As the opening notes of “Newfound Respect” hit, Buried Under the Weight of Reason reveals itself as a blunter, more dynamic beast than its predecessors. The guitars have thickened into a sludge/doom/stoner hybrid of epic proportions, blending Boss Keloid-like phrasing (“Rot to Ruin,” “Newfound Respect”) with Baronessian textures (“Twelve Seasons,” “Law Unto Myself”) and even the occasional djenty chug (“Cut Your Teeth,” “Rot to Ruin”). Huge, low-slung riffs drive Desert Storm’s definitive songwriting pattern. Songs lurch between stampeding verses and clean, crestfallen bridges, often featuring playful bass flourishes and blues refrains. Elliot Cole’s drums hit with massive, tom-forward authority. Each booming strike fuses with new bassist Andrew Keyzor (ex-Beard of Zeuss), carving deep pockets on tracks like “Woodsman” and “Shamanic Echoes.” By the time the first few tracks roll by, it’s obvious that Buried Under the Weight of Reason finds Desert Storm operating squarely in their wheelhouse.

Desert Storm commits to a single mission on Buried Under the Weight of Reason: delivering crushing, irresistible grooves from start to finish. Though lesser bands often bail on a great hook too early, Desert Storm has the confidence to lock in and let a sequence breathe like a fine wine, avoiding the common pitfall of over-complicating a riff before it reaches its zenith. Their controlled songwriting approach shines on the “Woodsman” and “Shamanic Echoes,” where the group adds nuance through minimalist, hook-heavy phrasing that feels both exciting and fresh. “Rot to Ruin” and “Cut Your Teeth” utilize spacious, bluesy transitions to reset the listener’s palate before building toward massive payoffs. The latter succeeds because the quartet holds back, patiently waiting for the precise moment to strike with a mammoth closing riff. The album closes with “Twelve Seasons,” a standout track that balances technical complexity and eccentricity with Desert Storm’s conviction to mine every ounce of a groove’s energy until it runs bone-dry.

Matthew Ryan’s vocals have historically been Desert Storm’s hollow point, but on Buried Under the Weight of Reason, they arrive with a newfound polish and reliability. Hitting with a grizzled, Crowbar-like growl, Ryan provides a solid—albeit largely safe—foundation that underpins Desert Storm’s low-frequency bulk. While Ryan’s vocals struggle to elevate the plethora of high-caliber riffs, they sit comfortably in the mix, serving their purpose without overreaching. Inconsistencies surface, however, on “Woodsman,” where mechanical chanting feels like a unique angle tripped up by its own peculiarity. More jarring is “Dripback,” where Ryan’s barking cadence feels a bit too unhinged, overshadowing an otherwise great groove. Beyond the vocal performance, the compressed mix masks the finer nuances—like the cowbell on “Twelve Seasons”—and the quartet’s commitment to the almighty riff sometimes results in songs feeling overextended. While Desert Storm’s “groove-first” philosophy is surely their strength, it leads to some bloat on the record’s longer cuts (“Rot to Ruin,” “Shamanic Echoes”). Additionally, the inclusion of the interlude “Carry the Weight” feels pointless in the context of the album’s flow.

But for Desert Storm, Buried Under the Weight of Reason is a cause for celebration. By knowing and staying largely within their established limits, the group has created not only a good record, but easily their best to date. While it occasionally oversteps its bounds or struggles to maintain its momentum, the songwriting and groove are infectious enough to have every head in the club bobbing in unison. Their sharpest effort to date, with enough weight to kill an elephant, Buried Under the Weight of Reason is a damn good time and a reminder that sometimes, that’s all a record needs to be.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Websites: desertstorm.bandcamp.com/music | desertstormband.com | facebook.com/desertstormuk
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026

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Suncraft has historically relied on mid-paced stoner rock, but their second LP sees the band move in a different direction. Welcome to the Coven is what happens when Queens of the Stone Age wields The Sword and walks The DOGS. It’s riotous, retro, and downright groovy. With a triple-pronged attack, guitarists Vebørn Rindal Krogstad, Sigurd Grøtan, and Jens Henrik Kverndal let loose a wildly infectious salvo of stoner and garage rock. “Welcome to the Coven” and “Forgotten Goddess” rip across the desert in an old convertible Mustang powered solely by diesel and sativa. “Love’s Underrated” gives garage revival and a little Japandroids, while “Wizards of the Anger Magic” opens on The Beach Boys and pays heavy tribute to The Ramones. Mixed into this strong foundation you’ll also find riffage stained black (“Ragebait”), pop punk angst (“Greed Battalion”), posty and proggy diversions (“High on Silence”), and even a millennial whoop or two. These are disparate elements to bring under one umbrella, but like fellow countrymen Kvelertak, Suncraft pull it off well.

In a brew stereotypically known for wanton abandon, Welcome to the Coven succeeds through restraint. Post-black and pop punk normally make bridge- or hook-centered appearances, being used as means to build drama and release tension rather than ends in themselves. Drummer Tobias Paulsen utilizes a predominantly upbeat rock style, but he’s got a full toolbox. He deploys d-beats, hooks and fills, blast beats, and tempo changes with precision for maximum emotional impact (“Love’s Underrated,” “Welcome to the Coven”). The same can be said of bassist/singer Rasmus Skage Jensen, whose strings feel elementally nostalgic, both in tone and in their intentionally dynamic grounding of hooks, leads, and rhythmic support. And by keeping a normally tight grip on his vocals, the moments when Jensen lets loose and pushes his pipes to their limit shine all the brighter (“Greed Battalion,” “Forgotten Goddess”). Rather than employing an unchecked, maximalist style, Suncraft’s tempered and deceptively meticulous songcraft elevates Welcome to the Coven far above the sum of its parts.

