“Life is funny. If you don’t laugh, you’re in trouble.“

~ Taylor Hawkins

Another rock ‘n roll legend gone. And if there’s ever a dude about which you can say, he was one of the good guys; it’s Mr Hawkins. May he rest in peace. Life is funny; it usually is. But sometimes the joke is too cruel, the punchline too awkward or the pain much too real. So, before we get in trouble, we better start laughing about something and we better start listening to some heavy music! Cause there is always solace in that!

Only two albums have carried over from the February 2022 edition of the Doom Charts. Even though we’re all still spinning the shit out of KRYPTOGRAF, SLEEPWULF, FOSTERMOTHER and all those others. But the fact that there are so many new albums once again featured in the new March Doom Charts; is once again a testament to the immense amount of amazing records released every month. Cause the total amount of albums by bands that received votes this month reaches 261. Insane. 261 albums that according to the ones that voted for it deserved a spot on this month’s Doom Charts. No April Fool this time. Not the band or a joke, just a whole lot of heavy rock!

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and 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. CHILDREN OF THE SÜN – ROOTS / NEW!

29. DOPE DEFAULT – DIVISION / NEW!

28. NAXATRAS – IV

27. MARIJANNAH – MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY GIANTLANDS / NEW!

26. DI’AUL – ABRACAMACABRA / NEW!

25. AYE MAMMOTH – ETERNAL / NEW!
(Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Metal)
(Tennessee, USA)
1130 Points

This bad boy checks all the boxes any good hard rocking Stoner/Doom album should, but it goes above that. Alongside the chugging guitars, it has groove and melody. The guitar leads are as superb as the riffs and noticeably good bass lines. The backing vocals are the cherry on top, a nice added ingredient that really fills out the rich tunes.
~ Andy Kovalcik

24. COSMIC DEBRIS – COSMIC DEBRIS / NEW!
(Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Metal)
(Leiden, Netherlands)
1206 Points

Can you hear it? Can you feel it? COSMIC DEBRIS has come crashing down hard and is shaking the earth! And with their self-titled debut, the band is throwing us in a rocket and taking us all into space! The album starts off as a high-speed rush through the stars fueled by stoner rock and interplanetary energy, but eventually settles into more of a slow, celestial, psychedelic groove! COSMIC DEBRIS is going to take you all over the galaxy – starting with a scorching race along the surface of the sun and eventually drifting out into the cold abyss of empty space! Don’t think too hard about where you’ll end up and just enjoy the ride!
~ Brandon Collins

23. CHIVO – OUROBOROS / NEW!
(Stoner, Rock, Alternative)
(Euskadi, Spain)
1248 Points

CHIVO are a band that evokes the pioneers of stoner and desert rock with blinding and raw songs. In ‘OUROBOROS‘, their new work, they do it again without any complexes. Anyone who has followed the band knows that their thing is to build direct songs, without subtlety. Monolithic riffs as a tool to reach the listener on the fast track, without shortcuts. In Spain we say that ‘the goat pulls the mountain’, and CHIVO (goat breeding in Spanish) continue to feed on their particular milk, which is none other than the output of desert cacti. With it, they manage to impregnate their battle-hardened songs with fuzz.
~ Roberto Lucas

22. PURPLE DAWN – PEACE & DOOM SESSION VOL. II / NEW!
(Rock, Doom, Stoner, Psych)
(Cologne, Germany)
1320 Points

The blurb on the PURPLE DAWN‘s Bandcamp page bears the legends “worship the riff” and “praise Iommi” and although we agree with both statements the latter might suggest, to some, that the grooves they will be hearing on “Peace & Doom Session Vol.II” will be of a Sabbath-esque nature, this is not the case. Black Sabbath may have been one of the influences in shaping this German trio’s sound but it is not the overriding one, the bands sound is formed from amalgamation of all their influences from both the past and the present.
~ Frazer Jones

21. RED EYE – THE CYCLE / NEW!
(Doom, Metal, Rock, Stoner)
(Andalusia – Spain)
1568 Points

What a pleasure to discover this concept album! I listened to it from start to finish, reading the full story printed in the booklet. Musically, it’s real doom metal, dark, pachydermic and immersive. RED EYE artists are authentic creators who dare to take risks and are able to take you far away. The success is total. If I dare to make a comparison, I felt the same emotions as when listening to CAVERN DEEP’s first album.
~ Thierry ‘Red Pumpkin-T’ FRANCOIS

