“Through the worst we prevail
So the Doom Charts will be heard…”

~ probably misheard Hatebreed lyrics

Good people listen to good music and good albums deserve to be heard by one and all. Hence, we have this Peroration Post, to give just a little bit more attention to albums our Contributors love so dearly. And when albums made the regular post, but two, three or four more Contributors wrote about that album, it must be something special. Right? But all 32 albums listed below have something special, you can bet your ass on that! So, we implore you once again, to check them out… All of them! And spread the word! Cause good music needs to be heard…

The following are love letters from Doom Charts Contributors, devotions to albums they could not stop spinning. Each month, our writers gather to celebrate the finest in doom, sludge, metal, stoner, psychedelic, and other heavy realms. Their selections are woven into the Doom Charts, published on the first Friday of every month. But some affections run too deep for the regular edition. Some albums fall just outside the chart, or inspire so many write-ups, and only one was chosen. Here, those excesses of love remain… Unfiltered, unbound, and still echoing… A few last words which hopefully will inspire you to listen to those albums…

AXE DRAGGER – AXE DRAGGER
Classic Heavy Metal
United States (various Cities)
Ripple Music

So you’re telling me that you have Bob Balch on guitar, Pentagram Pete on drums, and Dark Funeral bassist Fredrik Isaksson in a band together? Wait, they play 80s style classic metal like Priest, Maiden, and Dio? That’s crazy! How can this get any better? Well, how about getting the original Pantera vocalist Terry Glaze to sing? Insanity, right? Yes. Reality? Also right, as Ripple Music brings us AXE DRAGGER, the self-titled debut from these four legends of heavy music. Oh, it is even better than you think it could possibly be. 
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

AZKEN AUZI – INFERNUA
Doom, Sludge
France
Argonauta Records

Three years after the release of their debut, French occult doom/sludge duo AZKEN AUZI returns with their sophomore album Infernua. Here, the band utilizes a revamped sound “that is darker, more technical, and emotionally deeper”. While the leaden trudge of despair pervades the album, tendrils of lighter, open atmospheres rise to the top, creating a buoyant albeit dismal layer atop the murky mire. These lighter nuances serve as foreshadowing as the comparatively delicate final track From Hell is designed to give the listener “a sense of fragile hope”.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

BAD MOTHERS UNION – SORE LOSERS
Rock, Alternative, Punk, Noise, Psychedelic, Kraut
Wexford, Ireland
Self-released

BAD MOTHERS UNION’s Sore Losers sounds like a heavy, improvisational blend of stoner rock, noise rock and sprawling psychedelic psych-rock. The album leans on a steady motorik pulse that gets swallowed by distortion, with fuzzed-out guitars, drenched feedback and loose, live-sounding drums pushing everything forward. Tracks stretch out into long-form explorations, from near 20-minute hypnotic openers to 18-minute cosmic finales, drifting between chaotic punk bursts and trance-like, eastern-tinged psych passages. The overall feel is closer to a basement jam collapsing into space-rock hypnosis than a structured rock record…. Amazing album! Sore Losers is a winner!
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

BLACK LUNG – FOREVER BEYOND
Alternative, Post Punk, Stoner, Psych, Doom
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Magnetic Eye Records

Forever Beyond is a dark, heavy, post punk inspired state of the world address emanating from pretty much ground zero of where it is all happening.  BLACK LUNG has their finger on the pulse of what’s going down, brought to you in the form of the seven killer tracks that make up Forever Beyond.  This record is built for 2026, while leveraging 80s post punk and 90s Radiohead-influenced alt rock perfectly.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC – BERLIN 2023
Instrumental, Doom, Stoner Rock
New York, USA
Kinda Like Music

I love a good album series. I also love the NYC instrumental band CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC. So if I am doing the math right, I should automatically love their new one, titled Berlin 2023, the second in the series…and I sure do.  There is so much great source material to work with as they bring old songs into various studios around the world to deconstruct, reimagine, and to just play live; the possibilities are endless. CTS fans should rejoice at all the potential goodness to come as you enjoy this trip to Germany.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – GOOD GOD / BAAD MAN
Stoner, Doom, Metal, Hardcore, Southern, Sludge
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Nuclear Blast

