Compiling these year-end lists is always challenging. Ranking music can seem inherently odd. It’s so subjective. At the same time, these lists are helpful guides for music fans to explore snapshots along the music timeline. I frequently look back on mine and others, agreeing with some of the picks, wondering what I was thinking with others, and exploring countless rabbit holes. And the order, bands, and albums could be completely different on any given day.
This year saw a staggering amount of incredible music released across the heavy spectrum. Joining the Doom Charts contributors community this year has exposed me to more music than ever before. Hundreds of albums. This list celebrates the diversity, creativity, and sheer heaviness that defined my favorite music of 2024. Let’s dive in!
20.
Echo Manor
by Fostermother
Stoner Psychedelic | USA
Ripple Music
Houston, TX based power trio Fostermother delivers a tight and dynamic blend of doomy stoner rock riffs and heady heavy psych, with soaring vocals, and captivating hooks on their third full length, Echo Manor. Look out, this one will grow on you with each new listen.
19.
The Paths of Time Are Vast
Psychedelic Doom | USA
Magnetic Eye Records
Landing just outside my May top ten list, the powerful vocals, expansive riffs, and swirling guitars on power trio Black Pyramid’s latest LP have grown on me immensely since then. Their long-form, intertwined compositions evolve and stretch well beyond the ten minute mark while seamlessly crossing boundaries of stoner doom and spacey heavy psychedelic.
18.
The Head & The Habit
by Greenleaf
Stoner Rock | Sweden
Magnetic Eye Records
Swedish stoner rock legends Greenleaf shed their side project status years ago, establishing themselves in the scene with their dynamic sound, distinctive, soaring vocals, and steady undercurrent of hard-driving bluesy swagger. Their latest offering, The Head & The Habit, brilliantly showcases their uncanny ability to blend fuzz-driven, groove-heavy riffs, and emotional lyrics into a unique and timeless sonic experience that appeals to a wide range of heavy music fans.
17.
Astral Wanderer
by Iron Blanket
Proto Doom | Australia
Copper Feast Records
Vintage gritty proto doom laced with heavy psychedelia and wicked vocals. The debut from Sydney, Austrailia’s Iron Blanket hits hard from top to bottom, with a raw intensity and irresistible hypnotic groove.
16.
Transitions
by Vokonis
Progressive Sludge | Sweden
Majestic Mountain Records
A beautifully intense album from Sweden’s Vokonis. Sludgy rock meets progressive metal, and a striking blend of soaring clean vocals and harsh growls. This band draws a lot of comparisons, yet deliver their own distinct sound, with perfectly balanced dynamic shifts between aggressive and delicate on Transitions.
15.
Magick Potion
Psychedelic Hard Rock | USA
RidingEasy Records
With a fuzzy, vintage warmth and irresistible bluesy groove, Maryland-based power trio Magick Potion’s debut self-titled LP channels the raw energy and trippy atmospheres of late ’60s and ’70s heavy psychedelic rock. One of the best classic hard rock albums of the year.
14.
Apotheosis
Doomed Sludge | USA
Ripple Music
On their third studio full length, Detroit power trio Temple of the Fuzz Witch have ascended to a completely different level. The band has shed the fuzzy, stoner haze of past albums, and replaced it with a sharp, raw intensity, making for a stunning dynamic shift in their sound. Noah Bruner’s impressive vocals range from ethereal to vicious snarl. Everything about this album hits hard. It’s slow and crushing. Dark and mesmerizing. And so menacing. One of the most intriguing metal albums of the year.
13.
Bloodstained
by Oda
Psychedelic Doom | France
Self released
French power-trio Oda blasts onto the scene with a spellbinding debut full length. Bone-rattling riffs merge perfectly with a dark, psychedelic atmosphere and etherial vocals across six sprawling tracks. Fans of Elephant Tree and REZN should check these guys out.
12.
Palm Reader
Stoner Rock | USA
Magnetic Eye Records
Hard-driving, crunchy riffs, fuzzy groove, scorching guitar, gritty, powerful vocals, and a healthy dose of bluesy psychedelia form the foundation for High Desert Queen’s heady, infectious “Texas Desert Rock” sound. The Austin, TX quartet stormed onto the scene with their outstanding 2021 debut, Secrets of the Black Moon. Three years later, the band sounds as confident as ever, showcasing their broad dynamic range on sophomore full length, Palm Reader. Gaupa vocalist Emma Näslund infuses an ethereal mood to “Death Perception.” The simmering spoken word passages of “Tuesday Night Blues” build into an explosive heavy blues headbanger. And standouts “Head Honcho” and “Solar Rain” extend past the nine minute mark. Palm Reader is an instantly memorable album that just gets better with each listen.
11.
Ritual
by Goat Major
Proto Doom | UK
Ripple Music
The songs on Ritual feel natural and unforced, and bassist Tom Shortt’s clean vocals add an eerie feel to the fiery riffs and dark, sinister groove. This album hits hard from top to bottom. Whether their childhood years spent in the shadow of the medieval castle in their hometown played a role or not, the three lifelong friends in Wales-based power trio Goat Major brewed up a potent debut album that quickly establishes them as a force in the modern doom scene.
