Witchskull : "the Serpent Tide"

I was really into this band's 2020 album "A Driftwood Cross ". Their newest effort starts off much heavier with a more driving chug empowering the opening track. The manic desperation in Marcus' vocal plea has renewed urgency , but a little more of an edge. There is a little more brooding and reflection on the second song. This carries over into "Sun Carver" which carries a darker shade of post-grunge in it's DNA. It might not even be intentional but it reminds me of metal bands from the mid 90s who were making a stylistic shift towards alt rock. Where does Alice In Chains end and the Electric Wizard influence begin, is not a bad problem to be faced with. 

It is clear that burly bass fuzz that helms the assaults of "Bornless Hollow" makes the band's metallic intentions clear. The guitars take it in a more sonic direction as it progresses, but this might be the biggest step in the doom direction this album has yet to take mood wise. The pace continues to pick up for "the Serving Ritual" until melting into a chaotic guitar solo. It doesn't strike me as being as hooky or memorable as the previous album, which might be the sacrifice of getting heavier. The title track gives the vocals more room to cry out from. This also places them closer to early Soundgarden. The vocals sit back more against the bigger wall of guitars they have throbbing this time around. 

"Misery's Horse" hammering at you with it's syncopated pound. The vocals are at times allowed to crack into more of a scream. I think it is however the groove of the last song that delivers the expectations placed by their last album in terms of song writing. While they bring what I wanted with this song, things might need to grow on me with other songs, so I will round this one down to a 9, still placing it head and shoulder above what most bands are capable of. I think these guys deserve more recognition and hopefully this album will place them into thm more firmly into the minds of mainstream metal heads,. 

The Top 10 Stoner Rock Albums of 2020

Do you smoke weed ? Have you been smoking more this year ?  Here are the albums you should have been listening to. These are album that are not prog or doom, falling some where in the middle with more than likely a heavy doses of bong blues to them Ok now that that is out of the way , much like in years past   sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. 

 The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how  great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No I do not care what you think about it .I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 stoner rock and perhaps a touch of metal albums of 2020

10 - Atomic Bitch Wax - "Scorpio" 

This is almost more of an honorable mention. These guys are great musicians , the song writing was more dialed in than what we have gotten in the past, but they are great players and managed to pull it off/ 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/atomic-bitch-wax-scorpio.html

9- King Buffalo -"Dead Star"

This band does not aspire to be Black Sabbath. They have a refreshing take on what they do. Melodic and at times progressive this is one of those albums that I wish I would have spent more time with over the course of the year. But it is what it is. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/king-buffalo-dead-star.html

8 Lowrider- "Refractions" 

 This Swedish band came before Monolord, the Truck Fighters and Graveyard, who are the countries exports when it comes to this kind of music.  More in your face than some . If Atomic Bitchwax does too much cocaine for you then these guys are worth your time.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-is-doom-lowrider.html

 

7-Dopelord -"Sign of the Devil" 

This Polish band might be the heaviest entry on this list. Where most of these album's albums are stoner rock , this is stoner metal. There is too much movement in their rocking intent for this to be doom, though it borders on it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/03/dopelord-sign-of-devil.html

6-Black Elephant- "Seven Swords" 

Very blues based with killer guitar playing. Until this album they could have been a band people said "They are better live" but they captured the jammy magic they create on stage and bestow your iPod with it.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/08/black-elephant-seven-swords.html

5- Forming the Void - "Reverie" 

A band from Louisiana that defies the normal swamp metal stereotypes of the region. Though the do dabble in some sludge like areas and at times darker than most commercial rock bands. Not that these guys are totally aiming for the radio. They are however less stoner rock than I thought it would be and more grunge. This album and the ones that follow are so good I recommend them to my friends in real life who smoke pot.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/forming-void-reverie.html

4 -Dool- "Summerland"

They are even more rock n roll on this record. It is still darker than most of the bong burning tunes on this list. Once upon a time it would have fallen in with the Occult rock trend. Rayanne's androgynous vocals keep getting better with every album. 
 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/04/dool-summerland.html

 3-Rezn- "Chaotic Divine" 

It is interesting when I come across an album made by people who sound like they might have done as many drugs as I have . At times like "Gish" era Smashing Pumpkins covering Black Sabbath. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-is-doom-rezn-chaotic-divine.html

2-Witchskull- "Driftwood Cross "

I listened to this album a shit tone which helped solidify their place at number two despite many of you scratching your heads wondering who the fuck are these guys. A dash of grunge is thrown into the mix amid Sabbath like riffs supported by in your face songs that still have hooks. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/04/witchskull-driftwood-cross.html

 

1-All Them Witches - 'Nothing is the Ideal" 

In the words of Mortal Kombat... "Flawless victory" . This is the slickest most accessible album on the list, but it is heavier than you might expect if you are not familiar with these guys . Witchskull is a more metal album , but these guys bring it on every level as songwriters and edged them out.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-is-doom-all-them-witches.html

Witchskull ; " a Driftwood Cross"

" This Silent Place" was the first song I heard from this Australian stoner doom outfit. It has an upbeat jangle to it that reminds me more of Kyuss than the kind of Sabbath worship that normally dominates the genre. When I pressed play and got the "Children of the Grave" styled gallop that came , I was a little disappointed. This disappointment was balanced by the unique nature of the singer voice. It is possessed by a odd quivering vibrato. His voice is high and piercing yet still has balls to it. Yob's use of vocals is a fair comparison in how it counter balances the beefy pump of fuzzed out guitar., Less manically aggressive than Yob, these guys are a more straight forward affair. They do have a very sonic sound when they build momentum. The dark atmosphere to what they do tips them in more of a doom direction. There is more groove and pounding to the second song. At first listen the way it comes out of the opener made it feel like dynamic shift in the first song. After multiple listens it does hold it's own.

"Red Altar" is more deliberate and Sabbath like. It has a call response with the more gritty distorted kick. The vocals are also more emotive on this one. The guitar solos are not wasted flash but work off the melodic themes of the song. The female vocals that wail during the build up at first sounded like a Uriah Heap like falsetto to me until I listened more closely. Production wise this has a huge juggernaut wall of guitars . The gallops are very commanding. This is the band's 3rd album so they obviously know what they are going for. The moments where they ebb down from this sound into darker more melodic sections are more impressive to me. They do ride a mean chug on "  March of Winter" . The aggression versus melody margin reminds me of Only Living Witness. With songs like "Nero Order" you can hear how their influences go beyond your typical descendants of Sabbath.

The use some restraint on the title track that closes the album. This one is driven by a more 90s styled groove. I will round this one up to a 9.5, it has enough groove and dynamics to hook you in. The melodies are well constructed and I can see myself getting multiple listens from this one. If you like doom that doesn't crawl but rumbles with groove and melodies then this album is for you . Was released on Rise Above Records.