“The power of DOOM compels you! The power of DOOM compels you! The power of DOOM compels you!”
~ possibly misheard quote from The Exorcist
Welcome to the October Doom Charts, a fitting season for our spooky scene and all the dark, devilish doom it conjures, and this year’s Samhain came through in spades! 40 new albums atop the charts and each one a different masterful work of heavy music. The underground has risen, and it’s alive and well!
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. HIGH MOUNTAIN – WASTED TALES / NEW!
39. DEAD OTTER – THE SENTINEL / NEW!
38. FRAYLE – HERETICS & LULLABIES / NEW!
37. VANTRE – CLONOCRACY / NEW!
36. THE BATELEURS – A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS / NEW!
35. BOG WIZARD – SATANIK PANIK / NEW!
34. LITANIA – LITANIA / NEW!
33. THE RE-STONED – DREAMS FROM THE OUTSIDE: STORIES OF THE ASTRAL LIZARD VOL. 3 / NEW!
32. AMBRA – REMNANT / NEW!
31. THE MUNSENS – DEGRADATION IN THE HYPERREAL / NEW!
30. BLACK CHARGER – SMALL TOWN / NEW!
29. WAR – VENIVIDIWAR / NEW!
28. HOODED MENACE – LACHRYMOSE MONUMENTS OF OBSCURATION / NEW!
27. SOME PILLS FOR AYALA – DYSTOPIA / NEW!
26. BREATH – BRAHMAN / NEW!
25. MALKASIAN – HEAVY BLUES / NEW!
2156 Points
Alt., stoner, heavy blues, rock
Denver, Colorado
Fear Is Your Friend Records
When the twilight of a desert highway meets the last breath of a lost juke joint, this record rolls out. On Heavy Blues MALKASIAN carve slabs of slow-crushing riff, drenched in sweat and half-lit by the glow of a whiskey flame. There’s the blues — the aching bent note, the harmonica’s lonely call — but it’s stretched, twisted, turned into something heavier: the sound of regret dragging across the pavement. The vocals ride like a silhouette against the setting sun, the drums stomp like boots on cracked concrete, the bass trembles like the earth remembers its scars.
This is gold! A fusion of stoner grit and blues soul, layered with doom-spirit, breathing dust and dusk. The tracks speak of yearning when you’ve run out of feeling, of groove when your limbs are spent, of darkness when the neon strip shuts off and the night stays. If you dig records that don’t just play but pull you under, Heavy Blues demands you dive!
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)
24. MOUNDRAG – DEUX / NEW!
2208 Points
Progressive Rock, Heavy Psych, 70’s Rock
Rennes, France
Spinda Records
With a flurry of organ, crashing percussion, and enticing vocals, MOUNDRAG keep the listener tangled in a whirlwind of progressive rock and 70’s nostalgia, while keeping a fresh perspective of originality. The layered songs show so much talent in both writing and musicianship that you may not even notice there are no guitars. This is the type of gem I look for in the heavy underground, one that stands out from the crowd with creativity, vision, and intricacy. Push play and let the maelstrom that is Deux pull you in and blow you away!
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)
23. ABANAMAT – ABOMINAT / NEW!
2410 Points
Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock
Berlin, Germany
Interstellar Smoke Records
On their sophomore album Abominat, multinational heavy psych wizards ABANAMAT draw from an extensive array of music influences to create a sound that is truly one of a kind. Is it progressive? Absolutely. Stoner? Sure. Psychedelic? You bet. Most importantly, Abominat is sophisticated, layered, innovative, and, above all, expressive. Its sound fills the listener with both vibrant energy and soothing reverie, generating a warm and tranquil glow within that burns with boundless vitality.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)
22. PESTA – THE CRAFT OF PAIN / NEW!
2534 Points
Doom, Stoner
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Glory or Death Records
Track after track overflowing with top shelf Trouble-drenched doom riffery. Thick, weighty production, menacing riffs, and great vocals throughout. Wino drops by to deliver vocals on ‘Mirror Maze’, so damn good. Have to admit, I was a stranger to PESTA until this album, but I am 1000% sold and digging into their back catalog right now. If you dig Trouble (and who doesn’t!), PESTA are the deal for you. Doom on!