Suncraft doesn’t treat the incorporation of these various flourishes as puzzles to be solved. Instead, every element on Welcome to the Coven seems chosen and placed to best support a deliriously and irresistibly fun grand design. This approach and Suncraft’s success with it grant them an inimitable air of sprezzatura.¹ Krogstad, Grøtan, and Kverndal spin around each other so naturally, offering inspired counterpoints (“Wizards of the Anger Magic”), tossing in pristine fills (“High on Silence”), and passing leads and solos like a hacky sack (“Love’s Underrated,” “Forgotten Goddess”). I don’t for one second believe that Jensen’s interjectory “fuck it” on “Greed Battalion” or Paulsen’s double bass in “Welcome to the Coven” are off the cuff; this album is far too good for that. But when I hear the killer solo in “Love’s Underrated,” the exceptional back half of “Charlatan Killer,” or the barely controlled chaos that is “Forgotten Goddess,” I can’t help but be awed by the explosive synergy on display here—and the casual effortlessness of it.

I had high hopes when I picked up Welcome to the Coven, and from the first seconds of “Ragebait” to the final cymbals of “Forgotten Goddess,”² Suncraft blew me away. The chorus of “Charlatan Killer” was the only exception, being merely good in a sea of great. Each track on Suncraft’s sophomore effort fits together naturally and neatly in a singular, unified vision. Primally familiar like the mythical dog days of summer, Welcome to the Coven is an astoundingly fun ride. By the end of its 40-minute runtime, I’m invariably left craving more. And if that isn’t the mark of a great album, I don’t know what is.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: All Good Clean Records
Websites: Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 21st, 2025

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Howling Giant

To address the elephant in the room, Glass Future saw Howling Giant’s progressive tendencies flying their freak flag too much. While attempting to keep the stoner murk and reconcile it with aptly crystalline melody, the band lost what is so great about them: solid songwriting. It’s completely contrary to what gave them the edge over genre mates Sergeant Thunderhoof in their dueling split – their head-first dabbling in more elusive chord progressions felt like a more stoner-inclined dime-store version of Intronaut’s Habitual Levitations. This is what makes third full-length Crucible & Ruin so refreshing:² it’s everything you love about the Nashville now-quartet – and more. The template of killer riffs, soaring choruses, searing solos, and stoner haze is amplified by new guitarist/synth player Adrian Zambrano – adding layers and textures to Howling Giant’s already winning formula.

Howling Giant feels reinvigorated with Crucible & Ruin. Songwriting prowess on full display, the kitchen sink of riff, solo, melody, and catchiness has never looked so clean. While some remnants of Glass Future hang around in more evasive chord structures and emphasis on melody (instrumental “Lesser Gods”), the tracks shift from the anthemic to the kickass, rounded out by the understated Helmet-esque triple-vocal attack – a potentially divisive element of Howling Giant’s sound –³ and that warm stoner haze. Chunky riffs dominate and add a jolt of energy (“Hunter’s Mark,” “Beholder I: Downfall”), while anthemic choruses and transcendent chord progressions take listeners to a psychedelic heaven (“Archon,” “Archivist”). Southern fried bluesy vibes a la All Them Witches also grace the vibe with a backwoods atmosphere (“Beholder II: Labyrinth,” “Melchor’s Bones”), paying homage to their home state of Tennessee. All assets culminate in the two parts of “Beholder,” the Phrygian key giving them a more epic and grandiose feel.

With the addition of Zambrano, Howling Giant has never felt so fleshed out. Compared to the flashy vocals and melodies of Sergeant Thunderhoof, Howling Giant has always been a meat-and-potatoes type of band, but Crucible & Ruin finds the band building upon this template using more versatility in its musical arsenal. Layers of melodic overlays grace rhythmic punch a purpose and intensity (“Canyons,” “Scythe and Scepter”), the tasteful balance between the melodic and the skronky add intrigue and madness (“Hunter’s Mark,” “Archon,” “Beholder I: Downfall”), and ethereal atmosphere is built atop and duels with more downtuned riffs and bass (“Lesser Gods,” “Archivist,” “Beholder II: Labyrinth”). The dueling guitars add a much-needed and ridiculously tantalizing dimension that takes Howling Giant’s already solid sound to new heights.

Howling Giant’s vocal approach of hyper harmonies will remain a divisive element, the central riff and spoken word of “Melchor’s Bones” can get a bit repetitive, and instrumental “Lesser Gods” is a bit questionable, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that it’s the band’s best album to date. Crucible & Ruin distills everything that makes Howling Giant great and beefs it up, weaponizing their already formidable songwriting with Zambrano’s melodic and textural synth and fretwork. Featuring riffs upon riffs with complex songwriting that doesn’t fly over listeners’ heads, relatable vocals that don’t lose their punch, and new guitar work that takes the band to new heights, across a forty-eight-minute runtime that zips by, it’s hard not to bob your head. While comparisons to Mastodon, Baroness, and Anciients are fair, Howling Giant is its own beast, an intersection of stoner haze, riffy intensity, and melodic taste. Crucible & Ruin caught me by surprise in the best way, and is sure to appear at year-end.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Websites: howlinggiant.bandcamp.com | howlinggiant.com | facebook.com/howlinggiant
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

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The heat persists, but now the humidity comes in full force as storm systems wreak havoc upon the coasts. I hide in my cramped closet of an office, lest I be washed out once again by an unsuspecting deluge. However, I still send my minions out into the facility, bound by duty to search for those metallic scraps on which we feast.

