“In Brody’s dreams, deep water was populated by slimy, savage things that rose from below and shredded his flesh, by demons that cackled and moaned.”

~ Peter Benchley, Jaws

It’s about setting the scene. The dead body in the hotel room. Foreboding music. It’s about the unexpected. About the weird, the wild, and The Cursed Who Perform The Larvagods Rites. Here we are again. Treading through all those amazing releases populating the Heavy Underground. Here we are again. At the first of a new month. With an all new Doom Charts edition. No less than a total of 245 albums received votes this month and of the list of 40 that rose from below, to shred your flesh and are now ready for you to peruse here; there are 37 new entries. But all forty of ‘m are demonically good, they all cackle and moan and will shred you whole!

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…

40. ALL SOULS & FATSO JETSON – LIVE FROM TOTAL ANNIHILATION / NEW!

39. STONED VOID – THROBBING RHYTHM OF THE DOLDRUMS / NEW!

38. PHANTOM SPELL – IMMORTAL’S REQUIEM / NEW!

37. DREADNOUGHT – THE ENDLESS / NEW!

36. BORIS – HEAVY ROCKS / NEW!

35. THE HEAVY CRAWLS – SEARCHING FOR THE SUN / NEW!

34. MONSTERS FLESH – BLACK MAGIC / NEW!

33. LONG DISTANCE CALLING – ERASER / NEW!

32. MIGHT – ABYSS / NEW!

31. SNAKES DON’T BELONG IN ALASKA – INTERSTELLIC PSYCHEDELIC / NEW!

30. CARRIER WAVE – CARRIER WAVE / NEW!

29. MUD SPENCER – IN MUD WE TRUST / NEW!

28. TAXI CAVEMAN – GALACTIC SLOPE / NEW!

27. MISCELLEN – BLACK MANDALA I / NEW!

26. SONS OF ARRAKIS – VOLUME I

25. ASCIA – III / NEW!
693 Points
Doom
Elmas, Sardinia, Italy
Self-released

Guitarist/Singer Fabrizio Monni from Black Capricorn is playing all instruments on the third album of his solo project ASCIA. While Black Capricorn sprinkle their music with Stoner and Psych, ASCIA (Italian for axe) is pure Doom. Think of early High On Fire’s guitar driven stampede sound mixed with very slow Motörhead.
~ Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe)

24. MAN IN THE WOODS – BADLANDS / NEW!
784 Points
Stoner Metal
Isle of Man, UK
Argonauta Records

The musicians of MAN IN THE WOODS bring their A games for their debut full length, and the music they created rocks, rolls, and grooves with the expertise that only this combination of players can achieve.
~ Tom Hanno (Tom’s Reviews)

23. OMEN STONES – OMEN STONES / NEW!
786 Points
Metal, Doom, Stoner, Sludge, Punk
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Self-released

The RVA rippers OMEN STONES have a truly unique slab of metal on their hands. Thrashy, with a dash of Conan-style heavy, and even a touch of classic rock swagger. Their self-titled is an unrelenting ride with layers on layers to dig into with each listen.
~ Kyle SB / Shasta Beast (Stoner HiVe)

22. GAMMA GOAT – INTERLUDE / NEW!
804 Points
Metal, Stoner, Doom, Sludge, Grunge
Gilman, Illinois, USA
Self-released

GAMMA GOAT is a true full blown hybrid, using a massive amount of stoner and sludge metal to give their grunge an extra level of kick. And then there’s that doom edge to give it some serious gut punch effect and some alternative nineties to make it all soar as high as they can possibly go… It’s good, it’s great, and for quite a few listeners this will surely be the GOAT!
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

21. KING BUFFALO – REGENERATOR / NEW!
900 Points
Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Rochester, New York, USA
Self-released / Stickman Records

Regenerator is yet another masterpiece from the prog rock trio. The follow-up to December’s Acheron, Regenerator is KING BUFFALO at their arguable best. Instead of pursuing the doom-driven metal of Dead Star or the introspective psychedelia of Orion, Regenerator is an ecstatic reimagining of what KING BUFFALO can be. While this is unmistakably KING BUFFALO, the guitars are brighter, the solos are happier, and the rhythm section is filled with optimism. This album will leave you feeling inspired.
~ Patrick Schober (Monster Riff)

20. SAMÁN – II. MONTAÑA ROJA
940 Points
Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal, Prog Rock
Bogotá, Colombia
Self-released