~ Clint Willis (Hand of Doom Radio)
21. DAYTRIPPER – THE ALCHEMIST / NEW!
2977 Points
Stoner, Doom
Arizona, USA
Self-released
Phoenix, Arizona is home to the Stoner Doom band DAYTRIPPER and, like a phoenix from the ashes, they return with a short but perfectly formed new release The Alchemist: 4 tracks of beautifully-crafted heaviness with all the licks and kicks you could want and, as if that isn’t enought to whet your appetite, it’s Name Your Price! Trip on over to check it out!
~ Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe)
20. ELEPHARMERS – WESTERN WILDERNESS / NEW!
3024 Points
Stoner, Psych
Cagliari, Italy
Electric Valley Records
Hard driving stoner rock with the right amounts of fuzz, psych, and melody is what you get from the excellent new record from ELEPHARMERS titled Western Wilderness. The Italian trio’s fourth record is right up there with the rest of their great discography and another collection of killer tracks that blend elements of stoner, space, and psych rock perfectly. If you dig bands like Tidal Wave and Fire Down Below, like a bit of psych and 90s alt rock with your stoner, and can’t get enough of Italian power trios, the new ELEPHARMERS record, Western Wilderness, will be right up your alley.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
19. SOLAR SONS – ALTITUDE / NEW!
3060 Points
Heavy Metal, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Prog Rock
Dundee, Scotland, UK
Argonauta records
Listening to Altitude, the 6th album by SOLAR SONS, was one of the great thrills of this October for me. This album is a spectacular juggling act with four balls: heavy metal, doom, stoner and prog rock. The guitar work is relentless, with a persistent heaviness in the riffs and a magical lightness in the solos. The drummer/bassist duo builds a rhythm section as solid as a wall. The vocals are powerful and its melodic lines are strong. Despite a decidedly hard musical approach, the band allows itself soft or surprisingly melodic passages without breaking the contract. What talent and maturity this brilliant album demonstrates!
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)
18. WINO – CREATE OR DIE / NEW!
3120 Points
Stoner, Doom, Singer Songwriter, Wino
Maryland
Ripple Music
I think everyone has certain expectations when WINO is involved in a project with one of his many bands, especially when it is a WINO solo record, which have mostly been acoustic, man-with-only-his-guitar type records, similar to the killer Forever Gone from Ripple Music’s Blood and Strings collection. However, with the very aptly titled Create Or Die, WINO brings his most diverse solo record yet, including all sorts of instrumentation and even plugging in for this one, with a renewed spark in his songwriting and creativity on full display over the ten tracks offered here. Create Or Die, indeed.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
17. M.E.L.T. – INNERVATE / OBLITERATE / NEW!
3372 Points
Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock, Fuzz Rock
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Self-Released
I was a huge fan of the first M.E.L.T. album, 2023’s Replica of Man. Innervate / Obliterate picks right up where the last album left off with aggression and bite while maintaining great hooks. The production is crisp bringing out the psychedelic elements with a 70’s Sabbath fuzz touch. The album is structured as 2 halves. According to the band – Side A (Innervate) leans into themes of sensory experience, consciousness, and sensation, while Side B (Obliterate) confronts societal decay and the external forces of chaos. The 11 tracks supply you with a mixture of unique guitar melodies, heavy riffs, thunderous bass, cool percussive elements and thoughtful lyrics. Not to mention the complimentary back forth shared vocals. In a world where so many there is much musical redundancy, it’s refreshing to have a band like M.E.L.T. who clearly break that mold.
~ Hugh Jones (The OG Metal Prophet, The Prophet’s Heavy Underground)
16. MONKEYS ON MARS – MONKEYS ON MARS / NEW!
3627 Points
Heavy Psych, Space Rock, Progressive Rock
Bordeaux, France / Lausanne, Switzerland
Mrs Red Sound
When Mars Red Sky and Monkey3 decided to collaborate, the supergroup known as MONKEYS ON MARS was born. They set out to create a space odyssey combining the talents of all members from both bands and the atmospheric textures of progressive space rock and heavy psych. Success was achieved, and it resonates throughout this self-titled E.P. The first track Seasonal Pyres builds suspense with ebbs and flows, showcasing excellent guitar works, keys, and the eerie vocals of Julien from MRS. The second track Hear The Call is ethereal and majestic, but the instrumental has a tone of sorrowfulness hanging heavily overhead. Two wonderful songs that are sure to please, but alas we want more! Let us hope to see and hear more from this project in the future.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)
