2024 #30 - #21 Best Stoner Rock Albums

 2024 Top Twenty Stoner Rock Albums (#30-21)

This is the first time I've ever done a year-end top 30, but I would argue that there was so much great music to come out this year that picking 20 albums wouldn't do the year justice.  I'm confident that all of these albums in my #30-21 are, deservingly, in someone else's top 10. 

 

#30: Duel: Breakfast With Death

Much more "In Your Face" than the previous album, "Breakfast With Death" rocks hard.

#29: 1,000 Mods: Cheat Death

Greek band 1000 Mods have been at it for a decade and a half, and keep getting better with each release 

#28: Cortez: Thieves And Charlatans

Another band that's been making great music for a long time and continues to get better and better.  Cortez is one of four Massachusetts bands to make my top 30 albums of the year

#27: Old Blood: Midnight Climax

Old Blood's "Acid Doom" was one of my favorite albums of 2020.  Here they are again, with a more polished and more musically diverse release that is well worth your time

#26: Sundrifter: An Earlier Time

This is a really impressive album.  Hints of Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead and lots more.  Excellent songwriting and a unique sound.  Another band putting Massachusetts stoner rock on the map

#25: Sergeant Thunderhoof: The Ghost Of Badon Hill

Sergeant Thunderhoof produced my favorite album of 2022, and the fact that this gem of a follow-up  album is at #25 this year only goes to show how great of a year this has been for stoner rock

#24: UFOMAMMUT: Hidden

Italian masters of all that is heavy continue to tear the bottom end out of our speakers and to floor us with bone-crushing soundscapes.  Hidden is their most creative album yet.

#23: Melvins: Tarantula Heart

Another Melvins release, and another round of musical surprises.  As usual, it will take several listens to lock onto what these Melvins are laying down, but the reward is worth it.  There are usually a couple of tunes per Melvins album that I'm not into, but I very much appreciate every song on this one.

#22: Mirror Queen: Dying Days

A Mirror Queen album is an instant purchase for me, and this one is my favorite so far.  Mirror Queen for me are a modern-day Blue Oyster Cult: fantastically creative arrangements of classic hard-rock sounds

#21: The Obsessed: Gilded Sorrow

Doom legends for four decades now, The Obsessed graced us with this classic early in the year, and it's been getting consistent play here ever since.  Scott's guitar sound is unmistakable, and hall-of-fame worthy.

2024 Top Third Highlights

 STONER ROCK: JAN 2024 - APRIL 2024

A shamelessly long playlist full of cool music that's come out in the top third of 2024. The last three tunes would make a great playlist by themselves I think.

These bands are from:

Belgium

England

Italy

Japan

Switzerland

United States

MELVINS

TARANTULA HEART 

Nothing else needs to be said except "Opening Track":

This one has an early Fishbone vibe; anyone else agree?

Instant Melvins classic album.  

Go forth and rock!

Ever-Changing Horizon

 COMING SOON

UFOMAMMUT: HIDDEN

If Italy starts a Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, Ufomammut should be day 1 inductees.  If you like slow, heavy, skull-crushing doom, this is your band.  Actually "doom" isn't really the right word, but it at least gets you sniffing in the right direction.

Quoted from ufomammut.com,:

VERY IMPORTANT:
UFOMAMMUT= UFO: U(nidentified) F(lying) O(bject) – MAMMUT: italian for mammoth
“UFOMAMMUT” should be pronounced in the italian way, sounding like “oofomammoot”…

Ufomammut are:

Poia – Guitars and Fxs
Urlo – Bass, Vocals, Fxs and Synths
Levre – Drums & Fxs
Ciccio – Soundlord

"Hidden" will be released on May 17

MELVINS: TARANTULA HEART

On the theme of Rock Hall of Fames, if we started a Rock Hall of Fame where you actually have to play rock music to get in, Melvins have to be in it.  Name the style of rock, and Melvins can do it as well as anyone else.  

You should already know, but Melvins are:

Buzz Osborne – guitar

Dale Crover – drums

Steven Shane McDonald – bass

"Tarantula Heart" will be released on April 19th.

 

2021 Top Twenty Stoner Rock Albums (#10 - 1)

This playlist provides a taste of the very best rock albums of the year, in my opinion.

Each tune is one I've never included in a post or a playlist.  
Since these are the best albums of the year, I can make a great playlist without repeating:

          

#10: "A Better Dystopia" by Monster Magnet

The cast has changed, but Dave Wyndorf always surrounds himself with great talent, and 'A Better Dystopia' stacks up with the best of Monster Magnet's albums.

#9: "Memorial" by Spaceslug

I was still finding more to appreciate about last year's "Leftovers" and now I get a full length release right before Christmas.  Spaceslug is one of the very best stoner/heavy psych bands on the planet.    

#8:  "Working With God" by Melvins

The fact that the Melvins do whatever they want makes them awesome, but it also means I don't like everything they record.  This is one Melvins album where I appreciate everything on it.  The Melvins have managed to stay energetic and fresh for decades.

#7:  "In Carne Persona" by Duel 

Duel's best album so far, and it's top ten status for 2021 is indisputable.  Almost every song has a truly creative opening, and keeps you listening to the end.

