There are many ways in which we could have structured this post and many goals we might have looked to achieve - we could rank albums (boo), get guest posts, shine a line on what we consider "the best" albums in the doom/stoner genre, and more. Instead, this post came out as my favorite sort of "summary" post - a place to shine a light on albums we might not have written about on the blog before. Don't get me wrong, some of these releases have appeared in this column or elsewhere on the blog before. It wasn't a hard rule. But it ended up that many of these releases were not one we had written about and they absolutely deserve your attention. The other big ones (as big as releases in this genre tend to be) are still there, and you will find them scattered in the rest of our coverage of the year so far, but here you'll find "smaller" releases that might have slipped you by.
Happy listening! It's been another prolific and excellent year for the low and slow so far.
-Eden Kupermintz
Structure - Heritage
I’ve extolled the virtues of Structure's inexorable tide of doom - Heritage - before in April’s Doomsday post, and will happily start off my selection of morose morsels by doing so again. This album slays slowly, like the inevitable teeth of time, and will magnificently smother you in a comfortable blanket of despair. Between the majestic, gliding guitar work, the ponderous plunge of deep drums, understated but well-executed cleans and gravelly growls, this is modern doom done right in every way.
Offering monolithic death-doom riffs and commanding roars as well as spellbinding, vulnerable and sometimes even hopeful melodies, Structure are experts and forging classic and well balanced tracks that become titanic and unforgettable not for their unique genre-splicing, novelty or even gimmicks but because these diligent doomsters know how to write a song and demonstrate that skill on every track.
From the opening melody of “Will I Deserve It”, to the tectonic vocals and epic melodies of “Long Before Me”, the heart-wrenching guitar part halfway through “The Sadness of Everyday Life” and the solemn trumpet outro of “Until The Last Gasp”, this album maintains a steady stamp of high quality. The fact that the album’s ending reminds me of seeing the last post performed in Ypres, and the weight that memorial carries in our troubled times in Europe adds a special personal touch for me.
If you’re ready for a majestic and morose soundtrack to spectate whatever disaster is unfolding in your part of the world, look no further. Structure has your back when all else seems chaos and quicksand.
-BK
Dimscûa - Dust Eater
The first time I heard Dust Eater, I knew this was a special one. Some albums that deal with personal stories of loss, and are part of the artists’ personal journey in processing these experiences carry a certain emotional resonance in every sonic fiber of their being. This is one of those.
The author's implacable rage and harrowing grief at the loss of a child permeates this album, tingling the spine and constricting the throat from its opening notes. Through these four tracks, tectonic riffs, an Amenra-like sense of build up and slow, hammering release and scorching, nerve-fraying vocals carry the torch of mourning.
"Elder Bairn" opens the album in grand fashion, and burns out into a powerful riff and some absolutely piercing vocals. "The Dusteater" follows, opening on a contemplative, melancholic acoustic guitar piece. Drums come pounding in, resuscitating Dimscûa's heavier inclinations after a brief buildup.
The development around the half-way point sends shivers up my spine without fail, and enfolds into a killer riff and some foreboding croaking, spoken word like vocals towards the track's end, as the acoustic melody is reprised in a tar-thick riff before a beautiful outro takes the listener by the hand and leads the further into the light.
"Existence (Futility)" has a strong The Atlas Moth influence at the start, which I appreciate immensely. It peters out into ambient vocals and an echoey drum part. Before rebuilding the scaffold and dropping another mammoth riff down the hatch, leaving the listener wide-eyed and bare-toothed.
Closer "On Being and Nothingness" opens with another mournful acoustic guitar part, paired with thin and faded string embellishments. As the acoustic melody builds up and more instruments join the funerary march, another despondent, croaky spoken word section leads the proceedings gently towards another imminent climax. Tension runs through this album like an electric current, and sparks fly again as the album's closer hits like a lightning bolt halfway through the track, slowly adding more of a plaintive melody to the earth-shattering heft before the album ends and leaves us beautifully broken.
While I’m always hesitant to judge an album’s staying power or probable presence on a definitive end of year list, I have a feeling Dimscûa will be there, jutting out with a forlorn but undeniable presence like the broken teeth of tombstone, worn by wind and weather but not yet forgotten.
-BK
Clouds - Desprins
Romanian funeral doom institution Clouds once again delivers the goods with latest album Desprins. While I would admit this might not be their most iconic work, Clouds stick to their funerary fare with tenacity and tear-jerking truthfulness.
As becomes apparent from the onset of strong opener “Disguise”, Andrei Oltean’s flute has a prominent place on this album, and I for one am loving it. The way the flute cuts through the thick undergrowth of funeral doom low-end and delivers razor-sharp jabs of melody really elevates this album.
Aside from that particular quality, Clouds just know how to write slow, sad and beautiful songs that riff enough to hold my attention. Reminding me favorably of The Eternal and AHAB, Clouds has now cemented their place in my small but dependable pantheon of good bands in this niche subgenre.
