The Number One album of 2013

The Number One album of 2013

Before we start the Countdown of 2019 we look back at those past 10 years of Stoner HiVe. We know it is now the eleventh edition of the Countdown. But we celebrate 10 years! 10 years of heavy riffs, romps and stomps! 10 years of heavy magic! That all started back in 2009 when the blog started, just so we would have a vehicle to count down the best 20 albums of 2009. The edition of 2013 had 61 lists to tally which of course made the outcome even more valid then when we started back in 2009. That list, deduced out of the lists sent in by 61 heavy music fiends,  started with American Sharks – American Sharks on Number 20. It featured Windhand and their Soma album on Number 3 and the amazing Earth Rocker album by Clutch on Number 2. For the entire Top 20, visit the Countdown So Far post on Stoner HiVe… But what album ended up on the Number One position back in 2013... Well, that’s when we wrote:

“In a last ditch effort, after Clutch held the Number 1 position for days on end, this one surpassed it during the final two days. It now has the Gold Medal firm in its grasp. With eight points more. It is of course the album that was highly anticipated for quite some time. One that was meant to be released earlier; but due to legal issues which arose (thanks to the one that did not partake) after their initial successful reunion run (minus one), they had to change name and lots of bass players that were also there in the very beginning decided to call it quits at that point. For the band that started it all, the band that forever will be known as the godfathers of stoner and the flag carriers of the desert sound was brought to life in 2010 thanks to the vocalist. After which the original drummer joined and plans for the future were brewing at the start of 2011. As mentioned before the project grinded to halt due to multiple legal complications and fans feared the worst. But all good things take time and will always come to pass. For it was definitely worth the wait. The album is a throwback to the good ol’ days; and that lo desert sound that we all love so dearly. But with a more loose, bluesy and perhaps even jazzy sound; you can hear the boys matured and discovered their inner soul and recognized its beauty. The vocalist sounds better than ever, the grooves are there, the riffs are damn fine and the drummer is so magnificent that he alone would have deserved a top spot this year. All that’s left to do is to poor another beer, put on the album and dream away under the starry sky as the fireworks explode above… Peace…”

Some albums wither away with time and some age like fine wine… And we were honored to have Madman Tony Maim revisit the album and scream out his words of wisdom… “Is there an opposite of rose tinted glasses? Shit tinted glasses? Because I remember thinking what is all the fuss about when this came out. Kyuss had imploded and John Garcia had started touring as “Kyuss Lives!” Various lawsuits later they changed their name to Vista Chino and released “Peace”. I thought “meh”. 7 years later I think “woah fuck” what have I missed! Comparisons were inevitable but this is a band who have a past but are also finding their own identity. It’s got a driving groove running through everything which lifts all the songs up. Fuzzed solos are stabbed through the intertwined twin vocals with wild abandon. There is a freedom to the compositions which hint at jams. This is still a great album.”

Vista Chino – Peace

(For the rest of the Top 20 of 2013, that very first one, visit the Countdown So Far post on the blog...)