Suplecs - Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky (Album Review)

Release Date: February 20th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky - Tracklisting

1.Got Nothing

2.Pentacle Star

3.I See You 

4.Forest of Fire

5.Blackwater Rising

6.Old Spanish Trail

7.Damn These Pills 

8.Mountain

9.$6 Man

10.Heartless Bodies

11.No Apologies

12.La Ti Da

Members

Danny Nick - Bass, Vocals

Durel Yates - Guitars, Vocals

Andrew Preen - Drums, Percussion

Review

Stoner Metal heavyweights Suplecs return after a fifteen year absence with their new album Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky and the band haven’t lost their distinctive “STREETWISE” sound. As this album sees the band blaze through a ton of epic sounding tracks that forges sounds from the Doom, Fuzz, Sludge, Stoner and Punk musical scenes. You’ll be surprised to hear Suplecs taking influence from the likes of IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK FLAG, MOTORHEAD, FU MANCHU and other great legendary artists that allows the band to tap into a wealth of heavy rock grooves. 

The lyrics are brutally intense in places with a bleak NOLA quality telling stories of life, addiction and suicide along the way. This is what I would expect to hear from an EYEHATEGOD record with Suplecs laying on the depressing slices of real life but this works to Suplecs advantage with a gloomy atmosphere that builds upto to heavy DOOMED OUT BLUES METAL throughout tracks such as Got Nothing, Pentacle Star and I See You. 

The first three opening tracks allow Suplecs to inject a world weary Stoner Metal attitude into their NOLA musical upbringing. Everything is stripped back to the bare minimum with the grimy attitude of the album creating areas of filth infested Sludge/Stoner Metal with a cool sideline in Psychedelic and Fuzzed Out surroundings. That doesn’t stop Suplecs experimenting with their music by adapting a Jazz Metal approach within the excellent fourth track Forest Of Fire before exploring a violent Hardcore/Sludge/Punk based climax. 

That unflinching approach from Suplecs is used brilliantly well throughout the rest of the album with other areas of crazed and dirge filled instrumental sludgy metal passages starting to dominate the whole record. The vocals from Danny Nick and Durel Yates work superbly well on the whole album with the uncompromising tone allowing Suplecs being slightly closer to the likes of KOWLOON WALLED CITY on the later stages of the record.

An even more aggressive MOTORHEAD influence rears its ugly head to put this album firmly into Sludge/Stoner Metal territory with a bevy of sublime NOLA instrumental solos on the second half of the album. Though, be prepared for Suplecs to focus solely playing the BLUES on stunning sixth track Old Blood Trail which has a cautionary and emotionally charged musical atmosphere at its main core. 

Other standout tracks to freak out and lose yourself to are: Damn These Pills, Mountain, Heartless Bodies and No Apologies with Suplecs offering no apologies for the sinister and riff-fuelled musical adventure they will take the listener upon. 

Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky is perhaps the best album for Suplecs to comeback with. They could have easily gone for a more polished sound and user friendlier album but that’s not Suplecs style. They’ve stuck true to their creative beliefs and deliver one of their best albums to date. Fifteen years is a long time to wait for an album but Suplecs have released an album of real emotional depth, heart and perhaps one of the most truthful Stoner Metal albums we’ve heard in a very long time.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

UK Sludge Metallers UK Blunt Knife Castration release new single "Play Victim" from upcoming new album "Blood & Oil" out February 27th

Blunt Knife Castration is the sludge metal project led by Simon Bryant based out of Kent in the UK. Drawing influence from the sleaze and general smut of the horror movies and video nasties of the 70s/80s together with the underground extreme music of the 90s and 00s, BKC blends aspects of metal, noise rock, doom, and crust punk, and drowns them all in sludge.

Wasting no time to keep BKC’s pipeline of filthy riffs flowing, LP “Blood & Oil” follows 2025 debut album “Live Fast Die Slow”.

