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: April 16th, 2024

1.Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments

2.Soundgarden - Ultramega OK

3.Oxbow - Fuckfest

4.Melvins - Ozma

5.Soundgarden - Louder Than Love

      View entire list ››

Fuzz Pedal, Psychedelia, Black Sabbath, Brant Byork, Dust, Desert, Sand, Ice, Skates,Long Jams in The Dunes, Boogies, Southern California, Acid, Dope, Oil, Gasoline, Evil Eye and UFO’s. Those are elements to consider before listening Stoner Music.
In the Decadence of Grunge Rock A bunch of guys leading by The multi instrumentist Brant Bjork, bring to life a kind of Masters Of Reality 90’s version more aggressive and Psychedelic the result was a great combination of Metal Psychedia, Doom and energy distorted calling Stoner Rock Metal

1.Kyuss - ...And The Circus Leaves Town

2.Colour Haze - Periscope

3.Vista Chino - Peace

4.Ché - Sounds Of Liberation

5.Fu Manchu - The Action Is Go

      View entire list ››

Subjective list | Top albums of 2020

1.Mare Cognitum - Wanderers: Astrology Of The Nine [Collaboration]

2.Countless Skies - Glow

3.Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant

4.Bell Witch - Stygian Bough: Volume I [Collaboration]

5.Katatonia - City Burials

      View entire list ››

Another end to a year, another list to make.

Like always I've added the specific genre/subgenre so you can easily pick out the albums that might be of interest to you.

I know some of you like statistics, so I put in a bit of extra effort to add some numbers:

- 317 albums
- Total points given: 2366,1
- Average Score: 7,46/10

- Albums with a score of 7 or above: 79,11%
- Albums with a score of 8 or above: 36,39%
- Albums with a score of 9 or above: 1,27%

- Albums with a score below 5: 2,53%

- Nationalities: 35

- USA: 73 - (23,10%)
- Germany: 31 - (9,81%)
- Sweden: 28 - (8,86%)
- UK: 25 - (7,91%)
- Finland: 18 - (5,70%)
- Greece: 18 - (5,70%)
- Brazil: 10 - (3,16%)
- France: 10 - (3,16%)
- Poland: 10 - (3,16%)
- Italy: 9 - (2,85%)
- Spain: 9 - (2,85%)
- Canada: 8 - (2,53%)
- Belgium: 6 - (1,90%)
- Norway: 6 - (1,90%)
- Russia: 6 - (1,90%)
- The Netherlands: 6 - (1,90%)
- Australia: 5 - (1,58%)
- Denmark: 5 - (1,58%)
- Czech Republic: 4 - (1,27%)
- Mexico: 4 - (1,27%)
- Colombia: 3 - (0,95%)
- Switzerland: 3 - (0,95%)
- Argentina: 2 - (0,63%)
- Austria: 2 - (0,63%)
- Chile: 2 - (0,63%)
- Japan: 2 - (0,63%)
- Portugal: 2 - (0,63%)
- Puerto Rico: 2 - (0,63%)
- Slovakia: 2 - (0,63%)
- Costa Rica: 1 - (0,32%)
- Egypt: 1 - (0,32%)
- Estonia: 1 - (0,32%)
- Ethiopia: 1 - (0,32%)
- Israel: 1 - (0,32%)
- Peru: 1 - (0,32%)

1.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

2.IAH - III

3.Asian Death Crustacean - Baikal

4.Dawnwalker - Ages

5.Necrophobic - Dawn Of The Damned

      View entire list ››

I don't think these are necessarily the best 30 albums of this year, but they're the ones that have I guess endured in my psyche and inspiried revisits more than most others. I was tempted to do a top 50, but after around #26 or so, I found myself confronted with about 50 albums that could've conceivably made it in, most of which I hadn't relistened to enough to rank above the others with confidence.

1.Psychonaut - Unfold The God Man

2.Elder - Omens

3.Enslaved - Utgard

4.Regarde Les Hommes Tomber - Ascension

5.Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea

      View entire list ››

1.Turia - Degen Van Licht

2.Ulcerate - Stare Into Death And Be Still

3.Fluisteraars - Bloem

4.Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville

5.Elder - Omens

      View entire list ››

updated, but still more bands to consider

1.Spectral Lore - Wanderers: Astrology Of The Nine [Collaboration]

2.Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods

3.Abigor - Totschläger (A Saintslayer's Songbook)

4.Enslaved - Utgard

5.Mr. Bungle - The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo

      View entire list ››

In rough order of enjoyment, the albums I've listened to from 2020

1.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

2.Draconian - Under A Godless Veil

3.Plini - Impulse Voices

4.Igorrr - Spirituality And Distortion

5.Atramentus - Stygian

      View entire list ››

My favourite albums of 2020.

I've taken a new approach this year - switching to ratings out of 5, rounded to the nearest 0.5. Trying to rate everything to the nearest 0.1 was becoming a chore. Anything rated lower than 2/5 has been excluded.

Also, while my previous lists have been 99% metal, 2020 has seen me exploring music across a much broader range of genres.

1.Loathe - I Let It In And It Took Everything

2.Hum - Inlet

3.Satyr - Locus

4.Deftones - Ohms

5.Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher

      View entire list ››

Well here it is!

1.Ensiferum - Thalassic

2.Skyforest - A New Dawn

3.Avatar - Hunter Gatherer

4.Vredehammer - Viperous

5.Finntroll - Vredesvävd

      View entire list ››

Horrible times. Thank the metal gods for music.

1.A Light In The Dark - Insomnia

2.Ages - Uncrown

3.Ainsoph - Ω - V

4.An Autumn For Crippled Children - All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet

5.An Evening With Knives - Sense Of Gravity

      View entire list ››

Haven't made one of these in awhile. Damn life. But I love to share music and have quality discussions on it
List is IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
Suggestions more than Welcome. Let's listen.

1.Dyssidia - Costly Signals

2.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

3.Testament - Titans Of Creation

4.Katatonia - City Burials

5.Heaven Shall Burn - Of Truth & Sacrifice

      View entire list ››

Aqui se enumeran todos los discos que he escuchado en lo que va de año 2020 desde el mejor hasta el peor.

1.Dyssidia - Costly Signals

2.Elder - Omens

3.Odraza - Rzeczom

4.Thy Catafalque - Naiv

5.Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi

      View entire list ››

"CALENDAR MADE OF METAL"
April = Stoner Metal
Listening to as many albums as possible in said genre during said month and listing them here as I go. Suggestions welcome.

1.Haze Mage - Chronicles

2.The Marlboro Men - Who Says You Can't Get High At 95mph

3.The Marlboro Men - How The West Was Lost And Other Vivid Hallucinations

4.Fu Manchu - No One Rides For Free

5.Fu Manchu - Daredevil

      View entire list ››

These are my favourite albums from the year 2020, ranked in order from my most favourite at number 1 to my least favourite.

1.Psychonaut - Unfold The God Man

2.Enslaved - Utgard

3.The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic

4.Elder - Omens

5.Garganjua - Toward The Sun

      View entire list ››