“Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people” -Prince

Not sure what’s going on in the world right now, but with the lack of consistency in our day to day lives, we sure are kicking ass in the heavy underground. There seems to be a continuity of killer vibes coming within our music community. June brings our biggest month to date in terms of contributor engagement, competitive edge, and new albums domination. The top 8 albums all scoring in the triple digits each barely edging out the next. Music continues to find a way to keep us positive in a time where negativity is trying its best to take us down. High praise to the riff, and all hail the community we’ve amassed. The Doom Charts are here to stay!!

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…

30. WITCHSKULL – A DRIFTWOOD CROSS

29. KANAWHA – THE SKY WAS THE FIRST TO FALL

28. DESERT STORM – OMENS

27. FOOT – THE BALANCE OF NATURE SHIFTED

26. ELEPHANTUS – ELEPHANTUS

25. THOU – BLESSINGS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER / NEW!
(Sludge, Doom, Hardcore, Punk, Grunge)
 240 POINTS
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Based in Baton Rouge (Louisiana) the sludge-metal warriors THOU have long been an influential and indispensable force in the underground metal scene and their fondness for NIRVANA is no secret. The surprising release of “Blessings Of The Highest Order”, with a huge collection of 16 Nirvana cover songs, is therefore somehow quite natural and also an unexpected, fantastic blessing in which Kurt Cobain would revel with great certainty!

Perfectly fusing the iconic grunge-sound of Nirvana with the typically crushing and uncompromising “Thou’s-touch.” Straight sludge, hell beating guitars and rough, aggressive vocals give the songs a whole new twist! From destructive hopelessness to apocalyptic annihilation – it’s a stunning creation of an atmosphere that sounds forceful, delusional and downright evil! … the only „drawback“ here: this album is so far only available in digital form! – damn it!!!
~MEL LIE

24. BUFFALO FUZZ – VOLUME II
(Blues, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Pscyh)
240 POINTS
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)

The groovy fuzz is trampled with the purest vocal grit this side of the Minneapolis riots. Not only do the riffs scuff the bar room floor with intense hook, but they mop it up with thick rhythm and blues. R.I.P. Jake you would be proud of what your mate Jared has done since your passing. This album is on fire.
~BUCKY BROWN

 

23. GEEZER – GROOVY
(Heavy Blues, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock)
294 POINTS
(Kingston, New York)

If ever an album title and artwork encapsulated the ethos of a band then it’s Groovy by Geezer. Their signature heavy, trippy, blues infused sound emanates from every groove on this record and this power trio from New York have also seemingly found their spiritual home at Heavy Psych Sounds Records. To help lift us out of these globally gloomy times Geezer invite us all to embark on a cosmic journey of groovy enlightenment. Can you dig it?
~BOB BAKER

22. ORGÖNE – MOS/FET/ NEW!
(Hard Rock, Heavy Psych, Progressive, Avant Garde, Stoner)
300 POINTS
(Rennes, France)

French Avantgarde outfit ORGÖNE weave a complex, intriguing blend of Psychedelia, Krautrock and Spaced – out jams that are dizzyingly accomplished, impeccably executed and uncompromising – AOTY contender for me!
~REEK OF STOOM

21. LUCIFER’S CHILDREN – DEVIL WORSHIP
(Metal, Doom, Stoner)
301 POINTS
(Asunción, Paraguay)

A promising debut by the Paraguayan band. A deep and dark doom inspired by the great figures of Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General, Candlemass and Coven, all perfectly executed with a vocal cloak that covers the slow and heavy riffs with mystery.
~ROBERTO FUENTES

20. OHHMS – CLOSE / NEW!
(Doom, Rock, Post-Metal, Hardcore)
306 POINTS
(Kent, UK)

UK noise merchants OHHMS continue to defy genre and classification. “Close” is a body of work that encompasses the spectrum of Post-Hardcore, Sludge and Psychedelia in a grimacing, menacing and intoxicating 30 minutes of intense metal!
~REEK OF STOOM

19. POWER PLANT – CARGO / NEW!
(Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Space Metal, Doom)
342 POINTS
(Szczecin, Poland)

