“There’s no crime in giving yourself over to doom“
~ probably misheard quote by Dr. Frank-N-Furter
It’s that time again, when a month overflowing with new music across the heavy spectrum comes to an end and we’re left with the impossible task of funneling it all into 40 albums. A whopping 247 bands were voted for by the Doom Charts contributors this month, from doom to death to psych and back again, and below you’ll find the 40 that floated to the top among our riff-hungry ears! Get your weekend kicked off in proper heavy fashion below, and while you’re in the dark depths of Bandcamp don’t forget to check out the new Doom Charts patches!
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. PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – CARPE DIEM, MOONMAN / NEW!
39. MASTER CHARGER – POSTHUMOUS RESURRECTION / NEW!
38. KADAVAR – I JUST WANT TO BE A SOUND / NEW!
37. BEWARE OF GODS – UPON WHOM THE LAST LIGHT DESCENDS II: AMNESIA ISLAND / NEW!
36. KILLIAD – KILLIAD / NEW!
35. WHITEHOVSE – THE MIGHTY ONE / NEW!
34. TELLEMAHOOKAH – TELLEMAHOOKAH / NEW!
33. CAUSA SUI – IN FLUX / NEW!
32. STONE FROM THE SKY – BAKENEKO / NEW!
31. DUSTY ROSE GANG – A-ONE FROM DAY ONE / NEW!
30. PELICAN – FLICKERING RESONANCE / NEW!
29. CLAMFIGHT – CLAMFIGHT / NEW!
28. SPIRAL GURU – NEXUS / NEW!
27. MANIARD – FRAGMENTS OF TIME / NEW!
26. ZIG ZAGS – DEADBEAT AT DAWN / NEW!
25. SKYJOGGERS – 12021: POST-ELECTRIC APOCALYPSE / NEW!
1750 Points
Psych, space rock, thick riffs
Tampere, Finland
Supernatural Cat
Powered by the sands of desert dwellers, native plants and the spiritual ancestors of a day once praised for its obtained knowledge that is now seemingly forgotten, we hear evoked sounds that expand our mind and expand the internal pulse of life present and beyond. Color bleeds out of the speakers in a swirl of hues, like a kaleidoscopic tunnel into a parallel universe. Occasionally a voice appears and disappears within the swirl and welcomes a brief moment of stabilization before the ship returns to its mission.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)
24. KENTUCKY GREEN – MAMMOTH / NEW!
1935 Points
Heavy blues rock, prog doom, stoner rock
Brisbane, Australia
Self-released
KENTUCKY GREEN are not from Kentucky, they are from Australia. But that probably doesn’t matter. Not afraid to lean on their influences to bring us some fresh hard rock. You probably aren’t going to hear anything that you didn’t expect but what you will hear is solid, quality tunes that will put you in the groove and bring a smile to your face. Press play and turn it up. It’s the good shit, all ya need is a little bit.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)
23. EL SAGUARO – ENTHUSIECSTASY / NEW!
1950 Points
Hard Rock, Heavy Psych
Lisbon, Portugal
Pink Tank Records
EL SAGUARO bring to the table, with Enthusiecstasy, a taste of that 70’s hard rocking funky psych that those of us of advancing years sorely miss and those of the younger generation are sick to the back teeth of hearing us reminisce about. EL SAGUARO are a power trio with full emphasis on the power part of that equation but one that are also capable of also getting down languid and laid back if the mood should take them.
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
22. GRIN – ACID GODS / NEW!
2160 Points
Doom, psychedelic rock
Berlin, Germany
The Lasting Dose Records
While I still hold GRIN‘s Phantom Knocks in highest regard, it was the album I found them by, also Hush and Black Nothingness been in heavy rotation, but Acid Gods is climbing fast. Almost growly rasp to the vocals, crushing riffs, pummeling rhythms and deep bass grumble hits just the spot. Their mix of sludgey doom with psychedelic hooks is just the thing I like, but they deliver it as a drums & bass duo and always with a full wall of sound.
