The Doom Chart for July 2021

 

Doom Charts

“Everything we’ve done, we’ve done together. We got here together, and we’re still here. Things have happened, but it’s always worked out for us, ’cause it’s always been all of us. That’s how I know. ‘Cause as long as it’s all of us, we can do anything.”  ~ Rick Grimes

The Walking Dead…. sort of symbolic of our mainstream vs the underground. The mainstream being the zombies of course. We’ve all been together sorting through the bullshit for several years, and some of us our entire lives. Despite our political differences, we are all a part of the same team and each month bringing more power to our arsenal in the form of hard hitting jams. July brings another 23 brand new entries to the table with the top slot being pretty much a runaway. Congratulations to all the bands who made the list out of 223 different albums getting votes.

I was surprised to only see five of my choices make the final list. But as Bucky already said, no less than 223 albums got voted for. And that’s an awesome amount of heavy albums that were released last month or are about to be released. And guess what, that amount or even more get’s released every month! We’re all living in an insane and weird period of that thing we call our time on earth, but the amount of incredibly music released every month, makes it awe-inspiring, humbling and tremendous as well!  Personal votes went out to King Buffalo, Cassius King, Gods & Punks, Planet Of The Dead and The Age Of Truth…  I’m gonna be diving head first into that lovely Doom Charts pool as soon as I can! Starting with that Professor Electric release Emerging Forth Into The Light!

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and album 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 Chart for July 2021

Battle Jacket - Ghostcat

 

 

Battle Jacket - Ghostcat
Self-released - July 2021
Stoner, southern, desert, doom
Rated: ****

Idaho's stoner rockers Battle Jacket graced us earlier this year with killer debut "Cowboy Killers", and they've wasted no time following up with three song EP Ghostcat. Still maintaining the drawling, southern vibes from the first album, Battle Jacket have both cranked up the heavy and introduced new elements to their sound to create three new tracks of rip-roaring rock 'n roll.  Opener "Lemme Out" serves as a wryly winking anthem to surviving the pandemic in isolation, and following some initial Van Halen-style guitar fireworks, a driving stoner groove kicks in to put the bluesy pedal to the metal. Mastermind Kyle DeHart's vocals and lyrics were already a strong point on "Cowboy Killers", but he's stepped it up a notch or five on Ghostcat. Clever and playful without crossing the line into straight up "funny" songwriting, turns of phrase like "no tears just beers" and nods to watching too much British Bake Off are both catchy as hell and all too relatable. Turns out track one was merely the warm-up, however, for the subsequent title track and album highlight. Bursting out the gates with a canned roar (points for the album cover's Thundercats homage, by the way), rolling and hard-hitting scuzzy riffs blaze a sonic trail made for burning rubber. The pounding drums never let up in their thrust, and between the catchy vocal hooks, a curve ball of surf guitar acrobatics is thrown in the mix. The Dick Dale sound ends up fitting like a glove, bright and twanging as the licks wind their way between crunching heavier riffage. Finally, closer "Hang 'Em High" leans all the way into the southern rock influences and busts out beautiful slide guitar over half speed stomping fuzz. Partway through, the song shifts to grittier chug and rough gang vocals, creating an absolutely killer contrast. Battle Jacket are rapidly setting themselves up as a unique and all-out entertaining voice in stoner rock, and the sky looks to be the limit for DeHart and crew as they meld genres and melt faces with style.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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Cassius King – Cleopatra’s Needle

 

 

Cassius King – Cleopatra’s Needle

Been enjoying the hell out of the new Cassius King album Field Trip. Released about a week ago on Nomad Eel Records it moves into classic doom and proto metal territories just as easy as into ageless heavy metal. It is one king hell of an impressive album! And when Zach of Metal Devastation Radio pointed us into the direction of the video for Cleopatra’s Needle we just had spread the good word about it! Go see, go listen, get hooked!  

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

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s 

Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Month…

DeWolff
Electric Valley
Stonekind
Van Groover
Gods & Punks
Kvasir
The Blind Pilots
Seum
ZZ Top
Solar Haze

We don’t normally do those monthly lists anymore. Only the weekly ones… But this one, felt right to share, for some reason, only a day or so before the new Doom Charts will appear. And also because we have been swamped with work and have had little time to do some proper HiVe stuff and because we were keen to see how many of those will link up with the July Doom Charts…

Crobot – Rat Child

 

 

