Stoner rock
Encyclopedia
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal
, combining elements of psychedelic rock
, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal
. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo
and features a bass
-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by the California
n bands Kyuss
and Sleep
.
compilation Burn One Up! Music for Stoners. Desert rock
is also used somewhat interchangeably as a descriptor, and was purportedly coined by a MeteorCity Records intern, sometime around the time the label released the 1998 stoner rock compilation Welcome To Meteor City.
Due to the similarities between stoner and sludge metal
, there is often a crossover between the two genres. This hybrid has traits of both styles, but generally avoids stoner metal's positive atmosphere and its usage of psychedelia. Bands such as Bongzilla
, Weedeater
, High on Fire
and Electric Wizard
have been reported to fuse both styles.
is considered one of the pioneers of the style, as Allmusic author, Greg Prato, put it, "When talks about 'stoner rock' come up, one band that tends to get overlooked is Blue Cheer." Piero Scaruffi
has stated that the band's first album, Vincebus Eruptum
, "introduced a terrifying sound (deafening guitar and bass amplification), that predated stoner-rock by 25 years." Rolling Stone
claims, "What stoner rock delivers, slowed down and magnified, is the riff, the persistent legacy of Mississippi blues. Led Zeppelin
, Deep Purple
and Black Sabbath
were the first to make a monolith of it." Sir Lord Baltimore
have been called "the godfathers of stoner rock" and Leafhound have been cited for influencing countless bands in the stoner rock movement including Kyuss
and Monster Magnet
. Primevil
's album Smokin' Bats at Campton's has been called a "touchstone" of stoner rock.
Allmusic summarizes this fusion as follows:
However, Josh Homme and John Garcia shrugged the heavy metal influence and instead cite punk rock
and hardcore punk
as influence. In particular the sludgy hardcore of Black Flag
's My War
album.
in 1988, Soundgarden
have been called the standard-bearers of stoner rock during the 1990s. During the early–mid 1990s, a number of Californian bands developed the style that would be called stoner rock. In 1992, Kyuss
emerged from the Palm Desert Scene
with Blues for the Red Sun
, which is often regarded as the first stoner rock/metal album. Critics have hailed it as "a major milestone in heavy music," while NME
described their music as an attempt to figuratively melt "a hundredweight of hot desert sand into metal". In 1992, San Jose doom metallers Sleep
released their album Sleep's Holy Mountain. It became a favourite of the heavy metal press and the band was heralded, along with Kyuss, as leaders of the emerging stoner scene. These two bands were the first to introduce a "trippy" groove to their doom
-influenced sound. During the same year, New Jersey
's Monster Magnet
released their debut album Spine of God
, which displayed fewer metal influences but was psychedelic and sludgy, in the vein of their Californian peers. In 1994, San Francisco's Acid King
and Britain's Acrimony
released their debut albums, both of which adopted this psychedelic approach to doom metal. The latter are regarded as pioneers of the British stoner scene, which has since seen the rise of notable bands such as Orange Goblin
.
broke up in 1995, with many of the members going on to form new projects with stoner rock traits.
In 1997 Roadrunner Records
released the stoner rock compilation Burn One Up! Music for Stoners, which included tracks by bands such as Fu Manchu
, Celestial Season
, The Heads, and notably a track by a new band named Queens of the Stone Age
, which included former Kyuss member Josh Homme.
In August of 1997 Josh Homme
founded The Desert Sessions
in Joshua Tree, California
. The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, and the first rendition included members from Monster Magnet
, Goatsnake
, earthlings?
, Kyuss, and Soundgarden
. The result of the session was Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music For Felons
. Over the years artists such as Brant Bjork
, PJ Harvey
, Dean Ween
and many others from the Palm Desert scene
have contributed as songwriters and musicians.
