L.M.I. - V (EP Review)

Release Date: June 19th 2026. Record Label: HPGD Productions. Formats: DD

V - Tracklisting

1.Feelin' Tired 

2.Wings of Misery

3.Strangling a Broken Dream

4.Living Fear

5.Fever Dream in a Golden Cage

Review

V is the latest EP from Sludge/Punk/Stoner Metal upstarts L.M.I. and is the first release I’ve actually listened to in over five years since I last featured them on the blog. Since that time the band have released a full length album which didn’t really fully connect with me but their latest record V I have a lot of time for. As they bring a certain Death Metal charge to their music that can also be quite grindcore based which you’ll fully experience within the brutal opening song of Feelin’ Tried.

The song has a collection of brutal beatdowns, thuggish drums, sludgy guitars and abstract psychedelic passages which feels like a million light years away from their earlier Doom/Stoner Rock orientated records. This is perhaps down to the band maturing over the years and touring with heavy hitters such as Ken Mode, Whores, Full Of Hell, Cancer Bats and Necrot. That's a dazzling mix of great names which feels like it’s moved into their creative outlook for this record alone.

L.M.I. display a varying sense of Industrial Metal throughout the EP which comes fully into focus on tracks such as Wings Of Misery, Strangling A Broken Dream and Fever Dreams In A Golden Cage all allowing the band to play their subversive blend of Hardcore Punk, Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal melodies. The whole thing is vicious with an utter distrust and disdain for modern life and authority. The production values whilst not the most perfect environment, they still get the job down of allowing L.M.I. to sound fucking sublime within the most aggressive and violent aspects of the whole EP. 

There are moments where L.M.I. show flashes of their old creative identity with some classic High On Fire riffing methodology in the most straight forward sounds contained within the EP. V has a lot of different musical Doomed Out mechanics holding everything together which showcases the fine musical evolution that L.M.I. have experienced over the last decade or so.

This is their most violent and ultimately rewarding record they have released to date with a NO FUCKS GIVEN attitude that should allow L.M.I. to perhaps gain a greater following within the underground scene and perhaps even reward them with a bigger following within the Extreme Metal scene at the same time.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt & Kaiser Join Forces for Four Altars of Sin

Four of Scandinavia's heaviest underground forces have joined together for a special release that celebrates everything we love about doom, stoner rock, fuzz, and atmosphere.

On June 26, Majestic Mountain Records will release Four Altars of Sin, a split featuring exclusive and previously unreleased tracks from Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt, and Kaiser.

Check out the album's teaser now!

More than a compilation, Four Altars of Sin feels like a gathering of kindred spirits. Across four brand-new songs, these bands explore different corners of the heavy spectrum, from classic doom and occult psychedelia to blackened atmospheres, crushing fuzz, and hypnotic riff worship.

Representing Stockholm, Doomherre deliver their trademark brand of classic doom metal, channeling the spirit of Candlemass, Trouble, and The Obsessed through towering riffs and deliberate, uncompromising heaviness.

From Uppsala, Ordos continue their descent into darker and more oppressive territory. Combining stoner doom, blackened textures, and cosmic psychedelia, their contribution marks the beginning of a new chapter for the band and showcases a heavier, more focused incarnation of their sound.

One of the newest names on the release, Hexjakt have quickly emerged as one of Sweden's most promising doom acts. Massive fuzz-drenched guitars, cavernous low end, occult themes, and an overwhelming sense of atmosphere define a track that further establishes the trio as a force to be reckoned with.

Completing the quartet are Finnish heavyweights Kaiser, whose blend of desert rock, stoner doom, punk energy, and psychedelic grooves has earned them a devoted following across Europe and beyond. Their contribution brings another dose of the colossal riffs and larger-than-life fuzz that have become their trademark.

Together, these four bands create a journey through the darker, heavier, and more atmospheric corners of the Scandinavian underground, united by a shared devotion to volume, groove, and the transformative power of heavy music.

Four Altars of Sin will be released on June 26 via Majestic Mountain Records on vinyl and digital formats. Pre-orders are now available here.

Follow Doomherre

Bandcamp: https://doomherre.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Doomherre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doomherre.official

Follow Hexjakt

Bandcamp: https://hexjakt.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hexjaktband
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hexjaktband
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hexjaktband

Follow Kaiser

Bandcamp: https://kaiserfuzz.bandcamp.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kaiserfuzz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiserfuzz

Follow Ordos

Bandcamp: https://ordosofficial.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ordosofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordosofficial

Follow Majestic Mountain Records:

Website: https://www.majesticmountainrecords.com
Bandcamp: https://majesticmountainrecords.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the details.

