My Top 19 Stoner/Doom Albums for April

My Top 19 Stoner/Doom Albums for April

As I look over this list, I can’t help but think that this could be a list of the top 19 albums of the year. But this is the Top 19 Stoner/Doom Albums for April, and we have plenty of year left to ponder AOTY lists. For now, it’s time to take a deep breath and dive into the single best month I’ve experienced in the Heavy Underground.

19. JAMES ROMIG – RING

While as far removed from “metal” as I’ve ever covered, this is definitely the most psychoactive/psychedelic album I’ve ever written about.  Over 5 hours of pulsating metal, via vibraphone and the deft skills of Tony Oliver. Experimental music like this tends to bleed into unexpected genres, and the Heavy Underground is fertile soil for this to land on. James Romig may be the harbinger of what we’ll hear over the next decade.

18. MELVINS – TARANTULA HEART

Melvins could basically record themselves sneezing and get on this list. They have that much respect. The problem is, Melvins don’t respect us. Charging $8 on Bandcamp for a collection of odds ‘n’ sods is silly. It’s a $1 album at best. One I would buy, but I’d bitch about it. Opening track Pain Equals Funny has some of the best riffs on this list. But, I’ve already heard The Mothers’ Return of the Son of the Monster Magnet. Hearing these guys goof around like this on a 19-minute song is just lazy. The rest is pretty much Melvins. All they have to do is sneeze, and this album proves it.

17. Fireblood – Hellaluja

Here we go!!! Any other month, this is Top 5. Fans of High On Fire and a whole generation of sludge-curious RAWK folk are gonna dig this. I can’t help but think about how this sounds live, and how many headliners feel like shriveled husks after this band nukes the audience. All the nasty, gnarly riffs we’ve heard a zillion times, and need to hear a zillion more. Few are gonna be as grizzled as this one. Fireblood is one of the absolute best from the bestial North Carolina scene. Dayum!

16. SIXYEARHEX – Under the Glow

I always wondered what Spaceslug vocals would sound like in good ol’ ‘Merican Rawk. And now I know- it sounds awesome! You’re going to catch a lot of references and similarities on Under the Glow. Personally, I love hearing a band (or duo) take their first real stab at this here thang. This is oddly infectious music that might not exactly know what it is, but it ain’t trying to pretend, either. All I know is I keep going back to it, and some of these hooks and choruses stick in my head for a few hours. It’s time well-spent!

15. Ivy Gardens – Goon

Nothing about Ontario’s Ivy Gardens is predictable. Describing it is just going to sound trite. I love it when I know I’m going to miss the mark no matter what I write. But here’s my take: take some awesome keyboard parts from 1967, link them to 80’s New Romantic Synth parts played on guitar, add equal parts Stoner, Punk and Post-Metal. I mean, these guys drank the wrong whiskey and mixed it with the wrong drug while listening to the Clash, and then came down listening to Elvis Costello and early Queens of the Stone Age. Someone somewhere was blasting the B-52’s and the Stooges. It’s a heady mix that when mashed together is cohesive, fresh and original.

14. Goro – The Last Wave of Summer

Goro is proof of just how world-wide the scene is. This little band from Ecuador makes a loud and compelling statement with a sonic Comic Book that’s available when you download it from Bandcamp. This is a rousing, fist-pumping release that reminds me of the Wizard Tattoo experience from last year. Warning: Goro can be highly addictive. Use with caution, but use it often!!! Thrash fans will go nuts over Wage Slave, btw…

13. The Cosmic Dead – Infinite Peaks

Heavy Space Psych! 20-minute songs! Violin, guitars and synths! It’s like the Mahavishnu Orchestra on ‘ludes. These dudes from Glasgow know how to put you in a trance with the grooves and induce a heavy episode of synesthesia as you taste the colors and feel the sounds. Grab your best set of headphones, kick back and go on a deep trip without the aid of psychoactives. I really don’t think you need any other “assistance.”

12. Heavy Temple – Garden of Heathens

No time is wasted as Heavy Temple gets down to business on Garden of Heathens. Top 20 Song of the Year contender Extreme Indifference to Life is the siren’s call that beckons you to indulge in your most vivid Stoner/Metal/Hard Rock fantasies. A fitting #13 on this list, it’s bound to be #1 on many others. This is the most eclectic and exciting Heavy Temple release to date.

11. DVNE – Voidkind

If you need to get your Progressive Metal fix, this is it. The guitar work is nothing short of stunning, track after track. Voidkind is non-stop twists and turns, with alternating clear and harsh vocals layered over cleaver hooks and chord changes that shouldn’t work. The production is crisp, with a bit of dynamic range. If Slift was your thing earlier in the year, this should sit nicely on your playlist. Most of all, this feels like real Metal as much as it’s Progressive, and I don’t usually feel that way with “progressive” Metal.

