“After all, the wool from the black sheep is just as warm.”

~ Sister Margaretta

Before we get to the nitty gritty so to speak, one more heartfelt thank you to all you followers out there. It is humbling to see your reactions and it warms our entire being. That also goes for all the bands. Seeing your response to all those Personal Lists and that final Top 100, well, is once again humbling and overwhelming. We do it all for those amazing albums and getting the good word out about them to all you followers. So, when we see we reach both… Well… Thank you! Thank you!

It’s 2023, and has been for a month. So… Welcome to the first regular, January edition of the Doom Charts of the new year. We’ve got Thirty-Nine spanking new albums listed below and one album that was released in November, made the Charts back then and is now present once again. Should we consider that one the ‘black sheep’ of the list? Or should we consider all of them as black sheeps? Cause this is the Heavy Underground we’re talking about and we shall not hear many of those albums or songs out shopping, standing in an elevator or listening to a big radio station. And even though our warm little niche is growing every day, it will forever be our cozy, dark, heavy and rocking little hole to curl up into and shelter us from the cold, and the harsh realities outside… No less than 292 albums received votes this month… And below you can see which of those made the published list…

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…

40. MAMA YOUTH – MAMA YOUTH / NEW!

39. DESTRONOMER – THE TWO HORNS / NEW!

38. LONDON ODENSE ENSEMBLE – JAIYEDE SESSIONS VOLUME 2 / NEW!

37. WARP – BOUND BY GRAVITY / NEW!

36. TEX – GOODSTONE / NEW!

35. ETHYL ETHER – VIOLENT ENTERTAINMENT / NEW!

34. URNS – EMPYRE / NEW!

33. SLOG – DIVINATION / NEW!

32. BLACK SKY GIANT – PRIMIGENIAN / NEW!

31. ELEPHANT GROOVE – ANNIHILATION / NEW!

30. IRON VOID – IV / NEW!

29. PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS – LAND OF SLEEPER / NEW!

28. ATSUKO CHIBA – WATER, IT FEELS LIKE IT’S GROWING / NEW!

27. DREAD WITCH – TOWER OF THE SEVERED SERPENT / NEW!

26. GODSGROUND – A BEWILDERED MIND / NEW!

25. RED SPEKTOR – 3 / NEW!
1458 Points
Seventies, Acid, Blues, Hardrock, Psychedelic, Stoner
Stoke On Trent, UK
Self-released

Rising from its ashes, the British imbue us with heavy vintage sounds with a fusion of the most attractive key elements of psychedelic rock, and a few doses of the most acid and primitive blues. Spitting out their riffs in a raw way, and vomiting their songs, they charge our batteries by recovering the legacy of the 70’s, to create an honest album and brimming with always rock vitality. Distorting the guitars and turning up the volume of the amplifiers, they achieve a raw and organic sound that is reflected in a magnificent album.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

24. AHAB – THE CORAL TOMBS / NEW!
1485 Points
Metal, Doom, Sludge, Funeral
Heidelberg, Germany
Napalm Records

A strong, loyal fanbase has awaited with much joy the long-awaited album of the kings of nautic doomers AHAB. Their Album “The Coral Tombs” shines with depth and a conceptual work centered around Jules Verne’s masterpiece 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. A must for every lover who prefers to enchant his ears with melancholic, sad, epic, heavy and meditative riffs!
~ Silvi Pearl (Doomed & Stoned, Electric Fire Records)

23. GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH & END OF AGE – TURNED TO STONE CHAPTER 7 / NEW!
1498 Points
Stoner Rock, Sludge, Proto, Hard Rock
Windsor, Ontario, Canada and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Ripple Music

Expect the unexpected. The pairing brings a warm and fuzzy delight much like the sensation of a maraschino cherry at the bottom of a glass of brute whiskey and bitters. The album takes us on a rollercoaster of all things heavy and no roads familiar. GCG offers a Mastadonian dirge brimming with proto-rock chops and Clutchesque groove while END OF AGE spikes the wax with a progressive fuzz boasting with integrity and shimmering with grit.
~ Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

