Reckless Souls – Timeless

 

 

Reckless Souls – Timeless
Self released – 2022
Rock, Hardrock, Alternative, Pop, Prog
Rated: ***

These four cats hail from Trondheim, Norway and call themselves Reckless Souls! On their self-released full-sized sophomore album Timeless, they aim for the stars. The four give us eight tracks that dance between hardrock, alternative rock and more popular rock. And they do that all with a high pop-sensibility and a truckload of energy and ideas. Cause even if the vocals do not convince constantly; they are highly interesting and extremely diverse. They try loads of angles and have a definite ear for the chorus, the vocal hook and the chant. They opt to go for grandiose whenever possible and do so musically from the start; cause opener Intro II immediately launches into ‘epic’ and yes, we had to say it, Timeless territory. A perfect transition into the following banger Where I Belong follows. Here you will immediately also get a notion of the prog influences that are present across the record. And hey, you need prog if you want to go big, if you want to go grandiose and if you want to go Timeless.

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Seven Year Witch – Cyanide

 

 

Seven Year Witch – Cyanide

Thank you Tracy George from TAG Publicity for pointing us into the direction of this blazing new single! South Carolina Hard Rock, Blues-Punk band Seven Year Witch releases the official music video for their new single, "Cyanide." Let’s hope a new full album is just around the corner, cause this swaggering rock ‘n roll is just what we need!

Homepage

Bandcamp

Spotify

Facebook

Instagram

Hydra – Prophetic Dreams

 

Hydra – Prophetic Dreams 

Patryk from Piranha Music pointed out that Polish doom stompers Hydra are about to release their new album Beyond Life And Death. And to celebrate that fact they just released the new single: Prophetic Dreams! Damn freaking good trucking doom, stomping stoner and catchy metal! Diggin it! 

 Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Bandcamp

 

The Doom Chart For January 2022

 

Doom Charts

    "If you don’t worry about the future, sooner or later it’s the past. And if they say the thrill is gone, then it’s time to take it back!" ~ Meat Loaf (Michael Lee Aday)

As we begin to embark upon another calendar years’ worth of new album releases, we rest assured that we are INDEED The Keepers Of The Flame! Without question, we indentured denizens of the D.C. universe take our charge most seriously as we endeavor and ever-labor to make you, the mass appreciators of the non-mainstream musical realm, well informed and oft times, saturated in distortion… deluged in down tuning, or afloat upon feedback. Of course, the naysayers (lookin’ at you, Mr. Simmons) and the naive know-nothings will live up to their namesakes and thus, have no clue when it comes to what is good music and what it can do. Simple and to the point, “change lives” makes every other point moot. It’s our way, our path, and it beckons to us, forcing us to ignore the sonic ruts and moronic butts… to rise above and fully embrace that which we love. Label it whatever genre one must and be not misguided, for we be the DOOM CHARTS in which thou may trust.

We are here to inform you, sometimes forewarn you, and we have a collective support and are happy to engage in a Rock ‘N Roll-based rapport (with you all). It is there we know our kind, we have bonds, and possess a camaraderie that is hard to define. Call us shaman or spirit guides, we holy men and women that prophesy as we decry… the best of the newest records out and available for you to buy and remember……..

“EVERYTHING LOUDER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE!!!”
(Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker — The Ripple Effect)

Another year, and the list resets! Everyone seems to be ready for a fresh start and we start off 2022 with 30 new albums without a single repeat from last year, out of just over 200 albums voted for! In the last few months, a handful of new faces have joined up, with a few familiar faces stepping away to refocus. There’s already a long list of albums to look forward to, with many strong releases in January alone! Let’s keep our enthusiasm up for a great year in music and live shows, and a healthy and happy year to everyone!
“…And the magic music makes your morning mood”
(Remi VL)

As you know, we were on work/holiday, so Remi VL took over on the Doom Charts to get the January list out to you all in proper fashion and on time! And what a marvelous job he did! Gonna have to go away more often now! Ho ho ho! We sent our list before we left and are glad to see a few of our choices ended up on the January 2022 edition of the Doom Charts! The ones that made it are: Fostermother, Mamvth, Mud Spencer, Cormano, Frozen Planet … 1969, Yo No Se, Earthless, Blue Rumble, Tigers On Opium, Sunczar & Hazemaze … But our personal Number 1: Volcanova and their Cosmic Bullshit album did not! What happened there? Well, there’s always next month! And yes; of course, we shall be listening to the entire January Doom Charts in a row, starting tomorrow…


Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and 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 January 2022

Back

 

 

Back

We returned from the mountains in one piece and with a heart full of joy! Joy at the amount of sun and fun had; the kick ass new Arbor snowboard and at seeing the January Doom Charts in excellent condition! We also only have to go through about 400 emails before we can get down and dirty again with the Stoner HiVe show! But rest assured; we will get back into action soon… Very soon!

Off… To catch a Mountain…

Off… To catch a Mountain…

After that wild December month on Stoner HiVe; with the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2021; came those personal lists month on the Doom Charts… So; we’re in bad need of some R&R… We’re off to the mountains to see if there’s still some snow to enjoy… 

Will be back after February 7th!

Keep checking all them albums! 

Cause all that’s good and heavy is being released on a daily basis!

 
Mahalo! See ya’ll in a week!

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

Perhaps you noticed the lack of updates on the HiVe… Well, we’ve been doing a lot for the Doom Charts the past weeks. And with another little trip coming up; everything else had to take a backseat. But the Doom Charts schedule will soon return to normal and after we return around the 7th of February; so will the HiVe. Si senor, after that, Stoner HiVe will commence the normal show as well… But before we head out on another little trip, we leave you with yet another Quick Fire Friday about 2021 releases… Cause there is still so much out there that we love to mention! So, why not do loads at once during a Quick Fire Friday session?! Why not indeed! And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday! And it burns hot like molten lava!

Heidrún – Heidrún

It came out during the European summer this Mexican stoner and sludge gold; six tracks that steamroll you like the supermassive mother sludgers that they are! Indeed, I stole the Komatsu line to explain what Heidrún sounds like. No that they sound like Komatsu; but they do have that barreling attitude! Massive sludge, dark stoner and some prog and psych touches to keep things exciting. Damn good stuff! I should ask my buddy in Mexico to do an interview with these cats!

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Dark Ocean Circle – Bottom Of The Ocean

The four from Stockholm, Sweden that are Dark Ocean Circle delivered their four track Bottom Of The Ocean EP in November of 2021. Hardrock, metal, with overtones of all that’s heavy. Stoner and a seventies approach give Dark Ocean Circle enough cool energy to power through the four tracks like a meteor. And down there on the Bottom Of The Ocean the stoner metal sound gritty, raw and majestically bluesy!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Grey Moth – Love & Hatred

A first single from a new doom metal duo called Grey Moth. They hail from LA and embrace the natural balance of power between good and evil, dark and light, ugliness and beauty, life and death. Love & Hatred is the lead single for the album, recorded with Jack Shirley (Deafheaven) that will arrive somewhere in March. It’s doom. It’s dark. It’s grey and it’s mothy…

Bandcamp

Instagram

The Soul of Salem – From The Hands of Witches

The Soul Of Salem consists of four Italians that hail from Bari, way down south, where the heel of the boot begins. They released their From The Hands Of Witches EP when the first lockdown started. Back in 2020 and therefor never took the time to really promote it. Which is a shame, for the bluesy doom, the swaggering psych is enticing, it has soul and it deserves to be heard. So, go ahead and click that bandcamp link.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Old Sea and Mother Serpent – Plutonian

That Addicted Label keeps releasing wicked underground doom acts from the East side of the globe. Old Sea and Mother Serpent is one of those duo’s that melts doom, sludge, stoner and drone into one noisy melting pot. Four tracks give you an intense almost eighty minute ride through the dark and twisted landscape. A slow ride…

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

 

Deep Valley Blues – III

What’s in a name right? The blues! The Deep Valley Blues! Well, the four from Catanzaro, Italy definitely play the blues, but a gritty, hardrocking, stoner infusing version that has some sludgy moments and some metal thunder. The eleven tracks on III will have no trouble luring you in; in fact once the bluesharp hits in that first song, you shall definitely be hooked! Hey, they did not make the December Doom Charts of 2021 for nothing! As Madman Tony Maim already remarked: “The blueprint is rock but Deep Valley Blues have stomped their own brand of riffage, producing a slew of meaty, heavy stomp monsters!”