10. Elk Witch – Azimuth

I am in awe of Elk Witch. This style of music is all about tone, riffs, groove, swagger and the effing songs. Most bands can pull off 3 or 4 of those and be good. Azimuth is all 5 with a decent dose of their own particular magic. Then why are they #10, you might ask. Have you heard the rest of these? From here on out, consider it a tie. And don’t rely on someone like me telling you how great this is. Find out for yourself…

09. Acid Mammoth – Supersonic Megafauna Collision

When the last riff echoes across this goofy planet when it all comes to an end, whatever civilization comes after will ask, “Who were the great ones?” Acid Mammoth will be near the top of that answer. Is there a more pure, refined, and HEAVY example of All that Dooms? I think not, and SMC is why. The riffage is glorious, but once you dig deeper into the lyrics and the message, the absolute emotional weight of this beast comes to light. I have rarely felt more disgust at being human than when I grasped what Tusko’s Last Stand was all about. And Acid Mammoth drops the mic…

08. Bongripper – Empty

Whatever you think or “feel” about Instrumental Doom, check that shit at the door when you approach Bongripper. Like Clouds Taste Satanic, this is the pinnacle of the form. Lyrics would screw up the narrative that these masters concoct, every single time, every single song. Riffage is the language: feedback, groove and a lysergic sensibility are the words. Embrace it.

07. High on Fire – Cometh the Storm

THIS is how a legendary band brings the awesome. Almost every single “big” band should be ashamed of themselves after hearing this (see my #18.) But does Matt Pike really have to raise the bar, reinvent the genre, and strike a vein of precious metal every single time? Points deducted for showing off…

But seriously. It’s time we moved on from Iommi Worship and admitted it’s time for Pike Worship. Between Sleep and HoF, no one has contributed more to the maturation and sound of Heavy Metal. Cometh the Storm is the latest, greatest example.

06. LUURCH – Morbid Curiosities

I have never heard an unsigned band, without a release, that’s better than LUURCH. Ever. The fact that they delivered an album that gets across what they guys sound like live is astonishing to me. One of the best debuts in a year of stellar debuts. Now the rest of the world gets to hear what I’ve heard for over a year, and it’s about damn time. All the fun! All the noise! All the insanity! All in a conveniently Long Playing package assembled in a stinky storage unit and ready to stream NOW! But you really should buy this. PS: And Sara Jackson KILLS on Undead Queen!

05. Temple of the Fuzz Witch – Apotheosis

To wrap it up, I must emphasize how Temple of the Fuzz Witch has turned from caterpillar into a butterfly. Not a beautiful one. Not a colorful one. Perhaps it’s the rotting corpse of a butterfly that didn’t make its proper migration. But the evolution, the elements of a living entity, the daring to say we will not go with the herd…these are what make this album beautiful. – Blake Carrera (Full Review)

04. Black Pyramid – The Paths of Time Are Vast

I woke up last night in a panic, having dreamt that I left Black Pyramid off the list. Oh well, consider this a jump start into May. It really doesn’t matter: this album is EVERYTHING you want from Black Pyramid, and everything you NEED. This is a massive album, with the three parts of The Paths of Time Are Vast delivering everything these legends have to offer and then going a few steps beyond that. AOTY contender, for sure!!!!!

Three-way Tie

Three albums, three completely different vibes, each conveying total mastery. I’ve struggled with this for days, actually weeks. In the end, I signed up for the Doom Charts. This is the price to be paid. The whole list is amazeballs. But these three…these are…fuckit, here they are.

03. Haunted – Stare at Nothing

Their first album practically redefined Doom for me on a personal level. Dayburner kept it going. Stare at Nothing not only redefines Haunted but moves the genre forward in quality and execution. Never mind all the “dark” and sinister marketing. The real hype for this band is their musicianship and ability to craft well-honed songs with skill and focus.

Christina may be the centerpiece, but this band seems to push her even harder. Years from now, this will be considered the “Classic Lineup.” Every beat, note, and breath on this album is carefully, even lovingly crafted. And it’s so damn HEAVY.

Breathtaking stuff, indeed!

02. Red Mesa – Partial Distortions

I’ve only seen a handful of bands more incredible than Red Mesa. But those are named King Crimson, Soundgarden, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Elder. Red Mesa can hold their own in a lot of ways. This is Desert Rock writ large, with enough proggy sludge mixed in to make you almost forget the bands on Welcome to Meteor City. And yes, what they deliver on this album is what they deliver live. Seeing Brad Frye wail over the foundation of Roman Barham and Alex Cantwell is a site to behold, and Partial Distortions presents it perfectly. And with baaaad intentions…

01. Castle Rat – Enter the Realm

With a stunning album of kick-ass songs, a band of formidable musicians, a stage act for the ages, and the most charismatic lead singer this decade, this is now Castle Rat’s World. We just live in it.

This is what Hawkwind spliced with Alice Cooper would be if they were Metal. This is a show, my friends. While my perception of it is greatly affected by seeing them live, I do believe the live experience is presented faithfully in this album. However, without the full psycho/sexual imagery of the stage act. If you EVER get a chance to see it, you’ll know what I mean.

Time will tell if this is the classic I believe it is, and the follow-up will be more than just “highly anticipated.” The pressure will be enormous. But for now, Castle Rat simply rules the day.

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