The only small issue I have with this album is the absurd difference in production and volume between the album proper and the included two bonus tracks. Maybe this is an issue with the streaming service I listened to, and I wouldn’t say I particularly dislike either production. The shift is just very jarring, which breaks the mood on an album that should be all about sinking into an atmosphere. Nonetheless, this is one of my favourite doom albums of the year so far, and definitely my favourite funeral doom.
Roll in the clouds and let them pour!
-BK
Messa - The Spin
Italy’s Messa are certainly making waves in the alternative music scene, and with good reason. Between their doomy retro sound, a truly outstanding guitar tone that scintillates and bubbles like molten silver, the spellbinding vocals of Sara Bianchin and the more pronounced prog influences that have set up camp on their latest album, Messa have produced another heavy music gem.
"Void Meridian" opens with a post-punky riff and drum pattern juxtaposed with a slow doom riff with psychedelic overtones and topped with a bluesy, slightly jammy solo.
Follow-up and absolute bop “At Races” slithers with watery riffs and a punchy bass line, and "Fire on the Roof" has a riff that sticks like hot tar while Sara sets the roof on fire with another excellent performance.
Continuing the fiery escapades, "Immolation" is a personal favorite. Soulful vocals, accompanied by a more stripped-down and key heavy instrumental lead in the track before drums and electrified jams leap in after the half way point, the track piggybacks from one solo to an absolutely huge second one that boasts some of my favourite guitar effects of the year so far.
While mileage on those might vary, I am very much enamored with the higher pitched vocals here and the space they receive in the mix.
"The Dress" returns to similar hooky and riffy territories as "Fire on the Roof", before taking an interesting turn after the half-way mark, shifting into a sashaying rhythm, soulful clarinet and guitar that gives off a svelte, noir jazz sumer evening vibe.
“Reveal" is a strong closer, straddling both the heavier, riffier singles and the smooth mood of "Immolation", with perhaps the strongest vocal performance. Madder Mortem-esque vocals on "Thicker Blood", and more excellent solo work.
Messa have definitely entered different territory on this album,and while not all of their longtime fans might appreciate this turn, I very much do. The Spin is chock full of bangers and sounds incredible, and where some of their earlier works had my attention wandering bere and there, this one keeps me locked in and firmly paying attention.
-BK
Wyatt E. - Zamāru ultu qereb ziqquratu Part 1
Belgian band Wyatt E. decided to start off 2025 strong with another offering of their idiosyncratic style of droney doom, with strong psychedelic and Middle Eastern influences.
Drawing parallels to Om and Hashshashin, the band's sound is inspired by ancient Mesopotamia, and the album (Translating to “Music from inside the ziggurat”) tells the story of exiled captives from Jerusalem in ancient Babylon.
With lyrics in what I presume is some ancient Semitic language fragment Lowen through a dusty drone kaleidoscope, and call through time, place and memory with hypnotic repetition, heaviness, and exploratory and often psychedelic melodicism.
Midway highlights “Im Lelya” and "The Diviner’s Prayer to the Gods of the Night” feature Atonia’s Tomer Damsky and Lowen’s (inimitable) Nina Saeidi as guest vocalists, and offer some handholds in the middle of the album's mirage-like hypnotism and largely instrumental trappings.
While short and sometimes on the repetitive side for my tastes, Wyatt E.’s unique soundscape, hypnotic quality and strong historical concept afford it a place on this list. Strong performances by Damsky and Saeidi, both of whom also transcend the linguistic difficulties of this album with grace, poise and grandeur elevate the album to the top of the ziggurat, from where it hammers down like the all-consuming Mesopotamian sun.
Give this album a chance and it will equally hypnotise you with its circular melodies and powerful guest vocalists, and pound you into the ancient sands with its drone-inflected doom riffs.
-BK
Myriad Drone - A World Without Us
Every year, without fail, there will be albums that I’ll describe as “missed”. It’s not just that I miss them, though it’s certainly the case with this one, but that I feel the “community” at large missed as well. I’ve hardly seen anyone talk about Myriad Drone’s A World Without Us and I get around, believe you me. It’s a damn shame, since it’s one of the better albums I’ve heard in the recent few years in the space of grandiose, expansive post-metal. It has all of the elements that make up a great album in the style, namely the coupling of great groove with the echoing atmosphere, making sure to keep the listener engaged even when the tracks are gathering momentum.
The real secret sauce though are the vocals; both cleans and screams are exquisite, the earlier lending weight to many of the more introspective passages and the latter exploding alongside the instrumental catharsis. They make the album’s relatively modest runtime (for the genre at least) that much more efficient, highlighting and driving home each track and its musical course. This means that A World Without Us reaches that most elusive peak for post-metal: it never overstays its welcome. Through the tight instrumentation and the conductive vocals, the album transforms into a gut punch, both patient and lightning fast, ethereal and very concrete when it needs to be.