Fortuitously, most all of those imps I sent out came back alive, and with wares! BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Galactic Gremlin

Silent Millenia // Celestial Twilight: Beyond the Crimson Veil [August 26th, 2025 – Self-Release]

Have you ever seen such a delightfully cheesy cover? Probably, but it’s been a while for me. I bought Celestial Twilight: Beyond the Crimson Veil, the second raw symphonic black metal opus from Finnish one-man act Silent Millenia, on the strength of the artwork alone. Little did I know that what lay beyond this crimson veil was some of the most fun melodic black metal this side of Moonlight Sorcery. The same low-fi roughness that personifies Old Nick’s work grounds Silent Millenia’s starbound songwriting as it traverses the universe with an energetic punch reminiscent of Emperor or Stormkeep (“Awaken the Celestial Spell,” “Daemonic Mastery”). To help differentiate Silent Millenia’s sound from that of their peers, a gothic atmosphere ensorcells much of this material to great effect, merging eerie Victorian melodies with galactic adventurism in an unlikely pair (“Enthrone the Spectral”). Swirling synths and sparkling twinkles abound as well, creating blissful moments of interest as frosty tremolos and piercing blasts take full advantage of the false sense of security those entrancing clouds of synthetic instrumentation create (“Benighted Path to Darkness Mysterium,” “Reign in Cosmic Majesty”). Simply put, Celestial Twilight is an unexpected gem of a symphonic black metal record, bursting with killer ideas and infinite levels of raw, unabashed fun. You should hear it!

Kronos’ Unexpected Unearthments

Street Sects // Dry Drunk [August 15th, 2025 – Self Release]

Dry Drunk sticks to your inner surfaces, draining down like cigarette tar along paralyzed cilia to pool in your lungs until the cells themselves foment rebellion. Once it’s in you, you feel paranoid, wretched, and alone. So it’s the proper follow-up to Street Sects’ visionary debut, End Position. Like that record, Dry Drunk plumbs the most mundane and unsavory gutters of America for a cast of protagonists that it dwells in or dispatches with a mixture of pity and disgust, with vocalist Leo Ashline narrating their violent crimes and self-hatred in a mixture of croons, shrieks, and snarls that cook the air before the speakers into the scent of booze and rotten teeth. And like that record, Shaun Ringsmuth (Glassing) dresses the sets with a fractal litter of snaps, squeals, crashes, gunshots, and grinding electronics, caked in tar and collapsing just as soon as it is swept into a structure. And like End Position, Dry Drunk is a masterpiece. The impeccable six-song stretch from “Love Makes You Fat” through “Riding the Clock” ties you to the bumper and drags you along some of the duo’s most creative side-roads, through the simmering, straightjacketed sludge of “Baker Act” to the chopped-up, smirking electronica of “Eject Button.” Swerving between addled, unintelligible agony and unforgettable anthems, Dry Drunk, like End Position before it is nothing less than the life of a junkie scraped together, heated on a spoon, and injected into your head. Once you’ve taken a hit, you will never be quite the same.

Thus Spoke’s Frightening Fragments

Defacement // Doomed [August 22nd, 2025 – Self Release]

There’s music for every vibe.¹ The one Defacement fits is an exclusively extreme metal flavor of moody that is only appreciable by genre fans, made tangibly more eerie by their persistent idiosyncratic use of dark ambient interludes amidst the viciously distorted blackened death. Audiences—and reviewers—tend to disparage these electronic segments, but I’ve always felt their crackling presence increases the analog horror of it all, and rather than being a breather from the intensity, they prolong the nausea, the sense of emptiness, and the abject fearfulness of head-based trauma. This latter concept grows more metaphorical still on Doomed, where the violence is inside the mind, purpose-erasing, and emotionally-detaching. The ambience might be the most sadly beautiful so far (“Mournful,” and “Clouded” especially), and the transitions into nightmarish heaviness arguably the most fluid. And the metal is undoubtedly the most ambitious, dynamic, and magnificent of Defacement’s career, combining their most gruesome dissonance (“Portrait”) with their most bizarrely exuberant guitar melodies (“Unexplainable,” “Unrecognised”). Solos drip tangibly with (emotional) resonance (“Unexplainable,” “Absent”) and there’s not a breath or a moment of wasted space. Yes, the band’s heavier side can suffer from a nagging sense of homogeneous mass, but it remains transporting. While I can appreciate why others do not appreciate Defacement, this is the first of their outings I can truthfully say mesmerised me on first listen.

