock and metal.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
6. WINDHAND – ETERNAL RETURN
1870 POINTS
(Richmond, Virginia)
As expected, Eternal Return is a superb comeback from Windhand. Each album reaches surprising levels, instrumentally perfect, and with a touch of 90’s heavy rock. The work done by Jack Endino adds all of his knowledge from the grunge era making it slightly less obscure and a bit more sweet but still maintaining the heaviness that characterizes this quartet from Richmond. This record is a good approach for people that maybe didn’t get much into the previous work, but still has the magic that the previous albums have.
~Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235)
5. CAPTAIN CARAVAN – SHUN THE SUN / NEW!
TIE!! 2208 POINTS
(Egersund, Norway)
“Crunch”, such a strange word on its own but when applied to the sound a guitar makes, when all its strings are attacked at once, then the word kind of comes into its own. There is a ton of “crunch” to be found on Captain Caravan’s “Shun the Sun” and it is that old fashioned “crunch” that used to grace the albums by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Montrose and UFO. This is what Captain Caravan are all about, the band blending an “old school” hard/classic rock vibe with that of a more “new school” stoner/desert flavouring and weaving the two dynamics into a sound that combines the best of both.
~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
4. FOGHOUND – AWAKEN TO DESTROY / NEW!
TIE!! 2208 POINTS
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Foghound play heavy rock’n’roll which draws heavily on Stoner Rock. This four piece are a walking rhythm machine – everything sounds super tight and together but never loses the rawness that makes this album hurtle along so well. Song compositions are short and sharp with riffs that stick in the head and make you wanna join in with the chorus. The ten tracks flow really well and the groove (not a dirty word as far as I am concerned) make you want to put the album on again as soon as it ends.
~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
3. RIFFLORD – 7 CREMATION GROUND/MEDITATION / NEW!
2244 POINTS
(Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Ever listen to an album for the first time and the just sort of sit there, dazed with eyes wide and subconsciously shaking your head as you directly ask your speakers “what the fuck just happened?” No? Well, you’ve been a goddamned deprived music listener, man, It happens to me maybe four times a year. ‘7 Cremation Ground / Meditation made it my number five for 2018.
~Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant)
2. WASTED THEORY – WARLORDS OF THE NEW ELECTRIC
2275 POINTS
(Delaware….. I mean Delaware)
Delaware weedians WASTED THEORY’s fourth release, Warlords of the New Electric [2018 ARGONAUTA RECORDS], is a very well-written, well-produced relentlessly pile-driving, fuzzed-out psychedelic offering. This four-piece has a “get in the left lane and hammer down” mentality that is undeniable, shifting gears at the just the right times and making it truly fun to listen to. Underneath the hard partying persona that the band projects is a unit that you can easily tell puts in the time and effort into their craft. I am thinking that band practice is probably something these guys genuinely look forward to because they are fucking tight!. Bastard County, Heavy Bite, Weed Creature and Rawhide Hellride are particular standouts on this album. And how can you ever go wrong with an album title like Warlords of the New Electric?! If you ask me, I think they should change the band’s moniker to that ha ha!! For my money, it is one of the best stoner rock albums of the year so far and there sure as hell been a lot of them.
~Marc C. Pietrek (VITRIOL, INC / A DARK UNITED FRONT)
1. HOLY GROVE – HOLY GROVE II / NEW!
3330 POINTS
(Portland, Oregon)
You rarely encounter bands that possesses the raw power and soul of rock’n’roll. And it’s even more rare to find a band that can harness that power and create great art. Holy Grove has from the beginning shown that they had the potential to become a great band. But little did we know that this band from Portland would evolve into this. This is the raw and naked power of rock held in total control and this album is a journey that will take you beyond any border of heavy music you can imagine. And Andrea Vidal is soaring high above us all with a voice that even the gods of rock will envy.
~Magnus Tannergren (Into The Void Radio)
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); Rob Blasko (VolumeForever.com); 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); Geoff Leapord (Atom Heart Mutha); Gram ‘Son of Sam’ Pola (Dirty Denim); Héctor “Mr. Heavyhead” Hurtado (More Fuzz); Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl); Jamey Morris (Fistfull of DOOM); Jason Roach (Indy Metal Vault); Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); Joe Eldridge (Shadebeast Records); John Gist, (Vegas Rock Revolution); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Ken Elliott (Heavy Planet); Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant);Lucas Klaukien (Outlaws of the Sun); 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 Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); 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); Tom Hanno (Tom’s Album Reviews);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. Leave us comments below and let us know what you think about the Charts.
Doom Charts 
Absolutely nothing wrong with Ripple Music, and I do not know how many releases are sent to you each month, but i do have the feeling it is getting a ripple music chart.
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Thank you for following the charts and for your comment Remco, we try our best to keep the charts as non-bias as possible with every contributor sending their lists in individually with no pressure and as organically as possible. We can assure you the charts are generated purely on math done by excel spreadsheet counting number of iterations and rankings. We have on average 300 or so different albums voted on each month. Hope that clears any questions you have up. There is nothing in it for us other than the joy of music and sharing the good word on bands the group has in common.
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