Says Simon, “I consider ‘Blood & Oil’ to be the next evolution of the BKC sound, going into a slightly more noisier and darker side while still being undeniably sludge metal, and based on elements of crust punk, doom and groove metal throughout. These 11 new tracks feature lyrical themes of mental illness, isolation and general misanthropy.”

Two singles Lead single “Guilt Pig”  and “Play Victim” are both playing below:

Guilt Pig

Play Victim

The band is also currently in the process of getting more members on board to be able to bring BKC out on the road for live shows in the very near future. Kent and UK neighbors of a more delicate sonic persuasion beware, these riffs won’t come out in the wash.

Blunt Knife Castration - "Blood & Oil"

Album out February 27th, 2026
CD (Remorseless Records), Digital
Kent, UK
FFO: Today Is The Day, Dystopia, Eyehategod, Swans, Buzzov.en, Leechmilk, Chat Pile, Meatjack and Idiot Child
Artwork by Paul Van Trigt

Tracklist:

1. Miasma (1:48)
2. Gunshot Selfie (3:43)
3. Degeneration (4:05)
4. Lone (3:22)
5. Guilt Pig (4:39)
6. Swallow (6:00)
7. Play Victim (5:21)
8. Blood & Oil (3:39)
9. Menial Mutt (4:01)
10. Coward (3:05)
11. Skinny Fingers (7:54)

Links:

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

SHADE - The Exploitation Tapes (EP Review)

Release Date: January 23rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

The Exploitation Tapes - Tracklisting

1.The Exploitation Tapes 01:15

2.S.G.K. 03:37

3.Surge 03:37

4.Bloodbath Boogie 04:00

5.What the River Took 04:56

6.Forbidden Snack 04:39

Members

Ahmed Ben Ayed - Guitar

Wahid Walter Rehouma - Bass

Mehdi Beltaief - Vocals

Aziz El Ghoul - Drums/Vocals

Mehdi Haouet - Guitar/Vocals

Review

The Exploitation Tapes is the latest release from Stoner Metallers SHADE who have introduced a novel concept for this EP. As they blend themes and soundbytes that take influence from the world of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror and Grindhouse cinema for imaginary films for each individual track. It’s a quite a cool record with SHADE adapting a sleazy and stripped back element to the record especially with how the EP sounds and plays out.

The tracks are quite PUNK ROCK driven with sometimes a seedy vibe holding everything together especially when SHADE play music with a subtle “NO FUCKS GIVEN” attitude which allows areas of Fuzz, Alt Rock and Grunge to suddenly appear especially within the opening tracks of The Exploitation Tapes, S.G.K. and Surge. The main vocals are provided by Mehdi Beltaief and he takes influence from mostly the Americana, Punk, Fuzz and Grunge musical scenes. There’s an OUTLAW and DESERT aspect to the vocals littered throughout the EP. 

This is quite similar and vastly different to SHADE’s acclaimed 2025 debut release Distant Suns. The record is dominated by SHADE’s love for “B” movies and all the mythology that comes with that genre of cinema with the music being constantly refreshing and highly energetic in places. You can easily tap into the creative themes that SHADE delivers for each track especially on the second half part of the EP which is where I had the most enjoyment on tracks such as Bloodbath Boogie, What The River Took and Forbidden Snack. 

The Exploitation Tapes is a short, concise and action packed release that doesn’t outstay its welcome. I wish there were a couple more tracks as the EP suddenly ends when things are becoming more interesting. However, it’s best to leave the audience wanting more and SHADE ultimately deliver on that front. 

If you've ever wondered what a QUENTIN TARANTINO or ROBERT RODRIGUEZ film would sound like with an underground Stoner Rock soundtrack then this is the closest you're ever likely to get.