ClarkKent’s Heated Hymns

Phantom Fire // Phantom Fire [August 8th, 2025 – Edged Circle Productions]

While I waded through the murky depths of the August promo sump, Steel implored me to take the eponymous third album from Phantom Fire. “The AMG commentariat love blackened heavy metal,” he said. I disregarded his advice at my peril, and while I ended up enjoying what I grabbed, it turns out this would have been solid too. Featuring members from Enslaved, Kraków. Hellbutcher, and Aeternus, Phantom Fire play old school speed metal that harks back to the likes of Motörhead and Iron Maiden’s Killers. Thanks to healthy doses of bass and production values that allow the instruments to shine, each song is infused with energetic grooves. The music sounds fresh, crisp, and clear, from the booming drums to Eld’s “blackened” snarls. Early tracks “Eternal Void” and “All For None” show off the catchy blend of simple guitar riffs and a hoppin’ bass accompanied by energetic kit work. While placing a somewhat lengthy instrumental track in the middle of a record usually slows it down, “Fatal Attraction” turns out to be a highlight. It tells a tragic love story involving a motorcycle with nothing but instruments, an engine revving, and some police sirens. The second half of Phantom Fire gets a bit on the weirder side, turning to some stoner and psychedelia. There’s a push and pull between the stoner and Motörhead speed stuff on songs like “Malphas” and “Submersible Pt. 2,” and this blend actually works pretty well. It turns out that they aren’t phantom after all—these guys are truly fire.

Burning Witches // Inquisition [August 22nd, 2025 – Napalm Records]

With six albums in eight years, Swiss quintet Burning Witches has really been burning rubber. While such prolific output in such a short time frame generally spells trouble, Inquisition is a solid piece of heavy/power metal. Burning Witches dabbles in a mix of speedy power metal and mid-tempo heavy metal, often sounding like ’80s stalwarts Judas Priest and Def Leppard. With Laura Guldemond’s gruff voice, they produce a more weighty, less happy version of power metal than the likes of Fellowship or Frozen Crown. While the songs stick to formulaic structures, tempo shifts from song to song help keep things from growing stale. We see this variety right from the get-go, where “Soul Eater” takes a high-energy approach before moving into the more mellow “Shame.” There’s even a pretty solid ballad, “Release Me,” that grounds the back half of the record. Songs of the sort that Burning Witches write need catchy choruses, and fortunately, they deliver. “High Priestess of the Night” is a particular standout, delivering a knock-out punch in its delivery. It helps that the instrumental parts are well-executed, from crunchy riffs to subdued solos to booming blast beats. Anyone looking for a solid bit of power metal that’s not too heavy on the cheese will find this worth a listen.

Deathhammer // Crimson Dawn [August 29th, 2025 – Hells Headbangers Records]

Celebrating 20 years of blackened speed, Deathhammer drop LP number six with the kind of energy that exhausted parents dread to see in their children at bedtime. This is my first foray with the band, and I am in awe of the relentless level of manic energy they keep throughout Crimson Dawn’s 39 minutes. If science could learn how to harness their energy, we’d have an endless source of renewables. The two-piece out of Norway channels classic Slayer on crack and even has moments reminiscent of Painkiller-era Judas Priest. They play non-stop thrash cranked to 11, with persistent blast beats and some dual guitar parts that leave your head spinning from the rapid-fire directions the riffs fire off in. The heart of the mania is singer Sergeant Salsten. His crazed vocals are amazing—snarling, shouting, and shrieking in a way that took me back to the manic pitch Judge Doom could reach in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He sings so fast that on the chorus of “Crimson Dawn,” it sounds like he says “Griffindor,” which had me searching confusedly for the Harry Potter tag. This was probably my favorite song, not just because of the Griffindor thing, but because that chorus is so catchy. Either way, it’s tough to pick a standout track because they all grip you by the throat and don’t let go. Crimson Dawn is a ton of fun and a must listen if you like your music fast.

Grin Reaper’s Bountiful Blight

Kallias // Digital Plague [August 14th, 2025 – Self Release]

Machine gun drumming, spacey synths, Morbid Angel-meets-Meshuggah riffing, Turian-esque barking and Voyager-reminiscent vocal melodies…what the fuck is going on here? The only thing more surprising than someone having the moxie to blend all these things together is how well they work in concert. Kallias doesn’t hold back on sophomore album Digital Plague, and the result is a rocket-fueled blast through forty-four minutes of eclectic, addictive prog. The mishmash of styles keeps the album fresh and unpredictable while never dipping its toes in inconsistent waters, and staccato rhythms propel listeners through eight tracks without losing steam. As with any prog metal worth its salt, Kallias brandishes technical prowess, and their cohesion belies the relatively short time they’ve been putting out music.² The mix is well-suited to spotlight whoever needs it at a given time, whether the bass is purring (“Exogíini Kyriarchía”), the drums are being annihilated (“Pyrrhic Victory”), or a guitar solo nears Pettrucian wankery (“Phenomenal in Theory”). The end result is three-quarters of an hour filled with myriad influences that fuse into a sound all Kallias’s own, and it’s one I’ve returned to several times since discovering (also, credit to MontDoom for his stunning artwork, which helped initially draw my attention). Check it out—you’ll be sick if you avoid this one like the Plague.

Saunders’ Kaleidoscopic Kicks

Giant Haze // Cosmic Mother [August 22nd, 2025 – Tonzonen Records]

Whereas many of my colleagues are bracing themselves for cooler conditions and harsh winters to come, in my neck of the woods, things are warming up. While my own wintry August filter proved scarce, there was one particular summery gem to lift moods with burly riffs and fat stoner grooves. Unheralded German act Giant Haze seemingly emerged out of nowhere during a random Bandcamp deep dive. Debut LP Cosmic Mother channels the good old days of ’90s-inspired desert rock, featuring grungy, doomy vibes via a groovy batch of riff-centric, hard-rocking and uplifting jams, evoking the nostalgic spirit of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Clutch and perhaps even a dash of Danzig. Punching out raucous, groove-soaked hard rockers with skyscraping hooks (“Geographic Gardens Suck,” “King of Tomorrow,” “Panic to Ride”), summery, funk–psych jams (“Sunrise”), and bluesy, punk-infused fireballs (“Crank in Public,” “Shrink Age”) Giant Haze get a lot of things right on this assured debut. The songwriting is deceptively diverse and punchy, bolstered by solid production, tight musicianship, and the swaggering, ever so slightly goofy vocal charms and powerful hooks of frontman Christoph Wollmann. Inevitably, a few rough spots appear, but overall Cosmic Mother showcases oodles of budding potential, an impactful delivery, cheeky sense of humor, and infectious, feel-good songcraft.

