THE Clean and Sober Stoner Top 5 Heavy Albums for September

The Top 5 Heavy Albums for September proved that this month lived up to all expectations. The amount of quality albums being released is remarkable, by any measure. No matter what your taste is when it comes to Hard Rock/Heavy Metal/Stoner Doom, September has you covered.

The list is shorter this month. Mostly due to the amount of work and time it takes to edit and publish on multiple websites, including Monster Riff. No worries, though. Rev had his own list published, which you can read here.

We’re planning on doing even crazier things later on, including having each writer publishing their own lists. Personally, I can’t wait to see what they come up with! In the meantime, here’s my own personal list:

THE Clean and Sober Stoner Top 5 Heavy Albums for September

05. Curse the Son- Delirium

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I’ve complained in the past that “Sabbathian Riffs” and “Iommi” worship are overused tropes in the world of Stoner/Doom. Just because somebody’s doing down-turned riffs with a fuzz petal doesn’t mean they’re a direct descendent of Black Sabbath. There are other styles, and other bands to take into account. Curse the Son has studied them all, and their blistering cover of R.I.P by Witchfinder General is just the tip of the iceberg.

Rev covered this on Monster Riff, so I wanted to put in my own words. I think even the band is surprised how well this came out and how well received it is. This is absolutely killer stuff without a weak moment.

04. Legions of Doom – The Skull 3

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What’s better than traditional Doom? MORE DOOM! This is one of the most satisfying albums of its kind in recent years. Based in part of songs written by the late, great Eric Wagner, this one’s a triumph in every way. It doesn’t hurt the Karl Agell from Lie Heavy sounds like the perfect person to handle lead vocals. Once you hear his voice with the rest of the band, I think you’ll agree he was born to sing this stuff. Top-notch song craft and performances across the board make this an instant classic.

03. Psychlona – Warped Vision

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This has been a great year for Desert-tinged heavy psych. Psychlona takes the sound and vibe we all know and love and turn it into something uniquely their own. Not to be a dick, but this is the band I wish Queens of the Stone Age turned out to be. Psychlona knows how to bring the heavy, catchy, head-bobbing groove without trying to show how needlessly clever they are. This is Stoner Rock/Heavy Psych all grown up and heading out for a good time without the stupid-stuff. Or trying to prove something…

02. Blue Heron – Everything Fades

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In Rev’s review of Blue Heron’s Everything Fades, I made an editorial decision. I suggested he not write that this is the greatest Desert Rock album of all time. I regret that now. I shoulda encouraged it and had him lean into it a bit more.

Listen to this monster, back-to-back five times, and you’ll probably hear the point I’m making. This is epic, grand, and every superlative I can think of. One of the only truly “most anticipated” albums for me this year, it went beyond everything I anticipated. It doesn’t rehash past glories, it doesn’t try to recreate the 90’s. Everything Fades manages to move Desert Rock and Stoner forward, every bit as well as Red Mesa did on Partial Distortions. Like I wrote, this is been a great year for Desert Rock!

01. Harjo – Nocturnus: Waking

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Harjo is proof that if you pay attention to the circles that composer James Romig travels in, you’re going to find some incredible stuff. There’s a movement happening, the likes of which I’ve never seen, and I need to write a full review to complete that thought.

Harjo’s Nocturnus: Waking is the brainchild of composer Brent Miller. Unlike every other iteration of popular music being embraced by a composer, this stuff kicks as on a level I never dreamed (ha) was possible in Doom. Authentic, bone-chilling DOOM, as performed by three exceptionally trained and educated artists (Brent Miller, John Angel and Salvatore Barra). But the showstopper is the performance of opera singer Jacqueline Goldgorin from the Empire Opera. Holy shit, her performance on Lights Out is one of the most exhilarating and intense experiences I’ve ever had. And the transition into We Dream is effing transcendental.

Fuck man, this is some heavy, heavy, trippy shit. This is true Doom, down to the feedback and sense of dread. But it’s more than that, and I think you should give it your full attention.

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