Swamp Thief - I

Swamp Thief - I
Records DK - October 2020
Sludge, southern, stoner
Rated: ****

Hailing from Swansea, UK, the hulking two-man riff machine that is Swamp Thief deliver the goods on debut album "I". Dealing in dense, filthy distortion and sledgehammer drums, the duo's sound is a potent combo of southern sludge and melodic rock by way of Alice in Chains. First track "Mary" snarls with gritty, pulsing fuzz over stomping drums, broken up by the occasional well-placed cowbell. The full mass of the track is heaved at the listener in the chorus, as the riff slows to a stuttering tumble that feels like a boulder toppling over by its own sheer weight. Amidst all the noise, the earworm vocals still stand out, an impressive combination of Chris Cornell's soaring growls, and Staley and Cantrell's inflected melancholy.  This is just warm up, however, as Swamp Thief thunder into highlight track "Whip Hand". The spiraling riff builds a ten tonne wall of distortion and heaving low end, start-stopping in a trade off with vocal breaks in a bruising game of call and response. Taking in stride the challenge of following the album's first half, the remaining tracks amp up the energy further, swapping slower trudge for high octane stoner. "Maelstrom Queen" blasts off with an onslaught of relentless fuzzy shredding in the vein of Astroqueen, whereas "Tides" mines the vocals' emotional depths. The closer offers up a cathartic chorus that demands live sing-alongs, while still doling out mammoth riffs. Swamp Thief succeed in melding the visceral power of southern sludge with clean vocals and emotive melody, making for an absolutely pummeling sound in search of eardrums to destroy.

(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…

10 Code
Monje
Jahbulong
Psychlona
Babel Trio
Qilin
Horizon
Whitegorrino
Windhand
Buffalo Tombs

Sun of Grey - Outerworld

 

Sun of Grey - Outerworld
Self released - October 2020
Doom, stoner, psych
Rated: ****

Outerworld is the anticipated follow up to doom trio Sun of Grey's 2017 debut EP, and the Colorado crew more than deliver on their initial promise. Lumbering low and slow, Sun of Grey dole out weighted and crunching doom that's as emotional as it is heavy. Soaring and evocative vocals are the special ingredient of Outerworld, and make their mark immediately in opener "Dark Souls". Complementing perfectly the dour doom instrumentation, the vocals are  clean and melancholy, with an almost operatic feel that adds extra impact to the patient, sledgehammer riffs. Follow-up "Jar of Leeches" starts off suitably creepy, eventually joined by drums like thunderclaps before shifting to a lurching, midtempo riff somewhere between High on Fire and Conan. A deceptively elegant solo wanders in as well, flowing between the more aggro sludge attacks.  The entire album is a lesson in heartfelt heavy, from the molasses-slow, psychedelic lumber of "Lucifer Smiled" to the adrenaline pumping roll of the title track's second half. Sun of Grey are a force to be reckoned with that don't skimp on the brains with their brawn.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

Number 9 On the October Doom Charts!

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Monje – Drug Dimenzija

 

Monje – Drug Dimenzija
Self released – 2020
Doom, Metal, Stoner
Rated: ****

The half hour that the Argentinian foursome Monje drag you along your hairs through their demented universe will turn you on for the rest of the day. Their second release entitled Drug Dimenzija is entirely doom based heaviness. The lurch kind of heavy, the slow drag towards your inevitable end kind of heavy, indeed, yes, the dead march. Amplified by the used of hallowed vocals, guttural screams and otherworldly screeches the album soon takes on this air of polluted veneration. Something wicked comes this way and you are pretty sure this is not just another bad trip. Gnarly guitar tones producing impure riffs and the drums reverb in the malleus like an echo chamber filled with howling specters. And then there’s that Diminsje interlude; capturing your mind completely and setting you up for the righteous fall into the dark and twisted abyss… Cause after this; the final two tracks become even blacker and evil. Man… Monje...

(Written by JK)

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cvd7-3cjl
cbja-cx8e
cdbr-x5bu

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Remember that first album? 

