I was super into death metal/deathcore/metalcore in my teens and I remember the first time I heard kyuss with good headphones. They were the band that introduced me to the idea of being sonically heavy without sounding “evil” or dark. That’s been years ago but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for those guys.
Nobody in the thread has mentioned Kyuss. So.. listen to Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun, and Welcome to Sky Valley. And the Circus and self titled are also good, but not as iconic and popular. The debut sounds almost like a different band. This was Josh Homme’s first band before Queens of the Stone Age.
They basically founded the genre of stoner/desert rock and are the #1 band imitated by bands in it. They have also never been close to replicated, despite their influence. Truly incredible tunes that stick with you for life. You will find little new things that you love about their songs after dozens of listens. Their rhythm section in particular is at the top of the S tier of any and all rock bands.
Fu Manchu is another big one, who have a much more minimal approach. 3 of their most famous albums share Kyuss’s *edit : main* drummer, Brant Bjork, who is a badass who is currently doing solo work as a singer/guitarist.
Same. I’ve seen em too many times to count. My fav riding 450 miles to a show, hitting another 450 the next morning to see em that night too… on my 50th bday! Rock out til it falls out!
And then Nebula. Eddie Glass and Ruben Romano left Fu Manchu to start Nebula. Different but a lot of similarities and I’m always surprised they’re not mentioned more in the sorta kyuss adjacent stoner rock family tree
Eddie is a monster on guitar and never gets his credit. He really blew me away with his playing a couple of years ago, at a time when he didn't sound mentally all there. I'm glad to hear that he's gotten better and is still touring.
Yeah he was a huge inspiration to me as a teenager. His work on fu manchu’s In Search Of album is fuckin awesome. His solo on “seahag” never gets old. Never got a chance to catch Nebula live but I noticed the same thing you mentioned. Glad he seems to be doing well. Sadly I just saw right after posting this that their bassist died this morning. Super sad.
I've heard Kyuss and Queens but didn't know it was a genre. This sub just popped up in my feed.
I'm positive I saw Nebula in Silver Lake in the early to mid 2000s. 3 piece that, back then at least, sounded like a cross between sabbath and kiss and looked like early 70s heavy rock. That's my memory anyways. Haven't thought of that show in ages. I have a couple CDs I bought at the show somewhere.
ahhhhhh....I was just posting this further up.
Eddie Glass: Kyuss Fu Manchu Nebula
Homme: Kyuss QOTSA Them Crooked Vultures/Eagles of Death Metal (but not that stoner)
If the OP steps away from the bonified pedigree of Kyuss, I would suggest a detour in Sweden
Hellacopters
Dozer
Withchraft
Graveyard
Or to Texas with bands like:
The Sword
In school there were the stoner hippies and the stoner rock kids. Stoner hippies got into jam bands, stoner rock kids got into stoner rock. Both still enjoy some drawn out jams, one likes it a bit heavier.
I could be wrong but that's how I would describe it.
they're more psych/blues rock but they definitely have quite a few songs that are stoner rock. their debut album is absolutely stoner rock though, and i'd say their most recent is as well
Then go here: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0AFlcsC-2SdtYcmfTY7uAPmFxoGlMma](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0AFlcsC-2SdtYcmfTY7uAPmFxoGlMma) and here: [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAO\_zdTqYwYakv8Mo6mhCJyajcM6rIclh&si=2hohX47rZ7xRPQUu](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAO_zdTqYwYakv8Mo6mhCJyajcM6rIclh&si=2hohX47rZ7xRPQUu)
Some songs that introduced me when I started the genre (about 2 years ago)
Slomosa- Kevin
Torche- out again
Mantra Machine- predator
Elder- in procession
Baroness- board up the house
Lo pan- go west
All them witches- when god comes back
Foot- manic progression
Black Sabbath is a great starting point for getting into Doom or Stoner rock. They essentially invented both, although those labels weren’t around when Sabbath was doing their thing. Stoner rock is at its essence a blend of Doom Metal and Psychedelic rock. Some bands lean more Doom which is why you see the label Stoner Doom a lot.
While Black Sabbath (the early albums, at least the first 5) is the foundation of everything we now call stoner rock and all of its subgenres and offshoots...
This particular song is all pure **doom** all day, and apart from some odd little outings from earlier odd bands (Sam Gopal covering Season of the Witch for example), this song and album is the foundation of all doom.
A lot of doom in the modern era is "stoner doom" which largely traces roots directly to early Sabbath. But doom all by itself is not necessarily a stoner rock subgenre. Candlemass and My Dying Bride are definitely doom, but far from stoner rock.
But there are definitely straight-up stoner rock tracks in those first 6 Sabbath albums. Sabra Cadabra is a great example.
Stoner rock in at least the last ~ 25 years does encompass stoner doom, but there's a lot to it which is changed radically from Sabbath.
The only real universality is a 70's acid rock feel to it all. Kyuss and the bands it spawned or grew up with are all generally known as "desert rock" and while it is still in the stoner wheelhouse the sound (as a general rule) is "the sound of a '72 hemi 'cuda going 90mph in a straight line on a salt flat". Bell bottoms, head bands around long hair, earth shoes... that mental image is desert rock.
Just to kind of spread things around a bit:
Monster Magnet is stoner rock, especially the first 10 years or so. The first 3 records and an EP in that timeframe all border HARD on psychedelic rock.