This is a band that doesn’t need any introduction. At the same time heavy and melodic, these guys aren’t shying away from firing a stoner-infused mix of metal and hard rock in your direction. We know they always deliver the goods, but ‘Good God / Baad Man‘ finally brings back the energy, drive and relevance that was so typical of their first three albums with Pepper Keenan as their front man. A stunner of an album.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

It’s been 8 years since the release of No Cross No Crown – a triumphant return for the classic Deliverance-era line-up. A lot has changed in that time and the reunion was sadly short-lived. First, through the tragic loss of Reed Mullin in 2020 and then with Mike Dean stepping down in 2024, leaving Woody and Pepper to plot their next move. They got together over several sessions to write the tracks, then brought in Stanton Moore (who played on their 2005 record In the Arms of God) and Bobby Landgraf to lay down the drums and bass respectively. The result – an epic double album that seems to touch on the bands history with each of the various CORROSION OF CONFORMITY era’s covered plus nods to the bands influences and music they grew up on. A record of two halves. The band refer to Good God as the pissed off side of the record. It’s heavy, nasty, angry and definitely calls back to the bands early days, especially on lead single Gimme Some Moore before incorporating later versions of the bands sound across the first half of the record. The Handler invokes pure Sabbath worship, whilst Bedouin Hand is the first taste of the more psychedelic elements and one of several instrumental tracks that also invokes the kind of interludes you would find on a Sabbath record. A perfect opportunity to recover and recoup after the bludgeoning early tracks of the record. The Good God half of the record closes with Run For Your Life a 9min+ sludgey epic that also has a desert vibe for me (I can imagine the shamanic Sean Wheeler delivering the vocals at certain points). It’s one of my favourite tracks on the whole record for sure. Baad Man focuses on the bands influences and weaves in some new sounds for the band (listen out for the Moog) with a noticeable swing and groove, plus a few production elements thrown in by producer Warren Riker, something he does throughout the record to great effect, whilst maintaining that “live in the studio” sound. Warren has done a fantastic job producing this record. When listening through headphones, it feels like you’re sitting right in the middle of the room with the band playing around you. The standout track of the record for me can be found on this half, Asleep on the Killing Floor, which feels to me like a cross between both the early eras of CoC and Clutch. It’s an absolutely fantastic record made even more impressive by the backdrop against which is was made. Many bands might flail and falter under such circumstances but CoC have provided an epic double album that will reward repeat listening.
~ Cory Blose (Hobo On The Radio, TotalRock, We Are TRXSH)

COWBOYS & ALIENS – FINIS TEMPORUM
Stoner
Bruges, Belgium
Polderrecords

COWBOYS AND ALIENS is a stoner rock machine from Belgium that just can’t be stopped…not that we’d ever want them to do so. After planting their roots back in 1996, releasing 8 albums, and playing countless stages, the quartet is still going strong. Not even a hiatus from 2006-2011 could keep them down for good, and COWBOYS AND ALIENS is still rocking with their original lineup. The band’s latest release, Finis Temporum, features 6 tracks of the blistering stoner rock energy we know and love from the band marked by an infusion of post grunge and that unique vocal that gives the sound a classic heavy metal air. This is a deeply personal album for COWBOYS AND ALIENS…forged from grief and loss and bathed in the light of hope, it’s “the sound of a band that still had something to say – and said it”.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

THE CROOKED SKULLS – MIDNIGHT SUN
Heavy, Stoner, Rock
New Jersey
Electric Desert Records

THE CROOKED SKULLS kick out a serious set of jams on their debut album. It’s a heavy rock, stoner-soaked blend where the groove is irresistible, the riffs are king, and the journey is unforgettable. The whole thing feels like a good time, packed with unbridled energy and wall-to-wall hooks from start to finish. Not bad for a group of guys with no plan or expectations, just ideas and a drive to churn out tunes. So join the party and take the ride toward the Midnight Sun!
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

DESERT COLOSSUS – APPARATUS
Stoner, Grunge
Zaandam, The Netherlands
Self-released

DESERT COLOSSUS’ Apparatus is a fiercely individual, fuzz-soaked record that captures a band fully confident in their identity. Long-time fans can rejoice that their blend of desert-tinged riffs, gritty punk/grunge edges, and infectious hooks, all delivered with humor and swagger are here once again and in full swing. Released independently, the album feels spontaneous and carefully honed, with Karl Daniel Lidén’s mastering adding punch and cohesion. Tracks like “Hermit,” “Sweet Cherries Hang Low,” and “Black Out” showcase hypnotic grooves, extremely memorable vocal lines, and dynamic shifts from heavy fuzz to spacious melody. The result is an immersive, high-energy journey that balances raw chaos with irresistible, singalong charm and a severest chance of getting repetitive strain injury from constantly pushing the repeat button!
~ Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe)

