While stoner and doom bands have always latched onto the weedian theme, there’s been a boom in the subgenre locally since 2012. On the eve of 4/20, a holiday that’s been celebrated in all its glory in Colorado well before it became legal to do so publicly (looking at you, Boulder), we've curated a list of Denver stoner bands to toke up to.
Green Druid
First up, Green Druid. As the name implies, the four-piece leans heavily into the whole dope-smoking metal thing, but its imagery, particularly the cover art for 2020’s At the Maw of Ruin, isn’t psychedelic or flowery. Quite the opposite, actually, so maybe don’t stare at it too long after taking a hit or two.
As the Green Druid dudes put it in the group’s bio, “The cosmic death lingers ever closer, looming in the back of all of our minds, channeled through our amps, drums and guitars. Playing these riffs is a form of life affirmation to us. To remind us that we are still alive and we have the power to wield our pain through the catalyst of our instruments.”
Maybe don't think too much about that, either.
Messiahvore
Messiahvore doesn’t necessarily display pot leaves or publicly encourage smoking grass, but the band’s brand of syrupy sludge helps it fit right into the stoner-rock realm. The group’s latest record, Transverse (2023), is a blend of mid-tempo groove and crunchy guitars that tickles the brain in all the right ways. Vocalist and guitarist Bart McCrorey, who has played in several local punk and rock bands over the years, explains that he “wanted to do something different, heavier, sludgier.”
Messiahvore is also loud AF, so be prepared to melt into the couch.
Hashstronaut
Then there’s Hashtronaut, a Denver band that fucking loves smoking weed. From press pics to the album cover of 2024 debut No Return, the four-piece proudly embraces its love of the sweet leaf. The music backs that up, too. Reminiscent of OG stoner-doom bands like Sleep, Hashtronaut likes to slow things down and blast listeners into an alternate reality. The voice of bassist and lead singer Daniel Smith is just so damn easy on the ears.
“While Earth has struggled with disease, violence and political upheaval, we have focused on collecting tones from the vastness of the void,” the four-piece shares in its band bio. “It is our hope that these tones will soothe the elevated mind, and help us all just chill the f*ck out, man. We are HASHTRONAUTS. Thank you for joining us on this voyage.”
Cryptic Witch
Speaking of going on sonic trips that ascend consciousness, Denver power trio Cryptic Witch first introduced its doom-drenched trilogy in 2023 with Summoning. The debut is filled with stoner riffs and distorted tones that metal potheads will more than happily get lost in when in the right state of mind. And just this month, the band shared a new single, "Abomination," from upcoming sophomore effort Eons of Chaos, set to be released on April 22.
While this type of music is inherently jammy, guitarist and vocalist Tommy Murello explains that Cryptic Witch is far from bands like the Grateful Dead. “We’re not a jam band, but we are a jam band,” he says with a laugh.
Stone Disciple
Sometimes it only takes two people to come up with a good idea, especially when they’re stoned. Denver’s Stone Disciple is a self-described “two-piece noisy doom outfit” that doesn’t let a lack of members hold it back when it comes to creating munchie-inducing metal.
Want to climb a mountain, but you’re too baked to stretch properly and go outside? Throw on Stone Disciple’s “Hollow Mountain,” a seven-plus-minute song that’ll have you peaking in more ways than one. The track is off the band’s 2017 EP of the same name, which also includes “Stoner” and “Groove Odyssey.”
You get the idea.
