Number 3

 

 

Number 3

And now, with almost a hundred points, we climb from Temple Fang at Number 4 into the Top 3 of this years Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown. An album, out on Metal Blade Records, which we wrote about on Stoner HiVe back in April when it was released and concluded with: “Grandiose in gestures and offering up an entire night sky filled with shooting stars, the album is the velvet blanket keeping you warm. Scarlet in color and doom to the touch…” And yes, the journey begins in familiar shadows, doom, heavy, slow burning and bursting with atmosphere. And then quickly develops, unfolds into something broader and even more confident then before. Dark melodies rise where pure weight once dominated, gothic rock textures from another era seep and drip naturally into their scarlet-hued world. Immaculate production and a sense of direction and purpose, give off the scent of unwavering intention. Imploring some more postpunk oriented movement and weaving their haunting atmospherics in almost drone like tapestries, the new seven track, 42 minute long album displays as much of the artistry as it does of their ability to cross genres. Spinning yarns of classic metal riffs through eighties touched songs or letting the vocalist haunt and chill, while always giving her the room to go into whatever territory she wants to go. Captivate, enchant or wrap you around her fingers with her almost jazzy stylistics whenever the music quiets down and waits for the overture to commence, as it does during that beautiful Immolation song. Or The Dress, which will quiet your soul as you listen, enthralled with all that goes on. A shooting star, leaving the heavy underground and soaring through the cosmos… 

On Number 3 we find: 

MESSA - THE SPIN

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Metal Blade Records

Messa – The Spin

Number 5 on The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2022

Number 13 on The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2018

Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

Mandy Manala
AAWKS
Messa
Gaupa
The Janitors
Desert Colossus
Komatsu
Brain Police
Electric Citizen
Temple Fang

Mornin everyone! Final few days before we depart for the road trip through Italy. And that while we still need to get grounded after another wild and wonderful edition of Sonic Whip Festival. Absolutely one of the best indoor festivals around! Loved every minute and show I saw but the performances by Karkara, Khan, The Devil And The Almighty Blues, Elder playing Lore in its entirety and the tears that welled up during Temple Fang will forever be edged upon my heart. Many thanks to all the venue, the organizers, the bands and the fans once again. What pure bliss to have been a part of it again! We hope to do a few more Stoner HiVe posts before we leave devoting every spare second we have. But they are severely limited, so we cannot say how much we will be able to do. But you can always enter the 'wayback machine' and scroll through old Stoner HiVe posts from the last sixteen years if you are hungry for some freaky HiVe stuff or visit last week’s post by Stevie Reek about Pearl Handled Revolver or words about Mandy Manala! And get ready for that FULL ALBUM REVIEW for Mandy Manala happening THIS WEDNESDAY! Have a great week everyone! Much love!

The Spotify Playlist for...

Stoner HiVe's Weekly Top 10 Most Listened

Week 21

Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

Messa
Void King
Temple Fang
Woodhawk
Elderstag
Pearl Handled Revolver
Yama
Daevar
Growing Horns
Lorquin’s Admiral

Good morning! It is a Tuesday, we know. But the Monday was different and today feels like the real start of the grueling week ahead of us. But we will try to HiVe as much as possible! Be sure to check in later for a few words on the new Void King. And definitely check in tomorrow when we have the honor to premiere that new Void King album, The Hidden Hymnal: Chapter II. It’s savage and powerful! Last week we also put up a few words about Messa and were blessed with the new Black Magic Tree single. How groovy is that one right? Stevie Reek wrote a blurb about Lilac Vegetal and Jon McGough wrote something length about the new Nightstalker. And of course, lets not forget, the Doom Charts Peroration for March went live. Lots of great music, lots of heavy albums! Hope y’all have a great week!

The Spotify Playlist for...

Stoner HiVe's Weekly Top 10 Most Listened

Week 17

Messa – The Spin

 

 

Messa – The Spin
Metal Blade Records – 2025
Metal, Doom, Postpunk, Psych
Rated: *****

Italian fourpiece Messa has been making the yearly Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown with both their Feast For Water record from 2018 (Number 13) and their 2022 Close album (Number 5). And maybe Belfry from 2016 should have been on there as well. Well, I think we can safely say that their new record The Spin has a great chance of making it too. Imploring some more postpunk oriented movement and weaving their haunting atmospherics in almost drone like tapestries, the new seven track, 42 minute long album displays as much of the artistry of Messa as it does of their ability to cross genres. Spinning yarns of classic metal riffs through eighties touched songs like Fire On The Roof or letting vocalist Sara Bianchin haunt and chill during the At Races song, while always giving her the room to go into whatever territory she wants to go. Captivate, enchant or wrap you around her fingers with her almost jazzy stylistics whenever the music quiets down and waits for the overture to commence, as it does during that beautiful Immolation song. Or The Dress, which will quiet your soul as you listen enthralled with all that goes on. Grandiose in gestures and offering up an entire night sky filled with shooting stars, The Spin is the velvet blanket keeping you warm. Scarlet in color and doom to the touch…

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

Don Airey
Messa
Komatsu
Red Fang
Black Honey Cult
Dream Theater
Mika Häkki
Rulaman
Tier
Temple Fang

Another week passed and another one in front of us! We’ve got a small break coming up, starting Friday, heading off to Austria for a few days of snow. But we will try to put up a few post before that time. Most importantly of course, that wild FULL ALBUM PREMIERE for Drunken Crocodiles this Wednesday! Aegony is a great album and will be out on Friday. But you can hear it on the HiVe two days earlier. Last week was Ronny and Jon week, with Bongsilisk and Trombolia reviews by Ronny. And a Komatsu write-up by Jon. Besides Drunken Crocodiles, we also mentioned the Deep Cuts album by Red Fang and singles by cool Slung and the amazing Temple Fang! That one Temple Fang single The River already feels like an album and a world on its own. Imagine how the rest of the album must feel… Check’m out, check’m all out!