FANGUS – EMERALD DREAM
Psych, Seventies, Stoner, Proto
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
From The Urn Records

FANGUS tap directly into a deep well of retro-heavy inspiration, from the vintage sound of the amplifiers to the swirling organ parts. Hell, even the production sounds of a past era. A mystical, sonic trip awaits those that step into the void of Emerald Dream, a proto-metal offering draped in a heavy cloak of psychedelia, and laced with raw, untamed vocals. This is one you’ll want in your collection, not just to experience, but to preserve for future generations. 
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

FANGUS really kills it on their debut full length. Emerald Dream is 70s inspired proto psych heaviness driven by amazing organ and guitar work, great song writing, and amazing sound playing all around. I am not sure how a debut could be much better. This album has been blasting non stop, and I am getting really good at air organ.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

Organ Music for Psychadelios traveling Eastern Europe looking for a caravan of magical misfits. No slowing down just a hurried blur of heavy rock music of fiery guitar solos, trance inducing organ wailing, and a steady backbeat with the vocals of a screaming madman luring you into the woods for an adventure.
~ Turbo (Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

GJENFERD – BLACK SMOKE RISING
Seventies, Hard Rock, Stoner, Psych
Bergen, Norway
Apollon Records

The immediacy of the debut has been replaced by a fuller musical experience. Is it time to say it is psychedelic power pop stoner rock? That might be a reach but GJENFERD is sporting a more accessible sound on their second album Black Smoke Rising. It is fortified with quick guitars, steady organ flows, and meaningful dark lyrics that round out the cascade of rhythm that could fill the air at your next seance or tea party. GJENFERD shows real growth on Black Smoke Rising you will want to put a listen or two on your to do list.
~ Turbo (Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

GJENFERD is a band that seems built for what I love to listen to – deep 70s vibes but brought into the present. They are a band that understands melody and has all sorts of pop sensibilities leveraging harmonized vocals. Being a musically gifted group, especially with killer guitar work, all driven by organ, Black Smoke Rising has a darker, more enhanced level of songwriting. This is a band that seems to be operating at the next level. Black Smoke Rising is GJENFERD’s perfect sophomore release.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

For their sophomore album Black Smoke Rising, Norwegian retro rockers GJENFERD return with a noticeably keener sound. While classic guitar tones and organ are still the driving force behind the band, GJENFERD delivers even catchier hooks and more bursts of high energy groove than they did on their 2024 self-titled debut. However, Black Smoke Rising also contains much starker contrasts and, from fourth track Calling Your Name, the album plunges into darker, stormier atmospheres. This not only pays homage to the moodier tones GJENFERD developed on their debut, but it provides an air of authenticity, covering a wide spectrum of emotion. While the band set out to create an album with “a more direct and accessible sound” this time around, the sharper tones, mounting intensity, and more pronounced expressiveness ultimately created GJENFERD‘s most immersive work to date.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

GOATSMOKER – E.R.I.S.
Stoner, Doom, Metal
Copenhagen, Denmark
Vinyltroll Records

The universe is slowly falling apart, the world is in chaos, yet we continue marching on with our lives towards the inevitable. Time laughs at our short, fragile existence. That stagnant decay is expressed on the album E.R.I.S. The slow, dragging riffs and entropic atmosphere across the five tracks breathe heaviness, then suffocate under their own weight. Themes of depravity, decline, and the state of being not only a participant, but also a witness to the impending doom run throughout. GOATSMOKER invite you to embrace the downward spiral, as the void takes us all.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

GONG – BRIGHT SPIRIT
Space Rock, Fusion
UK
KScope Music

GONG‘s continuous, unbroken ride on the flying teapots covers over 50 years of brilliant, masterful and invigorating Psychedelia and the latest offering, “Bright Spirit” has proffered some of the greatest, most evocative music in the band’s career. “Bright Spark” is, without doubt, a fusion of Past and Present:: tracks like “Mantivule” showcase the spaced-out guitarwork of vintage Hillage, “Fragrance Of Paradise” evokes memories of “Shamal” whilst “Relish The Possibility” blends Daevid Allen’s mystical vision with Kavus Torabi’s modal, intricate songcraft. Somewhere along The Oily Way, Daevid and Gilly are smiling!
~ Steve De Rique (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

