KOMATSU - A Breakfast For Champions (Album Review)

Release Date: April 11th 2025. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

A Breakfast For Champions - Tracklisting

1. A Breakfast For Champions

2. Savage

3. The Devil's Cut

4. Release The Flies

5. Fatcamp Workout

6. What Lies Underneath

7. Welcome To The Underworld

8. Climb The Vines

Members:

Mo Truijens - guitars, vocals

Martijn Mansvelders - bass guitar, backing vocals

Jos Roosen - drums

Review

These Dutch giants have been around since 2010 but for some reason they have only moved in my periphery. That is until their new upcoming creation, 'A Breakfast For Champions' came to my attention and unsuspectedly knocked me to my knees. From the opening bar and until the last this album burrows deep into my senses and constantly solidifies it's greatness. 

The title track opens the proceedings and Komatsu are relentless from the get-go. No hold barred with the music played to the max, this song crushes with razor sharp riffs and a breath-taking rhythm section. Mere seconds are played and I'm completely immersed in their sonic onslaught. 'Savage'  follows and albeit dropping slightly in pace it pulls and tugs with a sinister undertone while gradually building up and pulling me in even further. Taking a beeline out into our vast universe 'The Devil's Cut' is mellow and serene only to explode in the chorus. Dropping back in the verse again Komatsu brilliantly engage their brilliant push/pull approach throughout. 'Release The Flies' reminds me of fellow masterminds Howling Giant. Slowish, crushingly heavy yet melodic and spaced out the band simply can't go wrong.

Instrumental 'Fatcamp Workout' sees the band throw down the gauntlet rocking out hard while adding early Therapy? drum and bass patterns mixed with odd time signatures, brilliant. Eerie and desolate 'What Lies Underneath' is another composition which builds up do a mind-blowing crescendo. Aaaah those riffs in 'Welcome To The Underworld' are stunning as are the drums and the bass guitar. Again I get hints of Therapy? especially in the vocals but that's me and I could be very wrong. Regardless, this is a great song! This brilliant album ends with 'Climb The Vines'. Groovy, rocky and neck-breaking at the same time it's the perfect way to close out proceedings leaving me wanting more. Excellent, you hear!

Although Komatsu has been active for quite some time 'A Braekfast For Champions' is a great introduction for me. Of course, I'm already on a mission to backtrack the band's previous output. But in the meantime this timeless creation will keep on mezmerizing me. Excellent! Excellent, indeed.

Words by Håkan Nyman

Thanks to Purple Sage PR and SOZ Concerts for the promo.

A Breakfast For Champions is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds from Friday 11th April 2025.

More info:

www.komatsurock.com
www.facebook.com/komatsurock
www.instagram.com/komatsurock
www.twitter.com/komatsurock
www.bandcamp.com/komatsurock

An Interview With Space/Doom/Fuzz/Stoner Rockers ZOAHR

Psych/Space/Stoner Rockers ZOAHR returned in a big way with their epic sounding new album MOSAIC which was released in January 2025. Packed full of epic Space Rock passages and Doomed Out Stoner Rock melodies which can be quite surreal and wonderfully progressive at the same time.  The record allows ZOAHR the perfect opportunity to re-invent themselves in so many different ways compared to their previous albums.

I caught up with ZOAHR to discuss the making of the album. Here's what we discussed with this great interview.

Hi guys. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today?

Hi Steve, first of all thank you for taking the time to make this interview with us. Now as i'm typing the answers our new album is finally out and a lot of stressful time behind me, but as i`m doing almost everything in the band fully DIY there is always some stuff to.

For folks not in the know can you give a brief history of how the band came together and where it is today?

The idea for the band and the songwriting started early 2017 when I was injured and couldn't walk for a longer time. I made a recording setup in my bedroom and started writing music for a new musical project. My main band back then COLARIS (Instrumental Post-Rock/Psychedelic) was slowly fizzling out and I wanted to gravitate more into stoner stuff. I asked Philipp in summer 2017 if he was down to do some jams to further evolve my ideas and so we ended up jamming a lot.

