2024 #10 - #1 Best Stoner Rock Albums

 2024 Top Twenty Stoner Rock Albums (#10-1)

#10: Wizard Must Die: L'Or Des Fous

This French band has produced a perfect album.  The challenging melodies and rhythms, the layering of sound, the crescendos and decrescendos blew me away from the first listen, and continue to engage me as I find something new to appreciate each time I hear it.

#9: Wizzerd: Kronia / Saturnalia

Montana's Wizzerd released two albums this year.  Why create two smaller albums and not just one longer one?  When you hear them, you'll understand that they both have a different, unique vibe.  Kronia is more aggressive while Saturnalia is more trippy.  But together these albums represent monumental growth from a band who already had instant purchase status for me.

#8: Gnome: Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome

 Belgium's Gnome made my top 10 two years ago with King and have done it again with this instant classic.  This album is going to make a lot of kids want to be in a rock band, and will make a lot of rock bands want to learn these songs.  Truly what hard rock is all about.

#7: Black Pyramid: The Paths Of Time Are Vast

The fourth Massachusetts band in my top 30 (5th if you count Delving).  Black Pyramid not only released their first album in over a decade, but arose and absolutely destroyed.  Best Black Pyramid album, and a stoner doom triumph.

#6: Rifflord: 39 Serpent Power

South Dakota's Rifflord have always played a pedal-to-the-metal style of rock, mixing southern rock, stoner doom and straight-up metal in a unique way.  39 Serpent power shows an evolution in their songwriting however, blending all these influences in a cohesive way that makes you want to hear these tunes again and again and again.

#5: REZN: Burden

I bought my first REZN albums last year and then had the opportunity to see them live, opening up for Elder.  I was already on the bandwagon but when I heard "Burden", it was the perfection of everything I liked about the band.  The symbiotic conjuction of melodic and ultra-heavy is breathtaking at times.  REZN are from Chicago.

#4: High Desert Queen: Palm Reader

High Desert Queen are another band I first heard last year, when I purchased their split with Blue Heron.  Good old fashioned bass,drums, guitar and what I consider elite vocals.  Ryan just has a great rock voice.  Every tune here is a favorite for me, and their music videos for Palm Reader and especially Ancient Aliens are quite entertaining.  Another elite stoner rock band from Austin Texas.

#3: Slower: Slower / Rage And Ruin

Another band that chose two shorter albums over one longer release.  Between the two, we have seven drastically reimagined Slayer tunes along with four original tracks which fit in perfectly with the Slayer "covers".  Bob Balch collaborated with Amy Tung/Barrysmith, Esben Willems, Peter Bergstrand, Scott Reeder, and Laura Pleasants to produce these masterpieces.  Like the two Wizzerd releases, both of these must be owned together.  They are perfect complements to each other.  I may have already listened to these songs as many times as the Slayer classics they were inspired by, and I've listened to A LOT of Slayer in my years.

#2: Brant Bjork: Once Upon A Time In The Desert

If I were asked to pick a single artist that best exemplifies the sounds that the terms "Stoner Rock" and "Desert Rock" are supposed to represent, it wouldn't be Josh Homme or John Garcia; it would be Brant Bjork.  I'll bet if that man burps or farts, stoner rock comes out.  That being said, this combination of Brant, Mario Lalli and Ryan Güt has amplified the mojo five-fold.  Think of every album Brant has been involved in, and understand that this one is the best of them all.  

#1: Big Scenic Nowhere: The Waydown

Okay, so Bob Balch is on my albums #11, 3 and 1, and I'm pretty sure that makes him the 2024 guitar god.  However, an album with this amount of perfection would never have happened without Tony Reed.  Tony played bass and went genius-level in the studio to produce this masterpiece which for me, was never not going to be my #1 album, from my very first listen.

