Rickter scale of doom.

REVEREND BIZAARE Crush the Insects (Season of Mist)--Holding the title for best old-school doom masters of the trade. Obviously mentioned before, Reverend Bizarre preserves the bones of Black Sabbath, St Vitus, early Cathedral, and such. Crush the Insects reveals in doom glory but kept simple with no compromise and no surrender.

DEPRESSOR Book of the Dead 7"--I wanted to share the existence of this local-crusted, industrial-strength, thrash-grind unit. They have recently arranged their most skull splitting music to date and individually handcrafted the Book of the Dead that entombs the record. Each breathtaking, patiently hand-drawn, burnt-edge page features pictures and symbols to conjure evil (dead) up in your neighborhood. You won't find this on Amazon.com. Fun for the whole family.

HYATARI The Light Carriers (Earcahe)--Beyond my wildest expectations comes forth Hyatari. The first track, "Sheet of Flames," lurches into a SunnO))) drone-drenched excavation, then the percussion kicks in. I've heard others making King Crimson comparisons, but if your bag, such as mine, is Sleep and Buried at Sea heavy shit worship, then this will doom your world.

SHEAVY Republic? (Candlelight)--My favorite Canadian stoner doomsters are back. Republic? is no exception. Ozzy era trademark vocals and hard driving and doomy fuzz guitars. Billy Anderson has produced yet another gem of gems. I would say this is back to the basics for Sheavy, really straightforward rockin' and every song headbands it home.

RIGOR SARDONICUS Apocolypsis Damnare (Paragon)--This is the doom of doom by Doomscale standards. Disenchanting funeral honorarium of slow plodding death march rhythms and disemboweling vocals disseminate and rot the soul. Makes Theragothon's Stream from the Heavens seem like a family trip to the circus.