We had a different bass player for a couple of rehearsals, but he didn't had the time for a second band so i asked Thorsten which i know for a long time to join the sessions. From that point we evolved pretty fast and almost 8. years and three records later we are still here in the same constellation.

How did you describe your own sound?

In the beginning we sounded way more Stoner & Heavypsych without vocals but as I couldn't find a singer i try`do it myself and I guess just stuck with it. I don't consider myself a singer though. After the first couple of songs I really wanted to gravitate more towards a Blues and 70's Psychedelic, Proggy Heavyrock kind of direction, but we are still evolving and bringing new ingredients to our sound with each album. But to get back to your question i think our sound is guitar driven, groovy & playful with energetic drums and basslines. Shure it could be more beefy but we are a three piece. ;-) We have air and ambience and a lot of mood to our songs. Nothing fancy or extravagant but with a lot of heart.

Congrats on your excellent new album Mosaic. Great album and very psychedelic experience. What can people expect to hear from this album?

Thank you it was a lot of work, so much appreciated and glad you like it. I would say it's way harder and more rocking then Apraxia which at least for me has that „dark and down in a whole COVID feel to it“. You can hear that we really wanted to play on Mosaic. Lyric Wise it`s again pretty dark, I reflect a lot on the state of the world, my small world and what's going on around me and my past life. But as i`m not an English native speaker and my first language is German it's a struggle sometimes to find the right words to convey my thoughts and feelings. So please don't be too harsh on my bad English. I wouldn't necessarily call it more psychedelic than Apraxia, for me it has more of a rocking feel than our previous records.

This is a quite different record compared to your previous albums. Was that your plan to create something different to your previous albums?

I don't want to write the same album twice and get stuck in a musical style where there is no room for evolution. I guess we have found our sound in terms of playing style and the mostly twangy guitar sounds. Vocal Wise on the first record I used to sing a lot more with rasp and grit, but it was hard on my voice and I didn't want to destroy my vocal chords. Now I try to mix it up a bit and sing with a more cleaner voice so the vocals are more melodic now and less screamed. Other than that we just tried to get tighter and be more „locked in“ to the groove.

Where did the name for the album come from and what does this mean to the band?

I feel like life is a big puzzle or mosaic and it has so many aspects to it. As you get older you get a different view on things in life and obviously you change a lot through the growing process. Most of the lyrics on the album are about different tragic individuals or characters and happenings in their life (mine included). The fortune teller on the cover and the cards resemble all the hopes and dreams of these individuals. I mean in some way everybody throws himself in and hopes for the best.

What bands and albums influenced you when recording this album?

I guess i`m always influenced by bands like The Soundtrack of our lives, Graveyard, Sacri Monti, Radio Moscow, Spidergawd or even Van Halen to name a few. I listen to a lot of different music and same goes with Thorsten and Philipp. Raised on bands like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Tangerine Dream, Rush and so many more 70's greats i went through a lot of Grunge and Metal genres in my youth. So I get a lot of influences all the time while I'm listening to music. 

The most important thing for me is to go the full musical journey wherever it brings me. One thing I like to mention though is that we always record our songs live together in a room. Only the vocals come afterwards. That's a thing I don't wanna miss anymore. We definitely went through the rollercoaster while recording but for us it's the only proper way to record an album. So obviously there will always be bigger or smaller flaws on our records.

What formats is the album being released on?

This time only on Vinyl & digital we don't sell many CD`s nowadays so we've decided to not make a CD version this time. Maybe in the future we will do a small run of CD`s.

You`re releasing the album by yourself. Is that a hard thing to do in today's musical scene?

I released the majority of records of my prior bands with labels and had some good and some bad experiences. We just naturally thought it would be cool to just do it yourself, because I know all the structures and I know a lot of people in the scene. I mean sure it would be more beneficial to have a label pushing your name and maybe through that getting some more recognition and opening slots at bigger festivals like Freak Valley Festival or Stoned from the underground etc because I sincerely hate telling and bothering people with phrases like "We are the coolest band you have to book us on your festival or show“ 

I guess you know what I mean. For me it's just charming, fulfilling but also rewarding to do it the traditional way. That doesn't necessarily mean that we are never going to work with any label, we`ll see! We get a lot of love from the scene and some mail order distributors who are carrying our records in their catalogue and we are grateful for that.

