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Musipedia Of Metal
A View From The Back Of The Room: Cardinal Black (Matt Bladen)
Cardinal Black & Nathan O'Regan, The Great Hall, Cardiff Students Union, 01.11.25
Occasionally you get to do something that doesn't involve, growl, widdly guitars solos and dude wearing all black. Despite being a metal blog we've never exclusively featured one genre and will happily give any band that fits into the rock/blues/etc. Maybe I should change the name but after 14 years that will lead to confusion.I'm rambling.What in trying to say is that we do get to go to nights that full of joy and light and plenty of soul too. This was one of those nights. After spending the previous evening at an eclectic selection of metal bands with a Halloween theme, heading into Cardiff Student Union felt a bit more civilised a bit more grown up.
However how wrong I was as no matter how good the performers were the crowd were abysmal, genuinely one of the worst behaved crowd I've ever been a part of. Talking really loudly over the quiet bits, of which there were few as it's all quite dynamic and emotive. There drinking to massive excess and even one next to sarcastically saying aww when a band member was talking about his father passing away.
He was swiftly told where to get off with the acronym G.F.Y by me but he wasn't the only one as it seemed this was a crowd, at least round near the back using the night as an excuse to just get pissed up with some live music in the background, which is disrespectful, not only to the fans that wanted to watch the band but also to the performers themselves. I will also say that it was those in the 45+ category who were the worst culprits.
Back to the music and the night began with the brilliant Nathan O'Regan (8) a man who according to Tom from the headliners, they found in a bar in Northern Ireland, this of course was said with tongue firmly in his cheek, but Nathan took to the stage with his acoustic guitar and light up name box to a warm applause.
Originally from Cork but now living in Belfast, which gives him an accent he said "makes his dad cry." His songs are intimate tales drawn from his life, each one explained to the crowd to tell the story behind them. Be it about becoming a dad or losing a friend, he plays with conviction and sings brilliantly, a voice full of emotion that soars through the venue.
Nathan is a special performer, visibly nervous from playing to the biggest crowd he has ever had, there was a bit of distance from the crowd at first but following a cover of Thunderstruck (which was brilliant) most were on side.
A perfect beginning to the night, setting the vibe just right for what was to come, Nathan O'Regan was hand chosen as the tour opener for these UK dates and gained a lot of new fans in the process.
It was time for the headliners though and Cardinal Black (10) took to the stage like conquering heroes, a rapturous applause but no show boating just the band walking on stage to a home country crowd. Hailing from all over South Wales, the roots of the band were planted in the Tom Hollister Trio many years ago but since then guitarist Chris Buck has been lifting stages with Buck & Evans and showcasing why he may be one of the finest guitarists around today.
In the pandemic years Tom and Chris reconnected musically and this is where Cardinal Black has stemmed from, soulful, rock n roll that takes from gospel music, Americana and the blues, blurring the lines between the USA and their own Welsh heritage.Having just been on a month long American tour, this Cardiff show was the culmination of their UK run of dates, giving them some time at home. They said they were there to have fun and the banter between Tom and the other members of the band, especially Chris was warm and light hearted even going as far as embarrassing his wife in front of everyone, which I'm sure he received a tongue lashing for.Splitting their set between their debut January Came Close and their new record Midnight At The Valencia, they played with dynamics throughout loading the pacier numbers such as Ride Home, Keep On Running and Terra Firma at the at the beginning of the set so they can have and emotional in the middle, creating those peaks and troughs of build and release.Many of these songs also run longer live than they do on record, which I always expected as there's plenty of call and response in the choruses, making the Welsh crowd work for it while Chris Buck gets multiple chances to show off his dexterous guitar playing that comes from his very soul, he plays with the same sort of style as say David Gilmour, making one note do the emotional leg work of twenty.It's not just him though as drummer Adam Roberts gets a chance to shine with his pitch perfect drum solo section that again works on skill over power, while the Hammond organs also get a few sections to shine too. On top of this glorious euphoria are the brilliant vocals of Tom Hollister, engrained with a soul far beyond his years, he has voice that is sonorous and soulful, dragging up every emotion for Adeline, Your Spark (Blows Me To Pieces) and Push/Pull.I was captivated lost in the music, many others were too, embracing the band for what they are rather than what they perhaps expected. The addition of Nathan O'Regan to Morning Light a welcome treat, as if we'd been welcomed into a studio jam between the players.
Cardinal Black have the ability to make a stage of any size feel intimate, creating a familial atmosphere that was at it's strongest on home turf. Watching them is an experience, rather than a concert, while some didn't feel the same way, most of the sold out crowd in Cardiff were lost in this bands incredible music. "The oldest new band" made magic on a storm ridden night in Cardiff.
A View From The Back Of The Room: Adfeilion (Matt Bladen)
Adfeilion, Pyrogaric, Root Zero & Grindhorse 83, Elysium Swansea, 31.10.25On the night where the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, all manner of creatures assembled at the doors of Elysium for a ritual of music and mirth.Wizards, Druids, Priestesses, Valkyries, Gremlins and even a multitude of Blues Brothers descended on Swansea for a bill featuring a high level of talent and four bands more than capable of welcoming in high spirits, it was guaranteed to be a Samhain to remember.It was a show that featured two Bloodstock Metal To The Masses South Wales Winners, Tarantino Splattercore, Satanic doom conjuring and gothic/macabre storytelling abound. So a quick tipple from their extensive 0% alcohol selection and on the first band.
There was plenty of noise and a big crowd early on for the reverb-tastic, K-Billy Super Swinging Sounds of surfsploitation rockers Grindhorse 83 (9). Essentially created by playing black metal through clean guitars, Grindhorse 83, is a photofit of musical reprobates cranking out a twisted B-Movie inspired version of The Surfaris or Dick Dale.
Featuring dual harmony guitars, grooving bass, the all important crashing drums, some keys which just brighten and broaden their style as down the front Mia let's loose with the widest range in the West. The great Quentin himself once called surf rock "rock 'n' roll spaghetti Western music" and that vibe is exactly what Grindhorse 83 are all about.
Next up things went more down the gothic path with Root Zero (8), vocalists Giac and Sasha looked as if they had crossed oceans of time just to find us while Llyr and Wren each positioned themselves each side of the stage keeping the goth aesthetic, in fact it was only their rhythm section that stopped you believing this was a dank Berlin club as Rob especially stuck out dressed in full clown gear.
Anyway away from the aesthetics and to the music and yet again Root Zero bewitched with their progressive gothic metal the harmonious union of the dual vocals fusing with the swathes of keys, riffs that shift between doom, black and everything in between. They drew most of the set from their most recent effort but did dog back to their earlier releases as well seamless blending the two.
Root Zero seem to get slicker and better on each viewing, so catch them soon if you can.
Up next it was Pyrogaric (7) and this being Halloween there were bound to be few goblins, and it was with the stoner doom trio they decided to strike, taking out the head of guitarist Keelan during the first song so only bass, drums and vocals were heard. Vocalist/drummer Jamey-Leigh tried to keep the spirits high but there was some definite frustration.
A quick restart but still problems persisted and there was a break for some repairs, a replacement head then things kicked back in for just a short 15 minute blast of witchy, stoner doom which was perfect for the Samhain rituals, packed with thumping grooves, now increased by bassist Jim, it's hard to take your eyes of Jamey Leigh as she sings with wide-eyed intensity and drums with a similar power.
Just this short blast alone showed how good Pyrogaric are, another band I've been following since their early days and get better every time, when the gremlins are at bay.
The mists descended across the venue, the sounds of the forest, the glade, the birds filled the room as our headliners, Matt Cooke (keys), Scott New (Nylon guitar) and Thom Lyon (bass) made their way to the stage guided by lantern and took their positions amongst drummer Kevin Arbuckle and electric guitarist Ben Baljak (playing his second set of the day) to once again tell their stories from Rhyfelwyr and the Hallowed Glade, a curse but beautiful place that twists the mind and metamorphoses those who experience it.
The post-folk metal band and Bloodstock Metal To The Masses 2025 winners, play music that eats into your very soul, you can 'feel' their music, it's all instrumental but calls to you, wrapping you songs that draw from folk metal, ambient music, electronic music and plenty of Celtic styles too. It's complex and enthralling, the keys of Matt adding texture as it swells and embellishes the songs with plenty of atmosphere. He also tells the tales between the songs with the relish and delivery of a theater actor, the fantasy elements brought to life by his regailing.
These keys weave into the fluid electric melodies of Ben who showcases his skills as both a lead and rhythm player locking into the thundering grooves with Thom who drives the main thrust of the heaviness, then shifts into the lead role alongside the brilliant nylon string acoustics of Scott, this addition to their sound is vital to their overall impact as a band. Still telling their current tale across the UK into next year, I knew Adfeilion (10) were good but they absolutely stunned in the mists of Elysium.
Reviews: Pupil Slicer, Agnostic Front, Black Sabbitch, My Darkest Hate (GC, Spike, Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)
Pupil Slicer - Fleshwork (Prosthetic Records) [GC]
Since their debut album Mirrors back in 2021, Pupil Slicer have been one of the UK underground bands that everybody has been tipping for big things, the follow up Blossom did nothing to slow the hype train and now they are about to unleash their third album Fleshwork into the world, will this be the one that finally gives them that big push in to the mainstream so the wider world can see what they are all about??
