“I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one’s burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

~ Albert Camus

Welcome to the March 2023 Doom Charts! Brought to you by an every growing and ever changing collective of heavy rock loving crazies! Indeed, a love so big and so intense, it often seems to border on insanity. That’s why we pride ourselves on the fact that we are still able to rope in new members to the team and understand when some of the Contributors need a break. Cause, personally, my list of absolute favorite albums for this March edition, held almost 60 albums, which had to be whittled down to the 25 we are allowed to send in. And I’m sure that a lot of the Contributors had the same luxury problem of way too many amazing albums heard. And I am also sure, because the total list for this month had no less than 343 albums on it! That’s 343 heavy rock, doom, stoner, sludge, psych albums that marinate in the heavy underground, released in March! Sure, a few will have been released in February or April. But that is an insane number of albums and that’s why I’m damn proud of all the Contributors. They listen to so many records, so much heavy stuff, write about it on their personal blogs, zines and podcasts and then manage to find the time to send their list in for the Doom Charts. We can thank them enough! The end result, ‘a one-stop shop for the best new heavy albums in the world’. And with the collective still growing, this is truer with every issue online… Cause we all know, good doom… Rolls up hill!  

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. WIZDOOM – TROLLDOOM / NEW

39. HAIL THE VOID – MEMENTO MORI

38. OHHMS – ROT / NEW

37. AMPACITY – IV / NEW

36. DIRGE – DIRGE / NEW

35. RAINBOW BRIDGE – DRIVE / NEW

34. FATSO JETSON & DALI’S LLAMA – LEGENDS OF THE DESERT VOL.3 / NEW

33. CROWN LANDS – FEARLESS / NEW

32. HOPE HOLE – BEAUTIFUL DOOM / NEW

31. TEMPTRESS – SEE / NEW

30. RAY TEMPLE – II / NEW

29. GOZER – THE FAR REALM / NEW

28. THE RHUBARB – SYMPTOM OF FAILURE / NEW

27. ON THE SUN – DRAG / NEW

26. BASTARD SWORD – BASTARD SWORD I / NEW

25. HEEZER – SUNGRINDER / NEW
1638 Points
Stoner Rock, Desert Rock
Finland
Argonauta records

If you want a massive dose of fuzzy desert rock and super sweet riffs, combined with in-your-face melodies, Sungrinder is the album for you. Song after song drags you deeper into this wild ride. A very well done album and a real headbanger!
~ ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army)

24. BLACK HELIUM – UM / NEW
1704 Points
Space, Acid Rock
London, UK
Riot Season Records

On Um BLACK HELIUM explores how far they can stretch their acid trip while playing basic rock instruments. While they dare to get loud and as heavy as they need to be, their primary modus operandi is slowly building up thick walls of galloping drums, screaming fuzz guitars, and pounding bass lows from the ground up. With an intermixing of male and female vocals they remind vaguely of The Velvet Underground, but with their volumes way over eleven, and with Syd Barrett behind the sound board. Don’t let the flashy colours of their artwork fool you though, like Lou Reed and his crew these guys are into the psychedelic, but they are no hippies.
~ Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine)

23. SKULL SERVANT – ASTRAL APOTHECARY / NEW
1710 Points
Stoner, Doom
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Self-released

Somehow, against all rational probability, this EP fricking slays! It sounds as if these kids were breastfed on sour goats’ milk with an endless loop of Reverend Bizarre, Candlemass, Electric Wizard, Pentagram, and Cathedral pumped into their nursery while their nannies were performing obscure and unspeakable rites in the basement.
~ Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner)

22. MOUNT ATLAS – POSEIDON / NEW
1914 Points
Stoner, Classic Rock, Hard Rock
Germany
Cause Of Deaf Records

And out of nowhere on the last day of the month MOUNT ATLAS surprise (to me) drops what is one of the albums of the year so far with Poseidon, in all its planet exploring, Hammond organ glory. Catchy, expertly played, and with a fun, intergalactic story, MOUNT ATLAS brings some serious classic rock chops to the table, with killer guitar work, that organ action, and a potential song of the year in Alien Sunrise.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

21. DRYAD – Y / NEW
1924 Points
Heavy Rock, Stoner Rock, Metal
Wurzburg, Germany
Self-released

This is one tight heavy power trio. I’d say more Stoner Metal than Stoner Rock, but that’s irrelevant because they kick ass either way. Not only is this a talented band but these tracks are captured really well. All of the instruments are clear and loud in the mix. Riffs and leads abound!!
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