In September of 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, Jadd Shickler (of stoner band Spiritu) and Aaron Emmel founded the online store called All That's Heavy, which sold hard-to-find releases of Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and Fu Manchu
. They soon expanded the catalog to include artists that stylistically fit with the first three bands. After half a year they were contacted by the former proprietor for the first Kyuss fan website, who recommended All That's Heavy do a compilation of unsigned bands that Kyuss fans would enjoy. The result of the suggestion was the formation of MeteorCity Records and the release of the compilation Welcome to MeteorCity, which was released in May of 1998. The compilation included established desert and stoner rock acts, including new bands established by John Garcia
of Kyuss, Ed Mundell
of Monster Magnet, and Pete Stahl of Goatsnake. The album was the first time that the new stoner rock bands Sixty Watt Shaman
, Lowrider
, The Atomic Bitchwax
, Dozer
, Goatsnake, Drag Pack, and Los Natas
were heard on a record. According to MeteorCity founders,
The label soon signed a number of musicians and bands from the Palm Desert Scene
of desert rock, such as Hermano and Unida
, both featuring former Kyuss frontman John Garcia
. Swedish stoner rock bands such as Lowrider, Dozer and The Mushroom River Band
were also signed to MeteorCity and exported.
The Atomic Bitchwax which features Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell, and the The Hidden Hand and Spirit Caravan
and led by Obsessed
/St. Vitus guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinreich
began to gain in popularity.
As the scene continued to develop, the popular website StonerRock.com was launched in 1999. The website became a central community hub for heavy music artists and fans.
released their breakthrough album Rated R
, which helped bring the stoner rock sound into the mainstream. Songs for the Deaf
, their next release in 2002, cemented the genre's popularity, with a single from the album peaking at #1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks.
Another label focusing on the international stoner rock scene was Small Stone Records
, which released a number of compilation albums of stoner rock bands doing covers of 1970s music, including Right in the Nuts: A Tribute to Aerosmith (2000), Sucking the 70s (2002), and Sucking the 70's - Back in the Saddle Again
(2006).
In 2002 the Orquesta Del Desierto
was formed featuring key members of the major desert rock bands, and released two albums.
StonerRock.com continued until 2010, when it went offline. Much of the online stoner rock and sludge metal
community began going to sites such as theobelisk.net instead.
Since Kyuss' break-up, the success of the bandmates' other projects has caused the Kyuss back catalogue to become more widely listened to and their fanbase has inevitably swelled. The sound has been continued on by directly descendant bands Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano, Mondo Generator
, Fort
, Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork and the Bros, and at times by Queens of the Stone Age, who have since largely departed from Kyuss' stoner rock sound, and reject the label, preferring the term "desert rock".
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, combining elements of psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
and features a bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n bands Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
and Sleep
Sleep (band)
Sleep is a stoner doom metal band from San Jose, California. Active during the 1990s, Sleep earned critical and record label attention early in their career. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on heavy metal...
.
Terminology
The descriptor "stoner rock" is thought to originate from the title of the 1997 Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
compilation Burn One Up! Music for Stoners. Desert rock
Palm Desert Scene
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
is also used somewhat interchangeably as a descriptor, and was purportedly coined by a MeteorCity Records intern, sometime around the time the label released the 1998 stoner rock compilation Welcome To Meteor City.
Due to the similarities between stoner and sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
, there is often a crossover between the two genres. This hybrid has traits of both styles, but generally avoids stoner metal's positive atmosphere and its usage of psychedelia. Bands such as Bongzilla
Bongzilla
Bongzilla is a stoner metal band from Madison, Wisconsin. As their name suggests, most of their material is related to marijuana and promotes its legalization. The band formed in 1995, and over the next three years recorded and released a dozen songs on EPs and split singles...
, Weedeater
Weedeater (band)
Weedeater is a sludge metal band formed in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1997 with members from the recently defunct Buzzov•en. The band has released four full length albums...
, High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
and Electric Wizard
Electric Wizard
Electric Wizard are a stoner metal band from Dorset, England that formed in 1993. The band have since recorded seven albums, at least three of which are now considered to be landmarks of their genre: their self-title debut, Electric Wizard, Come My Fanatics..., and Dopethrone...
have been reported to fuse both styles.