20. BURN THE SUN – LE ROI SOLEIL / NEW!
(Metal, Alternative, Prog, Noise, Punk, Psych, Stoner)
(Athens, Greece)
1572 Points

With mastering from none other than Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, Voivod, Fates Warning), the anxiously awaited first formal full length from Greece’s BURN THE SUN is a scorching inferno of Stoner Rock with lava hot outpourings of Alternative and Noise Rock. Cool elements of heady Acid Jazz are found offset with a more aggro Punk attitude and it all makes for a molten slab of pure pyrometallurgy set in a most musical blaze. Fans of everything from Helmet, Tool or Quicksand to Chevelle and Black Water Rising will find something within “The Sun King” to ignite them.
~ Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker

19. CHARLEY NO FACE – ELEVEN THOUSAND VOLTS
(Metal, Doom, Punk, Noise, Stoner)
(Portland, Oregon, USA)
1616 Points

CHARLIE NO-FACE (Ray Robinson), aka the Green Man, was an American man who was badly disfigured in an electrical accident. If he went out in public, it would create panic, so he went for long walks in the dark of night. Stories of his appearance then eventually morphed into urban legend. CHARLIE NO-FACE , the four piece doom/psych/fuzz rock band from Portland, Oregon, have taken the perfect name. Their first album, The Green Man, was a perfect homage back to that tall tale. On their sophomore release, Eleven Thousand Volts, they have added a second vocalist, Carina Hartley, that adds to their creepy, atmospheric, and dark sound. Think of them as that spooky faceless entity creeping through the night: bringing fear and uncertainty with their fuzzy dark riffs and haunting vocals. This album is just as good, if not better than their fantastic debut from last year. Hopefully they will become a type of urban legend themselves.
~ Andy Kovalcik

18. GREYBORN – LEECHES / NEW!
(Rock, Stoner, Desert, Metal, Psych)
(Limoges, France)
1672 Points

GREYBORN are exceptional students of the disco-rock desert grooves popularised by QOTSA, and their debut EP is a brilliant addition to the genre. “Leeches” consists of 5 songs, with great sound production and intelligent song-writing full of hooks. Theo’s voice sounds better and better with every listen. In all, if there is justice left in the world, their EP will be snatched for a vinyl release before the ink of this blurb is dry. Hands down, one the best EPs of the year!
~ Ioannis Valiakos

17. CROWBAR – ZERO AND BELOW / NEW!
(Metal, Doom, Sludge, Hardcore)
(New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
1746 Points

There’s only one CROWBAR. Those furious, bone-crushing riffs, sad songs, and screaming vocals are simply unmatchable. Unless your name is Kirk Windstein and you just feel like doing something similar but in a different band. That is why with every release of the band you can be sure that they will not go below a certain level. A certain level of powerful, doomy riffs, overwhelming sludge heavinesS, and those life-weary vocals. A certain level of feeling of hopelessness of human existence. On “Zero And Below” things are no different – already the opening “The Fear That Binds You” smacks you in the face with all that. Of course, it wouldn’t be CROWBAR if there weren’t singing verses and Sabbath-ish melodies like “Confess to Nothing”, heavy, stoner openers like in “Chemical Godz”, or slowdowns preceding melodic furious almost hardcore gallopades. All that’s left to do is crush negativity: and drift away with CROWBAR‘s new album putting on menacing metal faces – you know, horseshoe lips, wrinkled face and “horns”…. and of course headbanging.
~ Gruby

16. TEMPLE OF DEIMOS – HEADING TO SAINT REAPER / NEW!
(Rock, Stoner, Desert, Robot)
(Genua, Italy)
1755 Points

On March 18, 2022, Heading to Saint Reaper was released, TEMPLE OF DEIMOS‘ third album and the group’s first production after eight long years of silence. Produced by the powerful label Argonauta Records, it succeeds Work to Be Done, whose release in 2014 received praise from fans and critics alike. Formed in 2006 in Genoa, the stoner metal trio channels the flavor of groups such as QOTSA Kyuss as well as Red Fang and finds its inspirations in the grunge scene of Palm Desert and the 90s. If TEMPLE OF DEIMOS has accustomed its public to Heavy, psychedelic desert rock in a distinctive form, the band’s next album sees them step out of their comfort zone, ultimately cementing their music’s own unique character.
~ Martin Doomed Desbois