It is no exaggeration to say SAMÁN’s II. Montaña Roja may very well be the best stoner metal album of 2022. Inspired by the likes of Stoned Jesus, Elder, Color Haze, and Tool, SAMÁN launches listeners on a breathtaking journey that’s as emotionally moving as it is crushingly heavy. II. Montaña Roja features everything you’d ever want in a stoner metal album: crushing riffs, psychedelic solos, atmospheric soundscapes, a pummelling rhythm section, and terrific vocals. A+.
~ Patrick Schober (Monster Riff)

19. DEER CREEK – MENTICIDE / NEW!
944 Points
Sludge, Doom
Denver, USA
Game Two Records

Six tracks of doom riffs engorged with sludge and consummated with humid stoner dissonance. Surprisingly, DEER CREEK manages to dredge some semblance of groove from the lumbering colossus that is ‘Menticide‘ particularly with the final track ‘The Working Man Is A Dead Pig’ which has a rather clever version of Rush’s ‘Working Man’ hidden within its bloated bosom.
~ Steve Woodier (Deathrattle Podcast)

18. BOZ – FURY OF PEGĀNA / NEW!
1204 Points
Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal
Gateshead, England
Self-released

By the Bollox Of Zatan, I do love this B O Z album! Thrashy Doom or Doomy Thrash, whatever it is, with only one album they have built a personal and recognizable style and this it is the sign of great bands. Fury of Pegāna ticks all boxes of what I expect from a heavy metal album: power, groove, huge guitar parts, killer riffs, a hoarse and surly singer, and in-your-face trax. If you’re looking for cuteness, angelic sound or preppy pop, you can clearly go your way. Otherwise, this gem will make you jump on cloud nine.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

17. WHITE LIGHTNING – THUNDERBOLTS OF FUZZ / NEW!
1350 Points
Proto-Metal, Acid Rock, Heavy Psych, Classic Rock
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Riding Easy Records

Thank you Riding Easy for uncovering another magnificent slab of primo acid rock from the vaults of yesteryear. Pure, unadulterated Thunderbolts Of Fuzz with raw solos, crooning vocals and songwriting in line with Physical Graffiti era Zep! My #1 pick for the August Doom Charts!
~ Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

16. MOTHS – SPACE FORCE / NEW!
1380 Points
Doom, Prog, Psych, Stoner, Space
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Self-released

MOTHS new EP, Space Force, is all over the map in the best kind of way. You get both clean and growling male and female vocals. You get some proggy space rock bits (Broken Slumber). You get some heavy stoner doom offerings (Awake). Some laid back stoner psych rock with keys (Unbound). Even some Space Death Doom (Space Force). But never do you feel disjointed or that you are not on the same rocket trip headed towards some distant planet where all the inhabitants worship their God Iommi.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

15. THE BLACK LEGACY – STONES / NEW!
1460 Points
Stoner, Heavy Blues
Milan, Italy
Argonauta Records

The band’s new album takes cue from the band’s already excellent debut and somehow manages to make everything better! The songs are catchier, with hooks all over the place, whereas the sound is warmer and punchier. Fans of The Atomic BItchwax and COC (“Deliverance” era) will find in this album a new soundtrack for their next road trip! I won’t be surprised if the band tours this album and makes waves in its path. Relentlessly groovy, stonerised blues of the finest order! Check it out today!
~ Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture)

14. SISTERIA – DARK MATTER / NEW!
1530 Points
Folk, Psychedelic Rock, Doom
Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Horton Records

Folk-rock merged with doom and heavy psych, it’s like Fairport Convention jamming with Black Sabbath while tripping on good acid…
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

13. OL’ TIME MOONSHINE – MAGIC / NEW!
1845 Points
Stoner Metal, Doom
Toronto, Canada
Salt of the Earth Records

OL’ TIME MOONSHINE‘s Magic is a high-octane blend of bluesy, foot-stompin’ hard rock and raw and doomy stoner metal power, offering up brilliant moments that’ll call to mind heavy hitters like Down, CoC, and The Sword. Whether you’re blasting Magic over the desert highway or while sipping your own moonshine on the back porch, you’re in for one hell of a ride.
~ Patrick Schober (Monster Riff)

12. RUSSIAN CIRCLES – GNOSIS / NEW!
2322 Points
Alternative Metal, Post-Metal
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Sargent House

