The purpose of this feature is to give you an unbiased and diverse look at what the StonerRock.com Community thought were the best albums released in the year 2003. Well, as diverse as possible considering that we`re mostly die-hard heavy rock fans! We`ve provided a total of 6 lists to ensure as much diversity as possible. The first list was compiled from a poll (via our Top 23 Albums of 2003 contest) conducted among the members of the StonerRock.com Community, the next 3 lists are from individual StonerRock.com Community Members (the 3 winners of the Top 23 Albums of 2003 contest), and the final 2 lists were compiled by the staff here at StonerRock.com. We hope these lists provide new fans with ideas for which albums they should pick up first and the die-hard fans with a list of great albums that they`re missing out on.
A great many of the albums listed below are available for purchase in our All That`s Heavy Online Music Store. Those that are available will be linked directly to that album in the store or you can just click here to go to the main page of the store. Sorry for the shameless self promotion but it`s the sales from the store that keep StonerRock.com online - if it weren`t for those sales we wouldn`t be able to bring you this feature. Please support StonerRock.com by doing some of your record shopping with us.
And now onto the feature, starting with the StonerRock.com Community Top 23 Albums of 2003.
StonerRock.com Community Top 23 Albums of 2003
Between January 1st and 31st, 2004 we ran a competition on StonerRock.com that our community members could enter by submitting their "Top 23 Albums of 2003" lists. This was run like a poll with very strict rules. There were hundreds upon hundreds of lists submitted and very very few were suspicious. Those that were were immediately deleted as per the competition rules. We then painstakingly went through every list and compiled a master list and then alloted points based on a strict and fair criteria. This took many days and we were extremely careful not to miss any submissions. We won`t reveal our system for determining the points because we don`t want people to cheat the next time we run a poll/competition like this but we will guarantee that this list is very accurate and gives you an almost perfect representation of what albums the StonerRock.com Community favors.
- Nebula - Atomic Ritual (3687 pts)
- Sleep - Dopesmoker (2458 pts)
- Fu Manchu - Go for It...Live! (2393 pts)
- The Hidden Hand - Divine Propaganda (2320 pts)
- Solace - 13 (2318 pts)
- Place of Skulls - With Vision (1999 pts)
- YOB - Catharsis (1986 pts)
- Dozer - Call It Conspiracy (1970 pts)
- Brant Bjork - Keep Your Cool (1930 pts)
- Desert Sessions - Vols 9 & 10 (1822 pts)
- Pelican - Australasia (1533 pts)
- Spirit Caravan - The Last Embrace (1528 pts)
- Grand Magus - Monument (1398 pts)
- Mondo Generator - A Drug Problem that Never Existed (1384 pts)
- Colour Haze - Los Sounds de Krauts (1377 pts)
- Clutch - Slow Hole to China: Rare and Unreleased (1286 pts)
- Dixie Witch - One Bird Two Stones (1221 pts)
- Black Label Society - The Blessed Hellride (1189 pts)
- Blind Dog - Captain Dog Rides Again (1187 pts)
- Dead Meadow - Shivering King and Others (1129 pts)
- Fireball Ministry - The Second Great Awakening (1044 pts)
- Pelican - Untitled EP (1002 pts)
- Throttlerod - Hell and High Water (952 pts)
Click here to view the Community Top Albums Master List - Contains all albums that were voted for by StonerRock.com Community Members in the "Top 23 Albums of 2003" contest....
Click here to view the Community Top 23 Albums of 2003 - Contains all of the individual entries submitted to our Top 23 Albums of 2003 contest!
Contest Winners Top Albums of 2003 Lists
In a random drawing Andras Millward (UK), Pierre-Yves Le Traon (France) and Ryan Volek (aka "r y n o") (USA) were selected as the 3 lucky winners of our "Top 23 Albums of 2003" contest. As part of their prizes (which also included their choice of any 10 items from our All That`s Heavy Online Music Store) their "Top 23 Albums of 2003" lists that they submitted are being included as part of this feature so here it is (NOTE: Only a top 10 list was *required* to enter the competition):
Andras Millard`s Top Albums of 2003
(Top 23 Albums of 2003 Contest Winner # 1)
In a year when I`d increasingly regressed to the early 70`s musically, listening more and more to classic stoner, rock and southern bands, 2003 restored my faith and rabid enthusiasm for "my" kind of music and reminded me that awesome, classic music is still being made today. Thunderous grooves, balls-out rock `n` roll and great blues and southern rock, it all was there for me in 2003. And not only that, two British bands stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the largely American and Scandinavian pack: the ferocious Black Flag-soaked stoner grooves of Winnebago Deal and the monstrous Kyuss-tinged riffs of Gonga (recently seen on tour here with Mondo Generator). Fired me into 2004 with all guns blazing, faith restored!
- Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood
- Gonga - Gonga
- Winnebago Deal - Plata O Plomo
- Nebula - Atomic Ritual
- Supersuckers - Motherfuckers Be Trippin`
- Grand Magus - Monument
- The Black Keys - Thickfreakness
- Dozer - Call It Conspiracy
- Five Horse Johnson - The Last Men on Earth
- Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
Pierre-Yves Le Traon`s Top Albums of 2003
(Top 23 Albums of 2003 Contest Winner # 2)
Some big names and big records for 2003 and even bigger things coming up for 2004! Stoner Rock is always getting more mature and versatile, and is now a genre to be reckoned with!