Influences (1960s–mid 1980s)
Like most subgenres of music, the origins of stoner rock are hard to trace and pinpoint. Nevertheless, stoner rock has its known progenitors and signature songs that helped shape the genre. Blue CheerBlue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
is considered one of the pioneers of the style, as Allmusic author, Greg Prato, put it, "When talks about 'stoner rock' come up, one band that tends to get overlooked is Blue Cheer." Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
has stated that the band's first album, Vincebus Eruptum
Vincebus Eruptum
-Personnel:Blue Cheer*Dickie Peterson – vocals, bass*Leigh Stephens – guitar*Paul Whaley – drumsAdditional personnel*Abe "Voco" Kesh – production*John MacQuarrie – engineering*John Van Hamersveld – photography...
, "introduced a terrifying sound (deafening guitar and bass amplification), that predated stoner-rock by 25 years." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
claims, "What stoner rock delivers, slowed down and magnified, is the riff, the persistent legacy of Mississippi blues. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
were the first to make a monolith of it." Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore is a pioneering American heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1968 by lead vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bass player Gary Justin. They are notable for the fact that a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, contained the first...
have been called "the godfathers of stoner rock" and Leafhound have been cited for influencing countless bands in the stoner rock movement including Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
and Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
. Primevil
Primevil (band)
Primevil were a short-lived, American rock group of the 1970s. Their lone release, Smokin' Bats at Campton's, has been described as "a bona fide stoner rock touchstone" and was later reissued in 2006. In 2007 the group were mentioned in an article in Classic Rock magazine titled, "The Lost Pioneers...
's album Smokin' Bats at Campton's has been called a "touchstone" of stoner rock.
Allmusic summarizes this fusion as follows:
Stoner metal bands updated the long, mind-bending jams and ultra-heavy riffs of bands like Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Blue CheerBlue CheerBlue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
, Blue Öyster CultBlue Öyster CultBlue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
, and HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
by filtering their psychedelia-tinged metal and acid rock through the buzzing sound of early Sub PopSub PopSub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
-style grunge.
However, Josh Homme and John Garcia shrugged the heavy metal influence and instead cite punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
as influence. In particular the sludgy hardcore of Black Flag
Black Flag
Black Flag may refer to:* A flag that is black: see List of black flags* The black flag, an international symbol in anarchist symbolism* Black Liberation Flag...
's My War
My War
My War is the second full length album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. It was released in 1984 on SST Records.Black Flag's founder and primary songwriter Greg Ginn played bass guitar in addition to his usual guitar; "Dale Nixon" is a pseudonym.My War was released after a long period...
album.
Early development (late 1980s-1990s)
Releasing their first albumUltramega OK
Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 through SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life , and Fopp , both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with the independent record label SST and went to work...
in 1988, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
have been called the standard-bearers of stoner rock during the 1990s. During the early–mid 1990s, a number of Californian bands developed the style that would be called stoner rock. In 1992, Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
emerged from the Palm Desert Scene
Palm Desert Scene
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
with Blues for the Red Sun
Blues for the Red Sun
Blues for the Red Sun is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Kyuss, released in 1992. While the album received mainly favorable reviews, it sold only 39,000 units....
, which is often regarded as the first stoner rock/metal album. Critics have hailed it as "a major milestone in heavy music," while NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
described their music as an attempt to figuratively melt "a hundredweight of hot desert sand into metal". In 1992, San Jose doom metallers Sleep
Sleep (band)
Sleep is a stoner doom metal band from San Jose, California. Active during the 1990s, Sleep earned critical and record label attention early in their career. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on heavy metal...
released their album Sleep's Holy Mountain. It became a favourite of the heavy metal press and the band was heralded, along with Kyuss, as leaders of the emerging stoner scene. These two bands were the first to introduce a "trippy" groove to their doom
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
-influenced sound. During the same year, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
released their debut album Spine of God
Spine of God
Spine of God is the debut album by American rock band Monster Magnet, released in 1992. It is the band's first official full-length album and one of the earliest examples of the genre of stoner rock....