RUSSIAN CIRCLES isn’t exactly underground, so sorry, folks. But Gnosis is yet another brutally good album from the power trio from Chicago. Post-Metal can be boring sometimes, but Gnosis is anything but. It’s like a body slam to the concrete, and it kicks you while you’re down. Give it a listen if you haven’t already.
~ Nick Pipitone (The Third Eye, Monster Riff)

11. MY SLEEPING KARMA – ATMA
2453 Points
Stoner Psych, Space Rock, Instrumental, Post-Rock
Aschaffenburg, Germany
Napalm Records

Germany’s MY SLEEPING KARMA began as Colour Haze acolytes, with their first three albums from 2006-10 on the band’s Elektrohasch label. But from the start, the band has gone in their own direction toward instrumental space rock with some post-rock influences. The result is a nearly flawless body of work that rewards immersive deep listening for those open to the expressive potential of instrumental psychedelic rock. Album art and titles suggest a strong spiritual element of Hinduism is involved in their worldview, and the music can certainly work for meditation sessions, as long as one isn’t too distracted by awesome drumming. My favorite probably remains Soma (2012), but you can’t go wrong with any of their six albums.
~ Tony Van Dorston (Fast n Bulbous)

10. PLANET OF THE 8S & DUNEEATER – TURNED TO STONE CHAPTER 5 / NEW!
3260 Points
Desert, Stoner Rock
Melbourne Australia
Ripple Music

Boy those Aussies sure can deliver excellent heavy rock in all shades but this Turned To Stone release by Ripple Music pairs up two desert rock bands on top of their game!  Whether is the riff’ n ‘ groove style of DUNEEATER that feels like a mesh of Kyuss meets Fu Manchu or the multi layered sound with amazing harmony vocals by PLANET OF THE 8S… this Ripple release really is damn good!  And yeah it was curated by yours truly!
~ John Gist (Vegas Rock Revolution / The Doomed & Stoned Show)

9. GRAVE BATHERS – ROCK N’ ROLL FETISH / NEW!
4308 Points
Acid Rock, Doom Metal, Heavy Psych, Proto-Petal, Stoner Rock
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Seeing Red Records

Oh yeah, here’s a good doze of sleazy rock’n’roll with greazy vocals!!!  It’s an instant love matter for this proto-metal gem that sounds almost like an artefact from the 70’s.  You got that party evil vibe going on that makes you wanna dance while worshipping Satan!  Fans of vintage rock, Sabbath, Zeppelin or even Seagal’s Fuzz will notice the influences.  Trust me and do just like me, buy both vinyl edition of the album!  That should show you how much stunning that album is!!!
~ Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects)

8. STONE NOMADS – FIELDS OF DOOM / NEW!
4830 Points
Doom, Stoner, Sludge
Houston, Texas, USA
Self-released

Sludgy doom goodness is what you get with the debut album from Houston, Texas’ STONE NOMADS. Serious Sabbath worship in the best possible way coupled with sometimes gruff sometimes not vocals, Fields Of Doom lumbers across the Texas landscape wrecking everything in its path. Songs like Fiery Sabbath don’t just rip your head off; there is a catchiness to the six tracks that is many times missing when you have such a heavy, lumbering beast.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

7. CB3 – EXPLORATION / NEW!
5376 Points
Psych Rock, Space Rock, 90s Shoegaze
Malmö, Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records

CB3 have delivered a masterpiece with Exploration.  Charlotta Andersson is an absolute wizard on guitar, and now that combined with her much more prevalent dreamy/spacey vocals, and with Hawkwind meets My Bloody Valentine meets Spotlights with a dash of early Pumpkins and just enough stoner influence we have an absolute, next level killer release. With Exploration, CB3 have brought to us a beautiful and dynamic soundscape that must be experienced by all.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

6. CONAN – EVIDENCE OF IMMORTALITY / NEW!
6494 Points
Doom, Heavy Metal
Liverpool, UK
Napalm Records

A better entrance into the depths of doom, as with this band, you can not possibly imagine. When I saw them live for the first time in 2014, I immediately knew that these gods will conquer the heavy metal doom Olympus in no time. With their new release, they enchanted not only their longtime fans, but also many new ones agree: CONAN delivers, as usual, with the heaviest riffs and terrific diabolical vocals.
~ Silvi Pearl (Doomed & Stoned, Electric Fire Records)

5. MOTORPSYCHO – ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS / NEW!
7678 Points
Progressive Rock, Post Rock, Psych Rock
Trondheim, Norway
Stickman Records

