“We made it through November
We got that December love (we got that Doom Charts love)…”

~ probably misheard lyrics

The results for The Obelisk’s Year End Poll went live a week or two ago. The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown ended on January 1st. Loads of Contributors put up their Personal Favorites on their respective sites and we hope you visit all of them. And then The Doom Charts Top 100 went live last weekend… 100 of the very best albums of 2024! But there are so many more. Do not hesitate to let us know what your very favorite album was or is! And will be! Soon, we get cracking on 2025! But first, some more love about 2024, about December 2024! It’s the December Peroration, featuring 18 amazing albums!

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…

A DEAD POEM – ABSTRACT EXISTENCE
Doom Metal, Black Metal, Blackened Doom
Brazil
Personal Records

This is a very striking debut and it sounds like it comes from a band who has been around much longer than they have. Clearly, the duo of lead guitarist/bassist Marlon and Vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/drummer Be Misanthropic have a firm grasp on the vision of this album. This effectively combines doom, Gothic, and blackened elements into one broad, harrowing sound of dire melancholic madness.  The production must be praised. It’s raw and bleak, it’s menacing tendrils wrapping around each note and instrument of these songs and pulling it into its void. It’s the perfect atmosphere for the songs which combine a subtle form of aggression, low-key danger, and stark gloominess. Overall, it sounds quite abrasive yet it’s open enough to let the many dismal melodies and sorrowful passages find a clear path through the utter darkness.  The band isn’t afraid to embrace faster tempos, allowing its black metal influences to come out from the edges of insanity without overtaking the doom. If anything, it perfectly compliments by becoming one with it. There are several instances of quieter moments, where clean notes dance among the liminal spaces. In these moments, the band’s lights shine as strongly (or in this came, dimly) as the heavier moments.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

THE BLACKWALL – SPOOKY TUNES AND HAUNTING STORIES
Goth, Doom, Heavy Metal
London, England
Club Inferno/My Kingdom Music

After two EPs, here is Spooky Tunes And Haunting Stories, the first LP by the London band THE BLACKWALL. The album is perfect if you like the Halloween atmosphere. Musically, the horror melodies are very catchy and sound in a genre that is both goth rock and heavy metal, embellished by two good singers and nice guitar solos. Overall, the band’s universe is reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s grand guignol or Marylin Manson revisited by Tim Burton. Listen to this album and you’ll find back the child in you who loved to play scare himself.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

COPPERGEAR – RELAX
Ambient, Experimental
Canada
Steampunk Alien Records

Much like the cool waters it brings to mind, visions of gulls float and seaweed slowly drifts below the surface. Teaming with life giving and taking. Living at a slow and comfortable pace in the shallows, this is the expanding lifeforce swirling miraculously in unison to harness peace among the ecosystem. Though there is danger in the depths, it come not to mind here. 
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

DEWOLFF – MUSCLE SHOALS
70’s, Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Blues, Soul
Netherlands
Mascot Records

DEWOLFF return with their follow up to the amazing 2023 album ‘Love, Death & In Between’ with the equally impressive ‘Muscle Shoals’, which was recorded in the Alabama town of the same name. The band joyfully flaunt their love of 70’s rock, blues, and soul across these twelve tracks that blister like a hot southern summer. Songs of life and love are elevated by the soulful vocals and vocal harmonies of the brothers Pablo and Luka van de Poel. The other key component being Robin Piso, who adds classic rock and southern gospel sentiments as the specialist on organ. An abundance of other sounds are present within ‘Muscle Shoals’ including horns, saxophone, various percussion, and backup singers. The result is a bright, jubilant album that will make you move and put a smile on your face. 
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

HEXENBANE – DIABLO’S PRISON
Doom, Goth. Proto-Metal, Heavy Psych
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Self-released

HEXENBANE are that rare animal, a band who blend occult/doom and proto-metal with elements drawn from the wells of post-punk and British goth rock. Listen to the first three songs of “Diablo’s Prison” carefully and you can hear traces of everyone from Black Sabbath and The Devil’s Blood to Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees and if that’s not enough Hexenbane then bring to the table, with their last two songs, sound experimentation and blackened metallic bluster.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

MYAELIN – ANTI-KOSMIC SIN SOIREE
Sludge, Experimental
Belgium
Self-released

Prolific ZenChaos purveyors MYAELIN keep their best release of the year for the end of 2024. Dizzyling, uncompromising, bizarre and utterly brilliant, “Anti-Kosmik Sin Soiree” captures the Belgian brainmelters’ penchant for Invention and almost Free-form Jams that seems to go off into labyrinthian layers of sound. A compelling listen for the adventurous!
~ Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

