7. ENTER THE SOIL “That Ember Lit Morning”, self-release
“‘That Amber Lit Morning’ by New Zealand’s ENTER THE SOIL is a beautifully arranged conceptional album full of calm acoustics and tons weighing riffage. Justin Chorley’s very talented when it comes to writing heartbreaking melodies and pull you down in the very depth of mental bleakness.”
8. MESMUR “S”, Solitude Productions
“Mesmerizing athmospheric funeral doom metal as cold and frightening as the infinite universe! If a space corpse perceived, it would suffer exactly like this, drifting through utter darkness past hostile planets and dying stars.”
9. MARCHE FUNÈBRE “Into the Arms of Darkness”, Solitude Productions
“MARCHE FUNÈBRE are joining the greats of doom/death metal with ‘Into The Arms Of Darkness’ delivering five top quality tracks full of mourning and aggression.”
Read more & listen HERE!
10. THE HOWLING VOID “The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn”, Avantgarde Music
“THE HOWLING VOID’s sixth album, ‘The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn’, offers dreamy-melancholic funeral doom metal dominated by symphonic keys. Comes with multifaceted guitars including heavy riffage as well as blues-tinged and folkloristic acoustics.”
SLUDGE NIHILISM &
AMPLIFIER WORSHIP
1. PRIMITIVE MAN “Caustic”, Relapse Records
“PRIMITIVE MAN spit their second act of pure sonic violence out. Serves earth crust shattering dissonant sludge that is crushing and burning the remnants with tenacious doom lava and most brutal death metallic rage. It’s merciless, it’s disturbing, it’s ‘Caustic’!”
2. YANOMAMO “Neither Man nor Beast”, Iommium Records
“Pissed off like Eyehategod, crawling like Noothgrush – haven’t been stumbling over a bulldozing sludge monolith like YANOMAMO’s ‘Neither Man nor Beast’ since young Iron Monkey. Maximum distorted, ear bleeding doom’n’blues!”
3. COME TO GRIEF “The Worst of Times”, Fuck Yoga Records
“COME TO GRIEF’s ‘The Worst Of Times’ is a devastating monument of sludge reminding of the slowly grinding past and leading into a sonically crushing future! Featuring original Grief member Terry Savastano! GRIEEEF, got it?!”
4. BORIS “Dear”, Sargent House
“Japanese sound extremists BORIS dive deep in the drone abysses of the band’s early years with ‘Dear’. Combined with most ambient experimentalism and tons weighing doom and stoner riffage, we are served an audiophysical feast!”
5. GRIM RAVINE “The Light is from Below”, Black Bow Records
“GRIM RAVINE deliver abyssal sludge/doom destruction on ‘The Light Is From Below’ that is covering human scum with misery and disgust!”
6. 71TONMAN “Earthwreck”, Black Bow Records
“Polish 71TONMAN deliver the sonic answer to nowadays madness combining utter hate with apocalyptic stench of death. ‘Earthwreck’ is fatter, lower and slower – brain melting and bone crushing!”
7. LIZZARD WIZZARD “Total War Bastard”, self-release
“Making no prisoners, LIZZARD WIZZARD from Australia hack and slay from the very beginning, crush and burst until the end and bulldoze the battlefield in between to welcome another horde to be slain, crushed and rolled over for the following attack.”
8. SATOR “Ordeal”, Argonauta Records
“SATOR is one of Italy’s most crushing sludge acts combining relentlessly distorted riffage and shrieks with pointed stoner reminiscences. ‘Ordeal’ is a bulldozer!”
9. COUGHDUST “Worldwrench”, Suicide Records
“COUGHDUST are unstoppably ploughing battlefield earth like a forty-ton tank. ‘Worldwrench’ is gut wrenchingly fierce whilst maintaining slow and monstrously heavy.”
10. PALE HORSEMAN “The Fourth Seal”, Black Bow Records
“Chicago’s PALE HORSEMAN serve merciless, flawlessly played sludge metal on ‘The Fourth Seal’, which is haunting from the pulping first riff to the cutting, desperately weeping guitar lead at the end!”