22. TRIBUNAL – THE WEIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE / NEW!
1585 Points
Gothic, Doom Metal
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
20 Buck Spin

This album starts doom off with a bang for 2023 and raises an already high bar for the genre. It has immense staying power and will survive the year to find itself on many “Best of 2023” lists.
~ Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple)

21. ARDI – WORLD OF MADNESS / NEW!
1620 Points
Proto, Seventies Hard Rock
Ventura, California, USA
Mad Tramp Records

ARDI has perfected sounding like one of the first three Kiss records and there is nothing at all wrong with that. The proto/hard rock 70s sound on World Of Madness is so spot on that your dad probably had this on eight track somehow. But don’t just consider ARDI a throwback gimmick; the songs and the playing are top notch creating a killer 70s rock and roll party that would have sounded great blasting from a tailgate at Nassau Coliseum in 1976.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

20. SHIVALILA – MEDITATIONS ON THE KALI YUGA / NEW!
1672 Points
Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock
Akron, OH, USA
Self-released

Finding much information about Akron’s SHIVALILA proved to be quite tough, but the band seems to be the project of one creative mind, Adam Goldman. The only other credit I could find for Adam was under “Additional Musical/Lyrical Contributions” for Hippie Death Cult’s Circle of Days. HDC’s Eddie Brnabic is thanked in the notes for this album… but HDC are from Portland? Different guy? Small world? But enough of my 15 minutes of failed online sleuthing… SHIVALILA‘s Meditations on the Kali Yuga is equal parts straight up stoner, psyched out space rock, and 60s/70s inspired psych jams. SHIVALILA changes gear with every track, jumping around between the aforementioned styles with ease, but the high point of the album is a track that will likely hold strong as an early leader in the “Best song of 2023”, The Chapel. Heavy organs layer the Black Mountain-esque slow build to the extended jam out that never lets you feel the 11min runtime. The album continues into Losing Game, feeling like one of the best Monster Magnet Hawkwind-inspired rockers you’ve never heard. Tracks like Blast Off and Shadow Master both take the foot off the breaks and slams down on the gas for some under-3-minute rippers. It’s always great to start off the year strong. Like Humanotone last year, this is the album that I’ll spend the next few months comparing every release to.
~ Remi VL (Remi Post Too Many Links)

19. OBELYSKKH – THE ULTIMATE GRACE OF GOD / NEW!
2145 Points
Doom, Sludge
Germany
Exile On Mainstream Records

Coming forth from Fürth, Germany OBELYSKKH bring the serious hammers out on their latest opus, “The Ultimate Grace Of God“. Debilitatingly heavy riffs salted with Sludge elements and Post-Metal interspersions, it’s an album you’ll want to delve into time and time again!
~ Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe)

18. BUDDHA SENTENZA – HIGH TECH LOW LIFE / NEW!
2169 Points
Instrumental Psych Prog
Heidelberg, Germany
Pink Tank Records

BUDDHA SENTENZA does not play it hard to get on their new album High Tech Low Life. From the the get go album opener Oars puts it all out there, everything that makes this band so freaking awesome in nine glorious minutes. The Heidelberg, German instrumental band consists of five individuals, each wearing their distinct influences on their sleeves. On Oars you can hear it in an energetic culmination of heavy metal, prog rock, punk, space rock, and soundtrack atmospheres. It is in-your-face-heavy, virtuoso, but has its subtle moments as well where guitarist B.B. Blacksheep shines on violin.
~ Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine)

17. SIGNO ROJO – THERE WAS A HOLE HERE / NEW!
2205 Points
Sludge Metal, Crust Punk, Doom
Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records