Eretia - EL OTOÑO DE LA CIVILIZACIÓN (EP Review)

Release Date: June 05th 2026. Record Label: Various. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl

EL OTOÑO DE LA CIVILIZACIÓN - Tracklisting

1.part VII 04:05
2.part VIII 03:50
3.part IX 04:57
4.part X 08:03

Members

David: Guitar and vocals.
Borja: Guitar.
Rubén: Bass.
Carlos: Drums.

Review

EL OTOÑO DE LA CIVILIZACIÓN is the latest release from Post-Rock/Post-Metal collective Eretia who wisely blend instances of Punk Rock, Stoner Metal and Sludge Metal into their music.

The majority of the music within the opening track of part VII is purely instrumental with bruising vocals from David only appearing when they’re actually needed. This gives Eretia a forceful delivery to their music with echoes of ISIS and CULT OF LUNA appearing at the earliest stages but with a harsh Hardcore Punk energy giving this EP a grounded and highly volatile sound.

If you can remember the much missed legendary band Fall Of Efrafa then Eretia contain a similar sound but with a distinctive cautionary sound branching out into further levels of Ambient Rock, Shoegaze and Post-Rock which can be quite progressive whilst channelling a determined Psychedelic sound especially on tracks part VIII and part IX.

Truth be told, this feels like an extended track broken down into individual chapters and that was the right decision for Eretia to make. As each track has its own great style whilst containing similar progressive grooves and overlapping melodies that allows the Atmospheric Sludge element to take complete control.

David’s vocals keep their muscular appearance with harsh deliveries throughout the whole ride where he’s superbly helped by Borja (Guitar), Rubén (Bass) and Carlos (Drums) who all bring their superb talents to the fold. David also plays guitars as well where Eretia has an impressive Twin Guitar sound within the heavier, progressive and spaced out vibes that appear on the later stages on the EP.

The final track of part X is the standout track and perhaps the most technically impressive with Eretia combining different Post-Metal soundscapes with a real human warmth that you can only get from a hugely talented outfit such as this. The only downside is the record is too damn short and I’m hoping for a longer release from Eretia in the near future but for now EL OTOÑO DE LA CIVILIZACIÓN is a masterful EP that all self respecting Post-Rock/Post-Metal fan should add to their collection right now!!!

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

We Follow The Earth - Foamdrinker (Album Review)

Release Date: May 12th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Foamdrinker - Tracklisting

1.Foamdrinker 06:45

2.Maelstrom 08:42

3.Aeons 03:57

4.Black Lamp 06:23

5.On Violent Waves 07:17

6.Sirens 09:07

7.The Still Blue 06:42

8.Weight of the Stars 07:49

Members

 

Matthew Crotts - Vocals/Guitars

Josh Burton - Guitars

Jason "Buddha" Myers - Bass

Matthew Pickard - Drums

Review

Doom/Sludge Metallers We Follow The Earth return with their new album Foamdrinker which continues their bleak destructive path laid down on their excellent 2024 album Extinct. The sound is perhaps more grounded with the band venturing into subtle areas of Prog Metal, Stoner Metal and some Hardcore tendencies appearing. The record is delivered cautiously slowly which allows We Follow The Earth to create a dense psychedelic sound with them taking influence from the likes of CONAN, SLOMATICS, HIGH ON FIRE and MONOLORD.

Speaking of Monolord, Esben Willems from that great band has mastered the album from his famed Studio Berserk headquarters. The record is helped by the excellent recording and engineering duties carried out by Jacob Beeson. Everything is brutally LOUD with the band perfecting their own style of LOW & SLOW musical punishment being played throughout. We Follow The Earth have added a gloomy cinematic storytelling aspect to their music which gives Foamdrinker a truly apocalyptic energy with distorted Psychedelic sounds controlling the HEAVY METAL narrative of the whole album.

Some parts of the album are have moments of contained Post-Rock and Shoegaze landscapes which sees the record transform into a mainstay of modern day Post-Metall on tracks such as Foamdrinker, Maelstrom, Black Lamp, On Violent Waves, Sirens and Weight Of The Stars. These tracks are quite lengthy and highly involving with the band aligning themselves more closely to the likes of NEUROSIS and ISIS but with a richer underground aspect allowing them to create their own great style of music.

