Doom Charts – February 2023

“Death is but a doorway, time is but a window, I’ll be back.”

~ Vigo

And we are back! Just like clockwork, every damn month again, the Doom Charts are back! The first Friday of the new month and here we are with the February list of forty albums that all those Contributors loved so dearly. A Friday that sees the release of many new albums as well, and since it’s Bandcamp Friday, well… Take your pick! Or buy them all! Three albums carried over from January. Which means there are 37 spanking new albums on the list below. And just so you know, a lot of the Contributors were struggling to whittle down their list of favorite albums to the 25 they are allowed to send in. And a lot of the Contributors stated they already have a massive list of amazing albums for March as well. Crazy. So much brilliant heavy rock, so many breathtaking albums. We love it. So, indeed, who ever said rock ‘n roll was dead, and never understood what Vigo knew all along…

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. CHILD – SOUL MURDER / NEW

39. SANDRIDER – ENVELETRATION / NEW

38. MOODOOM – DESDE EL BOSQUE / NEW

37. SIGNO ROJO – THERE WAS A HOLE HERE

36. REPLICA JESUS – ECHOES FROM THE EXPANSE / NEW

35. PELEGRIN – WAYS OF AVICENNA / NEW

34. ULTRA VOID – MOTHER OF DOOM / NEW

33. JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS – HAIL TO THE UNDERGROUND / NEW

32. DRUG MOTHER – RISE WITCH / NEW

31. KLASTOS – RAT KING / NEW

30. LEROY T. BROWN – THE YELLOW KING / NEW

29. BEASTLY – MAYABUNDER / NEW

28. BENTHOS – BENTHOS II / NEW

27. WIZARDS OF HAZARDS – SUPERNATURAL / NEW

26. MERLOCK – ONWARD STRIDES COLOSSUS / NEW

25. WOLVES IN WINTER – THE CALLING QUIET / NEW
1330 Points
Sludge, Doom
Bradford, UK
Argonauta Records

The Calling Quiet‘ is anything but quiet. Loud with huge riffs and expressive vocals, this album mixes the pace of doom and the caustic tone of sludge to churn out an album that is expansive and deep.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple)

24. SWELL O – MORNING HAZE / NEW
1536 Points
Stoner, Psych
Bremen, Germany
Clostridium Records

SWELL O play catchy as hell desert/stoner rock that is impossible not to bop around your house to. Elements of psych rock create just enough atmosphere to make this stand out amongst the throngs of bands playing this style today. Think Slomosa as a reference point. I love the vocals and the swirling guitars throughout the seven tracks, with the track Summit being a perfect example and living up to its name. You hear these guys establishing the SWELL O sound that one day others will strive for, and I am here for it.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

23. CRYPTIC WITCH – SUMMONING / NEW
1584 Points
Doom, Stoner
Denver, Colorado, USA
Self-released

It’s 2023 and you’re a new power trio treading that line between stoner rock-heavy doom and doom-heavy stoner rock. You’re calling your first album Summoning and have an album cover that features druids standing around a pentagram in the woods. And you go for CRYPTIC WITCH as your band name? I have to confess, the band name/album name/artwork had me worried that this would be another faceless group flailing away tiresomely in the already stripped mines of post-Sabbathian heavy. I’m very pleased to report that’s not the case here, however, as these Denver lads keep the riffs fresh and compelling. A key asset here is that they don’t overdo the rhythm guitar tracks, dropping them out during the sharp solos, keeping a live feel that lets the rhythm section, with its fill-heavy bass playing and and powerful drumming, shine. CRYPTIC WITCH are also content to let the riffs breathe and evolve without the need to hammer choruses to death, not that the (mostly) clean vocals (with just the right amount of atmosphere) have any issue carrying them. No, the band isn’t reinventing the wheel, but they’ve done a damn fine job of producing one that rolls just how you’d want it do. Take the ride.
~ Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard)

22. OLD MINE UNIVERSE – THIS VAST ARRAY / NEW
1749 Points
Hard Rock, Heavy Rock, Stoner Rock
Toronto, Ontario and Pocos de Caldas, Brazil
Witch City Music

Tasty specimen of how a hard rock album should sound like, and many thanks to Andy Kovalcik for bringing this to my attention. The song-writing hits just the right balance between modern stoner blues and the sound of early Godsmack and Garage Days Metallica. There is indeed a touch of Glenn Danzig in the vocals, but the way these guys do it works greatly in their favour. Very good sound production, great musicianship, this album deserves your attention today!
~ Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture)