Qilin – Petrichor

 

Qilin – Petrichor
Self released – 2020
Rock, Stoner, Desert, Doom, Psych, Instrumental
Rated: ****

We mentioned their Sun Strokes The Wall single a few weeks ago during one of those silly Quick Fire Friday rounds and have been listening to the rest of their debut album Petrichor ever since. As we already mentioned back then, the instrumental stoner and doom that these four crazies from Paris called Qilin deliver is just simply put: excellent! It’s in fact magnificent! The main line is definitely stoner; the vibe it rides on is mostly psychedelic and the pounding is sludgy, is doomy, is heavy like hammer! Let me tell you about the way the hammer moves! The hammer goes up and down! And hits the nail, on the head each time! That's the point! And that hammer seems to hit harder and harder as the album progresses. And with every one of those flashes comes poetry! Pure poetry that turns the wordless sounds into a golden tongue. The hammer goes up and down. And hits the nail, on the head each time. That's the point! This mechanism can successfully be adapted to almost everything; but in the way Qilin adepts that simple pull and push, that stomp and pound, that up and down, is pure magic! Legendary like a unicorn dragon!

(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…

Celestial Season
Ancient of Days
Kadavar
Redeye Caravan
Desert Storm
Vitskär Süden
Torito
Qilin
The Absurd
HombreHumano

The Absurd – The Sun Still Rises

 

The Absurd – The Sun Still Rises
Bent Knee Records – 2020
Rock, Hard, Stoner, Garage
Rated: ****

At the beginning of 2018 that crazy American trio The Absurd completely captured my heart, soul and mind with that amazing Boots On The Ground single. After which all the single releases, the Build The Wall album and live releases were on heavy rotation over here. And now it is their new record The Sun Still Rises that once again completely enchants and makes you go wild. The Absurd of course once again come across as commentary to the current way of life in the USA but delivers way more in terms of intensity, diversity and raw, high octane rock ‘n roll! There are moments when Year Long Disaster comes to mind; mostly due to the vocals by Ben Foerg that often sounds as chased and wild as those by Daniel Davies. They are highly repetitive though and those repetitive vocal lines work wonders on most tracks. On a few though we feel they might have missed an opportunity to hit a home run. But those few vocalized misses don’t distract one bit from the infectious, catchy and wild music! Their garage flavored hardrock and trucking stoner groove, injected with some grungy moments and psychedelic touches is absurdly good and great! With grandiose gestures and overtones of choppy rhythms and proper punches The Sun Still Rises delivers the good stuff again and again. Time to press play as The Absurd say, and you will definitely have an amazing time!

(Written by JK)

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Hombrehumano – Crepuscular

 

Hombrehumano – Crepuscular
South American Sludge Records / Interstellar Smoke Records – 2019 / 2020
Rock, Stoner, Hard, Fuzz, Psych, World
Rated: ****

It does always make me wonder for a moment or two why a certain album gets all the attention it deserves when it is released and why another has to go through the motions before it finally seems to pick up speed. Cause we must confess, we’ve listened to Hombrehumano’s Crepuscular when it was released in April 2019 but it did not manage to completely turn me on at that time; and apparently not that many others as well. Cause I did look around how much attention it received back then. But now, when Interstellar Smoke Records announces that it will release the vinyl version we went and revisited Crepuscular. And guess what, it is freaking amazing and has turned me inside out and upside down! With worldly influences and extravagant percussion the album soon takes on this mystical aura and lifts the eight tracks to a higher dimension. A dimension where anything is possible and there is this ever present feeling of excitement and blissful energy floating around. The warmth displayed throughout the tracks will embrace you and keep you safe as the world tumbles through the universe. The Hombrehumano outfit sounds incredibly tight, effervescent and with the exact amount of heavy it is perfectly balanced. Crepuscular on repeat!

(Written by JK)

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South American Sludge Records

Big Scenic Nowhere - Lavender Blues

Big Scenic Nowhere - Lavender Blues
Heavy Psych Sounds – 2020
Psych, Desert, Stoner, Free
Rated: ****

Sporting an 18th place entry on the October Doom Charts and a little blurb by yours trule, the new Big Scenic Nowhere. Out on Heavy Psych Sounds the new Lavender Blues EP by Big Scenic Nowhere is once again parading a majestic line-up. We’re ofcourse treated to the wonderful sounds of Gary Arce, Bob Balch, Bill Stinson and Tony Reed. But this time there are more legends in the equation. How about a Danial Mongrain? Or a Per Wiberg? And last but not least, the godfather himself Chris Goss. Indeed, Lavender Blues is sporting all the goods and selling us a progressive rock adventure that incorporates all that, once in a distant past, came together in the desert. With more than enough space, stoner and psych it is Big Scenic Nowhere at it’s best: incredibly wide vistas and total freedom. It produces that righteously coveted prize of rock… Free rock for the open mind!  