Spicie Forrest’s Foraged Fruit

Bask // The Turning [August 22nd, 2025 – Season of Mist]

Last seen in 2019, Bask returns with fourth LP, The Turning, a concept album following The Rider as she and The Traveler traverse the stars. They still peddle the unique blend of stoner rock and Americana Kenstrosity reviewed favorably in 2019, but 2025 sees them looking up for inspiration. The Turning incorporates a distinct cosmic bent (“The Traveler,” “The Turning”) and post-rock structures (“Dig My Heels,” “Unwound”). These augmentations to Bask’s core sound are enhanced by the masterful pedal steel of new official member Jed Willis. Whether floating through the firmament or tilling earthly pastures, Willis creates textures both fresh and intensely nostalgic. The infinite shifting vistas of The Turning’s front half coalesce into singular timeless visions on the back half, supporting its conceptual nature in both content and form. Like a combination of Huntsmen and Somali Yacht Club, Bask weaves riffs and melodies heard across the plains and through the void above with an unguarded authenticity felt in your soul.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Disseminating Discharge

Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell [August 1st, 2025 – Personal Records]

Stinky, sticky, slimy—all adjectives that define the ideal death metal platter. Myk Colby has been trying to chase this perfect balance in a reverb-wonky package with projects like the d-beaten Hot Graves and extra hazy Wharflurch, but vile death metal balance is hard to achieve. However, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell contains a recklessly pinched Demilichian riffage, classic piercing whammy bombs, and spook-minded synth ambience that places Plasmodulated with an odor more pungent than its peers. With an infected ear that festers equally with doom-loaded, Incantation-indebted drags (“Gelatinous Mutation ov Brewed Origin,” “Trapped in the Plasmovoid”) and Voivod-on-jenkem cutaways to foul-throated extravagence (“The Final Fuckening”). An air of intelligent tempo design keeps An Ocean from never feeling trapped in a maze of its own fumes, with Colby’s lush and bubbling synth design seguing tumbles into hammering deathly tremolo runs (“Such Rapid Sphacelation”) and Celtic Frosted riff tumbles (“Drowning in Sputum”) alike, all before swirling about his own tattered, trailing vocal sputters. Steady but slippery, elegant yet effluvial, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell provides the necessary noxious pressure to corrode death metal-loving denizens into pure gloops of stained-denim pit worship. Delivered as labeled, Plasmodulated earns its hazardous declaration. We here at AMG are not liable for any OSHA violations that occur as a result of Plasmodulated consumption on the job, though.

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One look at their Bandcamp page reveals that Regina dabbles in a variety of styles, but the nu-metal tag might stick out as a turnoff for many readers. While there are a few brief spoken/rapped sections, concerned readers can rest assured that Liminal Space leans stoner and grunge above anything else. They don’t play the blasting, riff-tastic stoner of High on Fire or Sergeant Thunderhoof, but a hazy, atmospheric version that relies on reverb and ample bass grooves. It’s almost a tale of two halves, with the front half leaning stoner and the back half grunge. Early on the songs have a much more freestyle form to them, such as the dreamy, sometimes psychedelic “S.M.E.G.M.A..” It’s not until “Age of Aquarius” that they really attempt any sort of riffs. The later grunge-y stuff like “Would You Like Some Fries With That?” and “Rot” have a more punky vibe with clearer traditional song structure. Closer “Rot” is a particular standout, sounding like a crossover between Nirvana and Tragic Kingdom-era No Doubt.

A charismatic lead is a must when going the alt route, and Regina has one in Sofia May. She fluctuates her voice seamlessly from chill to punk, bringing a poetic, stylistic interpretation of the lyrics. When she reaches higher notes she sounds an awful lot like Gwen Stefani and might have you on the lookout for spiderwebs (“Of Dicks and Whores,” “Dethroned,” “Whiteout”). On closer “Rot,” she channels not only the Hollaback Girl but also a mumbling Kurt Cobain—and I don’t mean that in a negative way. While her voice tends towards the gritty, she also softly chants and croons in a dreamy manner that reminded me of another band I reviewed earlier this year, the psychedelic doom outfit When the Deadbolt Breaks (“Hollow Crown,” “Sweet Embrace”). The diversity of May’s vocal delivery is a major asset on Liminal Space.

While Liminal Space is a very pleasant listen in the moment, the lack of hooky or melodic guitar riffs means that many of the tracks don’t quite stick. Regina relies almost too heavily on reverb, to the point that songs can be difficult to grasp, even as you might enjoy the detours the musicians take. The bassist does make up for this to an extent, often serving as the lead with a deft groove attack. Bassist Agustín Sogliano makes a particularly strong impression in the final minutes of “Rot” with some gnarly riffs. Fortunately, Liminal Shroud boasts clear production values that ensure no one instrument drowns out another. While the middle portion of the 48 minute album sags a bit, the surrounding music is enjoyable enough to recommend at least a few listens.

