TORT - Dimonis de la Sauva Negra (Album Review)

Release Date: June 15th 2026. Record Label: Discos Macarras Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Dimonis de la Sauva Negra - Tracklisting

1.Necrophagus Paranoid 07:26

2.Servants of the Antichrist 06:26

3.Dimonis de la Sauva Negra 07:59

4.Sláine 08:51

5.Ningú Fugirà del Coneixedor 08:07

6.Bonus Track 04:59

Members

Xavier Álvarez (vocals)

Sergio Sancho (guitar)

Jordi Boluda (guitar)

Michel Serrano (drums)

Ricard García (bass)

Review

Dimonis de la Sauva Negra is the fourth full length album TORT where they embrace a more brutal and filth-ridden style of Death Metal, Sludge, Doom and Stoner Metal. The record is constantly bleak and full of violent surroundings with TORT where the expands into intense and extreme blasts of SWAMP infused WEEDIAN metal. This is the most violent strain of WEEDIAN METAL you’ll experience with the punishing LOW & SLOW musical methodology that TORT apply to the album.

There’s a great sense of melody being projected from within the album with its more extreme and darker style of music becoming quite progressive throughout the whole album. If you ever wondered what WEEDEATER and BONGZILLA ever sounded like if they crossed paths with the likes of PRIMITIVE MAN and THOU then TORT are the closest you’re likely ever going to get. The nihilistic lyrics are quite uncompromising at the best of times with TORT staying close to their Spanish roots on the majority of the tracks.

 

The vocals from Xavier Álvarez are just gut-wrenching with a demonic presence appearing on every track. Xavier just chews and destroys the musical landscape with his dominating presence where you feel utterly compelled to listen to what he says especially on tracks such as: Necrophagus Paranoid, Servants Of The Antichrist, Sláine and Ningú Fugirà del Coneixedor. The rest of the band provide first rate musical passages that fills the atmosphere with a sense of violent dread that does manifest into sublime Psychedelic instrumental solos which have some NOLA and Southern Metal themes appearing along the way.

Dimonis de la Sauva Negra works best when TORT apply a slower style of Extreme Metal into their music as it builds up a sense of modern day DOOM & GLOOM to the record which is where the most interesting, heaviest and powerful grooves appear. The excellent production values allows TORT to have a commanding presence even when they’re creating and playing new musical themes they haven’t played before which gives Dimonis de la Sauva Negra such an epic cinematic scope compared to their previous albums. 

For a record that’s built on filthy compounds, TORT have pulled out all the stops of building a record that dominates the riff-centric musical landscape that will leave you breathless from start to finish.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Dimonis de la Sauva Negra is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Discos Macarras Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp

Cannabus - Ride The Bus (Album Review)

Release Date: July 03rd 2026. Record Label: Black Throne Productions / Kozmik Artifactz. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Ride The Bus - Tracklisting

Intro

Heavy Joint

4Runner 

Volcano

The Green

Space Bussin’

In The Pocket

Far Gone Blues

Vagabond

Members

James Matheson - Guitar/Vocals

Brandon Doucet - Drums

Ethan Scott - Bass

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Cannabus finally release their debut album Ride The Bus and the only thing this album is taking the listener is to the mighty WEEDIAN promised land. As the band fully live out their STONER ROCK/METAL fantasies with this great album. Cannabus are supremely confident on this record whilst exploring areas of Blues Rock, Psych, Sludge and Punk in equal measure. The sound is murky and with an aggressive smoke fuelled sound that allows Cannabus to play music inspired by the likes of KYUSS, FU MANCHU, DOZER and NEBULA. 

However, there are a few hidden delightful surprises along the way with Cannabus moving away from the WEEDIAN influence and playing more Spaced Out sounds The vocals have a rough exterior to them with James Matheson tapping into a Punk Rock way of life. It’s a delivery that shouldn’t really work but James feels like he’s having the time of his life here though his vocals don’t appear until the excellent third track of 4Runner. Half of the album is instrumentally driven with the vocals appearing when they’re fully needed. 

The opening tracks of Intro and Heavy Joint sets the scene with Cannabus setting the building blocks and rules to play their music against. There is a Classic Hard Rock and Blues Rock sound coming from the speakers which gives extra weight and riff fuelled heaviness to the band’s wicked use of seedy amplifier distortion. The Psychedelic sounds also have that classic Seventies Doom melody which is laid on mightily thick on tracks Volcano, The Green, Space Bussin’ and Vagabond. 