GRAIN OF PAIN – BEHIND US ALL
Melodic, Gothic, Doom, Metal
Finland, Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi
Noble Demon

Fans of Swallow The Sun and Dawn of Solace will especially find “Behind Us All,” a very good listen.  Other than having doom in common, I don’t think GRAIN OF PAIN sounds like the aforementioned bands per say but they share melancholic textures with a Gothic atmosphere.  It is morose and macabre but very memorable and every person on the album throws in a fantastic performance. The vocals are mostly clean but there are some extreme ones here and there; all the vocals on this album are quite emotional and the highlight of the album for me.  But instrumental wise, I was impressed with its riff-based structures that don’t let the songs get too airy and light with the atmosphere—each song is dense with a ton of weight. GRAIN OF PAIN’s “Behind Us All,” is a towering Gothic/melodic doom metal album that gets better the deeper you go into it.  Each song is carefully constructed and brings its own life and dimension, so the album demands many repeated listens.  Highly recommended.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal)

THE HEADS – YOURPRETTYPLACEISGOINGTOHELL
Psychedelic, Rock, Kraut, Space
Bristol, UK
Rooster Rock

THE HEADS quit some years ago, but as expected they continue to release music and this is new material too! If you don’t know what they’re all about, you’ve been missing out. Nod to the Stooges track, this album is all about their brutal approach to space rock. It’s punk-ish and garage-y, aggressively bluesy, fuzzed out and drugged up rock music with gnashing teeth that want to gnaw on your ears.
~ Jukka ‘Shrike’ Kolehmainen (Psychotropic Caravan, Abhorrence, Shrike’s Playlists)

KALEIDOBOLT – KARAKUCHI
Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk
Helsinki, Finland
Svart Records

On KALEIDOBOLT‘s fifth album they pump out their most chaotic musical experience yet. A sound made up of punk, hard blues, and speed metal pushing the envelope to the edge while still giving the songs air to breathe. A rock party album for the Summer that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 
~ Turbo (Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

Karakuchi, the fifth album from Finnish prog rockers KALEIDOBOLT, is a fast-paced collection of tunes aptly named after a particular brand of Japanese dry beer that is “very intense at the first bite, and then leaves your mouth feeling refreshed.”. Karakuchi is filled with clever contrasts, namely a gritty, Motörhead-esque blend of classic heavy metal, hard rock, and punk with pockets of sophisticated, refined psychedelic prog throughout. While Karakuchi certainly takes the listener on a frantic, fuel-soaked ride, it’s these soulful pit stops that allow KALEIDOBOLT‘s sound to stand out, showcasing the well-rounded musicianship and expansive musical tastes of the band members.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

Looking for something to put a little pep in your step? Well, the new record from Helsinki, Finland’s KALEIDOBOLT titled Karakuchi is here to get your engines revving. It is like a party punk version of Motorhead who listen to too much 80s post punk and 80s hair bands, all wrapped in a nice 38 minute package of chaotic craziness. This record is the definition of all over the place, but controlled chaos wins the day on Karakuchi.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip, Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

Being someone who was unfamiliar with this band I was expecting something completely different based on the 80’s metal-style cover. Turns out Karakuchi is anything but that. No, KALEIDOBOLT are a straight-up hard rock band with psych-prog leanings, and a strong retro influence that comes through in the compositions, especially in the guitar work. The vocals have a nice tone and grit that fit not only the more laid-back jams, but also the punk energy of some of the other tracks. I find myself broadly comparing them to The Hellacopters. This is an album you’ll find yourself returning to repeatedly.
~ Jon McGough (Stoner Rock Army, Stoner HiVe, Outlaws Of The Sun)

MISTER EARTHBOUND – OSTARA
Swamp Rock, Heavy Blues
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Self-released