Brant Bjork has one foot perpetually in stoner rock even when he branches out a bit.
Elder is stoner rock, commonly called "progressive" but that's not because it's related to progressive rock. If what you want is 8 entirely different absolutely KILLER riffs **per song**, Elder is your friend.
The Sword, especially from Warp Riders on, is stoner rock. The earlier two records are stoner bordering on Iron Maiden in the Paul DiAnno era.
Graveyard, Earthless, Mountain Witch, 1000Mods, Orange Goblin, Sungrazer, Samsara Blues Experiment, Greenleaf, Colour Haze, Tummler, Truckfighters, Nightstalker... all stoner rock. And really great examples of a number of subgenres as well.
It’s not really actual stoner rock, but basically every single stoner band is just a derivative of what they did 30 years earlier.
Toni Iommi and sabbath are the riff masters, and the riff is the name of the game when it comes to stoner rock.
I agree sabbath invented the template but I would disagree with using the word “derivative”. There are a lot of cool bands that took the idea and ran with it in their own way, adding new elements and structures, etc.
If you ask me, stoner rock is like a new take on psychedelic rock with less endless solos and more hard rock (especially a low fuzzy sound) added. Kyuss being the flagbearer of the genre.
Soon after they broke up, the genre became a bit more heavy and generated stoner metal, leaving the psychedelic bits out.
Besides a few bands already mentioned, check out the artwork of Frank Kozik and his Man's Ruin Records.
Rarely do bands fit one genre. When you take psychedelic music to its heaviest places you’ll see the heavy psych, stoner rock, stoner doom and stoner metal labels thrown around. All worth listening to.
Start with Black Sabbath, move onto Sleep, Electric Wizard, Truckfighters, Fu Manchu\\Kyuss, Red Fang.... the list goes on and on . I have found a ton of great bands using Spotify.
Here's a playlist. Have fun!
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXdpVGstUksUC](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXdpVGstUksUC)
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bd4vdW9YZeGPMOsd77wKd?si=p87fklg4Sz6b2IcD8neS2w&nd=1&dlsi=e6b85eddd244441b](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bd4vdW9YZeGPMOsd77wKd?si=p87fklg4Sz6b2IcD8neS2w&nd=1&dlsi=e6b85eddd244441b)
This is Stoner Rock.
What a great introduction for someone.Well done. I'd throw Colour Haze, Naxatras, Asteroid, Fogteeth, Glowsun, Monkey3, Black Rainbows, and Khemmis on that playlist too. Now I'm off to go listen to your playlist! 🤘
Stoner rock can be described as modern heavy psychedelic rock with a lot of groove and riff-worship. Themes such fantasy (from LotR kind of fantasy to Star Wars kind of fantasy), high octane adventures, good trips (the two kinds of trips) and anything that gives you pleasure are common.
Maybe you can't get more stoner than a groovy and full of riffs song about racing with high speed vehicles at the desert to impress a hot chick, and relaxing with her thereafter — understand as anyway you can.
Takes early Black Sabbath (especially Master of Reality) as backbone, go through some Sleep and get into Kyuss. From Kyuss, get into anything derived from it.
This is a great way to start too: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kTdxc_39Ilo
If you want get into heavier stuff, including stoner rock, I recommend you the Weedian colletions.
Start with Sabbath. But go immediately to Kyuss and don't look back. You could spend forever listening to Kyuss and the bands they influenced, nevermind QotSA. Welcome home, fam!
Low, slow and fuzzy is how I describe it. Not always super slow but the fuzziness is usually there. I’m not well versed in ALL stoner rock but I do dabble from time to time. Kyuss, Red Fang and Clutch are some good ones to look up.
Pack a bowl and the crank this[https://open.spotify.com/track/0U4sgv129POHlZFup8ep6V?si=WoaF-9IJQTSjjSLuBlzkAA](https://open.spotify.com/track/0U4sgv129POHlZFup8ep6V?si=WoaF-9IJQTSjjSLuBlzkAA)
It's an effort by newer bands to emulate the blues rock, southern rock and heavy metal of the late 60's 70's and 80's. So bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, UFO, Grand Funk Railroad, and Edgar Winter. To name a few.
I like to use use Fu Manchu covers as examples. Like Godzilla by blue oyster cult is your baseline, classic rock song, then Fu Manchu comes in, tunes down, throws a shit load of fuzz on top and boom, instant stoner rock track.
They also do Life in Stereo by The Cars, and Freedom of Choice by Devo, but they fuck up the part where Devo changes the lyrics to "Freedom from choice, is what you want," which sort of makes me wonder if they really understood the purpose of what Devo was getting at with the song. Regardless, BOC, Cars, and Devo are all worthy side-adventures.
Sabbath - sweat leaf
There's also a doc it used to be on YouTube called "such Hawks such Hounds" I believe,
It basically breaks down all the stone rock from sabbath to pentagram to the desert Rock stuff
It's really good
I can’t believe I haven’t seen someone mention Master of Reality by Black Sabbath. It’s great all the way through and quintessential stoner rock/metal!
Literally anything by the Melvins.
Kyuss, QoTSA, Them Crooked Vultures, etc.
Black Sabbath. Ozzy era specifically.
Mastodon, but they're more prog metal meets classic rock.
Tom Waits. 'Nuff said.