10.
Voice of Storms
by Horseburner
Progressive Sludge | USA
Blues Funeral Recordings
Packed with ferocious, bone-rattling riffs, scorching guitar solos, and melodic passages, Voice Of Storms solidifies Horseburner’s place in the modern heavy underground scene. The comparisons are understandable, but completely unfair. This is a band forging their own raw, powerful, and dynamic sound. And I can’t wait for more from these West Virginia heavyweights.
09.
An Earlier Time
by Sundrifter
Heavy Psychedelic | USA
Small Stone Recordings
Six years since their last album, Sundrifter returns with their third studio full length, An Earlier Time. The Boston trio has refined their expansive sound since their last album, blending their swirling, cosmic groove, and powerful, distinctive vocals into a spellbinding collection of songs well worth the wait.
08.
Hidden
by Ufomammut
Psychedelic Doom | Italy
Neurot Recordings
For over twenty five years, Italian trio Ufomammut has been churning out their incompatible brand of expansive psychedelic doom. Their latest studio full length, Hidden feels like one continuous, immersive composition, thick with layers of spacey ambience, dark, swirling guitar riffs and colossal, mesmerizing rhythm.
07.
Tundra Rock
by Slomosa
Psychedelic Doom | USA
Ripple Music
After missing my September top ten, the latest from Norway’s Slomosa has grown immensely on me. I guess at the time I wasn’t in the mood for the desert-baked grooves and rugged, hard-charging riffs of this fantastic album at the time. It happens. I’m blown away by the graceful dance between raw and melodic beauty coming from this album. This one just gets better with each listen.
06.
Burden
by REZN
Psychedelic Doom | USA
Sargent House Records
Five albums in, Chicago quartet REZN has mastered the art of blending expansive soundscapes with crushing riffs into a cosmic sonic stew. Burden is their most dynamic offering yet. And don’t miss the massive closing track “Chaos”, featuring fellow Chicagoan Mike Sullivan (Russian Circles) on guitar.
05.
The Long Forever
Desert Rock / Psychedelic Doom | UK / Sweden
Blues Funeral Recordings
Fuzzed out, desert-drenched groove from Swedish heavy psych legends Lowrider merges with haunting psychedelic doom from London-based Elephant Tree on their intense and emotional seven song split, The Long Forever. These two bands are in peak form, and their contrasting sounds come together perfectly on the intoxicating collaborative closer “Long Forever.” This is the split that broke my “no splits” rule.
04.
Echos From the Universe
by Mr Bison
Progressive Psychedelic | Italy
Heavy Psych Sounds
On their 2020 album Seaward, Italian quartet Mr. Bison moves noticeably toward a progressive psychedelic sound. Their latest album, Echos From the Universe continues in that sonic direction. The band retains the weighty stoner rock riffs and heavy blues undertones while exploring the Norse Norns myth of universal destiny with a more polished sound on this beautifully crafted record.
03.
A Sinners Past
by Early Moods
Proto Doom | USA
RidingEasy Records
Drawing inspiration from, and sitting right in the sweet spot of doom and metal, Los Angeles based quintet Early Moods burst onto the scene in 2022, with their highly praised self-titled debut album. Through heavy touring, and a stellar live show, the band has garnered a well-deserved growing fanbase. Their sophomore album, A Sinners Past, finds the band completely dialed in and more confident with their sound. That fiery swagger, hard-hitting groove, blistering metal, and lead singer Alberto Alcaraz’s distinctive, sinister voice makes this one of the best metal albums of the year.
02.
Portal Within
by Robot God
Progressive Psychedelic | Australia
Self released
The Australian music scene is teeming with incredible psychedelic bands of all stripes. Although Robot God was on my radar with their fantastic 2022 album Worlds Collide, their April release, Portal Within, skyrocketed them toward the very top of my list of favorite bands. Their blend of stoner rock, heavy psychedelic, and a touch of progressive hits the spot, and the band has that recipe dialed in on Portal Within, exploring a wider range of sonic territories. The band leands leans into the progressive end of the spectrum just a bit more on this album, while retaining their ability to deliver the raw energy found in their earlier work. Fans of King Buffalo and Elder (hand raised!) give listen!
01.
Subconscious Awakening
by Robot God
Progressive Psychedelic | Australia
Self released
When their first album of the year came out in April, I knew it was going to take a special album to move it from the top of my list. Then came Robot God’s second album of the year, Subconscious Awakening. Released in November, this album delivers a gripping long-form sonic voyage, across four expansive songs that swell and swirl with psychedelic beauty. Subconscious Awakening builds on Portal Within’s foundation, and I was tempted to give both albums the top spot, but there’s something about this album that gives it a slight edge. Robot Got checks all of the boxes for me, and I can’t wait to see what they’re cooking up next.