The Countdown so far

The Countdown so far

Since we are about to announce the numero uno, the number one, the gold medalist of The Ultimate Stoner HiVe Top 20 albums of 2012! The one that beat Kadavar by 20 points. It must be the right time to run through the countdown so far... Later on today, before the clock strikes twelve and 2013 begins, we will know which album occupies the number one position!

1. …

2. Kadavar - Kadavar

3. Graveyard - Lights Out 

4. Om - Advaitic Songs 

5. Orange Goblin - A Eulogy for the Damned 

6. Mamont - Passing Through the Mastery Door

7. Goat - World Music

8. Royal Thunder – CVI

9. Stubb – Stubb

10. High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis

11. Colour Haze - She Said

12. Troubled Horse - Step Inside

13. Wo Fat - The Black Code

14. Greenleaf - Nest of Vipers

15. Ufomammut - Oro: Opus Primum

16. Horisont - Second Assault

17. My Sleeping Karma – Soma

18. Ufomammut - Oro: Opus Alter

19. The Sword – Apocryphon    

20. Major Kong – Doom for the black sun

Number 2

Number 2

“These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.” Revelation 17:13

Pfew and finally; on Number Two we once again find a band from a different country than Sweden. Germany to be exact. And the city of Berlin to be precise. These freaks wound up with almost 35 points more than Graveyard and looking at their band name they should be considered neighbors or at least be in business together? And yes, they are honoring those bands of yore. That good music, that still remains, to this day, the best that was ever made. And these guys sound as if they were right there; at its conception. They sound like the absolute best of Sabbath, Zeppelin, Cheer and all those other great 60’s / 70’s proto-metal artists. And they never sound like they are trying to emulate; but rather like they showed them the way. Smell it, sniff it, smoke it and enjoy their fuzzed out slightly decayed sound!

Kadavar – Kadavar

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Number 3

Number 3

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” Romans 5:12

Should you be a gambling man than at one point in your career you will always cross the wrong wires and find yourself burned to a cinder by an electric firestorm. But you will also come across that sure shot; that one lucky guess that isn’t lucky at all. So I ain’t going to bet anyone if they can guess where the guys from Number 3 come from. Cause I am pretty sure seeing as almost half of the list hails from that beautiful country in Scandinavia that you know which that might be. We climb almost twenty-five points and are treated to groovy blues inspired by the seventies and driving stoner grafted on that happening feeling. And then to think they already made it to the Number Two position last year! Let’s hope they have another album ready for us in 2013!!!

Graveyard - Lights Out

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Number 4

Number 4

"Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God." Revelation 9:13

Like we mentioned yesterday: we now enter a different part of the league, we enter a league of extraordinary releases. For to reach Number 4 we have to add almost 50 points to Orange Goblins final total. These guys have been making the list since it’s conception and actually made it to the number 1 position of that first year. This year they find themselves stranded on place Number four with 192 points. But their spiritual expedition into the realms and dynamics of heavy music does not care for numbers of points. Filled with seductive arrangements of droning strings, tablas, chants and melodies woven together in a hazy melange of rock at its most languorous the album transports you to an entirely different dimension. And only on a very rare occasion does the bass of yesteryear make its appearance in a sting of sludge. Made for Opium dreams; Ibogaine reveries and Ayahuasca epiphanies…

Om - Advaitic Songs

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Number 5

Number 5

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Peter 5:8

As we count on and add another five points we end up at the Number 5 position with exactly a 141 points. And these cats have been around for a while and are not from Sweden but from the British Isle. They released their seventh album this year and it is filled with heavy stoner and metal that roars and grunts and is as steady as Motörhead. And mix that given band with some heaviness from Down and the doom and dark virtuoso we love from Black Sabbath and you approach that well crafted sound of these insane critters. They sound like the perfect soundtrack to a bourbon soaked biker movie and should actually be signed by one of the big whisky brands to provide music for every freaking commercial they ever make. Rock solid, hard hitting and fast driving. This rock’n roll is what’s keeping me breathing!

Orange Goblin - A Eulogy for the Damned

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Number 6

Number 6

“And will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.” Revelation 20:8

And yes, as we skip ahead with seven points to the next entry we once again find a collection of crazy Swedes. Four young dogs that sound like the masters of old. And to complete that fact they produced a true album’s album. Cause from the first forest noises to the last birds singing in the closing track it is a complete and utter musical adventure that transport the listener to green pastures, wide landscapes and mountainous regions. Their sound is huge, cumbersome, heavy and gigantic; like the name of the band suggests; yet surprisingly agile and on some weird and possible insane level folksy, pure and luscious. It sounds like the rumblings of a monstrous storm; but one that does not bring destruction; but life and renewal...

Mamont - Passing Through the Mastery Door

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Number 7

Number 7

“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.” Revelation 17:8

From Royal Thunder we move three points towards the next entry; another debut album and once again these freaks hail from Sweden. Seeped in mystery and tradition the album speaks of haunting tales, ancient myths and tribalistic rituals. Through a colorful mixture of kraut and space rock, enchanting percussion, eastern influences and mesmerizing vocals we are treated to magical voodoo music. Spells are cast and transport towards a psychedelic and occult delirium. It’s a necromancers rejoice at bringing to life long lost music, the visions and the waves of emotions that belong to it. And besides all that it also strikes a chord in the hearts of the most reckless; for it is a vague and distant call to arms for all those who on some level detest the way life in the western world is shaping up to become. Join in with the slaughtering!

Goat – World Music

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Number 8

Number 8

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.” Revelation 1:7

Five points higher as Stubb we find one of those incredible debut albums of 2012. Cause there were quite a few of those this year. This one paints illustrious psychedelic landscapes and gallops through them on huge and powerful doom rhythms. The powerhouse diva on vocals slays like a metal medusa and their complex structures are carefully hidden below layers of impressive basswork and intense riffs. Highly electric and deadly sexy like lightning! It might be their concealed obviousness that does the trick; but after one listen you’re hooked and in love! Ride the thunder!

Royal Thunder – CVI

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Number 9

Number 9

“So the six angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.” Revelation 9:15

On Number 9 we find an act that has the same amount of votes as High On Fire; but since this act to some surprise stayed in the top three for ages and has gotten more amount of votes. It has been decided that it is ranked one place above High On Fire. The album was released early this year and their heavy psychedelic sound transports you to the seventies. Thanks to a lazy groove and acoustic folk inspired interludes their progressive riffing and blues motivated soul captivates in a devious and shrew manner. This is not heavy for heaviness sake but classic for classics sake. It has the fine and golden qualities of absolute freedom and rolling with whatever wave of creativity is lying in wait…

Stubb – Stubb

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Number 10

Number 10

“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?” Isaiah 33:14

And now we enter the Top 10 of this years Ultimate Stoner HiVe top 20 of albums. Which means the world has not come to an end and those Maya, Hopi, Indus cultures and a caseload of lovely freaks had it wrong. So we can now look forward actually seeing who ends up on the Number 1 position according to 56 sent in lists and to 2029 when the world will come to an end according to a few other maniacs or 2060 according to Newton. Hell; as long as we try to make this floating rock a bit better for everyone inhabiting it; I don’t mind sticking around. And I think those freaks we find on Number 10 would not mind either; even though they get their kicks from a very destructive power. Which you can hear in their burning riffs and blistering drums. Their sixth studio album is an almost bombastic inferno of heaviness that borders on insane punctuation and a highly exact execution. Ambitious yet extremely atavistic.

High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis

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Number 11

Number 11

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” Revelation 21:1

Five points above Troubled Horse we find one of those acts that has been loved by everyone for what feels like ages. And with every release since their conception somewhere around 1994 they seem to have bettered themselves. And according to many of you out there they did it again! And that’s a feat on itself for the expectations ran high since the release of this tenth studio album got delayed and delayed and delayed. Thanks to the added instrumentation this is incomparable to earlier work even though it is still very recognizable. Warm, open-minded and openhearted, artisanal and mystical without being overly dramatic about it. She speaks of dreams and of hope and offers a peak into the soul of its creators and offers guidance in this dark and twisted society. It is elaborate, intricate but not difficult and it is what the world needs at this moment of time and space…

Colour Haze - She Said

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Number 12

Number 12

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8

Sweden; it seems to be a chosen country, a territory filled with ancient riffs and structures and rhythms and melodies of yore. They shimmer and glint in their bronze armor as they devour the stage. And there are many of them. On Number 12 we find yet another collection of these seventies styled stoner Mongols running head first and guitar drawn towards the stuff of legends. For yes, not only is this number filled with Swedes, it is also filled with songs that make up one of those retro styled classical masterpieces. Rolling waves of riffs and whirling dashing drums completed by vocals with the right amount of shrill haunting. And even if there’s a weak sentence or dubious refrain here or there; there is no way that can harm such intense retro-pleasure! Let’s all move to Sweden…

Troubled Horse - Step Inside

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Number 13

Number 13

“There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilence’s. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” Luke 21:11

We’ve already come to the unlucky Number 13 and have already climbed exactly twenty-six points from Major Kong residing at Number 20. And here we find yet another outfit that mastered the fuzzy rock ages ago. Their 2011 album was already an amazing piece of solid gold that for some weird reason did not make the list that year. Their 2009 album did and made it to Number 8. Their new one seems destined to grow and eventually best all of them; for it has been written in a dark and secret code. High driving energy and gigantic smoky riffs; throbbing rhythms and raw vocals; that all seem to end in loose and orgiastic jams. Or to quote the honorable FastNBulbous: “Someday there will be scientific evidence that certain notes and timbres reliably induce a peculiar balance state between bliss and fury, or a general state of earthy, metallic awesomeness. And it will be belatedly revealed that Wo Fat cracked that code a long time ago.” They definitely did!

Wo Fat – Black Code

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