I feel kind of bad about this list. In case you missed it, I just published my Top 100 Albums of 2023. I missed a lot of great stuff in December, I think, because it came to me too late to count in my 2023 list.
As you can see and hear for yourself this is a small but mighty list!
My top Stoner/Doom Albums of December 2023
05. Dark Shaman, Evil Ceremony.
Italy. Forbidden Place Records. December 23, 2023
https://forbiddenplacerecords.bandcamp.com/album/dark-shaman-evil-ceremony
Dark Shaman brings a certain sense of glee to me. First of all, I like Doom which doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. These guys wear their influences on their sleeves, which include Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard and Mephistopheles, among others.
The second thing that makes me gleeful is how much this is gonna piss off certain other reviewers. If they hear it at all, they will scream into their computers like a cat drenched by a bucket of water.
This is competent traditional Doom in the vein of the aforementioned bands, and the lyrics are in-line with classic Alastor. The songs have that familiar tinge that I think any band trying to make a name on this side of the spectrum should shoot for. Most people don’t “get” this kind of stuff. But those that do, this is solid introduction.
But on their next release, I do think they need to pivot a bit towards a different sound. Like Saint Karloff and their brilliant Interstellar Voodoo, or Alistor on Slave to the Grave. Open things up a bit, go a bit crazy. Maybe not have the bass locked-in so much with the guitar, and let the drums do some sloppy fills.
04. Nebula Drag, Western Death
San Diego, CA. Desert Records December 8th, 2023
https://desertrecords.bandcamp.com/
Dayum! This is bleeding-age Heavy Psych with attitude and one of the most glaring absences on my 2023 list. The first two songs, Crosses and Sleazy Tapestry are solid enough rockers. Things don’t really get “Psych” until Failure, but they don’t take their foot of the pedal at all. Coming it at 8 minutes plus, this is way too short. I hope there’s a 30-minute extended jam version in our future.
Most “Heavy Psych” I’m familiar with leans heavier on the psychedelic, a little less on the heavy. Nebula Drag does a great job of switching that around. This is for fans of everything from Earthless to newer bands like Faerie Ring and Auralayer. Then again, one listen, and it’s pretty much for fans of Nebula Drag.
03. AWWKS, Luna
Barre, Ontario. Black Throne Productions December 8th, 2023
https://aawks.bandcamp.com/album/luna
This is my party record of the season. AWWKS keeps zigging and zagging, and this album of covers, a live track, and a tripped-out original showcases their versatility. It also highlights their commitment to making us all go, “What the fuck was that?”
AWWKS is very serious about not taking themselves too seriously. More than once over the past year I’ve turned to them to lighten up the mood, but still keep things rocking. What impresses me the most is they don’t have a “singular sound” until you listen to a few of their releases back to back.
Highly recommended for fans of everything!
02. Warcoe, A Place for Demons
Pesaro, Italy. Regain Records December 15, 2023
https://warcoe.bandcamp.com/album/a-place-for-demons
Ever since I started hanging out with the folks at the Doom Charts, one of the bands I’ve kept hearing about is Warcoe. For good reasons, of course. Looking back at my #5 for the month, fellow Italian Doomsters Dark Shaman, Warcoe seems to be making my point for me. They’ve clearly taken the standard Doom/Retro template and made it their own.
The guitar tone is stellar, the recording is crisp but not too clean. The songs are tightly written, but they still managed to sprawl out on the album closer Buio. In every way this is finally crafted Metal in the traditional sense. Most importantly, they don’t sound like the thousand other bands trying to do the same thing. Warcoe sounds like Warcoe, which is no small achievement.
01. EMBR- EMBR
Birmingham, Alabama. Black Doomba Records. December 8, 2023
Black Doomba records had a heck of the year in 2023, and from what I can tell 2024 will also be epic. I’ve heard a lot about EMBR for the past year, and a few clips of their music. I wasn’t ready for what I’m hearing on their first release. This sounds like a seasoned band on their fifth album. They also sound like they’re from Germany or something.
I know that might come across badly, so let me explain. This kind of refined riffing, tight writing, exquisite performance, and stellar production feels like it comes from another world outside the Stoner/Doom universe. But nope, this is pure Alamaba!
Let me keep this short. All the things I listed above are reasons to buy this album and listen to it obsessively. But it’s the vocal performance of Crystal Bigelow that steals the show. And when I say performance, I mean she wields her vocal cords like they’re an over amplified instrument not happy unless it’s in overdrive. And then effortless back to clean vocals, only building to erupt again.
An essential album from 2023, and coming in at #41 on my Top 100 feels…low. But for this list, a clear and obvious #1!
