Number 1
And now, on January 1st, 2026, with almost a hundred points more than Kal-El at Number 2 we arrive at the Number 1 album of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2025. Happy New Year to one and all! And we thank you all for voting and following along. As we stated before, it is the reason we started Stoner HiVe back in 2009, so it is amazing and humbling to see how it has blossomed into what it is today. And so did the band which is featured here on the Number 1 spot. We followed them from the first self-titled EP in 2015, through ten years of heavy progressive riffing and into the landmark album they released two years ago and then again topping that one this year. We wrote about the record right before the album came out at the end of October on Magnetic Eye Records. And without ruining that entire review, the crux of it was something along the lines of this: “At the very edge of existence, the band ignite a universe. The album feels like a myth forged in molten riffs, soaring harmonies and cosmic ambition. The quartet’s boldest work to date, transforms progressive stoner into a living creation story, where fragile worlds rise, gods clash and fate is written in fury and fire! From the opening detonation, the record plunges the listener into a realm of tectonic guitars and celestial melodies, both beautiful and volatile. Crushing anthems, thunder with divine aggression, while moments of shimmering calm, add depth and wonderment. The epic finale binds it all in apocalyptic splendor. With expanded textures, lush synth work, and razor sharp songwriting, the album captures the sound of a band bursting with inspiration and at full creative power. Delivering a sound, heavy enough to shake the heavens, and visionary enough to leave a mark... On eternity…
According to all of your votes, on Number 1, we find:
HOWLING GIANT - CRUCIBLE & RUIN
