DOOM AND DEAD’S PICKS: SMALL BANDS THAT MADE GREAT DOOM IN 2024
Small bands did big things in 2024, but so many stellar releases have gone unrecognized. We sorted our picks into a few different flavors of doom for your sampling pleasure. Here are our favorites from the little guys — the stuff you won’t find on Weedian’s 100 Best Releases of 2024.
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Aussie drone sculptors, The Grey Men, hit us with a stinging slab of doom in November. These compositions are weighty and meditative, but stop shy of being impenetrable. Ringing distortion and modular synths create the perfect atmosphere to summon Sunn O)) junkies out of the woodwork. The Shape of Noise to Come is lingering, heavy, hypnotic — a granite boulder balanced on a pebble. Drone doom aficionados should not sleep on this one.
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Berlin trio Acid Arno hit it out of the stratosphere with this release. If you like your jams scuzzy, acidic, and occasionally harrowing, then TERRA is the drug trip of your dreams. Suit up and strap in, cosmonauts. The orange skies and mystical monsters on the cover art are exactly what you’re going to be catapulted through for the next 37 minutes.
The Wizard conjures bluesy psych trash that’s heavy on the distortion and even heavier on the jams. The Canyon Lake Sessions are chocked full of high-energy mind-bending grooves so greasy you won’t even notice when your hair sparks up and your eyeballs melt right out of their sockets. There’s a fire burning in San Antonio, and I’m pretty sure these cats have something to do with it.
If you can’t get enough of The Wizard’s hot licks, then check out another sizzling nugget the band put out this year, Live @502.
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This EP has only two tracks, but Mindbloom’s MONOLITH I serves up quality over quantity. This French stoner outfit offers instrumentals with intricate compositions and psychedelic sensibilities. Did I mention the toothsome heavy bits? It’s contemplative stuff with just enough fuzz and reverb to make it the perfect soundtrack for your next existential crisis.
If you like your stoner doom extra heavy, then Seattle’s Hexecutioner has you covered. Vocalist Erin Gravina hypnotizes as we ride wave after wave of immense riffs. This is nasty caveman riffage slathered with vintage attitude. Enough of my yappin’. Go listen to the guitar solo on the title track of Pagan Ground.
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When Jeff Golden (ex Crowbar bassist) and Katie McCrimmon (ex The Convalescence keyboardist) join forces, you know it’s going to be epic. Their doom and sludge project, Blood of the Earth, crafts heavy soundscapes that shudder with impending doom. Pounding percussion and mesmeric melodies drive the band’s instrumental storytelling into a different realm altogether. If ominous doom packed with ill-fated drama is your thing, then I predict that you’ll love this offering.
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Alberta trio Trismegistus layer grunge vocals over stoney bass lines. Those screamin’ psych licks are just the brown gravy on top of the poutine. Live, Laugh, Doom serves up 8 tracks of gritty, fuzzy riffage, each rocking harder than the last. If ya don’t get on this one, ya fucked up, son.
Retro 70’s/80’s camp meets modern doom for a sound that’ll rock your coffin. Occult doom rockers Voodoo Garden transmit their psychedelic sound all the way from Czechia. Witchy vocals bristle with attitude a la Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles.) Heavy riffs chase us through a B movie sets inhabited by cloaked figures and rubber masked villains. This album is Scooby-Doo spooky in the best possible way.
Grunge gurus, desert rock rippers, and stoners of all sorts should check out Barcelona band Chacal Cult. Their album is full of hypnotic jams with hard edges. Big sky vistas and unyielding rock never sounded so good.
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Nothing beats the vitality of a live performance… but that doesn’t always translate to a good album. Fear not, because these fuckers have cracked the code and delivered our favorite live album of 2024.
Argentine stoner doom outfit, En la Niebla, poured every drop of spit and swagger into their set at Damned Communion. The result is a collection of hard-hitting grooves that punch you in the kidneys, then kiss you goodnight. Some crazy creativity has been coming out of Argentina's music scene in recent years. If this chunky bass doesn’t make you a believer, then nothing will.
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Blackened doom beasties: if it’s treasure you seek, then look no further. Portland band Cue the Sun has a sound that’s charred black but still remarkably groovy. Their October release, Green Metal Demos, bubbles with an incredible (and sometimes noxious) sense of immediacy. They may be rough around the edges, but these filthy demos are a goblin’s delight.
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Happy new year and a hearty rock on to all my readers. 🤘 If you like music made by humans, then support ‘em when you can. Buying music or merch from a small band makes a big difference.
Here's to art and freedom of expression in 2025.