Stoner Metal, Rock, Sludge, and Psychedelic Bands to
Contents
Here are some of the best stoner metal, rock, sludge, and psychedelic bands to check out if you’re looking for something new to listen to.
Stoner Metal
Stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that combines elements of doom metal and stoner rock. It is typically characterized by a slow, heavy, and sludgy sound, as well as downtuned guitars. However, some bands may also incorporate elements of psychedelic rock or space rock into their music.
Kyuss
Kyuss was an American rock band, active from 1987 to 1995, formed in Palm Desert, California. The band’s sound has been described as stoner rock, desert rock, and hard rock. Kyuss disperse in 1995 but several members went on to form Queens of the Stone Age. In 2010, Kyuss reformed with Scott Reeder replacing bassist Nick Oliveri.
Kyuss was founded in 1987 by Josh Homme (guitar), John Garcia (vocals), and Brant Bjork (drums) while the three were still in high school. Originally called Sons of Kyuss, the band shortened its name to Kyuss when they discovered another band had already used the name. Early on, they were forced to change their name to Katzenjammer due to threatened legal action from a German children’s book series of the same name; “Katzenjammer” is German for “hangover” or “blues jam session”.
Sleep
Whether you’re getting ready for a big day or trying to wind down after a long one, listening to the right kind of music can help you relax and get a good night’s sleep. If you’re looking for something to help you drift off, try some stoner metal.
Stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that combines elements of doom metal, sludge metal, and psychedelic rock. The result is a slow, heavy sound that can be both relaxing and darkly atmospheric.
Some of the best stoner metal bands to fall asleep to include Sleep, Electric Wizard, Om, and Earth. These bands all have long discographies full of slow, hazy tracks that are perfect for helping you drift off into dreamland.
Electric Wizard
Electric Wizard is an English doom metal band from Dorset, England. The band formed in 1993 and have released eight studio albums, two compilations, two live albums, and one split album. They are considered one of the pioneering bands of the stoner metal genre.
The band’s earliest releases were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath and other pioneers of doom metal, such as Witchfinder General and Saint Vitus. Electric Wizard’s self-titled debut album was released in 1994 to critical acclaim from the metal underground. It was followed by 1995’s Time to Die, which saw the band beginning to explore a heavier and more psychedelic sound. 1997’s Come My Fanatics… was hailed as a masterpiece by many critics and is still considered one of the greatest stoner metal albums of all time.
In 2000, Electric Wizard returned with Dopethrone, which further explored their drugged-out sound while also paying tribute to Lovecraftian horror. 2002’s Let Us Prey was a return to a more traditional doom metal sound, while 2004’s We Live saw the band experimenting with sludge and black metal influences. After a six-year hiatus, the band returned in 2010 with Black Masses, which was another critical and commercial success.Their latest album, Time to Die (2014), was released to even greater acclaim than its predecessor.
Electric Wizard have been credited as being one of the heaviest bands of all time, as well as being one of the most influential bands in the stoner metal genre. If you’re looking for some truly heavy music, look no further than Electric Wizard!
Rock
Stoner metal, rock, sludge, and psychedelic bands all have one thing in common: they’re incredibly heavy. If you’re looking for some new music to headbang to, look no further. In this article, we’ll recommend some of the best stoner metal, rock, sludge, and psychedelic bands around.
Queens of the Stone Age
Formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Josh Homme, Queens of the Stone Age originally featuredHomme alongside drummer Alfredo Hernandez and bassist Nick Oliveri. Like Kyuss — the stoner metal outfit in which Homme first made his name — Queens’ sound was defined by heavy yet catchy riffs and a propulsive, hypnotic groove. After releasing a self-titled debut album in 1998, the group underwent lineup changes that found Hernandez leaving and Oliveri assuming drumming duties; meanwhile, Mark Lanegan (formerly of Screaming Trees) was recruited as a guest vocalist for several songs on 2000’s Rated R. By this point, QOTSA had built up a devoted following among stoner and hard rock fans, as well as critics; Rated R was widely hailed as one of the year’s best albums, reaching number five on CMJ’s college radio charts.
Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu is an American heavy metal band formed in California in 1986. The band’s sound is rooted in hard rock and draws heavily from psychedelic and stoner metal influences. They have been praised for their “catchy yet heavy riffs” and “groovy, sludgy sound.”
The band’s lineup has changed several times over the years, but vocalist and guitarist Scott Hill has remained a constant member. The band has released eleven studio albums, with their most recent, Clone of the Universe, being released in 2018.
The Sword
The Sword is an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band is composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie, and drummer Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III. Originally signed to Kemado Records, the group released six studio albums and toured extensively throughout North America and Europe.
The Sword’s music draws from Fantasic Four #1 (November 1961), the first appearance of Doctor Doom, as well as Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian stories.