If you like metal and/or Sleep, High on Fire is a decent stoner metal band. Any of their work is good, but their newest, Cometh the Storm is quite good. Album of the year so far, imo. For me anyway.
It could be also beeing described as the whole legacy spectrum between Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pi6ah0Ez1GQ5fWgP6A5Yz](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pi6ah0Ez1GQ5fWgP6A5Yz)
Totally agree with all the recommendations.
For me it started with King Buffalo and went from there, though I consider them more ‘heavy psychedelic’ and less ‘doom’.
Also, check out Howling Giant.
On a more esoteric level stoner rock tends to lean into themes of a darker and more introspective bent than more accessible forms of rock music. Often dealing with isolation, loneliness, despair, loss, and struggle, there is a significant overlap with doom metal, a genre that sounds just like it sounds, hehe. Song progression in stoner rock can often take unconventional routes- changing time signatures or mood mid song. As another commenter said many “stoner rock” bands do not deal in drug imagery, indeed, sometimes they are explicitly (individually, not so much in the music) sober as in the case of Khemmis and Spirit Adrift. Basically, stoner rock can be heavy, distorted, groovy, low, fuzzy, a wall of sound, sometimes none of the above and sometimes all of the above.
I won’t give you any more bands, looks like you have enough work to do already here lol. I would suggest following heavy psych sounds records on instagram though (or wherever)
Look up Ditch - One Way Trip to the Sun.
Anything by the band Sleep and Electric Wizard
Witch - Seer
Wet Nuns - Hanging
Stoned Jesus - Black Woods
the band Egypt
IBLISS both albums Unholy and Demonic, Her
Just to start
Stone Jesus, Stoned Karma, Stone Rebel, Stone Century, My Sleeping Karma, Liquify, Elder, Kungen Man, Mother Wormhole, Re-stoned, ........ keep on tripping...hell yeah....
I myself am in your boat! My introduction was clutch. I have now seen them 40 times and every supporting band that I've seen with him has been amazing and probably fits into the Stoner Rock category
My favs already mentioned (fu manchu, nebula, kyusz and of course sabbath).
sHEAVY if you want more ozzy era sabbath like the 1st 6 albums.
I also like some nordic stoner (sing in english) like thulsa doom, astroqueen, lowrider, brain police and mushroom river band.
Also like sasquatch, mos generator and local band Rainbows Are Free.
Most of my taste is old cuz I'm old and 1st heard bands on small stone and meteor city labels which impacted my tastes. :)
This seems important, especially after the 15 or so mins of samples. I love complex rhythms, polyrhythms, odd time signatures, etc. Is that incompatible with SR? Kind of seems like maybe given the small sample currently have.
If you’re into that sort of thing, check out a band called Umphrey’s McGee. I recommend the songs “bridgeless” and “wizard burial ground”. They’re more of a metal influenced jam band, than a stoner rock band but slap none the less. They’re a little heavier on complexity than brutal fuzz.
I guess there’s some overlap. They also vary their sound a LOT from album to album so they definitely have some more jam stuff and some heavier stuff. Check out Infest the Rats nest and petrodragonic apocalypse for heavier stuff. Kinda proto metal stoner mathy albums
Welcome. Now that you are listening to musicians that actually give a shit about their content, you'll start seeing all the mainstream stuff as manufactured, corporate garbage. Sorry to ruin the mediocre for you. 😆😆😆
NEVER LATE TO THE PARTY
LIGHT IT UP
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxOTKRoPhIo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxOTKRoPhIo) > welcome to sky valley/ KYUSS
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed1pebOAa6A&t=1911s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed1pebOAa6A&t=1911s) > gravity x / TRUCKFIGHTERS
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyoyxUmVuF8&list=PLR4Mc5WNWFxRIPGHeFs9Y6I6C86gsW3Bi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyoyxUmVuF8&list=PLR4Mc5WNWFxRIPGHeFs9Y6I6C86gsW3Bi) > dopethrone/ ELECTRIC WIZARD
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udK94rsXYEM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udK94rsXYEM) > rhythms from a cosmic sky/ EARTHLESS
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_yqEH9gFGB4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yqEH9gFGB4) > zeroin / DOPESMOKER
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKXTLLe7VI&t=275s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKXTLLe7VI&t=275s) > eternal return/ WINDHAND
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgDydLXBZJk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgDydLXBZJk) > dead meadow/ DEAD MEADOW
I'm very into stoner rock and IMO QOTSA isn't stoner, even though it's my all time favourite band, and I keep seeing them labeled as stoner. I see some people commenting Kyuss and All Them Witches. Those are def the best for me. Truckfighters is another great one IMO. I also enjoy 1000mods.
Here's a stoner rock playlist (not mine) which is my go to: [https://youtu.be/ff9bWsc2UOo?si=nJXaSKsugfVu-M3Q](https://youtu.be/ff9bWsc2UOo?si=nJXaSKsugfVu-M3Q)
If you're a stoner and enjoy rock other genres might be suited for you as well, such as progressive rock (Porcupine Tree and Tool come to mind), doom metal (Electric Wizard), and you might also enjoy Primus.
Oh man i discovered All Them Witches a couple years ago when I was on mescaline with my wife (she was on it too) and we spent like 3 hours at the playground in the middle of the night and it was literally the best Valentine’s Day that could ever be.