MISTER EARTHBOUND is a swamp rock band from Virginia whose new EP Ostara had me blissfully drifting away on its bluesy psychedelic tones for the duration of its thirteen-minute runtime. This EP is a really great chill pill for the most part, delivering a hypnotic, leisurely-moving haze, thick with the mournful notes of blues. However, interludes of buzzing stoner fuzz, lush waves of cool psychedelia, and emotive crescendos offer plenty of buoyancy, groove, and expressiveness throughout, so the EP is far from dispiriting. Final track Only Son (my personal favorite) boasts a particularly light and airy optimism, making it the perfect jam for the beginning of Spring.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

MOLLUSK – CURSEBREAKER
Doom, Sludge, Psychedelic
Boston, MA, USA
Self-released

When I stumbled across this Boston band, I was quickly intrigued and drawn in with the heavy, slow, plodding, murky riffs, along with pummeling percussion and cool pace changes. Vocally there’s just the right amount gravel delivering ominous lyrical themes. With each track you move further down into an unknown abyss and it’s definitely fun getting there. CURSEBREAKER is a superb mixture of psychedelic doom themed sludge that will leave fans of the genre satisfied. Think of a slowed down High on Fire injected with Black Sabbath’s self-titled classic song. Not sure if Satan is sitting somewhere and smiling, but I am…
~ Hugh Jones (The OG Metal Prophet, The Prophet’s Heavy Underground)

MY PITBULL LUCIFER – WELCOME TO NEW EARTH
Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Pula, Croatia
No Profit Recordings

MY PITBULL LUCIFER is an eclectic band from Croatia who skillfully blends the sinister trudge of doom, the chaos of noise, the mind-bending nature of psychedelic rock, the raw attitude of punk, and the unpredictability of alternative metal into a spellbinding cocktail. The band delivers a beautifully refined sound on their new album Welcome to New Earth, which begins with a solid showing of stoner/doom and alternative metal before gradually becoming more and more ethereal by way of some desert-infused psychedelia. The intensity reappears in final track Analog Man, an 11-minute juggernaut that really brings the album full circle. In this way, listening to Welcome to New Earth truly feels like experiencing a cycle – a spirit that is born in vibrant fiery energy, grows and metamorphoses through beauty and chaos, withers and dies, and is triumphantly born again. MY PITBULL LUCIFER‘s compositions are noticeably more complex on this album, their expression more unfettered, and their sound infinitely more dimensional. One of my favorite things about Welcome to New Earth is that the influence of doom is certainly there, especially in the album’s first few tracks, but the band’s other stylistic influences keep the energy from getting bogged down. Also, I love the vocals – melodic and powerful but appropriately and believably frantic when necessary to the mood, solidifying this album’s status as MY PITBULL LUCIFERs most sophisticated, raw, and authentic work to date.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

THE OLDEST HOUSE – THE ART OF ABYSSWALKING
Death-Doom, Doom, Sludge
Madrid, Spain
I, Voidhanger Records

Spanish doom/death/sludge band THE OLDEST HOUSE is basically a one-man project (he does everything except for the drums) and it just might be the most impressive one I know! This full-length debut album clearly has a lot of Conan influences and it probably won’t surprise you that I consider this as one of the BEST releases of the year!
~ Rob Hammer (Rob Hammer, Doom/Stoner/Sludge/Psychedelic)

PROPHETS OF THWAITES – VULNERANT OMNES ULTIMA NECAT
Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal
Netherlands, Groningen
Self-released

The album’s title translates “All things wound but the last kills” which, in turn, is a reminder of our mortality–each passing hour brings us closer to death. Hell, even the band’s name is a sign of our never ending march off a long cliff: the band takes its moniker from the melting Thwaites Glacier—a sign of never being able to turn back damage. But even as your body continues to crumble to dust as your mind collapses into madness, I think you should still spare 14 minutes of your impending doom to check out this short but sweet (well, not really sweet since this is doom after all) EP.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (DoomedForMetal)

QUEEN(ARES) – CHOICES
Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge, Shoegaze
Lille, France
Source Atone Records

Can the album Choices be described as post-doom? I think so. Most of the riffs are relentlessly heavy, typical of doom metal. The atmospheres shift regularly thanks to the non-linear (post-metal) structure of the tracks. QUEEN(ARES) expresses its rage through perfectly controlled guttural vocals. However, this growl contrasts with clean, screamed, or ethereal choirs, and shares the stage with melodic singing. Despite the brutal and the dreamlike, the savage and the gentle, this album offers us a paradoxical coherence: that of a disturbing world where, individually and collectively, we will have to make Choices.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