The Spotify Playlist for...

Stoner HiVe's Weekly Top 10 Most Listened

Week 12

Number 5

 

 

Number 5

The first big jump. We jump almost hundred sixty points from Clutch on Number 6 to reach Number 5. An album we never got around to mentioning on the HiVe but an earlier album was featured on the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2018. The new album reigned supreme on the Doom Charts when it was released in March. And rightfully so, for this Italian foursome delivers ten tracks of wild craftmanship that meanders through the doom landscape as much as it does through black metal terrain; but only using those influences to color their worldly and otherworldly compositions that also include minute and kaleidoscopic takes on blues, jazz, folk, Mediterranean or / and Middle-Eastern sounds. Indeed, we already passed The Otolith which can be qualified as avant-garde and art, and this album can borrow from those same qualifications as well. Did we expect to see so many of you vote for this album? Perhaps not, for it is not the easiest of doom rock albums. On the other hand, you, out there, the fans of everything in the Heavy Underground don’t necessarily want things easy. You want the total experience! And this album give you all that… On Number 5 we find!

Messa – Close

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Out on Svart Records

 

 
On to Number 4!

The Doom Chart For April 2022

 

 

Doom Charts

“The bigger, the better… In Everything”

Freddy Mercury

Festival season is upon us! Finally! Oh, how we missed all those live shows… Which means many of the Contributors are out of bounce and bouncing hard to all those heavy tunes everywhere! Don’t worry, they all delivered their votes; but perhaps the blurbs are written by a lot of the same cats this month. It happens… But it happens exactly on the month that the Doom Charts crazies did something crazy once again… Indeed, we’ve extended the list to 40. There are multiple reasons to do so. But… We weren’t sure if we should. I mean, we could just post the total list of 299 albums that received votes this month. But then, that would defeat the purpose of the chart, we reckon. No, the main reason is the fact that the amount of albums released on a monthly basis, continues to grow and the sheer brilliance of many of those albums continue to shock and awe. Not so long ago albums could easily carry over a month. Or even two… You know, Lore by ELDER made the list three months in a row. This does not happen anymore, NOT because the albums aren’t that good, but because there are more and more albums THAT good. The amount of voters might also have something to do with that or perhaps that some promos are sometimes a bit too much ahead of the actual release date… Anyway… We’ve extended the list by ten… Should we keep it that way? Or go back to thirty? Let us know… O’ and let us know which albums you dug the most! Cause it might just be our next favorite album as well! Check’m out! Check’m all out!

Oh no! The fuzz might fracture your nose! It's the all new April Doom Charts!This time around; with 40 amazing albums listed!

Personal votes went out to: Greenbeard, Alunah, Steak Band CARSON, Somali Yacht Club, Blues Weiser, Geezer MESSA and Helms Alee!

But we sure as hell could have voted for each and everyone of those magnificent albums on this list! Check'm out! Check'm all out!

 

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and reviewers from the heavy underground around the globe.  Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge, metal, stoner, psychedelic and heavy rock albums.  The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below.  This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…

THE DOOM CHARTS FOR APRIL 2022 !

Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard
Duster
Messa
Children of The Sün
Stöner
Greater Flood
Wo Fat
Ufomammut
Brain Vat
Tranzat

Number 13

Number 13

All Them Witches and their ATW album soared high on the psychedelic blues current on Number 14. And now we move on with a mere 4 points to unlucky Number 13. Where we find an album that was massively voted for by the first lists that came in and stayed among the top albums until suddenly the votes faltered. But come hell or high water this album will mesmerize and will force you into submission. There’s so much Jazz here that the entire record becomes one fluent groove of doom, drone and stoner. It’s dark, its’s dusty and it’s deliriously sultry. In a big part thanks to the vocals that sway and weave across the tracks. So take a little walk to the edge of town and go across those tracks. Where the viaduct looms, like a bird of doom... (sorry)... There is so much determination and audacity that you soon become engulfed by this pure feast to your ears… On unlucky Number 13 we find…

Messa - Feast For Water

The Doom Chart For March 2018

 

 Doom Chart

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” (Roy Batty, Bladerunner)

But before that, maybe take the time to listen to the albums featured in the March countdown. These are not randomly picked statistics but pieces of music that have moved us, made the day seem a bit brighter, rescued us from “just another day at work” or just simply made us stomp our feet and nod our head.

The Doom Charts represent some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio and podcasters, and album reviewers from the doom-stoner-heavy underground around the globe.  Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge metal, stoner-psychedelic and heavy rock albums.  The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below.  This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…

We returned just in time to see the March 2018 Doom Chart go live! We were on route, ill and on route. Which is always a horrible way to travel. But we are back now and ready to scour those tweny-five amazing albums that are featured on the Doom Charts this month! No less than 250 albums got voted for this month and bands like Messa & Solstice only just fell off the end list. So many great albums and so little time to listen to them all! But we try and we love doing it! Cause there is so much wonderful music out there! So once again, thanks to all the bands for doing what they do and thanks to all the compadres of the Doom Chart for sticking to their heavy guns and firing off their choices and blurbs every month! Let's keep this righteous thing rolling! For all that good heavy stuff out there!

The Doom Chart For March 2018