15. DIRTY SOUND MAGNET – DSM-III / NEW!
(Rock, Psych, Classic, Prog, Garage, Seventies)
(Switzerland)
1818 Points

DIRTY SOUND MAGNET offer us a tasty blend of 70’s Boogie/ Psychedelic Garage Rock that is hard to define. The trip is almost transcendental! The songs have a progressive nature that magically blends Western blues rock and Eastern music influences. The album breathes beautifully whilst carrying the same might of the groove in its heart! DSM-III is a refreshing and living album that deserves to be discovered!!!
~ Marc-Eric Gagnon

14. TENTACULA – ESTRELLA DESTRUIDA / NEW!
(Psychedelic, Desert, Rock)
(Linz, Austria)
1899 Points

Estrella Destruida oozes the confidence and patience of a well-oiled group on the prowl and the record comes along like the mysterious leather jacket-wearing stranger that’s new in town, making the heads of innocent boys and girls spin. It is a grippingly personal yet dry-witted and mysterious work that’s laced with themes of self-doubt, empowerment, and vampirism. The album encapsulates a mysterious sonic journey that is accompanied by a visual one no less. Estrella Destruida sees the Austrian five-piece move boldly forward with an enticingly sinister blend of garage-aged psychedelic rock that’s rich in atmosphere and mystique.
~ Crypt Guard

13. DUNGEON WEED – THE EYE OF THE ICOSAHEDRON / NEW!
(Psychedelic Wizard Doom)
(Oakland, California, USA)
1968 Points

Does it Doom? Yes, and much more. This is over the top, an apocalypse set to music that must have sprung from an insane mind. Agonizing, grooving, meandering, all-consuming riffs that suck you in like a black hole. Synthesizer sounds whose intensity is sufficient to catapult you light years into the endless expanses of space. Cosmic Doom in the Fourth Dimension!
~ Captain Beyond Zen

12. DUAL FIGHTER – MEAN MACHINES / NEW!
(Desert Rock, Stoner Rock)
(Indianapolis, Indiana, USA)
1992 Points

Fans of QOTSA and Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions will immediately identify with what duo DUAL FIGHTER bring to the table with “Mean Machines“, crunching chainsaw riffs, growling bottom end, strident rhythms and clean pristine vocal melodies all delivered with that unmistakable gritty desert sound.
~ Frazer Jones

11. ELK WITCH – BEYOND THE MOUNTAIN / NEW!
(Rock, Prog, Proto, Metal, Stoner, Psych)
(Medford, Oregon, USA)
3029 Points

Beyond The Mountain is the sonic oeuvre of a super tight three piece that is here to drop some heavyweight progressive stoner into your aural canals. Stop what you’re doing immediately, if not sooner, and give your undivided attention to the gentlemen of ELK WITCH!
~ Jamey Morris

10. STONE AXE – STAY OF EXECUTION / NEW!
(Rock, Stoner, Seventies, Classic)
(Port Orchard, Washington, USA)
3211 Points

STONE AXE flies the hard rock banners like non-other with dry matter-of-fact riff-work, searing guitar leads, drumming that bows to Bonzo, and soaring vocal hooks. Stay of Execution is a smorgasbord of previously unreleased tracks, which have accumulated over the 15-year span of the group’s activity. With most of the tracks written by Tony Reed and Dru Brinkerhoff, the record features an especially soulful array of bluesy tracks that go down like oil and never shy away from a flourishing chorus.
~ Graur Zaur

9. MWWB – THE HARVEST / NEW!
(Doom, Sludge, Space Rock, Doomgaze)
(Wrexham, UK)
3707 Points

Probably MWWB‘s (formally Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard) most experimental release to date but please don’t go confusing experimental with unlistenable because this is also some of the bands finest moments ever recorded.
~ Frazer Jones

