“There you stood on the edge of the Doom Charts… Expecting to fly…”

~ Buffalo Springfield (probably misheard lyrics)

Here we are again. On the edge. And down there, down below you find 28 albums that received a ton of love from the various Doom Charts Contributors. Maybe they already wrote about it for their own personal sites, maybe they wrote it and hoped it would reach the published edition of the Doom Charts or maybe the album made it to the published edition, but not to the top 25 that receive blurbs… Or yes, maybe it received too many blurbs to publish on the regular edition. Whatever the reason, the Contributor that wrote about it, loved it thoroughly and wants all of you to hear it as well. And since most of us will agree on the fact that there’s a lot, a whole freaking lot, of good and heavy rock out there, every little push in the right direction is welcome… So here’s that little push… Press play and fly!

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 and metal 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 in love with that one album, that multiple blurbs were written, and only the one got published… Well, you can peruse that love here…

AIRBAG – THE CENTURY OF THE SELF
Proggressive, Rock
Oslo, Norway
Karisma Records

AIRBAG slowly melts the listener into a calming headspace and welcomes the slow rolling tide of embrace with The Century of the Self. Soft, subtle post-rockish elements build layers to create a benevolent rock listening experience. The juxtaposition of feeling heavier than the last segment while keeping a low profile base level is a rolling emotional theme. Building crescendos that rise and fall, they clearly draw a line that prevents the structure from pushing it over the edge into manic, distorted waves of heavy. The balanced production of instrumentation preserves the clean vocals to help showcase them in a clear light. Listening feels like a warm reception from a long time friend whom you’ve missed spending time with over recent years.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

This may be The Doom Charts but this is not stoner or doom, rather it is more in line with classic rock and prog rock. About half way through listening to this I stopped and said to myself wait, this is really really good, what was this again? Although it doesn’t sound quite like Pink Floyd (maybe on a guitar lead or two) it gives me that vibe. Sometimes you just want to hear a straight forward banger, sometimes you want something a little more expansive. This is a perfect album for exploring the latter.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

ATOMIC VULTURE – PILGRIMS OF THE SUN
Heavy, Stoner, Space rock, Instrumental
Brugge, Belgium
Self-released

Hard thing to captivate somebody with an instrumental album. For many people, a band without a singer doesn’t have the same flavor, the same interest as a “normal” band. For the narrow-minded who see no further than the end of their singing microphone, we advise them to carefully listen to ATOMIC VULTURE‘s latest album to realize that an instrumental band can also provide them with the same feelings despite the absence of singing. The groove is omnipresent, the feeling is constantly there and this album is a serious album of the year’s contender, period.
~ Damien Regnauld (Stoner Freaks Anthology)

BLACK_BUBBLEGUM. – ABJECT PAIN EP
Industrial, Death Wave, Doom
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Self-released

Abject Pain by BLACK_BUBBLEGUM. takes all of the dirt and grit of your daily struggles and hand crafts them into a molotov cocktail to the face. The EP introduces itself with sonic destruction of the highest level. A tsunami of harsh, low end pulses and screamy vocal attacks that cut straight to the point. This is one of the elements that appeal best to me about the industrial music genre. But wait! There’s more! The next passage of sounds changes up into a swirling, experimental clash of dissonance that culminates into a brief moment to recalibrate as the spoken and harsh words make their way into the fold. There is a touch of horror soundtrack elements in the mix and the full ride is bookends with another dose of the sonic destruction we previously discussed. The EP is terrific. If this sounds like something you might enjoy, my guess would be you’ll listen to it twice in a row, as I did.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

BLACK ON HIGH – ECHOES THROUGH TIME
Stoner Metal, Doom, Sludge, Alt-Metal
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Self-released

Have you have ever wondered what grunge/alt-metal might have sounded like if instead of Seattle its birth place had been the Lone Star State of Texas? Well there is no need to wonder anymore because BLACK ON HIGH bring you the answer with “Echoes Through Time“, a bold brash musical statement that mixes elements of sludge and stoner metal with elements of alt-metal and grunge to make a noise that is as big as it is loud.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