- Dozer - Call It Conspiracy
- Sunride - Through the Red
- Desert Sessions - Vols 9 & 10
- Nebula - Atomic Ritual
- Brant Bjork - Keep Your Cool
- Solace - 13
- Fireball Ministry - The Second Great Awakening
- Blind Dog - Captain Dog Rides Again
- Fu Manchu - Go for It...Live!
- Dead Meadow - Shivering King and Others
- Mondo Generator - A Drug Problem that Never Existed
- Camarosmith - Self Titled
- Baby Woodrose - Money for Soul
- Gallery of Mites - Bugs on the Bluefish
- Puny Human - It`s Not the Heat, It`s the Humanity
- Five Horse Johnson - The Last Men on Earth
- Throttlerod - Hell and High Water
- Spirit Caravan - The Last Embrace
- Sleep - Dopesmoker
- Milligram - This is a Class War
- El Caco - Solid Rest
- Gonzalez - Self Titled
Ryan Volek`s Top Albums of 2003
(Top 23 Albums of 2003 Contest Winner # 3)
So many good records came out in 2003, but these were the ones that left the deepest impressions.
- Nebula - Atomic Ritual
- Drunk Horse - Adult Situations
- YOB - Catharsis
- Place of Skulls - With Vision
- Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood
- Blind Dog - Captain Dog Rides Again
- Clutch - Slow Hole to China: Rare and Unreleased
- Dead Meadow - Shivering King and Others
- The Black Keys - Thickfreakness
- Widespread Panic - Ball
Robwrong`s Top 23 Albums of 2003
(Rob is an official reviewer/writer for StonerRock.com)
This year was a no brainer, YOB ruled period. I have probably listened to Catharsis to the point that I know every single note, squeak and noise on the record second by second. Not only was Catharsis my pick for the best album of 2003, I`d say that it is a pretty serious contender for one of my all time favorite albums. I know that there are a several of you that would disagree, but YOB is one of the best bands to happen to the Stoner Rock genre ever and it has nothing to do with Oregon pride... I got a hold of these guys after I had heard their demo. YOB has staying power and believe me, they are here to stay and slay for years to come. Other surprises this year were for me the throttling power of Unearthly Trance, and out of nowhere Starchild pops up...although the latter CD`s weren`t 2nd and 3rd on my list, they definitely spun my head around upon the first listen. Anyhow, this has been a great year for music and am stoked that I am lucky enough to hear it all...Viva la Stoner Rock!
- YOB - Catharsis
- Place of Skulls - With Vision
- Sleep - Dopesmoker
- Throttlerod - Hell and High Water
- Solace - 13
- Starchild - Self Titled
- Planet Gemini - SuperGod DevilMan
- The Bevis Frond - New River Head (re-issue)
- The Hidden Hand - Divine Propaganda
- Zen - The Sound of Shit Happening
- Unearthly Trance - Season of Seance, Science of Silence
- Sonic Flower - Self Titled
- Sofa King Killer - Lust, Crime and Holiness
- Drunk Horse - Adult Situations
- Cable - Northern Failures
- Dixie Witch - One Bird Two Stones
- Boogieman - Triple Six Blues
- Bangtwister - The Moon on a Stick
- Frame - Closer to the Myth Than Zero
- Murder 1 - On High
- Mandra Gora Lightshow Society - Lucile`s Grotesque Diary
- Eternal Elysium/Of the Spacistor - Split CD
- Dead Meadow - Shivering King and Others
El Danno`s Top 23 Albums of 2003
This year I was especially ambitious and anal about making my list as perfect and sincere as possible. At some point in time around mid-October I decided to print out a list of every single new-release album that we had added to our All That`s Heavy Online Music Store during 2003 and I literally listened (and re-listened and relistened) to every one of them. As new albums were released in October, November and December, they were also added to my list and listened (and re-listened and relistened) to. In the end there were over 300 releases on that list and I tried to give every one of them a fair and ubiased listen. My list below is simply made up of albums that I love with zero regard for legendary-status or hype. In your eyes there may be glaring omissions on a list that belongs to the owner of StonerRock.com. Well, all I have to say to you about that is that I don`t love those albums that you`re thinking of quite as much as I love these ones. It`s as simple and honest as that.
I`m a huge fan of cohesive, intricately written, creative and filler-free albums. All of the releases on my list definitely fit that description precisely, except for the Witchcraft 7" of course. The Witchcraft 7" made my list because the 2 songs on that single are really seriously fucking good songs! So good that I feel that they stand on their own next to the other full length albums on my list. The common thread that you`ll find between all of the bands on my list is their top-shelf song writing abilities.
- Big Elf - Hex
- Dozer - Call It Conspiracy
- Gallery of Mites - Bugs on the Bluefish
- Baby Woodrose - Money for Soul
- YOB - Catharsis
- Planet Gemini - SuperGod DevilMan
- Mermaid - Red Led or Death
- Drunk Horse - Adult Situations
- Rebreather - Half Speed Ahead
- Colour Haze - Los Sounds de Krauts
- Witchcraft - No Angel or Demon (7 inch)
- Golden Pig Electric Blues Band - Self Titled
- Wallrus - The Wind Blows Witches from the Sky
- Shovelhead - Red Sky Horizon
- Zen - The Sound of Shit Happening
- Greenleaf - Secret Alphabets
- Nebula - Atomic Ritual
- Keelhaul - Subject to Change Without Notice
- Khanate - Things Viral
- Monkey3 - Self Titled
- Dead Meadow - Shivering King and Others
- On Trial - Blinded by the Sun
- Carrion - The Crime of Idle Hands