Power Plant from Szczecin, Poland is back with Cargo: 45 minutes of cosmic, heavy, and psych riffs. One of the main achievements of this album is the structure of the songs: always start with slow times, quiet like the sea or space itself; but during the journey in our boat the riffs start to scale and finally explode in a big storm of fuzz and heaviness. The album is dynamic since the beginning will caught you and never let go from there. Cargo finds an epic balance between Fuzz, Heaviness, and Psychedelia.
~ROMAN TAMAYO

18. VITSKÄR SÜDEN – VITSKAR SUDEN
(Cosmic Horror, Psych Rock, Stoner, Space Rock)
348 POINTS
(Los Angeles, CA)

VITSKÄR SÜDEN smart and brood through the gamut of Heavy Psych on their full-length debut. From the subdued Americana of ‘Painted Faces’ through the Dr. Phibes’ twistedness of ‘Trickle of the Snail’ to the heaving behemoth collapse of ‘Heathens’, this is a display of power and peyote-fueled excellence!
~REEK OF STOOM

17. BLACK RAINBOWS – COSMIC RITUAL SUPERTRIP
(Hard Rock, Stoner, Heavy Psych)
414 POINTS
(Roma, Italy)

And on day 33 and a third the god of thunder said let there be fuzz and so it was. From the ashes of many bands of yesteryear comes the fuzz-a-delic stylings of the heavy metal ritual known as Black Rainbows. Offering you weary listener twelve tracks of sonic mayhem born of low-end thunder and fiery riffs.
~JAMEY MORRIS

16. CUARZO – VOL 2 / NEW!
(Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Doom, Sludge)
560 POINTS
(Lima Region, Peru)

Let Cuarzo’s sophomore album take you on a white knuckle ride. You’ll shoot the fuzzy rapids and negotiate the eddies of swirling heavy psych, all the while marveling at the seismic proportions of the canyon of doom that engulfs you throughout this mind blowing trip.
~BOB BAKER

15. RRRAGS – HIGH PROTEIN / NEW!
(Hard Rock, Funk, Heavy Blues, Stoner Rock)
621 POINTS
(Antwerp, Belgium)

Close your eyes, press play and crank the volume. Ready your mind for a musical journey. You’ve been propelled back in time, right to the early 70’s. RRRags offers us a really tasty dose of classic psychedelic rock dusted with a bit of funk! Rob Martin’s vocals reminds me a bit of James Dewar (Robin Trower band) by moment. HIGH PROTEIN is a rich album that breathes. An album filled with energy and passion that is vibrant and pure!!! For fans of: Grand Funk Railroad, Budgie, Pink Floyd.
~MARC-ERIC GAGNON

14. GRAVE DISGRACE – REST IN PEACE / NEW!
(Doom, Fuzz, Metal, Hard Rock, Psych)
630 POINTS
(Russian Federation)

Grave Disgrace play “doom” the way it was played in the beginning, plodding dense grooves dripping with atmosphere, meloncholy and menace that evoke in the listener visions of mist cloaked churchyards and cowled figures stooped over bllood stained altar tables, a Hammer horror movie/Dennis Wheatley novel set to a gothic tinted soundtrack of dank, dark magnificence.
~FRAZER JONES

13. TIA CARRERA – TRIED AND TRUE / NEW!
(Hard Rock, Stoner, Blues, Heavy Psych)
752 POINTS
(Austin, Texas)

Beyond the myths and the legends, Tia Carrera are back and they’re taking us to a real psychedelic El Dorado! Let yourself be overwhelmed by these cosmic rhythms and these groovy riffs bathed in uni-vibe. Beware of the searing solos; they’ll consume your soul. These psychedelic conquistadors will chew your mind and spit it across the multiverse. Tried and True is in my book one of the most powerful album of 2020; a true catharsis!!!
~MARC-ERIC GAGNON

12. RED MESA – THE PATH TO THE DEATHLESS / NEW!
(Heavy Metal, Doom, Stoner Rock, Desert Rock)
819 POINTS
(Albuquerque, New Mexico)

The Path to the Deathless is not just another groovy desert rock album. On this monster they are clearly in their own comfort zone, leaning in with some Kyuss, The Obsessed, and QOTSA DNA, the songs utilize lush violin, steel pedal guitar, and mirror the dark and desolate feeling this world brings at times. Guesting in are WINO on Disharmonious Unlife and Dave Sherman Desert Moon bring on some heavy vocals and killer guitars. You really want this album in you collection.
~MARK PARTIN