With the spunky Regina as its AMG representative, Uruguay is off to a good start. True, it might be a little uneven, but I also found their diversity to be a strength. From atmospheric psychedelic stoner to more punky grunge, Liminal Space has something for fans of either genre. And Sofia May proves to be a strong front woman. She helps carry the minimalist, piano-driven “Open Cage,” proving that Regina can make almost anything work as long as she’s leading the charge. This holds promise for future outings where more songwriting experience should lead to more cohesive, stronger compositions. Now that Uruguay has a band reviewed on AMG, I’m eagerly awaiting Vatican City to send in their promo.¹

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: ALAC
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: September 12th, 2025

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When I first snagged Idag, I was struck by Witchcraft’s label change from Nuclear Blast to Heavy Psych Sounds, but it becomes immediately apparent as to why upon first listen. Idag is notably fuzzier than Witchcraft’s previous work, leaning heavily into the stoner-doom sound. In some cases, this manifests as Pentagram-adjacent chugging doom in the beefy riffs of “Burning Cross” or the slowly building grooves of “Idag.” The Coven-meets-Sergeant Thunderhoof nature of proto-Witchcraft is still present in the faster grooves of “Drömmar Av Is” and “Drömmen Om Död Och Förruttnelse,” though they haven’t escaped a healthy coat of fuzz. Some moody Black Metal acoustics return as well, given a refreshing shot of vigor without sacrificing atmosphere like in “Christmas.” Idag is all around well-produced and well-performed; it’s easy to buy into Idag, whether you’re a newcomer or returning fan.

Then again, it’s never been hard to buy into Witchcraft, because Witchcraft have long since established a pattern of writing rock solid music, and that’s exactly what Idag is: rock solid. The best songs in Idag will often find a strong core groove and then let it carry the bulk of the weight. “Drömmar Av Is” is a punctual tune that lands on a critically funky groove right out of the gates and hammers it home with minimal distraction. This song contrasts well with the more varied tunes like the eight-minute opener, “Idag,” which follows a similar philosophy of sticking to strong core ideas, all of which are given appropriate time to germinate with a delightful tempo increase in the latter half to keep the song from stagnating. Idag’s riffs might not always be the most audacious or inventive riffs ever made, but they’re effective and catchy. Then again, Idag is undeniably elevated by Pelander’s killer pipes. He’s the sort of singer you could recognize in anything, and his rich voice adds a lot of character to the music. Unintentional or not, I enjoy the detail of his voice sounding oh-so-slightly off-key with some of the guitars in “Om Du Vill.” It’s a nice touch of authenticity and reintroduces some of the vulnerability from Black Metal.

That authenticity also strikes at the chord of what makes Idag work for me; to my ears, from a songwriting standpoint, Idag is the sort of thing one might hear blasting from a garage, whereupon you’d find a couple of lads bangin’ on their instruments in ways that Just Sound Neat. That unrefined quality, that coarseness, is something I cherish, and Idag scratches that itch. The lead guitars across Idag howl with warbling feedback, and I love the unrestrained summer fun of the drum and guitar fills in “Irreligious Flamboyant Flame.” It is a bit of a double-edged sword, though. I appreciate the grime, but I also recognize that Idag lacks the consistency and focus to truly hook me like Legend did. It’s not like Witchcraft are suddenly a “jam band” on Idag, but it’s giving the moniker some funny looks. There are just enough frustrating oddball choices to be noticeable. As a comparatively longer song and practical closer, “Spirit” lacks the escalation that made “Idag” work, and the chorus in “Irreligious Flamboyant Flame” is a bit limp. Furthermore, both “Gläntan (Längtan)” and the actual closer “Om Du Vill (Slight Return)” feel out of place and borderline pointless.

I was lukewarm on my first spin of Idag, but it has grown on me. It might not be the most essential Witchcraft record, but it is nevertheless worth the time of any Witchcraft fan or purveyor of fuzzy stoner jams. But no matter how I felt about Idag, it wouldn’t have been a more potent feeling than my relief that Witchcraft is still making music. I will always look forward to their next release.

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: May 23rd, 2025

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At its core, The Doom Scroll is a mix of sludge ‘n’ roll and stoner doom. The guitar tone is thick, low, and heavy, and the tempo is (mostly) slow enough to be chill. Songs alternate between heavy stoner riffs à la Black Sabbath and Mastodon and exploratory instrumentation more akin to Pink Floyd. Appropriately, Weed Demon also likes to experiment. There’s some high-tempo thrash, the twang of blues, and organs for a trip into dungeon synth. And while some of these styles certainly feel out of place for a stoner album, there’s enough wah pedal psychedelia to remind you it’s all part of the trip. However, Weed Demon are at their best when they stick to simple, catchy riffs, putting tunes in my head that just won’t get out.