Before spinning this we highly recommend making safe any fragile ornaments in your home and popping next door to warn the neighbours that things might start getting a little loud. On a side note this may be the only album ever recorded containing a song dedicated to a Botfly!
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

16. DAEVAR – DELIRIOUS RITES / NEW!
2352 Points
Stoner/Doom-Metal
Cologne, Germany
The Lasting Dose Records

A new, mystical three-headed demon darkens the sun with its mighty clawed paw and draws doom-thirsty souls into its limbo of moody dream, submerged paradise and harsh reality. Hallucinating full of rapture, the worshipper follows the ghostly-enticing female hand molded from magical-esoteric, sphinx-voice-breath into a pleasurable-tormenting doom scenario of lead-heavy, punchy guitar riffs, deep thudding bass and elementally punching drums. What reverberating “delirious rides”!!! We should keep a good eye on this three-headed demon on it’s future unholy ways!!! – and with it Jan Oberg (GRIN / EARTH SHIP), the demon catcher, who put the finishing touches on this uprising doom beast via his record cave and who lent his voice as a guest demon for the track “Leviathan”!
~ Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes)

15. HEAVY BLANKET – MOON IS / NEW!
2730 Points
Heavy Psych, Rock, Instrumental
Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Outer Battery Records

J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr is back with another album from his side project HEAVY BLANKET. Do you like guitar leads? If so you’ll love this. The band lays down a very solid foundation, thick bass and drums and a riff or guitar line for melody and the very talented J. basically rips blistering leads over it for 35 minutes but not in the style or tone of his main band. This puts a smile on my face.
~ Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy)

14. SOLAR TRIP – SOLAR TRIP / NEW!
2799 Points
Instrumental, Krautrock, Space, Stoner
Sosnowiec, Poland
Self-released

This album was a complete and utter surprise. Theses boys from Poland crafted an epic sound journey that will make you want to be an astronaut, what a fabulous ride this one is. This debut album is an absolute masterpiece, song after song you go deeper and deeper into the zone of infinite space. This is a band to keep an eye and ears on, I cannot wait to hear what they gonna do next…
~ ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army)

13. DUST PROPHET – ONE LAST LOOK UPON THE SKY / NEW!
2808 Points
Doom, Stoner, Metal
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Self- released

Remember this band’s name, although when you take time to give DUST PROPHET‘s debut album a listen, I doubt you will forget it. Formed in 2018 by Otto Kinzel (vox, guitars) and Sarah Wappler (bass, keys) they shared a musical vision. Tyler MacPherson (drums) jumped aboard and DUST PROPHET was complete. Fast forward to here and now. Stoner/Doom Metal has become a catch-all genre it seems, kinda a generic. Not with this band… Fresh, crisp and experimenting. They have created so much more. Lyrics mix true crime and epic poems with gothic novels and a cataclysmic end of the world. So deep… It’s a witches brew of distorted, heavy riffing with catchy hooks and harmonic rhythm yet at times progressive, infused with hazy psychedelic stoner tones. Otto’s absolutely stellar vocals, intricate at times but heavy as hell savage guitar, multi- talented Sarah’s meaty keyboards and heady bass, and Tyler’s intense at times,solid as an oak drumming. For me this album is an early frontrunner for 2023 Top 10 album. The only bad thing about this album… It ends….
~ Mark Partin (The Ripple Effect)

12. GIANT SLEEP – GROUNDED TO THE SKY / NEW!
3080 Points
Prog,Heavy Rock,Stoner Rock,Doom,Blues
Germany
Czar of Crickets

“Heavy Stoner Progressive Doom Blues”, is how Gernany’s GIANT SLEEP describe their sound and who could argue with them as elements of all four genres are present on the bands latest offering “Grounded to the Sky“, as well as generous smatterings of both classic rock and grunge, and if that smorgasbord of grooves doesn’t convince you to hit purchase then the gritty Chris Cornell like vocals most certainly will!
~ Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist)