CANDY – IT’S INSIDE YOU
Hardcore Punk, Metal
Richmand, Va, USA
Relapse Records

Open up those living rooms for circle pits because It’s Inside You by CANDY is gonna erupt in a crowd surf extravaganza when it hits your stereo.  Packed with dense grooves, chunky break downs, thrash-tastic riff assaults and industrial vibes, this album has everything the extreme music fan needs to bust open a batch of backyard party throwdowns in neighborhoods around the globe. Imagine breeding a death spawn of Nailbomb, Power Trip, Drain and Nine Inch Nails. It sounds bizarre to write it on paper but it is beyond rewarding to hear it play out. 10/10 if you are a fan of hardcore and open minded to hear it mixed with other genres. Confirmed you will play it twice in a row and search for more. 
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

DESERT TWELVE – THE LAST DARK WOOD
Psych Rock, Hard Rock, Stoner Rock
Piacenza, Italy
Orzorock Music

DESERT TWELVE is back with its sophomore album, my 8 grams per ton* album. Echidna, Sphinx, Cerberus and dragons are among the sculptures that haunt the Monster Park in Bomarzo (IT) which inspires the songs of The Last Dark Wood. The compositions are solid, the melodies are great and the quality of the female singing wonderfully completes the work. If you’re a label collector, DESERT TWELVE plays what could be called “psych stonerized hard rock” and plays it perfectly. The 1st part of the LP is very good and the 2nd one is just amazing. Discovering this kind of gem is the reason why I find strength enough to keep on working as a reviewer. (*) 8 grams per ton is the concentration of precious metal in a gold mine.
~ Thierry “Golddigger-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

DRÖÖG – DET STORA OVÄSENDET
Rock, Doom, Stoner, Sludge, Psych
Fallun, Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records

DRÖÖG‘s deeply doomy, metallic grandeur abounds once again in their sophomore release “Det Stora Oväsendet” but to chilling new heights, and along with more riffs than you can shake a crooked, moss covered branch at. Swinging groove is the rushing undercurrent to soulful, Swedish language vocals that rise powerfully like a cursed mist through mysteriously distorted effects, almost forming an instrument all its own. With this release, DRÖÖG take us further into the imagination of times past through a modern lens and the labyrinth of their shadowy world of myth, mirth and mire, their foreboding charm hooking into the fabric of our brains like visions from ancient delerium. It’s heavy, groovy and doomy with an ever present darkly melodic and strangely cinematic nature.
~ The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy)

EARTH TONGUE – GREAT HAUNTING
Rock, Garage, Noise, Punk, Psych, Fuzz, Occult
Wellington, New Zealand
In The Red Records

“The Great Haunting;” a smashing slice of sexy, pulpy, intensely heavy psych from New Zeland’s EARTH TONGUE. The duo’s sophomore release burns hot and their hugely engrossing sound is hedonistically heady, proggy and heavily supernatural with a gloriously garage rock grit through truly impressive heft. This is music to soundtrack your fuzzy rituals and fever dreams to, with a heroic dose of 60’s Italo-slasher, 70’s grindhouse horror film vibes. We’re not talking the well-worn and oft overplayed tropes of sleazy retro pastiche as EARTH TONGUE bring us a truly vibrant, unique, well played, exceptionally composed and fresh offering through the palpable madness and undeniable purpose of these nine tracks. Furiously focused panache oozes provocatively with shared vocals alongside brilliantly blazing, buzzy and mischievously mysterious riffing, wonderfully weird space rock tendencies with strange and engrossing time signatures on top of beautifully unique fills on the drums. A must have release for any fan of mega fuzzy, stoner tinged, occult focused psychedelic rock.
~ The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy)

EL JEFAZO – COLISIÓN BRUTAL
Desert, Doom, Heavy Psych
Lima, Peru
Self-released

Colisión Brutal by EL JEFAZO combines a pulverizing wall of heaviness with psychedelic sample elements to set the mind a flame with interest. This band is digging in deep and committing to the cause. Their smoke stacks roar with evacuating heat and smolder with stoner rock dust and fire. Expect your surrounding environment to be completely engulfed in the movement. Choking you with killing riff after killing riff, this album is layered with bludgeoning gravity bong style deliveries. Big drums, perfectly timed bass runs that perk the ear in time for the next change up to catch fire. You thought your power lung could take it but it’s choking you out and now you are in for the ride. Don’t walk into this unaware because this is medical grade plant based rock and roll at its finest.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

FU MANCHU – THE RETURN OF TOMORROW
Rock, Stoner, Desert
San Clemente, California, USA
At The Dojo Records