Have you had any offers from the underground record labels to release your music, or do you prefer being fully DIY?

We recently had some indie labels getting in touch with us and I don`t wanna rule out working with labels in the future, we are just not necessarily seeking for any label. If the time is right it will happen, if not that's good too. I like the freedom of doing whatever we want and how we want. I mean we don't have Spotify, never did any proper band photos and generally we are pretty low key without any fancy band promo stuff on social media. 

I just love writing and playing music and the creativity of putting the concept for an album cycle together, that's the fun stuff. Being constantly pressured to create content for social media and over posting the whole time it's not for me! I rather use the time playing guitar and writing new music.

What is the creative process or setup within the band? Do you write the music together or do certain people within the band do that?

I write almost all the music. Usually I bring half a song into the rehearsal and we are jamming on it, recording the jam and I will rework it for the next rehearsal. Sometimes I have particular drum beats for bass parts already in mind so I show them my feel of the groove but after that Philipp and Thorsten mostly write their own drums and bass.

How did you get involved with music? Was it a particular group or artist that made you want to write and play your own music?

Funny, I recently talked to an old friend (who now lives in the UK) about when we started because I'm pretty sure I saw my first real guitar at his place. Back then we were skateboarding a lot together and obviously skateboarding always goes hand in hand with a nice soundtrack. He and his older brother got me into playing music, but I had to start on bass because they needed one for their band. 

So I got a bass to my 15th birthday, but in my heart I already knew I wanna play guitar so badly. Early influences to pick up the guitar I would say Iron Maiden, Metallica, Soundgarden, Alice in chains, Faith no more but what really pulled the trigger was Nirvana to be honest. I still love `em to this day, and they aged pretty well in my eyes with songwriting totally out of the box unusual chord structures and a high rasp voice I would sacrifice a lot for.

Who designed the excellent album cover. Really brings to light what the whole album is about.

The artwork is designed by Antoine Defarges (France) he works under the name Headbang Design, I was digging through Instagram and stumbled upon him. I showed him my ideas of the concept and he was down. He did a lot of hand drawing and I love the outcome. I mean the thematic is often used, maybe overused but I love 70`s & 80's sci-fi and fantasy stuff from books, comics, movies to all that role play games stuff.

Can you advise if you played or currently playing in other bands so folks can check your other musical projects.

Like i mentioned before prior to ZOAHR I used to play in an instrumental Post Rock/Psychedelic band called COLARIS. We`ve released 2. Full length albums a split LP with Thorsten's old band Ampersphere and 2. EP`s. We toured a lot back then until 2017. You can find everything on YouTube or colaris.bandcamp.com.

What is the current state of the German Rock/Metal scene? Do you perform gigs on a regular basis and do you have a local scene that you are actively involved with?

The scene over here in Germany is pretty in bloom. I can't keep up with all the new bands though. Here in our area it's calmed down a lot, venues closed, bands split up but that's just normal, with getting older priorities change. We used to organize shows for bands, but with all the day to day work and the band stuff I don't have the extra time to set up any shows at the moment.

Will you be performing any gigs to promote this album locally or further afield?

We already played a couple of shows in January and we have some more coming up in March and April. Mostly Germany but the Netherlands and Belgium too. The booking part though was kinda depressing. I never wrote so many emails without not even getting an answer before. I struggle to get 2-3 dates together on the proper route sometimes. I guess this goes back to not having a label, booking agency or fancy social media presence (sorry but i don't wanna fall into the rabbit hole of being a content creating social media clown, just to not get lost in meta algorithms!) But hey we are looking for shows, if you want us to play your bar, club or living room feel free to drop us a mail.

Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your new and potential fans out there.

Go to local shows and listen to smaller underground bands, always try to buy straight from the bands to make sure they get your money. Get involved in the music scene, set up shows, go to festivals, meet new people, it's never too late to learn an instrument, support your kids, stay off your TV and social media for some periods (Pretty absorbing and full of doom scrolling.) It's your life to do what ever makes you happy and a better human being. And last but not least thanks to everybody for reading and you Steve for doing this interview with us. Much love.