11. TORSO – A CRASH COURSE IN TERROR / NEW!
3237 Points
Grunge, Sludge, Metal, Punk, Stoner
London, UK
APF Records

From the seedy depths of London, TORSO comes ripping onto the scene with their debut album A Crash Course In Terror. Built from the ashes of his former band Possessor, mastermind Graham Bywater creates a riff-heavy monster of stoner metal. A Crash Course In Terror starts with a cavalcade of riffs and gritty energy that over the course of the album devolves into a dark kind of filth. Tracks are accented with some moody retro synth and lo-fi samples to make it clear that this band owes its heart and soul to grindhouse cinema. But you don’t need to understand all that to enjoy this album — just crank up your speakers and get ready for a blast of something sordid!
~ Brandon Collins (Super Dank Metal Jams)

10. MOLTEN GOLD – FUTURES PAST / NEW!
3580 Points
Classic Rock, Hard Rock
Oslo, Norway
Kozmik Artifactz

MOLTEN GOLD literally take you back to the 70s with their splendid album FUTURES PAST. The production allows the grandiose songs to come into their own perfectly. Rarely have the 1970s been so stylishly and skilfully staged as here without copying. It’s more 70’s than the 70’s itself. This album just makes you happy!
~ Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen)

9. MANSION – SECOND DEATH / NEW!
3609 Points
Gothic, Psych, Doom, Metal
Turku, Finland
Self-released

After three EPs and one LP, Second Death by MANSION is still about the doomsday cult of Kartanoism (Kartano is the name of the sect’s founder, it’s also the Finnish word for Mansion). It’s only Friday the 13th of January when the album is released and yet we may already be holding the darkest album of the year. Infra-bass, slow and sticky riffs, goulish and weakly voice, heavy groove… no doubt this album will delight the gothic public in general, and the congregation of doomers, funeral and batcave in particular.
~ Thierry “Kartano-T“ François (Metal Intégral)

8. DOCTOR DOOM – A SHADOW CALLED DANGER
3630 Points
Proto-Metal, Doom, Trad Metal
Pamiers, France
Black Farm Records / Ripple Music

A Shadow Called Danger, the second full length album from French rockers DOCTOR DOOM, and their first both since 2015 and for powerhouse stoner rock label Ripple Music, finds its footing by infusing its Graveyard-influenced proto-metal and heavy 70s sonics with varied song structures and a touch of 80s era traditional metal riffing and double bass gallop. Check out album opener Come Back to Yourself for a prime example (bonus points for the jazzy lurch that happens shortly before the five minute mark of that song and reminds me quite pleasantly of The Hustle is on-era Core). Elsewhere, flourishes such as the heavy keys on What are they Trying to Sell and the banjo on Ride on serve to provide dynamics and tonal variation which elevate the strong song craft on display here. See also the killer harmonies on Connected by the Worst and album closer Sarabande. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another seven years before the DoctoR administers the next dose!
~ Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard)

7. CANCERVO – II / NEW!
4230 Points
Doom
Bergamo, Italy
Electric Valley Records

On their second album the Italian trio goes firmly into 70s rooted, straight ahead doom that is sparse but heavy at the same time. It is kind of a minimalist doom experience, cleanly produced and very well executed and never outstayed its welcome with its relatively short runtime, especially for a doom record. Type O vibes for sure, especially vocally.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

6. DRAKEN – BOOK OF BLACK / NEW!
5068 Points
Stoner Metal
Oslo, Norway
Majestic Mountain Records

Your favorite Norwegian thunder metal band is back! Ever more thunderous and heavy, DRAKEN have really shed their beginners feathers to full on rock with the heavy weights this time. Bands like High On Fire, The Sword, and Orange Goblin pop up in my brain while they keep on pumping up the tempo turning Book Of Black into a restless and sweaty affair.
~ Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine)

5. ZEUP – MAMMALS / NEW!
5899 Points
Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Fuzz Rock
Ozium Records
Copenhagen, Denmark