FEMALE FRONTED
SORROW & DESTRUCTION
1. BATHSHEBA “Servus”, Svart Records
“Belgian BATHSHEBA serve a heavy gem of crawling bleakness with ‘Servus’, which is bleeding grief and despair in rivers – lifts the band on top of the doom metal genre.”
2. ALUNAH “Solennial”, Svart Records
“ALUNAH’s ‘Solennial’ is a masterpiece of doom causing gooseflesh with every tone, its warmness and ravishing melodies.”
3. MONARCH “Never Forever”, Profound Lore Records
“French sonic extremists MONARCH are serving pure bleakness on ‘Never Forever’, their brand new album, spreading from low-end drone rituals to most haunting doom grandness.”
4. BRUME “Rooster”, Doom Stew Records
“The debut full-length of San Francisco’s BRUME is a didactic play of doom and as pompous as the ‘Rooster’ on the album cover. Comes with dangerously catchy melodies and the beautiful voice of Susie McMullan!”
5. KING WOMAN “Created in the Image of Suffering”, Relapse Records
“KING WOMAN’s actual album was literally ‘Created in the Image of Suffering’ taking you on a journey through subliminal fear as felt by a lonesome black flower sipping from the ocean of despair and crying tears of neverending grief.”
6. KROH “Pyres”, Devizes Records
“KROH return with ‘Pyres’ delivering five hymns full of acoustic depression, buzzing anxiety and desperate siren call – dangerously catchy and haunting!”
7. THE MOTH “Hysteria”, This Charming Man Records
“THE MOTH are riding an unpolished horse of steel on ‘Hysteria’, serving utterly raw, brutally thrashing as well as bulldozing heaviness! Comes with schizophrenic twin vocals!”
8. DEVIL ELECTRIC s/t, Kozmik Artifactz
“The debut of Melbourne-based DEVIL ELECTRIC is a catchy piece of blues-driven doom rock featuring the powerful vocals of Lady Velvet: Pierina O’Brien!”
9. HELA “Death May Die”, Lay Bare Recordings & Discos Macarras
“Spaniards HELA deliver their most dynamic and diversified album with ‘Death May Die’ adding new influences and progressive structures to their dark and melodious style of heavy doom metal.”
10. GREEN METEOR “Consumed by a Dying Sun”, Argonauta Records
“GREEN METEOR smells like doom spirit being ‘Consumed By A Dying Sun’ – Acid King style space doom meets Nirvana’s punk’n’roll!”
POSTAPOKALYPTIC
AGONY
1. CRACKHOUSE “Be None. Be Nothing”, Argonauta Records
“Imagine Dopethrone being pulled ‘Through Silver in Blood’ (Neurosis) to get an idea about CRACKHOUSE ‘Be No One. Be Nothing’, which is a dystopian sludge beast!”
2. OCEANWAKE “Earthen”, ViciSolum Records
“OCEANWAKE’s ‘Earthen’ serves tragical, spirally evolving sonic stories telling about despair and utter grief. These Finns combine huge athmospheric sounds with devastating doom destruction!”
3. ENDLESS FLOODS “II”, Dry Cough Records & Breathe Plastic Records
“ENDLESS FLOODS are sending two sky high riff monoliths filled to the brim with utter grief that slowly and relentlessly erode your desperate soul. An album made for pain addicts, who love wading in darkness and solitude whilst enjoying minimalist, almost droning beauty drenched in mournful melodies! A feast for doom extremists and feedback junkies!”
4. AATHMA “Avesta”, Underground Legends Records
“AATHMA are back with their new album ‘Avesta’ presenting quality sludge/stoner spanning from blues-laden heavy rock with clean vocals to crushing riffage with monstrously rolling bass lines and hatred shouting.”