As expected, opener Heather is full of chaos and unpredictability, they manage to get a mix of angular guitars that have an almost post-punk backdrop and the jarring nature of the sections and the song switching pace is a really good way of keeping you guessing as to what is coming next, and invariably the answer is usually chaos.Gordian continues the barrage of noises and crazed shapeshifting tones, the sections here sound so far apart in style but always manage to meld together and work, they are perfectly blended together and create a beautiful and psychotic blur of violence!Sacrosanct is a visceral industrial edged beast that rumbles forward on a massive bassline that really gets all over you, the guitars are in the background and allow the vocals to really shine as well in the most horrible way possible!Innocence is a bit of a weird one, it’s a bit slow paced for the most part and very minimal in sections letting one instrument take the song over and it sort of holds back maybe a little too much in places where I was expecting the unexpected it didn’t really happen, the end section does its best to recover some momentum but that also sort of just falls short for me.Black Scrawl is much more like it and starts to really show a lot more of the grindcore influence and that’s always going to win me over, its scathing, angry and most of all heavy as fuck, the way the tangents are thrown in may make it difficult for some to really enjoy but stick with it and you will reap the benefits for sure!Nomad then just goes for an all-out black metal assault but then just like that we have industrial post punk atmosphere added for another mind melting mix of musical styles that they switch between and one minute your cast in a cloak of unrelenting bass thud and just as quick as your used to that its blasting and savage black metal, wonderfully batshit in every way.Fleshwork is one of the more straight forward songs on the album and focuses heavily on the industrial side of the sound, which is fine because they heaviness and pure rage they manage to display is nothing short of breath-taking in parts it just lacks a little in the way that it doesn’t really knock you off your feet as much as the rest of the album.White Noise sounds like you have mixed Joy Division with AFI and then sprinkled some Nine Inch Nails on top, here they have really nailed the more emotional and slightly toned back sound and made it sound epic and driving from start to finish, there is not a weak moment in this track and its destined to be fan favourite for years to come!Cenote closes the album and really makes the most of the 7:41 it has, in this time we get atmospheric throwback black metal soundscapes colliding with more sludgy post punk sections that all have some wonderful atmosphere and all intertwine expertly and really create a fittingly grand end to the album.
On Fleshwork, Pupil Slicer have taken everything that made their first 2 records so good and turned them up and absolutely ran with them, there is something for almost every fan of heavy music, there is savage emotion, brutal heaviness, raw and scathing noise and then so much more. If you like Pupil Slicer, you will already know you will love this album and if this is your introduction to them then you should also love it! To sum it up simply, it’s just a brilliant album. 9/10
Agnostic Front – Echoes In Eternity (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Spike]
Let's not pretend we are reviewing an artefact here. This is not history. This is the sound of Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma standing on a pile of broken glass, screaming absolute truth into a megaphone. Agnostic Front is the foundation of NYHC, and Echoes In Eternity is their latest reminder that you don't grow old in this scene, you just get harder and faster.
This record is a 15-track barrage that clocks in with the brevity and violence of a switchblade fight. Every track is under three minutes because if you need more time than that to get your point across, you’re wasting oxygen. The production here is massive, like a cinder block hitting a concrete wall. It is clean enough to hear every razor-sharp riff but raw enough to feel the genuine street-born venom.
The themes are a checklist of everything that matters: defiance, political outrage, unity, and crushing the weak. Way Of War explodes as a relentless political chant, calling out corruption with a speed that proves this band is more thrash than punk when they need to be. Then you get the anthem Turn Up The Volume, which is specifically engineered to incite a riot. It's built on a nasty, grooving riff and a simple instruction that you are required to obey.
The album's centerpiece, though, is the unexpected yet completely justified crossover on Matter Of Life & Death, featuring Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-DMC. This collaboration isn't a gimmick; it's a defiant declaration of shared New York DNA, proving that Hardcore and Hip-Hop aggression spring from the same concrete cracks. It's a fiery onslaught of raw vocal hooks and uncompromising lyrical focus.
Even when the record slows down, like in the frantic self-doubt of I Can't Win, the energy remains relentless. Tracks like Sunday Matinee serve as a rallying cry, embracing the brutal energy shared between the band and the crowd. The entire album functions as a tight, cohesive unit, firing off quick, essential bursts like Art Of Silence and Shots Fired that leave scorch marks but don't overstay their welcome.
Agnostic Front never strayed from their path. Echoes In Eternity is proof that after four decades, their sound is not only enduring but remains vital. It’s loud, aggressive, and entirely devoid of compromise. This album doesn't ask for your respect; it takes it. 9/10
Black Sabbitch - Unrest In The West (Ripple Music] [Rich Piva]
The ladies of Black Sabbitch are no ordinary cover band. The group has closed festivals, played to 80,000 people, and headline tour around the world on the regular. This is no gimmick and this is no hobby Sabbath tribute band; Black Sabbitch is the real deal. These are four musicians at the top of their game who have come together based on their love Sabbath and who rip out (almost) every Ozzy era song with tons of passion and their unique spin.The have been doing this for over 13 years, with fans always leaving their sold out shows happy, except for the fact that there was no music to take home with them…until now, as Ripple Music brings us the live-in-the-studio-with-a-crowd first album from Black Sabbitch, Unrest In The West. A collective “finally” can be heard from coast to coast as the record drops this first week of November.
You never know what you will get from a Sabbitch show, but what you won’t get is basic greatest hits set, and Unrest In The West is no exception, with the band picking (for this volume at least) a span of classics from the first six while also giving us one from the criminally underrated and favourite of this reviewer, Never Say Die, the great A Hard Road. You all know the songs, so no need to go over them, but as for the performance, the sound is excellent and really captures the essence of the band in their natural setting.Drummer Angie Scarpa started the group, and you can feel her passion as she hammers out these legendary tracks, while perfectly partnering with Melanie Makaiwi on the bass, doing her best work with seriously complex parts originally delivered by one of the best bass players ever to walk the earth. Alice Austin never tries to sing like Ozzy, making the vocals her own and is one of the key reasons this band stands out amongst others who are currently paying tribute.Emily Burton, from one of my all-time favourite bands, Fireball Ministry, just rips it up, with the source material being the perfect match for her tone and style. Put this all together, and add track selections like Wheel Of Confusion, Into The Void, Children Of The Grave, The Wizard, Hole In The Sky, and A National Acrobat, and you know this is going to rule, and it sure does.
All rejoice, we finally have a physical album from Black Sabbitch, Unrest In The West, and it is the perfect take away from one of their live shows and an excellent representation of what the band is all about. Their shows are usually much longer than the eight tracks here, so let’s all hope additional volumes of this show pop up soon. For now, all hail Black Sabbitch!!! 9/10
My Darkest Hate - Rust And Bones (Massacre Records) [Matt Bladen]
Album number six from German death machine My Darkest Hate. OSDM gets given a modern makeover as these veterans lean more towards the extreme side with Rust And Bones.
Ten tracks of death metal brutality await you as soon as you press play and with the shout of "THIS IS RUST" and the following battery you realised what you're getting yourself into. Machine gun drumming from Mario Henning and guttural roars and snarls from Claudio Enzler bring the nastiness to this grooving opener. The drumming is really good on the record, deft but punishing, the bass from Roberto Palacios adding that sledgehammer bottom end when things break down into a steady chug like on King Of Slaves.Speaking of chug there's a brutal one on Vengeance My Brother where guitarists Jörg M.Knittel and Jonas Khalil draw from death/doom while Sinister Warfare and He Who Never Sleeps take their influence from the likes of Bolt Thrower, using crushing mid pace over all put speed. Useful then that the latter features ex-Bolt Thrower and current Benediction man Dave Ingram. It's not to say they don't know how to go fast as When The Abyss Opens and Flammenland are both pacey and Flammenland is their first song in their native German (featuring TZ of Pessimist/Muggeseggel.)Produced alongside Andy Classen, Rust And Bones is death metal that crushes rather than rushes. 7/10
A View From The Back Of The Room: Those Damn Crows (Chris & Zoe Hutchinson)
Those Damn Crows, Autumn Kings & James Bruner, O2 Institute, Birmingham, 30.10.25
Starting off the night, James Bruner (7) entered to Frank Sinatra’s That’s Life. From the get-go, Bruner was bursting with energy, whilst the guitarist and bassist took a more static approach. By the third song, Bruner was down at the barrier, performing right in front of the audience, engaging directly with fans. His showmanship never waned, even as technical issues arose when his guitar gave out. Unfortunately, his vocals were often drowned out by the instruments, though the guitar and drums came through clearly.Early on, the room was still half-full as fans filtered in, with only a few clapping along to the second song. By the end the space had filled in and the band closed to a roar of applause. Bruner gave a shoutout to Ozzy Osbourne - crediting him for inspiring him to “put his crazy foot forward” - before introducing each member and finishing strong. A solid set from a promising band. With better mic balance and Bruner’s guitar back in the mix, they could easily elevate from good to great.Definitely one to catch again with the kinks ironed out.
Next up was Autumn Kings (9) they took the stage and immediately took the energy up several gears. From the opening notes of Sleep When I’m Dead, it was obvious these guys meant business. Every member moved with intent and their connection with the crowd was electric. By the second song, they had the audience clapping and cheering.Their setlist was a well-balanced mix of originals and a perfectly executed cover of Linkin Park's Bleed It Out. Musically, they were tight and polished. Vocals were crisp and clear, and the mix between instruments was near-perfect. The band’s stage presence was infectious, and by the end of the set, the room was packed, heads were banging and applause echoed long after they left the stage. A genuinely impressive performance from start to finish.Autumn Kings brought the energy, the hooks, and the charisma - the kind of support act that could easily headline their own night.
By the time Those Damn Crows (9) hit the stage to Dancing With The Enemy, the atmosphere was electric. The crowd erupted instantly with deafening cheers, raised horns, and a wave of energy that didn’t let up for a second.From the opening riff, it was obvious who everyone was here to see. The band matched the energy effortlessly. The frontman commanded the stage with raw enthusiasm, constantly interacting with the fans and keeping the entire room moving. Bright blinding lights filled the stage adding to the intensity of their performance. The set flowed seamlessly with back to back tracks that kept the momentum high, and the crowd singing every word. Midway through the set, the band thanked fans for helping their record hit No.1, which was met with thunderous applause and heartfelt cheers. Every song ended with the kind of reception that showed just how much the band has connected with their audience.Technically, the production was flawless with crystal clear vocals, well blended instruments and a sound mix that made every chorus soar. Those Damn Crows proved exactly why they were the headliners. Their set was a celebration, a show of strength, and a love letter to their fans.
Three bands, one stage, and a crowd that only grew louder as the night went on. From the early spark of James Bruner, through the explosive performance of Autumn Kings, to the triumphant closing set from Those Damn Crows, the O2 Institute was alive with energy from start to finish. A night of great musicianship, crowd connection and raw live power.
Reviews: Mephistofeles, The Other, Litania, Sorry We Weren't Here Before (Rich Piva, Rick Eaglestone, Matt Bladen & Spike)
Mephistofeles - Whore/I’m Heroin/Satan Sex Ceremonies (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]
Mephistofeles is the ultra-evil and ultra-fuzzy stoner/psych/doom trio out of Parana, Argentina and if you don’t know their work you should fix that immediately. All hail Heavy Psych Sounds for re-releasing and giving the full reissue treatment to the band’s amazing and very out of print first three records: Whore (9), I’m Heroin (8), and Satan Sex Ceremonies (8), all of which are must haves for fans of all things that are awesome. You cannot go wrong with any of the Mephistofeles records.Whore is filled with evil, fuzzy riffs, nasty subject matter, and a scattering of B-movie clips, when put together creates some phenomenal stuff. If you like Electric Wizard, Uncle Acid, and some of the newer bands out of South America like Fulanno and Demonio this will be right up your alley. Tracks like Kill Yourself, the opener Black Sunday, and the nasty as hell Drug Addict are all so great, with the closer, Wizard Of Meth taking the prize as my favourite on a record with seven killer tracks that hate you and wish you were dead.Album two, I’m Heroin, is just as evil and nasty, with lo-fi fuzz leading the way on filthy dirty tracks like Transylvania Funeral, The Rogue, and my favourite, Addicted To Satan, which is scarier than any B horror movie you have ever seen. Pure Sabbath worship.Their third album, Satan Sex Ceremonies, is a little less fuzzy and a lot doomier, slowing the pace down some for what is the longest of the three albums. It does contain one of the band’s best songs in Profanation. The one-two punch of the acoustic interlude Overdose into the darkness of Syringe is quite the heavy experience in multiple ways. Lo-fi doom psych at its best.The mystery behind Mephistofeles starts to have the curtain pulled back just a bit with these reissues from a band that should be one of everyone’s favourites of folks who dig the nasty ass fuzz. Whore leads the way, but all three Mephistofeles reissues are must have killer stuff.
The Other – Alienated (Massacre Records) [Rick Eaglestone]
Cologne's horror punk legends return with their darkest offering yet – Alienated.
Right from the opening blast of Hellfire, it is abundantly clear that this is a band revitalized and ready to remind everyone why they are Europe's premier horror punk act. That addictive chorus hits immediately, and frontman Rod Usher's vocals have taken on an even deeper, more menacing quality. The man's always had a distinctive voice, but here he is leaning into the lower register with an authority that makes every word sound like it's been dragged up from some gothic crypt.
The return of founding bassist Andy Only clearly hasn't gone unnoticed in the band's sound. There is a bite to the low end here that gives these songs real heft, and when combined with the dual guitar assault of J. Ends and Van Tom, The Other have crafted a sound that is simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. They've stripped away some of the excess that crept into their more recent work and focused on what made them compelling in the first place.
I Give You The Creeps was the right choice for a lead single. It's got everything you want from The Other in one neat package—rapid-fire verses, a massive sing-along chorus complete with those essential "ohohoh" moments, and enough hooks to fill a meat locker - A Ghost From The 80s leans heavily into new wave territory with its keyboard parts, telling the brilliantly specific story of a ghost trapped on a VHS tape. It's camp, clever, and it has got that eighties vibe.
German-language track Hier Sein continues the band's tradition of including at least one song in their native tongue, and it's a melancholic stomper with tastefully harmonized guitars. Even if you don't speak German, the emotion comes through loud and clear.
In The End slows things down and lets Usher highlight the darker, more resonant parts of his vocal range. Following it with the raging opening of Horror Movie Monster is smart sequencing—Testament to the band's understanding of dynamics and pacing.
Whether it's the pulsating rhythm of The Witch From Outer Space or the up-tempo drive of Don't Be Afraid Of The Night, Boone provides the backbone that allows the rest of the band to shine - Die Human Die tackles the horror of reality rather than fictional monsters, and it's all the more unsettling for it.
The album closes strongly, and there is genuinely not a weak track in the bunch. From the infectious melodies that burrow into your brain and refuse to leave, to the perfectly judged mix of horror aesthetics and genuine darkness, Alienated is The Other at their most focused and vital. They have crafted an album that works equally well as a Halloween soundtrack and as year-round listening, which is precisely what separates the good horror punk bands from the great ones.
Alienated is heavy, catchy, and dark in all the right places. 7/10
Litania - Litania (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
Italian-Serbian psych stoner meets The Concert For Bangladesh on the self titled debut from Litania. Now you could call out "cultural appropriation" so many bands borrow influences from other cultures (look how many use Middle Eastern influences), also I'm not sure of the cultural background of any of the members so that approach doesn't fly and thirdly The Beatles did it so shut up.
Consisting of members from Elli De Mon, The Great Northern X, Collars and The Black Heart Procession, Litania are a band who love the drone, hypnotic repetition that is a core part of doom and Indian classical music. The psychadelic wanderings of the band are sustained by the layered distorted guitars of Marco Degli Esposti and the throbbing, insistent bass of Enrico Baraldi.
These two are the rhythm of this record, the power behind the mystical meandering, cranking out riff after riff of impressive and transcendental drone//doom, anchored back to the ground by Vladimir Marikoski's drums and percussion. On top of the noise are the vocal chants of Elisa De Munari, inspired by the words of Indian Ragas, she conducts these rituals with her hypnotic spell casting as well as adding sitar, dilruba, harmonium, and tanpura to further create the required atmosphere.
When I saw the outline for this record I did think it could go either way but there's something about the commanding way Litania deliver their Indian/Doom/Drone Fusion that caught my attention and kept it. An album to lose yourself in, this is a strong debut. 8/10
Sorry We Weren't Here Before – Forest Lights (Agoge Records) [Spike]
Let’s talk about the biggest disappointment in the metal punk underground this year. the sound of absolute zero, nothing, zilch. The press release for Sorry We Werent Here Before’s debut EP, Forest Lights, arrived with all the usual pomp and promises of Gothic Rock tension and Post-Punk brilliance. But the music itself. It was a magnificent, terrifying sonic black hole, by that I mean it was totally missing.
We received a folder sure. But when we hit play, we were confronted only with the chilling, total silence of complete nothingness. This track is a challenging listen, clocking in at approximately 30 minutes of a profound, existential void. We can only assume this was a deeply conceptual move, perhaps the band critiquing the entire music industry by making their statement about atmosphere through the absence of sound. If so, it’s derivative of John Cage, but with slightly better bass tone, hypothetically.
The rest of the EP followed this relentless, minimalist formula. Forest Lights itself offered no shimmering guitars, no throbbing bass. It was a vacuum, a necessary friction that only served to expose the chaos in our own heads. We can only imagine the kind of post-punk anxiety this track was supposed to invoke. We picture dramatic, ringing guitars that sound like The Cure if they only listened to Fugazi.
This phantom presence is utterly exhausting. Reviewing this album felt less like music journalism and more like staring into a broken modem for an hour. It is a bold, artistic gamble that utterly fails to deliver anything resembling a riff. Ok, ok, so someone forgot to attach the actual music to review so I could have left it there but that would have been unfair.
So The Actual Review As Of Course We Went and Found The Music
The joke above ended when we went and looked for the music ourselves, because frankly, a band with a name that good deserves to be heard. You don’t let a debut this promising get buried under a failed email attachment. We confirmed this Berlin trio does not, in fact, play a 30-minute track of silence. They deliver tense, charismatic Gothic Rock with genuine swagger. The single Vibrations Will Told is exactly the kind of pulsing, energetic post-punk that thrives in a basement club.