20. NEW MEXICAN DOOM CULT – NECROPOLIS / NEW
2226 Points
Stoner, Doom, Sludge, Metal, Fuzz, Alternative Rock
Gävle, Sweden
Self-released / Ozium Records

Despite how misleading their name may be NEW MEXICAN DOOM CULT are actually a stoner doom band from Sweden who describe their music as Långsamrock, or roughly translated ‘slow rock’. The band’s sound is a fantastic blend of stoner rock, doom metal, fuzz rock and hints of alternative rock and sludge. These elements are expertly woven together and driven ever forward by the exceptional groove laden guitar work of Nils and Emil. Whether you’re Mexican or Swedish it doesn’t matter, as long as you love heavy music then this album will be right up your alley.
~ James Sweetlove (CaveDwellerMusic)

19. MEAN GREEN – MEAN GREEN / NEW
2470 Points
Sludge, Stoner, Doom
Boone, North Carolina
Self-released

Sweet scented grooves of Weedian goodness fronted with smoke scarred vocals. This is a release guarenteed to score high with fans of Sabbath,Sleep and Acid King and anyone else who likes their riffs mountainous and their rhythms earthshaking.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

18. SANDRIDER – ENVELETRATION / NEW
3366 Points
Stoner, Sludge
Seattle, Washington, US
Satanik Royalty Records

SANDRIDER always deliver, and their latest is no different. Enveletration is full throttle, rip-roaring stoner and sludge with a punk edge and adrenaline to spare. This isn’t your standard Kyuss, desert stoner groove either. SANDRIDER deal in razor sharp riffage, caustic vocals, and masterful songwriting that makes for a catchy assault to the senses. Strap in.
~ Kyle SB / Shasta Beast (Stoner HiVe)

17. ZÅLOMON GRASS – SPACE OPERA / NEW
3792 Points
Cosmic Blues, Vintage Rock
Vigo, Spain
RockCD Records

A concept album, that upon initial inspection seems to be about a sci-fi adventure gone wrong. However, digging further into the lyrics it seems to me to be a contemporary take on politics, viruses and the media. Borrowing from classic rock veterans like Led Zeppelin and Free, Space Opera is a toe tapping, funky and often bluesy head trip, catapulting the listener back to simpler times, when things made a little more sense and rock n’ roll reigned supreme. Something old, something new, something borrowed and the blues.
~ Adam Walsh (Earmunchies)

16. GOAT EXPLOSION – THREATENING SKIES / NEW
4134 Points
Doom, Metal
Leipzig, Germany
Into Endless Chaos Records

The impatient hoof pattering of their followers (myself included) now (finally) gives way to a smile on the face as well as a pleasant feeling of soul of the aforementioned. The Leipzig quartet has noticeably deepened and further developed its handwriting in the past 5 years of domestic “forging” and serves us an expressive second album with a very impressive doom-metallic thunderstorm spectacle. It is an album of captivating authenticity whose paws dig deep into the doom-metal anchored heart of those who feel at home in the in-between valleys of genre boundaries from bluesy stoner-heavy, anthemic kicking groove to the stirring swirling hooves of epic heavy metal arrangements. The body of work is a rousing, captivating and enthusiastic dance ride across estuary edges of wistful, soulful “stoner of dooms” riffing, atmospheric KHEMMIS riff thunderstorms, unleashed MAIDEN charges and pessimistic death metal flows. This album is one of the kind that can grow old with you gracefully – including the herbed scuff marks on the cover edges from continuous listening over the years.
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)

15. L’IRA DEL BACCANO – COSMIC EVOKED POTENTIALS / NEW
4230 Points
Psych, Prog, Space Rock, Doom, Instrumental
Rome, Italy
Subsound Records

L’IRA DEL BACCANO’s third full-length studio album, Cosmic Evoked Potentials, presents the instrumental quartet’s most balanced and compelling work to date. Progressive without pretentious, psychedelic without being meandering, instrumental while letting each instrument sings, and all without losing sight of heaviness. A perfect record for heavy underground fans of all types.
~ Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard)

14. SANTO ROSTRO – DESPUÉS NO HABRÁ NADA / NEW
5054 Points
Progressive, Doom, Sludge, Psych, Metal
Jaén,Spain
Discos Macarras / LaRubiaProducciones / Spinda Records