The Return Of Tomorrow by Fu Manchu reminds us why they are the masters of fuzz. When it comes to good time, fuzzed out rock and roll ala stoner rock legends, Fu Manchu has long been a go to name to reference such. They are always on brand with their signature sound and are consistently able to write a new batch of riffs that fit right in the pocket of the monolith discography they have crafted over a thirty year stretch. It’s such a treat to hear a new album from the veteran musicians that sparks as much excitement to the listener as the many albums before this one have. Fu Manchu have delivered another sermon from the desert sands and we give them thanks as we soak up the sun.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

THE GHOST NEXT DOOR – CLASSIC SONGS ABOUT DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT
Progressive Metal, Post Hardcore
San Francisco, California, USA
Ripple Music

THE GHOST NEXT DOOR have taken a step forward in their maturation as a band with Classic Songs About Death and Dismemberment. This is some great progressive metal that shows more finesse than previously with the songwriting getting more intricate and deeper, not that it wasn’t before, but this is some next level stuff.  As I love post hardcore, all things Revelation and Dischord Records, and bands like Hum and Into Another, this is right in my wheelhouse, especially given I still get some of the doomy prog I expect from the band to go along with this more pronounced wrinkle.  Another great Ripple release and an excellent addition to THE GHOST NEXT DOOR discography.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

Marrying alternative rock and progressive rock with touches of punk, jazz, traditional and thrash metal amongst other genres, THE GHOST NEXT DOOR has made a creative and exciting album. One listen will certainly not be enough to digest all the tasty music that comes from this album, one hundred listens might not be even be enough. But don’t get me wrong this is not a difficult listen at all as some more involved music can be instead it’s the opposite, a fun easy listen that offers a little more than standard fare. Take a big old bite, see what you think.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

LOST PSYCHONAUT – VIOLENT OUTBURSTS AND FALSE ACCUSATIONS
Metal, Rock, Blues, Stoner
Connelsville, PA USA
Self-released

I think this one may have got lost in the shuffle. Released on the last day of May maybe many contributors missed it for May and then June was just so lucrative that this album missed out again. I love it. It’s straight forward hard rock with hooks and melodies that can fit into a more mainstream rock band while remaining hard enough to keep underground cred (if that’s even a thing). To paraphrase a description I saw recently but can’t remember about who, “they aren’t reinventing the wheel but they sure are keeping it rolling”. It fits here too well not to use it.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

LUCIFER’S HAMMER – BE AND EXIST
NWOTHM, Metal, Heavy Metal
De la Poblacion, Santiago, Chile
Dying Victims Productions

LUCIFER’S HAMMER strikes with lightning from the Chilean heavens, raining down hail made of molten lead, with galloping riffs, finger tapping, and blistering solos à la Iron Maiden. The bass matches the guitar riffs and chugs heavily along with the drums and with those percussion rolls, I swear the drummer must have at least five or six toms. The commanding vocals play just as vital of a role as the genius of the guitars. Awesome instrumentals such as ‘The Fear of Anubis’ will have you banging your head along with the tempo while anthems of traditional heavy metal like on the title track ‘Be and Exist’ will take you to a hazy stadium filled with fellow metalheads throwing up the horns. The album ‘Be and Exist‘ will transport you back to when heavy metal was king, and I think it could bleed over to casual fans of these genres as well as it being an absolute must have for early metal fans!
~ Jon McGough

MELTEM – MARE NOSTRUM
Psychedelic Doom metal
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Discos Macarras/Nafra/Nooirax/Quebranta Records

“Mare Nostrum,” is an album that has a huge sound that is filled to the brim with dynamics and many layers. The overall sound of the album is definitely rooted in both 70’s rock and stoner doom but it has a very healthy dose of Middle Eastern music to it as well. If the combinations of all those elements and styles sound like it might be unique and adventurous, that’s because it is. The atmosphere has a warm, fluid sound that covers the music like a gentle breeze. With that being said, it has more than enough moments of pure raw aggressive heaviness that reveals a certain danger inside the many details and intricacies of their music. With “Mare Nostrum,” MELTEM has crafted an interesting debut that will appeal to a large audience, even those who normally shy away from doom. It has more than enough variety and craft songwriting to impress even the most cynical of music lovers.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

