“Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends”

~ Billie Joe Armstrong

October is in full swing and we’re neck deep in an amazing amount of new releases once again! But we’re still not done with those September ones. It was such an amazing month. Which might be reflected in the amount of blurbs on this month’s Peroration Post. The one that still glances back towards the month that has passed. Talking about Peroration… We’re working on a new name for this monthly post… And we welcome any ideas you fellow heavy heady heads out there might have… Should anything come to mind while you are listening to any of the twenty-four albums listed below, feel free to comment…

We also want to pay a little homage to Billy Goate, John Gist and Bucky Brown who keep doing that Doom Charts Countdown over on Doomed and Stoned. We are humbled and honored. Just as we are whenever Bobby Rayfield from Inherent Records and Monuments in Ruin finds time to do another one of his Mystery Picks, where he randomly chooses three albums to talk about. And of course there’s The Elder from Kozmik Artifactz that also finds time to listen to and talk about the Doom Charts! And then there’s Scott Spiers from Clean And Sober Stoner, who has started a video series called: Meet The Doom Charts. In it he meets up with one of the Contributors and talks about the Doom Charts and every other Heavy Underground related thing they can come up with. Thank you all! We truly appreciate all the attention! And we are humbled and honored by it…

The following are professions of love and adoration by Doom Charts Contributors for albums they could not stop spinning. Each month, the Doom Charts critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge, metal, stoner, psychedelic and other sorts of heavy rock albums. The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart which is published on the First Friday of the new month, monthly. However, sometimes a love is so great, but for whatever reason the album unfortunately did not make the published Doom Charts Edition or because there were so many contributors are in love with that one album, that many decided to send blurbs for it, and only one got published… Cause we only publish the one blurb… Well, you can peruse that love here…

10% REPTILE – HOLOGRAPHIC FUZZ
Stoner, Grunge
New York, New York, USA
Playgroundz Records

I don’t think grunge ever went away, but it just seems more and more prevalent in 2023, case in point the new album from 10% REPTILE. These guys play fuzzy stoner grunge, but the band are not here to piggyback on your 90s heroes, as they have their own spin and own sound on the genre(s), creating a sound both familiar and unique to them on their new release Holographic Fuzz. Think of a more stoner version of a Mudhoney/My Sister’s Machine team-up, with some STP and Days Of The New as special guests, but fuzzier. 
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

ABEL BLOOD – ARRIVAL OF THE WAVES
Doom, Heavy Psych, Alt-Metal
New Hampshire. USA
Self-released

ABEL BLOOD jam a scintilating blend of stoner rock and heavy psych liberally injected with elements of grungy alt-metal and spacious doom. it is a huge and majestic sound fleshed out with a mixture of goth-rock like vocalisations and semi spoken narration that combine to add an almost Germanic feel to its already impressive and wholly original sonic impact.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

ASTRONOMIE – INTERSTELLAR NOMAD
Stoner Doom, Space Rock, Alt-Metal
Melbourne, Australia
Self-released

Excellent space themed doom from Australia that swirls and crunches in equal measure, you can hear influences in the seven songs that inhabit this release ranging from the obvious Hawkwind right through to current space cowboys like YURT and Elder.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

BLESSED BLACK – SEASONS, VOL. 1
Doom Metal, Stoner Metal
Ohio, USA
Self-Released

Cincinnati doom! Could BLESSED BLACK be the US’s answer to Uncle Acid and Green Lung? The band play your more traditional doom metal and incorporate organ into their compositions to create some pretty great stuff. I love the vocals and the guitar work on Vol. 1 and sets us up for wanting so much more than just these three tracks. Let’s hope that Seasons Vol. 1 means Vol. 2 will follow very quickly, because I see big things for these Ohio boys.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

BLESSED BLACK is a brightened version of a doom metal band. Melodic vocals, catchy riffs, and blues influences make for an incredibly smooth listening experience, reminiscent of 90s alternative rock. Even so, the band is heavy enough to solidify their place amongst doom and stoner bands. Don’t be fooled, though; BLESSED BLACK covers some serious subject matter on this EP, such as the fragility of life, grief, and addiction.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, CleanAndSoberStoner)

BLODET – DEATH MOTHER
Post Metal, Doom
Skelleftea, Sweden
Church Road Records

Unfortunately, the Swedish BLODET were never really on the radar, although the band has been around since 2014. Now their third album has been released and offers us 40 minutes of atmospheric post-doom, with delicate vocals from singer Hilda Heller. I won’t single out any track in particular here, because the five songs are all great cinema and anyone who likes A.A. Williams, Emma Ruth Rundle or the Italian troupe Messa can put BLODET‘s new long player on their shelf without hesitation.
~ Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz)

BLOOD INCANTATION – LUMINESCENT BRIDGE
Instrumental, Black, Death, Metal
Colorado, USA
Century Media Records

Not on Bandcamp (yet?)