Weed Demon leans heavily into the instrumental prowess of its members. On guitars Andy Center and Brian Buckley (Elk, Wurm Sun) switch seamlessly between various styles, playing dreamy expository passages one minute and then strumming some muscular riffs the next. Their repetitive, no-flair riffing sets up the most memorable moments on tracks like “Tower of Smoke” and “Roasting the Sacred Bones.” Behind the kit, Nick Carter (Wurm Sun, not Backstreet Boys), keeps the tempo relaxed without bashing the drums too loudly because he knows you might be hungover. When the vocalists do make an appearance (“Coma Dose”, “Roasting the Sacred Bones”), they’re a mixed bag. Guest vocalist, Shy Kennedy (Funerals, Horehound) sounds like he’s singing into a microphone muffled by a pillow, an odd production choice. On the other hand, Jordan Holland’s (Domestic Terror) hoarse death metal growls add a lot of needed weight to the music, and I think The Doom Scroll would have benefited from using him more.

As much airtime as the catchy riffs get in my head, there’s just not enough of them. In fact, there’s hardly enough material to justify a full-length record. While five songs and thirty-one minutes sounds like a concise length,² The Doom Scroll would have been better served as an EP at half the length. The two bookends in particular feel out of place. Intro track “Acid Dungeon” is nearly three minutes of trippy synths, while closer “Dead Planet Blues” would have had a better home on Lathe’s country metal EP, Hillclimber. Of the remaining songs, not one is under 6 minutes, and each could use a bit of trimming. Weed Demon, simply, spends too much time on their intros and outros. “Roasting the Sacred Bones” suffers from having two distinct introductory sections. “Coma Dose,” which breaks the nine-minute mark, ends with four minutes of discordant riffage, only one minute of which works, carrying on for too long like a trip gone awry.

Though The Doom Scroll isn’t quite satisfactory as a whole, Weed Demon have displayed they have it in them to make a killer album. They have an infectious swagger but lack the discipline to focus and tighten up their sound. Don’t let the score below keep you from giving this a spin or two. There are some truly impressive moments that still get replay in my head long after The Doom Scroll is over. There’s plenty of great ideas here, but they just needed more time to cook. As such, I await the next batch of product from these guys with hope and excitement for a good time.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Electric Valley Records
Websites: smokeweeddemon.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/weeddemonsludge
Releases Worldwide: January 31st, 2025

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Warlung coughs up a solid first impression on opener “Digital Smoke” which is a raucous, groovy rocker that reminds me equally of Cauldron and Doctor Smoke. It’s catchy as fook and easy to like with meaty riffs churning away as George Baba and Phillip Bennet swap vocal lines. One of them (I’m not sure which) sounds a lot like Doctor Smoke’s Matt Tluchowski and his nasally delivery is upbeat and pleasant. This one got stuck in my brain on the first spin and I can’t seem to dislodge the smoke. “White Light Seeker” delivers a lead riff that sounds like it was “borrowed” from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and the song delivers hooky, groovy retro rock with a strong 70s doom edge. It’s an instant winner that sticks like Alien Tape™. Album set piece “Spell Speaker” is a nearly 9-minute odyssey that starts life sounding a lot like Iron Butterfly’s immortal classic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” before drifting into lazy hazy 70s hard rock and veering into Sabbath and Ghost territories. It’s a sprawling, unhurried saga that takes as much time as it wants to set the mood, with side quests into trippy guitar noodling. Surprisingly, it all works very well and the minutes fly by before you realize it. A very cool tune.

The back half of The Poison Touch is less adventurous, opting for more direct stoner rock attacks, but they generally hit pay dirt. “Holy Guide” reminds of Freedom Hawk and Uncle Acid, and closer “29th Scroll, 6th Verse” goes hard on the same kind of fuzzy bounce and groove Uncle Acid made their name with. The band’s agile songcraft makes things entertaining and memorable and they bring real chops to the execution, especially in the fretboard department. While no track feels completely unworthy, short interlude “Mourning Devils” doesn’t add much, and “Rat Bastard” is a bit too goofy, though the riffs are there in abundance. At a trim 36 minutes, the album flows past in a flash, and even “Spell Speaker” doesn’t interrupt the rocking momentum.

Baba and Bennett share axe work as well as vocal duties and they do a fine job on both fronts. The guitar tandem loads the material with sharp riffs of various eras and styles and it’s a pleasure to hear them playing off one another as they move from hard-charging riffs to 70s psych rock, doom, and bong-fueled noodle sessions. They borrow from all the right sources and keep things interesting most of the time. The vocals are good too, vibrant and quirky, sometimes sounding a lot like Papa Emeritus. There’s a playfulness to them that works well with the music and throughout the album Baba and Bennett remind me of roughly 10 other stoner and doom vocalists, so variety is not an issue here.

Warlung bring a sense of joy and just enough inventiveness to the stoner/retro rock genre to make a lasting impression and what they do on The Poison Touch is mighty tough to dislike. It’s the kind of album that grows on you with every spin and there are some slick, killer tunes camping out here. I almost gave it a higher score and I’m enjoying it enough to start examining their back catalog, so they’re doing something right. If you need a fun, mindless palate cleanser of an album that pairs well with beers, buds, and other buds, catch yourself a nasty case of Warlung. Cough, cough, cough, cough DA-DA, DA-DA-DA!

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 302 kbps mp3
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Websites: facebook.com/warlungband | instagram.com/warlung
Releases Worldwide: February 14th, 2025

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It’s safe to say you already know the answer to that question. Of course Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς kicks ass! A testament to exuberant, explorative, and exquisite songwriting, Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς represents everything that was great about Khirki before, elevated by a greater sense of cohesion, smoothness, and vibrancy. Throughout its forty-seven minutes, lush acoustics, tumbling drums and claps, weeping violin, and jaunty woodwinds provide effervescent decoration informed by traditional Greek folk music. Meanwhile, ascendant tremolo leads invite a shimmering post-metal accent to many songs, providing a nice shift away from the doom-tinged atmosphere of the first record. “Heart of the Sea” in particular shows how adventurous Khirki are with that post-metal influence in their chosen format; Khirki refuse to stick to a singular formula yet strive for an unmistakable voice entirely their own. And it works.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς doesn’t share the immediacy of Κτηνωδία, but not for assessing that as a detractor. In fact, it is its subtlety, sophistication, and nuance that puts Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς on the map. Infused with myriad themes and spine-tingling harmonies, major hits like “Pumping the Vein,” “The Watchers of Enoch,” “Συμπληγάδες,” and Song o’ the Year contender “Heart of the Sea” showcase an epic character bolstered by killer performances across the board. A greater presence of extreme metal-inspired drum patterns, implemented with a light touch, prove to be an especially exciting development. Using these flawlessly integrated techniques—especially the double-bass power metal run in “Father Wind” and post-y blasts in “Heart of the Sea”—many of Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς’s best songs overtake the high points of Khirki’s previous work.

Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς is also the more consistent of the two records, both in tone and in style, without sacrificing its sense of adventure. Stoner-heavy closer “Hekate” constitutes the starkest departure from Khirki’s approach album-wide, and yet their trademark bluesy swagger and folky bounce hold the line, strong and unfazed. “Featherless” reminds you what Khirki’s base structure sounds like, yet it wouldn’t work nearly as well in their back catalog as it does here. “Your Majesty” takes it slow and steady, much like how Khirki had when exploring doom aesthetics previously, but its brightness and reverential air make it an ideal companion to its more upbeat album-mates. “Pumping the Vein” aggresses with much of the same upfront bravado as 2021’s “Deadpan” or “Raging Bull,” but its funkier attitude makes it a shoe-in for Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς’s ebullient musical palette.

In short, all of Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς’s pieces fit snugly and seamlessly together, forming a buttery-smooth and consistently engaging record in a genre not known any longer for either trait. Khirki, as far as I’m concerned, single-handedly carry the genre on their more-than-capable shoulders. Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς is the proof.

Tracks to Check Out: “Pumping the Vein,” “Συμπληγάδες,” “Heart of the Sea,” “Hekate”

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On Everything Fades, Blue Heron picks up where they left off. And why not? They set themselves a great base to build on and have done so in every respect. Most of the material falls slap bang in the middle of a sand-swept bridge, leading between the lands of Kyuss and Sleep. Huge, distended guitars from Mike Chavez (ex-Spiritu) rumble and flow across a world drowning in reverb and languid melodies, while Steve Schmidlapp’s bass thrums its way through the open dunes. There’s also more than a bit of early Clutch (opener, “Null Geodesic”) and Orange Goblin (closer, “Flight of the Heron”) infusing the smoky sound on show. Not satisfied with the desert, however, Blue Heron skilfully weaves in Dirt-era Alice in Chains (particularly on “Swansong”), adding extra depth to their songwriting. The star of the show, however, is singer Jadd Schickler (also ex-Spiritu), who shows himself to be hugely versatile. His vocals range from a beautifully rich, bourbon-drenched husk that evokes Sleep’s Al Cisneros and early-career Neil Fallon, to a delicate bluesy style, which was uncannily familiar.²

Everything Fades truly kicks off the moment that Schickler’s gritty voice is first unleashed. After that, Blue Heron never looks back. The Kyuss worship is both clear and very well done (“Dinosaur” and “Trepidation”) but there’s a lot more going on than that. Both Jam Room-era Clutch and the rougher edge of early Down, or even Neurosis, shine through in places. It’s the title track that showcases Blue Heron’s absolute best, as the song glides effortlessly from Kyuss’ desert blues, Ricardo Sanchez’s drums awakening slowly from a sun-drenched daydream, to kick off into big, Orange Goblin stoner territory. At the three-minute mark, Schickler drops down from his coarse bellow, which perfectly teeters on the verge of cracking, to a delicate croon, and it was that that reminded me most of Mark Lanegan.

Coming in at a tight 38 minutes, there is very little fat on Everything Fades, which is a welcome surprise for a stoner record.³ Indeed, Blue Heron show themselves to be very talented songwriters, with nearly everything they try coming off, feeling fluid, organic, and crucially, effortless. It has to be said that “Clearmountain” feels a bit light on ideas and notably weaker than the rest of the songs, with Schickler’s normally stellar voice also feeling like it’s straining. However, the lyrics for that track properly got me for some reason, as Schickler husks “Don’t stand upon my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep, I am the thousand winds that blow.”⁴ That slight misstep apart, the thing that really holds back Everything Fades is the production. At a shocking DR2, it often sounds shallow and crushed, with the drums eating up the space that should be available for the guitars (see “Bellwether” and “Flight of the Heron,” in particular). This is a real shame as Sanchez’s work behind the kit is solid and I love Chavez’s guitar tone, which sounds mellow and organic.

With Everything Fades, Blue Heron has improved on Ephemeral, showing themselves to be skilled songwriters. The songs flow and the album is at that perfect length where each time the last notes of “Fight of the Heron” fade out you’re left wanting just a little bit more. Undoubtedly a very good record, if Everything Fades had better production, it could easily have been a great one.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 2 | Format Reviewed: V0 VBR mp3
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Websites: blueheronabq.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/blueheronabq
Releases Worldwide: September 27th, 2024

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