All those year-end lists…

 

 

All those year-end lists…

I love'm! 

We’re about to enter the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2025! A period where we usually do little else but post that daily best album according to all of you that voted. Ending with Number 1 on January 1… We might be doing the occasional weekend break, with a review, a freebie or something. But for the most part, it’s nothing but the Countdown! 

But before we get swept away by that surging Countdown energy… I want to mention that so many of the Heavy Underground crazies will be giving you their lists of favorite albums. Fans, bloggers, bands, artists, labels, pr companies and well, everybody that holds this scene and this music dear! 

Some of them have been doing that for as long as I can remember… Like the amazing Tony van Dorston over on his Fast N Bulbous. I invite you all to go over to his site and read through the amazing article detailing so much of what he listened to last year. And he’s been doing that for as long as I can remember and in such a detailed manner. I love it! And always look forward to him posting his Fester’s Lucky 13: 2025 Year-End Summary post! Thank you for doing that thing you do man! 

And if you think, that’s a lot of freaking music! There’s always more. And there’s always the art as well. And one of my favorite blogs to follow is the one Bobby Rayfield has been doing for ages. Monuments in Ruin! Always looking at things from a different perspective, which is probably why his own art is different as well. And he just put up a post about his favorite Album Artwork of 2025. A stunning selection that focuses on the visual art that enticed him the most this year. Thank you for giving us an insight into your eyes! 

Sure, you all already heard that Frazer Jones has stopped the wheel from spinning over on his Desert Psychlist. A blog we always kept an eye and ear on. Luckily Steve Howe from the majestic Outlaws Of The Sun managed to coerce him into putting his favorite albums from 2025 in order and they’re published there. A sweet farewell to a wonderful dude! 

And as the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown rolls out, we’re sure Year End Lists will pop up! And you can bet your ass we will scour them all. See if we missed something and feel that twinge of euphoria whenever your own favorite albums are featured as well… We love this time of year! 

Fast N’ Bulbous


Monuments in Ruin


Outlaws of The Sun

Number 17

Number 17

After being completely drenched in progressive fuzz by Stoned Jesus on Number 18 we climb a mere two points to reach Number 17. And here we find a band that might have gotten fucked over by a record label, it also got all the love and attention it deserved afterwards. The psychedelic blues roots shine through with a righteous glimmer and bounces off heavy rock and stoner layers. This is something for the Gods and the Godless... Master Steve Howe ended his review on Outlaws Of The Sun with the following bit: “… manage to create highly original music of their own. Especially when they play a more distinctive psychedelic rock/metal groove. This is an album that has something for everyone and one that has everlasting appeal across the whole Hard Rock/Heavy Metal spectrum. If you're a fan of Psych, Classic, Desert Rock, Grunge and Stoner Rock then this album is as good as it gets. An outstanding record.” Hell yeah and let’s listen to these fine ballads on Number 17…

1968 - Ballads of the Godless

Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Komatsu

Red Sun Rising

The Legendary Tigerman

Tranquilo

1968

We’ve got three weeks of incredibly heavy lifting coming at us. Three weeks of work that will definitely impair our HiVe actions. And that while a heatwave hits this little crazy country. It’s gonna get intense. But we’ll manage… Somehow… And we hope to listen to some good stuff here and there when we find the time. And I’m sure we will! The past week we got treated to so many kick ass records, it almost feels a crime to only mention the five we listened to the most. We’ve been listening to 1968 for a while, loving their new record Ballads Of The Godless. And when the news came the label is dicking them around we immediately grabbed it again and kept finding new stuff to dig. The psychedelic blues roots shine through with a righteous glimmer and bounces heavy rock and stoner layers. Absolute gold! Head on over to Outlaws Of The Sun and read what Steve Howe had to say about this one. Tidal Waves by Tranquilo washed over us with a strange sensation of heavy psychedelics with a punky and metal approach. Very grimy and very DIY! The Legendary Tigerman from Portugal, recorded his latest album in the legendary Rancho De La Luna studio. Dirty Water Records puts it out and the gritty blues roots and punk adagio that covers the record titled Misfit add to the magical story of a man that wants to lose himself in the desert. Groovy here, danceable there, heavy like a freight train or thirst quenching like the desert rain! Amazing from the first to the last track! Red Sun Rising’s new album Thread came out through New Razor & Tie and we mentioned it a week ago. There’s something about this record, it repels and attracts! Like a jukebox magnet! And the past few days we’ve listened to almost nothing else but the new Komatsu record! New Horizon, out on Argonauta Records, will be hitting the globe in a big month, and the four Komatsu super massive mothersludgers will take it by storm! So check’m out! Check’m all out!

Number 13

Number 13

We jump another ten points from The Obsessed on Number 14 to get to the dangerous Number 13. Which features a space rock adventure extraordinair! Madman Tony Maim already wrote about them earlier this year. “They launch their rocket from Poland and bravely explore the outer limits of known space and beyond with fuzz boxes on full power. Jamming riffs collide with psych rock and explode with stoner/doom songs that get the head nodding while taking you on trip into your mind.” And ofcourse, these crazies also found their way unto the Doom Charts. Back in February they made it to the Number One spot. And Steve Howe from the awesome Outlaws Of The Sun said it right there: “It is a magnificent album. What more can be said, apart from, you need this album.” And that's it, so travel back to the beginning of this year and buy this album when it comes out. You already know what will happen later on! (They release another damn fine five-track called Mountains & Reminiscence the same year!)

Spaceslug – Time Travel Dilemma