“Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of the Doom Charts?”

~ probable misheard quote by Marty McFly

Time flies. It’s up to you to slow it down. And the right kind of (live) music might help you with that. At Sonic Whip Festival it will surely be flowing in a very different way… This might also be the case for you all that check out the albums on the April Peroration Post. Twenty-Four albums to be exact. And with multiple blurbs for KOMATSU, MESSA & THIS SUMMIT FEVER you know there’s something special lurking there. O’ and do you remember us mentioning those Number One albums the individual Contributors voted for, that did not make the regular April 2025 Doom Charts? Well, at least two of those receive a blurb now as well. It’s a tasty list! Take a bite, savour it and make it last…

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. 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…

AFGROND – VERDRONKEN HEMELEN
Doom, Sludge
Haarlem, The Netherlands
Geertruida

You like your mixture of sludge and doom more menacing and evil than the devil after discovering he’s being tailgated by a god that’s citing the book of psalms in all its enlightening glory? Well, look no further, because here is AFGROND (the dutch word for abyss). Their music is more brutal than a cluster bomb of sledgehammers, their lyrics are darker than the insides of a buried coffin and the end result is bound to suffocate you while you wear a huge smile on your face. Listen and shudder.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

BANK MYNA – EIMURIA
Slowcore, Atmospheric Doom
Paris, France
Medication Time Records / Araki Records / Stellar Frequencies Records

On their third album BANK MYNA draws abstract and dark sonic paintings with slow, swaying keyboards, sparse drumming and impressionistic, drawn-out brush strokes of guitar and bass. During occasional outbursts everything wells up to add a bombastic, threatening layer of atmospheric doom. But the true earcatcher is the strong, penetrating and truly wonderful voice of Maud Harribay. At the same time ethereal, soothing and eclectic, ‘Eimuria‘ is the musical equivalent of a warm bath in the middle of a Siberian winter.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

BELNEJOUM – DARK TALES OF ZARATHUSTRA
Black Metal, Symphonic, Concept album
United States
Antiq

We have come a long way from the days where the darkest of black metal was meant to reek with the stench of decay and frighten all who dare touch the corners of the album cover. This new era brings us to a symphonic blend of beauty and brutality. Though the stench of death is still persistent and rabid throughout the chaotic display, we have reached a point where the fertilized earth now springs forth with the beauty of mother nature’s post-winter rebirth. Flowers blossom, pollinate and bloom with color, spreading throughout our world.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

BLEETH – MARIONETTE
Post-metal, Sludge, Crushing
Miami, Florida, USA
Seeing Red Records

The rumbling under foot is only a short notice for the massive landslide that is headed toward the listener. The sound delivered here crumbles stone and breaks open dormant volcanic activity. Not melting red hot like a pyroclastic flow. This is more as though the mountaintop is coming down and carving the path for what is to follow.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

BUZZARD – MEAN BONE
Doom Folk
Massachusetts, USA
Self-released

If I have to pick one album that stands out as Ground Zero for Doom Folk to come of age, it’s Mean Bone by BUZZARD. BUZZARD has been kicking around for a few years now, but this feels like the definitive statement of an idea whose time has come. No quarter is given on the cultural/political commentary on this album, and it hits HARD with its concept. Essential.
~ Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff)

CERBERUS – SUMMON
Psych, Doom, Stoner
Lismore, Australia
Self-released

Although I missed this one when it dropped in late March it’s become one of my most played albums of April. Triggering flashbacks of fellow Australian bands like Holy Serpent or maybe Turtle Skull in some instances, the psych-soaked and shroom-doom sounds of CERBERUS are atmospheric, haunting, and hypnotic. The top-notch vocals and melodies will grab ahold, dragging you into a kaleidoscope of colors and a half-conscious state of euphoria. Summon is a sonic trip and a solid release from this duo of do-it-yourselfers, I can’t wait to hear what’s next from them!
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

THE CHRIS ROLLING SQUAD – DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL
Punk, Rock
Lundsbrunn, Sweden
Cimex Records

If you’re into rock that’s loud, gritty, and unapologetic, Damn You All to Hell is right up your alley. THE CHRIS ROLLING SQUAD throws down 15 tracks of no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll that mixes punk speed, hard rock attitude, and a dirty garage sound.
~ Michael D’Amato (Playgroundz Rocks, D’Amato Production)

THE ELVEN – SOLSTICE
Southern Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Barcelona, Spain
Spinda Records / Clostridium Records / Echodelick Records

A superb album that captures their love for classic ’70s rock, a rock that drew on the blues but also drew on the legacy of the greats of Southern rock and soul. Thus, we find well-crafted songs in which the details play a vital role. Gentle compositions that, despite gravitating towards a peaceful atmosphere, don’t forget the power of the most authentic hard rock. The union of Isaiah Mitchell with the musicians of SATURNA is a sure bet.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

