9. Holy Mountain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suzBaclZGaE This Scottish three-piece emerged on the scene in 2012 with a penchant for old-school heavy metal and a desire to tear up any stage they were on with their brand of hard-hitting riffs and explosive cosmic atmospherics, making them a premier group in the stoner/desert rock genre. They didn't waste any time either on the mind numbing, anthropomorphous debut album Earth Measures, creating a vortex into other realms on tracks like the epically destructive, Hendrix inspired 'Swiftly F**kwits Pts I & 2' or the instant hit opener 'Gunner, showing the raw potential that this band had so early on in their career. They cranked the sound dials up even further in 2014 with the release of Ancient Astronauts, an album of unfathomable weight as evidenced by the darkly bewitching, blunt hammer blows of 'Star Kings' or the spaced out, vocal summoning of the title track - examples of just how expertly Holy Mountain weave their fantastic mythology into their musical output. The burning intensity of Holy Mountain's guitar playing is searing on the slow-moving, stone pillar '100 Miles A Day' or the breakneck speed transitioning, riff monster 'Gift Giver', helping to concoct a record of ear shattering bliss. Rumors suggest a new album will hit this year, making 2016 one to relish for fans of earthshaking, retro heaviness. Key Tracks: Kegs, Great Monkey, Ancient Astronauts, Star Kings, Tokyo
William Boyd
Contributor
Music Journalism graduate and freelance writer from Northern Ireland, who enjoys scouring the music archives for the best sounds from the past and present. Writer for the awesome publications WhatCulture, Metal Injection, Scribol, The Gamer, and Prefix.
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William