Excellent and Highly Recommended. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | BandCamp

Kyote Radio - Habitats (Album Review)

Release Date: February 13th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Habitats - Tracklisting

1.Between the Oceans

2.The Crown ft. Kyle Shutt

3.Shamans

4.Panorama

5.Trenches

6.Last Time

7.Coming Back

8.Fossilized

Members

Drums: Wesley Riddle

Bass: Nick Smith and Nick Blossom

Bass VI: Nick Blossom

Keys: Nick Smith and Micah Paredes

Vocals: Micah Paredes and Nick Smith

Guitar: Micah Paredes

Special Guest Solo: Kyle Shutt

Review

Habitats is the second full length album from Psych/Garage/Indie/Stoner Rockers Kyote Radio who have been quite prolific releasing a string of great singles since 2018 which sadly passed me by. This is my first experience of Kyote Radio and I’m loving their highly original blend of Stoner Rock that’s grounded by a great use of Punk, Alt Rock, Indie, Psych and Grunge melodies.

The sound is quite aggressive and set against a frenzied Fuzz Rock attitude. I checked out their 2021 debut album Real Crime which impressed me even further as they added a real fearless attitude into their music which made that album feel like a greatest hits collection than their debut full length.

Habitats continues a similar formula but is also a different beast altogether by focusing more on the Fuzz, Indie and Psych Rock part of their sound. The whole thing still oozes with classic Stoner Rock charm but Kyote Radio are more expressive with their music and adapt a fine style of Nineties underground rock sensibility into the mix but still having some epic instrumental Desert/Stoner Rock jams with a twinge of Blues Rock heaviness.

This style continues to develop throughout the album on tracks such as Between The Oceans, The Crown and Shaman. All three tracks have a certain Southern Rock and Classic Rock dynamic especially within the heavy guitars. You even have Kyle Shutt from THE SWORD appearing on The Crown which adds a certain DOOM ROCK underground credibility to the whole thing. 

However, this is Kyote Radio’s “RODEO” and they put in a commanding performance throughout the whole album. As they develop other areas of music that relies on distorted feedback and fuzzy reverb when you least expect this which gives Habitats an unflinching and I’m saying this again with a “fearless attitude” holding everything together. The lyrics have a certain "troubladour” and “outlaw rock” energy to them which allows the band to stand out from the musical crowd on tracks such as: Shaman, Panorama, Trenches, Coming Back and Fossilized.

Habitats is a record you don’t really know how it’s going to fully play out at first as Kyote Radio heads off into different musical directions when you first listen to the album. The real beauty of the album is listening to the album over and over again as you’ll miss multiple things during your first experience. After that you begin to notice the little things that Kyote Radio have included within the background that adds an extra layer of Psychedelic energy being heard within time.

Habitats is an absolute masterclass of ROCK & ROLL music that does everything right. These guys should really be more well known within the underground scene and this is the type of record that could easily push them on to bigger and better things.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Habitats is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl.

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Introduce Yourselves - Tickle The Sage

What is the name of your band?

Tickle the Sage

What is the genre of music that you play?

Psychedelic Rock / Heavy Psych / Space Rock

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

Tickle the Sage started with Alex Nikolov and Ivan Petkov. We’ve known each other since childhood. After high school we lost contact for a few years, then reconnected in 2020 and started playing music together again. 

At first, the band was mostly about jamming. We played a lot outdoors in parks and open urban spaces around Sofia, Bulgaria, and organized small gigs where other artists could join in - musicians, dancers, poi and fire performers. We were already writing ideas, but nothing was fixed yet. 

After a while, we decided to focus more seriously on songwriting and shaping those ideas into full songs. We’ve always been interested in analyzing music - what makes a song immersive, what kind of feelings and imagery it creates - and we wanted to explore that through our own writing. 

In 2024, Sivin Sivov (drums) and Simeon Bayatov (bass) joined the band. Since then, we’ve been writing together as a full lineup and playing more regularly, including many gigs and festivals around Bulgaria. 

We love underground culture and the DIY approach. At some point we even got solar generators and started organizing forest gigs in the mountains, inspired by generator parties. We do everything ourselves and remain fully independent - we record, produce, create our own artwork and visualizers (every song has either a visualizer or a video clip), film and edit our videos, and handle our own merch.

This is important to us because we want to build our own world around the band, not only through the music, but through everything we create. 

