Sky Pig describe their sound as a psychedelic sludge. I’d add ambient to that description, for their latest album ‘It Thrives in Darkness’ (2022) is less a collection of catchy songs as it is an unfurling dreamscape, its atmosphere building gradually like a mounting stormfront of ominous gray clouds.

You’ll scarcely find an album that’s as dark as this one. Reminds me a lot of the menacing, unsettled sound coming out of the early '90s with bands like Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Korn. After the heavy metal parking lot disbanded, grunge came on the scene. No one knew what else to call it, and it seemed to fit. This was the era that gave birth to mutant children: death, thrash, and doom metal. It was downcast, downtuned stuff, rough around the edges and a glass-half-empty perspective for lyrics. These emerging genres always came across to me as Generation X being pissed off upon learning that life would have far less opportunity than our parents had and our teachers promised – and oh, by the way, you will one day die. I digress.

The album starts in the red, with the brash welcome of drums and cymbals. In “State of Anger” riffs and rhythm converge in a dizzying dirge. At times, you’ll notice the movement between chords is sudden and jagged, as though the very foundations of the earth were being ripped asunder.

Your life has let you down
This world has shit you out
Dark is the road you’ve taken
Cast out, God forsaken

On “Larva” the vocals reflect to me the anguish of a Cain-like figure, who feels cast out by God as he looks at this mess of a world. There’s our idea of how the world should work, and then there’s how things actually pan out. Real life is filled with as many sorrows as joys, but sometimes there’s a chance to rise again. This one’s got a great theme to join the vocals and it’s one of the key highlights for me.

Bending time
From ungodly depths
So blind
The ones that caused this mess

“Motionless” gives respite with those quiet, reverberating guitar notes strummed for nearly a full minute of solitude. Soon the rain comes and with it a tragic doom melody. When the vocals enter, they feel as if underwater. Perhaps floating just below the surface of the flooded plains. The song is constructed with several interlocking and contrasting riff motifs. When we next hear vocals its a chorus with the soaring amplitude of Slomatics, Domkraft, and Conan. If you’re listening with headphones, especially, the words “Look to the sky!” will seem to surround you. Dare I say, they sound almost authoritative, prophetic.

The eyes of God have turned away
His grace a shallow grave
When darkness comes
Surely then we’ll see his plan
When we become motionless

When we reach “Sinning Time” the floods have subsided and the sinners are back at it again. The beat is steady and unrelenting, the guitars grindy and dissonant, vocals low-key and matter of fact. Then the swell picks up and we’re treated to a downpour of drizzly fuzz, stout low-end, and banshee vocals.

Fall out of your mind, into the next life
Pray for the end, for the end of time

“In Light of Your Death” is like waking up in a hazy stupor and trying to get a grip of the situation, where you are, what time it is, and who’s around you. This feeling is interrupted by a feeling of dread, articulated by crunchy slow 'n’ low axemanship and singing that rival the roars of Gojira.

Sleep for a while
We’ll be here to guide you
Dream through our eyes
let the darkness blind you.“

The album comes to a head with the title track, "It Thrives in Darkness.” Its foggy opening has a Mellotron like vibe, which I’m informed is a bass pedal effect. The guitar strums morbidly atop it. Now we’re deep into doom territory, with riffage that fans of Cough should take a liking to. An epic way to end the record.

My world, your cage
You’ll know my rage
This house of pain
Is where I stay

Now that you’ve had an overview of the album, Doomed & Stoned presents the official music video for a track we featured on our last Doom Charts countdown show: “Sinning Time.” It was produced by Dark Sprite Videos.

Give ear…

Track-by-Track with
  Sky Pig’s Rob Sneddon

State of Anger

About a guy who just snapped. He feels betrayed by the world and God because of horrific things that happened to him. He feels like the only way to feel relief or to get back at God, perhaps, is to go on a killing spree. Probably the most straightforward song musically and meaning-wise on the record.

Larva

Borrowed a little from the Call of Cthulhu, but more a Biblical idea about this creature called to earth from God after the world has exhausted its resources and become rotten, both in its form and the nature of the people inhibiting it. God feels he has no other choice but to destroy everything & everyone and start over.

Motionless

This song is based around the famous question, “Is there a God? And if so, why would he let all this awful stuff happen to innocent people?” It suggests maybe there is, but at some point he gave up, realizing it was hopeless. Similar idea to “Larva,” but God takes a different approach by simply giving up and leaving everyone to simply destroy themselves in “Motionless.” There is definitely a theme of questioning God on this record. I think it had a lot to do with my mindset during the pandemic, losing close friends, the craziness in the world lately, and a feeling of hopelessness. So it’s really just asking a question and posing a possibility because I really have no answers for the chaos in this world. I just write music based on my fucked up perspective and try to make it interesting.

Sinning Time

In the style of Melvins, “Sinning Time” is a pretty ambiguous song leaving a lot to interpretation. It conjures a weird, scary creature with nefarious intentions. Was going for a similar vibe as “The Scag” from our EP, 'Hell Is Inside You’ (2020): uneasiness leading up to impending doom.

In Light of Your Death

This song’s hard to explain, because this one has a bit of ambiguity. I was shooting for a “if David Lynch wrote a song” vibe. Are these alien beings? Shadow people, Cult leaders? Up to interpretation. But they’re controlling this person’s mind or consciousness and leading him somewhere, possibly to another dimension or an endless void or afterlife. I have no answers, really. The words were driven by the feel of the music. That generally dictates how I write songs. Always the music first and then words trying to fill in the blanks and paint a picture.

It Thrives in Darkness

This one’s about someone living in a very dark place physically and in their mind. Kept away from the world, abused, neglected. Hoping that someone or something rescues them before they have to do something they don’t want to. Almost sarcastic title in regards to the song. I thought of this title for the record long before the song, actually during the early stages of the pandemic (along with most of the other songs), but just thought this song was the perfect one to sum up the record. Sad, violent, hopeless. Tried to convey all of these things in the music and words.

There are stories we tell ourselves to fill in the gaps, stories that help us to keep going, stories that make sense of our tangled reality. In times such as these, it is natural to question such stories.

In “Motionless,” Sacramento doomers SKY PIG challenge the notion that we are a species above all, protected and favored by God. It just may be that Heaven has abandoned us to our own worldly devices.

The song opens with the shimmering reverb of a strummed guitar. Drums and bass double down on this theme with crashing aplomb, touched with the gray note of tragedy. Vocals are murky and downcast, as if drowning underwater.

The first verse comes off like a Psalm of David: “The eyes of God have turned away His grace a shallow grave. When darkness comes, surely then we’ll see his plan When we become motionless.”

The quest for definitive answers is not fulfilled so readily. “Look to the sky,” the chorus cries out in frustration. “Nothing. Just a big black hole.”

Reached for comment, frontman Rob Sneddon tells Doomed & Stoned:

This song is based around the famous question, “Is there a God? And if so, why would he let all this awful stuff happen to innocent people.” It suggests maybe there is, but at some point he gave up, realizing it was hopeless. They definitely became a theme of questioning God or whatever on this record.

I think it had a lot to do with my mindset during the pandemic, losing close friends, the craziness in the world lately, and a feeling of hopelessness. So it’s really just asking a question and posing a possibility, because I really have no answers for the chaos in this world. I just write music based on my fucked-up perspective and try to make it interesting.

“Motionless” is the third of six mercurial tracks you’ll find on the band’s forthcoming full-length debut, ‘It Thrives In Darkness’ (2022) – out Friday, October 7th, on Forbidden Place Records (get it here). Stick this on a playlist with Chrome Ghost, Pallbearer, Slomatics, and Conan.

Give ear…

The Year In Review

No doubt, there were a lot of discouraging happenings to start the ‘20s. It was hardly a return to the roaring twenties of a hundred years before that so many envisioned, full of raucous partying and a band playing every club. With the advent of a fiendish little bug called novel coronavirus (aka COVID-19), everything changed for everybody within a matter of weeks. Then came the long, slow months of layoff and lockdown.

From the vantage point of this same time last January, it would have been hard to imagine we would, by year’s end, experience a global pandemic rivaled only by Spanish Flu, followed by shelter-in-place orders, closed businesses, lost jobs, and a North American death toll in the hundreds of thousands. Then there was the long, hot summer of socio-political unrest, followed by those blazing West Coast wildfires, which spewed toxic air into my neighborhood for weeks. Yet, the heavy underground soldiered on.

Despite cancelled festivals and shuttered venues, musicians around the globe produced some of the finest music of the new decade. Rare collaborations only dreamed of in happier times came together and bands started streaming online – in garages, practice spaces, even closets (looking at you, Randy Blythe) – to the delight of fans everywhere.

Doomed & Stoned was there to document it all with in-depth reviews, a new Doomed & Stoned Presents series on YouTube, the ongoing scene-by-scene compilation series, and our weekly podcast The Doomed & Stoned Show. In case you’re wondering, this was our most listened to episode from Season 6:

To all of you who stood with us with encouragement and support over the past 12 months, thank you! We couldn’t have done it without you. I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every member of the Doomed & Stoned team, including those who contributed last year: Willem Verhappen, Shawn Gibson, Randy J Byrd, Tom Hanno, Mel Lie, Jacob Mazlum, Calvin Lampert, Svempa Alveving, Jamie LaRose, Adam Mundwarf, Stephanie Savenkoff, Sally Townsend, Drew Nez, Chris Schanz, and the infamous Reek of STOOM!

Big ups to those diligent, thoughtful curators of our now 7-year running 35-volume compilation series, Mr. Tom Jordan for spearheading the hugely successful Doomed & Stoned in Wisconsin live stream, and to my podcasting co-host Mr. John Gist (who brought us a compilation of his own). You all made a very difficult year much more endurable through your efforts!

Last, but not least, I want to acknowledge my longtime Doomed and Stoned Latinoamérica editor Roman Tamayo (who currated the historic compilation of stoner-psychedelic music in Mexico, covering more than five decades) and his team for their tireless efforts to document the Latin American scene – from groundbreaking original content on our Spanish language website and weekly radio show, to numerous compilations and an active social media presence.

Last week, we published the Doomed & Stoned staff picks, and now our retrospective on the weird and wild year that was concluded with the Editor’s Choice of The Heavy Best Records from 2020! Scroll down for the 25 most “doomed” records and the 25 most “stoned” records (check out the honorable mentions here). I hope you will discover plenty of downtuned licks, wicked riffs, rocked-up rhythms, and groovy vibes to give you the high that only good music can as the New Year unfolds!

\DoomOn/

The Most DOOMED Records of 2020!

1. Dopelord - Sign of the Devil

Nihilism has never felt so warm and fuzzy! DOPELORD return for their fourth album in ten years. Showing us they’re not short of compelling ideas, the Lublin quartet deliver some of their deepest material to date in Sign of the Devil. What it may have lacked stoner hymns like “Preacher Electrick” and “Children of the Haze,” Dopelord more than made up for by gifting us the solemn “Witching Hour Bell,” the devilishly downtuned “Hail Satan,”, the doleful “Doom Bastards,” and the de facto anthem of 2020, “World Beneath Us.”

2. Various Artists - Alice in Chains: Dirt (redux)

The brilliance of this line-up cannot be overstated. Magnetic Eye’s new Redux Records label picked the right roster to recount a generation-defining record, Alice in Chains’ 'Dirt’ (1993). There are plenty of standout tracks, namely Forming The Void’s swampy “Junkhead,” Howling Giant’s massive rendition of “Rooster,” High Priest’s lush and worshipful “Rain When I Die,” and the immersive, multi-layered Khemmis interpretation of “Down in a Hole.” Give ear…

3. Pallbearer - Forgotten Days

Will you hate me if I confide that I’ve never been more than a passing PALLBEARER listener? “Sacrilege!” I hear many of the readership say. If there’s still hope for my redemption, it will surely be found in Forgotten Days, which displays some of the Little Rock band’s most powerful and accessible songs to date. Less plodding, this time, with a slight boost in tempo and a metric ton of power may have had something to do with it. Also, there’s something very earnest and searching about “The Quicksand of Existing” and the titular Forgotten Days" that make them very easy to identify with. “Well, welcome to the club!” I can hear many fans scoffing. Go ahead, this time I deserve the chiding.

4. REZN - Chaotic Divine

Here is a record that surely rewards repeated spins. It’s REZN’s this album and their most ambitious to date. This time the doom is accompanied by a swirl of keyboards, periodically visited by one bitchin’ sax, and harmonized verses that recall the ensorcelled singing of Uncle Acid and the deadbeats. Chaotic Divine’s “Inner Architecture” is certainly among the most entrancing of 2020.

5. Green Druid - At The Maw of Ruin

On episode 30 of The Doomed & Stoned Show, we brought you the first single from the hotly anticipated second album by Denver’s GREEN DRUID, which was then months away. I scribbled a few notes together before airing “The Forest Dark, writing: "Darkest imaginable midsection, a slow grind of muck, mire, and human rage.” Needless to say the rest of the record followed suit! I feel “A Throne Abandoned” is especially apropos for our times.

6. Sorcerer - Lamenting The Innocent

Swedish epic doomers SORCERERr have long been a staple of the European festival circuit. Though the band has been active since '89, most of their recorded material has eluded me…until now. If you can’t get enough of Candlemass, you owe it to yourself to hop on Lamenting The Innocent. Songs like “Lamenting The Innocent” is about as close as you’ll get to the heroic early days of epic doom’s origins. Fantastic, glittering guitarwork from Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren, and one could not conjure a finer frontman than Anders Engberg.