Though, the shortest track of Aeons contains some of the heaviest and fastest grooves on the whole album which shows you how the band can deliver a fast-paced and pissed off style of music which High On Fire would be proud to call their own.

The riffs may feel quite drawn out and not moving in any particular directions at times but this allows We Follow The Earth to be quite creative with their music. As the Ambient and Post-Rock themes ultimately add more nuance to the lyrics the band have written for the entire record. There is a gritty Thrash Metal sound appearing from time-to-time which injects some classic headbanging action for listeners to be part of.

Foamdrinker is an absolute blast of destructive rhythms and progressive soundscapes that deserves to be heard on the biggest, loudest and heaviest SPEAKER SYSTEM you have at your disposal. The record has the perfect balance of the bleak optimism needed for We Follow The Earth to be considered as one of the brightest lights of the Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal underground scenes. However, they have a free-flowing Stoner Metal identity that includes some highly addictive WEEDIAN movements along the way.

Add this record to your collection now!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Cosmic Doom/Stoner Metal Collective REDWOOD Releases New Song FUTURE From Upcoming New Album HYPERSPACE

California's institution of one-man heavy psych and space rock returns with epic new album "HYPERSPACE", cranking up the out-of-this world vibes and delivering ten tracks as only REDWOOD can.

Single "FUTURE" leads the charge with an 11 minute space odyssey, out now and streaming everywhere.

In the band's own words:

The single “FUTURE” dives into the unfortunate reality that we might not be in control of our future as a species, no matter how determined we are to make the world a better place, no matter how much we try to live in the moment, no matter how much progress we make in our society. There are times in life where I feel like the future is a sentient creature, and no matter what we do, it will do what it wants. It rules us like a dictator, and any evolutionary step forward we make in the world, feels futile at times. This song is written from the eyes of the sentient creature that we call “FUTURE”.

“I am the future
I killed the past
I am the future
and you will never last
All hail the future”

With "HYPERSPACE", this newest chapter of REDWOOD is easily my personal favorite so far, and I’ve been hard at work since the moment I finished the album “TIME TO LOSE”.

As a completely self-taught solo project, every album has been an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve through persistence and hard work.

At 10 songs, this is my longest release to date, bringing together many of my favorite elements from everything I've created so far, as well as re-recordings of songs from my previous solo project “Bloodshot Buffalo”. I don't do this for money or recognition—I do it to create something that might outlast me. If there's one REDWOOD album I'd recommend listening to, it's this one. I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

REDWOOD - HYPERSPACE

Out June 12th, 2026 (Digital)
Self-released
Northern California
Album art by Mirkow Gastow

Tracklist:

1. HIGHWAY NOVA (6:38)
2. HYPERSPACE (6:59)
3. ANOTHER PLANET (4:35)
4. GOT A FEELING (3:54)
5. LAND OF ANCIENT NOTHING (7:06)
6. OPIUM AND STIMULANTS (4:03)
7. MOTHER EARTH (4:06)
8. ASTEROID (6:03)
9. INVADERS (8:12)
10. FUTURE (11:32)

Links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Linktree

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

Exclusive Album Premiere Of Doom/Stoner Metallers ALUNAH / SAMAVAYO Split Album EMBERS OF BELIEF

ALUNAH and SAMAVAYO team up for the epic split album release EMBERS OF BELIEF that allows both bands to show why they're so highly regarded within the Doom Metal and Stoner Metal scenes. The album which is being released on the heavyweight record label Heavy Psych Sounds on Friday June 05th 2026 can be heard below with this exclusive album premiere thanks to the amazing folks over at Purple Sage PR and Heavy Psych Sounds.

Alunah says of the album:

"Embers of Belief" features the first Alunah recordings with vocalist Daisy Savage and continues our long-standing relationship with Heavy Psych Sounds Records. We are both excited and proud to present our contribution to this split release - two brand new studio tracks that give a glimpse into where this new chemistry as a band is taking us creatively, alongside two live recordings which document and acknowledge the incredible job Daisy did in stepping up to tour and promote our previous full-length.

This significant release is part of our “VINGT” celebrations, marking 20 years of Alunah with both new music and festival appearances, including Bloodstock Open Air and Desertfest London. To everyone who’s stood by Birmingham, heavy rock, and doom through the years...this one’s for you!

Samavayo says of the album:

Creativity ... it burns deep inside, demanding to be heard and when it wants out, ist has to get out. So here we are!

Longing, recklessness and hope—three themes that couldn’t be more human or more relevant right now.