~ J. ‘Shrike’ Kolehmainen (Psychotropic Caravan, Abhorrence, Shrike’s Playlists)
21. SLUNG – IN WAYS / NEW!
2196 Points
Shoesgaze, Stoner Rock, Psych Rock
Brighton & Hove, UK
Fat Dracula Records
Tapping into the raw, unadulterated vibrance of an entire city is no easy feat but to do all this and commit it to 37 minutes of bittersweet poignancy, SLUNG emerge triumphant with their ravaged soul battered yet intact having beautifully captured the beating essence of Brighton like lightning in a bottle, and yet debut album IN WAYS remains a deeply personal labour of love. A turbulent yet otherworldly journey through love and loss, through lust and despair, IN WAYS kicks off with Katie Oldham’s almighty scream with the infectious “Laughter” but gradually drifts into an ethereal state of longing and hurt the likes of “Heavy Duty” and “Nothing Left” are heavily steeped in – and Oldham embodies every ounce of this heavy weight with every note her voice wraps around. The soundtrack to a night of hope and ruin, IN WAYS is wrought with a tumultuous vulnerability that’ll strip you down until there is nothing left but a blank canvas to build yourself back up again.
~ JC Cansdale-Cook (The MotorFuzzin’ Ibex)
20. BLACK HONEY CULT – BLACK HONEY CULT / NEW!
2420 Points
Psych, Garage, Proto Punk
Los Angeles, California
Heavy Psych Sounds
Imagine a world where The Strokes followed up their debut with something that was this amazing. Or a world where everyone dropped what they were doing to listen to a record like what BLACK HONEY CULT has brought us today with their self-titled debut record, like the tastemakers did for Is This It when it came out. While different from Jake Cavaliere’s other band, The Lords Of Altamont, yet still refreshingly retro in sound but from a different scene and time, the organ-driven, Lou meets Roky meets Jonathan vibes on BLACK HONEY CULT are unmatched by any band playing this style today. Bands throw around The Velvet Underground and 13th Floor Elevators all the time as influences, but the ones that truly get it sound like BLACK HONEY CULT. This record rules and is a perfect debut album.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
19. MUDFINGER – AMENTIA / NEW!
3040 Points
Stoner/Sludge Metal
Koblenz, Germany
Self-released
Right from the first riff, it’s clear: the four-piece monster groove machine from Koblenz isn’t about reinventing the wheel —it’s about letting that wheel roll over you like a fuzz-drenched steamroller. Thunderous, dragging grooves come alive with surprising swing and dynamic flow. The guitars snarl with thick, meaty fuzz, while the vocals hit with a gruff, bear-like intensity that’s both commanding and deeply rooted in the genre’s spirit.
What Amentia pulls off so impressively is a balance that many bands chase but few master: it’s melodic and trippy enough to send you soaring, but so heavy it might just knock the boots off your feet. Psychedelic hints shimmer beneath layers of crushing doom, and the fuzzy tone is so rich it borders on suffocating—in the best possible way. A hell-banger!
Heads up: coordinating your foot tapping with your headbanging might turn into a full-body workout. The killer cover? Just a warning shot.
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)
18. APEWARDS – LIMINAL CHOICES / NEW!
3264 Points
Blues rock, heavy rock, alternate, psychedelic
Marburg, Germany
Tonzonen Records
APEWARDS bring the past into the present and buy it a steak dinner, new duds and put luggage in its hand for a nice journey. Tasty riffs, sweet leads and melodic vocals are all driven by a solid rhythm section. These are Grade A, top shelf, primo tunes for our enjoyment.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)