FOMIES – LIMINALITY
Psych, Garage, Punk, Stoner
Vevey, Switzerland
Taxi Gauche Records

Liminality is an ever-evolving roulette of sounds both familiar and strange, nostalgic and futuristic, soothing and eerie, groovy and grating. In fact, it plays out much like how I’d imagine its cover art would if it were a live experience, emanating the echoes of all the strange and often ugly things rattling around in our heads, along with fond memories and soft places to fall. No matter which direction it’s jetting off to next, Liminality is always delivered with FOMIES‘ over-the-top garage rock energy, making this album that much more intense, even in its pockets of soothing daydream reveries. 
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

THE GREAT LIE – SONGS FOR A MONDAY MORNING
Hardcore, Metal, Punk
New York, NY
Lemmis Records

THE GREAT LIE delivers six fast and furious tracks on Songs for a Monday Morning, and there’s nothing sleepy about it. This EP hits hard right from the start and doesn’t let up. It’s pure, old-school hardcore with a smart edge.
~ Michael D’Amato (Playgroundz Rocks, D’Amato Production)

GREY CZAR – EUARTHROPODIA
Progressive Rock, Heavy Rock, Metal
Salzburg, Austria
Argonauta Records

Everything about GREY CZAR‘S refreshingly intense take on progressive rock just seems bigger. Maybe it’s those powerful three-part vocal harmonies or their heavy rock tones that are just as futuristic as they are vintage. A large part has to be the band’s especially vivid brand of yarn-spinning, which, on their latest release Euarthropodia, relays the dystopian tale of an insect queendom that arises upon the downfall of man. Whatever the magic is, the nine tracks here are sure to entrance you, both with their thought-provoking verses and accompanying epic groove. This is an album that will scratch all your progressive rock itches in a very sophisticated manner.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

KIRITSIS – KIRITSIS
Sludge, Doom
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Wise Blood Records

Skulls are crushed and bodies pile up as the weapon finds full purchase from blunt edge to previously solid surface. Crushing into particles while ripping and tearing, these songs purge an anger formed from a warped sense of vision that can only be created within the pressures of a society living in disgust.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

KOMATSU – A BREAKFAST FOR CHAMPIONS
Psych, Stoner, Sludge, Heavy metal 
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Heavy Psych Sounds

KOMATSU is here to rock, and boy do they on their fifth record, A Breakfast For Champions. The album is chock filled with eight rippers sure to get you ready for your day, or for your night, or for whenever you want to tear some shit up.You can throw all the big stoner rock band names out there to compare KOMATSU too, but why bother when these guys kick so much ass on their own. The sound, the sequencing, the riffs, the overall vibe, A Breakfast For Champions makes the band’s fifth album their best, most comprehensive, and fully realized yet.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

Eindhoven-based heavy hitters KOMATSU are back with their fifth studio album. Reduced to three these self-proclaimed super massive mothersludgers swing for the fences and manage to hit home run after home run. The trademark relentless, bulldozing foundation is still there, but the individual instruments get more room to breathe and added subtleties are being incorporated into their sound. It makes ‘A Breakfast For Champions‘ not only a great album, but the best one yet in their already impressive catalogue. So, it’s about time to get your fists pumping and give those neck muscles some well-deserved exercise. Horns up!
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

KOMATSU‘S fifth album shows the band holding fast to their trademark sludgy stoner metal sound, but it also features “some kind of sensitivity you haven’t heard before from these bearded blokes”. This softer side is apparent right from the beginning of A Breakfast for Champions as KOMATSU cuts through the mire of sludge by layering in bright stoner and alternative rock, fluid psychedelia, and the bite associated with heavy metal. The result is a ton of variety packed into a prismatic and energetic sound that’s never boring. 
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

LIGHTLESS – A FORESEEN LOSS
Sludge, Doom, Black metal
Dresden, Germany
Self-released

What a tour de force! LIGHTLESS‘s debut album is an 80-minute double LP consisting of four 20-minute tracks. The music on A Foreseen Loss is a perfect balance of post-doom, sludge, and black metal. Each track is a complex ecosystem in itself, with several distinct movements interacting. The listening experience is completely immersive, as if we were watching massive forms metamorphose in the darkness. The misanthropic lyrics forcefully denounce the criminal actions of our predatory society, perfectly matching the dark atmosphere of the music. This album is a deep dive into a mad and dystopian world… our world, unfortunately.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