MOULD – PULL & REPULSION
Doom, Stoner, Progressive
Netherlands
Polderrecords

Mixed by Matthijs Kievit and mastered my Pieter Kloos, the six tracks on the Pull & Repulsion album can be viewed as the now classic interpretation of doom metal. The classic version filled with grand gestures and a female vocalist that has the power to enchant. The added layer of harsher male vocals from time to time, ensures that every lyrical melody reaches its full potential. Sonic Doom and Epic Sludge they state on their bandcamp and there is a lot of truth in that statement. For the doom involved, although downtuned, seems to grow and billow and constantly move into mushroom cloud proportions. The sludge tones, with overtones of something progressive, droning and equally building towards something larger than the sum of their parts manages to enthrall constantly. They don’t always go for that detonation though, and shying away from the explosion you feel lying in wait, feels like a band that dares to take a different route. The musical push and pull, like waves, like tides seems to define what MOULD meant to achieve with their debut album. They focus on the dark, the shadow, the cold and the weariness, but show you there’s always that other side, that spark of light, ice that reflects and a sun that manages to reach even the deepest recesses of the cave. Pull & Repulsion is one hell of a debut, one that seems to flourish in the shade and grow with every bone chilling listening session.
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

NEBULA/BLACK RAINBOWS – IN SEARCH OF THE COSMIC TALE: CROSSING THE GALACTIC PORTAL
Stoner, Heavy Psych
California, USA/Italy
Heavy Psych Sounds

Of course the new split album from Heavy Psych Sounds featuring NEBULA and BLACK RAINBOWS is excellent. How on earth could it not be with those two bands featured on it. The Californians from NEBULA and Italians from BLACK RAINBOWS never disappoint, with even their weakest material it is still excellent. Here, on In Search of the Cosmic Tale: Crossing The Galactic Portal, we get three songs from each band, just enough to tease you and leave you wanting more but don’t be so greedy because at least you get these six rippers. These two bands are peanut butter and jelly, so let’s hope this isn’t the last time they team up.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

NOUЯITURE – BARBARA VOL.I – PASTÈQUE PLANET
Mindfuck Rock, Psych Rock, Grunge, Space Rock,
Paris, France
Self-released

Are you familiar with the mindfuck rock? This is the concept explored by NOUЯITURE, an astonishing fusion of psych rock, grunge and punk – mainly but not only. Real concept-album, the SciFi narrative of Barbara Vol. 1 – Pastèque Planet tells a crazy story featuring starships, zombies, watermelons and more. The tracks and the clever interludes follow one another, sometimes contemplative, sometimes filled with raw punk energy. I won’t hide from you that this album (because of its wide diversity) is not at the center of the Heavy Rock universe, however I love it and its huge creativity deserves exposure. You have to understand that the story is written first and then the music genres are freely chosen to fit with the different scenes of the “movie”. This 200% creative album will appeal to curious minds and fans of strange and offbeat humor.
NB – If you are a fan of HOMECOMING, you will have the pleasure of hearing Théo (bass) & Renaud (Guitar + vocals) in a different atmosphere.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

OH HIROSHIMA – ALL THINGS SHINING
Post Rock
Sweden
Pelagic Records

OH HIROSHIMA play post-rock arrangements but with the fire and aggression of sludge and post-metal. They mix ambient soundscapes with loops and noise but never forget to play as loud as they can when they want you to take notice. Echoed, picked guitar rings out in desolation, like a corpse floating down a river before finally falling over a massive waterfall that drowns out all other sounds. The songs avoid long drawn out passages, instead the constant ebb and flow between loud and quiet quickly take the listener along with mid paced tempos that brings anticipation to the next part of the composition. There is a definite cinematic feel to proceedings which will be rewarded by playing as a whole, rather than individual tracks. Slow echoed drums morph into aggressive, driving beats from which the guitars can surge over the top, giving plenty of opportunities for feet stomping. In an over-saturated genre, it can be hard to make your mark but these guys have pulled it off.
~ Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe)

PIJN – FROM LOW BEAMS OF HOPE
Doom, Post-Metal, Ambient
Manchester, UK
Floodlit Recordings

From Low Beams Of Hope by PIJN reminds us that their creative energy is admirable and unstoppable. As a recent discovery, PIJN caught my attention and captured my heart. To discover a new album landing this month generated nothing short of excitement for me. With an almost stopping of all activities, my focus became finding a place undisturbed to listen. The expectation held was not let down but accentuated . This is the type of album one can sink into completely. A complete and flowing movement of thought without interruption. The emotional level of songwriting and heaviness of atmosphere here are the template used to seduce and captivate a full range of emotions in one presentation. Fans of GY!BE, Kayo Dot and 5ive may want to take note.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