7. Purification - Perfect Doctrine

PURIFICATION really brings the feels, with their epic doom meets occult rock two-fer. Hey, when you’ve got the inspiration, go with the flow, I say, and the Portland band did, releasing an album in the summer and winter. This is, of course, the enigmatic Rainbo of Troll fame. If doom ruled the world, he’d certainly be one of its most charismatic idols. By the bye, I wrote a dandy review of Perfect Doctrine while completely stoned. That is all. Doom on.

8. Abysslooker - Burden

Burden was released back in April and seems to have whisked away from most of our radars. ABYSSLOOKER frontman Aleksei “Demoria” Leontev is the real highlight here. His vocal performance comes across as maniacal and unhinged, making you want to listen for the spectacle, if nothing us. But then, it’s easy to get emotionally swept away with the forlorn post-metal textures. The acoustic guitar is quite effective, contrasted with those beefy doom metal chords. Then Demoria does his work. You can really sense the heart he’s putting into the lyrics, executed with suffering emotional intensity. His singing style varies – first sludgey, then powerful and clean, with a pitch and tone reminiscent of Corey Taylor). An unusual, but engrossing and genuinely moving album with thoughtfully written songs.

9. Hymn - Breach Us

Huge fan of HYMN since their debut album dropped in '17. With two members hailing from the ultra heavy “Sâver” and formerly of the late, great Tombstones you just can’t go wrong. Their second album Breach Us crafts a sound as powerful and driven as a Black Cobra or Gojira, and as cold and crunchy as a snow cone at below freezing temperatures in Oslo. The sound is just gargantuan at every turn and the guitar is tuned so damned low. Every time Ole Rokseth unleashes the vehement fury of those pipes, I imagine he and drummer Markus Støle in a blizzard at night (see: “Can I Carry You”), raging against the Norse god of winter or some shit. Hell, now that I think of it, they may be in his service.

10. Stonebirds - Collapse And Fail

With a name like STONEBIRDS, I was easily caught off guard, expecting peace and flower power when fire breathing damnation were waiting for me, instead. Seriously, Fañch Le Corre is a beast on vocals and his clever riff-making is constantly engaging our jaded ears. This, coupled with the mad drumming and rumbling bassplay of this progressive sludge outfit, were more than capable of conquering my short attention span. Ripple Music sure knows how to pick 'em. Collapse And Fail is a thrill ride and a half!

11. Cirith Ungol - Forever Black

Admittedly, I was way late to the trve metal party, only discovering the Ventura greats a few years ago – CIRITH UNGOL have been a thing since 1977. Suffice it to say, I think their approach to doom is downright wicked and adore their first four albums. After almost 30 years’ absence from the recording studio, Tim Baker has lost none of his ferocious bark, the guitars summon a riff storm of fury to match, backed by an indefatigable rhythm section. I reviewed Forever Black in June, swearing I held my breath through the back-to-back attack of those first four numbers. Fire!

12. Acid Mammoth - Doom Sessions Vol. 2

I bookmarked this album early in the year and have revisited it often since. It has certainly stood up to the scrutiny of time and competition in a subgenre that is every bit as robust today as it was five, ten, fifteen years ago. Despite the occasional pessimism of those who cry, “Doom is dead!” ACID MAMMOTH is a hard beast to kill, releasing both their second longplay and a magnificent contribution to their split with 1782, so much so that these three songs eclipsed even the excellent 'Under Acid Hoof’ (2020). Perhaps it was the precocity of emotional expression that impressed me so hard.

Oh, and did I mention they’re coming out with yet a third LP? 'Caravan’ (2021) has already been announced and is scheduled for release in March. That, along with a repress of last year’s album on what has emerged as one of the most exciting labels from the underground, Heavy Psych Sounds. All hail the elephantine ensemble from Athens!

13. DÖ - Black Hole Mass

”Mammoth” was indeed the watchword in 2020 for heavy music, Acid Mammoth having set an early precedent. Finland’s DÖ, more than eager for a challenge, introduced us to the galactic in Black Hole Mass. Just three tracks (Gravity Sacrifice, Plasma Psalm, and Radiation Blessing), but enough to make any doomer feel like an experienced cosmonaut..

14. Sun Of Grey - Outerworld

We premiered the nefarious full-length debut by SUN OF GREY just days before Hallowen. It felt like I was listening to a guy singing his heart out to a full moon at the dead of night. Gnarly vox, stern (and occasionally squirrely) guitars, and determined drumming sets the Colorado Springs newcomers immediately apart from the planetary pack.

15. Sky Pig - Hell Is Inside You

The sonics on this recording are some of the best I’ve heard from any offering this year, just stellar. Crisp and clear, allowing ample space for the instruments to breathe and plenty of resonance for those gargantuan guitar riffs, deep, resonating bass licks, crushing percusion, and defiant vox. With Hell Is Inside You, SKY PIG has not merely fine-tuned their approach to doom, they have become doom (destroyer of worlds!). Every note is delivered with purpose, conviction, and a depth of feeling matched in the studio by precious few.