Words by Steve Howe and ZOAHR

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Midnight Whiskey Massacre - Satan's Grin (EP Review)

Release Date: March 18th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Satan’s Grin - Tracklisting

1.Satan's Grin 06:38 

2.The Decline 04:21

3.Rocking Chair 05:12

Members

Guitars, Vocals and Lyrics by Darren Ironside

Bass on 'The Decline' by Samuel Jurrell

Drums- Loius Osman

Review

Satan’s Grin is the new EP from Doom/Stoner Rockers Midnight Whiskey Massacre who play an intoxicating mix of Psych, Punk, Alternative, Blues, Fuzz and Southern Rock on their new EP. This feels like a classic sounding Post-Punk band finding the joys of Stoner Rock/Metal and just saying “FUCK IT” lets play whatever comes to mind. There’s a sense of experimental creative freedom on this EP with Midnight Whiskey Massacre feeling inspired by the likes of The Pogues for a start. 

Lead vocalist Darren Ironside feels like he’s channeling Shane McGowan and Mark E Smith at times. This shouldn’t really work but the blistering WEEDIAN grooves with the Post-Punk lyrics is downright original and brilliant at times especially on the excellent opening track Satan’s Grin. The song is too wonderfully surreal to fully describe and the chaotic style of Black Sabbath / Electric Wizard based grooves that are merged with a subtle Classic Hard Rock sound leave you wondering how crazy can this EP actually become. And the answer is quite simple with Midnight Whiskey Massacre continuing on the same style of Decadence and Debauchery on the final two tracks.

The final two tracks of The Decline and Rocking Chair do have more  of a reliance on Proto-Doom sounds with a subtle Thrash based attitude appearing within The Decline which reminds me of Metallica in places before the band return to the Doom/Stoner realm. Though, the Post-Punk vibe of Darren’s vocals are never fully absorbed into the Doom/Stoner Metal world which the EP wholly becomes a part of when the final moments of Rocking Chair is fully over.

Satan’s Grin is quite a deceptive and deceiving EP with Midnight Whiskey Massacre creating their own great style of music where I wanted the band to include perhaps one final track with the fantastic instrumental sounds that Darren, Samuel and Louis fully commit themselves to. Though, the real highlight is Darren’s superbly offbeat vocals and insightful lyrics which you don’t fully come across within the underground scene.

I want a full length record now and I want it now GODDAMMIT!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links

 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Fuzz Evil - Smear Merchants (Album Review)

Release Date: March 21st 2025. Record Label: Desert Records. Formats: CD/DD

Smear Merchants - Tracklisting

1.The Fraile Mourning of Eternity 00:16

2.Wanderer's Wake 04:54

3.Doomsayer's Lament 02:23

4.The Juice is Loosh 04:56

5.Sermons of the Defiant 01:50

6.Smear Merchants 06:15

7.Progression of the Black Sun 08:02

8.Under the Starlit Grave 04:30

9.How to Vibe Alone 07:01

10.Whispers from the Abyss 05:11

Members

Vocals/Guitar: Wayne Rudell: 

Bass: Joseph Rudell 

Baritone Guitars: Preston Jennings 

Drums: Cajun Adams

Review

Doom/Stoner Rockers Fuzz Evil always embraced the “FUZZ” part of their name with only slight and brief excursions into the “EVIL” part of their name. However, that creative stance has changed with their new album Smear Merchants with the band a fully fledged four piece with Cajun Adams being added to drums. Smear Merchants is a gloomy and angst based journey into Fuzz Evil’s psyche where the melodic harmonies of their previous albums being replaced by an obsessive Black ‘N’ Roll sound that still allows Fuzz Evil to be part of the ever growing fabric of the Stoner Rock/Metal scene.