RED SUN ATACAMA – SUMMERCHILD
Desert Punk, Desert Rock, Stoner Rock
France
Mrs Red Sound

The Atacama Desert is a land of contrasts – shadow and light, heat and cold. This environment is directly reflected in the music of the French trio, where the enchantment of psychedelic desert rock meets the visceral energy of punk. RED SUN ATACAMA have found their own aesthetic, their own path. This strong identity is confirmed by Summerchild, their 3rd full-length album which showcases the mastery of the 3 musicians able to tame volcanic eruptions as easily as gentle breezes.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

French stoner rock trio RED SUN ATACAMA has done it yet again in releasing an exemplary representation of beauty amid chaos with their third album Summerchild. This aptly named release boasts a particularly colorful, multi-faceted version of RED SUN ATACAMA‘s boisterous sound, as nearly every song glows hot with sunny, contagious energy before lapsing into peaceful shoreside psychedelic grooves (and back again). True to form, the band’s tone remains delightfully unpredictable on this album, ensuring there isn’t a dull moment within its seven tracks. However, the overall vibe is noticeably more tranquil when compared to RED SUN ATACAMA‘s previous releases, as Summerchild implores the listener to rock out with reckless abandon while mindfully releasing negative energy, soaking up the present, and persevering. In this way, Summerchild is as therapeutic as it is lively, the perfect mental cleanse as you prepare to savor the restorative warmth of the summer months ahead.
~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

REDREDRED – DEAF GODS
Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal
Poitiers, France
Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records

Some are impatient, others take their time. REDREDRED belongs to the latter category. Founded 13 years ago, the band is releasing its debut album today: Deaf Gods. They’ve had time to let their raw sound slowly percolate. What strikes me most about this album is a persistent, slightly harsh heaviness. In my opinion, it has at least two strengths: the singer’s deep, raspy voice and the drummer’s athletic and complex playing. Deaf Gods is a very pleasant surprise that captivated me on several occasions.
~ Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

SÖRNÄINEN – EN EHKÄ HALUA TIETÄÄ
Rock, Outlaw Country, Rautalanka, Iskelmä
Helsinki, Finland
Svart Records

SÖRNÄINEN is the herald of Finnish uncanonized country and “Agent-esque” angst-driven iskelmä (a.k.a. Finnish schlager) – a distinct part of Finnish “misery-culture” that blends dark humor with genuine melancholy. Just ask the Kaurismäki brothers. Founded in 2014, the band is a fusion of minor chords, resignation and Finnish depression, emerging from the city’s shadier side alleys. This lineup of veteran musicians has heard the tall tales of the bar-room philosophers and continues this ‘work of grief’ for future generations. During their first coming, the band managed to tour the nation’s most essential watering holes several times before ceasing operations for a spell — only to crawl back out from under their rock and return to civilization. The current lineup consists of men familiar from various drinking crews and touring troubadour groups (it’s a ridiculous list BTW with names like Disgrace, Survivors Zero, Finntroll, Black Magic Six, Nightwish, Plutonium 74, Wizzard and this is just scratching the surface, plus all the other projects, side hustles and so forth).
~ Jukka ‘Shrike’ Kolehmainen (Psychotropic Caravan, Abhorrence, Shrike’s Playlists)

SPIDER GOAT CANYON – WALKING WITH GEORDIE
Psychedelic Noise, Doom, Improv
Melbourne, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand
Self-released

The unheralded masters of improvisation are back with their 15th studio album. SPIDER GOAT CANYON is a well-oiled machine that sounds tight as f*ck even when they deliver a fully improvised, 45 minute piece of hypnotising instrumental psychedelic noise with hints of doom, divided into two parts. It’s so coherent that it almost sounds like everything is well thought through and meticulously composed even though it’s the exact opposite. Believe it or not, they’re that good.
~ Ronny Dijksterhuis (Stoner HiVe)

STAINLESS – LADY OF LUST & STEEL
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Portland, Oregon
Stainless / HR-Digital

Get all your air instruments prepped because you will be fingering guitar solos and throwing horns prancing around like you are in an 80’s hard rock video. Full to the hilt with the essence of 80’s hard rock and heavy metal STAINLESS takes your nostalgia and bottles it up for the 21st Century.
~ Turbo (Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