11. HAMMADA – ATMOS / NEW!
(Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Metal)
820 POINTS
(Freiberg, Germany)

Vintage tones on sandy rhythms with high doses of lysergic fuzz and a raw voice that takes us decades ago. An effective collage in which monolithic stoner-doom riffs with a terrifying bass sound is combined between heavy-psych effluvia with a result that takes us away from monotony. A monumental album, full of an appealing epic that manages to absorb the listener between its grooves. Fleeing from monotony, each song has something to offer us, always undulating, raw and heavy, but also delicate and surprising
~ROBERTO LUCAS

10. PALE DIVINE – CONSEQUENCE OF TIME / NEW!
(Doom, Heavy Metal, Progressive, Stoner)
847 POINTS
(West Chester, Pennsylvania)

Pale Divine started all the way back in 1995. And ever since that time, their sound has traveled even further towards the start of hard rock and metal. The new release Consequence of Time gives us a languid and a syrupy approach to seventies rock. High on fuzz the eight tracks wash over you like veneer, slow, creeping and smothering. With dual vocals and an ominous undercurrent the consequence of the new record is that it adds so much to what Pale Divine was, is and will be.
~JOOP KONRAAD

9. LÁGOON – FATHER OF DEATH / NEW!
(Doom, Garage, Punk, Stoner Rock, Grunge)
855 POINTS
(Portland, Oregon)

These guys just keep getting better. This time adding a third member (Ignacio in bass) really gives it that hard hitting edge and next level volume. That bass is as gnarly as hell and the wicked combination of punk and doom make LaGoon a force to be reckoned with.
~BUCKY BROWN

8. MOTHERS OF THE LAND – HUNTING GROUNDS / NEW!
(Progressive, Rock, Heavy Psychedelic, Doom)
1032 POINTS
(Vienna, Austria)

Creating captivating and exciting work, dragging you on their sound waves and taking you on the journey alongside them through their surreal world. A journey in which his floating guitars ignore the word to tell their stories, but managing to practice an agile and attractive oratory, full of virtuosity and sensitivity. An album brimming with adrenaline but also dopamine, in which its epic instrumental passages are adorned with multiple ornaments to create a framework of great beauty in songs woven on a solid rhythmic base and with its two guitarists lavishing technique and sensitivity. Vintage rock with a lot of psychedelia, and achieved progressive atmospheres but with a heavy-rock soul with a lot of weight in each song.
~ROBERTO LUCAS

7. HUANASTONE – THIRD STONE FROM THE SUN / NEW!
(Hard Rock, Grunge, Desert, Stoner)
1989 POINTS
(Malmö, Sweden)

These guys sure have come a long way since their self titled EP recorded in an abandoned house in the woods in 2016. Third Stone From The Sun is very well written, tones are silky, vocals are spot on. This really is a great album that will stand up as one of the best this year. Album has a clear path and these guys know where they’re going. Everything fits and flows beautifully.
~JAY MORGAN

6. KRYPTOGRAF – KRYPTOGRAF
(Retro Blues, Proto-Metal, Doom, Hard Rock)
2128 POINTS
(Bergen, Norway)

Kryptograf arrives on the scene like a big slap in the face. A big WoW!!!
The album opens with a sleazy proto-metal occult hymn. At this moment, I’m already hooked! Track by track the album offers us jewels and gems. The vocals are split among 3 different band members providing individually different sonic shades but always staying homogeneous at the same time. This doomy progressive album will drag you through the end of the 60’s up to the middle of the 70’S Psychedelic Hard Rock era. Dive In!!!
FFO: Pentagram, Budgie, Black Sabbath, Uncle Acid, Witchcraft, Graveyard.
~MARC-ERIC GAGNON

5. WINO – FOREVER GONE / NEW!
(Retro Blues, Proto-Metal, Doom, Hard Rock)
2175 POINTS
(Maryland)

Forever Gone – the new album from Wino out now on Ripple Music – proves that Wino is far from “gone”. If anything he is more present than ever. Not many artists can both bring together and transcend genres including blues, Americana, metal and punk with such grace and effortless mastery. Wino and his music are as real as it gets. Listen and understand.
~DUNCAN EVANS