21. LÜGER – REVELATIONS OF THE SACRED SKULL / NEW
1785 Points
Metal, Doom, Death Rock
Montreal, Canada
Heavy Psych Sounds

Death Rock? Check! Heavy/Speed/Metal? Check! Doom/Stoner metal? Check! Garage punk? Check! Vintage rock-n-roll? Check! Is it possible for one band to bottle-up all of the aforementioned subgenres into one potent musical concoction with elements of black metal wrapped with horror-themed lyrics and have it actually sound (gulp!) good? Typically, I would have answered that question with a resounding chuckle and ‘in your dreams, get out of here with that s*#t’ retort until I recently dove into ‘Revelations Of The Sacred Skull’, the third release from Montreal’s LÜGER who have proven they can mix any style of rock they so please and create a unique and refreshing blend of balls-out metallic madness.Coming off the release of their debut LP ‘Hellraisers Of The Waste’ in 2018, the four-piece traded in their blackened-doom metal chops for a more up-tempo and speedy approach with their 2020 EP ‘Cosmic Horror.’ The quartet have continued the same fire and fury with their sophomore LP that screams out bewitching inflections of Motörhead and Mercyful Fate. If you’re like me and have an appetite for all encompassing rock with that metal centric approach and furor, ‘Revelations Of The Scared Skull’ is a buffet of hard rock and horror themed entree’s that leaves no room for dessert.
~ Matt Hartnett (Aftershocks TV)

20. SLUMBERING SUN – THE EVER-LIVING FIRE / NEW
1804 Points
Doom
Austin, Texas, USA
Self-released

On their debut album, The Ever-Living Fire, Texas doomers SLUMBERING SUN (featuring members of Destroyer of Light, Monte Luna, and Temptress, among others) craft a sound forged in the traditions of mournful and emotive doom bands such as 40 Watt Sun and Pallbearer. With long songs that bring out a surprising amount of tonal depth (think Troll’s Legend Master as a comparison point here), the band manages to forge a sound that builds on the foundations of traditional doom and transcends them into something all its own. In so doing, SLUMBERING SUN have quickly become one of the most exiting traditional doom bands to come out of Texas in quite some time. Get this album now and lock in your bragging rights for when all your friends catch on to them.
~ Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard)

19. SIENA ROOT – REVELATION / NEW
1845 Points
Blues, Classic Rock, Progressive, Hardrock, Psychedelic, Seventies
Stockholm, Sweden
Atomic Fire

An album with songs that transmit good vibrations whispering and caressing us delicately. This does not mean that there are not intense moments in which the Swedes are full of grit and strength. Gravitating in a retro atmosphere, the echoes of the Summer of Love appear in compositions full of sensitivity and magic. Its splendid and beautiful melodies are nourished by the best rock created in the 70’s, to turn them into timeless songs that invite us on a rewarding journey full of incentives and versatility. The blues, the echoes of the West-Coast, the hard-rock, the progressive passages and the right dose of psychedelia, merge into beautiful and velvety songs brimming with colour. An aroma of melancholy and hints of jazz complement some brilliant tracks with which they make the so-called ‘vintage rock’ acquire very high levels of quality.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

18. EMPERORS LAIR – DARE MIGHTY THINGS / NEW
1912 Points
Doom, Psych, Prog
Frankfurt, Germany
Self-released

Raucous grooves decorated in vocals so smooth and silky they could slide under a door, touches of prog complexity in the guitars make things even more interesting and you will also detect a touch of alt-rock grunginess making its presence felt here and there, which is no bad thing. There is an interesting use of synthesisers, subtle but effective, and the way the guitar and bass are almost inseparable on the main riffs is impressive. Drums throughout are suitably thunderous and on point and there are also some mighty fine ambient moments to be found here too. All in all i think we can say Emperors Lair have dared a mighty thing and successfully pulled it off!
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

17. ROTOR – SIEBEN / NEW
2310 Points
Psych, Stoner, Instrumental
Berlin, Germany
Noisolution

ROTOR are a ‘loose verse’ on the scene, a band that moves away from conventions and fashions, keeping their creativity intact. With a relaxed sound, the Berliners present us with songs that sway between the sandy echoes of the desert and their usual heavy psychedelia, this genre, in which they are masters. Maintaining a catchy groovy, they captivate the listener in a space in which the monumentality of their riffs coexists with magical lysergic passages that are enriched with metal blows, kraut-inclined rhythms and subtle, yet almost imperceptible, touches of post- rock. In ‘Sieben‘ we can find all those strong points that have made ROTOR a solvent and reputable band, because if its sound evokes the desert, it also unearths a magical world full of unparalleled beauty.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