16. Bible Black Tyrant - Encased In Iron

Aaron D.C. Edge is a master of songcraft. He can take a simple riff and build it out just right, buttressed by a dynamic rhythmic centrifuge. Now just add vocals composed of pure rage are you’re in business. Encased in Iron, the second album by BIBLE BLACK TYRANT was even more fierce than the first. One of the few I ordered on vinyl this year, via Argonauta Records.

17. Vessel of Light - Last Ride

Sinister overtones and dark, trippy vibes from VESSEL OF LIGHT, who gifted doomers (and metal fans at large) with a real keeper. Tom Hanno, in his October review of Last Ride just came out and said it: “They don’t sound like the majority of watered down stoner-doom bands, and thank the gods for that!” Commanding vocals from Ancient VVisdom’s Nathon Opposition, Dan Lorenzo’s damning guitar riffs, and a crackerjack rhythm section comprised of former Overkill drummer Ron Lipnick and Hades bassist Jimmy Schulman will have you headbaning with your horns flying high!

18. Cruthu - Athrú Crutha

Proving that groovy doom and folklore play so nicely together. Everytime I hear “The Outsider” something stirs up my imagination and emotions like a pied piper, to an ethereal place not unlike what’s depicted on the cover of CRUTHU’s last album, The Angle Of Eternity (which was on my Heavy Best of 2017 list). There’s something about Ryan Evans’ husky voice, paired with Dan McCormick’s poetic guitar leads, that is unique among contemporary doom artists. Not too many bands are this invested in epic storytelling, either. It’s time for Cruthu’s star to rise!

19. The Crooked Whispers - Satanic Melodies

What a great back-to-basics acid horror occult doom record this turned out to be! It practically glows in the dark (and is best listened to in low light settings). THE CROOKED WHISPERS is creative fusion of members from LáGoon, Hour of 13, Luciferica and Fulanno who connected during the forced down-time of the spring months. Their eponymous debut is an impressive, robust album full of warped singing and potent dream sequences, with plenty of moments in spent in the uncanny valley, nay in the very lap of evil, Acid Witch meets Electric Wizard by way of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick.

20. Jointhugger - I Am No One

With a name like JOINTHUGGER, I’m sure your stereotypes about stoner-doom have already been triggered. It would be a grave error to pass by these Norwegians, though. Their debut LP had been simmering in the cauldron for some time until cooked to perfection, demonstrating some amazing musicianship and chemistry with its stellar riffs and brutal, fuzzed-out bass 'n’ beats. Doomed & Stoned was pleased to bring you an advance listen to the album, reviewed by yours truly back in May.

21. Hellhookah - The Curse

Doomed & Stoned and HELLHOOKAH have a long relationship, going back to the early days of the blog when the Lithuanian duo dropped the celebrated freshmen romp, 'Endless Serpents’ (2015). Since then, the duo had been hammering out seven powerful new songs, which we premiered for you in mid-April. I believe you’ll find the track “Greed and Power” particularly prescient.

22. Mammoth Cave Burial - Death’s Vexillarius

Another belated discovery. This Kentucky project has been on point for every one of their 2020 releases. The doom is so well conjured, from the forelorn 15 minute single “SummerLungs” to their self-titled to the foreboding chug of “Black Math” off their eponymous record. And Death’s Vexillarius is nothing short of a doomer’s delight with its methodical riffing and raspy, harsh vox. I feel the same affinity for MAMMOTH CAVE BURIAL as I did for the late, great HeavyDeath. Hopefully a mention here will get them even more love in the heavy underground, as MCB’s output doesn’t seem to be widely known.

23. False Gods - No Symmetry…Only Disillusion

Last year, we unearthed a whole slew of bands from The Empire State in our Doomed and Stoned in New York compilation. Among them FALSE GODS who brought us one this hell-raising stomper on Seeing Red Records. Reviewed in October, I described this Crowbar-meets-Godflesh feast as a “dense, dynamic, and devastating gut punch that puts the definitive punctuation on a year gone mad.” Case in point: “Lords of Emptiness”.

24. Curse The Son - Excruciation

Excruciation is a landmark entry for Connecticut band CURSE THE SON, who’ve been operating since 2007. On the brink of the album’s summer release via Ripple Music, I observed: “Whether vibrant or grim, Ron Vanacore’s wicked vocal approach gives each song on Excruciation a distinct identifying mark, along with the devastating low-end his guitar delivers – reinforced by the punishing rhythm section of Brendan Keefe (bass) and Rob Ives (drums).”