5. HAWKMOTH “Godless Summit”, Black Bow Records
“HAWKMOTH released ‘Godless Summit’ being the first part of a sonic drama leading in the hostile desert of the Australian outback. Serves hypnotic, sun burned post-metal and tons heavy, bass-driven doom riffage!”
6. CATAPULT THE DEAD “A Universal Emptiness”, Doom Stew Records
“CATAPULT THE DEAD take best Neurosis style sludge to develop a beautifully devastating doom monolith filled to the brim with immeasurable despair and grief-struck longing.”
7. UR “Grey Wanderer”, Droneburg Records
“UR manage to unleash the forces of nature on ‘Grey Wanderer’ that are associated with the elemental strength of the eponymous aurochs being huge, massive and awe-inspiring!”
8. DDENT “آكتئاب”, self-release
“DDENT’s intelligent debut – “آكتئاب” – combines rolling doom with post metal shyness and dark ambience telling a sonic drama about melancholy and depression.”
9. JUPITERIAN “Terraforming”, Transcending Obscurity Records
“JUPITERIAN revive early 90s extreme doom metal contrasting death metallic, gurgling sludge a la Corrupted, Esoteric style funeral agony and gothic gracefulness in the vein of Paradise Lost.”
10. YLVA “Meta”, Pelagic Records & Translation Loss Records
“YLVA from Australia play technically challenging, ultra-heavy post-metallic sludge!”
WITH STONED GROOVES
INTO BLUES SPACE
1. FORMING THE VOID “Relic”, Argonauta Records
“Listening to FORMING THE VOID’s ‘Relic’ is like beeing on a perpetual trip of ethereal joy and musical exploration, like gliding with wide spread wings on the very best of heavy rock history!”
2. INTERSTELAR “Resin”, Kozmik Artifactz
“Los Angeles’ INTERSTELAR launch ‘Resin’, which takes you on a grand stoner ride on their colossal spaceship through multidimensional worlds of psychedelic rock, riff-based heavy blues and heartrending vocal gospel – as catchy as Kyuss, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains!”
3. DEADSMOKE “Mountain Legacy”, Heavy Psych Sounds
“DEADSMOKE serve corroding sub-frequencies and rhythmically bulldozing stoner/doom infused by disturbing synthetic sounds on ‘Mountain Legacy’, reverberating the feeling of loneliness and despair being lost in impenetrable fog amidst deserted woods and mountains.”
4. THREE EYES LEFT “The Cult of Astaroth”, Argonauta Records
“THREE EYES LEFT released ‘The Cult of Astaroth’ via Argonauta Records, which is a doom infested sludge/stoner beast full of tons heavy, slowly rolling as well as driving riffage that is buzzing like a swarm of possessed bumblebees on a psychedelic trip.”
5. 1968 “Fortuna Havana”, Black Bow Records
“1968 is rolling out monstrous stoner riffs carrying the blues rock roots of the late 60s translated into up-to-date heaviness. ‘Fortuna Havana’ is great!”
6. MOTHERSLOTH “Moon Omen”, Argonauta Records
“What if Glenn Danzig sounded heavy weight, he would be (a) MOTHERSLOTH! Well, he is not but these Spaniards, who play sort of doom infested slow riffing stoner that is rolling along melancholical vocals reminiscent of the mentioned and of Alice In Chains-like sonical tragedy.”
7. WITCHSTONE “Mortal Fear of Infinity”, self-release
“Calgary-based WITCHSTONE consequently crawl along the path paved with heavy psychedelia, fuzzy blues, 70s rock and slow doom riffage. Both the instrumental and the vocal sound are soaked with utter gloom and obscurity making “Mortal Fear Of Infinity” a catchy, nightmarish trip through the darkness of space leading beyond human imagination.”
8. SNOWCHILD “Age Of Change”, Kozmik Artifactz
“Sounds like Black Sabbath re-inventing the wheel of doom with young Ozzy at vocals – serves authentic 70s style prog and blues rock with maximum wah and fuzz on the crawling guitars!”