Sludge
Sludge is a heavy, slow, and low-tuned style of metal that often incorporates elements of punk rock, hardcore punk, and doom metal. Sludge bands are known for their dark, distorted, and often feedback-laden sound, as well as their use of slow, dirge-like or punk-inspired rhythms.
Crowbar
Crowbar is an American heavy metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, formed in 1989. Crowbar is considered to be one of the leaders of the sludge metal scene along with Eyehategod and Acid Bath. Their slow, low-keyed, heavy-into-groove songs have been tagged with such names as “stoner metal”, “sludge metal”, and “Southern metal”.
Eyehategod
Eyehategod is a sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, formed in 1988. They have become one of the most well-known bands in the genre, and are often credited as one of the fathers of sludge metal, or “NOLA metal”. The band’s current lineup consists of founding members Mike Williams (vocals) and Jimmy Bower (drums), along with guitarists Brian Patton and Gary Mader, and bassist Aaron Hill.
The bandreleased their self-titled debut album in 1992 to critical acclaim. After a number of lineup changes, they released their second album, Take as Needed for Pain, in 1993. They followed this up with 1996’s Dopesick, which is considered by many to be their magnum opus. Despite challenges with addiction and the death of guitarist Joey LaCaze in 2013, the band has remained active, releasing an EP called South of I-10 in 2014, and their fifth studio album A History of Nomadic Behavior in 2020.
Eyehategod has been cited as an influence by many bands within the sludge metal scene, as well as acts outside the genre such as Metallica, Pantera, Neurosis, Alice in Chains and Lamb of God.
Acid Bath
Acid Bath was an American heavy metal band from Houma, Louisiana, that was active from 1991 to 1997. The band is known for its distinctive sound which blended elements of death metal, doom metal, black metal, and southern rock. Acid Bath’s releases included two studio albums and two live albums. The band’s lineup changed several times during its brief existence; vocalist/guitarist Dax Riggs and drummer Jimmy Bower were the only constant members.
Formed in 1991, Acid Bath released a demo tape later that year called When the Kite String Pops. This attracted the attention of Roadrunner Records, who released the band’s debut studio album, In the Eye of Nothing, in 1994. Despite minimal promotion by Roadrunner, the album was well received by critics and sold enough copies to enter the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The band followed up with their second studio album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics, in 1996.
Following the release of Paegan Terrorism Tactics, Acid Bath parted ways with Roadrunner Records due to creative differences and the label’s unwillingness to release a third album. The band then signed with Rotten Records and released a live album called Live Skumdrine on April 22, 1997. One month later on May 16, 1997, Acid Bath dissolved due to personal differences amongst its members.
In 2006–2007 three of the four members reunited as Deadboy & the Elephantmen (Dax Riggs on lead vocals/guitar and lack thereof; Sammy Pierre Duet on drums; Mike Sanchez on bass) but this project is now also defunct as of March 2009 according to Dax Riggs’ MySpace blog entry dated March 3rd: “the future of deadboy is bleak…”
Psychedelic
If you’re looking for some new music to trip out to, look no further than these psychedelic bands. From stoner metal to sludge to rock, these bands will take you on a trippy sonic journey. So sit back, relax, and let the music Take you away.
The Black Angels
The Black Angels are an American psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2004, the group has released five studio albums—Passover (2006), Directions to See a Ghost (2008), Phosphene Dream (2010), Indigo Meadow (2013), and Death Song (2017)—and one compilation album, Clear Lake Forest (2012). They have also released two live albums. The band’s name is derived from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song”.
Dead Meadow
Dead Meadow is an American rock band from Washington, D.C., United States, currently consisting of Jason Simon, Stephen McCarty and Jesse Pellegrino. The band formed in 1998[1] and has released six full-length albums. Their third album, Shivering King and Others (2005), reached US Billboard 200 chart at position 199.[2]
The band’s musical style has been described as “stoner metal”,[3][4][5] “psychedelic rock”,[6][7] “sludge metal” and “doom metal”.[8][9][10]
In an interview with Terrorizer magazine, Jason Simon described the band’s sound: “I guess our sound has been tagged a lot with the whole ‘stoner rock’ thing. To me it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because we don’t really sound like Kyuss or Fu Manchu.”[11]
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American musical project and band led by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The group began as a garage band influenced by 1960s garage rock and punk rock. They have been credited as pioneers of the modern psychedelic sound. The Brian Jonestown Massacre released their debut album, Spacegum, in 1994.
The group has undergone several changes in personnel over the years, with Newcombe being the only constant member. The Brian Jonestown Massacre has been described as influential on subsequent generations of indie rock musicians. The name “Brian Jonestown Massacre” is a portmanteau of The Rolling Stones’ founding member Brian Jones and the 1968 massacre at Jonestown.