Crobot – Rat Child
Mascot Records – 2021
Rock, Hardrock, Stoner
Rated: ****

We became Crobot fans for life after we first heard that, errrr, legendary, The Legend Of The Spaceborn Killer back in 2012. And we mean it, cause even though we must confess that we do not listen to Welcome To Fat City or Motherbrain nearly enough, we still listen to Something Supernatural from 2014 and the earlier version from 2012 regularly. And the new four track EP Rat Child has been spinning daily ever since we received it. Featuring guest spots by Frank Bello from Anthrax, Stix Zadinia from Steel Panther and Howard Jones from Light The Torch (ex-Killswitch Engage) the EP takes on four distinctly different hardrock personas. One moving towards arena rock, while another stays dusty and bluesy. A groove is always present and when they start off a track with an ominous approach to a ballad you know you will be listening to something special! And it is! Simply stated, you need to put the always riff ready Rat Child EP by Crobot on repeat and let it slowly take hold of every fiber of your being. Cause it will and it will turn you into a life long fan as well!

(Written by JK)

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Magic Bus – Το Κάστρο

 

 

Magic Bus – Το Κάστρο

Το Κάστρο means The Castle or The Citadel or something along those lines in Greek and it is not only the title of the first full-sized album by Greek quartet Magic Bus, it is also the title of their first video! Great band! Great track! Great video! Check it out!

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Trigger Cut - Rogo

 

 

Trigger Cut - Rogo
Self released - March 2021
Noise rock, post-punk
Rated: ****

German noise rockers Trigger Cut debuted in 2019 with the excellent Buster, and have swiftly put any sophomore slump concerns to rest with Rogo. Trigger Cut specialize in the kind of noise rock that jars and jitters and generally induces panic, but they just pull back from the edge with an underlying post-punk groove. The scrambling bass twangs and jumps, punching out metallic Gang of Four style staccato while the squirrelly guitar shrieks overtop. The drums are in constant, rolling motion, and adding to the chaos are appropriately crazed vocals spitting and spewing. Every track on the album manages to be simultaneously catchy and totally unhinged, beginning with opener "Solid State" and its explosions of guitar squeals and madcap drums. Follow-up "Coffin Digger" charges straight ahead with a skittering, relentless riff that runs through the song like an electric wire. The outro slows down and each instrument proceeds to stumble and totter towards the finish, the audio equivalent of a car crash in slow motion. More and more apparent as the album goes on is a touch of sludge as well,  in the grimy bass as much as in Rogo's general vibe. The added flavor becomes especially apparent in the anthemic "Fireworks", where between the bright and screechy choruses, gravelly distortion slams down with stomping drums. Amidst all the chaos and madcap energy, Rogo would be too off the rails in lesser hands, but Trigger Cut masterfully balance the noise side of noise rock with punchy grooves to tie a bow on a beautifully bonkers album.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s 

Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

The Blind Pilots
Solar Haze
Wolf Jaw
Bottomless
Absynth
Gods & Punks
Kvasir
Urne
Smokedown
The Flaming Sideburns

Woodcreeper - Mephisto's Kite

 

 

Woodcreeper - Mephisto's Kite
Self-released - June 2021
Stoner, alternative, psych
Rated: *****

Iowa's weird and wonderful Woodcreeper are back with their much anticipated second album, and it more than meets expectations. Mephisto's Kite is an alternative stoner rock delight, chock-full of groove with the band's signature warmth, while hiding a surprise around every turn. The excellent vocals are still charismatic and raw, but with more group vocals this time around to add a classy extra oomph. Opener "Chicory Witch" starts things off with thrumming fuzz and agile, busy drums to create an easy nod. Momentum builds until some bluesy, crunchy guitar kicks in, hinting at the soaring psych solo to bring the song to an epic close over crashing kitwork. Follow-up "Lavos Cronos" continues the bassy, bouncing grooves with some extra stoner heft, setting a firm foundation for punkier singing backed by hard-hitting gang vocals. In true Woodcreeper fashion, out of left field comes a frenetic sax solo that sounds eastern one second and Mars Volta-level spastic the next. Yet another curveball comes with the title track, a ballad with shimmering warmth that still absolutely stomps between choruses. At the risk of spoiling much more of the fun, before album's end the trio manage to fit in a Hendrix-channeling solo on "Ezekiel", classic rock boogie on "Puddy Cat Twist", and caustic riff assaults in closer "Orchid Gore", with a scorching space-bound solo as the cherry on top. Woodcreeper is still one of the best-kept secrets in stoner rock, but if Mephisto's Kite is any indication these madmen won't be under the radar for long.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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Kvasir – 4

 

 

Kvasir – 4
Glory Or Death Records – 2021
Rock, Hardrock, Metal, Proto, NWBHM, Classic
Rated: ***

