What do doom and stoner have in common? Heaviness and painful but satisfying slow tempos and that’s why we married them in this overview.
The first occult rock band to ever exist has to be American Coven. Formed way back in 1967 (!) band released the cult album “Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls” they influenced literal generations of musicians. Word has it that even Black Sabbath took inspiration from them but persistently denied that. Hard to blame them though – with all the bluesy, psychedelic elements and unmistakable voice of Jinx Dawson it’s one of the best bands of their own field.
Arthur Brown was not able to make it to the Fortress last year due to health reasons and was granted another go! He is an undisputed psychedelic/shock rock legend who influenced a whole generation of future stars with his 1968 hit “Fire”, a hit that so many know without necessarily associating it with its author. The living legend, who will be 83 years old this summer, will convince you that age is just a number and genre boundaries are just an abstract concept.
Japanese Coffins are predominantly death metal but the cosmic weight of the doom part in their band description had to land them on this list. With a very apparent European death metal flair (which is vector sum of Dutch and Swedish death metal) with magnificent distortion which rips people out of their shoes and they don’t make attempts at virtuosity. They just like to play their music and they do it god damn well.
There are no better maestros who can invoke an eerie and unsettling atmosphere than German The Ruins Of Beverast. All that while remaining very obviously a doom band with a big fondness for black metal. It’s a bit more demanding music for casual listeners but worth every minute if you pay them your mind.
If we talk about drone music it’s hard not to make it sound repetitive due to it’s nature. And here comes Belgian trio Wyatt E., executes the equilibrium perfectly, sprinkles some doom metal onto it alongside with heavy Middle Eastern elements and conquers the audience. Paradoxically they manage to remain intimate with the music while carrying listeners to different planes of existence.
Sweden seems to be a breeding ground for doom metal bands. Next one on the bill is Draconian who have been operating for over 30 years now. They do have strong gothic influences but not necessarily in the stage visual department but more in the sense of atmosphere and lyrically. There are nowhere near close to those like Within Temptation or Nightwish. They recently reunited with their first vocalist, Lisa Johansson and have no intention of grounding their arms.
Ahab’s music would be best described by sir Terry Pratchett’s quote “tones as heavy as a whale’s heartbeat.”. We can’t imagine anything better as they dubbed their style as nautical doom metal. With absolutely massive sound that manages to almost hypnotise with it’s depths, it’s a must see for any doom metal fan.
American Castle Rat are newer members of the scene but it does not mean less seasoned. With their distinct image with medieval / D&D clothing being part of the play on stage, they do be catching the eyes. Slow and distorted guitars with the unique voice of Riley Pinkerton aka The Rat Queen create a pleasant combination.
Someone could say that New Orleans’ Crowbar led by Kirk Windstein are godfathers of sludge metal. And rightfully so. After a brief listen it’s not hard to understand why Luisiana is now a cradle for all things heavy. Crowbar are also a real treat live – sluggish tempos underline the heaviness in the music which feels like molten lead in listeners’ veins.
One of the forefathers of stoner rock, Californian Fu Manchu don’t get enough credit for their accomplishments on the field. They are very unpretensious – honest, not particularly frilly but way more melodic than some stoner bands. We can’t think of a better soundtrack for a road trip with a vintage car on a desert highway.
American Kylesa went on hiatus back in 2016. Luckily for us, the band decided in 2024 to celebrate their 25 year anniversary and agreed to travel to Josefov. It is hard to pigeon hole this beast. Their core is definitely stoner/sludge metal but they throw in psychedelic elements, speed metal, punk and whatever they felt like adding. With two charismatic vocals on top of that – it will be one show for the books for sure.
US Corrosion of Conformity started as a punk band in the 80s, but later they distilled Black Sabbath sound through the swampy filter of Deep South and became kings of stoner rock. With massive yet heavy guitar sound and charismatic voice of Pepper Keenan they became an example for next generations of stoner bands. Despite heaviness in their music and coarseness they are able to keep their music melodic at the same time. Which always means a great show, so keep them on your agenda!
Are you looking for a soundtrack for a space escapade but you would like it to include psychedelic and stoner rock that sometimes goes into krautrock territory? French Slift has got you covered! It’s a kind of music that feels like some sort of hypnotic experience that pierces the listener across and induces a frenetic-like state.
Think of the US Elder as an explorer type of band. They started an expedition towards doom metal, got a little bored, then decided to do a detour towards psychedelic, hypnotic almost elements and progressive ones while they were at it. Listening to Elder at home literally rocks listeners’ socks off so we can only suspect how it will be live. Which is simply grand.
