2024 #20 - #11 Best Stoner Rock Albums

 2024 Top Twenty Stoner Rock Albums (#20-11)

I'm confident that all of these albums in my #20-11 are, deservingly, in someone else's top 10. 

 

#20: Leather Lung: Graveside Grin

This Massachusetts band has great musicians, great songwriting, and "CHARASMA".  I have listened to this album on and off all year long.

#19: Black Elephant: The Fall Of The Gods

Back-to-back Black Elephant albums made my year-end top 20 lists.  More great Italian stoner rock.

#18: Mammoth Volume: Raised Up By Witches

When Mammoth Volume got back together, they didn't try to pick up where they left off.  Rather, they embarked on a mission to explore new ideas and boldly go where few bands have gone before.  Try to see how many different band influences you hear in some of these tunes; it's amazing

#17: Greenleaf: The Head & The Habit

While Mammoth Volume is definitely Swedish stoner rock royalty, Greenleaf is easily in the average person's top 5 Swedish stoner rock bands list.  Greenleaf has not slowed down, and have evolved their songwriting and production games.  As with the other albums in this list, this is top ten worthy.

#16: Mr. Bison: Echoes From The Universe

Three Italian bands in a row.  Mr. Bison leveled up on this album, being heavy and polished simultaneously.  There are Yes comparisons to be made at times.  This album is a ten out of ten 

#15: Free Ride: Acido y Puto

Can a Spanish band sound more like California desert rock than California desert rock itself?

Yes

#14: Monkey3: Welcome To The Machine

Sixth European band in a row, Monkey3 are from Switzerland.  These four words will say more than anything else I could write would:

Best Monkey3 album yet.

#13: Planet of Zeus: Afterlife

Make that seven European bands in a row.  There was a time when calling Planet Of Zeus "Greek Clutch" might have pointed you in the right direction, but Planet of Zeus have evolved so much, other bands should be flattered if they get compared to Planet of Zeus.  I wouldn't argue with you if you picked this one for #1 album of the year.

#12: Delving: All Paths Diverge

Nick DiSalvo lives in Germany now; do we call this the eighth European band in a row on this list, or the second Massachusetts band since that's where he started?  I like this as much as any Elder album.  Again, a number-one-worthy album

#11: Fu Manchu: The Return Of Tomorrow

This is instantly one of Fu Manchu's greatest albums, so it's got to be a special year for an album of this caliber not to be in my top 10.  Spoiler alert:  Bob Balch plays on three of my top 20 album picks

Stoner Rock Bonanza

 Have a Heapin' Helpin' of Some Rock 'n' Roll With Me....

Stoner, That Is; Sit a Spell; Take Your Shoes Off...

These Just In:

FU MANCHU: THE RETURN OF TOMORROW

Three Decades Of Fu Manchu

And you'd never even know it; this is as aggressive and energetic as anything they've ever put out, and probably their greatest masterpiece.  Well-written, catchy and extremely heavy, this album is a must-own, soon-to-be stoner rock classic.  I am just going to feature the first two tracks, and will just say there are eleven other tracks just as great as these.

Bob Balch deserves a Stoner Rock Artist of the Year award, but more on that later.

The legendary Fu Manchu are:

Scott Hill: Guitar, Vocals

Bob Balch: Guitar

Brad Davis: Bass, Vocals

Scott Reeder: Drums, Vocals

GREENLEAF: THE HEAD & THE HABIT

Swedish Veterans Return To Destroy

Here's another band who has yet to burn out.  Twenty four years after their initial release, Tommi Holappa's Greenleaf are back with yet another elite and essential album (sound familiar?)

This album just came out yesterday, but here are two of my early favorites:

Greenleaf are all elite musicians, and are:

Arvid Hällagård – vocals

Tommi Holappa – guitar

Hans Fröhlich – bass

Sebastian Olsson – drums

RIFFLORD: 39 SERPENT POWER

Third Time's The Charm

You can't name your band Rifflord without having a bad-ass sound, and while both of Rifflord's first two albums do a great job of justifying that title, this new release is definitely my favorite.  Rifflord tunes are usually under 5 minutes long but pack tons of ideas and lots of aggression into those spaces.  Quite often in the first albums I'd find myself wishing they lingered on a particular riff a bit longer.  39 Serpent Power has me saying "that was perfect" after each tune.  This is another album that was released yesterday, but I've been playing it a lot and here are two early favorites:

Rifflord are from South Dakota.  They are:

Wyatt Bronc: Bass, Vocals
Douglas Jennings Barrett: Drums
Tory Jean Stoddard: Keyboards
Samuel Hayes: Guitar
Dustin Vano: Guitar

WIZZERD: KRONIA

Relative Newcomers Are Elite Rockers

Wizzerd have been making awesome stoner rock for less than a decade, but especially with this release deserve to be ranked among the best stoner bands out here.  Kronia has it all; truly interesting and elite songwriting, excellent musicianship, unique sounds, and really cool vocals.  This makes a third album released yesterday that I can't get enough of, and again I'm going to share with you two early favorites:

Kronia really has the feel of an EP, clocking in at just under 24 minutes total,  but it seems another release entitled "Saturnalia" is slated for October.  I can't wait.

Wizzerd are from Montana.  They are:

Jhalen Salazar:  Guitar, Vocals

Jamie Yeats:  Guitar
Sam Moore:  Drums
Layne Matkovich:  Bass

Y'all Come Back Now, Y'Hear?

New Album Blitzkrieg #2

 NEW ALBUM BLITZKRIEG #2

Here is a track each from three new albums

GREENLEAF: "Rise Above The Meadow"

I gave a positive review for "Trails And Passes", Geenleaf's 2014 release, but felt it had a more polished, less raw sound than prior albums.  "Rise Above The Meadow" is more energetic sounding, and instantly likable.  Songwriting is always a strength for Greenleaf, but I prefer the way Rise Above was recorded over the sound of Trails and Passes.The week I found this new Greenleaf, I had just been listening to Trails and Passes.  I must have had a premonition.  Here is one of several great new tunes, "A Million Fireflies":

KARMA TO BURN: "Mountain Czar"

There isn't a tune you shouldn't check out on this album.  William Mecum is the one constant in this band over the years, yet they have been surprisingly consistent over their entire existence.  Listen to how years of writing and performing instrumental rock tunes pays off here.  Every tune is a tutorial in transition and sequence.  KTB has yet to let the consumer down.  
(Spoiler Alert:   One of the tracks has vocals:  a Tom Petty cover, sung in Italian)



DRUID: Osysseus

This Ohio band made as much jump from "Paper Squares" to "Odysseus" as Elder made from "Elder" to "to "Dead Roots Stirring".  They are so varied in terms of sound, it's hard to tell what direction they are headed in, but what's clear is that Druid is made up of legit musicians.  Once again, every track on this album deserves to be heard, but here is "Tocharian Shrine."

I found this band through following Bandcamp users.  Someday Bandcamp will be recognized for what it has done.  Easily as important an internet application as Facebook.  Bandcamp is helping to keep my favorite kinds of music alive, and yours too.  
Hope I "played" something you liked.  I'll be back next weekend, but Grownman always posts quality stuff throughout the week.  Rock on   -ULTRA