15. STONEBIRDS – PERPETUAL WASTELAND / NEW!
4064 Points
Sludge, Psych, Post Rock
Bretagne, France
Ripple Music
Post Rock/Psych/Sludge/shoegaze dealers of heavy, the Brittany-based STONEBIRDS, are back with their new record, and their final one, Perpetual Wasteland. It’s never great when a band you love is no more, but if they go out the way STONEBIRDS do on Perpetual Wasteland, there is not much more you can ask for. A proggy, psych/sludge trip with 90s vibes and their brand of skull crushing, killer heaviness. STONEBIRDS will be missed, but we still always have Perpetual Wasteland.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
14. REDWOOD – CLOUD COLONY / NEW!
4446 Points
Stoner, Heavy Psych, Space Rock
California, USA
Self-Released
REDWOOD return to bring us their second release of the year with the super spacious, super catchy new album Cloud Colony. The grooves are endless, the guitars are fuzzy, and if you could hear sound in space, the powerful vocals seem compressed within a black hole and then spewed forth from the other side of the interstellar vacuum. Whether you have your head in the clouds or you’re drifting amongst the stars, this one’s sure to get you movin’!
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)
13. HONEYBADGER – LET THERE BE LIGHT / NEW!
4690 Points
Stoner Rock, Hard Rock
Athens, Greece
Self-Released
Let There Be Light, the sophomore album from Greek stoner quartet HONEYBADGER, is the perfect balance of contagious energy and earnestness. The album is filled with rich vocals, catchy hooks, and relatable lyrics, all set to the tune of soaring stoner/desert tones, timeless hard rock, and a dash of murky grunge.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)
12. BLUE HERON – EMULATIONS / NEW!
4800 Points
Stoner, Doom
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Blues Funeral Recordings
Emulations is not a new BLUE HERON full-length album, but stop complaining and being greedy bastards and start listening to new Blue F’ing Heron material courtesy of the eight tracks on the half live from a radio broadcast and half studio tracks/covers compilation, which is just another way for BLUE HERON to destroy you. Give me all the BLUE HERON possible. Covers, live songs, new tracks, doesn’t matter. New BLUE HERON stuff needs to be celebrated and Emulations has to be included in this party. Such a great band. Heavy.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
11. PSYCHONAUT – WORLD MAKER / NEW!
6214 Points
Post Metal, Progressive Metal
Mechelen, Belgium
Pelagic Records
While PSYCHONAUT‘s previous album, Violate Consensus Reality, appealed to me without completely winning me over, its successor, World Maker, the brand new album from the trio hailing from Mechelem, Belgium, is a completely different story.
Their typically heavy post-metal takes a more progressive turn on this album. This gives it a new depth that doesn’t deny the dark side they forged in the wake of their compatriot Amenra. World Maker masterfully blends darkness with lighter, more ethereal passages, punctuated here and there by rays of light that manage to pierce the abyss like so many glimmers of hope.
You might be unsettled on the first listen, but I’m convinced that everyone will eventually be won over by this new opus, which is probably the most accomplished, but certainly the most sensitive, album the band has released since its beginnings.
~ Jay Baner (La Capsule Stoner)
10. LACERTILIA – TRANSCEND / NEW!
6464 Points
Stoner, Metal, Psych, Punk, Doom
Cardiff, UK
Majestic Mountain Records
Transcend isn’t an album… It’s a punk’s hallucination caught on tape! The five Welsh riff-shamans known as LACERTILIA tear open the cosmic void with fuzzed-out guitars, tribal drums and wild-eyed preaching of one certain maniac, who sounds like he’s trying to outshout the universe. From the woozy and folky incantation Archaic Oscillations to the final apocalyptic event The Sun Is The Key this record booms with primal chaos and psychedelic intent. Hard hitting grooves, spiraling riffs and an overarching atmosphere that gives you the sense that you are listening to a bad trip that turned into a spiritual awakening. The DNA of legendary bands like Orange Goblin and Monster Magnet seem to be coursing through their veins but Transcend is a hundred percent LACERTILIA. Welsh fuzz punks turned cosmic prophets. Turn it up loud and hold on, cause reality will not be around once side B hits…
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)
9. BENTREES – SILVER VEINS / NEW!
6678 Points
Stoner Rock, Heavy Psych
Iglesias, Italy
Argonauta Records
Silver Veins, the third album from Italian stoner/psych duo BENTREES, is a work of art. Layered with sharply defined strata and finished with intricate details, this album paints a breathtaking portrait of everything that makes the band tick. Within its shades and hues, you’ll find allusions to personal evolution and appreciative tributes to the natural world, especially to the land that BENTREES calls home. The band illustrates these scenes in their typical way, with clever use of contrast, building, and by blending their stylistic influences into a kaleidoscope of hypnotic but intensely immersive sound. However, there seems to be a renewed vigor and heightened passion present on Silver Veins that not only signals a comeback for BENTREES after a few years-long studio hiatus, but it underscores the personal importance of the album’s subject matter to the duo. In short, Silver Veins stands out as something very special, carefully and lovingly crafted with skill and time.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)
8. BIRDS OF NAZCA – PANGAEA / NEW!
7092 Points
Stoner Rock, Heavy Psych
Nantes, France
Self-Released
With a sound not quite sinister enough to safely be called doom nor gossamer enough to warrant a generic label of “psychedelic rock”, French duo BIRDS OF NAZCA resides somewhere in between. Throughout their new album Pangaea, waves of quaking reverberations roll in from all sides, ultimately either forcibly halted or joined by light and intricate reprieves, conjuring soundscapes marked by both astoundingly vast and brutally rugged textures. The fact that this intense, sophisticated sound is achieved with only two musicians makes Pangaea even more impressive.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)
7. GIÖBIA – X-ÆON / NEW!
7712 Points
Heavy psychedelic, Space Rock
Milan, Italy
Heavy Psych Sounds
The italian quartet, GIÖBIA, is back with his brand new record, X-ÆON, and Mamma Mia, what a masterpiece !
The musicians blend elements of space rock, heavy psychedelic and hard rock, heavily inspired by the 60’s and the 70’s. The album is mainly instrumental, with singing and even spoken words on few songs. Get ready for a celestial trip with a retrofuturistic atmosphere including a touch of sci-fi elements. The listener will find the huge influence of Pink Floyd music, especially with the synth and the drum that sound like Rick Wright and Nick Mason are jamming together again!
These eight new songs are all fantastic, fresh and deliver a raw energy that makes you feel so good. Enjoy the trip.
~ Édouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse)
6. THE LUNAR EFFECT – FORTUNE’S ALWAYS HIDING / NEW!
9460 Points
Blues, classic-rock, fuzz, grunge, heavy-psych, psychedelic, psychedelic-rock, rock, stoner,
London, UK
Svart Records
The band knows how to immerse the listener in the waters of classic rock, blues, and psychedelia, but also in the echoes of 90s sounds and their grunge roots. This is possibly their most ambitious album yet, marking a new era for the band without abandoning the lysergic-tinged blues they also know how to deliver. Fortune’s Always Hiding plunges us into melancholy through dark, subdued songs that are always fresh and versatile in their development. Keeping their past legacy firmly in mind, these guys look to the future, making music from the heart, with honesty and without any pretense. This time around, we discover songs that open new paths in the band’s sound without sacrificing their essence; quite the opposite, in fact.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)
5. CATTLEMASS – ALPHA 1128 / NEW!
12673 Points
Doom, Proto
Los Angeles, California
Seeing Red Records
Alpha 1128 is the first full length from Chris Price’s one-man band project CATTLEMASS, and it sounds nothing like that it is just him playing all the instruments; but instead sounds like a band crafting what is to me the perfect sounding modern doom record. That is the beauty of the eight tracks that make up this doomy galactic masterpiece. Price is not new to the game, but CATTLEMASS is, and this being the first real project that he can call his own, it is amazing how he was able to craft his vision on Alpha 1128 and create THE sound of modern doom that leverages all we love from the past and brings it to 2025. All hail CATTLEMASS! A perfect debut record.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
4. BRIMSTONE COVEN – THE LIGHT SHINES NOT FOR THEE / NEW!
16720 Points
Doom, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Stoner Rock
Wheeling, West Virginia
Self-Released
BRIMSTONE COVEN, stalwarts of the heavy underground harmony, are back with an absolute banger. The riffs are spot on with undeniable groove, commanding tone and infectious hook as always.
~ Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)
3. KHAN – THAT FAIR AND WARLIKE FORM // RETURN TO DUST / NEW!
20539 Points
Melbourne, Australia
Heavy Psychedelic, Hazy Psychedelia, Heavy Stoner
Self Released
Two years and a half after their last album, Creatures, the Aussie trio KHAN and their hazy psychedelia are back with their new baby! Creatures was a pure gem but with That Fair And Warlike Form // Return To Dust, the musicians keep pushing the limits with this new breathtaking record. The album consists of two long compositions of 23 minutes each and it’s such an amazing trip! The textures, the feelings and the emotions that you can get on these two songs are growing on every listen. Between desert rock, heavy psychedelic and heavy stoner, the energy that the musicians create is unique and has a powerful sensation that will give you goosebumps. Put yourself comfortable, press play and get ready to live an epic experience that you’re going to remember for a while…
~ Édouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse)
2. BONE CHURCH – DELIVERANCE / NEW!
22750 Points
Stoner, Doom, Texas Boogie
Connecticut
Ripple Music
Ripple Music’s BONE CHURCH have been bringing us some killer bluesy stoner doom for almost ten years now, but never has the Connecticut band more sound like they were from Texas, or maybe North Florida, then they do on their new record, Deliverance. While the first records leaned way more into the doom side of things, especially vibe wise, the seven songs on Deliverance are as party album as BONE CHURCH can possibly get; more ZZ Top than Sabbath, with other Southern Rock and rocking blues bands thrown into their already killer mix of heavy. Great stuff for new and old BC fans, and fans of filthy ZZ Top infused heavy ass blues metal.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
1. HOWLING GIANT – CRUCIBLE & RUIN / NEW!
26001 Points
Stoner, Prog, Doom
Nashville, Tennessee
Magnetic Eye Records
Crucible & Ruin shows that if there is a next heavy underground band to take the Elder/King Buffalo leap to the next level, it is HOWLING GIANT. Why, you say? Zach Wheeler’s drumming is off the charts, showing he is one of the best players out there today. Sebastian Baltes hangs right with Zach in keeping down the low end and anchoring all of the amazing stuff coming at you. The addition of Adrian Zambrano as a second guitar and fourth member has brought both a new level of musicianship and a bigger overall sound that makes all of these songs just huge. Vocalist/guitarist Tom Polzine just rips it up with his axe work and the best vocal performance of his career. The sound that has been captured is pretty much perfect, while the songwriting is next level as well. It would have been easy to continue down a more melodic hard rock path like their last album, but instead Crucible & Ruin is the most complex, heavy, progressive group of songs, that takes their sound to the stratosphere. A for sure album of the year candidate and a must listen for everyone.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)
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); Bob “Mr. Weird Beard” Baker (More Fuzz Podcast); Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin, Inherent Records, Mystery Pick); 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); Édouard Dubuisson (Les chroniques d’Eddy, MetalUniverse); Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe); Hugh Jones (The OG Metal Prophet, The Prophet’s Heavy Underground); Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture); Jamie Laszlo (Sea of Tranquility); Jay Baner (La Capsule Stoner); JC Cansdale-Cook (The MotorFuzzin’ Ibex); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); John Gist, (Vegas Rock Revolution / The Doomed & Stoned Show); 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); Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects); Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes); Michael D’Amato (Playgroundz Rocks, D’Amato Production); Mitch Kline (DoomyRiffs.com); Remco van Hattum (Riffsniffer); Remi VL (Remi Post Too Many Links); Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour); Rob Hammer (Rob Hammer, Doom/Stoner/Sludge/Psychedelic); Roberto Fuentes (Red House Store); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed); Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground); Stevie Reek (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe); Svempa ‘Doomsday Jesus’ Alveving (Cries From The Underworld); Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral); Tom Hanno (Tom’s Reviews) & 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 