Of all the metal genres, sub-genres, and hybrid-genres, stoner metal has got to be one of the most respectable.
When played by the right band, stoner metal pays a lot of homage to its roots. Incorporating a lot of groove and blues along the way, what with being distilled from the era of Black Sabbath and whatnot. Hell, you don’t even have to be a stoner to enjoy it! (Look, I have practically zero tolerance for pot. It makes me sleepy, or paranoid, or both.)
There is something I want to directly address from the start here, though. This list you are about to read is a list of some killer stoner metal albums that you might not know, or maybe you do, but either way, these are somewhat random. This is not meant to be an “essentials” list or a list going over the history of stoner metal/rock. (Let’s save those for another day.)
For now, check out a few great records that are really, really good and will enhance your life.
‘Rust’ by Monolord
Right off the bat, I knew that I wanted to put Monolord on this list. In fact, Monolord was the inspiration for this list. They’ve been a regular listen for me lately. The only issue I ran into was that I had a tough time choosing which Monolord album I wanted to showcase, because they’re all so good.
Ultimately, I settled on the band’s third album, Rust (2017). Running nearly an hour in length across only six tracks, Rust is profoundly heavy and chock full of riffs. The low ends are enough to rumble loose the foundation of your house and unleash a legion of demons onto the Earth. So, you know, proceed with caution.
‘Sixteen Tons’ by Weedeater
Weedeater’s 2002 debut album, Sixteen Tons, is easily one of the best stoner metal albums of the new millennium. Birthed near the doomy shores of Cape Fear in Wilmington, North Carolina, Weedeater has been pummeling speakers and eardrums for damn-near three decades.
While there is no denying that their later works are equally as thunderous as their first album, songs like “Time Served” and “Woe’s Me” are major standouts from the band’s iconic breakout record. I mean, “Time Served” is especially notable for capturing such righteous billigerance in just ten words of lyrics.
‘Sleep’s Holy Mountain’ by Sleep
To say that Sleep are the godfathers of modern stoner metal/rock doesn’t feel like an exaggeration. If it wasn’t for the jams these dudes were laying down in the 90s, I’m not sure you ever get to any of the other bands on this list.
In 1992, the San Jose, California band’s second album, Sleep’s Holy Mountain, was released in Europe. It would be several months before it made its way stateside, but once it did, the way we perceived metal would change forever. This album is often cited as one of the most significant breakthrough records in the stoner rock/metal genre.
The whole thing is an incredible musical journey. Epic highs, reverberating lows, and riffs you can feel in your bones.
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