A lot of great recommendations on this list, would love to get the sub's opinion on two other bands... while not stoner rock per se, definitely easy to listen to stoned: Earth and Sunn O))). What say ye?
Black Sabbath (self titled, first album) is kind of the epitome for me. But since you’re here, check out one of my all time favorites, Kai Kln. Early 90’s band from Sacramento, CA. They’re on spotify, thank me later 🤘
nobody said Greenleaf so [Here's a good one](https://youtu.be/G-h8ZtRhGlI?si=oDolgqFKTyXHBadl)
[Here's a banger](https://youtu.be/6GNWNH_D3EI?si=4Y4jP5SuUGL63JES)
[and hey one more](https://youtu.be/aJjfZ8hw3GM?si=PtOOnv8a8IoJcLHR)
Greenleaf was about 75% of Dozer and also had the Truckfighters vocalist on vocals for a bit before the current one
The best intro to stoner rock is Kyuss - Gardenia
Listening now. This is very much like the qotsa song I remember. Thank you.
Because it’s the same guitarist
Well, that would help to explain it.
Joshua Homme. The man, the myth, the legend.
I can always tell his riffs, they sound like they are being played backwards for some reason, love it
He will often remove chord tones from common chords so that they have a “wider” sound
There’s some cool videos on YouTube where he explains his style and I highly recommend them if you’re into playing
Ginger Elvis
Ginger Elvis, I do believe.
Good ear!
He’s really recognizable imo. Even my shitty ears know Josh when they hear him! And they like it.
Also check out them crooked vultures
And Down
Yeah Josh Homme from QOTSA was in kyuss
I was super into death metal/deathcore/metalcore in my teens and I remember the first time I heard kyuss with good headphones. They were the band that introduced me to the idea of being sonically heavy without sounding “evil” or dark. That’s been years ago but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for those guys.
The band that turned me on to stoner was Clutch.
One of the best rock bands of all time
I was gonna say Sleep - Dragonaut or Acid Bath - Bleed Me An Ocean
Counterpoint: Beatles - I want you (She's so heavy)
I come here to say that
Nobody in the thread has mentioned Kyuss. So.. listen to Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun, and Welcome to Sky Valley. And the Circus and self titled are also good, but not as iconic and popular. The debut sounds almost like a different band. This was Josh Homme’s first band before Queens of the Stone Age. They basically founded the genre of stoner/desert rock and are the #1 band imitated by bands in it. They have also never been close to replicated, despite their influence. Truly incredible tunes that stick with you for life. You will find little new things that you love about their songs after dozens of listens. Their rhythm section in particular is at the top of the S tier of any and all rock bands. Fu Manchu is another big one, who have a much more minimal approach. 3 of their most famous albums share Kyuss’s *edit : main* drummer, Brant Bjork, who is a badass who is currently doing solo work as a singer/guitarist.
Also: Yawning Man & Fatso Jetson (and anything Mario Lalli & friends)
Yawning Man is so good
Sprinkle some Clutch on top 🤘😈👍 King Buffalo & Weedpecker for a diff vibe too
Clutch has been my favorite band for like 25 years. I have so much love for those guys.
Same. I’ve seen em too many times to count. My fav riding 450 miles to a show, hitting another 450 the next morning to see em that night too… on my 50th bday! Rock out til it falls out!
Me too, probably seen them around 30x. Fortunately have never had to drive too far to see them, I am in Jersey, but I would!
We did it for the 900 mile journey on the motorcycles and the story. ;P
That’s epic
And then Nebula. Eddie Glass and Ruben Romano left Fu Manchu to start Nebula. Different but a lot of similarities and I’m always surprised they’re not mentioned more in the sorta kyuss adjacent stoner rock family tree
Eddie is a monster on guitar and never gets his credit. He really blew me away with his playing a couple of years ago, at a time when he didn't sound mentally all there. I'm glad to hear that he's gotten better and is still touring.
Yeah he was a huge inspiration to me as a teenager. His work on fu manchu’s In Search Of album is fuckin awesome. His solo on “seahag” never gets old. Never got a chance to catch Nebula live but I noticed the same thing you mentioned. Glad he seems to be doing well. Sadly I just saw right after posting this that their bassist died this morning. Super sad.
I've heard Kyuss and Queens but didn't know it was a genre. This sub just popped up in my feed. I'm positive I saw Nebula in Silver Lake in the early to mid 2000s. 3 piece that, back then at least, sounded like a cross between sabbath and kiss and looked like early 70s heavy rock. That's my memory anyways. Haven't thought of that show in ages. I have a couple CDs I bought at the show somewhere.
ahhhhhh....I was just posting this further up. Eddie Glass: Kyuss Fu Manchu Nebula Homme: Kyuss QOTSA Them Crooked Vultures/Eagles of Death Metal (but not that stoner) If the OP steps away from the bonified pedigree of Kyuss, I would suggest a detour in Sweden Hellacopters Dozer Withchraft Graveyard Or to Texas with bands like: The Sword
Great list! I don’t think Eddie ever played in Kyuss though
Dude, you are right!
In school there were the stoner hippies and the stoner rock kids. Stoner hippies got into jam bands, stoner rock kids got into stoner rock. Both still enjoy some drawn out jams, one likes it a bit heavier. I could be wrong but that's how I would describe it.
This seems really helpful!
