Here's another album from 2025 that should have been high in my rankings:
OTU: YOU'LL GET THROUGH THIS
Now here's one that I didn't really miss; I bought it back in May, but didn't really recognize how great it is until the new year. I liked it, but for whatever reason didn't play it much. Recently I decided to revisit it, and realized what an absolute guitar legend Otu is on this album. All twelve tunes have their own distinct feel, but each of them is sneakily completely bad-ass. Here are two that might help get your attention, but all of them are worth your while if you like your music heavy.
Otu is a musical phenom, singlehandedly writing, playing and producing everything he puts out. Perhaps you've seen some of his "If _________ Wrote ________" tunes on YouTube; they are phenomenal. To say that he nails every artist he attempts to sound like is an understatement, and now I am just starting to appreciate his own original songwriting.
Here's another album from 2025 that probably deserved top ten status:
SEEDY JEEZUS: DAMNED TO THE DEPTHS
This is another one I learned about by perusing The Obelisk's top albums lists. I've become such a Tony Reed fan and was a bit embarrassed that I had not heard of this project, but so grateful to have found it now. This is an Australian band which had worked with Tony before, and he has now become an official member of the band. I frequently think of Pink Floyd when listening to this album, and I think it's because of the clarity of the sound and the quality of the songwriting. Here are two of my favorites; see what you think:
The whole album is great, and rates a ten out of ten in my book.
Seedy Jeezus are:
Mark Sibson: Drums, Percussion
Paul Crick: Bass, Mellotron, Synth
Lex Waterreus: Guitar, Vocals, Synth
Tony Reed: Guitar, Synth, Mixing, Production
Saturday, February 14, 2026
STUFF I MISSED FROM 2025
(Part 1)
At the end of every year, I put out my top 10 albums list and a month or two later I find some gem of an album that deserved to be on the list. Should I re-do the list? Heck no! If I did, I'd keep finding more great tunes and in 2026 I'd be putting out a revised Best of 2012. Also, I'm not pretending to be the ultimate authority on what's better than what. I'm just trying to spread good music to more people, so the artists I like will get more attention, make more money, and create more great music; kind of selfish and benevolent at the same time. Anyhow, with that out of the way, here's one of a few albums that probably deserved to be in my top ten for last year:
My first awareness of Amy Tung Barrysmith came when I bought the two albums by Slower (in my 2024 Top 10). I saw she was in a band called Year Of The Cobra but didn't investigate. Fast forward to January 2026, when I checked out the Obelisk's 2025 Top Albums list and saw all the attention this Year Of The Cobra album got. I felt obligated to listen, and was hooked in almost instantly. I listened to it multiple times without realizing it is just drums and bass; Amy is that good of a bass player. Anyhow, here are a couple of my favorites from an album without any weak tracks:
I was literally just sent a heads up from the band about their debut album, KYHYJE. LOBO DEL HOMBRE hail from Argentina and are a very solid Stoner Rock Band. The warm fuzzines and groove of their riffs generously heat the cockles of my frozen New England heart. I'm a sucker for Stoner Doom Rock Vibes and this band checks off all the good stuff on my list. You can feel the dust coming off the stereo speakers as the band confidently navigates an oftentimes well worn genre with some fresh gusto. The vocals, (although I have no idea what they translate to) are delivered with a sexy growl and well placed roar. - fuck yea!
The production is stellar. I get Motorhead meets Kyuss vibes and you can't teach that. Ok, back to looking like I'm actually doing some work. Spin this album!
This was a pleasant and welcome surprise. Great start to this dismally cold year.
Of course, there are great albums I'm unaware of, but here are my top ten favorite albums I've bought this year:
#10: Death Wheelers: The Ecstasy Of Möld
The Death Wheelers get better with each release. They are now my favorite instrumental stoner rock band. Every track on this is perfect, and if you told me it should be #1 on the list, I wouldn't argue.