25. Saturnalia Temple - Gravity

Didn’t realize how much I’d missed the sound of SATURNALIA TEMPLE until I heard the title track off Gravity. It’s the vocals are so fiendish and gritty, echoing over an earthy bed of pagan melody and percussive marching, stinging guitar solos breaking out here and there. And things just get weirder from there, as though we’d injested some hallucinatory drug which bends our perception of reality, reaches its feverish height, then fizzles out with a surreal strain of noise.

The Most STONED Records of 2020!

1. Ruff Majik - The Devil’s Cattle

There was a lot to love from a lot of bands trafficking in stoner rock last year, but none impressed me like RUFF MAJIK. For Acid Cattle, the trio ballooned into a quintet, bringing on board additional fire power on guitar and allowing for some vocal trade-offs. The change was evident in the QOTSA-esque first single, “Who Keeps Score”. But don’t worry, the South African band lost none of that essential Joni Holiday nasty.

Call it sludge n’ roll, call it outlaw stoner-blues, call it whatever, The Devil’s Cattle is an essential sound for the times, bringing a truckload of fuzz, dirty blues, punky attitude, grimy breakdowns, and wicked vox. The songwriting puts it in a class all its one, depicting tooth and nail situations with bad guys you don’t wanna cross and plots of revenge to even the score. To quote “Swine Tooth Grin”:

…I hope my momma understands.
I didn’t mean to hurt no man.
I didn’t mean to lay him out on the land.
So bless this body full of holes
and may the Lord have mercy on this soul.

2. Foot - The Balance of Nature Shifted

In April, I wrote: “This album may yet engulf all others that have come before it this year, as Melbourne’s FOOT present their stunning third album, 'The Balance of Nature Shifted’ (2020). With savvy vocal harmonies and driving desert rock rhythms, it’s a must-hear.” Infectious, is the word I think most appropriate for numbers like “Despair on Hope Street”, which involves the listener right away with those terrific vocal harmonies, reminiscent of Alice in Chains.

3. Lord Loud - Timid Beast

Stoner-garage fuzz-makers LORD LOUD teased out songs from Timid Beast early into the year – an unusual PR move, as their album would not launch until September. But with every leak, the Los Angeles duo ensured we were hooked and in it for the long haul. I stand by what I said in April: “The guitar and drum chemistry witnessed throughout this recording is absolutely on-point, whether we’re talking the charging opener 'Dirty Seeds,’ the cranking leads of 'The River,’ or that beautiful bomb track 'Labyrinth.’ Chris Allison’s vocal delivery contrasts quite effectively with the ferocity of the riffs and frenetic rhythms.”

4. Lowrider - Reflections

One of the most recognizable names in stoner metal is back! I searched the archives and it appears Doomed & Stoned’s first mention of LOWRIDER came in October of 2013, during our daily Wake N’ Bake show. Their first material since 2000’s Ode To Io, these crafty Swedes secretly engineered a set of songs that would wow us over and over again come 2020. Reflections started the year strong on the Doom Charts in February, and finished number one in the rankings by year’s end, with “Red River” as its enduring gem.

5. Witchskull - A Driftwood Cross

Everything WITCHSKULL have done is so damn good. A Driftwood Cross, the Oz band’s third album (second with Rise Above Records), serves up superb bass and drum work, well-honed guitar solos, and songcraft that’s authentic as hell. Marcus De Pasquale’s vocal style is arguably comparable to Maynard Jame Keenan. In fact, if you’re a Tool fan, songs like “This Silent Place” and Black Cathedrals may just be your gateway into the world of stoner-doom!

6. Elephant Tree - Habits

Seemingly out of nowhere, London’s ELEPHANT TREE has risen to be one of the most beloved bands in the scene. April saw us all caught up in the brilliant “Sails”, and Habits just got better and better and better from there. Many wondered if it could top their classic second album, and while the jury’s still out on that, it most definitely matched it on every level. Adam Mundwarf sized it all up for Doomed & Stoned readers: “Elephant Tree expertly blend influences of Sleep, Pink Floyd, and many other classic English rock bands we have listened to all our lives in an extremely welcoming cocktail of modern rock.”

7. Mountain Tamer - Psychosis Ritual

They’ve long been one of my favorite acts since first encountering them at Beers in Hell Fest. In September, MOUNTAIN TAMER, Cali’s wizards of weird, perfected a third album of acid doom and heavy psych, released by Heavy Psych Sounds. I had plenty of time to soak in Psychosis Ritual before the official release, and exclaimed back in June: “I had the strangest experience today. Looked up the definition of 'badass’ and every dictionary contained just six letters: MTNTMR.”