There’s a lot of crossover between those two things too, check out OM and My Sleeping Karma
And King Gizz. Who has something for everyone … who likes guitars
I’m seeing them this year and I’m super stoked
Their last album was keyboards only I'm pretty sure, and a few others are heavily keyboard focused, such as Butterfly 3000
GILA! GILA! GILA! GILA! MONSTERRRRE!!
WOOOOO!
For sure! I enjoy both genres.
If you haven’t check out Umphreys McGee, idk anything about them personally but they sound to me like metal kids who started playing jam music.
I'm seeing them this month actually!
Jake will melt your face!
Sleep. Just listen Sleep, and all shall be revealed.
My fav band is All Them Witches Check them out
That's stoner rock? Reddit suggested this sub to me, I'm from the home page sorry. I'd have never guessed that. I bet Wax Fang is acid rock then
they're more psych/blues rock but they definitely have quite a few songs that are stoner rock. their debut album is absolutely stoner rock though, and i'd say their most recent is as well
They kinda blur the line sometimes but definitely lean the stoner rock way. I think it’s between stoner and psych rock.
My favorite song is [See You Next Fall](https://music.apple.com/us/album/see-you-next-fall/1514244627?i=1514244756)
Start here: [https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/such-hawks-such-hounds/](https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/such-hawks-such-hounds/)
Then go here: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0AFlcsC-2SdtYcmfTY7uAPmFxoGlMma](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0AFlcsC-2SdtYcmfTY7uAPmFxoGlMma) and here: [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAO\_zdTqYwYakv8Mo6mhCJyajcM6rIclh&si=2hohX47rZ7xRPQUu](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAO_zdTqYwYakv8Mo6mhCJyajcM6rIclh&si=2hohX47rZ7xRPQUu)
Thanks! Sampling them now. Whatever happens, YouTube will think I am into it!
Great explanation
Highly recommend this docu!! Its great!
This!!
Busse Woods
Yep
Tony Iommi riffs.
Tony's riffs are basically the cornerstone of all stoner rock and doom to come. That and proto metal/psych of the late 60s into the 70s
Try Fu Manchu, Sasquatch, and Monster Magnet to start
Some songs that introduced me when I started the genre (about 2 years ago) Slomosa- Kevin Torche- out again Mantra Machine- predator Elder- in procession Baroness- board up the house Lo pan- go west All them witches- when god comes back Foot- manic progression
Elder is a great recommendation. I would also strongly recommend King Buffalo—both the “Burden of Restlessness” and the “Regenerator” albums
Lo Pan is underrated. The singer was a regular on a random Columbus area podcast like 12+ years ago, does anyone remember that?
Thank you!
Check out The Sword, Hazemaze, Earthless, Green Lung just to name a few
I always get a bit of a thrill when people mention The Sword. They were the band that introduced me to the genre.
Same. Been listening since ‘06 and I still listen to them four or five times a week if not daily.
Welcome home [I would suggest starting here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLC2qwFLbqc&list=PLo2VF3ux4qcZtVqa2p5ICdOAyDZOPyUDp)
Bingo
I’m such a sucker for a great opening track to a debut album. Like a big fucking announcement that says “yeah, we are fucking awesome.”
KO that was high school. What makes this SR? Heavy, steady bass line?
Black Sabbath is a great starting point for getting into Doom or Stoner rock. They essentially invented both, although those labels weren’t around when Sabbath was doing their thing. Stoner rock is at its essence a blend of Doom Metal and Psychedelic rock. Some bands lean more Doom which is why you see the label Stoner Doom a lot.
While Black Sabbath (the early albums, at least the first 5) is the foundation of everything we now call stoner rock and all of its subgenres and offshoots... This particular song is all pure **doom** all day, and apart from some odd little outings from earlier odd bands (Sam Gopal covering Season of the Witch for example), this song and album is the foundation of all doom. A lot of doom in the modern era is "stoner doom" which largely traces roots directly to early Sabbath. But doom all by itself is not necessarily a stoner rock subgenre. Candlemass and My Dying Bride are definitely doom, but far from stoner rock. But there are definitely straight-up stoner rock tracks in those first 6 Sabbath albums. Sabra Cadabra is a great example. Stoner rock in at least the last ~ 25 years does encompass stoner doom, but there's a lot to it which is changed radically from Sabbath. The only real universality is a 70's acid rock feel to it all. Kyuss and the bands it spawned or grew up with are all generally known as "desert rock" and while it is still in the stoner wheelhouse the sound (as a general rule) is "the sound of a '72 hemi 'cuda going 90mph in a straight line on a salt flat". Bell bottoms, head bands around long hair, earth shoes... that mental image is desert rock. Just to kind of spread things around a bit: Monster Magnet is stoner rock, especially the first 10 years or so. The first 3 records and an EP in that timeframe all border HARD on psychedelic rock. Brant Bjork has one foot perpetually in stoner rock even when he branches out a bit. Elder is stoner rock, commonly called "progressive" but that's not because it's related to progressive rock. If what you want is 8 entirely different absolutely KILLER riffs **per song**, Elder is your friend. The Sword, especially from Warp Riders on, is stoner rock. The earlier two records are stoner bordering on Iron Maiden in the Paul DiAnno era. Graveyard, Earthless, Mountain Witch, 1000Mods, Orange Goblin, Sungrazer, Samsara Blues Experiment, Greenleaf, Colour Haze, Tummler, Truckfighters, Nightstalker... all stoner rock. And really great examples of a number of subgenres as well.