With the guys from BLOOD INCANTATION you can always be surprised whether the new material will be instrumental-spherical or whether you’ll get a death metal broadside thrown in your face. After this EP, with a playing time of almost 20 minutes, you are no wiser as to where the band will go on their journey. With ‘Luminescent Bridge‘ there is a new ambient number that doesn’t hurt and with ‘Obliquity Of The Ecliptic’ I get a real death grenade that has an unbelievably great riffing at the start. But you should especially pay attention to the incredible drum work and the stunning guitar solo at the end of the song – not from this earth.
~ Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz)

BLOODTHORNE – COSMIC PASSENGERS
Stoner/Doom
Bristol, Tennessee, USA
Self-released

When anyone asks me, “what is Stoner/Doom?”, this is my new answer. Elements of both styles combine to give a classic yet fresh take on some of the darkest, dankest riffs so far this year. Two things make this stick out for me: the real, unprocessed vocals and subterranean fuzzed-out bass holding the whole thing together. They don’t just rely on the killer guitar work to make their point: these guys came to play and put Tennessee on the map! Along with all the other killer bands from Tennessee, that is…
~ Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner)

CANNIBAL CORPSE – CHAOS HORRIFIC
Death Metal
Buffalo, New York, USA
Metal Blade

It is hard to believe the first time I watched CANNIBAL CORPSE live was 23 years ago and that was 12 years deep into their career as one of the premiere death metal bands. The new album does not disappoint and it’s clear that they remain in the circle of trust for bands that consistently deliver. Brutal, precise, natural and a nicely executed slab of horror filled metal.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

DARK SHAMAN – EVIL CEREMONY
Acid Doom, Scuzzy Rock, Heavy Psych
Scicily, Italy
Self-released

“Scuzzy” seems to have become the description of choice for music coming out of the current Italian underground doom scene and if there was ever a word that better describes the filthy sounding fuzz drenched grooves DARK SHAMAN lay before us with their debut EP “Evil Ceremony“… well i’ve yet to hear it.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

DEAD FEATHERS – FULL CIRCLE
Psychedelic Rock
New York, USA
Ripple Music

Think Ripple Music only puts out heavy stoner and doom? Think again, as the awesome DEAD FEATHERS drops their second album, Full Circle, which is more Jefferson Airplane than Black Sabbath, and whoa baby am I here for it. This is some cool late 60s inspired heavy psych rock updated for the 2020s highlighted by the amazing vocals of Marissa Allen and overall inherent coolness of the rest of the band. DEAD FEATHERS were born late, thankfully for us, because heavy psych is done no better by any band out there today, with the evidence being Full Circle, a perfect heavy psych rock album for 2023.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

FIRE DOWN BELOW – LOW DESERT SURF CLUB
Stoner Rock, Desert Rock
Ghent, Belgium
Ripple Music

With their third record, Low Desert Surf Club, FIRE DOWN BELOW are three for three on releasing killer, gigantic desert/stoner rock albums that incorporate all sorts of other elements, including psych, space, doom, and 70s inspired classic rock. These guys have solidified their status as one of the leading bands in the worldwide scene today. If the last record was gigantic, Low Desert Surf Club is a world eater, because everything about the album is huge. The sound, the songs, even the length, as a three-sided vinyl effort, and I am here for all of it. I don’t think there are waves in Belgium, but FIRE DOWN BELOW still manages to create a tidal wave in the desert with this absolute ripper.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

FOSSILIZATION – LEPROUS DAYLIGHT
Death Metal, Doom
Brazil, São Paulo
Everlasting Spew Records

I truly believe this album will be among the most revered this year. This debut album brings a different sort of shade to their perpetual darkness. Although it still has plenty of doom elements, faster and, somehow, even more brutal musical escapades can be found within. They still slow crush when they need to but will bludgeon in between. The atmosphere and production are both exactly how music like this should sound: open enough to allow the searing brutality to flow yet rough enough to keep it all suffocating and unforgiving. As a whole, I find the album does a damn good balancing straight up eviscerating death metal and dismal doom. FOSSILIZATION’s ‘Leprous Daylight’ is the album we have all been waiting for them to unleash. Now that the album has crawled from the muck, the underground better be ready to put up a fight because this beast has what it takes to fight for a top of many ‘year’s end best of’ lists that will be here before we know it.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