16. EL SUPREMO – ACID UNIVERSE / NEW
2676
Instrumental, Psychedelic, Stonerrock
Fargo, North Dakota
Argonauta Records

Risen from the ashes of Egypt, this band is now a force to be reckoned with in modern instrumental psychedelic rock. Massive riffs with a top notch sound and eastern influences in the vein of the almighty Camel and Atomic Rooster. I have never been a keyboards person but there are brilliant moments in this album where the guitar converses with the keyboards, with songs like “White Hot Fever Dream” that would make Uriah Heep eat their hearts out. Definitely one of the albums of the month, check it out today!
~ Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture)

15. POLYMOON – CHRYSALIS / NEW
3114 Points
Progressive, Psychedelic, Rock
Tampere, Finland
Robotor Records

Chrysalis is as rich an album as they get, borrowing and adding from a giant size palette of different styles and colors from 60s acid rock to 80s guitar wizard prog, and even some side steps into much heavier metal territories. There simply is no way to catch POLYMOON into a simple genre tag or other faulty misnomer. There is however a general feel of psychedelic dreaminess spread across Chrysalis, perfectly illustrated by the album cover. I can imagine holding the vinyl close to your head and diving right into that purply forest guided by these melodies.  The album’s bright fullness is extra accentuated by its wealthy production, by Kadavar’s Tiger Bartelt, who also opened his Berlin based studio to POLYMOON. Together they did not spare any means to make Chrysalis into the most powerful creation it could have become, and the result is genuinely mind-blowing.  As in; BOOM! Mind blown, no more words. It is only early February, but I think I have found my album of the year already.
~ Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine)

14. SEUM – DOUBLE DOUBLE / NEW
3498 Points
Doom, Sludge, Hardcore, Punk
Montreal, Québec, Canada
Electric Spark Records & Riff Merchant Records

Music like this is hard, nasty, disturbing and difficult for a dude with my background and taste to understand. Still, seumthing about it compelled me to keep going back. The result is one of my favorite albums in recent memory and something that’s altered my musical DNA. I think that’s what the best art does- it changes you. Consider me changed.
~ Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner)

13. ABANAMAT – ABANAMAT / NEW
3525 Points
Psychedelic, Stonerrock, Instrumental
Berlin, Germany
Interstellar Smoke Records

Together with El Supremo, this is one of the best specimens of psychedelic rock I ‘ve heard in quite some time. Mostly instrumental with the guitars doing the talking, there are excellent vocals on “Voidgazer” that bring to mind early Jethro Tull and this is a compliment that I reserve for few bands. “Flying Fish” is the song that caught me though, the guitar solos are really clever and well played. After two demos ABANAMAT delivers a debut full album that should make waves. Check it out today!
~ Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture)

12. GRANDMA’S ASHES – THIS TOO SHALL PASS / NEW
3991 Points
Stoner, Grunge, Prog, Psych, Doom
Paris, France
Nice Prod

A gloomy, haunting, and heavy album that manages to walk the delicate tightrope of atmospherics and crush. GRANDMA’S ASHES have crafted a stunner that takes stoner and doom into new territories with their heady mix of prog and psych, opting for a moody seance over a full blown freakout.
~ Kyle SB / Shasta Beast (Stoner HiVe)

11. WARP – BOUND BY GRAVITY
4298 Points
Stonerrock, Psych, Doom
Tel Aviv, Israel
Nasoni Records

Colossal stoner/doom aided by a fantastic mix that swells the sound like a dying sun. Deep, sonorous riffs are lacerated by crystalline licks.
~ Steve Woodier (Deathrattle Podcast)

10. DEER LORD – DARK MATTER Pt. 1 / NEW
5491 Points
Doom, Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock
Santa Rosa, California
Self-released

A stunning blend of hazy psychedia, cosmic rock’n’roll and raunchy stoner fuzziness that from its droning intro to its frenetic finale never stops giving. Can’t wait to see what PT.2 brings.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

9. BLACKWÜLF – THIEVES AND LIARS / NEW
6536 Points
Stonerrock, Doom
Oakland, California
Ripple Music

I don’t always need crazy experimentation or mold breaking on all my records; sometimes I just want straight ahead heaviness with riffs for days, killer guitar work, and just a kick ass rock swagger that oozes with its pores, like what we get from Thieves and Liars. You get all of that plus their greatest song yet, Psychonaut Edge Of Light, making this the band’s best album till date.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

