The Top 20 Albums of 2015 - As Chosen By You

2015 - what a year for new music...

It's safe to say the world's of doom, sludge & stoner have each had strong years - there's been so many incredible records, and be sure to check out some of the Heavy Planet writers top 20's in the coming days... But where would Heavy Planet be without YOU, our riff-hungry audience?

We thought it would be interesting to look at what albums you responded to this year, and rank them based on hits of their reviews... And give you another chance to discover that next killer band you've been looking for.

So here in all their glory are the top 20 records of 2015 as chosen by you...


20. 'Black Age Blues' by Goatsnake

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19. 'Radiant Moon' by WATCHTOWER

Read the review


18. Hawkdope by Black Rainbows 

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17. "Lore" by Elder

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16.  'Restarter' by Torche

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15. 'Sermonize' by Isaak

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14. 'I Am Heavy Metal, Who Are You?' by Omar

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13. 'Koza' by Koza

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12. 'To Dethrone A God 'by The Sun The Moon The Stars

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11. 'Chapter 1: A Long Time Coming' by Profane And The Sacred

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10. 'Cold Was The Ground' by The Midnight Ghost Train

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9. Overstaying My Welcome by Void Cruiser

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8. 'Solus' by Bardus

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7. 'Terminal' by Limb

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6. 'Before The Fog Covers The Mount' by 1886 

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5. 'Stereolithic Riffalocalypse' by Shepherd

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4. 'Gravitron' by The Atomic Bitchwax

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3. 'MagicMustache' by Black Pussy

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2. 'Home Is Where The Hatred Is' by Primitive Man

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1. 'Living Ghosts' by We Hunt Buffalo

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Thank you for your continued support of Heavy Planet, and most importantly the bands who put everything they have into making the music we go fucking nuts for...

Bring on 2016!

EP Review: Radiant Moon by WATCHTOWER

Australia are kicking up quite a fuss in the stoner/doom scene at the moment (just look towards Horsehunter for further proof), and Melbourne’s WATCHTOWER are here with their EP Radiant Moon to pummel home that fact with two tracks of unrelenting sludge glory guaranteed to wipe that smile off your comfortable face.

The four Aussies manage to pack more intense riffing and waves of suffocating doom into these two tracks than many bands of the same genre struggle to get into a full length, it’s the old cliché of quality of quantity, and where we say quality, we mean it! The band excel at the devastating brutal power of their music, cutting you up with the sharpest points of a blunt spade. Title track ‘Radiant Moon’ is a nine minute lesson in heaviness, combining all the best elements of scorched sludge vocals, droned over blankets of doom, all-the-while bowing down to waves of apocalyptic sized riffs many a mere mortal would collapse under.

The band’s playing is tight, concise, technical, always staying true to its aim, an altogether joy to experience. While the slightly shorter seven-minute track ‘Living Heads’, crafting its juggernaut pummelling riffs into the side of your temple, you begin to look to the future of WATCHTOWER and wonder if anyone could actually handle what a full-length record would consist of, but we sure as hell can’t wait to give it a go.

WATCHTOWER prove that you really can’t beat thick dirty loud heavy riffing when you’re in desperate need of some serious ass-whooping!

Vinyl is available for pre-order from the excellent Magnetic Eye Records now.

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