The Portland four that form Kvasir have released a new album through Glory Or Death Records called: 4. On it they will take you with them on a grand adventure through all ages of metal. Indeed, we can hear as much influences from the proto stages, the NWBHM era and all that which came after. But it safe to say their main forte lies in the proto era, the Iommi riffs and the Sabbathian grooves. And on those moments they infuse it with something doom or that tiny bit of stoner they turn the grand adventure into something truly majestic. Just check out that trucking second effort on the album titled: Authenticity & The Illusion of Enough. Tony Reed re-mastered the album for vinyl release and I’m keen to hear where it will differ from the digital release. Cause there are also a few instances where the tracks could perhaps benefit from a bit more thickness and a bit more low end. But even then you will love the curveballs these cats than throw, that funky, jazzy start of third tracker Slow Death Of Life which then turns into a Sabbath ode. And they boys know the best way to get people hooked, it to leave them wanting more. And after closing track Alchemy of Identity, you will surely be wanting more! It’s their full-sized debut, and it’s damn freaking tasty!

(Written by JK)

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DeWolff – Live at Royal Theatre Carré with Metropole Orchestra

 

 

DeWolff – Live at Royal Theatre Carré with Metropole Orchestra
Suburban / Electrosaurus Records – 2021
Rock, Blues, Seventies
Rated: ****

The three-headed classic rock ‘n roll monster from the South of the Netherlands keeps on doing that thing you would love to see them do. It’s DeWolff, the band we’ve been mentioning ever since the HiVe started. It’s the band we’ve dug ever since their first release from 2008 and that we’ve seen release majestic album after majestic album, blossoming and exploding into those wonderful records we keep on spinning. Especially that Grand Southern Electric and Thrust album of later years, which were simply put: classic solid rock gold. And then during that pandemic year of 2020 they went into Carré with a handful of people in the audience and a stage filled with musicians. Cause they got the Metropole Orchestra to perform live with them and it works pretty darn good! Even though it’s not that needed across the record, cause the three have enough power by themselves, it still add enough or even more on those moments that called out for something orchestral. Those subtle touches during the blues track Medicine for instance or on those few tracks when it all comes together perfectly and during Sugar Moon when the Orchestra takes center stage. A track list of old and new songs, translated into epic proportions by the DeWolff three and the Metropole fifty. It’s DeWolff, Hammond, guitar and drums. And a complete orchestra to subtle fill every nook and cranny and turn the compositions into something grand…

(Written by JK)

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

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s 

Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Stonekind
DeWolff
Deathchant
Wolf Alice
Kvasir
Electric Valley
Subterranean Masquerade
Van Groover
Civilized Worm
Yo No Se

Stonekind – Spirit of The Void

 

 

Stonekind – Spirit of The Void
Self released – 2021
Rock, Psych, Prog, Stoner, Grunge
Rated: *****

Still going through that massive amount of emails and mail that piled up during only two weeks of holiday. Getting to grips with all that and the June 2021 Doom Charts has turned into quite a process, also because the rent paying side of living has taken up more time than expected. But we love it all! And we love coming across those emails that immediately link with the choices the Doom Charts brethren made for the June edition. Like this months Number 7, Stonekind. I did remember their 2019 EP, but only vaguely, so I had no real idea what to expect when we pressed that almighty play button. And from those first musical moments their new full-sized album Spirit of The Void feels entirely compelling. And by the time that the third, title-track of the record, rolls around, you realize you’re listening to a bewitching piece of art. They way they push the prog rock envelope puts them in the same category as say King Buffalo. Using those same sort of elements and influences from psych and stoner to turn their prog rock into something compulsive. They have the same kind of strength and ability to make an impact during your very first listening session, both sonically and lyrically it will deliver in a way that will make you shiver, give you butterflies and cold sweats. And that’s just on a first session, and you will realize this is something huge. And with every next spin it will grow and grow into something even bigger. The three that were Stonekind in 2019 turned into a duo and implored help recording bass and drums from connected friends and their former bass player. It all sounds so perfectly executed, both bass and drums are tough, clear and spacious across the board. And the same can be said about the intense and strong vocals; as well as the guitar work. Which all manage to take the spotlight when there’s room and then immediately turn the light on another part of the song or instrument. Highly accomplished!  The three that became two have delivered a wild masterpiece with Spirit of The Void. And with that final terra stomping track Nomadic they’ve pushed their album over the top and into legend, (and here we go again with the accolades), yes, a perfectly ballistically delivered record, a blow against the empire, a beautiful and intense strike, like a hammer of the Gods, that will live on in rock… forever…

(Written by JK)

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