QUANTUM – DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE
Metal, Prog, Math, Jazz
Sweden
Black Lodge

For many of us heavy rock fiends, we only need to hear ‘Sweden’ and our ears will immediately prick up. Add to that genres like ‘progressive’ and ‘metal’ and you know we will be in for a good ride! A ride Down The Mountainside as the debut album by Swedish quartet Quantum is called. A debut album by these four, even though the band started back in 2016. Ever since that time it has existed mostly as a live project, honing their craft and polishing the songs they produced. Which is clearly audible on their debut studio effort. Down The Mountainside brings you eight tracks that are all definite prog metal, with overtures of prog rock, jazz and fusion infused and with a definite mathrock edge. This all leads to something highly evolved and multifaceted, yet entirely comprehensible. The switches in tempo and melody are legion, often immediately overwritten by lovely guitar solos and soaring melodies. Great vocal parts, harmonized choirs, a few biting snarls and often captivating singing. The crisp production and sharp mix leave nothing to want. The Last Stone ends this forty-five minute run through the Quantum landscape in brilliant form, showing you every color that came before. This is one hell of a crackling debut!
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

REDWOOD – DRY RIVERS
Stoner, Psych, Doom
California, USA
Self-released

A truly special trip through spacey, heavy psychedelia, REDWOOD captures that elusive mixture of bliss and heaviness on their latest EP. Masterfully done and a joy to get lost in.
~ Kyle SB (Good Boy PR, Stoner HiVe)

REZN – BURDEN
Doom, Psych, Rock
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Sargent House

Burden by REZN delivers another massive slab of psych soaked doom. There are many directions one can take heavy music. By not remaining traditional there is a risk of pushing some fans away while gaining others. REZN manages to continue blending the most powerful elements of sludge and doom with outer elements of rock, psychedelia and a touch of ambient space. These songs allow time to breathe, build upon an urging emotion and deliver appropriately. When the time to strike arrives, it crushes all its path like a mountain crumbling. The clean vocals level the chaos to a welcoming tone. The result is a very palatable presentation to the heaviest of moments. 
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

SONS OF ARRAKIS – VOLUME II
Stoner, Desert, Doom, Sci-Fi Rock
Montreal, Québec, Canada
Black Throne Productions

SONS OF ARRAKIS are primed to be our guide to a hard rock uprising with Volume II. It is clear that SONS OF ARRAKIS understand the sweet spot in rock. Nothing about the design here is questionable. We are not talking about beer soaked belligerence. This is, raise your glass in the air nodding because this riff feels so damn good, music. There is a bluesy touch to certain parts of the album. No one would fault anyone for taking that path, right? It is the ultimate spice in every great rock record. It also helps build up an emotional direction that can make the next riff feel stronger. Stoner blues, adjacent with fun riffs and clean vocals. Rock solid production and good times unending. Side note: It makes me want to investigate Volume I to see what I’ve missed out on.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

VEXING HEX – SOLVE ET COAGULA
Occult Rock, Doom, Pop
Illinois, USA
Wise Blood Records

VEXING HEX’s lead singer is named Cadaverus, Lord of Dread, so right off the bat you have scored some points when you are a band that has such tags as “horror” and “occult” in their profile. When you partner that with some of the catchiest and fun heavy rock out there, you are going to have a winner, which is exactly what VEXING HEX has with their second LP, Solve Et Coagula. There are elements of 80s rock, grunge, doom, and some obvious love of grandiose horror imagery, ala Ghost. Ghost is an easy but lazy comparison. VEXING HEX is their own beast, and is way more all over the place than Tobias and his band of ghouls, in all the best ways.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

WHITE CANYON & THE 5TH DIMENSION – THE GOLDEN KEY TO THE KINGDOM OF NO RETURN
Psychedelic, Stoner, Minimalism
Brazil
Self-released

There is a Timeless Magick about this – an album that would sit well with ANY Krautrock of 1970: Ash Ra Tempel, Brainticket, Popol Vuh, Cosmic Jokers etc. The ebb and flow of the music, the subtle interplay between the Musicians, The Notes and the Concept is a delight to hear! “The Golden Key…” establishes WHITE CANYON & THE 5TH DIMENSION as a Modern beacon for the genre!
~ Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

