Number 8

 

 

Number 8

An almost sixty point jump takes us to Number 8. Where we find a band that made the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown with their 2018 album. A band we love dearly ever since seeing them for the first time in a now defunct bar in Eindhoven, Netherlands with Belzebong and Mars Red Sky on the same bill. A band but we never really talked about on the HiVe because it was already such a big name in our little scene and we tend to mention the starting bands more. But we did this time, mentioned the album late August, cause sometimes praise has to be sung. Out on Season of Mist, since September, the album is the opening salvo for a trilogy to come. And it feels like a turning point, shaped by upheaval, renewal, and forward momentum after the album that came before. The record is open and expansive, glowing with hope tempered by sorrow. Certain tracks ascend with quiet beauty, while others deliver crushing grooves and there is always those sharp contrasts of light and dark. The closing epic track sinks deepest, offering bleak catharsis. Progressive, heavy, and emotionally resonant, this album defines the ever evolving identity of the band. And promises a lot for the other two albums to follow shortly... 

On Number 8 we find: 




STONED JESUS - SONGS TO SUN

 

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Season of Mist

Stoned Jesus – Songs To Sun

Number 18 on the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2018

 

 

Number 8

 

 

Number 8

Sometimes the jump in points are bigger, for now we jump 128 points from Sergeant Thunderhoof on Number 9 to reach the album on Number 8. An album that will take you to the threshold and without any qualms whatsoever push you over. And there you will fly through an endless and vast universe of Psych, Stoner, Rock, metal and all of its movements are progressive in nature. The textures are different here, the dark brimming with energy and the light flickering like a far off celestial reality blinking in and out of existence. It’s huge, expansive and seems to grow bigger with every listening session. Eight tracks, almost one hour and ten minutes, but they will feel like time stood still and paradoxically enough passed you by in a heartbeat. The path is entirely different here. So it fits, Number 8, having the infinity sign is another weird but poetic testament to the limitlessness of this album…

According to all of your votes, on Number 8 we find: 

Black Pyramid - The Paths of Time are Vast

 

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Totem Cat Records

Number 8

 

 

Number 8

Merry Christmas everyone! And of course, you will be spinning that new instrumental Clouds Taste Satanic All I Want For Christmas Is Your Soul EP and yes, We Hunt Buffalo’s version of Mr. Grinch and De Staat’s Let It Snow! We always do. And so do you! Right?! And of course, the album found on the Number 8 spot of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2023 thanks to all you crazies that voted for it! We jump almost a hundred points from Saint Karloff on Number 9 to reach this album on Number 8. An album that has been on heavy rotation over here throughout the year, but which we neglected to write a few words about. Our sincerest apologies for that. They’ve made the Countdown during many editions, 15th in 2020. 15th in 2016 and 5th in 2015. They’re known for a majestic drive, and masterful groove and a high energy ride through the heavy rock genre! The cosmic ride! They’re superheroes in their own right! Superheroes of fuzz! On many levels a super continuation of everything they did before; and on every level a perfection of that super sound you love them to bring…  

On Number 8 we find…

Black Rainbows – Superskull



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Heavy Psych Sounds

Number 8

 

 

Number 8

Once again we only jump ten points today. We danced with the High Desert Queen album Secrets Of The Black Moon on Number 9; and to reach Number 8 today we jump a mere ten points. Yes it's the small jump, as we mentioned recently, before we do another big jump to reach the next clump of albums. But today it’s Number 8 and it’s all that’s heavy from Norway! They released an almost twenty minute long one track earlier this year, which was already damn freaking good, before hitting us with two singles leading up to this massive work of doom immersion. Or as Reek of STOOM said: “these nauseous Norse crank up the volume, set the fuzz to Max and fire up a massive Earth Bong of tectonic riffs, rotting shady grottos of sound and a malevolence merely hinted at on previous EP’s. Seminal Doom!” Seminal doom indeed; so doom, it turns your sludge into the darkest treacle possible and your stoner into the densest fog imaginable! And you will not be aware that you are begin surrounded by murder of carrion birds all waiting to scavenge on your wasted little body… On Number 8 we find!  