There’s an evil aspect that comes shining throughout Fuzz Evil’s music with some certain commercial poppier aspects being possessed by an evil spirit with some catchy vocals and no-fucks-given based lyrics thats used superbly on early tracks such as Wanderer’s Wake, Doomsayer’s Lament and The Juice Is Loosh. Fuzz Evil don’t lose sight of their offbeat humour which made their earlier albums such an absolute blast to listen to. 

Smear Merchants has harsh vocals, sludge metal grooves and distorted passages which I never thought I would hear from the band. This record feels like it’s been conjured by Fuzz Evil making a deal with the devil as they project some gloomy atmospherics that taps right into the 1970’s Occult Horror scene at times which feels inspired by Electric Wizard and dare I say Mastodon at times with the progressive sludge angle that appears.

This does feel like early-era QOTSA jamming with Black Sabbath especially with the more riff-fuelled parts of the album on Doomsayer’s Lament and The Juice Is Loosh. There is a deep sense of fear, dread and paranoia being included on the record which only adds the devilish sense of fun that Fuzz Evil brings to their overall sound. 

The vocals are handled primarily by lead singer/guitarist Wayne Ruddell and he’s superbly backed up by his brother Joseph Rudell who handles bass duties. However, the added inclusion of Cajun Adams on drums is the real surprise as he adds a violent and disruptive influence to Fuzz Evil’s music with his wonderful harsh growls and primal drumming.

He’s given Fuzz Evil a more muscular and progressive energy that becomes ever more domineering as times goes on especially on tracks such as: Smear Merchants, Progression Of The Black Sun and How To Vibe Alone being some of the heaviest and meanest tracks on the whole album. Plus I have to give credit to Preston Jennings (Guitars) as he adds some epic Psychedelic and Space Rock textures that showcase a fine style of cinematic storytelling to the album.

However, Fuzz Evil still offer plenty of moments where they relive their early formative years and play a classic style of Hard Rock, Stoner Rock and Fuzz Rock before it’s transformed into their new found style of nightmare fuel and I mean that as a huge compliment. 

Smear Merchants is without doubt Fuzz Evil’s best record to date though it could be hard sell for some of their established fanbase to embrace their new found style of Doom Metal creative energy. However,  that could be offset by the band gaining a potentially bigger audience with this record allowing them a chance to join the ranks of Doom Metal Overlords in the years to come. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for the promo.

Smear Merchants is available to buy on CD/DD via Desert Records.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

THAMMUZ ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM "III" – REVEAL FIRST SINGLE "WHEN DARKNESS COMES"

Argonauta Records is thrilled to announce the return of Dutch heavy rockers THAMMUZ with their third studio album, "III", set for release on May 9, 2025. Available in CD, Colored Vinyl and Digital formats, this highly anticipated record promises to deliver an intense fusion of fuzz-drenched riffs, hypnotic grooves, and powerful songwriting. Pre-orders will be announced soon!

With the album announcement, THAMMUZ also unveil their brand-new single, "When Darkness Comes", a thunderous and atmospheric track that showcases the band’s signature blend of stoner rock, doom and psychedelic influences, further cementing their place in the underground heavy music scene, also feat. Jelle Aaron Scholtes of Baardvader as guest vocals: https://song.link/Thammuz_WDC

Emerging from the Netherlands in 2020, THAMMUZ was formed by members of former bands Dreckneck and Fuzzboar, combining years of experience and a shared passion for heavy, groove-driven music. Their debut album, Into the Great Unknown (2020), quickly gained traction, reaching #2 on the international Doom Charts upon release. Following up with Sons of the Occult in 2022 via Argonauta Records, the band explored darker, more immersive soundscapes, solidifying their reputation as a formidable force in the stoner/doom genre.

Now, THAMMUZ are back with "III", an album that promises to push boundaries even further. Stay tuned for more details and prepare to immerse yourself in a sonic journey that blends raw power, haunting melodies, and crushing heaviness.

TRACKLIST:

When Darkness Comes
Old Man
Ishtar
Bloodlust
Risen
Boy in the Crow's Nest
Azazel
Dissolution
Devil's Gallow

"III" will be released on May 9, 2025, via Argonauta Records. Pre-orders coming soon!

For fans of Kyuss, Orange Goblin and Wo Fat, this is one release you won’t want to miss!