GEIST – BLUEPRINTS TO MODERATE SEDATION
Sludge Metal
UK
Self-Released

Imagine you’re a Young Medieval Knight: Brash, cocky. fearless. You’ve trained hard and this is YOUR day! The Princess dropped her lace and you took up the gauntlet, visions of a castle and lands swimming in your head…. Your heart sinks when the King beckons forth his Champion – The Black Knight: Immovable, Irrepressible, Infallable. 78 recorded deaths in the arena. But, it’s YOUR day… defeat him and you will be Legend! Taking up your lance, you aim with precision and career down the jousting course, confident that You will out! Ever nearer he thunders towards you, hell-bent on your demise. You see the weak point under his armour and steady yourself for the killing blow… but, He swerves… the lance misses and you have a split-second of total horror as you see the mace unfurl from it’s chain…. next thing you know, you’re gurgling your last rasping breaths with a crater where your face once was. The Princess and most of the crowd look away, sickened and as the light dims on your world, You realise your folly. GEIST is The Black Knight. “Blueprints To Moderate Sedation” is the mace.
~ Reek of STOOM (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

JOSE AND THE WASTEMEN – MONKEY ON MY BACK
Heavy rock, Garage rock, Stoner
Grenoble, France
Karst Productions

Not on Bandcamp

Here is an exciting 4-track EP by JOSE AND THE WASTEMEN. If you need a quarter of an hour of good heavy rock vibes, this album is the perfect remedy. Three energetic and powerful songs and the fourth one, more groovy and adorned with a psychedelic aura. Monkey On My Back is a dose of vitamins to be ingested through the ears. I recommend three daily intakes, at morning, noon and evening.
~ Thierry “Monkey-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

LORD OF SHADOWS – ECHOES OF YORE
Gothic Doom Metal
Romania, Germany
Tragedy Productions, Meuse Music Record

This album has a magical sound to it, perfectly captured by Mike Lamb’s production job. The atmosphere and approach to the songs would fit very firmly into that 90s Gothic doom soundIt doesn’t matter how often it is done or how many times I hear this style of ‘beauty and the beast’ Gothic doom…. It just never gets old. All that matters is HOW it is approached. This album? Approached with clear care, love and respect for the genre.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

MOOZOONSII – OUTWARD
Heavy psych, Prog metal, Stoner, Instrumental
Nantes, France
Self-released

MOOZOONSII is a trio of very high level musicians. They play a kind of instrumental prog-groove-metal. In fact, they are such an efficient factory of mental images that they do not need words to tell a story. After Inward released in 2022, Outward is the second part of their duology. The new chapter is once again illustrated with incredible powerful jams, both technical and fluid. The band hooks your mind and takes you on a tour of exciting universes without ever letting go. Both albums are true journeys.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

THE MOTH – FROST
Sludge, Metal, Doom
Hamburg, Germany
Exile On Mainstream

Anger can be masked in many ways, good and bad. The feeling of hopeless loss can also be expelled in healthy ways for the band and listener. There is a darkness conveyed in this record like a cold shroud weaved from threads of Today is the Day and Neurosis, tied dyed in the grey and red of black metal or extreme metal elements and finally forms a pattern of THE MOTH. It’s a rare treat to hear a band deliver this type of attitude in a way that feels somehow palatable to a rock audience who has never dipped their toe into any of the previously noted artists or genres.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

OMNIVORTEX – CIRCULATE
Death Metal, Black Metal, Prog, Thrash
Helsinki, Finland
Self-released

This is mind-boggling, extraterrestrial blackened death metal, walking with ease the tightrope act of combining technicality with emotion and groove. Every song offers new twists and turns that pull the listener deeper into OMNIVORTEX‘s nightmarish vision, and resistance is futile against the easy flow of ideas and sounds. ‘Circulate‘ is a record in a class all its own.
~ Kyle SB / Shasta Beast (Stoner HiVe)

PHANTOM DRUID – THE INNER LANDSCAPES OF DEATH
Fuzz, Doom
Kampen, Netherlands
Off The Record Label

