DESERT PSYCHLIST BEST OF 2015......

What a fantastic year for the music we stoners, doomers and psychonauts follow, both new bands and more established ones have really stepped up to the mark this year with some fantastic albums and  EP's being released. Here's my pick of  25 of the years best.............

25. Long Road Made of Gold ~ Kamachatka

Superb bluesy hard rock/stoner collection that followed quite fast on the heels of the slightly disappointing "The Search Goes On" and proved that this band still had the chops to kick some serious ass!




24. Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere ~ Acid King

Lori and the boys returned with an absolute barnstormer of an album with this. The riffs sound thicker, the vocals more heartfelt and the songwriting as good as anything from their back catalogue. Superb!




23.Veddesta ~ Ponamero Sundown

Man oh man its was a long wait but its was worth it.
Sweden's Ponamero Sundown returned with some of the best classic/hard rock/stoner grooves of the year.




22. Hidden Places ~ Black Vulpine

Fuzz drenched grooves fronted by sweet clear female vocals. Elements of QOTSA and Kyuss hiding in these grooves but mixed with a slightly doom/occult vibe





21. Cuatro Cienegas ~ 4 Cienegas

Heavy fuzz drenched Mexican psych.
Awesome!




20. Multiverse ~ Electric Valley

Electric Valley are a band who play intelligent, well crafted stoner rock with touch of Soundgarden grunge/alt intensity




19. Thousand Sons of Sleep ~ Godsleep

Riff heavy psych/stoner from Athens Greece. Throaty powerful vocals roar and croon over thick distorted guitar all held down by some majestic bass work and swinging percussion




18. Fly Camel Fly ~ Ape Skull

Retro grooves that reek of patchouli oil and reefer. Super cool vocals sang over heavy psychedelic bluesy riffage and enough hooks to hang a sky on.




17. Absturz ~ Mother Engine

Mother Engine's first album was a killer but the band raised the bar high with this one.

16. Satyrnalia ~ Psychic Dose

Awesome is a word not nearly big enough for the sounds coming out of this album, Retro, occult, doom, stoner, psych, seventies and hard rock are another bunch of words you could use to describe this album, but still you would fall short of nailing its sonic impact. Forget the words just listen.

15.  Lake Of Fire ~ Black Wizards

Fuzzy female fronted Portuguese hard rock/stoner with a ton of that thing we call swagger!

14. The First Year Of Catastrophe ~ Simon Magus

Hard rock/trad doom that delivers everything you could ever want from that particular genre. Bluesy doom riffage, incendiary solos and thunderous rhythms all topped off with a startlingly good vocal

13. #1 ~ Old Stove

 Stoner desert grooves from Brazil that are heavily distorted and filthy with fuzz.




12. NN ~ Cannahann

Absolutely stunning collection of songs that mix grunge/alt dynamics with thick sludge/stoner riffs and gravel gargling vocals.


11. Mindstate:Dreamscape ~ Wired Mind

Textured guitar swirling over superb bass driven riffs and some really cool jazzy drumming. This band are tight and loose in equal measures knowing when to lay out and when to hit the groove.


10. Psychic Warfare ~ Clutch

How could they top "Earth Rocker"? I'll tell you ...by making an album that's even better!


9. II ~ Weedpecker

Full fat fuzzy riffs, psychedelic guitar solos and slammin' rhythm work topped off with superb dreamy vocals.

8. Lore ~ Elder

A more mature Elder with more emphasis on atmosphere and space. The titanic riffs are still in place as you would expect but there is an almost krautrock feel to the grooves.




7.   Ancient Of Days ~ Spelljammer

Heavy as truck full of rhinos and just as mean! Spelljammer are back, all hail the riff!



6. Strange Creations ~ Disenchanter

Infused with elements of hard, stoner and classic rock and fronted by the absolute sublime vocals of Sabine Stangenberg Disenchanter have made an album that demands attention.



5. Out Of This Earth ~ Out Of This Earth

Awesome Greek stoner rock that is both gritty and infectious


4. Nocturnes ~ Mother Mooch

Mother Mooch promised so much with their debut EP "Preludes" and with "Nocturnes they delivered.


3. The Black Sun EP ~ Year Of The Cobra

Bass and drum duo that sound like a four piece.
Dreamy female vocals over occult doom grooves.


2. Deep Shades ~ Savanah

Excellent heavy doomy psych that keeps the listener on tenterhooks, never knowing which direction any given song is going to take
Superb!



1. Witchboro ~ Rosy Finch

Supreme blend of doomy atmospherics, stoner fuzziness and occult themes all wrapped up in one killer album.




So that was 2015!!!!!!!