YAJAIRA – EPOPEYA
Psych, Stoner, Doom
Santiago, Chile
Bombtrack Distro

Epopeya by YAJAIRA takes us back to the lands where bluesy, psychedelic, stoner giants are born. It seems very recent that we discussed my enjoyment of Yajaira and my consideration of them being a “Best kept secret ” in our heavy music world. My excitement of seeing their new album release available made me jump for a sound system and crank it up as loud and fast as possible. Nothing about this release let me down. YAJAIRA has the ability to seemingly follow a stoner rock blueprint, but like true architects, they consistently surprise the listener with new structures within that appeal artistically while simultaneously strengthening the foundation. Pushing our previous interpretation into fresh light. An arc or a line that we did not see or maybe an angle that fits all too perfectly yet we never found it lurking in the shadows before now. The eerie darkness of what this band is capable of is the secret sauce in their chemistry. The ultimate in slow, dirty, heavy blues jams that consistently spark excitement in the neurons and slowly melt the brain with massive waves of electricity, in the best way.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin)

YELLOW SATURNIANS – VOL 1
Rock, psychedelic rock, space rock, stoner rock
Murom, Russia
Self-released

Spacey psychedelic rock with everything from jamming passages to cool leads and melodic vocals. A few tunes are instrumental and a few have singing. It flows, it grooves, it moves, it leaves me nodding along in enjoyment. I believe this was made by a multi-instrumentalist and a vocalist. This dude can a write a song and he plays killer guitar. And its Name Your Price on Bandcamp.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

YOUNG ACID – MURDER AT MAPLE MOUNTAIN
Rock, Punk Rock, Garage Rock, Stoner
Vimmerby, Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records

YOUNG ACID have burst onto the scene as a “super group” with a constellation from members of Greenleaf, Domkfaft, Novarupta, Besvärjelsen, The Moth Gatherer, Grand Cadaver, and more, and the band have avoided the trappings of the term by doubling down and delivering a beautiful bastard of an album full of guts, grit, and soulful substance. From start to finish I find myself fully engrossed by the magic of YOUNG ACID and after an embarrassingly large amount of repeat plays, still scratching my head in wonder as to how this release could possibly get any better (news flash: it can’t.) Each of the highly addictive ten tracks flow to the next as a complete atmosphere unto themselves, and so well performed, it borders on obscene, with each player bringing their “A” game and plenty of raucously raw energy. “Murder At Maple Mountain” makes it abundantly clear that Young Acid is here to make a splash and a big one at that, and though not stoner or doom per se, this release is adjacent in sound and pedigree to hook fans of both genres with its heavily fuzzed up tendencies. Dive into the perfectly punchy, wildly fuzzy, garage rocking, post- punky freedom that “Murder At Maple Mountain” brings and enjoy the ride. Judging by the high praise its been getting on lauded international platforms, I’m also going to thrown my hat in and say that this album is one of the heavy underground’s best releases of 2024.
~ The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy)

The Doom Charts June 2024 – 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:

Adam Walsh (Earmunchies); Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy); A.S. Van Dorston (Fast n Bulbous); Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard); 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); Chris Beck (Doom Tomb Podcast); Chris Tighe (The Mighty Decibel); Clint Willis (Hand of Doom Radio); Damien Regnauld (Stoner Freaks Anthology); ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army); Edouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse); Eric Crowe (Doomsayer Records / Halo Of The Goat Radio); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe); Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture); James Sweetlove (CaveDwellerMusic); JC Cansdale-Cook (The MotorFuzzin’ Ibex); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); Jipsy Froud (CleanAndSoberStoner); JJ “HP Taskmaster” Koczan (The Obelisk); John Gist, (Vegas Rock Revolution / The Doomed & Stoned Show); Jon Cosky (Gravitoyd Heavy Music); Jon McGough; Jonny Pirie (Hour of the Riff); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal); Kyle SB (Good Boy PR, Stoner HiVe); Lee Edwards (The Sleeping Shaman); Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects); Mats Florstam (Ozium Records); Matthew Thomas (Taste Nation); Matthew Hartnett (Heavy Galaxy); Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes); Mitch Kline (DoomyRiffs.com); Mr Stone (More Fuzz); Nick Pipitone (The Third Eye, Monster Riff); Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (The Ripple Effect); Stevie Reek (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); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed); Ryan Hilton (Black Throne Productions); Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner); Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Woodier (Anointing The Sick); The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy); 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).

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.