Swimming between stoner and sludge, SANTO ROSTRO will seek other useful techniques in the Doom metal, Prog rock or Heavy psych for a more effective progress. Después No Habrá Nada is an amazing album, filled with very good riffs and brilliant jams. Each song has its own universe but the whole album doesn’t sound heterogeneous. The title track completely stunned me, it’s one of the best songs I heard this year.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

13. DESERT STORM – DEATH RATTLE / NEW
5680 Points
Stoner, Doom
Oxford, UK
APF Records

From the industrial deserts of Oxford, UK come DESERT STORM, a 5-piece chugging machine that has been developing a singular take on it’s Stoner/Doom path spanning six albums. Their seventh studio release, Death Rattle intensifies the sound with a rich tapestry of grooves and ideas over it’s nine mouth-watering tracks. Fans of Psychlona, Stöner and Sergeant Thunderhoof will absolutely fall in love with this!
~ Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

12. SWAN VALLEY HEIGHTS – TERMINAL FOREST / NEW
6540 Points
Psych, Desert, Fuzz, Stoner, Rock
Munich, Germany
Fuzzorama Records

At a crossroads where the sound of bands like COLOR HAZE, ROTOR or the Swedish MAHA SOHONA meet, the Germans SWAN VALLEY HEIGHTS bang on the table claiming a place in the Olympus of heavy psychedelia with a desert vocation. I lack adjectives to accurately describe the potential of these six magical songs. Without any element that distorts creativity, the Germans have created a work full of magic and sensitivity. These three bearded men drink from the source of the grittiest stoner rock, to sweeten it with beautiful vocal melodies and a gratifying sense of emotional well-being, which is transmitted in each song.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

11. WYNDRIDER – WYNDRIDER / NEW
6664 Points
Stoner, Doom, Metal
East Tennessee, USA
Self-released

WYNDRIDER’s self titled debut brings us a heaping dose of classic Stoner-Doom, that has all the right ingredients to mesmerize our “metal” senses.  With “Pit Witch” kicking off the album, they roar right into it, letting us know in the first 0:15 exactly what they are all about.  Colossal fuzz, Thunderous groove and a smoke drenched ambience, all assist handily in nailing the vibe.  Chloe Gould’s enchanting vocals captivate throughout, reciting ominous stories to our black hearts’ desire.
~ Jon Cosky (Gravitoyd Heavy Music)

10. WITCHTHROAT SERPENT – TROVE OF ODDITIES AT THE DEVIL’S DRIVEWAY / NEW
7119 Points
Doom, Metal
Toulouse, France
Heavy Psych Sounds

No harshed nor growled singing, no blast beat, however Trove of Oddities at the Devil’s Driveway is an album of Extreme Stoner/Doom: Extreme Pounding Rhythms, Extreme Dark Lyrics, Extreme Occult Atmosphere, and Extreme Drone and Fuzz. This amazing doom opus by WITCHTHROAT SERPENT is built as a tribute to horror pictures and will immerse you in the big thrill of the dark movie theaters. The icing on the cake, you will appreciate the very high quality of analog production too!
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

9. MORASS OF MOLASSES – END ALL WE KNOW / NEW
7308 Points
Stoner, Post-Metal, Metal
Reading, UK
Ripple Music

British Post-Metal/Stoner outfit MORASS OF MOLASSES know how to make fine albums and their current signing to the prestigious Ripple Music label has already reaped huge rewards with a wider audience, higher profile and a beefy, heftier sound than previous. End All We Know showcases a band at their industrious best – a patchwork of Heavy, Ambient, Desert & Modern Doom that hits the mnark at every turn. This is the album that introduces MOM to The World – and rightly so!
~ Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

8. STONED JESUS – FATHER LIGHT / NEW
8946 Points
Doom, Stoner, Heavy Rock
Kyiv, Ukraine
Season of Mist

STONED JESUS’ fifth full-length, Father Light, expands on the Ukrainian band’s increasingly varied approach to songwriting, producing their best record to date in the process. Shorter tracks such as Father Light and CON interspersed amongst the longer numbers keep the listener’s attention and drive the weight of the material, all the more lyrically relevant given current events. Five albums in, the band have grown well beyond their monolithic roots and listeners who weren’t as into their early work would do well to listen here with fresh ears. STONED JESUS have delivered a definite AOTY contender.
~ Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard)

7. ISAAK – HEY / NEW
9025 Points
Stoner Rock
Genova, Italy
Heavy Psych Sounds

ISAAK combines old-school stoner rock, heavy metal and punk on Hey, the band’s third album. This album is soaked in gasoline, and ISAAK just lit the match… it’s fast-paced and full of riffy stoner rock. They absolutely nailed it.
~ Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed)

