Top 5 On Friday – My five current favorite bands with “Black” in their name
In honor of Black Friday in the United States, today’s Top 5 On Fridays is going to feature my five of my current favorite bands with the word “Black” in their name. The obvious granddaddy of them all is Black Sabbath. I wanted to keep the list in the riff rock genre and feature bands that are still active. I was lucky to find five bands that fit the criteria but I’m sure I might have forgotten about some. I tried to rank them in order of my preference currently, so here is goes!
BLACK LUNG
Black Lung formed in 2014 and is from Baltimore, Maryland. They play psychedelic doom metal/ rock and have released four full length albums to date: 2014’s Self Titled, 2016’s See The Enemy, 2019’s Ancients, and 2022’s Dark Waves. They also released an EP in 2023 called Friends and two singles in 2024, Let It Out and Fall In Line. The current lineup consists of: Dave Cavalier on guitar, vocals, and mellotron, Elias Schutzman on drums, percussion, mellotron, synthesizer, Dave Fullerton on guitar, and Charles Braese on bass. I just started listening to Black Lung a couple of months ago in preparation for their show at the Middle East, in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Kind, Howling Giant, and Mars Red Sky, on December 7th 2024. I really like everything that I have heard so far and can’t wait to see the band play live. They have releases on both Ripple Music and Heavy Psych Sounds and are set to release a new album in 2025.
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BLACK MOUNTAIN
Black Mountain is a Canadian psychedelic rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The band formed in 2004 and is currently composed of Stephen McBean on guitar, acoustic guitar, and vocals, Jeremy Schmidt on organ, synthesizer, mellotron, and keyboards, Adam Bulgasem on drums, Rachel Fannan on vocals, and Arjan Miranda on bass. Since forming in 2004, Black Mountain has released five LPs, 2005’s Self Titled, 2008’s In The Future,2010’s Wilderness Heart, 2016’s IV, and 2019’s Destroyer; two EPs and a number of singles too. I started listening to Black Mountain in 2009 when In The Future was just released. I really enjoyed their sound and have been a fan ever since.
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BLACK TUSK
Black Tusk, from Savannah, Georgia formed in 2005. They play heavy sludge metal/ hardcore. The current lineup consists of Andrew Fidler on guitar and vocals, James May on drums and vocals, Derek Lynch on bass and vocals, and Chris “Scary”Adams on guitar. Their discography is as follows: 2007’s The Fallen Kingdom, 2008’s Passage Through Purgatory, 2010’s Taste The Sin, 2011’s Set the Dial, 2016’s Pillars of Ash, 2018’s T.C.B.T., and 2020’s Years in Black. They also released three EPs including 2005’s When Kingdoms Fall , 2013’s Tend No Wounds, and 2014’s Vulture’s Eye, and various Split EPs with a few different bands. Their latest album, The Way Forward (review here) came out earlier this year and is a monster! Black Tusk has always stayed true to their heavy sound and have never compromised their style to fit into a particular mold. Whenever I feel like blowing off steam or want to listen to loud and aggressive music, they are one of the first bands I think about. My taste in music has mellowed a little throughout the years but these guys are still heavily in my playlist.
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BLACK ELEPHANT
Black Elephant is a heavy psychedelic rock band from Italy. They have been active since 2010 and have three full length albums, 2018’s Cosmic Blues, 2020’s Seven Swords, and the latest 2024’s The Fall Of The Gods (review here). The lineup consists of Alessio Caravelli on lead vocals and lead guitar, Massimiliano Giacosa on rhythm guitar, Marcello De Stefanis on bass, and Simone Brunzu on the drums. I really got into this band several months ago and love all of their releases. They are currently on Small Stone Records.
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BLACK RAINBOWS
Black Rainbows is definitely one of my favorite current bands. I discovered this band a couple of years ago and they are also from Italy. They play heavy stoner/ psychedelic rock with tons of groove and melody. The band consists of Gabriele Fiori on vocals and guitar, Edoardo “Mancio” Mancini on bass, and Filippo Ragazzoni on drums. Their recording discography is impressive and features: 2007’s Twilight in The Desert, 2010’s Carmina Diabolo, 2011’s Supermothafuzzalicious!!, 2013’s Holy Moon EP, 2015’s Hawkdope, 2016’s Stellar Prophecy, 2018’s Pandaemonium, 2020’s Cosmic Ritual Supertrip, 2023’s Superskull (review here), and 2024’s Nebula & Black Rainbows Split – In Search Of The Cosmic Tale:Crossing The Galactic Portal (review here), and other splits, live recordings, and singles. All of their releases are on Heavy Psych Sounds, guitarist/ vocalist Gabriele Fiori owns the record label. I also wrote a feature about my top five favorite 2023 releases and they were number two (review here). I can’t say enough great things about this band and I always look forward to hearing new music from them.
