Mike Williams Top 5 Stoner Albums of 2024

I was first introduced to the stoner/doom/psychedelic genre of metal in the early ‘90’s with bands like Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Sleep, Clutch, Kyuss and others. In 2013 I returned to vinyl collecting after an almost twenty-year hiatus due to a house fire that wiped out my entire record collection. The first album I purchased upon returning to the hobby was Clutch’s Earth Rocker. I've amassed a decent collection of albums from the genre, including complete catalogues from Fu Manchu, Monster Magnet, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, the aforementioned Clutch (well, minus Pure Rock Fury), and others. Black Angel invited me to come write for the zine and my initial thought was I could name my top releases of 2024 in the stoner/doom/etc. genre. So, with little fanfare, here they are.

5. Acid Mammoth – Supersonic Megafauna Collision

Acid Mammoth’s fourth full-length release, April’s Supersonic Megafauna Collision, opens with thunderous tribal sounding drumming before launching into a Sabbath-drenched fuzz attack. The Sabbath worship doesn’t end with the stomp and fuzz though, as singer Chris Babalis, Jr.’s vocal stylings are reminiscent of a young Ozzy. What originality do they bring to the table one might ask. They bring a crushing, pachyderm-sized stomp to the proceedings courtesy of a rhythm section composed of Dimosthenis Varikos on bass and Marios Louvaris on the skins. The slow burn build-up on the opening title cut from the Greek quartet really sets a foreboding tone, and the doom smoke is so thick you might think you’re frequenting an opium den. Then there’s the sax and violence of the album’s closing 12-minute mammoth track “Tusko’s Last Trip,” which features a part jazz, part crawl which can partially be credited to saxophonist Martin Ludl’s contribution. Overall, a solid release from Acid Mammoth, which is rounded out by Babalis’ father Chris Babalis, Sr. on guitar. Check their entire discography on Bandcamp.

Standout track(s): “Supersonic Megafauna Collision,” “Atomic Shaman,” and “Tusko’s Last Trip.”

4. The Obsessed - Gilded Sorrow

Scott “Wino” Weinrich, whom I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live twice, one in a solo, acoustic setting, and the once with The Obsessed, brings the doom with the band’s latest incarnation on Gilded Sorrow. “Wino” and The Obsessed have been cranking out overdriven American rock in the scene off and on now for 49 years, all the way back to 1976, and they seldom disappoint. Weinrich, oft thought of as the U.S. version of “Lemmy,” whom he appeared alongside of on Dave Grohl’s Probot project for the video “Shake Your Blood” in 2004, has a distinct guitar tone on display in full force on this release, which may very well be the best yet from The Obsessed. There’s enough fuzz and weirdness here to satisfy even the most voracious doom metal fan. The real standouts and centerpieces of the record, literally, located smack in the middle of the album, are the crawling title cut and “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age.” But the doom doesn’t just permeate the central section of the record, the swirling, haunting opening cut “Daughter of an Echo” is much more of a mid-tempo rocker and there is a wealth of quality up-tempo tunes here as well. The Maryland outfit has added a couple members of late. Bassist Chris Angleburger joined in 2022 and then The Obsessed expanded to a four piece with the inclusion of rhythm guitarist Jason Taylor. Drummer Brian Costantino is the second-longest tenured member of the group, having played alongside “Wino” for nearly a decade now.

Standout Track(s): “Daughter of an Echo,” “It’s not OK,” “Gilded Sorrow,” “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age,” “Yen Sleep,” and “Lucky Free Nice Machine.”

3. The Neptune Power Federation – Goodnight My Children

The Neptune Power Federation, an Aussie outfit hailing from Sydney, dropped album number six, the band’s fifth with vocalist Imperial Priestess Screamin’ Loz Sutch at the forefront. Goodnight My Children came accompanied by a slender volume of fairy tale like “bedtime stories,” penned and illustrated by guitarist/lyricist/cover artist Inverted Crucifox (Mike Foxall), that corresponds each story-to-a-song, totaling eight of each. The swirling fury and distortion of “Let Us Begin” kicks off the platter like a prologue, promising a frenetic musical experience. Lead single “Lock & Key,” which was issued more than a year ahead of the album drop, claps along at a modéré speed, but the top cut on the slab is the more reserve “Harriet May.” The Imperial Priestess has a shrill, high vocal, but it perfectly suits the band’s psychedelic style. In the past The Federation have been described as Satan’s House Band. Sounds about right, as they’re gritty, flamboyant style would certainly be great party music. More Mötley Crüe than Electric Wizard, The Neptune Power Federation have been taking their psychedelic biker sleaze to bars, and venues across their native continent as well as Europe, now for more than a dozen years.

Standout Track(s): “Let Us Begin,” “Lock & Key,” “Betrothed to the Serpent,” “Harriet May,” and “Goodnight My Children.”

2. Fu Manchu – The Return of Tomorrow

Lots of love has been shown for Fu Manchu’s 2024 release The Return of Tomorrow, ranking in the top 20 of many end-of-the-year lists. The first time I spun my copy of the LP I mistakenly played the opening track at 33 1/3 speed and thought, “Man, this is a lot angrier than I remember Fu Manchu.” Then Scott Hill’s vocals came in and he sounded kinda like Cookie Monster with a hit of helium in him and I knew I had screwed up. Anyhow, back on track, “Dehumanize” opens up the festivities with a thump and buzz and is one of my favorite tracks on the record. It seems the Fu boys are reflecting upon the passage of time, and perhaps their ages, and everyone’s ultimate appointment with the reaper, in a number of the tunes on the release, none more explicitly than in the warm and fuzzy “(Time is) Pulling You Under,” but equally on display in “Lifetime Waiting,” and “The Return of Tomorrow.” There’s a wistfulness and longing present on the side three closer “What I Need” that offered a welcome change of pace from the fast and middle range hitters that fill the album. Nothing as jarringly different from the rest of the album as the band’s 1994 track “Free and Easy (Summer Girls)” off their debut No One Rides for Free, though. That, Fu Manchu saves for the album’s final track, the bluesy, acid drenched instrumental “High Tide.”

Standout Track(s): “Dehumanize,” “Loch Ness Wrecking Machine,” “(Time is) Pulling You Under,” “Solar Baptized,” “What I Need,” and “High Tide.”

1.Sergeant Thunderhoof – The Ghost of Badon Hill

The fifth full-length disc from Sergeant Thunderhoof follows in the footsteps of the darkened murkiness of the band’s previous effort This Sceptered Veil (2022). Lead vocalist Dan Flitcroft at times sounds a bit like Jon Anderson (Yes), a little like Alice Cooper and occasionally while listening to him a young Roger Daltrey comes to mind. Drawing on the the lore surrounding the sixth century’s Battle of Badon, the British quintet from Bath weave a magical, mystical tale of a warrior waiting atop Badon Hill until Arthur’s return on this concept album. The acoustic opener “Badon” features a haunting wind and whistle, which brought to my mind at least, the old Queensrÿche song “The Lady Wore Black.” The Ghost of Badon Hill is Sergeant Thunderhoof’s mellowest release to date, but still manages to pack in plenty of fuzzy, buzzy guitars over a driving rhythm section. Easily my album of the year.

Standout Track(s): “Badon,” “Blood Moon,” “The Orb of Octavia,” “Salvation of the Soul,” “Sent…” aw hell, the whole album stands out.

~Mike