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Earl Redd Trucking – Paradise Road

Remember Atomic Thrillride? Well, one of those cats started a new powertrio named Earl Redd Trucking. Hailing straight from the southern gentlemen town Louisville, Kentucky the two tracks on the Paradise Road single give you hardrock, blues trucking and a whole lot of southern energy! And guess what, it’s on the 666MRDoom channel!

Youtube

Atomic Thrillride

The Magic Bus - Το Κάστρο

 

 

The Magic Bus - Το Κάστρο
Self released – 2021
Rock, Hardrock
Rated: ***

We will need to contact our Greek friends from the Doom Charts Contributors to ask if the Greek lyrics on the Το Κάστρο album make any sense. Although; with the short English explanations of every track that comes with the press package, we can make some sense of it. It’s The Magic Bus and their Το Κάστρο album, which means The Castle. The four from The Magic Bus now delivers a full-sized album filled with Greek language hardrock. Hardrock, with metal and grandiose almost operatic gestures. It fills the room your in without any problem, and you will indeed have no issue imagining this album performed in full on some majestic and ancient theater stage somewhere in Greece. And those sudden moments where they make their sound small; give the album even more an accomplished work of art feeling. Big stories, translated into huge gestures, massive sounds; but also fragile and tiny. It will have no trouble taking hold of you; thanks to the imposing and dramatic performance of each and every section.  

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Ritual Earth – MMXX

 

 

Ritual Earth – MMXX
Self released / Deathwish Inc / Iodine Recordings – 2020/2022
Metal, Rock, Doom, Space
Rated: *****

Ritual Earth is about to release their MMXX album from 2020 on vinyl through the Deathwish Inc / Iodine Recordings machine. But before we go and order one of those gorgeous splatter vinyl releases; why not revisit the mention we wrote back in August of 2020 to see if we still feel the same about that, at the time, Five Star release. And the little thing we wrote back then surely holds up; there’s something special about their spacious doom metal approach. Doom-haze, slow-prog, and all that’s metal with a little psychedelic dust sprinkled over it. Indeed, the four from Philly have something special going on; a certain way to gradually deliver the stomp and punch; not at all gentle, but with a different kind of energy and vaporous intention. So, let’s end with the final sentence of the August 2020 mention: “And it is, for in the way Ritual Earth makes this perfect amalgam of doom, rock, metal, space and prog, turning soundscapes into wonderous vistas and whole galaxies of sound, you know you will reach your auditory climax. Come again? Yes indeed! Please.”

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Orcd.co

Instagram

Deathwish Inc

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Weekend

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Weekend

And here it is! The second day of the second ever Quick Fire Weekend! Just because we got so much back catalogue of singles, ep’s, news and weird stuff that we just want to mention. And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The second ever Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Weekend! And it burns even hotter... Hot like molten lava!

Moonworshipper – 13 Fullmoon Nights of Doubt

The beginning of the 21 minutes long 13 Fullmoon Nights of Doubt track definitely grabbed me. That voice, the guitar, the atmosphere painted… And they immediately lose me when the black metal guttural screaming begins… Moonworshipper has everything going for them; and I love everything about it… Except from the pitch of the guttural screams… But everything else; damn fucking interesting!

Bandcamp

Bandcamp

Facebook

Hypnotic Dirge Records

Pharm – Acolyte

Pharm from Canada released their first single Acolyte somewhere around the third week of December 2021. Prog, stoner and psych all rond into one nice and constantly tempo shifting hardrock. The trio will definitely turn your head or possible break it! More to come soon, cause they’re working on a full length debut… Wild!

Bandcamp

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Roadkillsoda – Loud & Proud

Loud & Proud premiered on the 666MRDoom Channel on my birthday back in 2021. And it’s the new single of the upcoming EP by the Rumanian quartet Roadkillsoda. Still that good old Roadkillsoda sound, heavy metal, hardrock with punk, grunge and stoner edges. Loud & Proud indeed!