4. HAIL THE VOID – HAIL THE VOID / NEW!
(Doom, Psychedelic, Stoner, Metal)
2672 POINTS
(Victoria, British Columbia)

Hail the Void was able to cut through most of this month’s nonsense with their debut album. As the hyper fuzz is kicked into high gear, the sounds are similar to early Life of Agony and COC. These Victoria, BCers hit the crash with full force on this full length. You won’t be disappointed with the time invested. Crank it up to 11 and take a trip into the void with Hail the Void.
~ROBERT PANNELL

3. CURSE THE SON – EXCRUCIATION / NEW!
(Doom, Stoner, Heavy Metal)
2877 POINTS
(Hamden,CT)

Formed in 2008, this Hamden, CT based heavy doom laden Stoner power trio drops their 4th album, “Excruciation” on us. It’s fore-ordination already determined as one of this years top releases. Opening with an Iron Claw / Black Sabbath like heavy tune, “Suicide by Drummer” defines what this doom riffing-train is bringing. They are amazingly resilient with this release. Ron Vanacore and Brandon Keefe have shifted the weight of their great tunes to a much loved balance of the almighty heavy riff and their dark hymns. Robert Ives 1st record with the band, brings his kit and solid, solid drumming. “Novembre”and “Worry Garden” are worth the price of admission alone.
~MARK PARTIN

2. BUTTERFLY – DOORWAYS OF TIME / NEW!
(Proto-Metal, Hard Rock, Retro, Stoner)
3332 POINTS
(Melbourne, Australia)

An instant thumbs up for the debut album from Melbourne band Butterfly. Tough as nails retro riffing, and very cool late 70’s hard rock style vox, and it sounds goddamn genuine. This has so many sincere tips of the hat to that old school heavy metal, with heavy helpings of early Kiss and AC/DC. If you’re looking for an album to get the good times rolling, this is it!
~CLINT WILLIS

1. BONEHAWK – IRON MOUNTAIN / NEW!
(Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Stoner, Classic Rock)
4000 POINTS
(Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Iron Mountain is an amazing listening experience front to back. It’s got killer vocals, heavy drums and loud guitars! It’s packed with excellent dynamics and beautiful rhythms. This is an album where I find it hard to point out a favorite song because they are all excellent!  This is one of the albums that could be a contender of the best album of the year when it’s time to summarize the year. If your a fan of Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash I urge you to buy this masterpiece.
~SVEMPA ALVEVING

June Spotify Playlist:

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); Andy Benson (Nerve Salad); Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer); Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned); Bob “Mr. Weird Beard” Baker (More Fuzz Podcast); Bobby Rayfield (Trendkill Radio); Brandon Collins(Super Dank Metal Jams); Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect);  Clint Willis (Hand of Doom Radio); Chris Beck (Doom Tomb Podcast); Chris Latta (Ghost Cult Magazine);  Duncan Evans (Alternative Control); Eric Varasiftsky (Stoner Rock Army); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist);  Geoff Leapord (Atom Heart Mutha); Graur Zaur (Crypt Guard); Héctor “Mr. Heavyhead” Hurtado (More Fuzz); Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl,Orange Maze); Jamey Morris (Fistful of DOOM); Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); John Gist, (Vegas Rock Revolution); Jonny Pirie (Hour of the Riff); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Ken Elliott (Heavy Planet);  Kyle Twadelle (Stoner HiVe); Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant); Magnus Tannergren (Into The Void Radio); Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects); Marc C. Pietrek (VITRIOL, INC / A DARK UNITED FRONT); Mark Partin (The Ripple Effect); Matt Slighter (Cheeto) (Hwy 420, Core of Destruction Radio) Matthew Thomas (Taste Nation); Mathieu Van Der Hert (Dutch European Stoner Rock);  Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes); Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes); Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets);  Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (Riff Relevant);  ‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned); Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner Hive); Remi (Remi VL); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235); Robert Pannell (Doom Loom); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Roman Tamayo (Doomed & Stoned); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun);  Shasta Beast (Stoner Hive); 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); Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz); Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe); Tony Van Dorston (Fast n Bulbous); Wombat Tarantino (Wombat Cult)

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.