8. Rosy Finch - Scarlet

Grungy, sassy, and carnal, with a boss performance by ROSY FINCH frontwoman Mireia Porto (whose vocals go from fierce to scarey in an instant), Scarlet is potent fuel for a grunge rock revival! The dark tone of the guitar makes those mean riffs all the more exciting. The rhythm section is absolutely aggressive, yet on point, as well. Raging!

9. Vinnum Sabbathi - Of Dimensions & Theories

We’ve been following VINNUM SABBATHI even before we published our feature-length story on the Mexico City band. Ten years jamming strong through times of plenty and scarcity, the instrumental stoner-doom outfit brought us another epic more inspired by science than science fiction, as they continue their never-ending quest to explore outer space. In February, we premerie “In Search of M Theory” and the band released their second LP the following month, later bringing it all to life for our streaming series, Doomed & Stoned Presents.

10. Ghost Frog - Astral Arcade

Dropped under the twilight of 2020’s waning days, Astral Arcade by GHOST FROG seems to sum up a year fraught with confusion, danger, and all around strangeness. Self-described as “a (cyber)space rock opera about extraterrestrial life, the universe and video games,” the Portland rockers’ latest is a wild mix of genres, including stoner, punk, space, prog, doom, and shoegaze, all converging in freakish harmony, with high energy and bouncy garage rhythms. It’s the band I most want to see perform live if and when venues open up again. For the wary, ”Kill Screen” makes a great introduction.

11. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol - Burger Babes…FROM OUTER SPACE!

With a name like RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL, you know the inevitable comparisons with food are coming. In December Drew Nez described the Austin band’s acid garage sound in terms of “a habanero mayo that tastes sweet at first bite, then comes creeping back with a vengeance as the distorted vocals hit your gut a moment later.” Buurrrp.

12. Mollo Rilla - Viva el Camino

The October surprise, as far as we were concerned, was the prog rock single “Rage The Day” from Clevland’s MOLLO RILLA It was but one highlight from an album that had rock opera potential stamped all over it. In my review, I tried to parcel Viva El Camino apart: “We’re treated to a fusion of styles, from good ol’ fashioned American Rockabilly to Surf and Metal – each skillfully layered and accented by nods to Latin, Eastern, and Greek traditional music.” It’s at this point where I paused to say, “Stop what you’re doing and listen to Mollo Rilla, a band that’s really got me rethinking the boundaries between rock, metal, and…well, everything.

13. Bonehawk - Iron Mountain

Nostalgic for the good times? Come climb Iron Mountain, where a band called BONEHAWK is waiting to show you a thing or two. There, you will behold kick ass jams, executed with equal parts joy and aplomb, deep roots in seventies stoner and southern rock. If you peer ever closer still, you’ll probably see ol’ CCR and Thin Lizzy smiling, nodding their heads to the beat. At least I was, when Bonehawk rang in the New Year with songs from the record, their first since 2014’s monumental 'Albino Rhino’ (2014).

14. Turtle Skull - Monoliths

Australia’s stoner rock scene has been growing like mad cats, which prompted our first survey of the continent’s wealth, Doomed & Stoned in Australia. 2020 gave us stellar spins not only from the likes of Foot, Kitchen Witch, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and others, it saw the return of Sydney "flower doom band” TURTLE SKULL. One need but audit their single “Rabbit” to realize we’re dealing with a hare of a different sort, one “taking inspiration from Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and Crosby Stills Nash & Young.” My appreciation for Monoliths grows every time I hear it, “ taking joyous compositions and steering them headfirst into a realm of fuzz and fury” (Art As Catharsis).

15. Kryptograf - Kyrptograf

A new name to practically everyone, KRYPTOGRAF steadily solidified their place on the Doom Charts and almost every reviewer’s best of list. Sometimes a band just owns and hones their craft so ideally, that a writer kind of feels at a loss for words (“this is just too good,” someone remarked on Bandcamp), so I’ll not be pedantic. If you like your stoner rock with a good dash of Greenleaf, a sprinkle of Black Sabbath, and a heart dab of Witchcraft, then Kryptograf certainly is your listening sweet spot.

16. Witchrider - Electrical Storm

Just after the lockdowns were lifted, summer wildfires (and arsons) began across the West Coast. It was in September when my parts of my county were warned that evacuation was imminent. Orange clouds dropping a rain of acrid ash rolled in for weeks, making the air the most toxic to breathe in the world for at least two weeks. Oregon felt like the Forbidden Zone. About that time, WITCHRIDER gave us the pepping little single, “You Lied” and I was practically obsessed with itk: “Hell, I’ve got the whole promo, but I’ve not been able to move past this one song! I have to say that the lead singer is the spitting image of David Arquette, who I’ve always thought was a pretty chill dude.” The album is replete with this kind of sardonic humor, surely a comfort through those unreal times.