It’s got a deep bass throb, ringing, slightly distorted guitars, and charismatic vocals that ride the energy with poise. It sounds like middle-period Killing Joke stripped of the bombast. It’s tight, effective, and a fantastic debut that completely validates the decision to ignore the failed marketing campaign and search for the noise. This is exactly why we do this job: to bypass the garbage and get the good stuff the coverage it deserves. Go have a listen to this. 8/10
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Outlaws Of The Sun
Austrian Sludge Doomsters TARLUNG Sign with Argonauta Records; New Single Out Now
Austrian sludge doom masters TARLUNG sign with Italian powerhouse Argonauta Records for the release of their upcoming full-length “Axis Mundi”, set to arrive on January 30, 2026 on vinyl, CD and digital formats. Active since 2013, TARLUNG have carved their name deep into the European underground with a colossal, low-tuned sound that blends crushing heaviness and bleak atmospheres. Partnering with Argonauta marks a new and exciting chapter for the Vienna-based trio, pushing their sonic intensity even further.
The new album Axis Mundi was recorded once again at DeepDeepPressure Studios and features artwork by Alex Eckman-Lawn. Following their acclaimed releases Beyond the Black Pyramid (Black Bow Records) and Architect (2021), Axis Mundi captures TARLUNG at their most punishing and immersive yet.
To celebrate the signing, the band reveals the first single “Static Noise” https://song.link/tarlung_sn.
“Do you hear? Hear it all? A new noise emerges. ‘Static Noise’ is the first single from our upcoming album ‘Axis Mundi’. We are thrilled to present the latest version of TARLUNG, harder and more brutal than ever.”
Over the years, TARLUNG have shared stages with EyeHateGod, Conan, Suma and Saturnalia Temple, touring across Austria, Germany, Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Slovenia, and appearing at festivals including Doom Over Vienna and Stoner Doom Festival Katowice.
For fans of EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Weedeater, Iron Monkey, Dopethrone, Thou and Grime, Axis Mundi delivers an unrelenting dose of sludge-infused doom that demands to be felt as much as heard.
INFO:
https://www.facebook.com/tarlungbandThanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.
The Vintage Caravan - Portals (Album Review)
Release Date: September 26th 2025. Record Label: Napalm Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Portals - Tracklisting
1. Philosopher
2. Portal I
3. Days Go By
4. Portal II
5. Here You Come Again
6. Current
7. Give And Take
8. Portal III
9. Crossroads
10. Alone
11. Portal IV
12. Freedom
13. Riot
14. Electrified
15. Portal V
16. My Aurora
17. This Road
Member
Oskar Logi Agustsson - electric guitars, vocals, acoustic guitars, flute
Alexander Örn Numason - bass guitar, backing vocals, synth, farfisa
Stefan Ari Stefansson - drums, backing vocals, percussion
Guests:
Mikael Åkerfeldt - vocals 'Philosopher'
Eybor Ingi Gunnlaugsson - vocals 'Crossroads'
Tomas Jonsson - hammond organ 'Days Go By', 'Portal II', 'Give And Take' and 'Alone'.
Valdis Eiriksdottir - backing vocals 'Riot', 'Give And Take' and 'Alone'.
Review
Everything has it's time and place and everything happens for a reason as is the case of The Vintage Caravan. This Icelandic trio has been around for a while now and have kept busy in the process but for yours truly they have moved in my periphery and have been elusive. That is until their new album 'Portals' came out at the tail-end of September. From the moment 'Portals' emanated from the speakers for the first time The Vintage Caravan had me hook, line and sinker.
There are 5 shorter compositions, all under a minute each, called 'Portals I-V' spread throughout the album acting like chapters, if you like. Don't know if I'm reading too much into it but I feel that The Vintage Caravan tells of journey through life especially regarding the different stages of a relationship.
It all begins with opener 'Philosopher' to initialize this story and it's a brilliant full-on expansive ode to 70's heavy rock with noneother than Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals. The first portal brings on 'Days Gone By' which rocks even harder than it's predecessor. A wonderfully great song. The second portal features 'Here You Come Again', Current' and 'Give And Take' and moves mainly between excellent heavy rock, electric folk and electric blues.
The vocal harmonies are captivating as are the progressive touches. A new relationship is blooming and the two protagonists are feeling each other out until they decide to give it their all. In the third portal time has moved forward and our couple have reached a point of decision making, continue or step out and move on? 'Crossroads' and 'Alone'bring trippy elements along with contemplative and reflective influx which highlighted by that wonderful vocal harmonizing and sharp hook-laden riffs.
'Portal III' sees the band not holding back through the songs 'Freedom', 'Riot' and 'Electrified'. The tempos do shift somewhat although the ferocity doesn't. The Vintage Caravan are absolutely phenomenal in this section where our protagonists are going through a very rough spell. The last ”chapter” 'Portal V' begins with the wonderfully acoustic-driven 'My Aurora'. An ode from one of the protagonists to the other about the great times they had but no longer do. 'This Road' is shockful of modernized 70's heavy rock and the perfect way to end this excellent album. Going their separate ways a new journey lies ahead of the couple.
Like I mentioned above I might have read too much into 'Portals' but the compositions speak to me this way. Regardless, The Vintage Caravan show their true class and brilliance with this fantastic recording. And I urge you all to check this band and their music out. You won't be disappointed, on the contrary!
Words by Håkan Nyman
Links
Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
Saint Omen - Mysteries Of Rebirth (Album Review)
Release Date: November 05th 2025. Record Label: The Cult Of Saint Omen. Formats: DD
Mysteries Of Rebirth - Tracklisting
1.Invocation Of Rebirth [Intro] 01:00
2.Hell Money 05:00
3.Devil Eyes 04:30
4.Bone Shakin' Mama 04:15
5.Those Who Harm 04:20
6.Smokeless Fire 05:34
7.Satan Man 03:00
8.Mysteries Of Rebirth 02:21
9.Undead 04:14
10.Levitation Communion 01:13
Member
Geroni J. Saint-Hilaire - Everything
Review
Occult/Doom/Stoner Rockers Saint Omen second album Mysteries Of Rebirth is a stripped back and gloomy affair that captures the seedier and sinister tone of the Occult Rock scene. There’s amplified FUZZ and the GLOOMY acid drenched amplified sounds feels like they’ve been ripped from the seediest streets of New York imaginable which is where the band are actually from. There is a sense of dread and hopefulness with Saint Omen feeling inspired by classic 70’s Horror Movies and particularly the soundtracks by the legendary GOBLIN and John Carpenter movies.
However, there’s an aggressive HIP and STONER based sound developing behind the scenes with Saint Omen paying homage to the likes of Electric Wizard, Uncle Acid and Black Sabbath but with their own street level sound. The record doesn’t play out the way you think with Saint Omen not afraid to merge different amplified elements of distorted melodies, twisted lyrics and surreal vocal arrangements which comes into life on the excellent tracks Hell Money and Devil Eyes.
The music itself is dominated by slow-to-mid played passages with different types of musical instruments being thrown in for good measure with the sludgy guitars and creepy synths being my favourite part that’s all played to surreal perfection by the solo mastermind of Saint Omen - Geroni J. Saint-Hilaire. The music becomes slightly more over the top with Bone Shakin’ Mama that sees a Lou Reed / Iggy Pop influence coming through within the vocals and some classic Eighties HEAVY METAL guitar shredding with the edgy lyrics make this perhaps the most subversive and standout track on the album.
Saint Omen captures the “SHOCK ROCK” aspect of his music down to a fine art which sees the record become even more groove centric and the Occult Rock themes fully taking charge on the later parts of the record. The production values are great for the most part but there’s a few rough sounding moments but maybe that’s the point to capture a raw sounding and quite abrasive record on tracks such as Those Who Harm, Smokeless Fire and Undead.
Saint Omen injects a violent and dark energy into the Occult Rock/Metal sound which is quite daring in places especially when the music becomes slightly more theatrical but with that burst of Stoner Rock energy to keep everything grounded.
Mysteries Of Rebirth is a superbly observed slice of Occult Doom and Psychedelic Stoner Rock that has a batch of great songs to chill your bones with. The record only lasts for around thirty five minutes so it’s an action-packed record that allows Saint Omen to embrace the “CULT” lifestyle that the Doom/Stoner Metal underground scene desperately needs right now!!!