Jointhugger - Surrounded by Vultures

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Number 8

 

 

 Number 8

 

We love that Ummon album by Slift, which occupied Number 9 so much! So much! It even hurts a bit to continue on. But we have to, cause the Top 20 Countdown waits for nothing. So, we arrive at Number 8 after another jump of almost forty points. Where we find another band that rocketed to the Number One position of the Doom Charts. And this happened; only a month ago. Yes, we are talking about that proto, nay, paleo metal effort from Seattle. Adventuring through the blues roots and the doom beginnings; they turn their metal something dark, brooding and colossal. And it just grows and grows  and becomes bigger and bigger as the album progresses; and we launch straight towards the edge of the known universe. Where time melts and every law of nature we assume has merit disappears like an asteroid turns into one single atom. It is an adventure, it a quest, a search for something one cannot name… On Number 8:

 

Sun Crow – Quest For Oblivion

 

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Number 8

Number 8

A jump of 35 points today to leave Witchers Creed on Number 9 behind us. We arrive at Number 8 today and it’s one that has been on very high rotation over here and probably at the drummer of Phe’s house as well. Cause we suggested it to his wife to buy as a birthday present… We're looking at another Ripple Music release... And we’re Down Under once again, in the country already so dramatically plagued by climate change. These cats don’t do the ever present Pub Rock from the island, no no no, these crazies move distinctly into the past to gobble up all that came from the seventies. But then they turn into something spectacularly groovy, fuzzy and modern. This booms and this thunders, this quakes and this shakes your bones! It’s intoxicating, like the drinks served in a premier dive bar, those sun-dried Australian tunes will have your mind drift back towards the atavistic stoner bands, the proto metal outfits and the doom gods. It is that good. And then some. It’s rock. Menacing, tough, resilient rock. It’s heavy rock. And it will induct you quickly in their dangerous midst! On Number 8 we find!

Arrowhead - Coven Of The Snake

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Number 8

Number 8

Happy Holidays everyone! The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2018 continues on today with Number 8. Yesterday we saw Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats and their Wasteland album ended up on Number 9 and we saw that it was good. But now we do a big jump. And most of the jumps after this one remain bigger ones. Cause it’s almost twenty points we cross to reach the following position. An album that was released in the beginning of the year. January fifth actually and it immediately grabbed everyone’s attention and imagination. They rode high on the Doom Charts and Madman Tony Maim wrote about them for the HiVe : “the four-piece group from Warsaw conjure dreamy psychedelic soundscapes and melodic fuzzed out riffs into a blissful, swirling haze.  And for once, the over used term “psychedelic” really applies here. This is a trip into a sonic landscape that made me forget the outside world and found me immersed on the journey that the crazies were taking me. Heavy when it needs to be, the riffs are natural and unforced and with great song compositions, the different tones and colors used really gel into a stunning album.” A stunning album indeed. So here’s Number 8 !

Weedpecker – III

Number 8

Number 8

The following band is the final band that sort of fell of the Top 20 during the voting process. It is featured eight points above Samsara Blue Experiment, which we found on Number 9. But, Number 8 lies before us and it deserves every bit of attention. And of course this band has made the Top 20 Countdown before. Back in 2010 they reached Third place with their album entitled III. Released back in June, the nine tracks maneuver expertly through all the stoner trucking and desert fuzzing we love so dearly. It is a classic take on modern rock and the other way around. With every record they release the move ever forward towards a more progressive view of the grungy landscape that lays beneath them. Turning their sights on Hammond organs and other musical possibilities. They are slowly turning into real stoner rock aces. Top Gun fighters that know how to make their huge and beastly sound, sound even more animalistic and massive. And this is thanks, paradoxically enough, to their technical prowess and their righteous instinctive feel when to show power or when to pull back on the throttle and let the machine move itself... Ride the sky and feel the groove!

Sasquatch – Maneuvers

Number 8

Number 8

Dunsmuir on Number 9, has been on repeat ever since our renewed acquaintance. And with a definite moment of pain we move on to the next band. But only for a moment ofcourse. For the cats on Number 8 have been riding high on the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown with many of their earlier releases, and it was only logical this one would make it as well. Number 1 in 2014. Number 13 in 2012. Number 8 in 2009 and now once again in 2016. Swampedelic as ever, it is their blues rock based heavy psychedelic doom and stoner metal sounds that we simply can’t live without. It is heavier, darker and doomier than ever before. But just as epic and just as grand. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his album or out of place. Or perhaps, perhaps, track two should have opened the record. Cause it shines through like a true mission statement. ‘We live by the old ways, we know what came before. Build ourselves a purple haze. We are the Riffborn’. Right on! It’s all happening man. It’s all happening!

Wo Fat - Midnight Cometh

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Number 8

Number 8

“I never got a chocolate birthday cake; I got a carob one. And when I went to other kids' houses, I was very covetous of things like Cheez Whiz that I'd find in their refrigerators.” ~ Amanda Marshall

With seven points above Jess And The Ancient Ones we make a bigger jump to reach Number 8. A band that released their last album fifteen years ago and since then became legendary. Like their reunion gig on Roadburn 2010. Instant legendary. And then to return with an album that punches out magical riffs that rattles, churn and flutter without ever taking the leading role. Cause that is reserved for the vocalist who surfs and skates across all the incredible music delivered. Awesome blues for the dark dark days… Number 8!