8. WESTING – FUTURE / NEW
6840 Points
Classic Rock, Psych, Stonerrock
Visalia, California, USA
Rinding Easy Records

Who, like me, celebrated Slow Season from California with their three albums, will also lick their ten fingers at WESTING, because WESTING consists of ¾ Slow Season plus Ben McLeod from the cool All Them Witches. Oh my god, I love the drum sound that used to only be heard on Led Zeppelin and now only the Rival Sons can pull off. It’s also Led Zeppelin that the guys here take off their hats to. The great ‘Big Trouble (In The City Of Love)’ alone is a hit and sounds so incredibly close to ‘The Ocean’ from the classic album “Houses Of The Holy”. But also songs like the wonderful opener ‘Back In The Twenties’, the fuzzy-bluesy ‘Nothing New’ (to kneel down) or the wonderfully relaxed ‘Artemisia Coming Down’ make “Future” an indispensable classic rock work. As already mentioned at the beginning, those who loved Slow Season will also have to put WESTING on their home shelves
~ Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz)

7. ETA LUX – HIGH AND LOW / NEW
7072 Points
Stonerrock, Desert, Doom
Bremen, Germany
Fuego

Towering walls of sound, rush in waves through the legendary “stoner rock desert of the Golden Heroes” of yesteryear and bring a breath of fresh air. Bold guitar licks crash through the grainy sand and shred it to dust … ridden out fountains of fuzz spew glistening, blinding sparks through the ears of the willing listener … heavyweight, serpentine bass lines mow groovy, deep aisles through the not at all dusty-dry desert atmosphere. The muddy-rock voice and the immensely thundering drums swirl like a gigantic desert storm through the, already shimmering with sound heat, sound fabric. High And Low, the third full-length album from these four-piece, North German sandstorm riders, is an absolute treat for longing craving stoner-rock souls from back then as well as today!
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)

6. CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC – TALES OF DEMONIC POSSESSION / NEW
7902 Points
Psychedelic Doom
New York, USA
Majestic Mountain Records

CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC have long since distorted, melded and corrupted the Traditional Doom genre with an unorthodox approach to their sound: drawing on myriad influences and styles of Metal to produce a diversity that very few Doom bands are able to accomplish. “Tales…” proffers four extended grooves that showcase their immense talent and ability to remain fluid, organic and deeply, deeply Heavy. This is an album fror the Ages and one that will mesmerise with each new listen! Pure Genius!
~ Reek of STOOM (Doomed&StonedStoner HiVe)

5. KHAN – CREATURES / NEW
8109 Points
Psychedelic, Stoner
Melbourne, Australia
Full Contact Safari Records

For their fifth release, Aussie Psychonauts KHAN bring a hypnotic, trance-inducing 6 tracker in the form of “Creatures“. Brimming with a delicious concoction of Heaviness and Atmospherics, “Creatures” shows a band at the zenith of their powers and gives the listener a really satisfting experience.
~ Reek of STOOM (Doomed&StonedStoner HiVe)

4. DEAD SHRINE – THE EIGHTFOLD PATH / NEW
11445 Points
Hardrock, Acid, Psych, Proto, Stonerrock
Hamilton, New Zealand
Astral Projection

Craig Willlianson, with his new project DEAD SHRINE departs from the transcendental sounds of his latest works, with ‘The Eightfold Path‘ he brings us a storm of heavy rock in the likeness of the pioneers of the 70’s. A raw and primitive rock, in which the attacks of rage are counteracted with lysergic atmospheres in murky songs impregnated with fuzz. Acid rock without too many additives, which rides on the back of a proto-metal steed over paths carved by Stoner riffs, and an atmosphere evocative of the sound of the early 70’s. Partially giving up his devotional songs and that mysticism that appears in the works under the name of LAMP OF THE UNIVERSE, Craig takes up the heavy impulses of his beginnings on DATURA.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

3. PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS – LAND OF SLEEPER
12616 Points
Space, Doom, Psych, Sludge, Stonerrock
Newcastle, UK
Rocket Recordings

It seems like a lot of modern space rock bands have forgotten about the ferocious destructive power necessary to get your space vessel afloat. Not PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS. They are that engine. These seven English pigs are rougher than most, driven by their loud mouthed head honcho Matt Baty, whose rough howls easily tear through the walls of heavily pumped up distortion. Like an actual space rocket, they use a combustion of various chemicals, be it acid or stoner, or sludge, and mix it up into a highly combustable propellant.
~ Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine)