-EK
Great Grandpa - Patience, Moonbeam
I really don’t have a good place on the blog to write about this one so I’ll put it here by virtue of its contemplative and slow tempo. You won’t find any heaviness on this album though, as Patience, Moonbeam is content to play in a very unique space, a sort of introspective and very gentle alt-rock. However, if you think this translates to weightless plucking of strings or a waste of time, you’d be very wrong. There is something deeply enchanting and compelling about Patience, Moonbeam, seated firmly in its excellent composition and structure. This is an album for when the lights are off and the thoughts are deep and melancholy but there’s also a lot waiting around the corner, heartfelt moments of fascinating composition and execution. My advice here is for patience (get it), as you explore one of the more delicate albums of 2025.
-EK
Slung - In Ways
Why, exactly, I ended up not liking this album on first listen will forever be a mystery. I certainly have no clue now, after having revisited it and fallen in love with it. From opening beat to closing sound, In Ways is chock-full of just the kind of poppy stoner that I’ve grown to love over the years. Especially worth mentioning in this regard are the vocals, dripping with a saccharine carelessness that is hard to resist. Overlay these over thick bass and drums, buzzing guitars, and sprinkle just a smidge of punk edge to the whole affair, and you’ve got a kick ass album and then some.
-EK
Turtle Skull - Being Here
Way back when in 2020, I stumbled upon Turtle Skull, an Australian psych/doom crew who really hit the sweet spot for me with their peculiar fusion of flowery psych and fuzzy doom. They seemed to capture lightning in a bottle—not quite the standard liquid light show and paisley psych fare, nor full-on tube-smokin’ stoner doom, either. It sounded strangely contradictory: light, colorful, and airy… yet undeniably crushing doom. And as a self-proclaimed lover of weird shit that shouldn’t work but does, they’ve become a go-to for me over the years: heavy enough to scratch the itch for my big dumb metalhead sensibilities, yet breezy enough not to put off a casual listener or anyone who isn’t attuned to the fuzzier things in life.
With Being Here, Turtle Skull refines the smorgasbord of trippy doompop they offered up on Monoliths. The songwriting is tightened up into (mostly) friendlier sub-five-minute arrangements, dodging the sometimes-indulgent nature of headier psych bands who spiral out with decades-long noodles or redundant jams. This is exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for in a sophomore release, not just “more,” but more, better. Tracks like “Into the Sun” and “Modern Mess” deliver patient and sunny forays through pleasant soundscapes, while “Apathy,” “Bourgeoisie,” and “It Starts With Me” connect viscerally with relatively more grounded lyrical themes.
For real though, the attention to details on Being Here levels it all up. The addition of Ally Gradon on synths nicely expands their sound, at times providing a nice retro flavor, at others offering a nice melodic counterpart, and elsewhere coloring in with droney noise and texture to enrich the overall atmosphere. Recorded live (aside from vocals), it’s easy to hear this group clicking, and more importantly, how well-balanced and vital each player is. The mix is excellent and offers clarity throughout—no mud, no hiding behind thousands of layers of guitars, just supremely put-together and executed heavy psych. The vocal arrangements seem to be given more attention here, too, often stacked to an ethereal effect that hits exquisitely with both the lighter and heavier facets of the band.
In short, I’m stoked that Being Here makes good on the promise of Monoliths. I’ve been beating the snot out of that record for years and had stupid high hopes for this release, and it was absolutely worth the wait. It’s no secret there’s a bustin’-at-the-seams psych scene down under , well beyond the realm of gizzards and lizardly wizards. But if Being Here gets its due, Turtle Skull will be the next Aussie reptiles people won’t shut up about. I can only hope.
-Jordan Jerabek
Helms Deep - Chasing the Dragon
For my money, Judas Priest have effectively perfected both heavy and power metal, along with all the amalgams found between. In short, there just isn’t much juice for me to squeeze from many of the genre’s recent acts. As Eden pointed out in his review, there are a dedicated lot of bands steeped in the traditions and hallmarks of this style putting out new stuff all the time—I just don’t find myself thirsty enough to bother keeping up. That said, although I’m not chasing this stuff down, recent releases from Sumerlands, Smoulder, Significant Point, and Eternal Champion have edged their way into my rotation, reminding me that it’s good to keep an open mind about this stuff. Gems are gems.
So, knowing I’ve only got so much room in my heart for power metal, it takes something special to really land. I’ll be damned if Helms Deep don’t tick every box needed to keep this bad boy in regular rotation. Like quality water is essential for good coffee, HD wouldn’t be here if they didn’t have The Riffs™. Chasing the Dragon has a bounty of ‘em for every variety of headbanger, while savvy sequencing keeps this beast every bit as nimble as a rocket-fucking-boosted space dragon. At 58 minutes, there’s a lot to dig into here, but Chasing the Dragon doesn’t …drag on (sorry, had to). Each track quickly finds its footing and attacks with tight hooks, fiery leads, technically impressive vocals, and some intrepid and progressive flourishes. “Craze of the Vampire,” “Flight of the Harpy,” and “Red Planet” all offered some pleasant surprises I wouldn’t classify as typical power metal, appealing to my “normal” tastes. Though this isn’t quite post-power metal (though someone should get the fuck on that), Helms Deep make a compelling case for how fresh and satisfying heavy/power metal can be in the right hands.
-JJ