Top stoner - heavy psych - post-rock - doom albums of 2016

I know, a bit late. But seeing all these "top albums of 2016" on stoner/psychedelic/doom blogs tickled me. Especially because I felt like justice wasn't done to some awesome releases of this year. I've seen a lot of really new stuff in this tops and that's great. I can't keep up the pace, but here are albums that I enjoyed in 2016. The order matters approximately. These are mostly stoner rock and heavy psych albums, but some may have a relent of doom, post-rock, or oldschool hard rock.

1. 1000mods - Repeated Exposure to...

I was amazed when listening to the first albums of 1000mods (Super Van Vacation and Vultures). However THIS, THIS last album is incredible!!! I had some mixed feelings about the voice in previous albums, but here the singing is really perfect. To me this is their best album, and by far. Any single song. big riffs, big melodies. Respect sirs.

2. Gin Lady - Call the Nation

Released 5th of January! and listened all along 2016 :D This one was truly addictive. Sounds like classic 70's rock but done with sun, good mood and groove. That's the album you wanna play to be in good mood for the whole day! Really beautiful melodies, as in "Heavy burden", and entrancing progression, combined with such a seducing voice. Uplifting.

3. Monomyth - Exo

As for 1000mods, to me this album surpasses the previous ones (that had set the expectation really high already). This album is an epic travel through space, and what they brought in this album is more violence compared to previous releases. Take the trip with LHC, sending you directly to space with that mind-blowing rhythm and riff.

4. Tumbleweed Dealer - Tokes, hatred and caffeine

Wow yeah, a band I discovered this year! That album blew me away at the first listen. Why? Because of the funk! the groove! There is a funky-jazzy vibe in this album that is exactly what rock'n'roll sometimes lacks. Plus the cover is amazing.

5. Planet of Zeus - Loyal to the Pack

Yeah, the return of Planet of Zeus, one more exceptional greek (stoner) rock band. I was so thrilled of the news of a new album, but my first listen was a disappointment. What the hell? What's this? Now I understand my reaction: the first song I listen is "Loyal to the pack", of the eponymous album, so I think, good choice to see what Planet of Zeus wants to show us with this album, right? Well that might be the song I dislike the most in this album (Well, I don't not like it really, but this song is... normal, nothing special). And I'm also not super impressed by the second one of the album, so for a first listen it made a bad impression. Combined with the change in sound that is less groovy, less southern (less Clutch-y?) than their previous albums, I was about to think Planet of Zeus was gone on the path of boring mainstreamness. BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE! Came back to other songs, they are really entrancing, this new sound of the band is really well executed. It's a nice dark and chill album with a really clean and distinct guitar sound like I like. Just give a listen to "Them Nights", "Your Love Makes Me Wanna Hurt Myself" and "Retreat". Not so stoner maybe, but to me that's a sign of quality and creativity when a band doesn't stay limited to a genre.

6. Electric Octopus - Be Real

Wow. Psychedelic rock meets funk? what a groove. Go directly to The Big Glop

7. Psychedelic Witchcraft - The Vision

I can't express enough my love for this band. Ok, the sound is quite consistent, and this album kind of sounds the same as their previous one. But what a sound!!! Simply, the voice is my idealised perfect woman voice :D It's sexy, strong and filled with emotions, I'm filling shivers along my spine... Bewitching is the appropriate word. And the instrumental arrangement that comes with is at least as good! This guitar sound is so soft, so 70-ish, it feels like velvet. Sorry, I can't really well describe this album, all I can say is that I have a very physical reaction to this... Peace and Love.

8. IZŌ - IZŌ

Now comes an obscure release I guess. I stumbled on it on youtube. I wish other stoner rock blogs would have spotted this one, since it is really one of the best releases of this year, and of any year! I'd describe it as doom, but not monotonous doom. There are really different phases and moods in this album, from savage brutality to more chill/groovy phases. High-pitched sounds fly over massive bass-lines, entrancing the listener, or should I say, space traveler?

9. Sunnata - Zorya

A brutal release. So much power. Doom. Apocalypse.

