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.

- - - - - The Rules - - - - -

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 16th, 2024

1.Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments

2.Soundgarden - Ultramega OK

3.Oxbow - Fuckfest

4.Melvins - Ozma

5.Soundgarden - Louder Than Love

      View entire list ››

Progressive metal and post metal might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for us highly intellectual listeners, it can really tickle our twigs and berries…

1.Mastodon - Blood Mountain

2.Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

3.Opeth - Blackwater Park

4.Tool - Lateralus

5.Mastodon - Crack The Skye

      View entire list ››

1.Death Angel - Humanicide

2.Acid Reign - The Age Of Entitlement

3.Aeon Zen - INVERITAS

4.Allegaeon - Apoptosis

5.Alter Bridge - Walk The Sky

      View entire list ››

Well, 2020 is not the most enjoyable year, is it...

So I looked back at 2019 to do a little nostalgic ranking of when the world was only half crazy....

My top 50 (rate 8 & above)

Like always opinion my own and I am obviously right

Album count: 160
Average rating: 7

1.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

2.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

3.Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

4.Borknagar - True North

5.Swallow The Sun - When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light

      View entire list ››

Here is a list of all the bands who received at least one write-in vote during MSA 2019.

Following the annoucement of the results, this information is lost, I post it here so you can continue to explore your favorite genres !

I'm still working on fixing links, if you find errors, feel free to notify in the comments !

1.Babymetal - Metal Galaxy

2.Cave In - Final Transmission

3.Mother Of Millions - Artifacts

4.Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

5.Soen - Lotus

      View entire list ››

Most of them aren't in Metal Storm.

1.Lacuna Coil - Black Anima

2.The Black Keys - Lets Rock

3.Rival Sons - Feral Roots

4.The Wildhearts - Renaissance

5.Gary Clark Jr. - This Land

      View entire list ››

Favourite albums of 2019 (including only those which I would rate 7+)

1.Infant Annihilator - The Battle Of Yaldabaoth

2.Shadow Of Intent - Melancholy

3.Periphery - Periphery IV: Hail Stan

4.Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas

5.Numenorean - Adore

      View entire list ››

1.Flesh Of The Stars - Mercy

2.Soen - Lotus

3.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

4.Frostveil - Ephemeral Visions

5.Thank You Scientist - Terraformer

      View entire list ››

1.

2.Baroness - Gold & Grey

3.Timo Tolkki's Avalon - Return To Eden

4.The Rods - Brotherhood Of Metal

5.Varg - Wolfszeit II

      View entire list ››

1.Lingua Ignota - Caligula

2.Full Of Hell - Weeping Choir

3.Cloud Rat - Pollinator

4.Serpent Column - Mirror In Darkness

5.Sadness (USA) - Circle Of Veins

      View entire list ››

These are my favourite albums from the year 2019, ranked in order from my most favourite at number 1 to my least favourite.

1.Periphery - Periphery IV: Hail Stan

2.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

3.Tool - Fear Inoculum

4.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

5.Schammasch - Hearts Of No Light

      View entire list ››

In 2018 I decided to listen to as many albums as possible, and succeeded in finding new interesting stuff. But it took much effort, and in the end I think I wasn't really smart in my choices, so this year I'll try to do the same with higher creteria. Hopefully the list will grow without losing tightness like it did back then. I'm watching every new entry to MS database, and these are the few albums which caught my attention. - I mean, I'm pretty jaded so these are the only releases I've been able to sit through without complaining.

1.Sabbath Assembly - A Letter Of Red

2.Helium Horse Fly - Hollowed

3.Lingua Ignota - Caligula

4.Health - Vol.4 :: Slaves Of Fear

5.Bent Knee - You Know What They Mean

      View entire list ››

Cos Radu won't leave me alone

1.Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree - Grandmother

2.Dreadnought - Emergence

3.Methadone Skies - Different Layers Of Fear

4.A Secret Revealed - Sacrifices

5.Cartographs - Wilt & Blossom

      View entire list ››

----Updated every weeks----

I'm looking for all genres without exceptions, with currently little preferencies for Progressive, Death and Black metal! Listenning to every albums 2 or 3 times at less before including it in my list.
I specify my favourite songs in order of preferency

❤ = Amazing song!

1.Tool - Fear Inoculum

2.Blood Incantation - Hidden History Of The Human Race

3.Dream Theater - Distance Over Time

4.Destrage - The Chosen One

5.Ola Englund - Master Of The Universe

      View entire list ››

1.Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

2.Belzebubs - Pantheon Of The Nightside Gods

3.Grima - Will Of The Primordial

4.Vorna - Sateet Palata Saavat

5.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

      View entire list ››