Youtube

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Spotify

Her Highness – Visions of a Lower Life

I love Hungary and I love Budapest. And I can definitely feel something for the instrumental doom/sludge project Her Highness and their newest release on the Addicted Label called Visions of A Lower Life. Six tracks of doom metal that slowly but surely will beat the crap out of you; or at least makes you drift off into a state of weary unconsciousness. A duo of full on doom!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Addicted Label

 

Cavem3n - The Stalefield incident

The Stalefield Incident is a highly enjoyable diesel blues album. Indeed, the band is called Cavem3n, they hail from Lysekil, Sweden and produce some fine hardrocking blues, touches of stoner, a bit of a grunge and a whole lot of attitude. The quartet knows how to riff, wail and retro rock ‘n roll the shit out of you! Damn fine incident!

Bandcamp

Facebook

The Paladin – Demo

They hail from that lovely town of Helsinki, Finland. They’re three honorable warriors - seekers, questers, and crusaders of mad chivalry. They’re The Paladin. And this is their first two-track demo and delivers heavy rock, heavy metal, stoner, doom and everything in between. Two tracks, sixteen minutes and all of it damn interesting! Let’s hear more o’ honorable Paladin!

Bandcamp

Instagram

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Weekend

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Weekend

We did it before! And now we’re doing it again! A Quick Fire Weekend! We just got so much back catalogue of singles, ep’s, news and weird stuff that we just want to mention. Need to mention! It keeps us awake at night. And it gives us sweaty palms when we’re working on other articles. So, here it is, the second ever Quick Fire Weekend! And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The second ever Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Weekend! And it burns even hotter... Hot like molten lava!

 

 

Slugg – Yonder

A doom metal trio from Rome, Italy called Slugg released their official first single Yonder a few weeks ago. Element of stoner, prog and proto seep through during the ten minutes of Yonder and makes you wonder what these cats can do once their full-sized album is released. Cause there is much to discover here and those slower more atmospheric moments are executed as well as the fast paced thundering!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Tigers On Opium – The Perfect Cocktail

We did this little chat with LáGoon’s Anthony Gaglia somewhere in April and when he listed all those awesome bands from Portland the list went on and on. Tigers On Opium were of course one of the first mentioned and rightfully so; just listen to their new hard rocking garage stoner track The Perfect Cocktail. The perfect propellant for a wild night out! Put this on and it will turn into one of those nights you will never remember. Punk, pulp, stoner and sleaze! The Tigers have it all!

Homepage

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

 

King Black Acid and The Rainbow Lodge – One Of My Favorite Things

Mazinga Records and Cavity Search Records released quite a few singles by King Black Acid and the Rainbow Lodge during 2021. One would imagine all of them together would make quite a hefty spacey, stoner pop and acid freak out grunge album. Latest single One Of My Favorite Things combines all that with some indie rock and neo psych; and even some tiny americana tones. It’s good, it’s fun and it’s One Of My Favorite Things…

Facebook

Bandcamp

Instagram

The Universe Is An Ocean – The Universe Is An Ocean

The self-titled debut album by The Universe Is An Ocean came out on the Addicted Label and The Swamp Records somewhere around Christmas 2021. The forty-two minutes long one-track album is indeed a ‘soundtrack for psychonauts’ as the press release states. The Universe Is An Ocean is a one-man operation by Balázs Söptei from Budapest, Hungary. You might know him from Vanta or Kajgun. This project delivers psychedelic drone metal and ambient rock destined for the outer reaches of the universe or the inner reaches of the human mind. Whichever route you prefer; but it will make you dream, that much is sure! And yes, the forty-minutes length is intentional…

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Da Beumb Project – Fairly Consistent

Bass and drum duo Da Beumb Project hails from Montréal, Québec, Canada and gives us eleven fast paced punk, grunge, metal and sludge tracks on their fairly consistent new Fairly Consistent album. Started in 2011 they manage to have every track on this album stand out due to the fact that there is something different about it. As if they suddenly had a little snippet of an idea and immediately modelled a track around it. And that makes it all Fairly Consistent…

Bandcamp

Facebook

Oddplay – Heritage

Bulgarian duo (or trio) Oddplay delivered the amazing Bluff record early 2021 and at the very end they then came out with yet another smasher called Heritage. Eleven instrumental tracks that pay homage to all that stoner once brought to the table; and then they mix that up with some heavy prog elements, some psychedelic touches and a whole lot of style!

Bandcamp

Facebook