“I’ll have what the Doom Charts having.”

~ Probably misheard quote from When Harry Met Sally…

Happy New Year to one and all! May 2025 bring you all you need! And may the Doom Charts continue to feed your needs in Heavy Underground music. Cause that’s what we hope to do, every month again. And in a week or two we shall put up the Top 100 for 2024. The Doom Charts way of looking back at the entire year that has come and gone. But first we have December to enjoy! Which will always be a weird month. Less albums are released in that month. And there is a lot of looking back and making lists about the music released in the year almost finished. And there are a few Contributors off on holiday, taking a break or too busy with that year-end-stuff. Which makes December a volatile month; but o’ so lovely! For there were still 190 albums that received votes and below you can visit the Top 40 of that list. And those 40 are all there for a reason! Their need to produce the good stuff that will feed all of our needs!  

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. DARK SHAMAN – DEVIL MUSIC’S SESSIONS / NEW!

39. IRON SLUG – UNREPENTANT GRIN / NEW!

38. GRIM REEFER – TALES OF THE GRIM REEFER / NEW!

37. WOLVES OF SATURN – THE DESERTS ECHO AND THE PEYOTE DELUSION / NEW!

36. VOODOO GARDEN – AGE OF THE MIST / NEW!

35. OROTORO – SUMUN / NEW!

34. RAINBOW FACE – ENJOY THIS RUIN / NEW!

33. MUTHA TRUCKA – DESERT WARRIOR / NEW!

32. THE PENITENT MAN – M.O.T.H. / NEW!

31. THE CROOKED WHISPERS – TALES FROM MURDER SEASONS / NEW!

30. SEQUESTER – COSMIC CONSIDERATIONS / NEW!

29. DEWOLFF – MUSCLE SHOALS / NEW!

28. DESERT COLLIDER – GENERATION SHIP ENDLESS DRIFT THROUGH INFINITY / NEW!

27. PILLAR OF LIGHT – CALDERA / NEW!

26. FIREBLOOD – GOATSLAYER / NEW!

25. WIZRD – ELEMENTS / NEW!
656 Points
Rock, Indie, Progressive
Oslo, Norway
Karisma Records

As their bio says WIZRD is a boundary pushing rock band that effortlessly blends genres from rock and indie to progressive and jazz. That is totally accurate and I want to stress the effortlessly part. In less capable hands the different elements may not blend so seamlessly. There are too many influences that I heard within this fine album to list them all but I can say with assurance that WIZRD take those ingredients and cook up one hell of a stew. Grab a spoon and dig in.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

24. DEAD ACID PEOPLE – FEED ME / NEW!
680 Points
Stonerrock 
Paris, France
Self-released

Remember? “Feed me! Feed me!” is the leitmotiv of Audrey II, the carnivorous plant from The Little Shop of Horrors. It’s also the intro and title track of DEAD ACID PEOPLE‘s new album, and what an album! It’s a masterclass of mighty stoner that respects the rules of the genre: fuzzy guitar riffs, titanic bass sound, powerful mixing… However, there is in the melodies this strange spice that gives the whole dish a particular flavor. In the end, with FEED ME, be sure that the French quartet will feed all your hungry ears!
~ Thierry “Feed-Me“ François (Metal Intégral)

23. CITIZEND – THE SPIRAL / NEW!
777 Points
Post Rock, Folk, Grunge,  Alternative Rock
Gothenburg, Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records

CITIZEND bring a much-needed respite from the usual heavy we are exposed to, but are still quite heavy in their own way. If you are looking for something more chill with a darker Americana vibe but still crunchy in multiple different ways, you are going to really enjoy THE SPIRAL EP. Think of a nice combination of Muder By Death, Nick Cave, Firewater, and Joy Division to give you a starting point.  Very cool stuff.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

22. LOWMAD – LOST / NEW!
790 Points
Stoner, Sludge
Belgium
Self-released

Hailing from Flanders, Belgium LOWMAD bring their distinctive blend of Stoner/Sludge fusings with “LOST“: 8 tracks of High-fuelled Underground Metal that throws all the hooks and riffs you’d expect, all wrapped up in gnarly attitude!
~ Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