6. GREEN YETI – NECROPOLITAN / NEW
10143 Points
Doom, Stoner, Prog, Space
Athens, Greece
Self-released

When the name of your band is GREEN YETI, you better come large, and the Greek trio does just that and even takes it up a notch from their previous work to give us what is a gigantic spacy doom epic adventure. The only way to listen to Necropolitan is at full blast to let the monster reign in all of his glory, pounding you with killer, heavy riffs that work perfect with the spacy and even proggy elements of which the Yeti is now all about. A perfect step forward for an already excellent band.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

5. WITCH RIPPER – THE FLIGHT AFTER THE FALL / NEW
11096 Points
Progressive Sludge, Stoner Metal
Seattle, WA, USA
Magnetic Eye Records

You know that feeling when you discover something you didn’t know you were missing? It’s a great one, right? That’s what I felt when I blasted through this wonderful album by WITCH RIPPER! This hits the sweet spot between Mastodon’s Crack the Skye and the recent Elder albums. Heavy, progressive, sludgey stoner rock, emphasis on the prog! These Seattle rockers have thrown themselves way into the lead (along with Haken’s new album, but that would be for another blog I guess, although WITCH RIPPER have a case for that other blog too) for current album of the year, and it’s not even close. Everlasting In Retrograde is one of the best album closers in recent memory. The second half of the song suddenly shifts into King Crimson mode, before wrapping it all up in the most epic build up!
~ Remi VL (Remi Post Too Many Links)

4. HÅNDGEMENG – ULTRARITUAL / NEW
12098 Points
Stoner, Doom
Drøbak, Norway
Ripple Music

While it’s certainly not a new concept of merging a bit of post-hardcore and stoner rawk, it’s surely a beautiful thing and not the standard Ripple fare. For fans of Cancer Bats, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, and other like-minded bands bringing a hard-edged vocal howl with a groove-laden hook and riff-fueled atmosphere.
~ Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

3. CHILD – SOUL MURDER / NEW
13125 Points
Blues, Stoner, Rock
Melbourne, Australia
Self-released

A new CHILD is born and this one is simply massive. A very cleverly constructed album. If you are in need of 70’s heavy blues, this is the one CHILD that will never disappoint. On repeat since my first listen, total goosebumps every time again!!!
~ ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army)

2. REZN – SOLACE / NEW
13464 Points
Doom, Stoner Rock
Chicago, Illinois
Self-released / Off The Record Label

REZN is back and they’re on a winning streak. Solace is a hypnotic, psychedelic wonder – an immersive journey through multiple layers of fuzz and reverb, hazy vocals, and crushing riffs. Easily a 10/10 album!
~ Ryan Hilton (Black Throne Productions)

1. ACID KING – BEYOND VISION / NEW
40029 Points
Doom, Psych, Stoner
San Francisco, California
Blues Funeral Recordings

ACID KING fans have waited a long time for a new record, and I cannot see a way they would be disappointed with BEYOND VISION.  It has everything you want from a band who has been putting out killer material for multiple decades. BEYOND VISION is a doomy shoegaze atmospheric riff fest with haunting, layered vocals and killer musicianship that sounds pretty much perfect from a production standpoint. Glorious. 
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

An album that contemplates interplanetary migration and the winding path of existence and in which we find the band much more atmospheric and spiritual than ever. But no, his most fervent followers should not be scared, because the scorching riffs are still present in this new installment after 8 years of record silence. ‘BEYOND VISION‘ has all the ingredients that have elevated ACID KING to the altar of heavy music, but this time, probably more lysergic and introspective than ever. With songs wrapped in a thick cloudy blanket, their thunderous riffs emerge in a psycho-doom atmosphere  meditative and ceremonial.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

ACID KING‘s evolution is on full display throughout BEYOND VISION, seeing them opting for more emphasis on their psychedelic influences without abandoning the stoner rock that they are known for. While it may not be your traditional ACID KING album, it is a wonderful foray into new territory that is well worth the price of admission!
~ Tom Hanno (Tom’s Reviews, The Third Eye)

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); 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); Jon Cosky (Gravitoyd Heavy Music); 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 420, Core 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&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); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed); Ryan Hilton (Black Throne Productions); 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, The Third Eye); 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.

“Life has to be a little nuts sometimes. Otherwise it’s just a bunch of Thursdays strung together.”

~ Beau Burroughs