5 Best Stoner Metal Albums
While we may associate cannabis culture with the trailblazing guitar chops of Jimi Hendrix and the jangly, hours-long shows of the Grateful Dead, weed culture has risen to near ubiquity over the last 50 years to the point where we now know that all main-stream culture is touched by these funny little trees.
While even your dad might be rolling one up these days, there are still those who make their sheer love of marijuana their artistic muse. These avatars of Nordic-like gods, lurking in the shadows of bong-smoke and 200-Watt guitar amplifiers, far away from peace-loving tie-died hippies, wield extreme levels of fuzz, overdrive, and passionate lyrics to profess their screaming love of cannabis over deep, droning, and incredibly musically precise instrumentation.
Here are five albums best enjoyed through hi-fi speakers, glued to the couch, and mouth agape:
1. Master of Reality – Black Sabbath
One of the quintessential albums of stoner metal, if not rock in general is Black Sabbath’s 1971 “Master of Reality”.
Black Sabbath’s goliath front man Ozzy Osbourne is not just known for his love of marijuana, but nevertheless is a devoted fan of our favorite vegetable, especially in the form of London’s famous black hash which Osbourne was infamously fond of. This album features detuned instrumentation, profound societal skepticism, and of course, “Sweet Leaf”. You may have seen this album cover on a t-shirt, but make sure you see it in your record collection too.
Key Tracks: Sweet Leaf, Into the Void, Children of the Grave
2. Dopesmoker/Jerusalem – Sleep
Beyond the gargantuan reach of Black Sabbath, perhaps the first band that stoner rock initiates will recommend to the novice is Sleep’s 1999 “Dopesmoker”.
This composition of drawling yet sharp guitar licks and growly vocals is only an album to the extent that the work barely fits on a CD—the musical masterpiece in its original form is a continuous track that hovers around one-hour long depending on the realease. In fact, it is this peculiarity in length that kept the album in relative obscurity until long after it was recorded due to misguided record labels feeling like such a work could never be merchandised. While this beast of an album may have never topped pop charts, its epic saga of a clan of nomads dubbed “the Weedians” crossing a desert to deliver… weed! Drenched in biblical and cannabis motifs, this album is not to be underestimated.
Key Tracks: N/A
3. Gateway – Bongzilla
With an album title harkening to Ronald Regan’s failed “War on Drugs” Bongzilla’s 2001 “Gateway” includes samples of news clips featuring disinformation and propaganda on our once-maligned recreational and medicinal substance.
While you may wonder if Bongzilla is better visualized as a Japanese movie monster hitting a fat rip, or a water pipe the size of Tokyo, this album brings every bit of weed-loving stoner-metal intensity you would expect from the moniker. Thematically mixing pro-cannabis political themes with a deep appreciation of the ‘erb and a healthy dose of Satanic-Panic heavy metal, this is a great album to throw on to impress your friends and scare your mom.
Key Tracks: Greenthumb, 666lb Bongsession, Gateway
4. Witchcult Today – Electric Wizard
Witches, weed, and wizards, oh my! The deeply layered rhythm and lead guitars featured on Electric Wizard’s 2007 “Witchcult Today” will make you feel like you aren’t in Kansas anymore, even if you are in Kansas.
Electric Wizard is so revered among stoner metal enthusiasts that it was difficult to pick just one album. If melodic guitars, captivating leads, and overdriven, musically-delivered vocals are your bag, Electric Wizard will bring the heat like a lighter to a freshly-packed bowl of high-octane grass.
Key Tracks: Witchcult Today, Satanic Rites of Drugula, The Chosen Few
5. Blood Lust – Uncle Acid & The Deadheads
With a name like Uncle Acid & The Deadheads, this band may be fans of another popular molecule often featured right alongside THC in the annals of music history. Featuring screaming lead guitar-driven tracks, the band’s 2012 “Blood Lust” brings a fresh spin to the storied genre.
Including every bit of the fuzz and overdrive saturation of the other red-hot albums on this list, this LP will at times have you jumping around the room just as much as hypnotically swaying in space.
Key Tracks: I’ll Cut You Down, Death’s Door, Over and over Again