17. Big Oaf - Big Oaf

BIG OAF has a name you just gotta love, because it matches the stride of their swagger of their style. These Atlanta brothers carefully crafted and road-tested their songs before recording this ambitious debut, which I said in my November review had single-handedly restored my faith in the riff.

18. Butterfly - Doorways of Time

In summer, along came a BUTTERFLY from Down Under, carrying a retro vibe on its wings that felt authentic and brand new – as though we’d been transported through a wormhole to 1979. Little was known about the band at the time (and details are still sketchy, though the four-piece have an active Facebook). We introduced them to the Melbourne band on episode 18 of The Doomed & Stoned Show and Doorways of Time met with strong reception on the Doom Charts. Opening number “Desert Chase” somehow made us all feel that we could breathe again after the initial round of lockdowns.

19. Mothers of the Land - Hunting Grounds

I’m sorry to say, this was my first introduction to Austrian psychedelics MOTHERS OF THE LAND. They’ve been around since 2012 and have one other album under their belts. Today, the Viennese instrumental four-piece deliver a fantastic new album that serves as a fitting introduction to their craft for us late-comers. Think Elder meets Danava and you’ve got a good idea of what’s in store for you on Hunting Grounds, which we both premiered to the world in June. “Each of the six tracks carries its own mood” with “an incredible singing guitar tone,” I noted. “It’s easy to be filled with awe of their improvisational instinct, detailed craftsmanship, and effortless execution”.

20. Black Spirit Crown - Gravity

Cleveland BLACK SPIRIT CROWN are long overdue recognition in the scene. Their song “Megaltith” would have rocked alternative radio stations before meeting their demise. We debuted & reviewed Gravity in July, singling out the band’s “good instinct for singing in harmony, building up a song climatically, and giving it legs so it can express itself in fitting form.”

21. Old Blood - Acid Doom

Willem Verhappen reviewed Acid Doom track-by-track for us in June, raving about their sound (“big, heavy, slow, and drenched in blues”) and singer (“full-bodied and soulful voice”). Songs like “Slothgod” and “Veinscraper” mark OLD BLOOD as one of the smoooooothest acts on the planet, and I have no doubt they’d be rocking ritzy nightclubs around the world right now if they could.

22. Black Helium - The Wholly Other

“We’re flashing back all the way to 1995 for this one,” I wrote in my review of The Wholly Other. In short order, BLACK HELIUM make a distinct mark on this hard-driving rhythmic terrain with acid vocals accented by grungy guitars. “Here is a spin for all the stoners, junkies, and freaks,” I concluded (quoting Alice in Chains), “delivered by one of the most promising of the newer UK bands.”

23. Black Rainbows - Cosmic Ritual Supertrip

Italian stoner metal act BLACK RAINBOWS have been a staple of the scene for so long that when we see another release, it’s easy to take it for granted that it’s going to be a solid one. Their seventh (!) longplay was just the reprieve we needed from lockdown lethargy, gifting us with sout rockers like “Radio 666” and the doomy stomper “Universal Phase”. If you’re ready for a long road trip, make sure you’ve got Cosmic Ritual Supertrip in the mix!

24. ORGÖNE - Mos/Fet

I’ve often said I’m a sucker for a good concept album. For the sophomore Mos/Fet, ORGÖNE establishes a kind of science-fiction mythos, “mixing '70s pop culture, ancient Egypt, pan-Africanism, spatial and paranormal exploration against the backdrop of Cold War and USSR” (Heavy Psych Sounds). Reek of STOOM described the ablum in terms of “a bewildering, dazzling and bizarre array of songs, noises and shiftless innovation from this amazing French band.”

25. Fostermother - Fostermother

When Steve Howe from Outlaws of the Sun got together to preview releases we were excited for the second episode of The Doomed & Stoned Show, the Austin band FOSTERMOTHER was a strong contenter right from the get-go. Like many of you, I was sold on the band from the opening track, “Destroyers”, with its windy bass hitting those guttural notes and the melancholic beauty of the words. While this may seem Pallbearer territory, Fostermother is teaming with contrasts, both doomed (“Give”) and stoned (“Dark Sun”) – thus making it the perfect record to end my Heavy Best of 2020 list!

What were your favorite records of 2020? Leave a comment below and share your Top 5, 10, 20, 25, whatever list! As 2021 unwraps, we want you to join us on a quest to find the best in heavy underground music. Give Doomed & Stoned a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily updates and subscribe to our weekly podcast for our choice cuts from the latest doom metal and stoner rock spins!