INFO:

https://www.facebook.com/ThammuzBand
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords
https://grandsounds.net/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for all of the details.

Evil Still Remains. An Interview With MAT DAVIS From Doom Metallers CASTLE (The Electric Highway Festival Interview Special)

Doom Metallers CASTLE are performing at this year's The Electric Highway Festival on Friday April 05th 2025 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They released their new excellent new album EVIL REMAINS in 2024 to critical acclaim and it's not hard to see why as the record is a cold hard classic Doom Metal album of the highest order.

I caught up with Mat Davis (Guitar/Vocals) from the band to discuss what folks will have in store from CASTLE ahead of their festival performance.

How are things with you today?

Hi, things are going great. Thanks for reaching out with the interview.

How are the preparations currently going?

We have 28 shows coming up split into a couple of tours in the US/CAN and also Europe so right now there's a lot of planning. The first show is Electric Highway Fest in Calgary and really we're looking forward to it.

What can people in attendance expect from CASTLE for this festival performance?

We're stoked to be closing night one of the fest so we'll probably do our full set, usually it's a mix of high energy and heavy vibes.

What type of set will you be performing though I presume it will be focusing upon your excellent new album EVIL REMAINS.

Yeah we're currently playing 6 of the songs from the new album. We're also playing at least a song or two from every release including one we haven't played in a while from In Witch Order for these upcoming shows, so between the new ones and a few older deep cuts I think people will dig it.

What bands are you looking forward to see performing live at The Electric Highway Festival?

I'm looking forward to seeing as many bands as possible. A couple I've seen here in Vancouver so will be cool to see them again, hopefully, I can catch Chunk and Blacksmith & Brewer. There's a bunch of local Calgary bands which will be cool to see too.

Your new album EVIL REMAINS was released last year and what a brilliant record that was. Have you been pleased with the responses it's received so far. What can people expect from this record compared to your previous albums.

Awesome thanks. You never know what to expect but we were happy with the finished record. We spent a long time on it for us, about 5 years; which was enough to let the songs evolve so that there was a natural flow to them and our producer Jesse Gander here in Vancouver also did an awesome job on the sound. Having said all that it's extra cool when people are into it.

What has been the high points and low points performing with the band?

I think the high point is getting to traveling and also meeting/seeing people. Not many lows but they usually involve long travel days or feeling like crap on the road!

Do you have any exciting releases coming in the future?

We'll be working on new Castle music over the summer and fall so hopefully we'll have something next year. 

How did you get involved with music? Was it a particular album, group or artist that made you want to write and play your own music?

I don't think there was one band in particular but I started playing guitar at a pretty young age. At the time I listening to Priest, Dio, Ozzy, Sabbath, Maiden, Metallica... this would have been like '83/84. I would say I was and still am inspired by the riffs.

Will you be performing any gigs later in the year?

We're looking into some more North American shows in late 2025, we'll keep you posted.

Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your fans currently out there?

Thanks for the support and hope we see you on the road!

Words by Steve Howe and Mat Davis

CASTLE "Evil Remains" North America

04/04 Calgary, AB - Electric Highway Fest
16/04 Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial
17/04 Los Angeles, CA - Knucklehead
18/04 San Francisco, CA - Kilowatt
19/04 Mt Shasta, CA - Vet's Club
20/04 Portland, OR - High Water Mark
21/04 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
30/04 Toronto, ON - The Garrison
01/05 Detroit, MI - Smalls
02/05 Chicago, IL - Legions Of Metal Fest
03/05 Madison, WI - Gamma Ray Bar
04/05 Pittsburgh, PA - Poetry Lounge
05/05 Brooklyn, NY - The Woodshop
06/05 Boston, MA - Middle East Club
07/05 Montreal, PQ - Piranha Bar
08/05 London, ON - Palasad
09/05 Hamilton, ON - Doors Pub
10/05 Ottawa, ON - Dominion Tavern