10. DeWolff - Roux-ga-roux

Feel the funky ethnic vibe. Sugar moon is a masterpiece.

11. Earthless/Harsh Toke: (split)

Yeah, because Earthless. There's no point discussing. Plus "Acid Crusher" might be one of my prefered Earthless songs. It has so much GROOVE!!! It truly hypnotised me, entranced me. Just let yourself dance along this track, feel the progression, and the funky demon take possession of your body and mind, and you'll understand what psychedelic music means. Amen.

12. Black Space Riders - Beyond Refugeeum EP

Ok, not purely stoner, but at least post-rock. And Black Space Riders is an incredible stoner-postrock-space rock band. Here they reworked their previous album with a more "electro-rock" sound. It's just perfect. Nothing else to say. I'll leave you and dance on it.

13. Cambrian Explosion - The Moon EP

Cambrian Explosion is a term in paleontology referring to the explosion of diversity in life forms a few 500 millions years ago, when multicellular animal life had appeared and gave birth in a very short window of time to all modern phyla of animals (vertebrates, arthropods, cnidarians, worms...). That vision of a sudden explosion has been revised since, but you may have noticed, such a name puts a lot of images in my head. Images of ancient submarine environments, strange animals, and a distance back in time that's so difficult to conceive for the human mind... So seeing that title, I had to listen. And I was not disappointed. It's sometimes powerful, sometimes trippy, sometimes chilly, really a journey. Take that trip. To me it's a perfect heavy psych album, and a perfect album. Wait, that's just an EP? Can't wait for the LP!!!

14. Mountain Witch - Burning Village

For lovers of vintage psychedelic doom. Good old doom.

15. The Gentle Art of Cooking People - o

This cover is sublime. And that's why I clicked, I admit. But the sound also smashed my face. Some very heavy and very dark doom-noise. Very post-rock in some parts, it's all very strange and trippy, but in an uplifting manner. I've rarely seen an band combining so much awesomeness through different ways of expression, be it the name of the band, the cover of the album, or the music itself.

16. Domadora - The Violent Mystical Sukuma

Holy goat, I almost forgot this french band!! The kinship with Earthless is quite obvious, but still there is a special touch with Domadora. It is a massive BRUTAL album. Prepare to get crushed by riffs from outer space.

17. Youngblood Supercult - High Plains

Good release, it's classic stoner rock.

18. Red Sun Cult - Red Sun Cult

I'm cheating, I discovered this one while writing this (january). Unfortunately for me, I was listening to the Underdog song... and a drum solo always achieve to convince me. Check this out.

More releases I liked

• Spacegoat - Superstition
• Brant Bjork - Tao of the devil
• Wight - Love is not only what you know
• Druid - Odysseus
• Naxatras II
• Wo Fat - Midnight Cometh
• Spacelords - Liquid Sun
• Witchhelm - Jötunn (EP)
• Three Leg Dog - Red Sun

Check this out

Well, I don't have time to listen to everything, but I've seen the following album mentionned, or already listened to previous album of these bands, so here is a list to go through later!

• Radar Men from the Moon - Subversive II Splendor of the wicked
• Svvamp - Svvamp
• The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Monolith of Phobos
• Salem's Pot - Pronounce this!
• Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
• Astroboy - Astroboy EP
• Kandodo/MacBain (ex Monster Magnet!) - Lost Chants/Last Chance
• Datura4 - Hairy Mountain
• Subrosa - For this we fought the battle of ages
• Blues Pills - Lady in Gold
• The Re-Stoned - the reptile returns
• GOAT - Requiem
• Motorpsycho - Here Be Monsters
• Jagannatha - Jagannatha
• Asteroid - III
• ZAUM - Eidolon
• Causa Sui - Return to the sky
• Fai Baba Sad and Horny
• Hexvessel - When we are death
• Lord Mountain - Lord Mountain EP
• Electric Lady - Queen of electricity and her coming kingdom
• Geezer - Geezer
• Truckfighters - V
• Stonehenge - Bunch of Bisons