17. MADMESS – THE THIRD COMING / NEW!
3744 Points
70’s, heavy-psych, psychedelic, psychedelic-rock acid-rock, proto-metal, stoner, vintage
Porto, Portugal
Glory Or Death Records, Kozmik Artifactz
The Third Coming, the stimulating and frenetic third album from the laboratory of the Porto acid alchemists MADMESS, is a true bacchanal of vintage lysergic sounds that will make your head explode. Songs with similar structures in which the band hits in its first half with its particular psychotropic spiral, as well as with the rawness of acid rock and seventies proto-metal, to after a succession of twists and changes of rhythms, prostrate us before beautiful passages of bubbling narcotic psychedelia taking a kind of breath, before facing the final stage with an impossible psychedelic spiral.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)
16. THE OSSUARY – REQUIEM FOR THE SUN / NEW!
3872 Points
Doom, NWOBHM
Italy
Supreme Chaos Records
Occult-heavy doomsters THE OSSUARY are back with their first album in four years: Requiem for the Sun. This album shows the band continuing to build upon their signature blend of doom, occult rock, psychedelia, and NWOBHM. However, Requiem for the Sun stands out brilliantly for its clear level-up in dimension – added layers in which the heavy portions are more intense, and the lighter parts are more ethereal and haunting, creating a natural surround sound experience for the listener. Whether you’re a seasoned fan of THE OSSUARY or a first-time listener, one thing is certain: you’ll be utterly entranced by the band’s ghostly occult sound electrified by classic heavy metal energy.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)
15. WHITE NOISE GENERATOR – MYRIADS / NEW!
3926 Points
Heavy Psych, Prog-, Stoner Rock
Passau, Germany
Self-released
Myriads was recorded live already in 2022 and finalized in march and now released by themselves (they search for a new label). After their 2019 debut album Dead Leaves the band moved a bit from Stoner to the Prog side of psychedelia. Again the 4 tracks, most far beyond the 10 minute mark, take you on a long journey, sometimes guided by strong vocals, but most of the time as an instrumental trip – epic.
~ Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe)
14. CAVERN DEEP – PART III – THE BODILESS / NEW!
4452 Points
Doom Metal, Heavy Psych
Umeå, Sweden
Bonebag Records / Majestic Mountain Records
It’s difficult to write about current events and, simultaneously, be able to take a step back. However, I am certain that the CAVERN DEEP trilogy will mark the history of 21st-century doom metal. Part III – The Bodiless is the culmination of this reinvention of doom by this band of vibration sculptors. The sinister and mystical atmospheres are heightened, immersing the listener into a Lovecraftian universe. The melodies could be described as beautiful but simplistic if the vibrating polyphony wasn’t so rich. CAVERN DEEP offers doom metal the introspection of dark psychedelia and the instant focus of shoegaze. It’s a masterpiece, if not what else?
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)
13. THAMMUZ – III / NEW!
4760 Points
Stoner, Heavy Rock, Psych
Gelderland, Netherlands
Argonauta Records
THAMMUZ opens the album with one of the catchiest songs I’ve probably heard all year with ‘When Darkness Comes’ but I soon found that the band’s third album is jam-packed with equivalently memorable tracks. From the heavier stoner rock-oriented tunes to the lighter melodic ones, the passionate vocals lift the performances making III not only a touching affair but also a powerful one. This should resonate with many in the scene and if you’re looking for a heartfelt heavy rock album, then look no further.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)
12. TIER – BACKWOOD BLUES / NEW!
5325 Points
Stoner, Rock, Blues
Germany
Pink Tank Records
The band might not be metal compared to most of the types of bands my blog focuses on but the influence is there and it has more than a few moments of sonic crushing through the incorporation of stoner/doom elements. Honestly, they remind me of a southern-fried Clutch in some ways. They don’t sound like them, per say, but they have a similar approach in vocal styles (clean, expressive vocals with just enough grit) and the music rocks hard through the incorporation of a myriad of styles.
Honestly, I’m surprised they are from Germany because this is what people in the southern part of the USA should be listening to if they had taste. Which they don’t. So they won’t ever listen to this. But I’m southern so maybe there is some hope? Seriously though, my time spent with this album was time well spent. I like how they sound a little western without sounding redneck and inbred. If country music is crappy KFC then this band’s Dark Western Stoner Blues is chicken grilled on charcoal while the chef headbangs.