21. SUMO – III / NEW!
900 Points
Heavy Psych, Instrumental Space Rock
Miami, Florida USA
Rikishi Records

SUMO III is a masterpiece. It’s the musical equivalent of going from VHS tape to a 4K High Dynamic Range OLED TV. Countless bands have tried this kind of spacey, heavy psych instrumental stuff. Other than a few, like Astral Construct and Clouds Taste Satanic, I can barely listen to the others after SUMO. They come from outside the Stoner/Doom scene and avoid the tropes and references that can bog it down: they literally bring a new dimension to what is possible. Mind blown!
~ Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff)

20. MEGATON COMMUNION – RED SKY WARNING / NEW!
924 Points
Doom Rock, Stoner Rock
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Black Doomba Records

MEGATON COMMUNION is a well-chosen band name for these Buckeyes, as is the album art they’ve chosen for their debut LP RED SKY WARNING. I say that because these riffs are capable of unleashing the destructive powers of a salvo of primed atom bombs and creating a hell of a good time out of the fallout. Across RED SKY WARNING, listener’s can expect weight, aggression, and groove in equal measure, never forsaking one for the other. It’s an incredibly well-balanced album I believe is going to appeal to almost every reader visiting Doom Charts. Highly recommended for those wanting to wiggle their hips this month!
~ Jacob ‘Reverend Fuzzcut’ Baker (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff)

19. HOMEGROWN – HIMALAYAZ / NEW!
972 Points
Psychedelic, Stoner, Jam, Neo-Psych
Göthenburg, Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records

Göthenburg four piece HOMEGROWN have joined the ranks of Sweden’s elite psychedelic greats having burst into the scene this December with their heavily heady head change of an album “HIMALAYAZ.” Whilst simultaneously materializing as a renewed source of inspiration and breath of fresh air for those of us searching for true, heavy rocking psychedelic satisfaction in a sea of soulless Sabbathian rip off and pedantic, performative occultism, HOMEGROWN have given us a truly heroic dose of the wicked rad and trippy, taking the listener back to the source and on a full-on mind bender of a journey to the centre of the riff. Overtly rich with retro heaviness, groovy jamming and expertly placed atmospheric trip outs, “HIMALAYAZ” exhibits an accessibly catchy authenticity yet puffs hard without passing on real nostalgia without pretension and has completely missed the formulaic trappings of the modern stoner scene upping the ante for all who from this point on, hope to pull off this kind of jame based psychedelic rock. The fact that this album could easily be an anthology of a band’s entire career as much as it is a single album this early in their history speaks volumes to HOMEGROWN’s potential trajectory and the quality of this punchy patchwork of ripping neo psychedelia. HIMALAYAZ is an unmissable release for fans of November, Moody Blues, even some Beatles-esque moments with flashes of Allman Brothers jam sequencing, FUZZ, GOAT and having your third eye flipped on its head. If you are searching for a cohesive, intentional, well written and soulfully performed force of nature, get your bell rung by HOMEGROWN and their sophomore album HIMALAYAZ.
~ The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy)

18. KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON – WEST MATA / NEW!
1100 Points
Space Rock, Krautrock
Kiel, Germany
Clostridium Records / Cardinal Fuzz Records / Little Cloud Records

KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON have been waving the krautrock flag for many years now and keep releasing good and interesting albums on which they transport that old, raw and crackling sound into the 21st century. New one ‘WEST MATA‘ is no exception. With hell and stars perfectly aligned, it might even be their best one yet. Benefiting from the clearest and most dynamic production they ever had, it floats more into space rock than krautrock territory. But – as one might expect – they don’t totally abandon the German heritage they’ve been keeping alive for so long. No, it’s just not as present as before and that’s all that was needed to give their instrumental travels that extra layer of greatness.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