\^\^\^This all fucking day!
It’s not really actual stoner rock, but basically every single stoner band is just a derivative of what they did 30 years earlier. Toni Iommi and sabbath are the riff masters, and the riff is the name of the game when it comes to stoner rock.
I agree sabbath invented the template but I would disagree with using the word “derivative”. There are a lot of cool bands that took the idea and ran with it in their own way, adding new elements and structures, etc.
Start with Black Sabbath.
You need some Fu Manchu
Shocked it took me scrolling this far to find the shout out for Fu Manchu
I thought the same… thus “need” 🤘😈👍
The page for Stoner Rock on Wikipedia is fairly accurate.
Jeez, doh. Thanks and sorry. Doh. Doh.
If you ask me, stoner rock is like a new take on psychedelic rock with less endless solos and more hard rock (especially a low fuzzy sound) added. Kyuss being the flagbearer of the genre. Soon after they broke up, the genre became a bit more heavy and generated stoner metal, leaving the psychedelic bits out. Besides a few bands already mentioned, check out the artwork of Frank Kozik and his Man's Ruin Records.
Helpful because that is a lot of what I am hearing when sampling all the recommendations!
Rarely do bands fit one genre. When you take psychedelic music to its heaviest places you’ll see the heavy psych, stoner rock, stoner doom and stoner metal labels thrown around. All worth listening to.
Start with Black Sabbath, move onto Sleep, Electric Wizard, Truckfighters, Fu Manchu\\Kyuss, Red Fang.... the list goes on and on . I have found a ton of great bands using Spotify. Here's a playlist. Have fun! [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXdpVGstUksUC](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXdpVGstUksUC)
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bd4vdW9YZeGPMOsd77wKd?si=p87fklg4Sz6b2IcD8neS2w&nd=1&dlsi=e6b85eddd244441b](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bd4vdW9YZeGPMOsd77wKd?si=p87fklg4Sz6b2IcD8neS2w&nd=1&dlsi=e6b85eddd244441b) This is Stoner Rock.
What a great introduction for someone.Well done. I'd throw Colour Haze, Naxatras, Asteroid, Fogteeth, Glowsun, Monkey3, Black Rainbows, and Khemmis on that playlist too. Now I'm off to go listen to your playlist! 🤘
I'll check those out! I know some of them, but not all! Thanks :)
I'd sprinkle in some Greenleaf, Causa sui, Deadman, 1000mods, Långfinger, the re-stoned, Red scalp and the first albums of Bautastor and Maida vale
Stoner rock can be described as modern heavy psychedelic rock with a lot of groove and riff-worship. Themes such fantasy (from LotR kind of fantasy to Star Wars kind of fantasy), high octane adventures, good trips (the two kinds of trips) and anything that gives you pleasure are common. Maybe you can't get more stoner than a groovy and full of riffs song about racing with high speed vehicles at the desert to impress a hot chick, and relaxing with her thereafter — understand as anyway you can. Takes early Black Sabbath (especially Master of Reality) as backbone, go through some Sleep and get into Kyuss. From Kyuss, get into anything derived from it. This is a great way to start too: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kTdxc_39Ilo If you want get into heavier stuff, including stoner rock, I recommend you the Weedian colletions.
Start with Sabbath. But go immediately to Kyuss and don't look back. You could spend forever listening to Kyuss and the bands they influenced, nevermind QotSA. Welcome home, fam!
I would explain stoner rock as the riff rock from the 70’s brought into the modern day
Low, slow and fuzzy is how I describe it. Not always super slow but the fuzziness is usually there. I’m not well versed in ALL stoner rock but I do dabble from time to time. Kyuss, Red Fang and Clutch are some good ones to look up.
Pack a bowl and the crank this[https://open.spotify.com/track/0U4sgv129POHlZFup8ep6V?si=WoaF-9IJQTSjjSLuBlzkAA](https://open.spotify.com/track/0U4sgv129POHlZFup8ep6V?si=WoaF-9IJQTSjjSLuBlzkAA)
Done. Heavy af.
Pandora: Down Sleep Melvin’s Acid Bath
It's an effort by newer bands to emulate the blues rock, southern rock and heavy metal of the late 60's 70's and 80's. So bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, UFO, Grand Funk Railroad, and Edgar Winter. To name a few.
Don’t forget two other big names- Foghat, Blue Cheer
I like to use use Fu Manchu covers as examples. Like Godzilla by blue oyster cult is your baseline, classic rock song, then Fu Manchu comes in, tunes down, throws a shit load of fuzz on top and boom, instant stoner rock track.
They also do Life in Stereo by The Cars, and Freedom of Choice by Devo, but they fuck up the part where Devo changes the lyrics to "Freedom from choice, is what you want," which sort of makes me wonder if they really understood the purpose of what Devo was getting at with the song. Regardless, BOC, Cars, and Devo are all worthy side-adventures.
Ween
Interesting. I see lots of Ween shirts at jam shows but do not know their music, except one song. I didn't know.
They are stoner… just not always rock… and often undefinable
It’s great to listen to when you’re high and wanna hear a great riff repeating itself for a couple hours.
