Exactly what it looks like: a massive, four-volume compilation of instrumental Doom.

On their Bandcamp profile, Doomed and Stoned is described this way: “Sharing the music and the stories of the heavy underground since 2013, Doomed & Stoned seeks to document the explosion in doom metal and stoner rock, two styles that have grown up together since the 1970s and exist today in incredible stylistic variation and artistic excellence.” Their website features interviews and new release reviews, and they also sponsor some amazing compilations. I am most enamored with The Instrumentalists Vols. 1-4.

There are 87 tracks altogether across four digital albums. I tried to calculate the total running time and my calculator melted. The included bands range from iconic Doom instrumentalists like Clouds Taste Satanic to many I am sure you have never heard of before – I heard dozens of bands for the first time on these albums. I’m not going to list all the bands here because there are too many and it’ll just look like a name salad. Hit the link below to see the details of what’s up.

I am a longtime fan of instrumental metal and I have written about it regularly. Any subgenre of heavy music can be expressed without vocals, and Doom is especially well-suited to an instrumental treatment. Desert-Stoner-Doom can roll endlessly on the broad river of sound that exists outside of the human voice. It is captivating and engaging in a short engagements and over the long haul. There is no downside.

Is it too much Doom? Ridiculous. Of course not. There is never too much doom. Instrumental Doom can be focused on as the center point of what you are doing or it can be played in the background in an endless variety of situations. With these compilations, you are going to be set for a while. Highly recommended.

All four volumes of The Instrumentalists are available now on Bandcamp.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://doomedandstoned.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DoomedStoned/

Doomed and Stoned, https://doomedandstoned.com/