PILLAR OF LIGHT – CALDERA
Doom Metal, Sludge, Post-metal
Detroit, Michigan
Transcending Obscurity Records

PILLAR OF LIGHT’s brand of doom includes sludge and even post-metal elements. They weld their brand of doom/sludge like the deadliest weapon in the world—this album is crushing in every sense of the word. The music pours into my ears like cement, filling up and hardening as each layer becomes nearly unbreakable with its weight. So yeah, it’s heavy. But not only because of the music. The emotional weight of this album is of Godzilla-sized proportions. At times, this album is hard to listen to—and I mean that as the highest of compliments. The heart and soul of this band has been poured into every note—they make me feel it too.  It’s a rare album that can be a monolithic wall of sound and still also be very discernible music. “Caldera”, is an album that I can play and just let it wash over me as it consumes my world. It’s also an album that I can sit down and really dive into—this is highly detailed music with depth to the bottom of the void itself. The production is immense and one of the most important factors on the album. The density to its sound makes every moment seem bottomless and weighty—even the clean and quiet passages. 
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

SUBLIMATIO MORTIS – TRANSUBSTANTIATIO
Ambient, Drone, Experimental
Canada
Cyclic Law

Witches gather. Their chant comes as a slow build. The ambience drones along, forming a presence in the air that is thick with the entity hidden within subtle sounds. Not a word but a tone reaches out. This soon to be conjured creature stirs in the deep. Is this awakening to be a rebuilding of our world or the untimely destruction of it all? Only those in command know of the spell they cast. 
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

SEQUESTER – COSMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Space Rock, Post Rock, Alternative
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Self-released

SEQUESTER is a project entirely new to my doom-hardened ears. I will be perfectly upfront – I tend to go for the more sludgy stuff. There are, however, times when I need to listen to some tunes a bit less caustic, a bit less corrosive. SEQUESTER delivers the chill vibes and riffs in spades across Cosmic Considerations. This is the kind of music in which the lyrics aren’t as important as the overall vibe of the album, and this album is absolute sonic catharisis. Fan’s of Rush and Pink Floyde’s 80’s material are going to find a lot to like here.
~ Jacob ‘Reverend Fuzzcut’ Baker (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff)

SHOTGUN SAWYER – SHOTGUN SAWYER
Heavy Blues, Blues, Rock
Auburn, California, USA 
Ripple Music

The cover may be purple but this is downright HEAVY BLUES! SHOTGUN SAWYER has always had the meanest rhythm section in the business and on the new one doesn’t slow down.
~ Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

I could write 5000 words on why the new SHOTGUN SAWYER record rules, but I would prefer you put on the record and let the blues take you away and burrow into your soul.  This is one of the most real and profound albums I have heard in a long time.  I love this record, and you should too. Dylan Jarman has figured it out, be it lyrically, musically, personnel-wise (man, is that the best drum sound in the business today), and with everything else that went into this record. SHOTGUN SAWYER is the standard-bearer for heavy blues rock today.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

SOTOMONTE – DECADENCE & RENAISSANCE
Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Psych
Bilbao, Spain
Power Records

This album was released in late October and I’m late to the party, but I feel some more people need to be aware of this gem! Spain is well known for a vibrant scene, most notably in the psych, blues, and classic rock styled realms. SOTOMONTE combines vintage sounds with a heavy portion of progressive rock across thirty plus minutes of magical storytelling. Amazing vocals and three-part harmonies fill the album, as does the sense of peace and tranquility. SOTOMONTE uses ebbs and flows between more rock-oriented parts and acoustical folk sections, merging the two openly and freely making Decadence & Renaissance a delightful listen. 
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

STRONGER THAN ARNOLD – ODD STRUCTURES LOST IN THE DEPTH OF SPACE
Space Rock, Heavy Psych, Rock
Limoges, France
Self-released