ZEUP‘s Mammals is filled with exceptional fat fuzzy distorted riffs but not overly done. Each track has solid hooks that suck you in. The force that these guys hammer with is impressive. The lyrics are straightforward and simple not straying you to far away from the groove. This album is worth your time and certainly one that will keep your head banging in the shop.
~ Robert Pannell (Doom Loom)

4. LOVE GANG – MEANSTREAK / NEW!
7552 Points
Garage, Proto, Heavy Psych
Denver, Colorado, USA
Heavy Psych Sounds

Maintaining the love for vintage sounds, LOVE GANG returns to present us with a raw, vibrant and noisy album, using analog sounds and full power amplifiers. ‘MEANSTREAK‘ leaves us knocked out with its badass songs that invite us to party and debauchery. LOVE GANG is a band that many would describe as ‘retro’, but if we were to go through a time warp on a trip to the early 70’s, no one would distinguish them from their contemporaries of the time. And not only for his sound, but for his attitude, for his rebellion, and for his honesty.
~ Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz)

3. STRIDER – MIDNIGHT ZEN / NEW!
10494 Points
Stoner, Metal, Doom, Psych
Ankara, Turkey
Self-released

Midnight Zen is everything that fans of underground stoner are looking for, and the band is adept at supplying them for us, especially if you take in the fact that this is their full-length debut. They will throw heavy riffs at you, but these are tempered with an excellent use of dynamics to keep things from being dull or repetitive; making this is an excellent album from the very first notes, all the way to the last notes of the final track!
~ Tom Hanno (Tom’s Reviews)

2. LORD MOUNTAIN – THE OATH / NEW!
15435 Points
Doom metal, Heavy metal, Proto-metal
Santa Rosa, California,USA.
King Volume Records, Kozmik Artifactz

After a split, EP and various singles, LORD MOUNTAIN present a blueprint for Traditional Doom Metal with their debut “The Oath“. Every detail is right here. Straightforward Doom to the point, catchy hooks, stylish guitar leads, strong songs. No note is too many here, but not too few either. The sound is deep and earthy. The atmospheric cover is the icing on the cake. Job well done. Please continue like this!
~ Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen)

1. TIDAL WAVE – THE LORD KNOWS / NEW!
25484 Points
Stoner Rock
Sundsvall, Sweden
Ripple Music

TIDAL WAVE is back with all the fuzzy energy you could possibly ask for! This album packs in some amazing songs, impressive vocal performances and plenty of fuzz filled riffs.
~ Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed)

Swedish stoner rock from one of the world’s premier nations for this genre of music and TIDAL WAVE can stand proudly alongside their compatriots with an album full of riffs so lush that you’ll not only want to headbang to but also give a great big hug.
~ Steve Woodier (Deathrattle Podcast)

It doesn’t have the delicious title of their debut record, but the sophomore album from TIDAL WAVE is even tastier than its predecessor.  All eight songs on The Lord Knows are killer; energetic, catchy, expertly executed, and sound amazing. Ripple Music does it again, giving us our first album of the year contender right of the bat in 2023.
~ Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip)

The Doom Charts Mixtape…

(The Mixtape will now be growing monthly, adding the Forty best tracks on top of the rest… Turning it into one big year list by the end of 2023… )

Special thanks to the ongoing contributors to the monthly Doom Chart.  You folks help give voice to the heavy underground:

Aaron Pickford (The Sludgelord); Adam Walsh (Earmunchies); Andy Benson (Nerve Salad); Andy Kovalcik (Bandcamp-NYP-Hard&Heavy); Ben Bellum (The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard); Bill Goodman (The Evil Engineer); Billy Goate (Doomed & Stoned); Bob “Mr. Weird Beard” Baker (More Fuzz Podcast); Bobby Rayfield (Monuments In Ruin); Brandon Collins (Super Dank Metal Jams); Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect);  Clint Willis (Hand of Doom Radio); Chris Beck (Doom Tomb Podcast); Chris Latta (Ghost Cult Magazine);  Chris Tighe (The Mighty Decibel); The Doom Oracle (Spectral Ecstacy); Doomsday Jesus (DoomsdaysJesus); Duncan Evans (Alternative Control); ‘The General’ (Stoner Rock Army); Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist); Fuzzy Cracklins (Fuzzy Cracklins); Geoff Leppard (Atom Heart Mutha); Graur Zaur (Crypt Guard); Gravitoyd HM (Gravitoyd Heavy Music); Gruby (Doomsmoker); Günther “Doktor420” (Stoner HiVe); Héctor “Mr. Heavyhead” Hurtado (More Fuzz); Hugo Hulleman (Metalfan.nl,Orange Maze); Ioannis Valiakos (Desert Vulture); James Sweetlove (CaveDwellerMusic); (Jamey Morris (Fistful of DOOM); Jasper Hesselink (Weirdo Shrine); Jay Morgan (High Desert Valley Radio); JC Cansdale-Cook (The MotorFuzzin’ Ibex); Jim Thompson (Heavy in the Hills); JJ “HP Taskmaster” Koczan (The Obelisk); John Gist, (Vegas Rock Revolution / The Doomed & Stoned Show); Jonny Pirie (Hour of the Riff); Joop Konraad (Stoner HiVe); Justin Wittenmeier (Metal Temple); Ken Elliott (Heavy Planet);  Kyle SB / Shasta Beast (Stoner HiVe); Leanne Ridgeway (Riff Relevant); Magnus Tannergren (Into The Void Radio); Marc-Eric Gagnon (Stonefly Effects); Marc C. Pietrek (Vitriol INC / A Dark United Front); Mark Partin (The Ripple Effect); Martin Doomed Desbois (Le Mellow Man, Metal Alliance Magazine) Matt Slighter (Cheeto) (Hwy 420, Core of Destruction Radio) Matthew Thomas (Taste Nation); Mathieu Van Der Hert (Dutch European Stoner Rock); Matt Hartnett (Aftershocks TV); Mel Lie (Sunday’s Heavy Tunes); Mike Williams (I Talk to Planets);  Mr Stone (More Fuzz); Nick Pipitone (The Third Eye, Monster Riff);Pat Schober (Monster Riff); Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker (The Ripple Effect); ‘Papa’ Paul Rote (Doomed & Stoned); Reek of STOOM (Doomed&Stoned, Stoner HiVe); Remi VL (Remi Post Too Many Links); Rich Piva (Musipedia of Metal, FuzzDoomRip); Roberto Lucas (Denpa Fuzz); Roberto Fuentes (La Habitación 235); Robert Pannell (Doom Loom); Rod Reinhardt (Captain Beyond Zen); Roman Tamayo (Doomed & Stoned); Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed) ; Scott Spiers (CleanAndSoberStoner) ; Silvi Pearl (Doomed & Stoned, Electric Fire Records); Steve Howe (Outlaws of the Sun); Steve Rodger (God’s Holy Trousers); Steve Woodier (Deathrattle Podcast); Tanguy ‘Mr Fuzz’ Dupré (More Fuzz); Thierry “Pumpkin-T“ François (Metal Intégral); Tom Hanno (Tom’s Reviews); Tom Schmahl (Rock Circuz); Tony Maim (Black Insect Laughter, Stoner HiVe); Tony Van Dorston (Fast n Bulbous); Wombat Tarantino (Wombat Cult).

Feel free to send in your albums to stonerdoomcharts@gmail.com where they’ll be delegated to the crew above to determine their thoughts and gather the votes at the end of the month. Leave us comments below and let us know what you think about the Charts.

“I can’t seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what’s worse, I can’t seem to stop saying things, anything and everything I think and feel.”