Goatsnake – Black Age Blues

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Number 8

Number 8

“Yes. We got our own whisky! An 8 year old blended malt whisky from independent bottler Wemyss, built around Speyside whisky matured in both fresh and refill sherry casks for a rich, sweet and spicy dram with the emphasis on honey, as you might have guessed from the name... And yes, it tastes just as sweet as we from the HiVe do!”

Still a few more albums to go before we reach the point where the jumps become bigger. For yes, this record also has just one point more than the Greenleaf record we found on Number 9. And whaddayaknow. Sweden again. And this time we are talking about the definite frontrunners of fuzz, the future of everything fuzzalicious and those who know their way and how to hang around sizzling hooks and riffs. On their new album they explore and deepen their sound once again without changing much of the recipe and they added up the ante on the production values. It has resulted in a mean album, catchy and exactly what the fans want. And that’s not just because they’ve ended up on Number 8 this year!

Truckfighters – Universe

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Number 8

 

Number 8

“This smooth oatmeal stout has won well over a dozen additional gold, silver, and bronze medals at various beer competitions since first bringing home a silver for Lost Coast in the 1997 World Beer Championships. Presenting a deep, rich brown on the pour, capped by plenty of fluffy light brown foam, 8-Ball offers up luscious aromas of dark chocolate and well-roasted coffee, with some hints of smoky char and a bit of an earthy character. Look for a core of roasty-toasty malts on the palate, joined by some scorched caramel and a mild char note, with the flaked oats helping contribute to a nice round and creamy feel.”

 

 

To reach Number 8 we climb four points from SubRosa. It is the final album that belongs to the group of artists that all had almost the same amount of points. Cause we’ve only climbed twenty-five points from the Number 20 position to the Number 8.  But after this we make the jump to the frontrunners. But before we do we are treated to the sixth album of a shapeshifting group that has always delivered some damn fine sludge metal. We could always trust these guys and girl to deliver some aggressive heaviness that was thick with punk. But since their last album they used more breathing room and more melodic and psychedelic influences. We can still enjoy those leaden riffs and colossal grooves; but the angelic side is much more prominent than ever. Which we all seem to dig even more! Highly diverse and ultraviolet!

Kylesa – Ultraviolet

 

 

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Number 8

Number 8

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.” Revelation 1:7

Five points higher as Stubb we find one of those incredible debut albums of 2012. Cause there were quite a few of those this year. This one paints illustrious psychedelic landscapes and gallops through them on huge and powerful doom rhythms. The powerhouse diva on vocals slays like a metal medusa and their complex structures are carefully hidden below layers of impressive basswork and intense riffs. Highly electric and deadly sexy like lightning! It might be their concealed obviousness that does the trick; but after one listen you’re hooked and in love! Ride the thunder!

Royal Thunder – CVI

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Number 8

“Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, please listen to these honorable masters carefully…”

Number 8

These doom rockers are already on to their sixth album after releasing their fifth record two years ago marking their return to the stage after a four-year absence. And damn we are glad they are back. Primal, atavistic and raw. Crushing, battering and epic. This is one gigantic Moloch of a record that slowly pulls every king hell of a riff out of the murky depths of the gaseous swamps. Not a record for the weak and feeble, but for those who allow an album to slowly sleep into their membrane before unveiling its truly gigantic proportions to your higher self. It pushes and pulls, it rips and rolls, it rises and falls and masters that perfect amalgam of righteous rock; riffing on to the exact moment when a switch is needed. Powerful stuff!

Yob – Atma

Number 8

Number 8

As we roll heavy into the top 10 of this years Stoner HiVe Ultimate top 20 we are once again treated to one of them fine Canuck’s bands. This one has some serious facial hair issues and that might be the reason the three amigo’s started jamming together around 2009. A year later their first self-titled piece of instrumental brilliance is out for everyone to enjoy. This is heavy riffing, heavy trucking and has enough psychedelic nourishment to keep you satisfied. It is adventurous free rock that tests all the limits of every boundary set by each song every single time. It keeps that old freak out, chill out, let’s go berserk adagio alive with full momentum. Supreme guitar-work, twisted bass-sweat and massive drums. I guess it’s about time we all move to Canada and dodge some flyin hockeypucks to see these guys in action!

Monobrow - Monobrow

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8

Numero 8

With their second album this Dallas trio pulls out all the stops and stomp out some heavy fuzz driven stoner jams to warm the heart of every true music lover. With an earnest simplicity these guys deliver the goods when it comes to riff-fueled journeys into the mind. Raw vocals and perfect switches between laid back groove and aggressive fuzzed out stoner; this album is a definite stayer among the top rated ones. Giant riffs, country doom, stoner blues, and electrified assaults on every human sense!

Wo Fat – Psychedelonaut

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