Samavayo present three exceptional tracks on their split release with Alunah:

BAVAR is a crushing heavy piece built on the Fibonacci sequence, featuring Persian lyrics inspired by a poem from Siavash Kasraie. It stands as a defiant cry against grief and mortality—the narrator refuses to accept the death of loved ones, clinging instead to love, shared tears, and the breath of life as proof that loss can neither truly be believed nor surrendered to.

Mottainai, the 2nd song takes aim at a reckless, consumption-driven mindset—the relentless pursuit of instant gratification and shortcuts. The song warns that this culture of excess and selfishness will ultimately leave a devastating legacy for future generations.

California Sky is a psychedelic, acoustic ode to Samavayo’s 2025 US tour, captures a paradoxical longing for the American desert landscape. It evokes a sense of spiritual belonging in the vast emptiness of Joshua Tree, while reflecting a deep yet helpless emotional connection to the United States and all its contradictions.

Tracklisting

Alunah - On Blacklow Hill

Alunah - La Pucelle

Alunah - Hazy Jane (Alive '25)

Alunah - Violet Hour/Hunt (Alive '25)

Samavayo - Bavar

Samavayo - Mottainai

Samavayo - California Sky

Alunah Lineup

Daisy Savage - Vocals

Matt Noble - Guitar

Dan Burchmore - Bass

Jake Mason - Drums

Alunah Info

Made In Birmingham, Played Worldwide

"Heavy Rock on their own terms, NO compromise". Alunah have always been very clear on this message over their 20 year history.

Winter 2024 saw vocalist Daisy Savage enter the fold in time for a year of touring and building new dynamics as the band joined the Heavy Psych Sounds Festival across Italy, Switzerland, Greece & the UK alongside playing further headline shows.

Having signed to HPS in 2019 Alunah have continued to evolve and were listed by Metal Hammer in July 2025 as one of the ten most important bands to come out of Birmingham. They have toured with the likes of Paradise Lost, The Obsessed, Nick Oliveri's Mondo Generator and been regulars on the European festival circuit.

"The Brummies may be celebrating 20 years in the business but they still sound as fresh as ever" Devolution Magazine

"The doom metal mainstays have continued the course" Metal Hammer 's Top 10 greatest metal bands from Birmingham

"This iteration of the band has found something special in their chemistry" Red Death Media

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Samavayo Lineup

Behrang Alavi - Vocals / Guitar

Arno Voland - Drums / Vocals / Didgeridoo / Percussions

Andreas Voland - Bass / Guitar / Vocals / Moog

Samavayo Info

All three band members of Samavayo grew up in East-Berlin, in the neighbourhoods Lichtenberg and Friedrichshain. As a 10 year old kid, the singer fled as a political refugee from his home country of Iran to Berlin, Germany. The brothers Andreas and Stephan grew up in East-Berlin.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city was open, letting in cultural influences from any foreign country. The capital city became a multi-cultural melting pot where a singer from Teheran and two brothers from Berlin started making music. 600 live shows in Europe and overseas followed, including gigs in Brazil, Albania, Greece, Croatia and France.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Embers Of Belief is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the details.

Stoner Metallers BESVÄRJELSEN unveil video single 'Didn't Come to Party' & details of new album "Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem"

Swedish forest rockers BESVÄRJELSEN drop the first advance single from their third album "Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem" (Swedish and Latin for: "Into Oblivion"), accompanied by a slightly disturbing music video 'Didn't Come to Party' about that guy, the one nobody ever wants at their social gathering.

"Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem" is scheduled for release on August 28, 2026, via Magnetic Eye Records. The album is available for pre-order here: https://spkr.store/collections/besvarjelsen

BESVÄRJELSEN comment: "There's a scene in the Titanic movie that has always stayed with me, when the musicians keep playing as everything falls apart around them", vocalist Lea Amling Alazam muses. "This is one of my all-time favorite moments in cinema, because it captures something important about music: the devotion, the need to create, and to hold onto something beautiful, even in the face of disaster. Like, we're literally going under, but hey, let's play. Dance to the sirens. In this day and age, it's hard not to be affected by the chaos of the world. 'Didn't Come to Party' is not a political statement but rather a cry of frustration. We're living on this incredible planet, so why are we destroying it? Why war, why poverty, why harm the most vulnerable, when we have the resources to make life better for everyone? This quite reminds me of people who show up to parties just to ruin it for everyone else. Why is there such a drive to hurt, to dominate, to tear things apart in the pursuit of power? It's senseless."

