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Best of 2020


Best of 2020 - Heavy in the Hills - Jim Thompson 12/24/20 
      Here’s my list where I compare apples to oranges. My number one and number two picks this year are perfect examples of that. Two albums that couldn’t be more different but I love them both. How do you (or I) decide which one is better than the other. How do I make a list of the top 10, or 20 or 50? What about the albums I missed or the ones I haven’t heard yet? These are all things that factor in and ultimately make it difficult and stressful for me to make these year end list. Well, I guess it’s fun. I guess. This year to help keep track of albums, I started a spreadsheet. I ranked albums to remind myself of ones that may have fallen through the cracks months into the year. The spreadsheet also helped to track the stuff I played on my radio show. At the end of the year I ended up with almost 700 new albums that I listened to in their entirety at least once. That doesn’t include all the times I listened to Van Halen or John Coltrane or the latest abstract Hip Hop releases. The list probably favors stuff that came out earlier in the year simply because I had more time to listen and absorb them. I doubt if there’s any December releases and few from November for that matter.Ultimately, I know you, the people just couldn’t get along without knowing my top 99 releases of 2020. I’m doing it for you, my friends. 

1. Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi - Psyche out trip out. https://oranssipazuzu.bandcamp.com/album/mestarin-kynsi 
 2. Witchskull - Black Cathedrals - Stoner Metal, Doom Metal https://youtu.be/1uJse3pWOJ8
 3. Vile Creature - Glory Glory Apathy Took Helm - Atmospheric Sludge Doom Screaming https://vilecreature.bandcamp.com/album/glory-glory-apathy-took-helm
 4. King Buffalo - Dead Star - psychedelic-rock, shoegaze, heavy-psych, Stoner https://kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com/album/dead-star 
5. Tar Pond - Electric Protocol of Constant Sadness - Doom Metal https://youtu.be/xL-u0o1w6AQ 
6. Sons of Otis - Isolation - Doom Stoner Metal https://totemcatrecords.bandcamp.com/album/isolation 7. Witchfucker - Afterhour in Walhalla - Stoner metal with shoegaze elements as well as saxophone sometimes and a bunch of racket...and tribal stuff. Killer album! Male and female vocals back and forth here and there. Instrumental passages. Vibraphone and drill. https://witchfucker.bandcamp.com/ 
8. Hair of the Dog - It's Just A Ride - Hard Rock Psychedelic https://hairofthedog.bandcamp.com/album/its-just-a-ride
10. Orgone - MOS/FET - Heavy psyche Space Rock https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/org-ne-mos-fet 
11. Ulcerate - Stare Into Death and Be Still - Technical Death Metal Blackened Atmospheric https://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/album/stare-into-death-and-be-still 
12. Huntsmen - Mandala of Fear - Atmospheric Post Metal https://huntsmen.bandcamp.com/album/mandala-of-fear 
13. Goatriders - The Magicians’ Keep - Guitar driven murky non stop psych rock mid speed tugger. Bluesy psych mellowness too. Heavy psych space out. https://goatriders.bandcamp.com/album/the-magicians-keep 
15. Ape Skull - Fields of Unconscious - Retro proto metal.70’s vintage, hard-rock, blues-rock, psychedelic-rock, acid-rock, soul, Funky https://apeskull.bandcamp.com/album/fields-of-unconscious 

16. Dixie Goat - There’s No Light Without Darkness - Stoner Metal Doom Grunge https://dixiegoat.bandcamp.com/album/theres-no-light-without-darkness 
17. Molassess - Through The Hollow - Progressive Occult https://molassess.bandcamp.com/album/through-the-hollow 
18. Population II - A la O Terre - Psychedelic Rock https://population2.bandcamp.com/album/la-terre 

19. Thanatos - Violent Death Rituals - Death Thrashhttps://thanatos666.bandcamp.com/album/violent-death-rituals 
20. Vitskar Suden - Vitskar Suden - atmospheric Doom, Blues, Psych, Progressive https://vitskarsuden.bandcamp.com/album/vitsk-r-s-den 
21. Gargoyl - Gargoyl - Progressive https://gargoyl.bandcamp.com/album/gargoyl 
22. Elephant Tree - Habits - heavy-psych, doom, psychedelic-rock, shoegaze, metal https://elephanttreeband.bandcamp.com/album/habits 
23. Sleeping Village - Holy Water Retro NWOBHM Doom Metal Stoner Metal https://sleepingvillageband.bandcamp.com/ 
24. Wailin Storms - Rattle - Gothic Death rock. Soaring guitars. Haunting. https://wailinstorms.bandcamp.com/album/rattle 
25. Cardinals’ Folly - Defying the Righteous Way - Traditional Doom Metal https://cardinalsfolly.bandcamp.com/album/defying-the-righteous-way-2 
26. Curse the Son - Excruciation - Thick riffs that chug, plow and steamroll right along with psychedelic vocal harmonies, angry also depressed, but you’re also winning with authority and spacey sections. Vocals sometimes sound like Ozzy, sometimes Chris Cornell. Sometimes Alice in Chains backing harmonies. Also some bluesy bits. 
27. Phe - Glooming Dawn - Stoner Metal 
28. Lophius - Their Poison our Antidote - Stoner Doom Sludge 
29. Goden - Beyond Darkness - Death Doom Metal 
30. Bone Church - Acid Communion - Screaming guitar attack. High energy thick 70’s metal. 
31. Fostermother - Fostermother - Doom Metal Stoner Metal 
32. Kadavar - The Isolation Tapes - 60’s psychedelic, psychedelic-rock, progressive-rock space, rock 33. They Watch Us From the Moon - Moon Zoom - Doomy spacey psychedelic heaviness. 
34. Tombstone Eyes - Land in the Sky - Hammond Occult and sax! 
35. Zyclops - Inheritance of Ash - Atmospheric Sludge 
36. UUBBUURRUU - UUBBUURRUU - 70´s Psych, Rock, Stoner 
37. Lucid Grave - Goddess of Misery - Doom Metal Stoner Metal 
38. Kryptograf - Kryptograf - proto-.metal, hard-rock, 70’s, psychedelic-rock, progressive-rock 
39. Black Bile - The Substance - Doom Metal Stoner Metal 
40. Slow Green Thing - Amygdala - Doom Stoner Metal
 41. Lucifer’s Children - Devil Worship - Evil old school occult doom. 
42. Lowrider - Refractions - desert-rock, fuzz, heavy-psych, Stoner 
43. Lacertilia - Calling the Quarters - Psychedelic Stoner Doom Metal 
44. Acid Mammoth - Under Acid Hoof - Stoner Metal Doom 
45. Bogwife - Halls of Rebirth - heavy-psych, stoner, doom 
46. Acid Mess - Sangre de otros mundos - heavy-psych, psychedelic-rock, alternative, progressive-rock, 90’s, rock 
47. Expander - Neuropunk Boostergang - Beefed up Noise rock on steroids times ten.
 48. Uada - Djinn - Atmospheric Black Metal 
49. Krakslott - Krakslott - Huge riff heaviness with evil vocals. Similar to Graves at Sea, Corrupted, Electric Wizard ect pound it! 
50. Familiars - All in Good Time - desert-rock, heavy-psych, shoegaze, stonergaze, stoner, psychedelic-rock 
51. Bong Wizard - Left Hand Pass - Stoner Doom 
52. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue - Dark Jazz 
53. Hail Spirit Noir - Eden in Reverse - Progressive Psychedelic 
54. Eye of Doom - Curse of the Pharaoh - Doom Stoner Metal 
55. The Brothers Keg - Folklore, Myths and Legends of the Brothers Keg - Stoner 
56. Dungeon Weed - Mind Palace of the Mushroom God - Stoner Metal Guitar rock out 
57. Huanastone - Third Stone From the Sun - Stoner 
58. Dead Quiet - Truth and Ruin - Hammond Stoner Metal 
59. Mountain Witch - Extinct Cults - Doom Heavy Psych 
60. Proscription - Conduit - Blackened Death 
61. The Wizar’d - Subterranean Exile - Traditional Doom Metal 
62. Butterfly - Doorways of Time - Hard Rock 
63. Humulus - The Deep - heavy-psych, psychedelic-rock, Stoner 
64. Grave Disgrace - Rest in Peace - Doom Metal Stoner Metal 
65. Ecclesia - De Ecclesiae Universalis - Doom Metal Heavy Metal
 66. Pyrrhon - Abscess Time - Technical Death and beyond 
67. Ruff Majik - The Devil’s Cattle - Stoner Blues Psych 
68. Ritual King - Ritual King - Stoner 
69. Lord Buffalo - Tohu wa bohu - Psychedelic folk mello 
70. Kind - Mental Nudge - Stoner Metal Heavy Psych 
71. Mount Hush - Mount Hush - 70’s, heavy-blues, heavy-psych, psychedelic-rock, retro-rock, Stoner 
72. Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin - Misty Woman - Retro proto metal rock out! Heavy psych. 
73. Novarupta - Marine Show - Post Metal Atmospheric 
74. Sleepwulf - Sleepwulf - Retro occult doom. 70’s, blues-rock, vintage, hard-rock, retro-rock 
75. Outsideinside - II - Retro 70’s jam rock. 
76. Hex A.D. - Astro Tongue in the Electric Garden - Stoner Metal Heavy Psych 
77. Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville - Technical Avant Metal 
78. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Viscerals - Stoner Metal Heavy Psych 
79. Tombs - Monarchy of Shadows - Black Metal 
80. Hydra - From Light to the Abyss - Stoner 
81. Psychlona - Venus Skytrip - desert-rock, fuzz, stoner, heavy-psych, proto-metal 
82. Kult of the Wizard - Gold - Doom Metal Stoner 
83. Lucid Vox - We Are - Psychedelic 
84. Dark Buddha Rising - Mathreyata - Doom atmospheric sludge 
85. Rezn - Chaotic Divine - heavy-psych, stoner, hard-rock, psychedelic-rock, doom 
86. Thou - A Primer of Holy Words - Sludge Doom 
87. Temple of the Fuzz Witch - Red Tide - Doom Metal Stoner 
88. Sun Crow - Quest for Oblivion - atmospheric heavy slow riffs 
89. Dirt Woman - The Glass Cliff - Stoner Doom Metal 
90. Ysgaroth - Storm Over A Black Sea - Black Metal 
91. Kitchen Witch - Earth and Ether - Stoner 
92. Neptunian Maximalism - Eons - Avant Jazz Metal 
93. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Progressive Pop 
94. Beltez - A Grey Chill and A Whisper - Black Metal 
95. Ulthar - Providence - Blackened Death 
96. Bait - Revelation of the Pure - Blackened Atmospheric Sludge 
97. Calligram - The Eye is the First Circle - Black Crust 
98. Desert Storms - Omens - Metal 
99. Spirit Possession - Spirit Possession - Black Metal
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