#9: Nightstalker: Return From The Point Of No Return
I've always loved Nightstalker, and this is one of their best albums. It soothes my soul.
#8: Dozer: Rewind To Return: Rarities, Singles And B-Sides
The fact that Dozer had this much quality unreleased music blows me away. Even though this is older music, these gems were released this year, making this a top 10 album of the year.
#7: Stonebirds: Perpetual Wastelands
I didn't like this a lot the first time I played it, but I did seek it out again and started a sequence of events which resulted in every single one of these tunes being cemented in my head.
#6: Froglord: Metamorphosis
Froglord does not disappoint!!!
#5: The Riven: Visions Of Tomorrow
In a different era, I think this band would have been huge. Great musicians and songwriters, and a flawless album.
#4: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: Death Hilarious
This album is also perfect. The creativity along with the sheer heaviness of their sound makes this band special. I was close to making this album #1
#3: Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd - 50 Years Later
An impressive addition to the "50 Years Later" series of tribute albums. Again, a situation where I didn't like all these covers at first, but they wormed their way into my head to the point where I love every single one.
2: Motorpsycho: Motorpsycho
Motorpsycho are consistently operating on a different plane than everybody else. How they have been this good for this long is mind-boggling.
#1: Brimstone Coven: The Light Shines Not For Thee
How does anything beat that Motorpsycho album? While I can't rationalize the answer, I can say that I've just played this one more often. I've been playing it since I bought it, and that makes it my favorite album of 2025.
Happy New Year!!!!
I didn't have time to make posts for these, but if you're interested, you can find my #30-21 album picks here, and my #20-11 album picks here
Here's a bunch of good stuff I've been meaning to share:
MOTORPSYCHO
2025's self-titled album is one of Motorpsycho's very best, and that's no small claim. Motorpsycho has been putting out innovative rock for over three decades, and has not lost its edge in the least. Calling them Norway's answer to Yes helps describe their talent and creativity, but not their sound. Here are a couple of my favorites, from one of the very best albums of the year:
This one is what it would sound like if Steppenwolf and Yes had a baby:
And this one shows the band's versatility, with all kinds of classic rock influences:
Motorpsycho's current lineup is two of the original members:
KADAVAR: KIDS ABANDONING DESTINY AMONG VANITY AND RUIN
Kadavar's first album of the year, "I Just Want To Be A Sound", emphasized just how versatile these German rock legends are, and their second album puts a gratuitous quadruple exclamation point on that idea. The range of musical ideas between these two albums is enormous, and just about every single one of the nineteen tracks will worm its way into your brain and get stuck there for days on end. Try these two on for size:
The leadoff track says "You thought we went soft? Think again!"
Track 3 says "You thought this was a heavy album? This is all kinds of rock, swirled together and it's about to get stuck in your head for good!"
Kadavar are:
Christoph "Lupus" Lindemann – guitars, vocals
Christoph "Tiger" Bartelt – drums
Simon "Dragon" Bouteloup – bass
Jascha Kreft – guitars, keyboards
And now for two more traditional heavy rock albums:
WINDS OF NEPTUNE
Three veterans of multiple Detroit rock bands came together and produced this masterpiece.
Throwback rock and roll, masterfully executed.
The lead track sets the tone:
And here's another one of my favorites:
Winds of Neptune are:
Ross Westerbur: bass, vocals Mike Alonso: drums Kevin Roberts: guitar
WOLFTOOTH: WIZARD'S LIGHT
This Indiana band is not trying to do anything other than satisfy your need for kick-ass rock and roll. Another winner of an album in late 2025.
This is the track they steer you to on Bandcamp:
And this is another one I love. Reminds me of about a million tunes I used to rock out to in my teens:
Wolftooth are:
Terry McDaniel: Bass
Jeff Cole: Guitar
Chris Sullivan: Vocals, Guitar
Jeremy Lovins: Guitar
Shane Shook: Drums
Hope you had a great Christmas and got quality time with your family. Now lull yourself to sleep with all this fine "stoner rock".
