Welcome everybody to a little lesson on the history of Sludge & Stoner Metal. I'm Guib and today I have the immense pleasure to serve as your humble teacher.

Please take a seat and travel with me through time as we explore the very best of those two, often blurred, genres. The goal here is simple, I want to get you familiarized with the styles. I want you to understand where they come from through albums on a timeline and while we're at it get a sweet selection of great releases that you might not know and that, hopefully, will get you hooked to explore even more!

But this is a classroom and in my classroom there are a few rules. We want to keep this clean, clear and prevent having a 500+ albums mess. So here are the rules we'll follow throughout this lesson.

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1. We will settle for a maximum of 4 albums per year and they will be listed from oldest to newest. Makes it simple to navigate. Those releases will represent what I consider to be hallmarks of the genres for that year. Essentials if you want, yes? Of course, I'll sprinkle a bit of my personality here and there so you will find some unorthodox choices and some less known albums from time to time. It would be boring otherwise... and also why not?

2. We will begin the journey with Melvins' "Gluey Porch Treatments" released in 1987. Why? Because it is arguably the first album to be widely considered as Sludge.

3. The list will mostly feature studio albums. So no Demos & bare minimum when it comes to EPs if any at all. Thank you.

4. I am not going to include releases by Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind, etc... I fully understand and recognize the influence older bands had on Stoner Rock, but this is not the list for them.

5. Lastly, not really a rule but more of a note. Considering that we're talking about Sludge & Stoner, it is inevitable that Doom, Post, Progressive, Grunge & Hardcore acts will be featured in this list. Those genres simply go together naturally and are often mixed so do not be alarmed!

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That is it, I hope you will all discover something to enjoy through my little history lesson. Also, do not hesitate to comment below if you agree or disagree with some of my picks. After all, this is a classroom and debate is invited as it can be fun and educative. As long everything's done respectfully, of course.

Enjoy & Have Fun... Class dismissed!

NOTE: I will now add my picks for best album of the year using this format (best of xxxx) in the chosen album's description.

- Guib -

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Guib's best Sludge/Stoner Album Picks

Best Of 2023:
Urne - A Feast On Sorrow

Best Of 2024 So Far:
O Zorn! - Vermillion Haze

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Last Update: April 27th, 2024

1.Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments

2.Soundgarden - Ultramega OK

3.Oxbow - Fuckfest

4.Melvins - Ozma

5.Soundgarden - Louder Than Love

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1.Converge - The Dusk In Us

2.Sólstafir - Berdreyminn

3.Pharmakon - Contact

4.Oktoplut - Le démon normal

5.Artificial Brain - Infrared Horizon

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1.Septicflesh - Codex Omega

2.Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing

3.Paradise Lost - Medusa

4.Samael - Hegemony

5.Egonaut - The Omega

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1.The Ruins Of Beverast - Exuvia

2.Aosoth - V: The Inside Scriptures

3.The Acacia Strain - Gravebloom

4.Suffocation - ?Of The Dark Light

5.Memoriam - For The Fallen

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Still got plenty of stuff to catch up from Q1 and Q2 from this year, but will probably end up checking out some stuff from second half of 2017 before I'm done with all of that, so here's this list.

1.Mastodon - Cold Dark Place

2.The Contortionist - Clairvoyant

3.Passages - Lucid

4.Enslaved - E

5.Dvne - Asheran

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The best albums of 2017. Each section is almost in order now. I have tried to group the albums aesthetically, with the first group being the most diverse , focusing on the free-floating drone/ ambient, noise and psychedelic stuff that. The reason is that I get strong ASMR from those things. And yes, ASMR is real.

1.

2.10 000 Russos - Distress Distress

3.777Babalon - Eschatological Beast Of The Revelation

4.Ehnahre - The Marrow

5.Twinesuns - The Empire Never Ended

      View entire list ››

Top 50 albums/EPs/whatever roughly in order. Reviews on the way

1.Merkabah (POL) - Million Miles

2.Ashenspire - Speak Not Of The Laudanum Quandry

3.Almyrkvi - Umbra

4.White Ward - Futility Report

5.Netra - Ingrats

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Slow start to 2017. Keep an eye on this list you bargain-basement shoppers...

1.Au-Dessus - End Of Chapter

2.Viscera - 3/Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals

3.Slowdive - Slowdive

4.Echoes(UK) - Cornerstone

5.Fen - Winter

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1.Nokturnal Mortum - Verity

2.Converge - The Dusk In Us

3.Wolves In The Throne Room - Thrice Woven

4.Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

5.Primitive Man - Caustic

      View entire list ››