The production has to be praised—this one of the best sounding albums I’ve heard all year, metal or otherwise. It sounds like it was recorded live and will blow your mind hole if you jam it with a good pair of headphones. Upon checking the press release, I discovered it was indeed recorded live in their rehearsal space. Good job, guys.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal)
11. DWELLERS – CORRUPT TRANSLATION MACHINE / NEW!
5432 Points
Stoner Rock. Alternative Rock, Americana, Blues
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Self-released
Gothic flavoured Americana, alternative rock/metal and heavy psych all rolled together and topped off with clean smooth lead melodies and lilting backing harmonies. It is fair to say we have had to wait a good amount of time for this DWELLERS release to finally drop into our laps but when music is this good you can forgive a band anything!
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
10. SLUMBERING SUN – STARMONY / NEW!
6256 Points
Traditional Doom Metal, Shoegaze
Austin, Texas, USA
Self-Released
On their second album, SLUMBERING SUN expand on their reputation as one of the best new doom bands of the 2020s. The supergroup (featuring members of Destroyer of Light, Temptress, and Monte Luna) are one of a very small number of new doom bands to display the emotional resonance of bands like Warning or Revelation. If you like your doom to hit you in all the feels, SLUMBERING SUN are your band!”
~ Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard)
9. TUMBLE – LOST IN LIGHT / NEW!
6289 Points
Heavy rock, psych, heavy blues
Toronto, Ontario
Echodelick Records (US) / Stickman Records (EU)
Windows down, breeze whipping, smoke billows and the stereo is up high. These heady jams paint a picture with a fuzz soaked canvas. They call to the slightly psychedelic, blues based, heavy rock heart. Track after track, it screeches like an eagle diving after its prey. Be they blessed by the gods of heavy or summoning the spiritual forces of the riff, this album is set to reach into the soul of the music obsessed.
~ Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick)
8. HEXECUTIONER – TORNIT / NEW!
6448 Points
Doom, Stoner
Seattle, USA
Self-released
Tornit is the second LP for the two-piece Seattle doom band HEXECUTIONER, ten months after Pagan Ground. Four solid songs with loudness but with a melodic side as well. Crushing riffs, supergroovy badass bass, a killing drum and a female voice epic as fuck…this is what you’re getting to experience with this masterpiece! Everything is perfectly balanced and highly addictive…get ready to get your ass kicked! A more digestible version of Conan music for me!
~ Édouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse)
7. AAWKS – ON THROUGH THE SKY MAZE / NEW!
6540 Points
Heavy, Heavy Psych, Stoner, Doom
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Black Throne Productions
Heavy. I was not expecting it, but that could have been my one-word review for the new record from Barrie, Ontario’s heavy psych dealers AAWKS, but here we are and here we go. AAWKS’ debut record, Heavy on the Cosmic, from 2022, was heavy, but more of a heavy trip, not bone shattering, earth shaking heaviness like their new record, On Through The Sky Maze is. I am not sure why, but for some reason I was expecting the band to lean even more on the psych side on their follow up full length, but boy am I happy to be wrong, because while still being trippy, this record destroys you and reduces everything to rubble, and oh how wonderful that is.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
6. WITCHROT – SOUL CELLAR / NEW!
6570 Points
Doom, Psych, Occult Metal
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Fuzzed and Buzzed Records / Majestic Mountain Records
WITCHROT take us on quite the journey with their latest opus Soul Cellar, one minute the band are lathering our auditory canals with grooves that possess a jazzy fusion-like liquidity and the next they are pinning our backs against the wall with dark crunching riffage and thunderous rhythms. If that wasn’t enough they then layer on top of those radically opposing dynamics vocals that constantly sway between a bewitching croon and an impassioned wail, it is outstanding stuff that’ll leave your head reeling!