Cannabus also excel in developing long drawn out instrumental passages that showcase a distorted style of Desert Rock and Fuzzy melodies to haunt the sludgy amplifiers for extended periods of time. Some folks may think this is another straight forward STONER record but it’s not. As Cannabus really strive for something different for their debut album with that wicked Psychedelic and Space Rock delivery that manifests into wonderful LOW & SLOW sludgy environments on the later stages of the record.

The epic rhythm section of Brandon Doucet on Drums and Ethan Scott on Bass have a jam based creative methodology within their music. Sometimes the music does feel like it’s going off into a different tangent but James’s heavy guitars allow his band mates to play a warped style of intense sonic exploration whilst adding a grounded approach that really holds everything together.

Ride The Bus is an outstanding debut album that is not ashamed to be part of the WEEDIAN underground. This is the type of album that fully embraces that fact and just has complete fun whilst delivering a collection of great tracks that are filled with amazing grooves and instrumental solos you can SHAKE YOUR BONG at. 

Black Throne Productions and Kozmik Artifactz are both releasing the album and it’s the perfect fit. As both labels have steadily been releasing a wave of great albums in 2026 and this is no different. Ride The Bus is one of the most essential STONER ROCK debut albums you’ll experience this year!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Black Throne Productions for the promo.

Ride The Bus is available to buy on DD/Vinyl now via Black Throne Productions and Kozmik Artifactz.

Links 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabusband
Bandcamp: https://cannabus.bandcamp.com/music
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1howstrmxl7hJRzWTkFlmP
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/cannabus/1674032226
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CannabusBand

Death/Doom/Sludge Metallers DREAD WITCH release video for title track off upcoming album "Cult"

Danish sludge death doomsters DREAD WITCH have just released a video for the title track off their upcoming album CULT - the follow-up to the band's highly acclaimed debut Tower of the Severed Serpent from 2023.

A cornucopia of seriously heavy, low tuned riffs and mean vocals, the song "Cult" pushes the listener into the horror darkness of a terrible occult nightmare infested with serpents, witches and human sacrifices.

The video was directed, lighted and shot by DREAD WITCH and edited by the band's bassist Leifur Nielsen.

Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UPaMIQJxm4

About new album CULT

Produced, mixed and mastered by none other than Tue Madsen (Meshuggah, Belphegor etc.), CULT features 36 minutes of dynamic and deliciously messy doom metal spread across eight pummeling tracks that cater to fans of multilayered cinematic doom of the heaviest kind.

"CULT" will be out October 31st on LP via DHU Records, CD via Bottomless Pit and digital via Gateway Music.

About DREAD WITCH

DREAD WITCH was formed in Denmark in 2023 by ex-members of Scamp, Horned Almighty, Stone Cadaver and The World State for the sole purpose of creating heavy and dark doom metal under the influence of horror literature, cult movies and bands like Pink Floyd and Triptykon.

DREAD WITCH create Boschian landscapes of doom that, as RockHard Italy wrote, "captures the listener in a magnetic whirlpool that is difficult to escape".

Members

Mikael Rise - vocals and rhythm guitar
Dennis Larsen - drums
Jesper Kragh - lead and rhythm guitars
Leifur Nielsen - bass and backing vocals
Andreas Cadaver - rhythm and lead guitars

Links

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dreadwitch

Louisiana Sludgers FANE Sign to Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records; New Single Out Now

Emerging from the depths of Louisiana's metal and hardcore underground, FANE have joined forces with Octopus Rising for the release of their forthcoming album.

To celebrate the announcement, the band has unveiled "Passages", the first single taken from the forthcoming record, now available on all digital platforms: https://tidal.com/track/533060866/u

FANE is the creative partnership of longtime collaborators Ryan Ashmore and Trey Porche, two veterans of the Louisiana metal and hardcore scene whose shared musical journey has evolved into a focused and uncompromising artistic vision.

Stripping their influences down to their most essential elements, FANE crafts a sound built on weight, restraint and atmosphere. Drawing inspiration from doom, sludge, hardcore, folk and black metal traditions while refusing to be confined by genre expectations, the duo embraces deliberate pacing, dynamic tension and emotional depth, allowing every note and silence to serve a purpose.

