Under the Influence

Over the course of five studio albums, Italian quartet Mr Bison has been honing their distinctive sound, melding progressive rock and heavy psychedelic into captivating long-form compositions. The band strikes a fine balance between progressive and psychedelic, never tipping too far in either direction. Their latest studio release, Echos From The Universe, topped my Top […]

The sleepy mountain resort town of Big Sky, Montana might be one of the last places you’d expect a metal band to call home. Scavenger MT churns out a heavy blend of progressive sludge and stoner metal riffs, with grizzly vocals, and irresistible breakdowns. The band draws from a wide range of influences to create […]

UK-based four piece Duskwood dole out dynamic, hard-driving desert rock, with powerful vocals and heavy psych groove. Their 2023 long player, The Last Voyage landed in my 20 More Essential 2023 Albums roundup. Dig into some of their most influential albums below, and give these guys a listen. Wolfmother Wolfmother Wolfmother by Wolfmother had a […]

Desert, stoner, grunge, metal, alt rock. There’s a little bit of everything in the dynamic debut self-titled album from Germany’s Giant Lungs. The album landed firmly in my 20 More Essential Albums of 2023 year-end roundup, and has been in frequent rotation since dropping last October. Dig into this list of influential albums sent over […]

Los Angeles trio Formation Ritual meld a range of styles to create an infectious blend of genre-bending, hazy, heavy soundscapes. Their latest album, Doors to the Dead has been in heavy rotation since its September release, landing in my Top 20 Albums of 2023. Greatest Hits Waylon Jennings I don’t know if this counts as […]

A blend of bone-rattling riffs and vicious vocals, Unit 61, the debut album from UK stoner doom metal trio Red Eyed Cult was one of the heaviest albums to hit my ears in 2023. The band pulls from an array of influences while creating a distinct sound that drew me in immediately and has kept […]

Italian stoner doom trio King Potenaz draw inspiration from a range of heavy music. Their 2023 debut album Goat Rider hits hard, and showcases those influences within their own unique sound. Here are a few of their most inspiraitonal albums. Blues for the Red Sun Kyuss The album that invented a genre… desert rock… the […]

Germany’s Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree create a dynamic blend of shoegaze and psychedelic doom through extended compositions that patiently swell from ambient soundscapes into entrancing heaviness. Aion, the band’s third studio album landed in my July-Sept honorable mentions and 20 More Essential 2023 Albums roundup. The band draws inspiration from a range […]

French power trio Supertzar stormed onto the heavy underground scene with the release of their debut album Epic Truths & Fantasies in late 2023. The album’s massive riffs, heavy groove, and warm, retro feel immediately caught my attention, and it went toward the top of favorite albums of the year right away, landing at number […]

Multi-instrumentalist Craig Williamson’s Dead Shrine project released one of the most captivating albums of 2023. The Eightfold Path, a blend of bluesy heavy psych and doomed riffs, appeared on many end-of-year lists, including my top twenty albums of 2023. Dig in to his list of influential albums, dust off a couple of these albums (The […]