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)
5. WITCHCRAFT – IDAG / NEW!
9594 Points
Folk-rock, stoner, progressive rock, psychedelic rock
Örebro – Sweden
Heavy Psych Sounds records
Magnus Pelander has always been a special case in the music industry and WITCHCRAFT has always been his baby, his creation. The guy has worn out countless musicians who had to bend to the good will of the man, being nothing more than foils, just good enough to play and conscientiously shut their mouths before being thrown out (or leaving, disappointed or bored). Except that the guy is a genius, the kind of guy who, if he recited the phone book for 4 hours in concert, would still have the support of a devoted audience. And it’s been going on for 25 years! This year sees the release of a new WITCHCRAFT album, entitled Idag and, as we could predict, he surprises us again with a clever mix of folk ballads and heavy psychedelic mid-tempos, sung in English or Swedish. It’s hard to find any guiding principle here: you either love it or hate it, but it’s impossible to remain indifferent.
~ Damien Regnauld (Stoner Freaks Anthology)
4. TURTLE SKULL – BEING HERE / NEW!
13456 Points
Fuzz Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock
Sydney, Australia
Art as Catharsis Records
Being Here, the newest release from vibrant Australian fuzz rockers TURTLE SKULL, is filled with luscious, neo-psych grooves and soaring, sunny tones. However, you’ll find hollows of stark realism hidden in the shadows, where the poppy psych and seraphic vocal harmonies make way for “flower doom”. Here, fuzzed-out buzzing tones, pounding drums, and a sinister glint from the vocals create a feeling of apprehension. Whether daydreaming among the flowers or cloaked in darkness, Being Here consistently tackles weighty and thought-provoking subject matter, reminding the listener to “be fully present, to embrace the chaos, the beauty, the weight of it all”.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)
3. CRYSTAL SPIDERS – METANOIA / NEW!
18648 Points
Heavy Rock
Raleigh, North Carolina
Ripple Music
CRYSTAL SPIDERS don’t reinvent the wheel on Metanoia. But they sure effing reinvigorate it. This is easily my favorite album of the year, with earworms and anthems and everything rock music can do in one raucous package. It would be easy to focus solely on the spectacular vocals and bass playing by Brenna Leath. But what makes CRYSTAL SPIDERS so damn good is the addition of Reid Rogers on guitar and Aaron Willis on drums. Together, this feels like a classic lineup in the making.
~ Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner, Monster Riff)
2. PARALYZED – RUMBLE & ROAR / NEW!
26433 Points
Retro, Heavy Blues, Stoner, Heavy Rock
Bamberg, Germany
Ripple Music
PARALYZED are here to move and groove you with infectious heavy stoner blues of their fourth long-player Rumble & Roar, and though we didn’t need further confirmation of the band’s talent and intensity, the album does just that. Their craft is a perfect blending of sounds and atmosphere with blues saturated guitars, rich organ tones, charming vocals, and a rhythm section that provides the precise pulse behind it all. Further adding to the album is the construction and flow, as PARALYZED clearly knows how to formulate captivating songs that grab the listener making Rumble & Roar a favorite of the year so far.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)
1. KAL-EL – ASTRAL VOYAGER VOL. 1/ NEW!
47492 Points
Stoner Rock, Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Desert Metal
Stavanger, Norway
Blues Funeral Recordings, Majestic Mountain Records
Astral Voyager Vol. 1 is a stellar addition to KAL-EL‘s discography. It’s an album that rewards repeated listens, revealing new layers each time. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the band, this release is worth your time. It’s heavy, it’s atmospheric, and it’s got a story to tell.
~ Michael D’Amato (Playgroundz Rocks, D’Amato Production)
KAL-EL’s latest album may draw from classic stoner and doom roots, but it’s anything but by-the-numbers. Packed with cinematic world-building and interstellar atmosphere, it plays more like a sci-fi epic than a standard riff fest. From crushing doom to blazing rock and spaced-out psychedelia, each track unfolds like a chapter in a larger cosmic saga—boldly paving the way for Vol. 2.
~ Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed)
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); Édouard 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); Michael D’Amato (Playgroundz Rocks, D’Amato Production); 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 all the Contributors 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 and your favorite albums.
Doom Charts 