17. FUSER – AERO SOUL / NEW!
1116 Points
Stoner Rock, Alternative Rock
Oldenburg, Germany
Self-released

FUSER is a band from the Oldenburg area of Germany who has been around since 1998. Historically, this aptly named band has been known for their distinctive fusion of stoner and alternative rock, with a hint of grunge thrown in for good measure. On their latest album AERO SOUL, the band drifts further from those alternative roots and leans harder into heavy psych and metal influences. This album is both an infinitely heavier yet more atmospheric version of FUSER‘s brand of stoner rock, and it’s a very natural next step for the band. In fact, of all the albums I heard in 2024, AERO SOUL exemplifies one of the most impressive evolutions of a band’s sound.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

16. KING MOUNTAIN – VII / NEW!
1272 Points
Hardrock, Metal, Classic, Blues
Greece
Self-released

There’s still a stoner touch on the seven tracks of the new KING MOUNTAIN album VII. But for the most part these Greek crazies opt for the classic side of hardrock and metal. Honoring the blues roots and displaying a pure love for the great guitar work of yore. Free in delivery and smooth in every way. This is the kind of easy listening that will soothe every savage beast and become the safe harbor for ever heavy music fiend.
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

15. FUZZ SAGRADO – COLD REMAINS / NEW!
1616 Points
Rock, Seventies, Progressive, Psychedelic, Stoner
Brazil
Self-released

With a heavier tone and echoes of the psycho-progressive rock of the late 60s and early 70s, the four powerful tracks swing between constant changes of rhythm in an atmosphere where darkness predominates. The recognizable sound of SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT will be a new injection of life for the lovers of the now extinct band, since the essence of their songs is maintained in this new stage in which the guitar has taken control again accompanied by an amazingly powerful rhythm base. Thus, they create songs that combine moments of pause and melancholy with the rawness of rock as always, that authentic rock that does not bow to trends or styles.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

14. BLACK AFTERGLOW – BLACK AFTERGLOW / NEW!
1624 Points
Psychedelic
Netherlands
PowerWax Records

Dutch Guitar Wizard Tjeerd de Jong teams up with Cosmic Wordsmith Shane Beck to produce a shimmering, multi-layed slice of Heavy Psych. 8 stunning and vastly different compositions melding Heavy Psych, Poetry and Ambience to perfect effect!
~ Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

13. HOLLOW LEG – ECHOES / NEW!
1780 Points
Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal, Sludge
Orlando, Florida, USA
Self-released

“ECHOES” delivers all the raucousness and rawness we have come to expect from HOLLOW LEG but this time with added elements of refinement and accessibility, so much so that there are times while listening to “ECHOES” that you will feel the need to check that you are still actually listening to HOLLOW LEG and have not pressed play on a Planet of Zeus release by mistake.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

12. EPITAPH – PATH TO OBLIVION / NEW!
1917 Points
Traditional, Epic, Doom Metal 
Italy
My Kingdom Music

EPITAPH, the mysterious veterans of Italian doom metal are back with an album at the top of their art. Of course the riffs are powerful and dark, the rhythms are very heavy but the alchemy is catalyzed by the epic melodies sung by a new extraordinary singer. Indeed, Ricky Dal Pane’s vocal qualities are somewhere between those of Ronnie James Dio and Messiah Marcollin (Candlemass). My final verdict: PATH TO OBLIVION is a jewel of traditional epic doom!
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

11. SIX MONTHS OF SUN – CREATURES / NEW!
1968 Points
Stoner, Instrumental
Geneva, Switzerland
Cold Smoke Records / Urgence Disk Records

SIX MONTHS OF SUN is a band based out of Geneva, but their third full-length album Creatures has drawn inspiration from all over the world. Each track on this record focuses on a different legendary beast — sourced from a wide variety of cultures, folklore, and fiction — and tells its tale through the medium of instrumental stoner metal. The music weaves back and forth between chilling moods and driving beats (even brushing against harsh extremes at just the right moments), allowing the listener to feel the frightful auras of the monsters they evoke. As a result, these songs are as formidable and awe-inspiring as the myths that share their names.
~ Brandon Collins (Morbid And Miserable Records)