Buckle up for this cosmic ride because this ship is about to move! Traverse the universe with the psychedelic offerings of STRONGER THAN ARNOLD. The Space Rock band from France are on a firm mission to expand space and time while blowing your mind with frantic yet purposeful precision. The guitar utilizes delays, wah-wah, and a range of other effects to enhance the soundscapes while the vocals speak and sing of the trek towards the citadel. The rhythm section steers the ship as the bass rocks out and even gets funky while the drums pound away un-faltered by time changes or riff shifts. The final track ‘Citadel’ is a mini odyssey all to itself clocking in at over fourteen minutes. It shows the band at its finest and what a great closer for ‘Odd Structures Lost in The Depth of Space’. 
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

SUMO – III
Heavy Psych, Instrumental Space Rock
Miami, Florida USA
Rikishi Records

The third SUMO album delivers instrumental post rock and post metal with shoegazing and space rock elements. It turns their sound into something progressively touched and those sludge tones and doom instances give III that extra push, taking their story into legendary territory. For it is a story, a tale being told, an adventure to behold, to hear and experience. The three piece deliver it in pristine style. And with production done by ex-Torche bassist Jonathan Nuñez, the controlled delivery is allowed to soar and absorb. And that will happen to your spirit as well as you listen to SUMO’s III!
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

TETHRA – WITHERED HEART STANDING
Doom Metal, Gothic Doom, Melodic Death/Doom
Novara, Piedmont, Italy
Meuse Music Records

The band’s brand of melodic death/doom remains intact but they also explore more Gothic elements this time around. Gothic and doom go hand in hand so it’s a welcomed approach, in my humble opinion. The slow to mid-paced doom is emotive and not afraid to introduce melodies while the Gothic aspects had a subtle, regal quality to the songs. The production is utterly amazing. It has a warm and deep feel to it that brings out the emotional nature of both the lyrics and music. Lyrically, the band gets more personal than ever, offering perspectives on loss, rejection, and solitude. I mean, this is doom metal. If you are expecting tales of sunshine and puppies then maybe you’re in the wrong genre. There isn’t a bad song on the album so I’m going to touch on a few that really hit me but this is such a smooth flowing album with so many strong moments that it’s best to listen from beginning to end. I promise you won’t get bored, not even for a second.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple, DoomedForMetal)

TZIMANI – I FEEL FINE
Traditional Heavy Metal, NWOHM, Metal
San Diego, California
Glory or Death Records

After a demo, an EP, and a few singles, the brothers Vazquez have released their defining full length debut album ‘I Feel Fine’. Defining not only in their progress as a band but also in scope and ambition with their fiery interpretation of traditional heavy metal. There’s a sense of nostalgia that hovers across the album, taking the listener back to an earlier time. Epic highs fueled by shredding dual guitar attacks, a massive drum sound quaking the foundations, and melodic vocals that permeate across the skies, TZIMANI are here to remind you that metal is never an afterthought. The album is just as much about melody and hooks as it is relentless riffing and galloping rhythms, all of which will have you asking for more. 
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

UNCUT – SPACE COWBOYS
Heavy blues, Blues rock, Psych rock, Stoner rock
Poitiers, France
Self-released

Heavy blues has spread its wings from Muddy ‘Mississippi’ Waters, to Jimmy Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ-Top… has gone beyond American borders with Cream, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, AC-DC… has influenced many genres from psych rock, to hard rock, then stoner rock, etc. Releasing SPACE COWBOYS, the French trio UNCUT returns to the roots of American heavy blues with brilliance, without forgetting its later evolutions. This gem of an album is simultaneously respectful of the fundamentals, of a high technical level, and creative. No Heavy Blues Rock fan should ignore it!
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

WEAPON OF PRIDE – BENEATH THE SURFACE
Stoner Thrash
Phoenix, AZ
Self-released

Stoner thrash from the Arizona desert? Indeed. WEAPON OF PRIDE bring some desert/stoner influences on their new record, Beneath The Surface, but what dominates is some serious 80s thrash love lurking under the sand that wants to leap up and engulf you during the 46 minutes or so of their new record.You like stoner rock but still pull out your Megadeth and Overkill records? If yes, Beneath The Surface Is for you.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

WULDORGAST – COLD LIGHT
Metal, Black Metal
United States
Iron Bonehead

Furiously insane with the angst of a thousand deaths, this reaper surfaces wielding viciously harnessed hatred and malicious intention. If your mind jumps to the soft image of a dim yet warming candle light flickering then it has misdirected the vision askew. Now is too late for your salvation and no final thoughts will salvage warmth from the oppression of this record. Suffocating screams and abusive rhythmic crashes rage as this chainsaw begins ripping through flesh like a knife through butter.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

The Doom Charts December 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, 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.