“When you hit a groove, it’s not you; it’s the spirit world. The spirits whisper the ideas in your brain and prod you along. They’re the ones that are really happy.”
-Tommy Chong
Another month down, and no sign of slowing down. April brought us the infamous 4/20 and although we didn’t have as big of an enigma as the surprise SLEEP release last year that took the #1 slot, many new heavy stoner/doom albums came out on or around that mark with no shortfall on quality and many of them landed in the top 25 of April totaling over 325 unique albums entering the chart running. With 16 new appearances this month and a couple who were involved with the Psycho Smokeout festival in Southern CA this year for its first annual makes it unavoidable to reference each and every April whether you smoke or not. Check out the top 25 for April. It was easily the tightest race of the year battling back and forth positions in the top 5 and close scores all the way through. What a month!!
Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and album reviewers from the 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. PESTA – FAITH BATHED IN BLOOD
282 POINTS
(Belo Horizonte, Brazil)
Brazilian quintet Pesta walk proudly down the pathways of proto-doom yet do so without falling into the obvious trap of Sabbath worship. There is a keen intelligence to be found amidst the crunching doomic riffage and pounding percussion Pesta serve up over the course of these eight songs and it presents itself not only in the album’s musical execution but also in its clever and thought provoking lyrical content.
~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
24. PYRAMIDAL – PYRAMIDAL / NEW!
285 POINTS
(Alicante, Spain)
To my damaged and abused ears, Pyramidal have produced their most ambitious album yet. Space rock meets kraut rock with a psychedelic prog feel holding it all together. Sometimes this sort of stuff just sounds a mess and forced but man, this band pull it off with a natural feel. Add a howling sax to the mix and you are approaching a pretty perfect sound ….. if you like that sort of thing. And of course you do otherwise you would not be reading this!
~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
23. DRUIDS – MONUMENT / NEW!
294 POINTS
(Des Moines, Iowa)
The five tracks on this record are some of the best I’ve heard since Crawling Through Earth and Flesh by Blunt Horse. Druids seems to be able to capture a Mastodon sound, particularly in the harsher vocals, yet they also share a bit of the same influences as bands like Arcadian Child and King Buffalo; just a bit heavier.
~Tom Hanno (Tom’s Album Reviews)
22. CRYPT TRIP – HAZE COUNTY
297 POINTS
(San Marcos, Texas)
Resonating exploration that echos the music of America in the seventies while staying true to their southern, rural, hard rock style. Although you can see the common denominator throughout the whole album, every one of the nine songs has a life of its own. Haze County gives a new twist to the music a lot of us grew up on and that so many groups have mimicked.
~Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)
21. KOOK – II / NEW!
336 POINTS
(San Jose, California)
One of my benchmarks for a “great album” is this: How many tracks am I skipping by the 10th listen? A resounding ZERO for Kook II. It’s crunchy, moody, and a little trippy, with great dynamics!
~Marcus Greybeard (FuzzHeavy Podcast)
20. MONOCLUSTER – OCEAN
345 POINTS
(Cologne, Germany)
Like waves crashing upon the shore, it can be tranquil at times and violent at others. All the while never losing focus and remaining grounded and captivating. Shifting between the psychedelic headiness of Colour Haze and the pummeling doom-blues of Kyuss, vocals that sound like a more melodic version of Jello Biafra, with lyrics that are thought provoking and deep. Not only is it one of the best records I’ve heard this year, “Ocean” will go down as one of my favorites of all time.
~Adam Walsh (Earmunchies)
19. SMOULDER – TIMES OF OBSCENE EVIL AND WILD DARING / NEW!
360 POINTS
(Toronto, Ontario)
Time Of Obscene And Evil Wild Daring it’s one of the best debut albums of recent times, whit plenty of riffs and swords-and-sorcery stories to delight us all. If you look back at musical history, since the early 80’s only a few bands had manage to create a unique sound from heavy metal and doom metal like Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, Cirith Ungol, Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Altar Of Oblivion and Solstice (to name a few). Bands like Smoulder come to claim the rightful place of epic doom metal within the heavy underground scene.
~Héctor “Mr. Heavyhead” Hurtado (More Fuzz)
18. NO MAN’S VALLEY – OUTSIDE THE DREAM / NEW!
400 POINTS
(Horst, Netherlands)
It’s easy to hear why the new No Man’s Valley has been making waves across the globe. It has this unique and very own universe that displays depth, width and a definite love for all sorts of music. The vibe is different on most tracks, yet the entire album is a unity. Based on the blues rock of yore, the five-piece has delivered a psychedelic masterpiece that would have made The Doors proud. Magical by default!
~Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
17. HAZE MAGE – CHRONICLES/ NEW!
456 POINTS
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Haze Mage are bursting out of April’s dungeon, unleashing upon us their own ”Sword and Sorcery Doom”! They’re grabbing us into some dark and epic journey! The drumming is savage and enthralling, the vocals are powerful and evocative, the bass thunderous and yes, It’s pretty obvious Haze Mage are summoning demons and witches with their riffs and solos. Whether you’re into Stoner/Doom or Classic Heavy Metal, you will find something FOR YOU in these ”Chronicles”!!!
~Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects)
16. MONKEY3 – SPHERE/ NEW!
480 POINTS
(Lausanne, Switzerland)
Sphere opens up a voyage through a Stargate but this isn’t SG-1…This is MONKEY3….Satisfaction Guaranteed!
~Reek of STOOM (Stoner HiVe)
15. HIGH PRIEST – SANCTUM EP
510 POINTS
(Chicago, Illinois)
Sanctum‘s 4 tracks contain a wide array of influences, all of which are an homage to those who came before. Included within are N.W.O.B.H.M vibes, some Glen Danzig in the vocals, a touch of Alice in Chains, a little Maiden, and a doomy overtone that adds the perfect sound to these killer tunes!
~Tom Hanno (Tom’s Album Reviews)
14. LORD VICAR – THE BLACK POWDER/ NEW!
536 POINTS
(Finland)
Finnish wizards of the riff and rhythmic arts return with a new studio experiment transmuting dense metals into pure gold…. The Black Powder is a sonic substance of great value, an essential element to the most high Lord Vicar’s audio alchemy… this magical process yielding the key elixir to life itself: Doom!
~Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant)
13. BIG BUSINESS – THE BEAST YOU ARE / NEW!
602 POINTS
(Los Angeles, California)
A sludge duo with associations with the Melvins are going to mess with peoples preconceptions. Good. This is sludge Jim but not as we know it. Lean, economical riffs with melodic sing-a-long moments, humour mixed with power, light and shade moments giving the heavy passages extra oomph. Most importantly it rocks like a bastard.
~Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)
12. CITIES OF MARS – THE HOROLOGIST/ NEW!
616 POINTS
(Gothenburg, Sweden)
On The Horologist, Cities of Mars have created pulverizing soundscapes of Doom and crawling Stoner panoramas. Bone-breaking riffs served on beds of dystopian dissonance, delicate proggy motifs and deep bass rumbles forge cranial fissures that widen with every track. This is more than the sound of the Heavy Underground – THIS is the sound of Subterranean Cydonia!
~Reek of STOOM (Stoner HiVe)
11. HEY SATAN – ORANGE MOON/ NEW!
770 POINTS
(Lausanne, Switzerland)
Hey Satan are back this time on an expedition to Orange Moon. The hard-rocking riffs are catchy exhausting a plume of stoney fuzz and melodic grit. Hey Satan pulls no punches here as he’s sealed up tight with mega hooks and colossal groove.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
10. WIZZERD – WIZZERD
792 POINTS
(Kalispell, Montana)
A High-Octane, Fuzz-Fuelled, Rompin’ Stompin’ Monster! A brilliant follow-up to 2016’s “Doomchild”
~Reek of STOOM (Stoner HiVe)
Wizzerd‘s stoner/doom juggernaut is back on the road and burning up serious rubber.
~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
9. HIGH REEPER – HIGHER REEPER
816 POINTS
(Wilmington, Delaware)
The debut album from High Reeper was self-titled. This sophomore is called Higher Reeper. And it is Higher! Same riffcentric old school doom metal with unique twin guitar chops. But every thing is better. Which I wouldn’t think possible. Great songs and vocals highlight this incredible album. One of my favorite bands. Check them out!
~‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned)
8. TROLL – LEGEND MASTER / NEW!
900 POINTS
(Portland, Oregon)
Legend Master is an album that musically tips its hat to those grand wizards of the doom genre, like Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus, while still retaining its own unique sonic identity, a conceptual album that speaks of remorse, regret and sorrow against backdrops that are darkly emotive and deeply atmospheric. Troll have, with Legend Master, raised the bar to impossible heights and created something truly epic, a genuine masterpiece of the modern doomic era.
~Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
7. THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY BLUES – TRE
960 POINTS
(Oslo, Norway)
This is a band that draws influences from a multitude of sounds with a measured cadence. The music is a parsimony that doesn’t get tiresome, with a strength that doesn’t quite scratch metal. With some slow tempos that the listener will love, this EP maintains the rawness of Arnt O. Andersen’s voice and haunting songs that seem calm, but always carry a grand force behind them. The magic makes these songs, with the spirit of blues coursing through its veins and the psychedelia always present. A psychotropic tour de force that never delivers bad trips, raw feelings that are never cloying, and a careful execution that puts them at the forefront of some of the most notable bands in this alternative scene. With hits that could be seen as monotonous, but aren’t, and with a voice that is never louder than necessary, Tre never loses its main essence. These attributes that possess an innate form are sure to make Devil and The Almighty Blues one of the greats.
~Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)
6. SKUNK – STRANGE VIBRATION / NEW!
1209 POINTS
(Oakland, California)
The return of Skunk with Strange Vibrations is triumphant, much more diverse than the debut, an album that pulled the southern roots of the band and exploded as a great revelation within the new revival of the 21st century. In Strange Vibrations they found their best sound and a wide repertoire to go through the great names of the seventies, organic sound, fine, elegant and raw. One of the best albums of 2019.
~Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235)
5. MAGIC CIRCLE – DEPARTED SOULS
1965 POINTS
(Boston, Massachusetts)
On the long-awaited third album Departed Souls, Magic Circle delves into psychedelia and prog — there’s even a mellotron and tablas on the trippy ‘A Day Will Dawn Without Nightmares’. Many bands lean toward a more polished, lush production when they mess with progressive elements. However, Magic Circle are made up of hardcore punk veterans who may have started this as a side gig, and remain busy with a wide variety of projects (including recently Sumerlands and Pagan Altar), but it feels that in their heart of hearts, metal is king, and it’s edges remain rough and frayed. While there’s plenty of singers heavily influenced by Ozzy and Robert, few can draw on both Ozzy’s timbre and Plant’s range and power like magic weapon Brendan Radigan. The band are also masters of balancing swing and dynamics with the heavy, case in point the gloriously soulful slow-burner ‘Gone Again’. One of the best albums of the year so far of any genre!
~Tony Van Dorston (Fast n Bulbous)
4. THE WELL – DEATH AND CONSOLATION / NEW!
2044 POINTS
(Austin, Texas)
Death and Consolation is the third long-player from Austin, Texas’ doom trooper three piece The Well, and like Samsara and Pagan Science before it, the album delivers signature ghostly dual vocals from guitarist/vocalist Ian Graham and bassist/vocalist Lisa Alley. Tracks like ‘This Is How The World Ends’ and ‘Sabbah’ evoke the spirit of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Joy Division and Sleep, all while staying fresh and unique in an ever more populated underground scene. The killer vocal harmonies along with the swirling guitar of Graham, the caveman thump of Jason Sullivan on drums and Alley’s ability to hold it all together with a tight bottom end make The Well one of the most exciting bands making psych/doom/stoner music today.
~Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets)
3. GREEN LUNG – WOODLAND RITES
2124 POINTS
(London, UK)
Dryads danced, Satyrs squirmed… Maids made merry as the Wicker burned…. All the while the Green Lung breathed as the woodlands writhed and the mountains heaved… Favorite track: Call of the Coven.
~Reek of STOOM (Stoner HiVe)
What else can I say that hasn’t already be said? Woodland Rites has claimed its right as one of 2019s top contenders in the realm of the heavy underground. The grandiose harmony between the sweeping guitar leads, occultish vocals, sophisticated use of the organ and bluesy squeal of the solos keep you on edge throughout. The groove is melodic, atmosphere crisp and the songwriting landing somewhere between Elder and Uncle Acid.
~Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
2. SHOTGUN SAWYER – BURY THE HATCHET / NEW!
2224 POINTS
(Auburn, California)
The kind of smooth that’s too cool for school, but while we all know school sucked, Shotgun Sawyer could teach us all a thing or two about songwriting. Their second full-length Bury The Hatchet shows the band doing what they do best – taking us on a trip bound for long-distance driving along the back roads of smooth blues-based, heavy rock n’ roll from within a pristine, classically vintage pickup truck that’s chock full of head nodding riffs and sexy rhythms for swaying of hips.
~Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant)
1.CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC – EVIL EYE / NEW!
2250 POINTS
(New York)
Behold your doom and gaze into the Evil Eye, the latest album from instrumental stoner/doom quartet Clouds Taste Satanic! It’s packed full of arcane secrets, sinister twists, and diabolical tones – enough have you writhing on the floor in a fit of madness as hellish visions dance delightedly through your head! As you descend into the underworld prepare to have your soul dissolved in the face of rhythmic riffs, spine-chilling atmospheres, and devilish guitar jams occasionally obscured by a wisp of eerie, psychedelic haze. This one’s wonderfully tense and foreboding – an instant classic!
~Brandon Collins(Super Dank Metal Jams)
Special thanks to the ongoing contributors to the monthly Doom Chart. You folks help give voice to the heavy underground:
Aaron Pickford (The Sludgelord); 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); Bob “Mr. Weird Beard” Baker (More Fuzz Podcast); 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 Beck (Doom Tomb Podcast); 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-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects); 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); Reek of STOOM (Stoner HiVe); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Samir Asfahani (Super Dank Metal Jams); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Miller (Vertical Chamber Apparatus); Steve Rodger (God’s Holy Trousers); Steve Woodier (Shrieks From Below); Svempa Alveving (Into The Void Radio); Tanguy ‘Mr Fuzz’ Dupré (More Fuzz); Tom Hanno (Tom’s Album Reviews); Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe); Tony Van Dorston (Fast n Bulbous)
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 
Doom Charts: Lord Vicar N°14. Clouds taste whatever N°1. (??)
LikeLike
Yes, that is how it came out. It’s Clouds Taste Satanic btw. Thanks for following.
LikeLike