Tracklist

01. The Greatest Sin
02. Accelerating Hearts
03. Battles
04. Counting Flies
05. Drifters on a Quiet Stream
06. The Mountain
07. Pulse
08. Interlude
09. Didn't Come to Party
10. Black Wave
11. Oblivion

Swedes are supposed to be cool, and musically, BESVÄRJELSEN sure live up to that stereotype in the best possible way. What the self-proclaimed forest rockers deliver on their third full-length "Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem" is so cool, in fact, that it's a hot early candidate for rock album of the year.

The 'forest rock' moniker is the Swedes' tongue-in-cheek answer to the term 'desert rock', which stylistically provides a great starting point to describe their particular musical brand. Being surrounded not by an abundance of sand but trees in their home province of Dalarna, it was also an obvious choice. On "Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem", BESVÄRJELSEN keep a profound punk-infused attitude, but have broadened their sound with a wide variety of sonic colours including blues, ska, metal, jazz and everything around and in between as long as it fits the mood of the song.

Add exceptional vocalist Lea Amling Alazam, who developed her passion for punk and stoner rock at the local skate park when she was just 13 years old, to the band's plethora of riveting hooks and riffs, and you get an album that feels fresh and ready to deliver surprises for months if not years to come. If there is any justice, "Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem" should make BESVÄRJELSEN as famous as the iconic wooden Dala horses that every tourist who visits the country takes home to put on their shelves.

That BESVÄRJELSEN were on the road to greatness became apparent on their previous album, "Atlas" (2022). This record received the prestigious Swedish Manifestgalan Award for "Metal Album of the Year" by the Swedish Independent Music Producers and partners, which crowned a string of excellent reviews around the globe.

BESVÄRJELSEN were co-founded by guitarists and vocalists Andreas Bajer and Staffan Vinrot in 2014. Their musical vision was based on the idea to channel the spirit and traditions of the vast Dalarna forests into a contemporary urban context. On this ancient crossroads of Norse and Finnish cultures, the echoes of runes and gods, shamans and spirits still linger. While drawing heavy inspiration from local lore, mysticism, and the dark, old musical traditions of their homeland, the band name was found in the old Swedish word for "conjuring": BESVÄRJELSEN.

While the band's story has its roots in the past of the land, the present came boldly knocking to demand its due. With the discovery of Lea Amling Alazam and her captivating vocals, the plot took a fascinating twist: She had grown up with her feet in more than one world. Accordingly, the charismatic singer added a fresh approach by embracing melodies and phrases of the grunge and emo sounds that defined her youth as well as African and Middle Eastern music with characteristic bluesy undertones.

In 2015, BESVÄRJELSEN released their debut EP "Villfarelser", followed by the "Exil" EP in 2016. At the time, former DOZER and GREENLEAF drummer Erik Bäckwall joined the line-up as a permanent member. Although both EPs were self-financed and released with minimal promotion, they ended up well-received, and even got airplay on Swedish national radio.

The Swedes' debut full-length "Vallmo" (2018) merged crushing riffs and storming drums with increasingly sophisticated melodies and thoughtful themes, even earning the band a festival slot opening for DEEP PURPLE. This paved the way for BESVÄRJELSEN to record their sophomore album "Atlas" with producer and drummer Karl Daniel Lidén (GREENLEAF, DOZER, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX) in 2021.

With "Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem", BESVÄRJELSEN have conjured 'Into Oblivion' twice, in both Swedish and Latin, but the spellbinding five-piece also deliver a cathartic rock album that will rank among the finest heavy releases of the genre and beyond in 2026

Line-up

Lea Amling Alazam – vocals
Staffan Vinrot – guitars, vocals (& accordion, violin, keys, keyed fiddle)
Andreas Bajer – guitars, vocals
Erik Bäckwall – drums
Marcus Lindqvist – bass

Guest musicians

Fred Burman (SATAN TAKES A HOLIDAY) – lead & backing vocals on 'Accelerating Hearts' & backing vocals on 'Didn't Come to Party'

Pelle Andersson (LOWRIDER) – organ on 'Black Wave'

Recorded by Andreas Baier & Marcus Lindqvist at Glashuset, Ludvika (SE)
Mix & mastering by Karl Daniel Lidén at Tri-Lamb Audio Studios, Solna (SE)

Cover art by Björn Olars
Layout by Erik Bäckwall

Links

www.facebook.com/besvarjelsen
www.instagram.com/besvarjelsen

https://besvarjelsen.bandcamp.com/

Thanks to All Noir PR and Magnetic Eye Records for the details.