10. GUDGER – GUDGER III / NEW!
2016 Points
Hard Rock, Stoner Rock, Heavy Metal
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Self- released

Apparently the word “gudger” is an English derivative of the Old Norse name “Gudgierr” (God’s Spear) which would go a long way in explaining why the grooves GUDGER deliver with their new album “III” are so sharp, thrusting and dangerous.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

9. ORBITER – DISTORTED FOLKLORE / NEW!
2040 Points
Post Rock, Doom, Stoner, Grunge
Gainesville, Florida
Salvaged Records

Every twist and turn of the new record from Gainesville, Florida band ORBITER‘s new album, DISTORTED FOLKLORE, brings me back to the 90s/early 00s post rock stylings of Hum and Failure and this is a wonderful thing.  If you dig that sound and get as excited as I do when other bands like Torche are major influences then you are going to really dig DISTORTED FOLKLORE. They may come from the land of cows, college, and Hot Water Music, but this record is huge, sprawling, and beautiful.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

8. EYE OF AQUILA – ATAVISMS / NEW!
2064 Points
Stoner Metal, Grunge, Rock 
Merced, California, USA
Self-released

EYE OF AQUILA, California’s fiery desert gardeners, dip their thunderous drums, doomy heavy and hard-hitting 90s alt metal guitar riffs into well nuanced, dark psychedelic and trippy spaced out groove. Shoegazy, catchy, melodic and expressive ALICE IN CHAINS grunge and aggressive RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE inspired vocals create a perfectly tailored suit around the sophisticated lyrics. „ATAVISMS” is an unconventional, ingeniously fresh-modern, worthy of worship and very welcome footprint in California’s slightly dusty and predominantly fuzz-flecked stoner desert, transforming it with fiery soles into a rather edgy, cracked, karstified, apocalyptic steppe. … I could linger endlessly in this glowing, charred EYE OF AQUILA steppe!
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)

7. WEEVIL – EASY WAY / NEW!
2112 Points
Stoner, Desert Rock
Athens, Greece
Self-released

Cruising sandy dunes and dusty off-road trails, WEEVIL has brought forth some righteous desert tunes that flirt and borrow from the 90’s stoner scene, while adding their own punkish attitude and flair. The band are also influenced by the rich stoner rock culture of their home country Greece. Though the title is an homage to Lemmy, the song ‘Rickenbästard’ is a stoner rock anthem if there ever was one, containing massive amounts of pounding grooves, catchy hooks, and fuzzy delightment. The following track ‘Insomnia’ adds some nice variation to the mix, showing they’re not just a one trick WEEVIL but dabble in outstanding heavy psych and spacey blues as well. What a great debut, the entire album is attention grabbing and fans of the genre should embrace ‘EASY WAY’.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

6. OKKTLI – LADO A / NEW!
3170 Points
Post Rock, Doom, Stoner, Grunge
Gainesville, Florida
Salvaged Records

Gloomy guitars, solemn vocals, epic instrumental march, pounding drums, iommiesque riffs, sinister atmospheres, slow tempos and victorious accelerations… during the 28 minutes of LADO A, OKKTLI condenses and reinvents all the reasons why I love doom metal. This album is a must for any doomster and drives me crazy while eagerly waiting for Lado B.
~ Thierry “Lado-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

5. SOME PILLS FOR AYALA – …AND WE LEAVE THE PLANET? / NEW!
3800 Points
Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock, Space Rock
Santiago, Chile
Self-released

Thick fuzzed out riffage and infectious rhythms underscored with all manner of spacious sounds and effects is what Néstor Ayala Cortés brings to the table with his psych heavy solo project SOME PILLS FOR AYALA. Cortés’ not only plays every instrument, sings every note on latest release “…AND WE LEAVE THE PLANET?” he is also responsible for its engineering, recording and production. To bastardise Christopher Walken’s speech in the movie “Man On Fire”, ““A man can be an artist… in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Cortés’ art is music. He’s just painted his masterpiece.”
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