8. ERIC WAGNER – IN THE LONELY LIGHT OF MOURNING / NEW!
(Metal, Doom)
(Chicago, Illinois, USA)
3816 Points

Here we have an appropriately melancholic posthumous release from the legendary front man (ex-Trouble). Listeners are left wounded by despondent and introspective lyrics littering this release, delivered impeccably by one of doom metal’s greatest voices. Musically, this very much covers the same terrain plowed by his former TROUBLE bandmates; lots of mid-paced doom and gloom, w/tons of twists and turns keeping things interesting throughout. Not the happiest record out there, but a damned fine exclamation point, signaling the end of Wagner’s recorded legacy. May he rest in peace…
~ Chris Tighe

7. MOUNT SATURN – O, GREAT MOON / NEW!
(Støner, Doom)
(Bellingham, Washington, USA)
4275 Points

The northwest’s reputation for quality fuzz doom is reinforced by MOUNT SATURN’s new album, “O, Great Moon.” Sick tones and deep valleys are where soulful vocals dwell accompanied by a powerful pounding of drums, reminiscent of a tribal ceremony at times, holding the whole to its true essence. Tasty from the first note to the last.
~ Gravitøyd

6. TROLL TEETH – HANGED, DRAWN, & QUARTERED / NEW!
(Doom, Stoner, Rock)
(New Jersey, USA)
5586 Points

New Jersey The doom-laden east coast sounds permeate the visceral essence of TROLL TEETH: dark, groove-laden, riff-driven, and purposeful. Serious inquiries only because this is no lighted path. TROLL TEETH echoes sadness, loss, and perseverance in the face of an unyielding world of atrocity.
~ Gravitoyd

5. HUMANOTONE – A FLOURISHING FALL IN A GRAIN OF SAND / NEW!
(Rock, Prog, Doom, Stoner, Metal, Grunge, Psych)
(Coquimbo, Chile)
6345 Points

FFA Elder. Now that that’s out of the way, I’m hear to let you all know that HUMANOTONE have delivered a progressive stoner rock masterpiece that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in the genre! Whereas their first album felt a little raw, and the growled vocals never quite fit the tone he was trying to strike, Jorge seems to have found his voice with this album! The keys/synth fill out every empty space, the riffs are plenty, and yes, it would be easy to point at the similarties between them and other greats like Elder and Somali Yatch Club, but I’d argue that the amazing one-man-band that is Jorge Cist doubles down on the progressive side of the “prog stoner/psych” more than any have done in the past. With a little stop over on Beyond The Machin for an under 4 minute stoner rock banger! An AOTY contender!
~ Remi VL

4. JIRM – THE TUNNEL, THE WELL, HOLY BEDLAM / NEW!
(Stoner Rock, Heavy Psychedelic Rock)
(Stockholm, Sweden)
7362 Points

Expansive and unyieldingly cinematic, The Tunnel, The Well, Holy Bedlam is an absolute stunner of a journey through murky moods and hard rocking, engrossing melancholic ambiance. Extremely emotive, soaring (almost ’70s/’80s power balad style but way more grungy) vocals play a starring role amidst the inclusion of racy winds and passages of brooding, layered atmospherics over acoustic strumming, chimes among other sensationally shimmering psychedelic touches. What emerges is a masterfully melodic interplay of light and dark which could be compared in a way to the usage of chiaroscuro in classic film. At times creating a strangely provocative, tensely tender, yet nostalgic sense of textural noir to JIRM’s powerful riffing, booming reverb, and sonorous fuzz. A beautifully heavy listen.
~ Doom Oracle

3. ZOM – FEAR AND FAILURE / NEW!
(Rock, Hard, Stoner, Alternative)
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
8341 Points

ZOM‘s sophomore album “Fear and Failure” is one of those rare hard rock gems that once they get you, they get you for good. The album is hard-packed with intelligent song-writing, catchy hooks and a crystal sound (curated by none other than the great Jack Endino). I ‘d have a hard time choosing a favourite song, but if I really had too, I ‘d say that I loved the Sasquatchy approach on “Third Life” and “Another Day to Run”. Many kudos for their passionate cover of Nebula’s “Down the Highway” as well. Throughout the album, the guitar tone is brilliant, accompanied with a top-notch rhythm section. There were moments where the vocals reminded me of the great Kelly Holland from Cry of Love, and this is a compliment that I rarely give, if ever. If you are a fan of bands like Sasquatch, Ugly Kid Joe and Cry of Love, look out for the super limited edition vinyl and grab this album yesterday!
~ Ioannis Valiakos