9. SNOWY DUNES “Atlantis”, Heavysike Records
“If you love top quality, relaxant stoner that makes you ride on a rainbow through cosy psychedelic rock soundscapes reminiscent of the 60s and jump in the ocean of catchy, blues-infested guitar riffs and leads, ‘Atlantis’ by SNOWY DUNES is the album of your choice!”
10. DEADNECK “Levitation”, Kozmik Artifactz
“Hailing from Finland, DEADNECK play blues soaked, doom infested stoner on ‘Levitation’ that could have been dragged directly from the swamps of New Orleans. Comes along with catchy hooks, pointed psychedelia and jam-like vibes. Highly addictive!”
SONIC LAVA FROM
THE ABYSS OF BANDCAMP
1. CHANT OF GODDESS s/t, South American Sludge Records
“CHANT OF THE GODDESS from São Paulo/Brazil released a stunning debut album, serving maximum doom and tons heavy guitar riffs that roll and push at lowest speed to mid-tempo, switches to utter violence at some points. Comes with catching melodiosity here, loads of fuzz there and rare but good vocals!”
2. LEGBA “Necromance”, Greenhouse Records
“LEGBA surprised with a remarkable debut serving South Carolina vooDoom in 2016. On their new record called ‘Necromance’, the Greenville-based band delivers eight tracks of jaw dropping blues and melodious sludge including soulful as well as desperately suffering, Crowbar style vocals. Unique and beautiful!”
3. FOREST OF LEGEND s/t, self-release
“Coming from Virginia, FOREST OF LEGEND build a monolith of doom metal incorporating the best this genre has been offering in every decade. Sounds like Sabbath and Vitus crawl down on their knees – lamenting like Warning – in blues-soaked sludge through thickest Sleep-fog. Grand!”
4. BATTLE HAG “Tongue of the Earth”, Transylvanian Tapes
“The cassette tape version of BATTLE HAG’s debut full-length, ‘Tongue of the Earth’, is sold out yet! Serves heaviest, utterly dark doom metal full of agonizing, beautifully played guitar hooks and harmonies whilst bulldozing at slowest speed. Even the growled vocals crawl along the catchy melodies. A quality sludge/death interpretation of Pallbearer style sorrow!”
5. JADD MADDEN “Cosmic Black Wizard Demon Horse Lord”, self-release
“Multi-instrumentalist JUDD MADDEN released the ninth full-length being his darkest and bleakest work in a constant line of high quality instrumental doom metal albums. ‘Cosmic Black Wizard Demon Horse Lord’ comes with tons heavy, glacially drifting guitar riffs and drone-reminiscences in each of the epic tracks. Again downloadable for free at Judd’s Bandcamp!”
6. BATTALLIONS “Moonburn”, self-release
“Nasty groove-ridden sludgecore from Hull in the UK! ‘Moonburn’ makes doom snails shake their heads and hips!”
7. DESTROYER OF MAN “Descent”, self-release
“Baltimore’s DESTROYER OF MAN deliver a killer debut with ‘Descent’ combining dissonant, mournful doom metal riffage with sludge destruction and breakdown dynamics! Ultra heavy and diverting!”
8. GREENBEARD “Lödarödböl”, Sailor Records
“GREENBEARD from Austin/Texas play driving and catchy stoner of the Scandinavian sorta kind when talking about the immanent fuzz-driven desert and psychedelic rock vibe as well as the album title: ‘Lödarödböl’. Comes with pop-suitable sing-along melodies!”
9. LIVID “Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes”, Prosthetic Records
“LIVID’s second album comes with erosive, haunting doom metal full of memorable melodies and powerful vocals. The writing skills compensate the raw overall sound production, which could have been more differentiated to enjoy every detail.”
10. VINNUM SABBATHI “Gravity Works”, self-release
“A remarkable release coming from Mexico by VINNUM SABBATHI, who explored that ‘Gravity Works’. Their music works as well when it comes to stoner/doom tunes that have been shot into space and make you spin around planets and stars.”
