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.

October Blessings

 Check Out Some Of The Rock Gold That's Dropped This Month

PLANET OF ZEUS: AFTERLIFE

Years ago I described Planet of Zeus as Greece's version of Clutch, but now I see they are much more than that.  During the sixteen years after their must-own debut album, Planet of Zeus have not lost a single percent of their aggressiveness, yet have consistently increased the quality of production in a way that accentuates their songwriting and musical talents.  

Hear for yourself:

Planet of Zeus are:

BABIS PAPANIKOLAOU: VOCALS, GUITAR
STELIOS PROVIS: GUITAR, VOCALS
GIANNIS VRAZOS: BASS
SERAFEIM GIANNAKOPOULOS: DRUMS

Check out more of Afterlife here.

BLACK ELEPHANT: THE FALL OF THE GODS

Italy's Black Elephant just released a new album yesterday, and I can already tell this will not leave my commuting playlist for a long time.  As quoted from Small Stone Recordings Bandcamp page,

"Heavy Blues, check... Fuzz, check… Psychedelic, check!"

This album will make a lot of top-ten lists at the end of the year.  Listen for yourself:

Black Elephant are:

Alessio Caravelli: vocals and guitar
Massimiliano Giacosa: guitar
Francesco Glielmi: bass
Simone Brunzu: drums

Listen to more of The Fall Of The Gods here.

OLD BLOOD: MIDNIGHT CLIMAX

Old Blood's Acid Doom was in my top 5 albums of 2020, so naturally this was an instant buy for me.  They seem to have replaced "Octopus" on bass, but I can't find the new bass player's name.  Anyway, "Midnight Climax" is creative, polished and professional.  Every member of this band is a master of their craft, and I have to think they are very good live.  Hear for yourself:

You can hear the rest of Midnight Climax here.  Be sure to check out the very heavy ending track, "Snakes".

BONUS:  NEW TONY REED SINGLE: "EVERYBODY'S BLUES"

I've only recently come to appreciate how talented a musician Tony Reed is.  Someday I will post more on this Rock God, but his story is so vast that I will need to do much more catching up with all his work before attempting such an undertaking.  But for now, check out this single, which he calls a throwback to the 80's.  Tell me this doesn't get stuck in your head for quite a while:

This year is promising to be legendary in terms of the great rock it's produced, and wait till you see what's coming down the pike in November.  I'm out for now; continue to rock hard!

  

2020 Top Ten Stoner Rock Albums (#10-1)

Starting with the number 10 album, and finishing with number 1:

Each tune is one I've never posted or included in a playlist, as I hold the belief that these albums are deep enough to make re-posting unnecessary for making a great playlist.  

Here are some tunes from what I think are the ten best stoner rock albums of the year 2020:

          

#10: "The Path To The Deathless" by Red Mesa
         

Red Mesa have produced a flawless heavy stoner/doom album with enough variety to keep me listening all year long.  I felt this would be top 10 material when I first heard it and haven't changed my mind since.  

Also, probably album cover of the year for me.

#9: "Omens"  by Elder

        

Every time Elder releases an album, you can expect two things:

-it will not be quite what you expected

-it will reveal its genius to you if you stick with it

This one took me awhile, but only because I wasn't ready for its ideas.  All of that is old news now, as Omens has finally gotten through to me.  A new Elder release is similar to what a new Led Zeppelin release used to be.   

If you told me this was your number one album of the year, I wouldn't argue with you.

#8:  "Mass Hypnosis And The Dark Triad" by Bill Fisher

This kind of originality in rock music hasn't been seen in decades.  

Highly addictive album.

#7:  "Glorious Babylon" by Lord Fowl

Everybody knows I am a sucker for throwback rock, and Lord Fowl is preserving the art form of 1970s style hard rock like few other bands do.  

This album will stand the test of time.

#6:    "Groovy" by Geezer

 

As I've mentioned before, this album art does not disappoint or deceive.  The level of coolness you expect of your album after seeing this cover art is met, and then exceeded.  I'm from Massachusetts but will never ever downplay the amount of great rock music to have come from New York.

#5:    "Acid Doom" by Old Blood

Wow

#4:    "Seaward" by Mr. Bison

Covid shut down Italy, but not Italian stoner rock.  

This album earns legendary status.

#3: "Get Out Of Your Mind" by Ten Foot Wizard

Manchester, U.K.

Nailed it.

Must own album.

#2: "Dead End" by R.I.P.

Pure Genius from Portland Oregon.

Can't get enough of this album.

#1:    "Wise Words From The Uninformed" by Mississippi Bones

They already had the best E.P. of the year (The Witch Of Fulci Holler) and now they have the best L.P. too.  Mississippi Bones can not be underestimated.  The Witch of Fulci Holler comes with a book, and Wise Words comes with a Weekly World News style newspaper.  Check it out here; it's very entertaining.

Stay safe and rock hard tonight.

Happy New Year!

-ULTRA  

OLD BLOOD: ACID DOOM

A Truly Special Rock Album

Replacing the singer in a female-fronted band should have been  a setback for a band which was growing a following and starting to gather attention, but Old Blood has hit their stride with "Acid Doom."

Singer "Feathers" has been replaced by "Lynx", and the result is a second album that exceeds expectations.   .

Fans of Blood Ceremony and Ruby The Hatchet will find this to be of the equal quality.  

Tracks 3 and 4 are a good show-off combo:

(a little Opeth influence in "Veinscraper", don't you think?):

Heavy Water:

Next, go investigate the closing track, "429" as soon as you can.

Old Blood is:

Lynx - vocals
C. Gunner - guitar
Octopus - bass
Diesel - drums
J.F. Stone - keyboards

That's all for now

-ULTRA