2. SAMAVAYO – PAYAN / NEW!
(Rock, Hard, Stoner, Prog, Psych)
(Berlin German)
10674 Points

The eye of the storm must have formed somewhere in the Palm Desert, but through its wake, the tornado grew progressively larger and took on a dazzling magnitude. SAMAVAYO are unleashing upon us a tornado of fuzzrocious sandy riffs! The melodies, which are impregnated with a Middle Eastern vibe, are skilfully crafted and haunting. I’m not even mentioning the legendary musicians that have collaborated on the album… Payan is a massive album that will engulf inside your eardrums and stay there for the rest of the year!!!
~ Marc-Eric Gagnon

1. MESSA – CLOSE / NEW!
(Doom, Blues, Psych, Black, Prog)
(Cittadela, Italy)
10965 Points

It’s almost impossible to even come close to finding the right words for this great new album by MESSA. ‘Close‘ is heavy, doomy, bluesy and has a fragile atmosphere and beauty all of its own. Just take the opener “Suspended” with its wonderful atmosphere and the accompanying tender vocals. This song then builds into a riffy doomer and finishes with a wonderful bluesy guitar. “Pilgrim” sounds no less terrific, where folk elements are paired with Doom – terrific! You will then have to discover the rest of this breathtaking album for yourself – perhaps already one of the albums of 2022.
~ Tom Schmahl

I always enjoy an album that can take me on an adventure. The mellow sound captivated me from the moment this album started. Containing dark undertones, touches of eastern sounds and a clean vocal that soars over sections and drift from heavy to light, ‘Close’ has a feel of a well progression. Great riffs, songs that are not afraid to take a risk and the overall aesthetic that captures the feeling of loss and the regaining strength after.
~ Bobby Rayfield

I hold my hands up. I missed the boat on MESSA until the promo for this landed in my inbox in January. I’ve listened to ‘Close’ and previous album ‘Feast For Water’ from start to finish the most out of any albums this year. ‘Close’ ticks so many boxes. It has huge doom riffs, interesting and exciting song structures and styles and one of the best vocalists this scene has produced in a long time. 2022 has its frontrunner for album of the year.
~ Jonny Pirie

A captivating album full of great moments with which they manage to catch the listener in their insinuating sound bet. His suggestive vocal melodies are used with great skill, making a perfect counterpoint to the heaviness of his riffs. Authentic attacks of occult doom that are decorated with oriental ornaments from exotic Mediterranean places. Taking care of the details to offer songs full of attractiveness for the listener, they immerse us even more in fascinating textures and immersive dynamics.
~ Roberto Lucas

If you listen, it will doom…

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); Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy); 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);  Chris Tighe (The Mighty Decibal); The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy); Doomsday Jesus (DoomsdaysJesus); Duncan Evans (Alternative Control); Eric Varasiftsky (Stoner Rock Army); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); Fuzzy Cracklins (Fuzzy Cracklins); Geoff Leppard (Atom Heart Mutha); Graur Zaur (Crypt Guard); Gravitoyd HM (Gravitoyd Heavy Music); Gruby (Doomsmoker); Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe); Héctor “Mr. Heavyhead” Hurtado (More Fuzz); Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl,Orange Maze); Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture); Jamey Morris (Fistful of DOOM); Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); JJ “HP Taskmaster” Koczan (The Obelisk); John Gist, (Vegas Rock Revolution); Jonny Pirie (Hour of the Riff); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Ken Elliott (Heavy Planet);  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); Martin Doomed Desbois (Le Mellow Man, Metal Alliance Magazine) 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); Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets);  Mr Stone (More Fuzz); Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (The Ripple Effect);  ‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned); Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe); Remi VL (Remi Post Too Many Links); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235); Robert Pannell (Doom Loom); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Roman Tamayo (Doomed & Stoned); Shasta Beast (Stoner HiVe); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Rodger (God’s Holy Trousers); Steve Woodier (Deathrattle Podcast); Tanguy ‘Mr Fuzz’ Dupré (More Fuzz); Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral); 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.