LILAC VEGETAL – THE ACCURSED SHARE
Sludge, Post-Metal, Hardcore
Vienna, Austria
Grazil Records

Hailing from Vienna, Austria, LILAC VEGETAL have a dissonant and angular approach to Sound: Weaving tapestries of noise and off-kilter signatures, “The Accursed Share” is a very inventive and accomplished album that will grab your ears and not let go lightly!
~ Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

MESSA – THE SPIN
Doom, Gothic Rock
Italy
Metal Blade Records

The Italian quartet takes a step forward in their career with an album powered by magnificent production and arrangements, delivering emotive, high-quality songs. Expanding on the ambitions of doom metal, MESSA continues to develop their compositions in the same dark atmospheres they’ve provided their fans since their beginnings, but they do so by imbuing them with melodies that are hard to overcome. Their epic songs are fueled by crushing rhythms, brilliant guitars, and the brilliance of a singer with a talent unlike any other in the scene.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

I discovered MESSA’s unique take on doom with their previous effort, “Close.”  Their ability to stretch the genre’s confines while still retaining the essence of the genre’s sound is pretty amazing.  Honestly, “The Spin,” is probably their best release and, especially compared to “Close,” it is a much more focused, riff based work. Of course, focused doesn’t mean it isn’t adventurous—it is indeed and the band once again incorporates a lot of different influences.  The band still has a big rock vibe but this time it’s on the more Gothic side of the fence, in terms of both presentation and use of synth work.  For the most part, it works very well for them.  I think at times, the band gets trapped in this new sound and they lose some of their energy but it’s a minor and infrequent quibble.   The band is at their best when they go balls out, every element coming together as well.  Fortunately, that scenario happens quite a lot across the album’s 7 song, 41 minute runtime.  That is quite a bit shorter than their previous album but trimming the fat, so to speak, has really helped them fine tune everything for a leaner experience that flows very well.  The interesting aspect of the album is its variety. Like I said, it all flows as it should from one song to the next, but there really isn’t one track here that  I could definitely represent the album.  It’s actually a compelling feature because it gives reason to listen to it straight through, just to see what will happen next.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal)

NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM – LE SACRE DU SOLEIL INVAINCU
Psychedelic Jam Sounds, Drone, Doom, Experimental Greatness (and then some…)
Brussels, Belgium
I, Voidhanger Records

Imagine Øresund Space Collective, Om and meditative soundscapes being rolled up into one giant ball of inspiration before getting inimitably decomposed in a twisted way over an inspirational backdrop of Indian classical music that acts as an ever present guideline. Managed it? Well, then you’ve got about fifty percent of what you can expect of this awe-inspiring and captivating 98 minute sonic live trip that ranges from doom and drone-inspired madness, over psychedelic escapades to warm blankets of experimental smoothness. ‘Le Sacre du Soleil Invaincu‘ is an intriguing listen and comes as close to perfection as humanly possible for a release that’s as lengthy and experimental as this one.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

RED MOON ARCHITECT – OCTOBER DECAY
Gothic Doom, Melodic Death/Doom
Kouvola, Kymenlaakso, Finland
Noble Demon

With six tracks and just under 50 minutes of runtime, it balances its time well with everything falling into place in a very smooth fashion—from one second to the next, this album flows into itself and is most effective being played from beginning to end. Personally, it has been hard to stop listening to this album. I have other albums to review, and things to listen to for my own pleasure, but it has been difficult to put this one down although I have no doubt I will continue to return to it. It’s such a beautifully put together album. It’s tragic yet darkly adventurous in ways that only doom metal can be. Each song has a near bottomless depth, the individual players and vocalists coming together to build up a little world within.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal)

SONS OF RA – STANDARD DEVIATION
Jazz, Fusion, Prog
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Free Electric Sound

Adrift with the emotions of psychedelic twists and turns, shapes form and move as the percussive motions guide the ear. Where some musical moments blend in unison, others begin to melt away in a constructed pattern with an abstract sense of unity. This is a rollercoaster of universal exploration. To find the source of light within sound. To feel the cool waters blend with the warmth of the sun.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)

TECHNICOLOR BLOOD – EVOLUTION NOW
Rock, Kraut, Space, Stoner, Psych, Garage
Montreal, Québec, Canada
LeBackstore Records