4. GREAT RIFT – TRANSIENT / NEW!
4392 Points
Heavy Psych, Hard Rock, Blues, Stoner
Vienna, Austria
Tonzonen Records

Heavy psychedelic tunes that are derived from the hard rock of the 70’s and 90’s that fuel the scene we love. This album reveals more and more each time you listen, like truly captivating good albums do making it fresh and intriguing with each listen. A very well made album, I really love the sound and especially some of the guitar tones. It’s well rounded and flawless. If we were talking about fishing or relationships this is what we would say is a keeper. Nice catch.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

3. SHOTGUN SAWYER – SHOTGUN SAWYER / NEW!
5190 Points
Heavy Blues, Blues, Rock
Auburn, California, USA 
Ripple Music

Adding some fuzz to heavy blues, SHOTGUN SAWYER takes the standard blues model and polishes it up like a brand-new shiny nickel. In addition to shining originals, we also have classic covers by Mr. Elmore James and Don Nix. ‘The Sky is Crying’ is one of those songs I never tire of and love to hear different versions of. The perhaps lesser known ‘Going Down’ is also of importance and receives a great rendition. The thing is the originals fit right in with the classics; they range from up-tempo boogie to slow soulful blues. Songs like ‘Isildur’s Bane’ and ‘Hopeless’ harness the despair, mystique, and lore of the blues with a fuzzy modern touch, while keeping an appreciation of the roots. If soulful sincere vocals, weeping guitars, phenomenal heavy hitting drums, and profound bass playing are your thing, then look no farther. You’ll find no better authentic rockin’ blues around.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

2. THE KRYSS TALMETH EXPERIENCE – WHEN THE WHEELS FALL OFF / NEW!
7305 Points
Edinburgh, UK
Stoner, Psych, Heavy Blues
Kozmik Artifactz

Six years after their self released debut, the Edinburgh, UK trio THE KRYSS TALMETH EXPERIENCE give us seven tracks of killer heavy blues psych goodness that the stoner rockers can get behind too. There is a rawness to this record that makes it an even more enjoyable listen. Oh, also there is a 14-plus minute song called Rough Guide To Tripping Through The Desert that closes the record out so you damn well know it is going to be good.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

1. DESERT SUNS – EDGE OF THE SKY / NEW!
8058 Points
Heavy Blues, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock
San Diego, California
Glory or Death Records

After some significant lineup and style changes, DESERT SUNS are back with what is arguably their most sophisticated release to date. EDGE OF THE SKY maintains the band’s heavy blues foundation, but adds just as many progressive rock, psychedelic, grunge, and metal textures that really give DESERT SUNS‘ sound mind blowing dimension. Gritty yet soaring notes of the desert are ever-present throughout the album, resulting in a warm and sun-streaked tonality that pays homage to the band’s home base of California. If this is the refined but deliciously heavy sound we can expect from DESERT SUNS, it’s safe to say their future is as bright as the California sun.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

DESERT SUNS hails from San Diego, California and deliver some fine classic rock, metal twisted and blues rooted. The five tracks of EDGE OF THE SKY add a touch of stoner, a grain of prog and a pinch of psych and stir it all into a satisfyingly warm piece of rock. Warm to the touch and fresh or the soul!
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

The Doom Charts Mixtape…

…and on TIDAL as well…

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, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick); 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 Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy); Edouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse); Eric Crowe (Doomsayer Records / Halo Of The Goat Radio); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army) Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe); Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture); Jacob ‘Reverend Fuzzcut’ Baker (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff); (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 (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun); 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); Michael D’Amato (Playgroundz Rocks, D’Amato Production); Mitch Kline (DoomyRiffs.com); Mr Stone (More Fuzz); Nick Pipitone (The Third Eye, Monster Riff); Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (The Ripple Effect); 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); Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed); Ryan Hilton (Black Throne Productions); S Patrick Brooks (The Heavy Underground Farm Report, Outlaws of the Sun); Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff); Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Woodier (Anointing The Sick); Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe); 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.