Norway’s premier exponents of Progressive Rock return with another 4-track sprawling masterpiece! The level of musicianship notwithstanding, “Ancient Astronauts” is a thing of marvel: Convoluted, twisting and mesmerizing – A dazzling display of creative writing! This is an album that will deliver for a very long time!
~ Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

4. MOTHERSLUG – BLOOD MOON BLUES / NEW!
8313 Points
Stoner, Doom
Melbourne, Australia
Self-released

MOTHERSLUG is back and better than ever with their absolute monster of a new album! It’s heavy, bluesy, and finds the band exploring sounds that they hadn’t used before. You won’t be disappointed with this one. Wow, what a ride !!!!!
~ ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army)

3. PSYCHLONA – PALO VERDE / NEW!
15994 Points
Desert Rock, Stoner Rock, Psych Rock
Bradford, UK
Psycho Waxx

Desert/Stoner/Psych perfection. Yes, they are influenced by all the bands you would think they are when I throw around words like “desert” and “stoner” and “psych”, but PSYCHLONA is its own and should be mentioned amongst the greats of this genre, especially given the perfection of their last two releases. It sounds amazing, the playing is excellent, it grooves, it rocks, it trips you out, it rides along with you on a desert highway, it pretty much has and does it all.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

2. EARLY MOODS – EARLY MOODS / NEW!
19896 Points
Seventies, NWOBHM, Proto-Metal, Hard Rock, Doom
Los Angeles, USA
Riding Easy Records

Besides PARISH (UK), EARLY MOODS from Los Angeles are the absolute surprise of this year for me. After their EP 2020, the band now has their first full album out and this is absolutely something. Anyone who likes a mix of NWOBHM and classic Doom should take care of this disc by EARLY MOODS very quickly. The opener ‘Return To Salem’s Gate’ is the perfect example of what the listener can expect for 45 minutes: classic Doom in a 70s guise with cool breaks and NWOBHM melodies. Of course you can refer to the well-known Doom bands here, but I think the grandiose Magic Circle or Pagan Altar fit here perfectly. EARLY MOODS have managed to hit the big time with their debut of the same name and I hope that the rock press will reward this accordingly, so that this splendid album doesn’t get lost in the flood of releases. But for that and to make sure that this doesn’t happen, you have the DOOM CHARTS…
~ Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz)

1. MAMMOTH VOLUME – THE CURSED WHO PERFORM THE LARVAGOD RITES / NEW!
23600 Points
Prog, Stoner, Grunge, Alternative
Västra Götaland County, Sweden
Blues Funeral Recordings

MAMMOTH VOLUME return with their stoner/prog magnum opus. “Larvagod” rests high on two well proportioned trunks. So fresh you can smell it. This is one of those albums that you get out as much as you put in. Repeat listens extracts subtleties and nuances not noticed the previous time through. The best album I’ve heard, so far this year.
~ Adam Walsh (Earmunchies)

… a vagabond with a cryptic soul … wrapped in a dense cloud of glowing, millennia-old, story-telling desert sand … his eyes refracting the shimmering desert light, with melancholy memories of the blazing smoke of times past, when Beelzebub gave birth to massive riffs in the deepest underground. His mouth is dry as dust and greedily sprouts mythical creatures of spun spirit and fact. His bare feet wear thick soles from endless wanderings through barren, apocalyptic ruins of this world and the modern here and now … his heart glows! Stubborn, unique and with a booming heartbeat that piles the undulating desert soil into monstrous sand mountains. The blazing hot, voracious sun has peeled off his old skin several times and although it has grown back anew, it is unmistakably his “old skin”! A brilliant comeback and a true devil tamer of the Swedish pioneers of stoner rock! Old burned and primal soul of the band, blown around with the dust particles of the new age…
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)

The Doom Charts Mixtape…

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 (Monuments In Ruin); 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); ‘The General’ (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 / The Doomed & Stoned Show); Jonny Pirie (Hour of the Riff); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Ken Elliott (Heavy Planet);  Kyle SB / Shasta Beast (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); 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); Nick Pipitone (The Third Eye, Monster Riff);Pat Schober (Monster Riff); 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); Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235); Robert Pannell (Doom Loom); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Roman Tamayo (Doomed & Stoned); Silvi Pearl (Doomed & Stoned, Electric Fire Records); 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 Hanno (Tom’s 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 bands and their albums on the Doom Charts.

You got to be kidding me? Are you still here? At the very bottom? So very cool and so extremely doom of you! Well, why not leave a comment about your favorite album on the list?