I hope everybody noticed that April 25th was a massive and glorious day for music lovers! And another album that dropped on that wonderful day is the new Evolution Now by Montreal, Canada rockers TECHNICOLOR BLOOD. Two singles of that album have already been whirling around in your head ever since they were released in December 2024. But there are seven more wonderful garage rocking, kraut toking, space trucking beauties on Evolution Now. Crash Programs opens the ball, with an eastern touch, slowly bubbling before it turns into a scuzzy rocker. And as soon as second track King hits you, you realize the good ol’ boys know that the groove is in the heart. And that groovy flutter will never leave the sound on Evolution Now, even if Planet Square rocks more, Collapse City thunders more and feels like a roving entity opening the horizon to all possibilities. Year Of The Snake, filled with space garage, giving off that acid rock pattern and Mischief of Rats marries all that came before with a bouncy rock vibe at first, akin to what Psychlona are masters off, and then breaks it with a refrain that offers a more alternative British rock touch. Anaadi builds up the anticipation slowly, giving you outbursts drenched in euphoria before coming to tumbling down close. The Watcher was the other single and then comes closing track Suffocating Greed. Which indeed opens oppressive and leaden before slowly opening up and letting the guitar soar away. What a wonderful follow-up to that 2021 Self-Titled album. TECHNICOLOR BLOOD is back and ready to point you all towards the good groove and a great time…  
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

THIS SUMMIT FEVER – THIS SUMMIT FEVER
Stoner Rock, Hard Rock
England, UK
Majestic Mountain Records

This album is a transformative journey through heavy riffs, atmosphere, and boundless energy—a milestone for THIS SUMMIT FEVER. No longer a simple one-man, home recording project, the sound has improved, the songwriting has improved, the focus has improved, and the result is a massive, fuzz-filled rock record, that while great, is clearly only the beginning for THIS SUMMIT FEVER.
~ Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed)

A very strong debut for a band that is growing exponentially, THIS SUMMIT FEVER shows they know how to bring it, and previews some serious promise with their self-titled debut that is here to rock your socks off.  There is some Seattle going on here in the form of Mudhoney and Melvins vibes, a bit of a stoner QOTSA/Fu Manchu thing, along with a Jack White style guitar tone over eight tracks of fuzzy goodness. What started as a lockdown project for guitarist/vocalist Andy Blackburn and has grown into a full-fledged, killer band with their self-titled debut.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

TRIBUNAL – IN PENITENCE AND RUIN
Gothic Doom Metal
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
20 Buck Spin

Musically, the band is still very much entrenched in the Gothic side of doom. I believe that, compared to the previous album, “In Penitence,” is less plodding and funeral in exchange for a much heavier approach. It’s still slow, it is still mournful, but there is a certain viciousness to the music that wasn’t there before.  The production/mix helps out on all fronts as well—the album sounds amazing and every little morbid note can be heard–can be felt. Nothing has to fight to be heard, especially the band’s secret weapon: Soren’s cello. Her playing is impeccable and it helps the band stand out from the crowd. Her instrument’s presence is much greater this time around. It is impressive how well the guitars and cello work together on the songs, too. So many doom bands make it sound like the guitars, or the song themselves, were written around the other instruments. Not here. Everything works together for the greater whole.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal)

WĄŻ – MONOLITH
Progressive Stoner, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock
Kraków, Poland
Interstellar Smoke Records

WĄŻ isn’t here to make life easy for themselves by combining (amongst others) progressive stoner, progressive metal and psychedelic rock, while also using polyrhythms on a regular basis. Chances are they could be facing a brick wall in no time, but they manage to avoid it with gusto and even manage to make their complex instrumental cocktail sound quite accessible. No mean feat and obviously a token of the skilled musicians they are. A great album that deserves your undivided attention.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

ZARGENZEIN – GOT ELECTRICITY?
Acid Doom, Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal
Tampere, Finland
Self-released

It would seem that the lysergic acid leak that has infected the waters of Italy’s underground scene has now found it way into Finnish waters otherwise how would you explain the levels of scuzziness and acidity to be found in ZARGENZEIN‘s excellent Electric Wizard influenced “Got Electricity?“. OK, maybe those levels of acidity are a little more watered down here and there may be just a touch more refinement and polish in what ZARGENZEIN bring to the table musically but it is that scuzziness and acidity, much like cream in a bottle of milk, that finds its way to the top on this release.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

The Doom Charts April 2025 – 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); 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); Damien Regnauld (Stoner Freaks Anthology); Edouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse); ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); Graur Zaur (Crypt Guard); Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe); Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture); JC Cansdale-Cook (The MotorFuzzin’ Ibex); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); JJ 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); Jukka ‘Shrike’ Kolehmainen (Psychotropic Caravan, Abhorrence, Shrike’s Playlists); Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal); Kyle SB (Good Boy PR, Stoner HiVe); Lee Edwards (The Sleeping Shaman); Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects); Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes); Mitch Kline (DoomyRiffs.com); Remi VL (Remi Post Too Many Links); Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour); Roberto Fuentes (Red House Store); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed); 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); Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe); Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral); Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe); Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz).

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.