, which displayed fewer metal influences but was psychedelic and sludgy, in the vein of their Californian peers. In 1994, San Francisco's Acid King
Acid King
Acid King is a stoner metal band from San Francisco, California. It was formed in 1993 by frontwoman Lori S., drummer Joey Osbourne and bassist Peter Lucas. Acid King have since recorded three studio albums and three EPs with a series of bassists....
and Britain's Acrimony
Acrimony
Acrimony was a British stoner metal band who were active during the 1990s. Releasing their debut album in 1994, they are regarded as the pioneers of stoner metal in the United Kingdom, and an important influence upon the scene...
released their debut albums, both of which adopted this psychedelic approach to doom metal. The latter are regarded as pioneers of the British stoner scene, which has since seen the rise of notable bands such as Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin are a stoner metal band from the United Kingdom that formed in 1995. The band's lineup currently consists of singer Ben Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, bassist Martyn Millard, and drummer Chris Turner.-History:...
.
Middle years (1995-1999)
KyussKyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
broke up in 1995, with many of the members going on to form new projects with stoner rock traits.
In 1997 Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
released the stoner rock compilation Burn One Up! Music for Stoners, which included tracks by bands such as Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu (band)
Fu Manchu is a Southern Californian stoner rock band, who released their debut single "Kept Between Trees" in 1990. They have been featured on compilations put together by Tony Hawk and ESPN's X Games, and invited to perform on the US television program Monster Garage...
, Celestial Season
Celestial Season
Celestial Season is a Dutch heavy metal band. They were formed in 1991 as a doom/death metal band along the lines of My Dying Bride. They have been described as doom metal, death/doom, stoner rock/metal and goth. Celestial Season disbanded in 2002....
, The Heads, and notably a track by a new band named Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, which included former Kyuss member Josh Homme.
In August of 1997 Josh Homme
Joshua Homme
Joshua Michael Homme is an American rock musician, and record producer. He was the guitarist and a founding member of the stoner metal band Kyuss, as well as the founding and only continuous member of the hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age , in which he sings, plays guitar, and serves as the...
founded The Desert Sessions
The Desert Sessions
The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Jeordie White The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Jeordie White The Desert Sessions are...
in Joshua Tree, California
Joshua Tree, California
Joshua Tree is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2010 census, up from 4,207 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Joshua Tree is located in the Mojave Desert at ....
. The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, and the first rendition included members from Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
, Goatsnake
Goatsnake
-Biography:Goatsnake was formed in 1996 after the disbanding of The Obsessed. After The Obsessed's disbanding, the rhythm section consisting of Guy Pinhas on bass and Greg Rogers on drums began jamming with guitarist Greg Anderson )))...
, earthlings?
Earthlings?
Earthlings? are a psychedelic rock band based in Joshua Tree, California. The band includes members from Queens of the Stone Age, Desert Sessions, Eagles of Death Metal, Kyuss, Masters of Reality, Goatsnake, The Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, Yellow#5, Legal Weapon, Sea Hags, Modifiers, Orquesta...
, Kyuss, and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. The result of the session was Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music For Felons
Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music for Felons
The first The Desert Sessions LP, titled Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music for Felons, was released in 1997 on 10-inch blue vinyl.-Track listing & Personnel:Side AA:1. "Girl Boy Tom"*Drums: Alfredo*Bass: Dav Catching*Guitar: McBain...
. Over the years artists such as Brant Bjork
Brant Bjork
Brant Bjork is an American musician from Palm Desert, California, who is a drummer, producer, guitarist and one of the more notable figures in the stoner rock and Palm Desert scenes.-Early career and Kyuss:...
, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
, Dean Ween
Dean Ween
Dean Ween is the stage name of Michael "Mickey" Melchiondo, Jr., American guitarist and half of the alternative rock group Ween.-Biography:...
and many others from the Palm Desert scene
Palm Desert Scene
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
have contributed as songwriters and musicians.
In September of 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, Jadd Shickler (of stoner band Spiritu) and Aaron Emmel founded the online store called All That's Heavy, which sold hard-to-find releases of Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu (band)
Fu Manchu is a Southern Californian stoner rock band, who released their debut single "Kept Between Trees" in 1990. They have been featured on compilations put together by Tony Hawk and ESPN's X Games, and invited to perform on the US television program Monster Garage...
. They soon expanded the catalog to include artists that stylistically fit with the first three bands. After half a year they were contacted by the former proprietor for the first Kyuss fan website, who recommended All That's Heavy do a compilation of unsigned bands that Kyuss fans would enjoy. The result of the suggestion was the formation of MeteorCity Records and the release of the compilation Welcome to MeteorCity, which was released in May of 1998. The compilation included established desert and stoner rock acts, including new bands established by John Garcia
John Garcia
John Garcia may refer to:*John Garcia , American psychologist*John David Garcia , American ethicist*John Garcia , American rock singer...
of Kyuss, Ed Mundell
Ed Mundell
Ed Mundell is a rock guitarist most notable for his work with stoner rock group Monster Magnet from 1992 to 2010. In 2011, it was announced that Mundell had formed a new project, 9 Chambers, with Greg Hampton , Jorgen Carlsson , and drummer Vinny Appice .-Bio:Mundell grew up in New Jersey and is a...
of Monster Magnet, and Pete Stahl of Goatsnake. The album was the first time that the new stoner rock bands Sixty Watt Shaman
Sixty Watt Shaman
Sixty Watt Shaman is an American heavy metal band originally based out of Baltimore, Maryland. The genre of music they are often associated with is stoner rock or stoner metal. They formed in 1996 and recorded and released their first studio album in 1998. The band last recorded in 2002 and last...
, Lowrider
Lowrider (band)
Lowrider is a Swedish stoner rock band, formed in the mid-1990s by bassist/singer Peder Bergstrand and lead guitarist/singer Ole Hellquist, along with guitarist Niclas Stalfors and drummer Andreas Eriksson....
, The Atomic Bitchwax
The Atomic Bitchwax
The Atomic Bitchwax is a stoner rock band started in 1992 in New Jersey. It started as essentially a "super band" of key members of the notable stoner rock and doom metal bands Godspeed, Monster Magnet, and Core.-History:...
, Dozer
Dozer
Dozer is a stoner rock band from Sweden.- Early years :Dozer was formed in Borlänge, Sweden in 1995, playing local youth centres and supporting any bands that came to their hometown. In 1998 the band recorded a Split EP with the American band Unida...
, Goatsnake, Drag Pack, and Los Natas
Los Natas
Los Natas or Natas is an Argentinian stoner rock band. In their latest releases they have been steering away from the genre and leaning towards a more experimental sound coined by them as free rock.-Band:...
were heard on a record. According to MeteorCity founders,
The label soon signed a number of musicians and bands from the Palm Desert Scene
Palm Desert Scene
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
of desert rock, such as Hermano and Unida
Unida
Unida was an American stoner rock band that was formed after the dissolution of Kyuss and Slo Burn. The band originally consisted of John Garcia , Arthur Seay , Miguel Cancino and Dave Dinsmore . Dinsmore was later replaced by Scott Reeder, who was in turn replaced by Eddie Plascencia...
, both featuring former Kyuss frontman John Garcia
John Garcia
John Garcia may refer to:*John Garcia , American psychologist*John David Garcia , American ethicist*John Garcia , American rock singer...
. Swedish stoner rock bands such as Lowrider, Dozer and The Mushroom River Band
The Mushroom River Band
The Mushroom River Band was a Swedish stoner rock/hard rock/heavy metal group that existed from 1996-2004. During that time they put out an EP and two full-length albums as well as appearing on several compilations...
were also signed to MeteorCity and exported.
