Welcome everybody to a little lesson on the history of Sludge & Stoner Metal. I'm Guib and today I have the immense pleasure to serve as your humble teacher.

Please take a seat and travel with me through time as we explore the very best of those two, often blurred, genres. The goal here is simple, I want to get you familiarized with the styles. I want you to understand where they come from through albums on a timeline and while we're at it get a sweet selection of great releases that you might not know and that, hopefully, will get you hooked to explore even more!

But this is a classroom and in my classroom there are a few rules. We want to keep this clean, clear and prevent having a 500+ albums mess. So here are the rules we'll follow throughout this lesson.

- - - - - The Rules - - - - -

1. We will settle for a maximum of 4 albums per year and they will be listed from oldest to newest. Makes it simple to navigate. Those releases will represent what I consider to be hallmarks of the genres for that year. Essentials if you want, yes? Of course, I'll sprinkle a bit of my personality here and there so you will find some unorthodox choices and some less known albums from time to time. It would be boring otherwise... and also why not?

2. We will begin the journey with Melvins' "Gluey Porch Treatments" released in 1987. Why? Because it is arguably the first album to be widely considered as Sludge.

3. The list will mostly feature studio albums. So no Demos & bare minimum when it comes to EPs if any at all. Thank you.

4. I am not going to include releases by Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind, etc... I fully understand and recognize the influence older bands had on Stoner Rock, but this is not the list for them.

5. Lastly, not really a rule but more of a note. Considering that we're talking about Sludge & Stoner, it is inevitable that Doom, Post, Progressive, Grunge & Hardcore acts will be featured in this list. Those genres simply go together naturally and are often mixed so do not be alarmed!

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That is it, I hope you will all discover something to enjoy through my little history lesson. Also, do not hesitate to comment below if you agree or disagree with some of my picks. After all, this is a classroom and debate is invited as it can be fun and educative. As long everything's done respectfully, of course.

Enjoy & Have Fun... Class dismissed!

NOTE: I will now add my picks for best album of the year using this format (best of xxxx) in the chosen album's description.

- Guib -

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Guib's best Sludge/Stoner Album Picks

Best Of 2023:
Urne - A Feast On Sorrow

Best Of 2024 So Far:
O Zorn! - Vermillion Haze

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Last Update: May 3rd, 2024

1.Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments

2.Soundgarden - Ultramega OK

3.Oxbow - Fuckfest

4.Melvins - Ozma

5.Soundgarden - Louder Than Love

      View entire list ››

My top 50 of the year. Rated 8 & Above

Alcest, Gojira, Les discrets and Blut Aus Nord make the french connection . Allez les bleus!

Black Sabbath announced their reunion, Wintersun reappeared with time Soundgarden too for the last time.

Nearly forgot the world was supposed to end....

Album count: 172
Average rating: 7.05

1.Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage

2.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

3.Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

4.Cult Of Fire - Triumvirát

5.Les Discrets - Ariettes Oubliées...

      View entire list ››

Thanks to digital media, I have been exposed to a large number of great metal albums from female vocalists, especially over the last 5 years. 2020 saw a number of these super releases, and lead me to make this list to celebrate my favourite women of metal.

1.Royal Thunder - CVI

2.Konvent - Puritan Masochism

3.Julie Christmas - Mariner [Collaboration]

4.L7 - Smell The Magic

5.In This Moment - Blood

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This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Racer X - Technical Difficulties

2.Radiance (FIN) - The Burning Sun

3.Ragana - You Take Nothing

4.Rage - Black In Mind

5.Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine

      View entire list ››

100 full length albums that I favor in approximate order of preference plus 10 non-LP releases at the end. Limited to metal albums and albums featured on the site.

1.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

2.Mitochondrion - Parasignosis

3.Murmuüre - Murmuüre

4.Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

5.Ustalost - The Spoor Of Vipers

      View entire list ››

Metal albums (and yes, I consider metalcore to be metal) that rocked my world, with maximum 2 albums per band sorted by bands in alphabetic order. Live, EP and compilation albums allowed, also including hard rock and stoner rock albums.

It will be updated as I discover new bands so check it sometime

1.Alabama Thunderpussy - Open Fire

2.Alice In Chains - Dirt

3.All That Remains - The Fall Of Ideals

4.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

5.Annihilator - Alice In Hell

      View entire list ››

in no particular order

1.At The Gates - At War With Reality

2.Eluveitie - Origins

3.Opeth - Pale Communion

4.Alestorm - Sunset On The Golden Age

5.Equilibrium - Erdentempel

      View entire list ››

Beware of contact high and feelings of severe misanthropy.

1.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

2.Acid Witch - Stoned

3.Ancestors - In Dreams And Time

4.Baroness - Blue Record

5.Bison B.C. - Dark Ages

      View entire list ››

I haven't been able to listen to all of this years top albums (As voted on by MS Users ) but, I tried dammit. This year was a bit disappointing as other years have had many more 9's and so on. Still a lot of great to really good releases either way.

1.Seven Kingdoms - The Fire Is Mine

2.Overkill - The Electric Age

3.Agua De Annique - Everything Is Changing

4.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

5.Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost In The New Real

      View entire list ››

1.Enslaved - RIITIIR

2.Ancestors - In Dreams And Time

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

5.Royal Thunder - CVI

      View entire list ››

1.Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion

2.Dead Can Dance - Anastasis

3.The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet

4.Anathema - Weather Systems

5.Ihsahn - Eremita

      View entire list ››

My tastes seem to have changed quite a bit since I originally made this list. I have since updated it to better reflect my opinions of 2012 in retrospect. A well rounded and impressive year for metal.

1.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

2.Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

3.Agruss - Morok

4.Lord Mantis - Pervertor

5.Elysian Blaze - Blood Geometry

      View entire list ››

Once again I have put together a top list of albums released during the year from best to worst. However, this time around I have also written a short personal opinion/mini review for most of the albums in their respective comment sections.

1.Agruss - Morok

2.Menace Ruine - Alight In Ashes

3.Summer Fades Away - We Meet The Last Time, Then Departure

4.Sigh - In Somniphobia

5.Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

      View entire list ››

Another year, another favourites of the year list... But hopefully this will be more complete than the previous years ones. Rather than making a massive list of everything I have listened to, I'll be as selective as possible. I've only started listening to 2012 releases since February, so I'll be playing catch up throughout the year as my time is limited. I've only gone through 556 releases this year properly as of 07/01/2013, so the list can only expand! If you feel strongly about certain albums released this year and it's not here, be sure to leave a comment! Feel free to make a list that's exactly the same =P

1.CSSABA - Underground Lo-Fi Songs

2.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

3.Monolithe - Interlude Second

4.Nadja - The Primitive World

5.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

      View entire list ››

Due to the overwhelming "popularity" of my last list, I have decided to do the same thing in 2012

1.Hail Spirit Noir - Pneuma

2.Baroness - Yellow & Green

3.Devin Townsend - Epicloud

4.Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost In The New Real

5.Royal Thunder - CVI

      View entire list ››