Words by Steve Howe
Links
Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | LinkTree
Black Sabbitch - Unrest In The Rest (Album Review)
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Release Date: November 07th 2025. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/VInyl
Unrest In The West - Tracklisting
01. Wheels of Confusion The Straightener
02. A National Acrobat
03. The Wizard
04. A Hard Road
05. Lord of This World
06. Hole in the Sky
07. Children of the Grave
08. Into the Void
Member
Alice Austin - Vocals
Emily Burton - Guitar
Melanie Makaiwi - Bass
Angie Scarpa - Drums
Review
Ripple Music have taken the big step of releasing a Black Sabbath cover band live album and it's a gamble that pays off huge rewards for them especially when the band in question is BLACK SABBITCH. Black Sabbitch are one of the most premiere Black Sabbath tribute bands since 2012. If you want to see their credentials then read the blurb below:“Black Sabbitch has transcended the typical "tribute band" label, delivering electrifying performances that honor the spirit of Black Sabbath while adding their own unique energy and intensity. Their talent and dedication have earned them coveted spots at major festivals and events, including the inaugural Ozzfiesta at the personal invitation of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, performing at Cal Jam with Foo Fighters, and playing to a crowd of 80,000 at Wacken Open Air in Germany.The band has also headlined Psycho Las Vegas and The Maryland Doom Fest, performed on The Kiss Kruise at the request of Paul Stanley, and collaborated with artists like Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Shepard Fairey, and Peaches”If you're endorsed by the legendary Prince Of Darkness then you must be great at what you actually do and BLACK SABBITCH fully deliver on their Live Album - Unrest In The West - that sees this great band put their own spin on classic SABBATH tracks whilst staying close to the original track as possible. The amplified and seedy Blues Rock sounds are played to an appreciative audience with lead vocalist Alice Austin doing her own thing and not trying to mimic Ozzy at all.Black Sabbitch blast their way through classic tracks Wheels Of Confusion: The Straightener, A National Acrobat, The Wizard and A Hard Road within the first half with a sultry and intense moody style that gives a more emotional energy to the tracks but as I said before still keeping as close as possible to the original versions. Though, that's not to say that Black Sabbitch don't experiment with their versions as the band do venture into areas of Prog Rock and Psych Rock which adds a deceptive Eighties Stadium Rock vision to the whole thing.My only complaint is that I would have loved to hear their take on iconic tracks such as War Pigs, Iron Man, Fairies Wear Boots and Snowblind being included on this record. However, the tracks included here perhaps are better suited for Black Sabbitch to impress listeners with and when they move into areas of Jazzy interludes with brilliant individual musical performances by Emily Burton (Guitar), Melanie Makaiwi (Bass) and Angie Scarpa (Drums) allowing Black Sabbitch to be a force of HEAVY NATURE,The second half of the record is even more impressive from Black Sabbitch just amplifying the excitement of classic SABBATH tracks Lord Of This World, Hole In The Sky and Into The Void being played to an appreciative audience.I’ve heard a ton of Black Sabbath covers live records but I have to say that Unrest In The West is the best I’ve heard to date. As Black Sabbitch pays love and absolute respect to the founders of HEAVY METAL whilst doing their own thing with a classic selection of tracks. The record sounds superb from start to finish that makes the listener being front and centre of the actual concert this album was recorded from.I’m hoping Ripple Music will release more albums by Black Sabbitch in the future as this is just genuine confirmation why they’re one of the most outstanding Black Sabbath covers bands in the world right now. No question!!!Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
Unrest In The West is available to buy now on CD/DD.Vinyl via Ripple Music.
Black Sabbitch links
Ripple Music links
Oromet - The Sinking Isle (Album Review)
Release Date: November 07th 2025. Record Label: Hypaethral Records / Translyvanian Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/VInyl
The Sinking Isle - Tracklisting
1.Hollow Dominion - 20:49
2.Marathon - 11:06
3.Forsaken Tarn 11:21
Member
Dan Aguilar: Guitar, Vocals
Patrick Hills: Drums, Bass, Synth, Backing Vocals
Review
The Sinking Isle is the second full length album from Funeral Doom Metallers Oromet who build a bleak cinematic world where they blend elements of Prog Metal, Doom, Sludge, Ambient Metal and Psych Metal against a backdrop of extended Post-Metal structures. The atmosphere still stays within the boundaries of Funeral Doom with the dreaded vocals from lead vocalist Dan Aguilar creating a depressing style of music very early on within the album.
Oromet fuse sounds from bands such as YOB, NEUROSIS, PELICAN, BELL WITCH and MOURNFUL CONGREGATION across three epic tracks which leaves you questioning how bleak does the record actually become whilst still retaining an uplifting vibe throughout the whole album. Oromet adds a world-weary storytelling aspect to their music with the lyrics portraying a sense of despair with subtle Post-Metal guitars that match the epic synths from Patrick Hills that’s one of my favourite aspects of the whole album.
The opening track Hollow Dominion is quite a subversive song with Oromet providing different areas of Funeral Doom and Post-Metal soundscapes which is quite SPACED OUT and emotionally rewarding when the more extreme passages appear. The song is quite slow for the most part but Oromet do speed things up to a regular mid-paced delivery which allows the band to add multiple levels of Psychedelic and Sonic based wonder which gives their music quite a forward thinking style. Add a mammoth twenty minute plus runtime that allows Oromet the perfect opportunity to redefine the Funeral Doom landscape in their own unique creative image.
The following two tracks Marathon and Forsaken Tarn continue that epic Progressive and Psychedelic journey with even more intense bouts of pitch-black Doom Metal surroundings with a Post-Black Metal attitude forming within Marathon that becomes the main way for Oromet to experiment with their music to even greater effect. Despite the harsh elements and gloomy synths, Dan and Patrick never lose sight of their overall mission and that’s to provide a thrilling bleak narrative to their music but still experimenting with their music by providing some of the most original Funeral Doom songs you’ll hear this year.
The album could have easily become quite theatrical but to Oromet’s credit they keep everything real and grounded even when they inject sudden bursts of COSMIC ENERGY into their music. The Progressive flow of The Sinking Isle never waivers with Oromet playing beautiful and brutally constructed works of music that can be considered timeless and masterful at the same time.
The Sinking Isle is an absolute masterpiece that pulls no punches but still leaves you a shivering wreck and supremely hopeful at the same time. Yeah, this is perhaps the FUNERAL DOOM METAL album of the year right here. What more can I say? Add this one to your collection now.
Words by Steve Howe
You can buy The Sinking Isle via the links below:
CD, Digital and Vinyl via Hypaethral Records
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Stoner HiVe
Single Premiere – LáGoon – You Tried You Failed
Single Premiere
LáGoon – You Tried (You Failed)
The wait is over! And we are thrilled to have the honor to PREMIERE for you all the brand new LáGoon single You Tried (You Failed)! Following the majestic album from 2022 Bury Me Where I Drop, You Tried (You Failed) will officially be out next Wednesday, November 12th. A languid stoner punk and garage burner, slowly seeping into your veins, spicing up your blood and giving you Skullactic Visions. You know the deal, press play and turn into a LáGoon head!I hope I did good... Or well... I tried...
PR Wire:
LáGoon - YOU TRIED (YOU FAILED) singleScuzz n’ fuzz garage doom from Portland Single “YOU TRIED (YOU FAILED)” out November 12th
Genres: Garage rock, doom, metal, punk, stoner rock
LáGoon is a heavy riffing trio currently lingering in Portland Oregon that blends elements of punk, garage rock, doom, and stoner rock. They’ve released six albums to date, a live album, and after a short rest are back to the grind.
Following 2022's acclaimed “Bury Me Where I Drop”, the boys are back with new single “YOU TRIED (YOU FAILED)”.
“Over the past year we took a hiatus from LáGoon to work on other projects, and it ended up making us a tighter band. Coming back to LàGoon after a year off has felt really refreshing. The new music we’re making has elements of our other projects, and we think is the best we’ve ever sounded.
We’ve picked up right where weleft off. We’ll be releasing our next full length offering soon, and plan to play as many shows as possible in 2026. “
LáGoon - YOU TRIED (YOU FAILED) single
Out November 12th, 2025 (Digital)
Self-released
Portland, Oregon
FFO: Thee Oh Sees, FUZZ, Zero Boys, Kylesa, Rudimentary Peni
LáGoon is:
Anthony Gaglia - Guitar, vocals
Kenny Coombs - Bass
Brady Maurer - DrumsBandcamp
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Stoner HiVe reviews Ash Eater – Breathe The Smoke
Stoner HiVe reviews Oopsy Dazey - Oopsy Dazey
Stoner HiVe reviews LáGoon - Bury Me Where I Drop
Interview with Anthony Gaglia - LáGoon – Instinctive, fast and not so serious…
Anthony Gaglia responds on the review through a short lived segment called:Feedback Loop – LáGoon
Stoner HiVe reviews LáGoon – Skullactic Visions
Stoner HiVe reviews LáGoon - Father of Death
The Doom Charts For October 2025
DOOM CHARTS
OCTOBER 2025
“The power of DOOM compels you! The power of DOOM compels you! The power of DOOM compels you!”
~ possibly misheard quote from The ExorcistWelcome to the October Doom Charts, a fitting season for our spooky scene and all the dark, devilish doom it conjures, and this year’s Samhain came through in spades! 40 new albums atop the charts and each one a different masterful work of heavy music. The underground has risen, and it’s alive and well!
The honorable Kyle SB from Good Boy PR did a wonderful job getting the October 2025 Doom Charts up and running. And what a grand list it is! I ended up voting for... 25 out of the 40! Hotdamn, that's gotta be some kind of record! Shit, now where did I leave my slinky...
Those 25 are: Howling Giant, Bone Church, Khan, Brimstone Coven, The Lunar Effect, Giöbia, Birds of Nazca, Bentrees, Lacertilia, Psychonaut, Blue Heron, Honeybadger, M.E.L.T., Solar Sons, Elepharmers, Daytripper, Pesta, Abanamat, Moundrag, Malkasian, War, Black Charger, Ambra, The Bateleurs & Dead Otter!
Already featured on Stoner HiVe:
Howling Giant – Crucible & Ruin
Honeybadger – Let There Be Light
The Bateleurs – A Light In The Darkness
Khan - That Fair and Warlike Form // Return to Dust
Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and reviewers from the heavy underground around the globe. Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge, metal, stoner, psychedelic and heavy rock albums. The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below. This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…
The Doom Charts for October 2025
Stoner Hive’s Quick Fire Friday
Stoner Hive’s Quick Fire Friday
We defy all them goddamn rules! Don’t do a Quick Fire Friday on the day the new Doom Charts edition goes online… It’s not like that rule is written in stone! But it is written on Stoner HiVe that we want to pay attention to so much great music, but there is too little time to do it all. So we came up with a way to shoot out a quick blurb and hope it will entice you to listen to the single or the entire discography! So here it is… Another Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday! And it burns hot like molten lava!
Mientras Las Abejas Duermen - El Camino Silencioso
It’s the first single for the debut album by the new out from Cádiz, Spain called As The Bees Sleep or in Spanish: Mientras Las Abejas Duermen. Which means there's another reason they fit perfectly on Stoner HiVe. Grin! Especially since the very earthy eight minute long single El Camino Silencioso will have you on the edge of the seat for its truly wonderful and accomplished sound. Shifting from slow, atmospheric passages to heavier moments, this one single promises so much. Let’s all keep an eye out for 2026, when these sleeping bees will buzz fully awake, with vinyl on Kozmik Artifactz.
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Hidden Since the Foundation of the World – Bad Winter
Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is a new four-piece from Amsterdamn, that combines doom with drone, atmospheric with rock noir, psych with metal and gaze with heaviness. And the result is something entirely unpredictable and apocalyptic. They’ve released more tracks, but the icy soundscape whine that is Bad Winter will not leave you cold. Cinematic and gripping, that one track might even make you long for an incredibly Bad Winter… Just so you can play this track over and over...
Bandcamp
Linktree
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Doublestone - De Falske Kongers Tid
You know they’re back right? And have been since September! The Danish trio Doublestone! One single so far, The False King, De Falske Kongers Tid. We can only hope this is the start of a new chapter, a new roll of the dice and a new hand of cards. For even though we only ever mentioned their Wingmakers album on Stoner HiVe, we have always loved all they’ve put out. All of it!
Bear, Man Dangerous – When We Cease To Understand The World
We’re already there, sweet Bear, Man Dangerous. Aren’t we? I sure as hell can't make heads of tails out of most of everything anymore... But still, their new track When We Cease To Understand The World expertly twists genres into knots and lights them on fire. Shoegaze bleeds into sludge; psychedelia melts into doom. It’s beautiful, ugly, and utterly consuming, almost chokingly so!
Minot - Walls//People Pleaser
Lo-fi garage punk. Indeed, that’s Minot for ya! But upbeat! A three piece from Missoula, Montana that goes all the way back to the sixties and hits you with a Sonics kind of attitude. A jittery fuzz tale, where one track rattles like fluorescent cubicle blues and frustrated howls into the void. Flipside People Pleaser drifts in sugary decay, ghostly pop haunts the hop. Sparse drums, raw pulse, garage grit. Heartbeat breakdown, smokey honesty and a rhythm you can’t shake! I like Minot!
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Tempted? – For You OnlyArtizans PR are always spreading the good word about some great new rock bands! Usually from the Mediterranean. And new fourpiece Tempted? hails from Greece! For You Only is the first single for an album that will probably see the light somewhere in 2026. Nineties vibing and grunge toned, the songs sings about a ‘deep romantic disappointment’ . Which ofcourse fits snugly with the grunge influences. I’m tempted to announce that Tempted? might just be one of the great bands to emerge out of Greece next year!
Wickermän – Dagsländan
"Dagsländan" or "The Mayfly" as it would translate to in English is a short poem written by the Linnéa Wetterbrandt, a close friend to the band. The text is a short reflection on how life would have been if we only got to live, just like a mayfly, for one day. It’s their second single but our first foray into the world of formed in this year, Wickermän and we certainly hope not our last. This isn’t one day fly material, but honest hard rock, seventies touches, stonerized moments and prog oriented. A new Swedish band to watch out for!
There Is No Spoon - The Sound Of Doom To Come [Part 1]
There Is No Spoon is a four piece instrumental band from Berlin, Germany that obviously wants to marry the existentialism and metaphysical to their atmospheric doom metal and art rock. A bit of drone and a bit of noise and promise that the three track The Sound Of Doom To Come [Part 1] is the first of four parts that chronicle a world collapsing under the weight of its own noise… Let’s keep an ear out for that!
Lacertilia – Transcend
Lacertilia – Transcend
Majestic Mountain Records – 2025
Stoner, Metal, Psych, Punk, Doom
Rated: ****Some of you know that there’s a point in every trip, where reality starts to break up and melt. The universe starts to vibrate at a different level and glimpses of what the edge might be can occur. Well, Transcend, the new album by Welsh cosmic marauders Lacertilia hits that exact frequency! These freaks from the Cardiff heavy underground have already spent much of the decade past dragging their stoner-psych gospel from dark and dusty basements to venues across the UK. And with Transcend they should be set to take it to stages across the globe. Especially with Majestic Mountain Records now backing their crusade.
On Transcend they sound like they’ve broken through the haze and the clouds and found that the gods of volume were waiting on the other side with golden chalices full of riffs. The woozy and folky incantation Archaic Oscillations opens the album and feels like a warm sunrise after a three day peyote ritual in the desert. After that we go boom, and following We Go Here truly detonates, riffs erupt, drums quake and we hear a manic preacher screaming around like a sweat-drenched prophet in a ruined chapel. There’s no singing here, this is commanding and demanding and zealously sermonizing his stories. The chapel almost collapsing entirely from the grinding bass and quaking drum grooves.
By the time cathedral like, ten and a half minute long middle track, Nothing’s Sacred rolls in, you will start to believe. Believe Lacertilia have found the main nerve. Echoes spiraling and throbbing, everything drenched in reverb, washing over you like gigantic waves of bliss, lifting you up and making you feel like you are floating high above all the ruins of civilization, watching the earth itself breathe in slow motion. Final apocalyptic event The Sun Is The Key, blows it all wide open, starting earthy and languid, building gradually, and then turning into a blazing cosmic exorcism that obliterates everything and leaves nothing but feedback and blinding white light.
The DNA of legendary bands like Orange Goblin, Monster Magnet and even The Doors might be coursing through their veins but Transcend is a hundred percent Lacertilia. Welsh fuzz punks turned cosmic prophets. And with their new revelation that is Transcend, they might reach the furthest parts of the stoner psyche, colliding it all with a messy and magnificent mixture of doom, punk, stoner and mysticism. They have seen the other side, they have dipped their toes over the edge. And with Transcend you might get a momentary glimpse as well. Turn it up loud and hold on, cause reality will not be around once side B hits…(Written by JK)
Review for Lacertilia – Calling The Quarters
Frayle - Heretics & Lullabies
Frayle - Heretics & Lullabies
Napalm Records – 2025
Metal, Doom, Gothic, Pop
Rated: ***The sighing girl of the doom metal scene is back with a new album called Heretics & Lullabies. And on it Frayle seems able to make an even grander connection between their gothic touched doom metal and all sort of pop influences. This will bring their dark and hypnotic sound to an even wider audience. Released through Napalm Records, this is the third full-length album by vocalist Gwyn Strang and guitarist Sean Bilovecky. And on it, they sound even tighter and more confident then before, comfortably embracing those pop sensibilities and atmospheric melody.
They have always thrived on contrast, massive, sludgy riffs rubbing shoulders with Strang’s ethereal sighing voice. And on Heretics & Lullabies it is the very definition of the album. Compact songs, with melodic arcs and surprisingly accessible compositions that still seem to be able to hold on to the band’s dark essence. Walking Wounded opens the ball and is definitely heavy but seems to linger more on hauntingly beautiful. The cover version of Lana Del Ray’s Summertime Sadness seems entirely logical for this album and illustrates perfectly how Frayle blends all that pop melancholy with the weight of doom.
The minor moments of interplay between Strang’s delicate vocals and the male growls, delivered by Jason Popson (ex-Mushroomhead and many more) adds a welcome touch of variety and power. And when gothic romanticism comes into play, songs like Glass Blown Heart and Souvenirs of Your Betrayal come closer to a haunted dream sequence than a traditional metal record. Frayle definitely proves that doom metal does not have to be oppressive, it can also move with grace and melodicism. And somewhere on the tightrope of heavy and beauty, Frayle is destined to craft a sound that is both inviting and unsettling. Frayle proves that doom metal doesn’t have to be oppressive. For Frayle’s Heretics & Lullabies is graceful, melodic, and even pop infused. And even though we keep repeating ourselves, the band does not, they strike a rare balance between heaviness and beauty, crafting a sound that is both inviting and unsettling. Let’s hope they can keep crossing those wires for a long time to come…(Written by JK)
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Screaming From the Heavy Underground
SFTHU Quick Reviews: Beastwars - "The Ship // The Sea"
Beastwars is one of those bands that needs no introduction. This New Zealand-based group has been making music together for nearly two decades at the time of this writing, generating a signature sound that's as heavy with emotion as it is sludgy riffs.
Beastwars has been a go-to band for me for a few years now, especially when I'm in need of some extra heavy catharsis, as this quartet has a knack for absolutely bleeding with emotive intensity. Vacillating between dense, sludgy mires and surprisingly dreamy, serene interludes, the songs of Beastwars tend to flow much like life itself. All the while, the gritty, powerful howls of Matt Hyde deliver some of the most raw and unfettered vocals in the heavy music scene. Few bands offer a more therapeutic listening experience. Beastwars' cover album Tyranny of Distance was my introduction to their sound, and their rendition of High and Lonely immediately took up permanent residency in my heart.
The Ship//The Sea is the band's sixth album, and it utilizes water as a main theme, with the ship representing the body and the sea being a metaphor for life. In fact, Beastwars actually recorded this album near the ocean, along the beaches of Mount Maunganui, before completing it in their hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. Says frontman Matt Hyde, "Our new album is like Picasso's Guernica - a reflection of war and horror, of endings and upheavals. It's the sound of a ship adrift on a cruel sea."
Beastwars - The Ship // The Sea
The Ship//The Sea (released on November 7, 2025 via Destroy Records), is filled with the strikingly raw emotion and unrelenting intensity we know and love from the band. Naturally, this sharply contrasting combination of vulnerability and brutality fashions the perfect spyglass through which to view the album's nautical theme. Further, each song on the album explores a different motif such as survival, wisdom, purification, and healing. The emotions expressed on the album are some of their most intense ever, on par with their crushing riffs. You'll hear inspiring messages of optimism (such as on opening track We Don't Say Fear), relatable anecdotes of struggle (such as on The Storm), and encouraging glimmers of hope (such as on the ultra-powerful final track Light Leads the Way).Not only does Beastwars very successfully execute the concept of the beautifully volatile sea on their album, but they do it in an admirably unguarded and genuine manner, making it very apparent to the listener that The Ship//The Sea could very well be the band's most personal yet.More About BeastwarsYou can follow Beastwars and listen to their music at the following links:
Grungy Stoner Rockers Yeast Machine Sign with Noisolution, Release "Falling Rocks" Single
Big news is rising from grungy stoner rockers Yeast Machine, and we now have our anxious little paws on a few fresh slices of what's sure to be a work of epic proportions.
First, the band recently announced that they're officially part of the highly respected German label Noisolution (one of my personal favorites), who also boasts groups such as The Pighounds and Daily Thompson.
Additionally, Yeast Machine dropped the single and music video for Falling Rocks on Friday, November 7, 2025 (which deservedly got a day-early premiere from Visions Magazin). This vibrant track fizzes with effervescent energy, combining the heartfelt stoner/alternative/grunge fusion the Yeasties are known for with a dash of punk rock spirit (thanks to a killer guest vocal performance by Polly of The Red Flags).
The official music video for "Falling Rocks"
As if that weren't enough, we can expect another album from Yeast Machine sometime in the near future (it feels like they released their debut full-length Sleaze just yesterday). For a few more details about that, as well as some more fun facts about the band, I'll point you in the direction of a very fun and enlightening interview that Yeast Machine did with Fox Reviews Rock, which can be found here.
If you know me at all, you know that I love these guys with the entirety of my ragged little black heart, so naturally, you'll be hearing much more from me about them as the new album takes shape (and beyond)! In the meantime, if you haven't already, make sure to give Falling Rocks a spin and show Yeast Machine some much deserved love!
More About Yeast Machine
You can follow Yeast Machine and listen to their music at the following links:
Best New Releases October 2025
Happy belated Halloween, fiends! I hope you all had a wonderful spooky season and are ready to dig into some of the best albums the heavy underground had to offer in October. I personally found ten new releases to recommend, and here they are in descending order:10.) Abanamat - Abominat
On their sophomore album Abominat, multinational heavy psych wizards Abanamat draw from an extensive array of musical influences to create a sound that is truly one of a kind. Is it progressive? Absolutely. Stoner? Sure. Psychedelic? You bet. Most importantly, Abominat is sophisticated, layered, innovative, and, above all, expressive. Its sound fills the listener with both vibrant energy and soothing reverie, generating a warm and tranquil glow within that burns with boundless vitality.Favorite Track: Abominat9.) Birds of Nazca - Pangaea
With a sound not quite sinister enough to safely be called doom nor gossamer enough to warrant a generic label of "psychedelic rock", French duo Birds of Nazca resides somewhere in between. Throughout their new album Pangaea, waves of quaking reverberations roll in from all sides, ultimately either forcibly halted or joined by light and intricate reprieves, conjuring soundscapes marked by both astoundingly vast and brutally rugged textures. The fact that this intense, sophisticated sound is achieved with only two musicians makes Pangaea even more impressive.Favorite Track: Racetrack Playa8.) Honeybadger - Let There Be Light
Let There Be Light, the sophomore album from Greek stoner quartet Honeybader, is the perfect balance of contagious energy and earnestness. The album is filled with rich vocals, catchy hooks, and relatable lyrics, all set to the tune of soaring stoner/desert tones, timeless hard rock, and a dash of murky grunge.Favorite Track: Let There Be Light7.) Psychonaut - World Maker
World Maker is much more than just a great album: it's the result of a life-altering journey undertaken by the members of Belgian post metal trio Psychonaut. In fact, I would argue that knowing this backstory is vital to fully appreciating the album, as it dives deep into what it's like to experience profound joy and crushing devastation simultaneously. Unsurprisingly, World Maker bleeds with emotion ranging from the purest form of love to bafflement to raging anger, which can be heard in the heart wrenching, raw vocals and turbulent, complex instrumental breakdowns. However, it's the completely uninhibited and raw manner in which these feelings are delivered that make this album Psychonaut's most soul-stirring yet.Favorite Track: Endless Currents6.) Giöbia - X-ÆON
On their sixth album X-ÆON, Italian psychedelic rockers Giöbia offer up a primarily instrumental, acidic sound, characterized by an ever-evolving flow, spacey vibes, and persistent energy. The single song on the album with vocals, titled The Death of the Crows, stands out as a very clever creative choice. This track manages to be tranquil and soothing yet coldly futuristic while boasting a smoky 80s pop rock feel, resulting in a very infectious jam indeed.Favorite Track: The Death of the Crows5.) WAR - VENIVEDIWAR
VENIVIDIWAR will have you rethinking how you feel about the often-contentious genres of doomgaze, shoegaze, and emo/screamo. These stylistic influences and more work together to create WAR's unique, chameleonlike tone and, while melancholia is undoubtedly a dominant shade throughout, its anguish isn't always clear-cut. VENIVIDIWAR contains subtleties that often illustrate a sequence of shifting moods, particularly anger, sadness, and heartbreak. However, it's the beacons of acceptance, hope, and optimism that pop up from time to time that make WAR stand out from other bands with doleful proclivity. The addition of stoner, math, and prog rock to the mix adds a boldness to these nuances, leading to unexpected twists and turns while providing a beautifully layered, thought-provoking listening experience.You can read my full review here.Favorite Track: Entropy4.) Some Pills for Ayala - Dystopia
Some Pills for Ayala is the hypnotic stoner/psych project of multi-instrumentalist Nestor Ayala, a musician from Santiago, Chile. Dystopia is Ayala's latest full-length release, delivering eight tracks of the atmospheric stoner/psych reveries the project is known for, marked by hazy infusions of grunge and captivating spacey vibes throughout. It's a soothing balm for both ears and soul.Favorite Track: Little Fingers3.) Kuolemankello - Perkeet
Kuolemankello is a proto metal/heavy rock trio whose sound is not only a perfect marriage of vintage, almost ancient-sounding tones and big, classic heavy metal vibes, but it's ALWAYS deliciously loud. Their debut album Perkeet is a masterful blend of pounding rhythms, a plethora of heavy rock swagger, beautifully gritty harmonies in the band's native Finnish, and a bit of a punk rock attitude. These elements drive Perkeet along with impressive endurance, not leaving a single dull moment in its wake. Even so, my favorite thing about the album is quite simple: its raw, unadulterated soul: a core of innate, feral energy that has a way of calling to mind why the bare bones of heavy music - sheer volume, intensity, and passion - are so vital to our enjoyment of it.You can read a bit more about the band in my quick review here.Favorite Track: Paarmojen herra2.) Black Charger - Small Town
After releasing several memorable singles and playing a slew of gigs around their native Germany over the past few years, Black Charger's full-length debut Small Town is deservedly reaching eager ears on a global scale. The band plays a classic style of stoner/desert rock that's gritty, fuzzy, and dense in all the right places with a hazy infusion of heavy psych and vibrant energy that supercharges their songs. Perhaps best of all, Black Charger keeps their music down to earth and relatable, with lyrics that focus on topics such as life in a small town and the rise of the stoner/desert scene. This is a band that holds fast to the foundations of stoner rock while creating a very personal experience for the listener.Favorite Track: Super Ego1.) Bentrees - Silver Veins
Silver Veins, the third album from Italian stoner/psych duo Bentrees, is a work of art. Layered with sharply defined strata and finished with intricate details, this album paints a breathtaking portrait of everything that makes the band tick. Within its shades and hues, you'll find allusions to personal evolution and appreciative tributes to the natural world, especially to the land that Bentrees calls home. The band illustrates these scenes in their typical way, with clever use of contrast, building, and by blending their stylistic influences into a kaleidoscope of hypnotic but intensely immersive sound. However, there seems to be a renewed vigor and heightened passion present on Silver Veins that not only signals a comeback for Bentrees after a few years-long studio hiatus, but it underscores the personal importance of the album's subject matter to the duo. In short, Silver Veins stands out as something very special, carefully and lovingly crafted with skill and time.You can read my full review here.Favorite Track: Silver VeinsThat's it for October!Be sure to check out this month's Doom Chart where there are forty albums waiting for you to discover, and as always, show your favorite heavy underground artists some much-deserved love!Check out Screaming from the Heavy Underground on YouTube!Best New Releases of October 2025, Video Version:
SFTHU Quick Reivews: Kuolemankello - "Perkeet"
This is a release that I'm incredibly psyched to share, and it's one of those rare birds that hooked me instantly with iron claws, in spite of the fact that I don't understand a word of the lyrics (to be honest, I love hearing bands perform in their native language as much if not more so than English)!Kuolemankello is a proto metal/heavy rock trio from Turku, Finland whose sound is not only a perfect marriage of vintage, almost ancient-sounding tones and big, classic heavy metal vibes, but it's ALWAYS deliciously loud.The band's name, which translates to "death knell" in English, reflects their attitude toward playing music: "Life is short and the death knell is ticking, better to start a band now than tomorrow."Three years after their formation, Kuolemankello released their first single, Valoni, which was built from a single riff. "We just played it and went for it," says band member Matti Kallio. "There was a great feeling of accomplishment when everyone participated with teenage enthusiasm. Only the lyrics had to be completed afterwards, when the spontaneously looped chorus needed a story around it. The spark was found in the classic film Rosemary's Baby."Next, the band released the single Haaskanlintu, an ultra-catchy, riff-driven track that's their favorite to play live.The official music video for "Haaskalintu"Kuolemankello - Perkeet
Kuolemankello released their debut album, Perkeet, on October 31, 2025 via Svart Records.This thirteen-track album blazes by at breakneck speed, as it's not only insanely energetic from start to finish, but it's equally infectious. A masterful blend of pounding rhythms, a plethora of heavy rock swagger, beautifully gritty harmonies in the band's native Finnish, and a bit of a punk rock attitude drive Perkeet along with impressive endurance, not leaving a single dull moment in its wake. Even so, my favorite thing about the album is quite simple: its raw, unadulterated soul. Perkeet possesses a core of innate, feral energy that has a way of calling to mind why the bare bones of heavy music - sheer volume, intensity, and passion - are so vital to our enjoyment of it.In a nutshell, Perkeet feels like a battle cry: a rallying call to seek out and enjoy the primordial essence of heavy music.More About KuolemankelloYou can follow Kuolemankello and listen to their music at the following links:
Sardinian Stoner/Psych Duo Bentrees Releases "Silver Veins": A Heartfelt Tribute to Personal and Cultural Identity
Bentrees is a stoner psych band from Italy who got their start in 2012, later cementing their lineup as a duo in 2014. With Riccardo Podda on guitar and vocal duties and Mauro Cocco frenetically pounding away at the drums, Bentrees creates a massive sound in spite of their size, creating riff driven tones whose captivating atmospheres know no bounds. Within the depths of their hypnotic sound, you'll hear influences of 70s hard rock, stoner/desert rock, and psychedelic rock, a trifecta Bentrees has kept going across their first two highly esteemed albums: Psychollage (2017) and Two of Swords (2025). (The song Hermit from Two of Swords is something I consider to be required stoner rock listening).Besides two very solid albums, Bentrees has created a name for themselves as a must-see live act in Europe, sharing the stage with beloved bands such as Yawning Man, Black Rainbows, and The Cosmic Dead.Now, in 2025, Bentrees is back with their first album in four years (and their second with Argonauta Records) titled Silver Veins. On this release, Bentrees demonstrates that they hold their foundations and original influences close while continuing to push the boundaries of their sound even further - through the desert, under the sea, and beyond the exosphere. Perhaps even more importantly, the band views Silver Veins as a vehicle with which to embark upon an "introspective journey into personal and cultural identity, balancing massive riffs, psychedelic vibes, and a deep connection to the band's Sardinian roots."Silver Veins was released on October 17, 2025 via Argonauta Records.Bentrees - Silver Veins
1.) The Sky Never DiesThe Sky Never Dies breaks ground on Silver Veins with a coarse and gravelly stoner/desert undertone marked by effervescent bubbles of refreshing psychedelic rock. The latter is beautifully (and generously) expanded upon throughout the second third of the song, a cool oasis of scintillating guitar tones and light, energetic drumming. The stoner/desert element of the song, primarily present during the vocal portions, has a noticeably commanding feel - a renewed, confident energy heard in the voice and in instrumentals alike. It's this vitality as well as the trademark mesmeric Bentrees tones that make The Sky Never Dies a brilliant choice for the first single the band released from Silver Veins...a song that screams "Bentrees is back!"2.) The SeaThe aptly-titled The Sea, with sounds of ocean spray audible in its intro, certainly emulates the ebb and flow of the briny deep. This song begins with breezy, soothing tones and hypnotic vocalizations, reminiscent of a calm shoreline with waves gently but rhythmically rolling in. By the first chorus, the unpredictability of the sea is heard in the churning guitar tones, crashing drums, and emphatic but soaring vocals. This energy continues to build, ultimately leading to a tempest of sound. However, this storm isn't dark and ominous - there's a striking beauty in her capriciousness and power that leaves onlookers agape in an appreciative awe.3.) AwayAway is a song that's cleverly driven by contrast, even more starkly so than the usual Bentrees fare. It begins on the most fragile ground, with the gentle sparkle of chimes, blooming cymbal rolls, and delicate guitar. Very suddenly, the listener is jarred in the best way by a towering wall of stoner/desert rock that drops in along with strong, confident vocals that assert themselves with an almost chantlike cadence. From here, some bewitching Eastern influences infiltrate the sound, which begins to calm, ultimately becoming a light and spiraling but somewhat apprehensive interlude, punctuated by booming echoes of percussion. Then, even more abruptly than the first time, the dense, harsh tones of the desert return as both passion and chaos increase all around, drawing the listener deeper and deeper into an encompassing cyclone of fervor.4.) AlienatedAt the album's midway point, fourth track Alienated marks a noticeable shift in sound. Here, delicate and atmospheric post rock blends with the murky tones of grunge, another phenomenal example of Bentrees' use of contrast and blending genres in highly creative ways.5.) Beyond the MindBeyond the Mind follows a captivating pattern that begins with sharper, cleaner guitar that really allows the listener to appreciate the accompanying delicate splash of the cymbal and the velvety smooth melody of Riccardo's vocals. These hushed tones briefly move through a funky, acidic style of psychedelia before blasting off into the crushingly dense but astoundingly vast atmospheres of spacey stoner/psych. It's a roller coaster of both feeling and sound that makes impeccable use of building.6.) Silver VeinsThe organic movement, chill-inducing crescendos, and unfettered passion that encompasses title track Silver Veins had me riddled with appreciative goosebumps and nearly in awe-inspired tears as I listened. This song contains everything we know and love about Bentrees: heavy riffs, hypnotic psychedelia, and clever twists and turns that always leave you wondering which direction the song will go next. However, my favorite things about this song are that killer cyclonic riff (first making an appearance at the 1:37 mark), the unbridled emotion in the vocals, and the pure authenticity of that free-flowing feeling. Silver Veins unfolds in the most natural way, waxing and waning and pulsing with emotion in such a way that the heart of the band is starkly palpable throughout.Final ThoughtsSilver Veins is a work of art, layered with sharply defined strata and finished with intricate details that paint a breathtaking portrait of everything that makes Bentrees tick. Within its shades and hues, you'll find allusions to personal evolution and appreciative tributes to the natural world, especially to the land that the duo calls home. Bentrees paints these scenes in their typical way: with clever use of contrast, building, and by blending their stylistic influences into a kaleidoscope of hypnotic but intensely immersive sound. However, there seems to be a renewed vigor and heightened passion present on Silver Veins that not only signals a bit of a comeback for the band after a few years-long studio hiatus, but it underscores the personal importance of the album's subject matter to the duo. I will always adore every song and every album Bentrees has ever released (or ever will release), but Silver Veins undoubtedly stands out as something very special, something that was carefully and lovingly crafted with skill and time.Bentrees is one of those bands that can do no wrong in my eyes, and naturally, when one of my favorite groups is about to release an album, I can pretty much assume that it will be great. Silver Veins not only blew those high expectations out of the water, but it ran with them, taking my heart and soul on a journey that left me feeling both rejuvenated and indescribably appreciative, not only of many details of the world around me, but of the immense talent that resides in the underground music scene. The passion that bleeds from every note of Silver Veins is a powerful reminder as to why I continue to support the heavy underground with my silly little words. THIS is the kind of potent, heartfelt stuff that keeps me inspired and keeps me going, both as a music fan and as a human being.Bravo!More About BentressBentrees Is:Riccardo Podda - Guitar, VocalsMauro Cocco - DrumsYou can follow Bentrees and listen to their music at the following links:A massive thank you to Grand Sounds PR for the promo!CHECK OUT SCREAMING FROM THE HEAVY UNDERGROUND ON YOUTUBE!BENTREES - SILVER VEINS REVIEW, VIDEO VERSION:
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