2. CLEÕPHÜZZ – MYSTIC VULTURE / NEW
13740 Points
Psychedelic, Stonerrock, Blues, Americana
Ville Marie, Quebec, Canada
Self-released

That moment when you discover a great band, connect, and then find out they don’t exist anymore! That is right, Mystic Vulture by Quebec, Canada’s CLEÕPHÜZZ is a testament, a piece of inheritance to the world. The band got into the pandemic, and did not get out. It is quite sad, but it does not diminish the power of this album. There are elements of the dark psych blues of early All Them Witches, the feminine touch, and the use of strings made me think of Subrosa, while the overall feel and theatrical approach also pays homage to old school grunge like Alice In Chains. Plenty of elements to love for the broad minded stoner and fuzz fan I’d think. All the sadder that it is their swan song.
~ Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine)

1. HAIL THE VOID – MEMENTO MORI / NEW
21252 Points
Doom, Stonerrock, Psych, Metal
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Ripple Music

HAIL THE VOID has created a modern classic with Memento Mori and have cemented themselves as my favorite band of the 2020s with the release of Memento Mori. They are the most beautifully heavy band out there and this is art that needs to be experienced by anyone who enjoys heavy music. The riffs, the vocals, the drums, the production, the lyrics (dark and beautiful) …a perfect record and probably my album of the year.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

After an excellent debut album I was impatiently awaiting their sophomore LP. Today, I may say this second assault is nothing but brilliant. A short atmospheric introduction, 4 very doom tracks followed by 3 psychedelic tracks allow us to explore all the talent of HAIL THE VOID through this magnificent Memento Mori. Of course, the line between doom and psychedelic is not a strict dichotomy and the doom vibe colors the psychedelic tracks, just as psychedelia infuses into the doom tracks. Memento audire: remember to listen!
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-Void François (Metal Intégral)

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); Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard); Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer); Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned); Bob “Mr. Weird Beard” Baker (More Fuzz Podcast); Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin); Brandon Collins (Morbid And Miserable Records); 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 Decibel); 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); James Sweetlove (CaveDwellerMusic); (Jamey Morris (Fistful of DOOM); Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine); Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio); JC Cansdale-Cook (The MotorFuzzin’ Ibex); 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); Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal); 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 420Core of Destruction Radio) Matthew Thomas (Taste Nation); Mathieu Van Der Hert (Dutch European Stoner Rock); Matt Hartnett (Aftershocks TV); 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&StonedStoner 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); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed) ; Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner) ; 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 LaughterStoner 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.

“Oh, don’t leave yet! Maybe if we start dancing, other people will join in?”

~Louis Tully

10 thoughts on “Doom Charts – February 2023

  1. Great list, can’t wait to dive into these. I was looking forward to the Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows release, think I might start with it. Thanks for the wonderful work that you do, it makes life much heavier!

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  2. Hail The Void may be a serious contender for AOTY 2023. Memento Mori is a very well balanced masterpiece of doom and psych. Needs more recognition for sure.

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  3. Listened to previous Hail the Void and nothing really stood out to me. To be honest all the “Electric Void Wizard Witches” in this over-saturated scene typically get one quick glance by me and I move on. However, “Memento Mori” really resonated. “Writing on the Wall” has infectious, haunting vocal melody. I think the consecutive tracks of “High and Rising”, “100 Pills”, & “Serpens South” is where the album garners its overall acclaim. Hoping to snag a vinyl copy next Bandcamp Friday (if they last til then).

    2nd album here that I want to highlight is Khan’s “Creatures”. Listened to this one numerous times with headphones on. The album art drew me in. You ever just look at an album cover, listen to the first few seconds of the first song, and just know the whole album is going to be right up your alley? That is how I felt with “Creatures”. “How Old” and “Eyes, Lungs, Arms & Mind” stood out as my favorites. The ending of the latter just really sticks in my head. Lyrically, it gives the impression of a feeling of isolation; at least in the first 2/3 of the song. Can’t help but interpret some sense of feeling outside of perceived illusion, almost like being “outside” in Plato’s cave allegory. The end of the song feels like a culmination or awaking – a seeing of truth – for everyone else.

    Finally it’s coming down
    And finally it’s over now
    Finally it’s getting out
    And finally it’s falling down

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  4. Thank you for this list!

    Two that have stood out to me from February are Khan and Emperor’s Lair. Both are serious top 10 contenders for me this year. Emperor’s Lair is my current album of the year and Khan is a top 10 for sure up to this point. I can’t get them out of my head.

    That’s not even mentioning Slumbering Sun, who have put out a massive debut in the vein of Pallbearer. They have a promising future!

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