CASTLE "Evil Remains" Europe 2025

29/05 Muskelrock Fest @ Tyrolen, SE
30/05 Hamburg, DE - Bambi Galore
31/05 Desertland - Berlin DE
01/06 Prague, CZ - Modra Vopice
02/06 Goppingen, DE - Zille
03/06 Düsseldorf, DE - Pitcher
04/06 Rotterdam, NL - V11
05/06 Landgraaf, NL Nieuwe Nor
06/06 GockelScream Fest - near Dresden DE
07/06 Battle Cry Fest @ Turock, Essen DE

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

​Electric Highway Festival Info:

Website: TheElectricHighway.ca​
Facebook: Facebook.com/ElectricHighwayFestival​
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1149647296782460/​
Instagram: Instagram.com/TheElectricHighway​
X: X.com/TheElectricHwy​
​​
Hashtag #BuckleUp #EHF2025

Thanks to Mat for doing the interview and for Asher Media PR for arranging the interview

Amammoth - Distant Skies And The Ocean Flies (Album Review)

Release Date: March 21st 2025. Record Label: Electric Valley Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl.

Distant Skies And The Ocean Flies - Tracklisting

1.Intro

2.Among Us

3.Chosen

4.So High So Numb

5.Sink or Swim

6.Satellite 05:34

7.Ashes Remain

8.Interstitial

Members

Scott Fisher – vocals, guitar 

Scott Wilson – drums 

Warwick Poulton – bass

Review

Aussie Sludge/Stoner Metallers Amammoth second album Distant Skies And The Ocean Flies is quite an aggressive and obsessively bleak record with the band developing harsh atmospherics with a violent Fuzz Doom sound. With the band aligning themselves more closely to the likes of CONAN, High On Fire, BONGZILLA and SLEEP. There’s a deep fascination with LOW & SLOW and REVERB based heaviness within this record which comes out in full force across the opening tracks of Intro and Among Us. The sounds are weighed down by a mighty thick level of NOISE and GRIME which Amammoth have used on their previous records but not as fully developed or as heavy as this great album.

Second track Among Us is the longest track on the album with Amammoth using a classic ELECTRIC WIZARD mentality for their lyrics and how Scott Fisher’s muscular vocals are delivered. The sound may seem simplistic at times but it’s the little things that you begin to notice at how progressive and refreshing everything sounds. Subtle flashes of Psychedelic Beats and that claustrophobic Doomed Out energy that resonates from the excellent rhythm section of Scott Wilson on Drums and Warwick Poulton on Bass respectively. The song is quite slow to begin with but the band speed things up ever so slightly with a killer Blues Rock sound developing which allows the record to become more OCCULT focused at times.

Distant Skies And The Ocean Flies lyrical themes cover topics such as extraterrestrial life, religion, aquatic and UFO’s that will thrust the listener into many complex ideas and theories. However, Amammoth have quite the talent of keeping everything grounded and realistic. The sounds become more blurred with elements of Groove, Drone and Space Rock appearing more on more on tracks such as Chosen, So High So Numb, Sink Or Swim, Satellite and Interstitial which allows Amammoth the perfect opportunity to finely tune their seedy style of LOW & SLOW to reach greater musical heights. 

The record never loses its sense of bleakness and self-loathing at the world. There are no uplifting instrumental passages or tracks for Amammoth to lighten the mood with. This is a band who focus upon the darker side of Sludge/Stoner Metal and just run RIOT with this style of music. Distant Skies And The Ocean Flies is an exhilarating experience where you may need to switch off from the world after listening to the album. 

Amammoth are one of the heaviest and filthiest bands to emerge from the Aussie Sludge/Stoner Metal scene in recent years and they sure do have the necessary talent to back that up with a MASSIVE SOUNDING record that should propel the band onto bigger and greater things. Be prepared to see this album claiming one of those important Album Of The Year Contender spots before the year is out. It’s already grabbed a place on mine….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Qabar PR for the promo.

Distant Skies And The Ocean Flies is available to buy on DD/Vinyl from the links below.

Electric Valley Records Official

Electric Valley Records BandCamp

Glory Or Death Records (North America Only)

Links

 

https://www.facebook.com/amammoth

https://www.instagram.com/amammothdoom
https://amammoth.bandcamp.com