diff --git a/head.go b/head.go
index 1347b75d9..22221ac73 100644
--- a/head.go
+++ b/head.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ package tsdb
 
 import (
 	"math"
+	"runtime"
 	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -186,6 +187,37 @@ func NewHead(r prometheus.Registerer, l log.Logger, wal WAL, chunkRange int64) (
 	return h, nil
 }
 
+// processWALSamples adds a partition of samples it receives to the head and passes
+// them on to other workers.
+// Samples before the mint timestamp are discarded.
+func (h *Head) processWALSamples(
+	mint int64,
+	partition, total uint64,
+	input <-chan []RefSample, output chan<- []RefSample,
+) (unknownRefs uint64) {
+	defer close(output)
+
+	for samples := range input {
+		for _, s := range samples {
+			if s.T < mint || s.Ref%total != partition {
+				continue
+			}
+			ms := h.series.getByID(s.Ref)
+			if ms == nil {
+				unknownRefs++
+				continue
+			}
+			_, chunkCreated := ms.append(s.T, s.V)
+			if chunkCreated {
+				h.metrics.chunksCreated.Inc()
+				h.metrics.chunks.Inc()
+			}
+		}
+		output <- samples
+	}
+	return unknownRefs
+}
+
 // ReadWAL initializes the head by consuming the write ahead log.
 func (h *Head) ReadWAL() error {
 	defer h.postings.ensureOrder()
@@ -195,8 +227,32 @@ func (h *Head) ReadWAL() error {
 
 	// Track number of samples that referenced a series we don't know about
 	// for error reporting.
-	var unknownRefs int
+	var unknownRefs uint64
+
+	// Start workers that each process samples for a partition of the series ID space.
+	// They are connected through a ring of channels which ensures that all sample batches
+	// read from the WAL are processed in order.
+	var (
+		n          = runtime.GOMAXPROCS(0)
+		firstInput = make(chan []RefSample, 300)
+		input      = firstInput
+	)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		output := make(chan []RefSample, 300)
+
+		go func(i int, input <-chan []RefSample, output chan<- []RefSample) {
+			unknown := h.processWALSamples(mint, uint64(i), uint64(n), input, output)
+			atomic.AddUint64(&unknownRefs, unknown)
+		}(i, input, output)
+
+		// The output feeds the next worker goroutine. For the last worker,
+		// it feeds the initial input again to reuse the RefSample slices.
+		input = output
+	}
 
+	// TODO(fabxc): series entries spread between samples can starve the sample workers.
+	// Even with bufferd channels, this can impact startup time with lots of series churn.
+	// We must not pralellize series creation itself but could make the indexing asynchronous.
 	seriesFunc := func(series []RefSeries) {
 		for _, s := range series {
 			h.getOrCreateWithID(s.Ref, s.Labels.Hash(), s.Labels)
@@ -207,21 +263,13 @@ func (h *Head) ReadWAL() error {
 		}
 	}
 	samplesFunc := func(samples []RefSample) {
-		for _, s := range samples {
-			if s.T < mint {
-				continue
-			}
-			ms := h.series.getByID(s.Ref)
-			if ms == nil {
-				unknownRefs++
-				continue
-			}
-			_, chunkCreated := ms.append(s.T, s.V)
-			if chunkCreated {
-				h.metrics.chunksCreated.Inc()
-				h.metrics.chunks.Inc()
-			}
+		var buf []RefSample
+		select {
+		case buf = <-input:
+		default:
+			buf = make([]RefSample, 0, len(samples)*11/10)
 		}
+		firstInput <- append(buf[:0], samples...)
 	}
 	deletesFunc := func(stones []Stone) {
 		for _, s := range stones {
@@ -234,13 +282,18 @@ func (h *Head) ReadWAL() error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if unknownRefs > 0 {
-		level.Warn(h.logger).Log("msg", "unknown series references in WAL samples", "count", unknownRefs)
-	}
+	err := r.Read(seriesFunc, samplesFunc, deletesFunc)
 
-	if err := r.Read(seriesFunc, samplesFunc, deletesFunc); err != nil {
+	// Signal termination to first worker and wait for last one to close its output channel.
+	close(firstInput)
+	for range input {
+	}
+	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "consume WAL")
 	}
+	if unknownRefs > 0 {
+		level.Warn(h.logger).Log("msg", "unknown series references in WAL samples", "count", unknownRefs)
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -1168,10 +1221,12 @@ func (s *memSeries) append(t int64, v float64) (success, chunkCreated bool) {
 		c = s.cut(t)
 		chunkCreated = true
 	}
+	numSamples := c.chunk.NumSamples()
+
 	if c.maxTime >= t {
 		return false, chunkCreated
 	}
-	if c.chunk.NumSamples() > samplesPerChunk/4 && t >= s.nextAt {
+	if numSamples > samplesPerChunk/4 && t >= s.nextAt {
 		c = s.cut(t)
 		chunkCreated = true
 	}
@@ -1179,7 +1234,7 @@ func (s *memSeries) append(t int64, v float64) (success, chunkCreated bool) {
 
 	c.maxTime = t
 
-	if c.chunk.NumSamples() == samplesPerChunk/4 {
+	if numSamples == samplesPerChunk/4 {
 		_, maxt := rangeForTimestamp(c.minTime, s.chunkRange)
 		s.nextAt = computeChunkEndTime(c.minTime, c.maxTime, maxt)
 	}
diff --git a/wal.go b/wal.go
index 9dc45c608..850ed9c9f 100644
--- a/wal.go
+++ b/wal.go
@@ -846,7 +846,7 @@ func (r *walReader) Read(
 		deletePool sync.Pool
 	)
 	donec := make(chan struct{})
-	datac := make(chan interface{}, 50)
+	datac := make(chan interface{}, 100)
 
 	go func() {
 		defer close(donec)