(Written by JK)

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Torito - Eterno Returno

  

Torito - Eterno Returno
Self released - September 2020
Psych, stoner, desert
Rated: ****

Eterno Returno is the second release of Argentina's Torito, and the foursome deliver engrossing, (mostly) instrumental tunes rife with character and groove. The group deal in the more psychedelic realms of stoner and desert rock, but are by no means limited by genre stereotypes. Opening cut "El perseguidor" barrels forth with a crunching aggro riff, twisting beneath added lead guitar squeals. Not content with just stoner brawn, an interlude of stuttering, eerie Eastern licks cuts in, adding atmosphere before finishing with filthy levels of distortion. The remaining three tracks are no less diverse, from the trippy, warbling touches of psych and desert of the title track to the snaking, southern-tinged riffage of closer "El abrazo de la serpiente". Topping it all off is "Indica", the album's lone track with vocals. The subdued, easy going  guitar and sense of melancholy bring to mind Radiohead, anchored by snappy drums firmly in the pocket. Far from poppy though, Torito sneak in pounding drums and gritty fuzz, followed by an epic and soaring solo to close out the track's mesmerizing six minutes. Eterno Returno is a shining example of the kind of audio playground that can be built with instrumental heavy. Relentlessly diverse and tight as can be, Torito have crafted absolutely captivating mix of psych, stoner, desert, and more.

(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…

Hey Colossus
The Flower Kings
Big Something
Horizon
Breatharian
Junior Bruce
Narla
Tetema
Kadavar
Temple of The Fuzz Witch

The Doom Chart for October 2020

Doom Charts

    “When I was younger I knew I could do anything – I could be the president if I wanted to, but that was a stupid idea – I’d rather be a rock star...” ~ Kurt Cobain

 

Kurt Cobain for president? Can we write him in? I’m sure somebody somewhere is thinking the same thing. Maybe being a rock star wasn’t a good idea and had he taken a different path we could be voting him into office right now? Fun to imagine, but we know the reality…

October is one of my favorite months mostly due to the nostalgia surrounding the changing of the colors, shorter days, and the crisp, cool mornings. Lately it’s seemed like no month will top the last in the music realm, yet here we are banging our heads in disbelief on the quality of tunes still coming at us. We’re continually climaxing month to month in terms of relentless exposure to music in the heavy underground.

In typical fashion, nearly 300 different albums voted to chart this month and for the first time in the history of the charts, to my knowledge, besides the very first chart, the entire top 25 albums are NEW meaning no repeats from last month. This is just insane, and that’s not even counting the host of bad ass albums just released on October 30th as our voting closed up for the month.

The all new October Doom Charts are here! Yes, ALL NEW! As Bucky already mentioned; every album on this list wasn’t on it a month prior. Almost 300 albums got voted for and the Top 25 are all brand new! Incredible! Sporting all that good and heavy stuff we all love so dearly! Personal votes went out to Fumarole, Pallbearer, Temple of the Fuzz Witch, Occult Hand Order, Ruff Majik, Horizon, Molassess, Big Scenic Nowhere, Fuzz, NARLA, The Re-Stoned & Sautrus ... Yikes! Quite a lot to make the final list! And there is even more of that good stuff out there! Cause just below the 30 posted are albums like Last Ride by Vessel of Light and Run To The Sky by Falcon Haptics waiting to jump on the list… Perhaps next month they will sire higher? Or perhaps another 25 all new albums will appear? Who knows… But it is all good and all heavy! And we love them all!

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 October 2020

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

 

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

Ruff Majik
Honeybadger
Phe
Temple & Temple 

Faith No More
Hey Colossus
Sautrus
Cracked Machine
ZOE
Cosmic Void