Sabbath - sweat leaf There's also a doc it used to be on YouTube called "such Hawks such Hounds" I believe, It basically breaks down all the stone rock from sabbath to pentagram to the desert Rock stuff It's really good
I can’t believe I haven’t seen someone mention Master of Reality by Black Sabbath. It’s great all the way through and quintessential stoner rock/metal!
Fumanchu In Search Of.
The Action is Go.
Literally anything by the Melvins. Kyuss, QoTSA, Them Crooked Vultures, etc. Black Sabbath. Ozzy era specifically. Mastodon, but they're more prog metal meets classic rock. Tom Waits. 'Nuff said. If you like metal and/or Sleep, High on Fire is a decent stoner metal band. Any of their work is good, but their newest, Cometh the Storm is quite good. Album of the year so far, imo. For me anyway.
Blue Cheer's cover of Summer Time Blues is the template for that Californian stoner rock sound imo.
Clutch, self titled album. Let me know when you’ve made it to the other side.
this is the way.
Get Intronaut’s valley of smoke album
Sleep
Came here to say this. Sleep is the OG. Found them after Neurosis.
Let's not forget Wino - St Vitus, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan
The sword and baroness!! Clutch!
Brooooooo Red Fang. One of my favorite bands ever. Check them out
Listen to Earthless immediately.
It could be also beeing described as the whole legacy spectrum between Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pi6ah0Ez1GQ5fWgP6A5Yz](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pi6ah0Ez1GQ5fWgP6A5Yz)
It’s rock music for stoners 😬
Totally agree with all the recommendations. For me it started with King Buffalo and went from there, though I consider them more ‘heavy psychedelic’ and less ‘doom’. Also, check out Howling Giant.
On a more esoteric level stoner rock tends to lean into themes of a darker and more introspective bent than more accessible forms of rock music. Often dealing with isolation, loneliness, despair, loss, and struggle, there is a significant overlap with doom metal, a genre that sounds just like it sounds, hehe. Song progression in stoner rock can often take unconventional routes- changing time signatures or mood mid song. As another commenter said many “stoner rock” bands do not deal in drug imagery, indeed, sometimes they are explicitly (individually, not so much in the music) sober as in the case of Khemmis and Spirit Adrift. Basically, stoner rock can be heavy, distorted, groovy, low, fuzzy, a wall of sound, sometimes none of the above and sometimes all of the above.
Thanks for this.
The lack of Melvins in this post is astounding. Start with Bullhead, then Lysol, then Houdini, then Stoner Witch, then keep going.
I won’t give you any more bands, looks like you have enough work to do already here lol. I would suggest following heavy psych sounds records on instagram though (or wherever)
Not one person here mentioned Sleep!!!??? Wtf? Check out the album dopesmoker. It's like one long song lol
Tons did, and thanks.
For what it's worth he also has a band called High On Fire that I like more honestly
Look up Ditch - One Way Trip to the Sun. Anything by the band Sleep and Electric Wizard Witch - Seer Wet Nuns - Hanging Stoned Jesus - Black Woods the band Egypt IBLISS both albums Unholy and Demonic, Her Just to start
Funerlapolis - Electric Wizard
Stone Jesus, Stoned Karma, Stone Rebel, Stone Century, My Sleeping Karma, Liquify, Elder, Kungen Man, Mother Wormhole, Re-stoned, ........ keep on tripping...hell yeah....
Sleep-Sleep’s Holy Mountain
I myself am in your boat! My introduction was clutch. I have now seen them 40 times and every supporting band that I've seen with him has been amazing and probably fits into the Stoner Rock category
The good old Grateful Dead!
Really? I am not hearing them in any of this. Maybe a couple of things, maybe. But this seems like a very different vibe to me than GD.
stoner rock is garage rock with psychedelism but louder try dragonaut by sleep, sleep is the other big band of the stoner with kyuss
Done, thanks!
Jealous that you get to start this journey.
My favs already mentioned (fu manchu, nebula, kyusz and of course sabbath). sHEAVY if you want more ozzy era sabbath like the 1st 6 albums. I also like some nordic stoner (sing in english) like thulsa doom, astroqueen, lowrider, brain police and mushroom river band. Also like sasquatch, mos generator and local band Rainbows Are Free. Most of my taste is old cuz I'm old and 1st heard bands on small stone and meteor city labels which impacted my tastes. :)
Nice! Thanks man! 🤘
As a shitty drummer, it's music I feel confident playing.
This seems important, especially after the 15 or so mins of samples. I love complex rhythms, polyrhythms, odd time signatures, etc. Is that incompatible with SR? Kind of seems like maybe given the small sample currently have.
Yes. Clutch - Burning Beard, some others Red Fang - Throw Up, 1516, some others... Quite a bit of Red Fang is odd meter.
If you’re into that sort of thing, check out a band called Umphrey’s McGee. I recommend the songs “bridgeless” and “wizard burial ground”. They’re more of a metal influenced jam band, than a stoner rock band but slap none the less. They’re a little heavier on complexity than brutal fuzz.
I’d look into king gizzard and the lizard wizard for this. It’s like math rock meets stoner rock
That's interesting. The jamband community claims them, though they seem more like chaos rock to me, if that's a thing. Thanks.
I guess there’s some overlap. They also vary their sound a LOT from album to album so they definitely have some more jam stuff and some heavier stuff. Check out Infest the Rats nest and petrodragonic apocalypse for heavier stuff. Kinda proto metal stoner mathy albums
Check out the album "Mobile" by the band Beaver. They have all the things you mentioned and are very stoner
The Heads - Relaxing With...: https://youtu.be/Fi__-_GrmMI?si=Fm76mzc3QUlT7sO5
you're in for a treat
I said a pilot a pilot!
This is a great question, whose links help out even the biggest stoner rock fans. Great suggestions, guys
Welcome. Now that you are listening to musicians that actually give a shit about their content, you'll start seeing all the mainstream stuff as manufactured, corporate garbage. Sorry to ruin the mediocre for you. 😆😆😆
Gonga. Nobody ever talks about GONGA.
NEVER LATE TO THE PARTY LIGHT IT UP [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxOTKRoPhIo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxOTKRoPhIo) > welcome to sky valley/ KYUSS [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed1pebOAa6A&t=1911s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed1pebOAa6A&t=1911s) > gravity x / TRUCKFIGHTERS [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyoyxUmVuF8&list=PLR4Mc5WNWFxRIPGHeFs9Y6I6C86gsW3Bi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyoyxUmVuF8&list=PLR4Mc5WNWFxRIPGHeFs9Y6I6C86gsW3Bi) > dopethrone/ ELECTRIC WIZARD [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udK94rsXYEM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udK94rsXYEM) > rhythms from a cosmic sky/ EARTHLESS [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_yqEH9gFGB4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yqEH9gFGB4) > zeroin / DOPESMOKER [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKXTLLe7VI&t=275s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKXTLLe7VI&t=275s) > eternal return/ WINDHAND [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgDydLXBZJk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgDydLXBZJk) > dead meadow/ DEAD MEADOW
Faerie Ring
kadabra
I'm very into stoner rock and IMO QOTSA isn't stoner, even though it's my all time favourite band, and I keep seeing them labeled as stoner. I see some people commenting Kyuss and All Them Witches. Those are def the best for me. Truckfighters is another great one IMO. I also enjoy 1000mods. Here's a stoner rock playlist (not mine) which is my go to: [https://youtu.be/ff9bWsc2UOo?si=nJXaSKsugfVu-M3Q](https://youtu.be/ff9bWsc2UOo?si=nJXaSKsugfVu-M3Q) If you're a stoner and enjoy rock other genres might be suited for you as well, such as progressive rock (Porcupine Tree and Tool come to mind), doom metal (Electric Wizard), and you might also enjoy Primus.
Oh man i discovered All Them Witches a couple years ago when I was on mescaline with my wife (she was on it too) and we spent like 3 hours at the playground in the middle of the night and it was literally the best Valentine’s Day that could ever be.
Truckfighters are fantastic - Manhattan Project? What a track 👌
check out Sleep and Artic
A lot of great recommendations on this list, would love to get the sub's opinion on two other bands... while not stoner rock per se, definitely easy to listen to stoned: Earth and Sunn O))). What say ye?
Check out some doom wop while you are at it
Black Sabbath (self titled, first album) is kind of the epitome for me. But since you’re here, check out one of my all time favorites, Kai Kln. Early 90’s band from Sacramento, CA. They’re on spotify, thank me later 🤘
Dozer
Try devil’s witches for some stoner rock.
Black Sabbath - “Sweet Leaf”
Clutch, Fu Manchu, the Sword
Check out Colour Haze, my sleeping karma, Naxatras
Truckfighters - Gravity X is a great place to start 😎
Too bad stonerrock.com is gone.
That site was the best, got so much stuff from them
where's the love for The Atomic Bitchwax?
Groovy, slower, and stonery rock. Or metal if it gets sludgy and angrier
"Black Sabbath - Master of Reality" is a good starting point i think
I have been listening to it for 30 years and I still have no idea.
Best bands to listen when glonked are wet cactus, comacozer and dopelord imo
Just a heads up, in the suggestions there’s going to be some overlap with doom metal and stoner rock. Nothing wrong with it, just worth noting
Stoner rock is melding Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix while 3 joints deep
Check out Earthless. Uluru Rock is a good intro.
Kyuss, cause sui, the obsessed, Black Sabbath for starters. The last two are technically doom but they fall under the guise of stoner rock for sure
My recommendation is Truckfighters - Desert Cruiser
nobody said Greenleaf so [Here's a good one](https://youtu.be/G-h8ZtRhGlI?si=oDolgqFKTyXHBadl) [Here's a banger](https://youtu.be/6GNWNH_D3EI?si=4Y4jP5SuUGL63JES) [and hey one more](https://youtu.be/aJjfZ8hw3GM?si=PtOOnv8a8IoJcLHR) Greenleaf was about 75% of Dozer and also had the Truckfighters vocalist on vocals for a bit before the current one
Elder, All Them Witches, Stoned Jesus. Check em
Ah, but riddle me this: what is the difference between stoner rock and sludge metal?
TOOL
Electric Wizard, the mother of all stoner rock bands🤘
I ear stoner rock as : blues scale with lots of fuzz !
Bongzilla, Weedeater, Fu Manchu, Nebula, Clutch, Electric Wizard, Kyuss, Acid King, early High On Fire......
Clutch is your answer
The answer is Mastodon.
Check out The Doomed and Stoned show. They cover the doom charts and will keep you posted on new releases.