“Because Eleven is one louder”: Nikos Mixas (guitarist for Twingiant) choose his top 5 stoner picks

Phoenix, Arizona's loud and heavy, groove and growl band Twingiant, a recent addition to the Argonauta Records roster, formed in the spring of 2010 and since their inception, have refined its sound from their stoner/sludge rock template to incorporate 70’s rock based elements melded with a modern underground twist. Having released two independent LP’s “Mass Driver” & “Devil Down” in addition to an EP “Sin Nombre”, it was on the back of 2014’s “Devil Down” that the band began generate quite a buzz.

In May of 2015, Twingiantreleased their first video for the song “Tiger Lily” and in October of the same year, Twingiant successfully toured the Midwest United States in support of “Devil Down”.  They’ve also played Southwest Terror Fest twice in addition to Denver Doomfest.  In July of 2016, Twingiantwould re-enter the studio and record a two-song demo that showcases the band’s commitment to crafting their unique sound.  With plans to record an EP in the near future, today we have invited guitarist Nikos Mixas to head up a new feature we have called, “Because eleven is one louder”

Every so often we will invite our favourite band’s to choose their top 5 albums according to the genre their own band is known for.  Today it is stoner rock and here is Nikos from Twingiantto fill you in on the details. 

“The mighty Sludgelordasked me to list my top 5 stoner metal albums of all time and I feel honored to do so…but…I’ll preface my list choices by stating that I’m relatively new to the stoner metal party, and by new I mean I only started really digging into the genre about 10 years ago.  There’s not a Black Sabbath album included on my list, so what??? Fucking sue me or call me a poser if you don’t like it, I could care less. 


Music appreciation is a personal choice and I picked bands and albums that have either shaped or made an impression on me at some point.  I cut my teeth during the 80’s thrash and death metal scene and this may come as a shocker, but I absolutely love black metal the most out of all the genres of metal.  So without further adieu…here are my top 5 stoner metal albums.”    

1). Electric Wizard – “We Live” 

I almost picked “Dopethrone” because, well, it’s still the pinnacle of all EW’s albums. But because I’m a go against the grain type of guy, I picked “We Live”.  “We Live” is more of a haunting and moody album to me.  The whole album screams satanic ceremony and orgy fun time and I dig that shit. 

2). Melvins – “Lysol”

Melvins are heavy, this album is heavier.  It’s sorely underrated and for those that have heard it, regard it as a jewel in their catalog.   There’s a ton of KISSinfluence in there and the back story on it is amazing.  Read about it on Wikipedia…

3). Goatsnake – “Black Age Blues”

How dare I pick an album that isn’t regarded as a classic!  Well, maybe because they only have three full-lengths and I think this is their best effort by far.  The fucking tones on this thing are amazing and the riffage puts them on a plateau by themselves.  Pete Stahl is one of the best vocalists in metal hands down and he plays a mean harmonica to go with it.  

4). Fu Manchu – “Go For It…Live!”

Let me start by stating Fu Manchu > Kyuss.  OrangeCounty is cooler than the Palm Desertany day of the week.  All joking aside, I picked this album because it pretty much is a “best of” album and the live recording really captures the essence of the SoCal stoner metal/desert rock vibe.



5). Danava – “Hemisphere of Shadows”

These guys rip musically and this album is their thesis.  Riff upon riff, single note runs all over the place and great balance via the rhythm section.  If I get asked what stoner metal sounds like, I always refer them to this album.  Twingiant has had the privilege of opening for them before and I’ve seen them about a half-dozen times live.  They are the real deal, check them out!

Twingiant’s latest release is available here and for more info on the band check out the link below. 

Band info: facebook