The Atomic Bitchwax which features Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell, and the The Hidden Hand and Spirit Caravan
Spirit Caravan
Spirit Caravan was a Maryland doom/stoner metal band featuring the guitarist and vocalist Scott Weinrich.-Biography:Scott "Wino" Weinrich formed Spirit Caravan after the breakup of The Obsessed. The remainder of the band consisted of Dave Shermann on bass and vocals; and Gary Isom on drums...
and led by Obsessed
The Obsessed
The Obsessed is a doom metal band from Maryland led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich, who also fronted Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls, The Hidden Hand and W.I.N.O.. Formed in 1976, they first split up in 1986 when Wino Saint Vitus, but reformed four years later...
/St. Vitus guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinreich
Scott Weinrich
Robert Scott "Wino" Weinrich is a doom metal guitarist and vocalist. Active since 1976, when he started his first band War Horse, Weinrich is best known for being the frontman and guitarist of the doom metal bands The Obsessed and Saint Vitus...
began to gain in popularity.
As the scene continued to develop, the popular website StonerRock.com was launched in 1999. The website became a central community hub for heavy music artists and fans.
Mainstream exposure (2000-present)
In June of 2000, Josh Homme's new project Queens of the Stone AgeQueens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
released their breakthrough album Rated R
Rated R (Queens of the Stone Age album)
Rated R is the second studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age. It was released on June 6, 2000 through Interscope Records. Rated R was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It peaked at number 16 on the Top Heatseekers and reached high...
, which helped bring the stoner rock sound into the mainstream. Songs for the Deaf
Songs for the Deaf
-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
, their next release in 2002, cemented the genre's popularity, with a single from the album peaking at #1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks.
Another label focusing on the international stoner rock scene was Small Stone Records
Small Stone Records
Small Stone Records is an American record label based in Detroit, MI. It was founded in 1995 by Scott Hamilton and is a self-dubbed "heavy rock" label...
, which released a number of compilation albums of stoner rock bands doing covers of 1970s music, including Right in the Nuts: A Tribute to Aerosmith (2000), Sucking the 70s (2002), and Sucking the 70's - Back in the Saddle Again
Sucking the 70's - Back in the Saddle Again
Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle is a follow-up album to the 2002 compilation Sucking the 70's. It was released in 2006 by Small Stone Records...
(2006).
In 2002 the Orquesta Del Desierto
Orquesta del Desierto
Orquesta del Desierto is an American desert rock band from the Palm Desert, California. Founded upon music inspired and written by producer Dandy Brown , members of the band include or have included vocalist Pete Stahl , drummer Alfredo Hernández , guitarist Mario Lalli and guitarists Mike...
was formed featuring key members of the major desert rock bands, and released two albums.
StonerRock.com continued until 2010, when it went offline. Much of the online stoner rock and sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
community began going to sites such as theobelisk.net instead.
Since Kyuss' break-up, the success of the bandmates' other projects has caused the Kyuss back catalogue to become more widely listened to and their fanbase has inevitably swelled. The sound has been continued on by directly descendant bands Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano, Mondo Generator
Mondo Generator
Mondo Generator is an American metal/punk hybrid band founded in 1997 by Nick Oliveri. The name of the band originated when Brant Bjork spray-painted the words on the side of Oliveri's Sunn amplifier. Mondo means "world" in Italian...
, Fort
Fort (band)
Fort are a stoner/psychedelic/hard rock five-member band from the northern New South Wales coastal town of Byron Bay, Australia.- History :...
, Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork and the Bros, and at times by Queens of the Stone Age, who have since largely departed from Kyuss' stoner rock sound, and reject the label, preferring the term "desert rock".
See also
- Palm Desert ScenePalm Desert SceneThe Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
- Doom metalDoom metalDoom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
- GrungeGrungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...