WOW! My God, the first riffs literally kill you – what a fat fuzzy guitar sound. The Dutch or Tjeerd de Jong’s one-man project, PHANTOM DRUID, has four new songs at the start, which have a playing time of 26 minutes. I don’t want to beat around the bush here: anyone who likes the old Cathedral, Electric Wizard, Trouble, Pentragram and all the other cool bands from this genre will love “The Inner Landscapes Of Death”. Tjeerd is supported by Bob Bagchus (ex Asphyx) on drums.
~ Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz)

ROSTRO DEL SOL – BLUE STORM
Seventies, Hardrock, Jazz, Prog, Psych
Mexico
Stolen Body Records

BLUE STORM‘ is a dizzying album that sees the band’s sound enriched with a greater presence of wind sounds, which makes their songs walk a more progressive path, dispensing with a little more of the acid psychedelia and blue. Drawing on the legacy of bands like ATOMIC ROOSTER, COLOSEUM or CAMEL, the band focuses on exuberant vintage exploration. Good melodies that fluctuate in intensity and a bacchanal of rhythms are the arguments of the album. A kaleidoscope of progressive sounds with psychedelic touches, fantastic groovy and intoxicating moments in which the band gets carried away by expansive sounds.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

TAR POND – PETROL
Post-Doom
Zurich, Switzerland
Prophecy Productions

TAR POND were founded by Martin Ain (Celtic Frost R.I.P.), drummer Marky Edelmann (ex Coroner) and singer Thomas Ott. Now the band has released their second output and describes their style as Doom ‘n’ Gloom. The five songs on “Petrol” have a playing time of 38 minutes and impress with their uncanny density. Everything is kept very dark and in parts is reminiscent of the iconic Celtic Frost. Musically, the groovy-doomy ‘Bomb’ opens the new album. The sound is very post-metal, but the powerful number is really fun, especially if you listen to it with headphones. Except for the final ‘Dirt’ (there’s a bit more tempo here, although not much), the rest of the tracks are in the same vein as the opener. One might have wished for a little more variety, but “Petrol” is still a really good album if you like post-rock and doom.
~ Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz)

THORN – EVERGLOOM
Death Metal, Doom
Phoenix, Arizona
Transcending Obscurity Records

THORN‘s brand of extreme metal is no doubt abrasive but, as the title would suggest, also gloomy and despondent as hell. Similar to INCANTATION and ASPHYX, the band’s overall sound is rooted in both death and doom. It has many moments that are slow and cavernous but ‘EVERGLOOM‘ is also an album that can be fast and pulverizing as well. In essence, this album is both atmospheric and brutal. THORN handles the dynamics well, shifting between moods easily but it’s always a guaranteed blow to the head regardless of what mode the band is in.The riffs alternate between a doom groove and a death metal mid paced chug but also speed up in places while the keys sprinkle it with dark, creepy overtones. THORN‘s ‘Evergloom’ is a well written album with an incredible atmosphere and imaginative song writing. Fans of death, doom, and atmospheric albums will definitely need to grab a copy of this.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

VAK – THE ISLANDS
Sludge, Prog metal
Stockholm, Sweden
Indie Recordings

Thanks to The Islands, the Swedish band VAK takes a new step towards the liberation of its unbridled creativity. Their prog sludge is a work of astonishing formal richness, a flow of ideas and forms from which emerge epic themes, heavy riffage, complaints, squeaking guitars, and atmospheres of cold or furious madness. However, this apparent chaos is crystal clear and sweeps you away. This album is my September #1 and will be a serious contender for my AOTY.
~ Thierry “VAK-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

YEAST MACHINE – RISE OF THE YEAST
Stoner Rock, Grunge, Psychedelic Rock
Tubingen, Germany
Self-released

There is a band that has set up shop squarely in the gray area between stoner rock andgrunge. That band is called YEAST MACHINE. With riffs fuzzy enough to be secure inthe stoner genre and vocals that smack a bit of Jim Morrison, this band captures theessence and feel of the height of grunge. YEAST MACHINE does a great job of creatingthat bright and soaring, yet melancholy sound characteristic of the time. To say that thismillennial is pleased to hear this album would be a gross understatement; talk aboutnostalgia in the best way.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, CleanAndSoberStoner)

SEPTEMBER 2023
PERORATION PLAYLIST

And a special thanks goes out to Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe) for the cover image…

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); Damien Regnauld (Stoner Freaks Anthology); 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 (Heavy Galaxy); 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 (Howls from The Hollows, 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); Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, CleanAndSoberStoner); 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.