We’ve just released our first studio album, Journey. We’re currently working on new material and plan to release more singles during 2026. We’re also preparing an Eastern European tour, with the aim of doing a wider European tour in 2027.

What can people expect from your music?

Music that moves and changes. 

The songs develop over time, with different parts and moods. Some sections are heavy, others are calmer, but there’s always motion. We pay special attention to groove and melody and want the music to make you move, regardless of musical background. It’s also very atmospheric and immersive. When we play, we often feel like we’re stepping into another space, and that’s the experience we’re aiming to create. 

The album Journey works as a whole, but each track can also stand on its own. 

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Our debut album Journey. We released it in November 2025. 

It has seven tracks. Four songs have visualizers and two have full video clips. Everything is self-produced.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

Spotify
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
Bandcamp

Tickle the Sage 1st album

Ticke the Sage LIVE Album Promo

Journey on YouTube:

1. Are You Asleep (Official Video) 

2. Freeman’s Will (Official Visualizer) 

3. Tickle the Sage (Official Video) 

4. The Maze (Official Visualizer) 

5. Space Drift (Official Visualizer) 

6. Stranger (Official Visualizer) 

7. Journey – To be released on YouTube

Sundecay - The Blood Lives Again (Album Review)

Release Date: February 13th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

The Blood Lives Again - Tracklisting

1.Here Comes the Wizard 08:05

2.Silence Spoken 07:48

3.The Blood Lives Again 06:04

4.The Tyranny Rushes In 11:22

5.Will Dusk Defy Dawn 10:19

Members

Derek Hoffman - Bass

Julian Vardy - Drums

Mark Chandler - Guitars

Brian Scott - Guitars

Rich Pauptit - Vocals

Review

Psych Doom Metallers Sundecay latest album The Blood Lives Again forges sounds from areas of Proto-Metal, Sludge Metal, Prog Metal and Stoner Metal for a complex and riff-fuelled dynamic. You can hear influences from the likes of Saint VItus, Pentagram, High On Fire, Mastodon, Pallbrearer and Monolord. Sundecay make their own great mark by adding moments of Heavy Prog into the mix and bombastic vocals that match the “Proto-Metal” environment that holds everything together.

Opening track Here Comes The Wizard has that classic HEAVY METAL fantasy element heard within the lyrics but Sundecay weaves classic and modern based soundscapes that makes you instantly pay attention throughout. The sound is quite dramatic with full on Progressive melodies that allows Sundecay to dive right into the world of Psychedelic Stoner Metal with superb results. The song is quite long with different melodic themes and technical structures that makes it even more addictive from the very start.

Second track Silence Spoken sees Sundecay opt for a more grounded approach with the lyrics but with the band playing an almost GOTHIC sounding melody with perhaps using Type O Negative as influence. The vocals are quite dramatic with a slight operatic approach allowing the music to move between levels of Post-Doom, Gothic Rock, Sludge Rock and Post-Metal. This is quite an interesting style of music that  Sundecay have created here as it’s quite vivid with outbursts of ambient grooves that add a layer or mystery to the whole record. 

Third track The Blood Lives Again sees Sundecay switching things again by combining modern day Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves with a fantastical Proto-Metal energy which sees demonic lyrics and vocals unite for one of the most DOOMED OUT tracks on the whole album. There’s a ton of great instrumental passages that move between the best moments of the last fifty years of heavy metal within one glorious and unapologetic standout track.

The final two tracks The Tyranny Rushes In and Will Dusk Defy is where the band fully align themselves to their Progressive Doom Metal roots with two tracks offering highly dramatic sounds that have a haunting and emotional quality to them. The music is complex yet again and beautifully played with Sundecay inspired by the likes of Pallbearer, YOB  and Mastodon for certain sections of both tracks, The gloomy and gothic themes of the lyrics tug at the heart strings with perhaps The Tyranny Rushes In being my favourite track on the whole album.

The Blood Lives Again is an emotionally charged and beautifully constructed Psychedelic Doom Metal album of the highest order. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sundecay for the promo.

The Blood Lives Again is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram