There are many genres of music out there, and each serve as an umbrella for a multitude of sub-genres. Of those, we all have our favorites, for instance, I’m a long-time fan of metal, and my preferred sub-genres are thrash, doom, and psychedelic, but countless others I find highly enjoyable. Today we will cover a lesser talked about sub-genre and who I feel are the 10 best bands doing it. With that, here are my picks for the 10 Best Psych-Doom bands, including those active and those now split up.
10. Kingnomad
Years Active: 2014 – 2022
I was pretty bummed out when I discovered that this Swedish band was no more. Kingnomad had released 2 stellar albums for Ripple Music, The Great Nothing (2018) and Sagan An Rymden (2020), both of which were prime examples of “heavy, psychedelic, 70s progressive doom rock”.
Standout Tracks: “Collapsing Pillars of the Earth” and “Omniverse.”
9. Hazemaze
Years Active: 2016 – 2022
Another Swedish import and, sadly, another that has gone on hiatus. Hazemaze fell on the doomier side of the psych-doom spectrum, with a heavy Black Sabbath influence on their riffs. Their last album, Blinded by the Wicked, was one hell of a note to go out on, though, and a worthy addition to their discography.
Standout Tracks: “Ethereal Disillusion,” “Beast and Prey,” and “Lord Cubensis.”
8. Smoke the Light
Years Active: 2021 – Present
This Long Island, New York-based group has only released one album, but Ego Death is one hell of a debut. The songs have more of a stoner-doom edge, but a psych influence is also going on.
Standout Tracks: “InHell” and “Detached.”
7. Slow Wake
Years Active: 2021 – Present
Slow Wake is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and released their debut album, Falling Fathoms, in May of this year. What I found impressive is that despite the length of these 4 tracks, they never feel boring or overindulgent. This is definitely a band to look out for, as they will have new things coming out this year.
Standout Track: “Controlled Burn”
6. Fostermother
Years Active: 2019 – Present
Now we travel to Houston and find Fostermother mixing doom and psych for the Ripple Music label. This three-piece only has 2 albums out, but both are quite good, notably their self-titled debut. “Destroyers” opens that album up and is one of several highlights on it.
Standout Tracks: “Destroyers,” “Unholiest of Days,” and “Hedonist.”
5. Problems with Dragons
Years Active: 2007 – Present
This band does nothing but improve over time, and Accelerationist is at the peak of its powers thus far. The music Problems with Dragons creates utilizes a little of everything we live for, doom, stoner, heavy psych, grunge, prog, metal, etc. Their latest album, Accelerationist, is fantastic, acting as the next logical step in the band’s evolution.
Standout Tracks: “Live by the Sword” and “In the Name of His Shadow.”
4. Ufomammut
Years Active: 1999 – Present
No list of this sort would be complete without Ufomammut on it. This Italian band of artists has been one of the founding fathers of the psych-doom genre; with its 15-album discography, they have also managed to gather a legion of fans who rabidly eat up whatever they put out. Their newest record, Fenice, is another excellent notch in their belt.
Standout Tracks: “Dust,” “Pyramid,” and many more.
3. Aawks
Years Active: 2019 – Present
This Ontario band is yet another one that I think is worthy of note despite their short existence. “Heavy on the Cosmic” appeared in the June 2002 Doom Charts, debuting at the lofty #2 position, which was well deserved. The music on this album is exactly what I think of when I hear the psych-doom tag being used, and it should appeal to any fan of great music.
Standout Tracks: “Beyond the Sun” and “All is Fine.”
2. Ruby the Hatchet
Years Active: 2011 – Present
I expected a full-on metal onslaught when I first heard the name Ruby the Hatchet, but what I got was so much better than that. This New Jersey-based band provides us with psych-doom that is heavy on the psych and will be instantly stuck in your head upon hearing them. My first experience with them was the 2017 Interplanetary Space Child album, but they have music going back to 2012. 2022 saw the release of Fear is a Cruel Master, further cementing their status as one of the best bands to do this type of music.
Standout Tracks: “Planetary Space Child,” “Primitive Man,” “Heavy Blanket,” and “Paralyzed.”
1. Clouds Taste Satanic
Years Active: 2013 – Present
I first heard Clouds Taste Satanic when they released The Glitter of Infinite Hell in 2017, and I was thrown aback by how they wrote their music. Based in Brooklyn, Clouds Taste Satanic releases magic with each new album by applying an excellent sense of writing instrumental music, a well-rounded mix of doom, psych, prog, stoner, metal, sludge, etc., and incredible musicianship. Their albums are always excellent, and with a new one called Tales of Demonic Possession on the way this January, you can be sure they’ll continue in that tradition.
Standout Tracks: “Flames and Demon Drummers” (Newest Single), “If You Doom Me Now” (Chicago Cover), “Second Sight,” and “Greed,” but for the sake of brevity, I’m going to end this list because I could add just about every track off of every album as standouts for me.
This article was written by Tom Hanno, who has been writing reviews for the last 7 years but has been sharing his love of music for the majority of his life. Originally starting out at the now defunct Chimera Magazine, he is currently contributing to Doomed and Stoned, The Sleeping Shaman, The Doom Charts, Tom’s Reviews, and The Third Eye. Read more of Tom’s reviews by checking out his Linktree.
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