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 ››

1.White Ward - False Light

2.Gaerea - Mirage

3.Dream Unending - Song Of Salvation

4.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

5.Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

      View entire list ››

My personal picks from 2022 some are good some are terrible

1.Queensrÿche - Digital Noise Alliance

2.The Cult - Under The Midnight Sun

3.Elder - Innate Passage

4.King Buffalo - Regenerator

5.Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

      View entire list ››

I've played somewhere in the region of 1200 albums this year - there's been a lot of great stuff among them, so this will not be an easy list to narrow down - I'd like to say I can be stricter than the 25 I had in last year's list, but to be honest I feel like the competition for 25 spots is more intense this time around, so I'll stick to that (making this the top 2% of albums I heard this year) - shoutouts to Gloson, The Nest, Sum Of R, Process Of Guilt, Dysnostic and Aeviterne, who probably would have had good shots of making it onto this list if I'd made the time to revisit them more. Also shoutout to Laere and Euphrosyne, whose EPs in Clandestine Cuts indicate exceedingly promising futures

1.Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality

2.Disillusion - Ayam

3.Persefone - Metanoia

4.Kardashev - Liminal Rite

5.Shadow Of Intent - Elegy

      View entire list ››

It's a list of all the albums that I plan on listening to from the year 2022.

Edit 2023: the list is now a personal ruffly ranked top 100 of the year.

1.Persefone - Metanoia

2.Wilderun - Epigone

3.Disillusion - Ayam

4.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

5.Kardashev - Liminal Rite

      View entire list ››

Fell just shy of 100 albums per month for the first half of the year, I imagine I won't be matching that but let's try to get to a full 1000 albums for the year at least.

1.Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality

2.Disillusion - Ayam

3.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

4.Panzerfaust - The Suns Of Perdition - Chapter III: The Astral Drain

5.Wake - Thought Form Descent

      View entire list ››

I've been meaning to start a 2022 list for quite a while, so here is the start of it. These are the albums that impressed me. I will update the list, obviously a work in progress.

1.Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus

2.Spitfire - Denial To Fall

3.Birth - Born

4.Fer De Lance - The Hyperborean

5.Dawn Of Solace - Flames Of Perdition

      View entire list ››

1.Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality

2.White Ward - False Light

3.Disillusion - Ayam

4.Persefone - Metanoia

5.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

      View entire list ››

So much music yet so little time!

These are all the 2022 albums that I've been able to check out so far.

1.Messa - Close

2.Shape Of Despair - Return To The Void

3.A.A. Williams - As The Moon Rests

4.Brutus (BEL) - Unison Life

5.Vanhävd - Vila

      View entire list ››

These are my favourite albums from the year 2022, ranked in order from my most favourite at number 1 to my least favourite.

1.Russian Circles - Gnosis

2.Brutus (BEL) - Unison Life

3.Elder - Innate Passage

4.Gaupa - Myriad

5.Final Light - Final Light

      View entire list ››

1.Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark

2.Satan - Earth Infernal

3.Messa - Close

4.Elder - Innate Passage

5.Arð - Take Up My Bones

      View entire list ››

even though 2021's list isn't final yet (are they ever?) - I'm compelled any-damn-way to rank the 2022's I've been bamboozled with the most... most of it happens to be metal in some way or another - but, like my previous ones... non-metal albums that kick my ass (softly?) will surely be included, as well - hope it helps or is at least interesting to even one MS'er! (even if that MS'er is me hehe)

updated - 5/19/22
updated - 1/18/23

1.Skin Tension - Omni

2.Devin Townsend - Lightwork

3.Persefone - Metanoia

4.Wilderun - Epigone

5.Sigh - Shiki

      View entire list ››

1.Messa - Close

2.Sumerlands - Dreamkiller

3.Sonja - Loud Arriver

4.The Otolith - Folium Limina

5.Phantom Spell - Immortal's Requiem

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All my top 2022 albums ranked in order that I have listened to completely. No EP's included only full length albums.

1.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

2.Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality

3.Panzerfaust - The Suns Of Perdition - Chapter III: The Astral Drain

4.Aenaon - Mnemosyne

5.Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort

      View entire list ››

1.Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture

2.Conjurer - Páthos

3.Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality

4.A.A. Williams - As The Moon Rests

5.Lorna Shore - Pain Remains

      View entire list ››