#6: "The Burden Of Restlessness" by King Buffalo

King Buffalo made my top 20 last year, but are in my top 10 this year.  How they not only produced another album so quickly, but upped their game and took their songwriting to the next level is amazing

         

#5: "Hushed And Grim" by Mastodon 

          
Almost 90 minutes of new Mastodon.

Enough said.

#4:  "Like No Tomorrow" by Wedge        

One of the first albums to come out this year, and still one of the best.  Wedge has an authentic classic rock sound with inspired, catchy songwriting.  I'll be playing this album for years to come.

        

#3:  "The Family" by Dirty Pagans

Another January release that's stood the test of time, 'The Family' is raw power, with tasteful doses of  falsetto vocals that would make King Diamond proud.

#2:  "Endless Searcher" by Maha Sohona

Maha Sohona is a 122 foot tall demon who is able to spread disease and possess humans(*).  Sweden's rock band Maha Sohona has produced 2 albums, and both are heavy psychedelic masterpieces capable of possessing your entire attention span for their entire duration.

#1:  "Dunbarrow III" by Dunbarrow

As I've said before, Dunbarrow has become the gold standard for the genre that originally inspired them.  

I Wish You A Safe And Happy New Year's Eve!
-ULTRA  

 

TOP TEN TUNES OF 2021

These are my choices for top ten underground rock tunes of 2021, in no particular order, with the exception that I like to finish my top ten tunes lists with my number one track.  I like the way this playlist flows, and hope you do too.  Volume recommended.

Track List:

10)    "Bean King" by Kadabra: One of the catchiest songs on an album that will remind you of Asteroid and Colour Haze, among others

9)    "Not Fragile/Free Wheelin'" by Clouds Taste Satanic: Not written this year, but this 2021 medley of two BTO classics is definitely one of the best tracks released this year

8)    "Bouncing Rick" by Melvins: There are several tunes on this album that are worthy of the year's top ten list, but I chose this one

7)    "Edge of Glory" by Dirty Pagans: It's got a vibe of the most aggressive 1980's metal, and is relentless and triumphant

6)    "Death That Never Dies" by Dunbarrow: Dunbarrow has taken what the band Witchcraft started, and ascended to the next level.  Every tune on this album is great, but this is my favorite

5)    "Siren Song" by Jerry Cantrell: Yet another tune to get stuck in your head, from one of the greatest songwriters of our time

4)    "Mission From God" by Snail: Every Snail album so far has been good for a top ten song of the year, and that tradition continues

3)    "Teardrinker" by Mastodon: I have changed my favorite from this album a few times and may do so again, but at least one of them belongs on this list

2)    "Burning" by King Buffalo: King Buffalo has really turned a corner and taken their songwriting to the next level; This tune is a prime example

1)    "Fill My Mouth" by Goat: There was never any doubt that this would be my favorite track of the year, from the first time I heard it.  Friends with varied musical tastes have told me they like this one.

Coming soon:  top 20 albums of the year, in two installments.

FOUND THIS:

Melvins' February release "Working With God" is one of the year's very best albums so far, and it has made me revisit some of their older albums and look for gems I'd never found.

This video is one of those gems.  Eight hundred thousand others have seen this already, but I had not.

How about you?

 

MELVINS: WORKING WITH GOD

REQUIRED LISTENING

You're gonna fail the hard rock test if you don't know this album.

Saying the Melvins have turned a corner is something you can always do when they put out a new album, but Working With God rises to all-time-great-rock-albums status.  This album is worth your time from start to finish.  A true masterpiece.  

Let's start with "The Great Good Place":

And now "Hund":

And how do you cover a Beach Boys tune and be totally bad-ass?

Be the Melvins. (Track 1)

This album features:

Buzz Osborne: Lead Vocals, Guitar

Dale Crover: (Bass this time I believe)

Mike Dillard: Drums

Closing in on 4 decades of rock music, The Melvins are still reinventing themselves and are as raw and aggressive as ever.  "Working With God" can be purchased on bandcamp.  You might have to search under Ipecac records.  Score one for Mike Patton.  

I also want to float the theory that working with Omar Rodriguez Lopez has made Buzz more attentive to detail.  But what do I know? I'm just

ULTRA

 

LOOMING ON THE HORIZON:

Diamond Head has rerecorded the songs from their first studio album, and has also included four covers:

 "Sinner" by Judas Priest

"Rat Bat Blue" by Deep Purple

"Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin

"No Remorse" by Metallica

 That list alone gives this album hard rock credibility

I can't wait to hear them all.  Right now, we've got this tribute to early Metallica:

When have two bands covered each others' songs before?  

Has this happened for any well known bands?

Diamondhead are:

Brian Tatler: lead guitar

Andy Abberly: rhythm guitar

Dean Ashton: bass

Karl Wilcox: drums

Rasmus Bom Andersen: vocals

Album available November 27.

Their talent is unquestionable, but I'm not afraid to say that I sometimes love the Melvins and sometimes don't.  I love these two tracks ("Bouncing Rick" is especially bad-ass), and can't wait to hear the rest of this album:

I don't need to tell you who's in The Melvins.  

This album will be released on Friday, February 26, and features songs such as:

"1 Brian The Horse Faced Goon" and  "Brian The Horse Faced Goon", as well as "1 Fuck You" and "Fuck You".  

You know what to do.

-ULTRA