STARF**K ELECTRIC COMPANY – LIGHT YEARS AHEAD
Krautrock, Space Rock, Psychedelia
Dudley, UK
Self-released

Dave Pitt, the legend behind Black Country groups such as Poppyfields and Falcons Of Haunt returns with a new project STARF**K ELECTRIC COMPANY and a shimmering sonic onslaught of 70’s-drenched Krautrock/Space/Psych called “Light years ahead“: A double album of extended excursions into the Mycelian realm. At times reminiscent of early Hawkwind and Can; but also revealing later influences such as Yoo Doo Right and Oh Sees, the four tracks offer up a cornucopia of rampant retro rock that should tickle the fancies of all Space Cadets everywhere!
~ Stevie Reek aka Steve De Rique (Howls from The Hollows, Doomed & Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

WIELDED STEEL – SINS OF YOUR DOMAIN
Hardcore, Death Metal, Metalcore
Alabama, United States
1126 Records

Absolutely punishing metallic hardcore from Alabama. Every drum hit and riff explodes with physical force, and the vocals are equally obliterating. Sins Of Your Domain easily snatches my vote for the most visceral release of the year so far when it comes to pure sonic violence.
~ Kyle SB (Good Boy PR, Stoner HiVe)

WITCHCRAFT – A SINNER’S CHILD
Doom Rock, Acoustic Rock 
Örebro, Sweden
Heavy Psych Sound

After the disappointment of some of his comeback concerts following years of silence, Magnus Pelander seemed to be returning to his roots with his previous album, ‘IDAG’. Now, with his new EP, ‘A Sinner’s Child‘, he offers a glimmer of hope with five songs that showcase Pelander’s songwriting at its most poignant and vulnerable: a direct conduit to the haunting melodies and emotional depth that have defined WITCHCRAFT‘s legacy for over two decades. A testament to the timeless power of a voice, a melody, and the pure essence of rock, distilled to its highest expression, and a powerful epilogue to ‘IDAG’. Two decades later, having tasted glory and experienced the bitterness of fall, this EP is a beacon of hope and a way to win back many of his longtime fans.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

YEAST MACHINE – BAD MILK
Grunge, Alternative Rock, Stoner
Tübingen, Germany
Noisolution

Whether they intended to or not, YEAST MACHINE has given us everything we could ever want or need on Bad Milk. Primarily by employing their sharpest contrasts to date, the band merges deeply poignant moods with jubilant energy in a way that only YEAST MACHINE is capable of. Poppy anthems like Feeding Poison to the Spiders Was Never Really My Thing, Falling Rocks, and Honey & Sweat will have you flying out of your seat, compelled to move along as you’re mentally transported to the middle of the crowd at a live show. Nestled between these tracks, you’ll find songs that are a bit darker, melancholic, or subdued, reminiscent of the band’s earliest material in many ways. No matter which vibe a particular song embodies, it always packs that powerful emotional punch that we associate with YEAST MACHINE thanks to a raw, unfettered, authentic delivery. Bad Milk just feels right – a natural evolution of YEAST MACHINE‘s sound that draws from their grungy roots, utilizes the theatrical, larger-than-life presentation they developed on their debut full-length album Sleaze, and ultimately produces what feels like their very essence. And, in my eyes, this marrow consists of a contagious, unstoppable energy that arises when YEAST MACHINE‘s relatable libretto, driven home by cathartic, perfectly timed bursts of intensity, infiltrates your soul.
~~ Stephanie Zalta (DoomCakes, Screaming From The Heavy Underground)

ŹRENICE – ŚNIENIE
Post-metal, Folk, Experimental
Poland
Via-Nocturna

ŚNIENIE is a very interesting blend of post-metal, ambient and subtle folk elements. ŹRENICE focus heavily on atmosphere, but never lose sight of the core – strong, spacious guitars that carry the weight of the whole album. The tracks unfold gradually, built on repetition and layering, which keeps the listener engaged from start to finish. It’s a well-balanced record, moving between heaviness and space, showing how different genres can merge without losing cohesion.
~ Marek (Dezarbuzator)

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);  Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect); Chris Beck (Doom Tomb Podcast); Cory Blose (Hobo On The Radio, TotalRock, We Are TRXSH); Damien Regnauld (Stoner Freaks Anthology); Edouard 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); 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); Marek (Dezarbuzator); 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 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 aka Steve De Rique (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) & Turbo (Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour)

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.