Creative, Noteworthy, And Just Plain Awesome

WIZARD MUST DIE: L ' OR DES FOUS

11/10 (a.k.a. This Goes To Eleven)

I gave Wizard Must Die's "In The Land Of The Dead Turtles" a glowing recommendation here, but almost never have I loved an album as quickly as I loved L'Or de Fous.  The title is French for Fool's Gold, but this album is real gold.  The amount of attention and detail that went into this album will surely rank it among the best of the decade.  The challenging melodies and rythms, the layering of sound, the crescendos and decrescendos blew me away from the first listen, and continue to engage me as I find something new to appreciate each time I hear it.  Don't think I am likening Wizard Must Die to Tool, but L'Or de Fous has the level of perfection of a Tool album (and actually Florent phrases his vocals in a similar fashion to Maynard at times).

Anyway, enough of my gushing; check out these two tracks that the band put together visuals for, but I can tell you lots more great moments await when you check out the other four tracks (The Disappearance of Camille Saint-Saëns is particularly awesome).

 

Wizard Must Die are from Lyon, France.

They are:

Florent Michaud (guitar, vocals)
Enguerrand Dumas (bass)
Robin Aillaud (Drums, percussions, synths, programming)

You can pick up this masterpiece of an album on Bandcamp here

STONER ROCK UP YOUR ASS

2018's Fourth Quarter Still Getting My Attention

I'm realizing I just can't give these three albums enough listens.  All three were in my Best of 2018 September - December playlist, yet I find myself not even diving much into our current month's music because I keep playing these three albums.  What I do here is share what I love, so tonight I present a slight flashback, with a stop at each of the last three months.

October:
THE NECROMANCERS:   "OF BLOOD AND WINE"

Masterfully written, intricate and heavy, this album has it all.  The Necromancers have released their second classic in as many years.  This one will stand among the best of the decade, not just the year.  Hear for yourself.  Here's "Secular Lord": 

Now the album's opening track, "Join The Dead Ones":

The Necromancers (from Poitiers, France) are:

Tom - Vocals & Guitar
Rob - Lead Guitar
Simon - Bass
Ben - Drums

November:

RIFFLORD: "7 CREMATION GROUND / MEDITATION" 

Who's making America great again?  RIFFLORD is.  On November 1st, Rifflord swaggered onto the scene as the year's alpha band.  Living up to its name in a big way, this group which claims ties to South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas, lays down a real unique mix of rock, country and doom, with authority.  Can't emphasize enough what a pleasant surprise this album is.

The second track is where you begin to understand how versatile the band members are.  Here is "Dead Flower Child":

Now "Thunder Rider Cremation Ground / Meditation".  
At no point does it ever fail to tear it up.

RIFFLORD is:

December:

WIZARD MUST DIE: "IN THE LAND OF THE DEAD TURTLES"

Innovative, complex, sprawling heaviness is what you'll get, with enough variety to keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 35 minutes and 48 seconds.  These seven tracks are great individually, but are a true masterpiece when listened to as one complete work.  Close your eyes and let your imagination run wild while this album plays, and I'm sure it will leave a lasting impression.  You can see where to find it if you want to check out the whole thing, but to lure you there, I recommend these two:

"From Their Blood To The Sea":

Now, "Empty Shell".  Especially between the 2 and 3 minute marks, I feel like doing a Wayne and Garth and shouting "I'm not worthy":

While Wizard Must Die does not sound like Tool, I'd say they are kindred spirits, and that there are some parallels in their music.

Wizard Must Die are from Lyon, France, and are:

Enguerrand Dumas: bass and backing vocals 
Florent Michaud: guitar and lead vocal 
Christophe Hogommat: drums 

This is the only picture I could find of the three together.  I quote their Facebook page:

"Who cares who we are ?

Just listen to Dude ! "

Awesome.

(period intentional)

You could probably create a playlist entirely made up of Bandcamp tunes in any genre that would rival any other set of tunes, but this is especially true for Stoner Rock.  

Will be gushing about how good John Garcia's new album is  soon.  

Until then

-ULTRA