The result is music that feels both crushing and contemplative, defined by presence, impact and authenticity. "Passages" offers a first glimpse into this vision, showcasing the band's ability to balance immense heaviness with a profound sense of space and introspection.

Further details regarding FANE's debut album on Octopus Rising will be announced in the coming months.

TRACK THE BAND:

https://www.instagram.com/fanetheband/
https://fane-la.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

Red Sun - Songs From Hidden Places (Album Review)

Release Date: June 19th 2026. Record Label: Subsound Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Songs From Hidden Places - Tracklisting

1.. Hidden Places

2. Details from the Past

3. Sleeping Brainqui

4. The Hidden Truth

5. All Things Are Written There

6. A Hidden Bond

7. The Secret Dope

Members

Stefano "Eno" Dusi (guitar)

Mirco Dugaria (bass)

Federico Rivoli (drums, synth)

Elisa Brusati (vocals)

Review

Psych/Space/Stoner Rock collective Red Sun take a major creative risk with their latest album Songs From Hidden Places by moving from their core instrumental sound and adding a vocalist to the mix. Elisa Brusati has joined the band and this gives Red Sun a more mystical and ethereal progressive quality to their music which aligns them more closely to the likes of TOOL and A Perfect Circle from a musical perspective at times.

Elisa’s vocals are quite grounded which gives Red Sun quite a Spaced Out energy compared to their previous albums. Their trademark style of Acid Rock, Psych and Jam based melodies are fully intact but with a heavier presence which fully comes to life very early on within the excellent opening track Hidden Places. There’s some trippy sounds building up behind the scenes as different layers of musical themes overlap each other whilst still being quite low-key and remarkably subdued.

Songs From Hidden Places does take time to find it’s emotional core but it’s a journey worth taking with the lyrics inspired by the likes of WINDHAND which is powered by some epic gloomy soundbytes being played from the instrumental melodies that accompany each track. There are some interesting themes developing within the hard-hitting tracks of Details From The Past. Sleeping Brain and The Hidden Truth.

The album does have a kaleidoscopic sound that’s developed throughout the album where the music constantly evolves with different hooks, riffs and progressive sounds allowing Red Sun fully reinventing themselves for the better. Red Sun perhaps had to change their music to form around Elisa’s superb vocals which can be quite direct one moment and beautifully sincere the next which left me impressed on an emotional level.

The second half of the album does allow Red Sun to play heavier grooves and wonderful ambient synths which can be considered Doomgaze in some aspects with the most powerful moments appearing on tracks such as All Things Are Written There and The Hidden Dope. 

Songs From Hidden Places is an emotionally charged record that allows Red Sun to open a highly exciting new chapter for themselves. The record is quite daring but one that offers the listener a highly rewarding experience that you will remember for a very long to come.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Metaversus PR for the promo.

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Hard Psych Unit SATURNA to release new album "Light and Shadow" on September 17th via Spinda Records & Ripple Music; debut new video "Self Told Lies"

Barcelona, Spain's hard psych rockers SATURNA are set to return this fall with their new album "Light and Shadow", released collaboratively on Spinda Records & Discos Marracas (Europe) and Ripple Music (North America), with the debut single and video "Self Told Lies" streaming everywhere now.

Watch the "Self Told Lies" lyric video // Live at Siete Barbas Estudio
+ listen to the single on all streaming services

Saturna's upcoming sixth studio album Light and Shadow retains the core elements that define their sound — hard rock, psychedelia and alternative rock — while expanding the Catalan foursome's sonic palette with new dynamics, renewed energy and greater textural variety. The contribution of Max Eriksson’s compositional input, alongside a desire to explore new sonic territories, has helped shape a record that pushes their sound forward without losing its essence.

Recorded and produced by the band themselves, with Enric Verdaguer handling mixing duties, Light and Shadow embraces a more organic, honest and live-oriented approach. Moving between heaviness and introspection, the album explores a wide emotional spectrum while maintaining the intensity that has always defined their music. Thematically, the record revolves around duality: light and darkness, love and hate, life and death. Its lyrics draw on personal experiences and the contradictions between opposing forces.

The artwork is once again created by Jondix, a long-time collaborator of the band internationally known for his work with Tool and other major names in the rock and metal scene.

SATURNA "Light and Shadow"
Out September 17th on Spinda Records & Discos Marracas (EU) and Ripple Music (North America)

From Barcelona, Saturna have spent over a decade building a distinctive identity within contemporary heavy rock, blending the raw power of classic hard rock with psychedelic atmospheres, alternative rock depth and a strong melodic sensibility. With a sound that is both powerful and emotionally rich, the band has developed a singular voice that resonates with audiences across Europe and beyond.

Across five studio albums, Saturna has crafted a musical language rooted in the balance between heaviness and sensitivity, combining crushing riffs with expansive sonic landscapes. Their previous record, The Reset (2023), marked a turning point: it reached number one on the US Doom Charts, appeared on numerous year-end lists, and strengthened their international profile, leading to extensive touring activity on both sides of the Atlantic. The band’s reputation has been built equally in the studio and on stage. Their live performances are defined by emotional intensity, instrumental precision and a genuine connection with the audience, establishing them as a rising force within the European heavy rock scene.

Saturna is

James Vieco - vocals, guitar
Max Eriksson - guitar
Rod Tirado - bass
Enric Verdaguer - drums

Saturna links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Spinda Records links

Webstore | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR and Spinda Records for the details.

Ancestro - En Ruinas (Album Review)

 

Release Date: May 25th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

En Ruinas  - Tracklisting

1.13001 01:50

2.Status Quo 05:14

3.Andante 04:07

4.Wachuma 07:15

5.Horizontes Salvajes 04:15

6.En ruinas 05:59

7.Guerra 02:24

8.Mar desierto 08:24

Members

Boris Baltodano – bass

Rafael Paul – guitars

Diego Cartulin – drums, percussion, and keyboards

Diego Cartulin – effects and clean guitars

Review

En Ruinas is the fourth album from Psych Stoner Rockers Ancestro and this is my first time within their heavy and spaced out realm. The album is helped by the band using levels of Doom, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal and Cosmic Rock which all play a huge part for Ancestro exploring a more personal style of Instrumental music you initially expect. The record can be quite bleak and unforgiving with the distorted amplifiers playing a massive part transporting the listener to a destructive part of the cosmos where you feel multiple planets have been destroyed by a mysterious destructive force. 

Ancestro feel inspired by the likes of SLEEP, HAWKWIND, MONOLORD, MONSTER MAGNET, KARMA TO BURN and EARTHLESS whilst creating their own great style of Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal with the great use of keyboards and sound effects which is heard from the excellent tracks of 13001, Status Quo and Andante. There is a level of Progressive Rock appearing which gives an eerie Seventies Rock energy whilst employing some intricate areas of Nineties Doom, Grunge and Stoner based themes. 

Ancestro make great use of SONIC MANIPULATION and AMPLIFIER DISTORTION throughout this album where it feels like sheer poetry at times. The band are equally wonderful and brilliantly creative when joining up areas of Post-Metal, Prog Rock, Space Rock and Acid Rock for a sound that’s superbly cinematic. This feels like a soundtrack to classic DISASTER movie being played for the WEEDIAN community to call their own.

En Ruinas does have a great storyline holding everything together as the album is explained below by the band themselves:

“Inspired by life in Trujillo, Peru, the album explores the city’s transformation—from its once combative spirit to a present shaped by decay, loss of identity, and day to day violence.. Across eight tracks, it moves through symbols and moments of this decline, forming a critical and emotional sonic testimony.”

The most thrilling moments of the album is when Ancestro fully explores their Post-Metal and Atmospheric Sludge identity even further which allows the record to be quite violent within the volume department. As Ancestro lay down some vicious sounds along the way on tracks such as Status Quo, Andante, Wachuma, En Ruinas and Mar desierto. My favourite aspect about thai album is how Ancestro have included their Peruvian heritage into the album as you feel immersed by the culture especially with the different sounds, trippy effects and massive LOW & SLOW environments the band just throw in for good measure. 

I’ve listened to Ancestro’s previous albums but this is by far their heaviest and boldest record to date. This is quite forward thinking with the band touching upon areas of music they haven’t played before. You’ll even experience some classic Eighties Heavy Metal instrumental solos along the way which shows you how the band are always thinking outside the box. 

En Ruinas is an absolute MONSTER of a record and one of the heaviest Doom/Stoner Metal albums I’ve experienced from the South American underground scene in quite some time. Add this one to your collection folks. You won’t regret it. Awesome stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram