Sealess - Aura (Album Review)

Release Date: May 28th 2026. Record Label: Electric Witch Mountain Recordings. Formats: DD

Aura - Tracklisting

1.Days of Gone 

2.When the Water Breaks

3.The Last Breath of Winter Glow

4.Interiors

5.In Mortality

6.The Road is Promising 

7.Endless Clouds

Members

Kamil Ziółkowski - Everything

Guests:

Johan Bernhardtson (Maha Sohona) vocals and ending guitar solo in "Days of Gone"

Sandra Rutka: vocals in "The Last Breath of Winter Glow"

Review

Sealess is the latest musical project from Kamil Ziółkowski member of the mighty Spaceslug. Kamil already has a few other projects currently going with Palm Desert, Mountain Of Misery and O.D.R.A within his impressive roster of creative outputs. Sealess is more closely linked to his Mountain Of Misery output with this project being influenced by the likes of The Cure, OM, HUM, Yawning Man and Russian Circles though that’s not say there’s some deep cosmic Sludge and Stoner based melodies lurking on this record.

Aura is an intriguing mix of different Psychedelic melodies with THE CURE being the dominant influence with an almost Eighties Alt Rock dynamic being used within the first half of the album. This is offset by areas of Ambient Rock, Electronica, Indie Rock and Space Rock sounds which can be described as musical therapy with that subtle “CHILL OUT” melody being put to great use on the superb opening track of Days Of Gone. This does have some epic movements that remind me of HUM in their most reflective and peaceful moments with The Cure effective way of storytelling pushing the song to its natural conclusion. Kamil is helped on this track by Johan Bernhardtson (Maha Sohona) who provides vocals and the ending guitar solo.

Second song When The Water Breaks shows that Kamil has a deep love and affection for the Eighties Electronic and Indie Rock scene with a stylish New Order and The Cure electronic sound pushing the song into surreal dreamlike musical soundscapes. The whole atmosphere is best described as “POST CHILLOUT” music for the Stoner Rock generation with a song that reminds me of the classic The Cure song “BURN” in many ways. You can still feel the “SPACESLUG” creative energy buried within the DNA of the whole SEALESS project. The record itself is quite grounded with Kamil using the “aquatic” themes to full effect. The instrumental sounds are deeply engaging and beautifully emotional.

If you ever wondered how The Cure would sound like if they moved into the Desert Rock / Post Rock movement then Sealess is the perfect answer to that question with Kamil creating haunting musical passages that can be described as “PURE CINEMA” especially when the soundtrack themes of the superb third track The Last Breath Of Winter Glow.

This track can be quite claustrophobic and solitary at times but the hidden depth of Post-Stoner, Alt-Rock and Doomed Out structures make this my favourite track on the whole album. This is one of the best musical tracks I’ve heard from Kamil outside of the SPACESLUG environment and he’s superbly helped by the excellent vocals from Sandra Rutka that adds a brilliant style of Eighties Alt Rock attitude into the mix.

The next two tracks on the album Interiors and In Morality feel like they could easily be part of the Mountains of Misery project. These tracks contain similar themes and motifs but with Kamil adding that emotionally charged style of Eighties Alt Rock soundscapes and intricate sludgy musical solos along the way.

There’s a small commercial “ROCK / POP”  aspect that shows from time to time which was all the range back in the Eighties. However, that takes nothing away from Aura as Sealess becomes more Post-Rock and Space Rock obsessive in the best possible way. There’s also a sense of Post-Doom delivery appearing within the lyrics and how Kamil delivers some of the vocals for the remainder of the album.

The final two tracks The Road Is Promising and Endless Clouds become part of a heavier progressive journey whilst keeping quite closely with the core creative sounds first heard within the first half of the record. Ambient grooves transform into heavier strands of Psych, Post-Rock and Alt Rock which ends the album on a highly satisfactory and emotionally charged conclusion.

Aura is another great record from Kamil and I so want to hear more from this outstanding project known as SEALESS in the very near future. That maybe some time though, as after speaking to Kamil recently, he’s busy with other things and he’s earned that right to take time with whatever musical project he releases next. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to SEALESS for the promo..

Aura  is available to buy now on Digital Download via Electric Witch Mountain Recordings.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp

Atlanta Heavy Rock Ritualists INSOMNIAC announce US summer shows with Slumbering Sun

Atlanta, Georgia's entrancing psychedelic doom sensation INSOMNIAC announce a short run of US shows alongside Texan doom unit Slumbering Sun this summer, as they keep supporting their 2025 debut album "Om Moksha Ritam" on Blues Funeral Recordings.

With their 2025 debut album "Om Moksha Ritam" on Blues Funeral Recordings, Atlanta's Insomniac have coalesced onto our plane like a third eye opening into the beyond, delivering a brooding, heavy, and psychedelic journey filled with riffs and beats written in the Earth's frequency. Dubbed by Treble Zine as "a spiritual awakening" and "one of the most breathtaking and brilliantly surreal pieces of music" by UK website Outlaws of the Sun, the music Insomniac creates drifts between this world and the next, hovering at the periphery of consciousness. REZN, King Buffalo and Dead Meadow naturally arise as points of reference, although it’s clear that fitting within confines isn’t really what the Atlanta band does.

About their upcoming summer tour, Insomniac says: "It's been an incredible ride over the last 8 months since Om Moksha Ritam released, and we've been working hard both on and off stage while racking up a ton of tour dates and road miles in the process. We're overjoyed to see firsthand how much our music has resonated with people far and wide, and the response continues to grow from the stage to the community daily."

"It's been a busy start to busy 2026 with almost 50 gigs and 12 thousand miles so far, and we're on a mission to keep the good times rolling this summer with a string of dates accompanied by some of our best buds with one of the best bands, Austin/Dallas heavy psych outfit Slumbering Sun, whom we've been fortunate enough to vibe with many times over since the beginning of 2025. Our "waking dream" tour takes us into the Midwest, across many markets we've never experienced before such as Shreveport, Omaha, and Davenport, and we're excited to return to a bunch of places we have a rich history rocking, culminating in the Asheville Doomed and Stoned festival alongside a metric ton of homies like Duel, Order of the Owl, Hot Ram, and more!" 

Insomniac summer shows w/ Slumbering Sun

7/10 - Shreveport, LA - Bear's
7/11 - Tulsa, OK - Whittier Bar
7/12 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
7/13 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
7/14 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel
7/15 - Indianapolis, IN - State Street Pub
7/16 - Nashville, TN - The End
7/17 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Doomed & Stoned Fest
7/18 - Atlanta, GA - Boggs Social

Insomniac links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Blues Funeral Recordings links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

US Heavy Psych Explorers EALDOR BEALU announce new album "Graves of the Silent Plain" on Ripple Music this summer; debut track streaming!

Idaho-based heavy psych metal merchants EALDOR BEALU have signed to Ripple Music for the release of their new studio album "Graves of the Silent Plain" this July 10th, and present the debut single "Ponderay" today.

Listen to Ealdor Bealu's new single Ponderay

Hailing from the high desert of Idaho, progressive heavy psych quartet Ealdor Bealu was formed in 2015 by Carson Russel (Ghorot), Rylie Colingwood, Travis Abbott (Shadow & Claw) and Alex Wargo. With a focus on shifting dynamics from the ambient to the massive and back again, Ealdor Bealu's sound expands beyond genre boundaries.

Ealdor Bealu conjures a rare and powerful alchemy on their upcoming album and Ripple Music debut Graves of the Silent Plain. Across five deeply evocative tracks — with tracks such as ‘Abandoned to Decay,’ ‘Erosion,’ and ‘Gold Mountain’ — the band melds heavy rock, heavy psychedelia and dark folk ambience. Anchored by dual vocal forces (ethereal female leads and a soulful male croon) and built on patient, explosive dynamics, the album unfolds like a lost soundtrack to a mythical Western. Cinematic, melancholic and strikingly epic. It will be released on July 10th on LP, CD and digital through Ripple Music.

EALDOR BEALU "Graves of the Silent Plain" - Out July 10th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)

Over the past decade, Idaho's Ealdor Bealu has carved a singular path through heavy psychedelia, dark folk, and progressive metal, earning regional, national, and international praise across four full-length releases.

Their 2017 debut, Dark Water at the Foot of the Mountain, landed on several Album of the Year lists with its expansive, haunting 60-minute vision. The 2019 sophomore LP, Spirit of the Lonely Places deepened the band’s heavy psychedelic edge while retaining their atmospheric Western heart.

2022’s Psychic Forms (Metal Assault Records) pushed further into progressive metal, driven by the dynamic drumming of Michael Mulcock and the addition of husky, Americana-tinged vocals from Travis Abbott alongside the established voices of Carson Russell and Rylie Collingwood. It became the band’s most successful release to date, and Cameron Elgart (Crush the Monster) joined on drums shortly after.

Ealdor Bealu has consistently toured the Western US, playing Treefort Music Fest, Offbeat Music Fest, Crucial Fest, and others. The band celebrated their 2025 decade milestone with a career-spanning Treefort set, a two-week West Coast tour, and a performance at Portland’s Sound Castle festival.

Ealdor Bealu links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Exclusive Album Premiere Of Doom/Stoner Metallers GODDESS Superb Debut Album RITUAL OF THE CLOVEN HOOF

Emerging from the ashes of Goatess, Goddess usher in a new chapter for the Stockholm-based band following the departure of founding guitarist Niklas. While the name has changed, the essence remains intact, a towering blend of crushing, riff-driven doom, thick stoner grooves, soaring vocals, and a dark, psychedelic edge.

Drawing from the legacy of Goatess’s acclaimed releases, Goatess (2013), II: Purgatory Under New Management (2016), and Blood and Wine (2019), Goddess push that unmistakable Swedish doom sound forward, tighter, sharper, and more driven than ever.

Channeling the spirit of Electric Wizard, Sleep, Saint Vitus, Count Raven, and classic Black Sabbath, while carving its own path forward.

Now signed to Majestic Mountain Records, Goddess are set to deliver a record that captures both the legacy of their past and the vision of what comes next, heavy, hypnotic, and uncompromising. 

You can hear the amazing album in full thanks to the cool folks over at Viral Propaganda PR and Majestic Mountain Records.

 

Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records.

Follow Goddess

https://www.facebook.com/baldersounds
https://www.instagram.com/goddessbandofficial

Follow Majestic Mountain Records

https://www.majesticmountainrecords.com
https://majesticmountainrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords
https://www.facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the details.

Goddess - Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof (Album Review)

Release Date: May 22nd 2026. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

No King - Tracklisting

1.Godless

2.Inquisition

3.To Be King

4.Blood Fever 

5.Born Again Heathen

6.Devil's Reef

Members

Karl-Martin Buhre: Vocals and guitar

Kenta Karlbom: Drums

John Jansson: Bass

Anders Martinsgård: Guitar

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Goddess is the band formed from the ashes of the much missed Goatess who released three amazing albums in their epic career. The founding guitarist of Goatess (Niklas) left the band where the remaining members re-grouped as Goddess and the business of creating epic sounds forged from the legendary sounds of the Seventies Doom Metal scene with a heavier modern Cosmic flavour remains intact. Their debut album Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof takes up the mantle of what the band achieved with Goatess and elevates their sound more closely to the likes of SLEEP, MONOLORD and ELECTRIC WIZARD.

There’s still that classic Proto-Metal and Doom Metal energy heard on the previous Goatess records but Goddess has a more refreshing Psychedelic and stripped back sound. The sound is almost rooted in Sludge Rock and Spaced Out folklore with some classic vocal interplay from Karl-Martin Buhre moving from the classic eras of Ozzy and DIo fronting Black Sabbath. The music is quite melodic with that thrilling Seventies Hard Rock energy developing within the multiple examples of intense musical solos especially from the sludgy sounds that both Karl-Martin and Anders Martinsgård lay down on their excellent guitar solos.

Kenta Karlbom on Drums and John Jansson on Bass keep things grounded with a stunning rhythm section that remains quite closely guarded to the classic GOATESS template whilst moving onto new sonic pastures under the guise of GODDESS. The tracks written for this record are heavier and progressive with Goddess more comfortable with their COSMIC DOOMED OUT surroundings with flashes of first rate Stoner Metal delivery being played very early on tracks such as Godless, Inquisition and To Be King. There are the classic Doom Metal influences that you can hear from the likes of Saint Vitus and The Obsessed but you can also detect that winning Swedish Stoner Metal creative mentality holding everything together.

Goddess aren’t afraid to show that the highly polished style of modern day Doom/Stoner Metal has a real place in their highly cinematic style of music that’s superbly riff-driven on the later stages of the album mostly on the tracks Blood Fever and Born Again Heathen. The lyrics are sometimes outlandish but they fit the Proto-Metal and Classic Doom Metal narrative amazingly well with some wicked levels of Amplifier and Fuzzed Out Heaviness making a wonderful appearance.

Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof perfectly allows Goddess establish themselves Doom/Stoner Metal masters of their own creative domain with a spellbinding record that’s quite dark which you only admire further every time you listen to the album. The production values are sublime with Joona Hassinen handling almost everything and I’ve been a fan of Joona’s work for such a long time. He’s been involved with a multitude of great bands over the last decade or so and perhaps helped establish the Swedish Heavy Metal scene to where it is today. 

Goddess debut album is a masterful album on every level which will no doubt allow them to achieve a similar style of acclaim as Goatess if they keep releasing great records such as this. Goatess maybe dead but LONG LIVE GODDESS!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doom Metallers MAUNAH sign deal with PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS

Nordic doom sensation MAUNAH have signed a multi-album deal with Prophecy Productions. Their debut studio album will be released via the label in 2026.

MAUNAH comment: "We are a band made up of not-so-young musicians as all of us in Maunah have gathered quite some musical experience over the years", vocalist Søren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof writes on behalf of the band. "Then again, for us signing with Prophecy is a youthful dream come true. We are stoked about the exciting times ahead, and we are very much looking forward to exploring the art of heartfelt doom with such a strong partner as this label."

Prophecy Productions state: "We are all thrilled to welcome Maunah", the label's founder Martin Koller announces. "The current musical market does hardly reward the signing of new acts. Yet in this case, listening to their digital EP resulted in changing from a sceptic mode to wanting to offer these exceptionally talented Danes a deal and inviting them to Prophecy Fest in less than ten minutes. Welcome!"

Photo by Soeren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof

An early Jul miracle was waiting for visitors of the the one-day event Udgårdsfest at the cozy Pumpehuset venue in Denmark's capital city of Copenhagen on December 19, 2025. Third up on the billing was a band that few had heard before and who had never performed live either – well, in this constellation that the members had chosen to call: MAUNAH.

And just like in all great stories about this season, something rather special and unexpected happened: The new Danish band delivered a lesson in captivating and cinematic doom metal that had jaws dropping and eyes popping with the energy, mastery, and self-confidence that can only be expected from veterans. This stunning performance reaped a storm of applause from a slightly shocked audience.

The secret to MAUNAH's immediate success is two-fold: Members are veterans of the Danish scene. Their highly popular frontman, Søren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof, has toured extensively with the beloved Nordic folk band KRAUKA, and he has also released several critically acclaimed albums under the artist name LOS. The other musicians are well established, too. Guitarist Mads MP Laursen has formerly played guitar with IRONGUARD and ENCYRCLE.

The other half of this metal miracle is the old adage that the sum is often greater than its parts. MAUNAH have obviously been a match made in musical heaven. The chemistry between its members is just right. This was already audible on the band's digital EP "Heimaland", which came out on June 20th, 2025, yet their debut live show hinted at even greater things to come.

The Danes are not 'just another' doom act. Their music draws from other metal genres particularly of the atmospheric kind while their sound is also clearly influenced by folk music and alt-rock. MAUNAH entices the listener into an intuitive understanding of a wordless universe, built on tone, atmosphere, and rhythm – in an echo of human languages. The absence of the familiar in the vocals creates a space for a more direct connection with the music and reaches beyond the limits of rational language.

In the Danes' own poetic words: "Maunah is the sound of despair and open skies. Maunah is leaves crunching underfoot, the cold of the forest floor seeping through the soles. And Maunah is the warmth of the sun on the face and oxygen filling the lungs. In the music, the cold of winter meets the summer warmth in the chest, where Maunah pumps blood through the body and music into the air." MAUNAH intend their music to serve as a sensory reminder of humanity's unity with nature, and a rejection of the materialistic and disconnected lifestyle that characterises modern society.

Currently MAUNAH are preparing to release their debut album this September and have already been confirmed for Prophecy Fest 2026.

Line-up

Søren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof – lead & backing vocals, overtone flute
Mads MP Laursen – lead guitars

Janus Holst Aaen – guitars, backing vocals

Jakob Kiilerich – bass
Tim Sejr Larsen – drums

Links

www.facebook.com/maunahband
www.instagram.com/maunahband

Thanks to Prophecy Productions for the details.

Bristol’s Progressive Sludge Quartet URZAH share 3rd single 'The Call Beneath' on APF Records (Mastiff, Video Nasties, Swamp Coffin)

‘A Tranquil Void’ Cover Art (Credit: Putra Satria Nugraha)

Formed in 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Urzah’s intensely collaborative and productive writing process was immediately evident, leading to the quick release of self-titled EPs ‘I’ (2020) and ‘II’ (2022). These laid the foundation for Urzah’s unique brand of ‘progressive sludge’. Inviting comparisons to Neurosis, DVNE, Mastodon and Elder, their forward-looking sound combines the abrasive elements of punk and post-hardcore with atmospheric post-metal passages and soaring melodies.

Urzah’s vision of ‘Earthen Heaviness’, combining oppressive darkness with moments of transcendence and cosmic awe, was realised on their critically acclaimed debut LP ‘The Scorching Gaze’ (2024, APF Records). The band’s sonic world draws on both the intensely personal – rage, loss, grief and self-doubt – and a profound awe and vulnerability in the face of the celestial and natural worlds, framing visceral human struggle within vast cycles of death, decay and rebirth.

 
Since their debut, Urzah has refined their live shows across the UK, playing festivals and headline shows, and sharing stages with a diverse roster of heavy bands including Bongzilla, Tuskar, Mastiff, Greenleaf, OHHMS and Dopelord, as well as progressive atmospheric bands such as Hidden Mothers, Underdark and Nadja, demonstrating their strong cross-genre appeal.

The band recently announced that they are set to release new LP ‘A Tranquil Void on 5th June 2026 via APF Records. The record marks a defining moment for the band, following up their critically acclaimed debut ‘A Scorching Gaze’ (2024, APF) with an even more assured, mature and ambitious full-length. Conceptually, ‘The Scorching Gaze’ and ‘A Tranquil Void’ function as a visual, musical and thematic diptych; where their debut burned brightly with the rage and destruction of an erupting volcano, their new LP captures the cathartic, contemplative still that follows.

Tom McElveen (vocals/guitar) comments on 3rd single "The Call Beneath”, “this track is about dealing with grief for the first time, and letting yourself be pulled into its depths so the earlier version of yourself can die and a new one can be reborn and ‘rise to the surface’. This process can only happen when you stop resisting it. We play with dynamics and moving time signatures to build and rebuild tension, taking us through to the final cathartic stage of rebirth at the pinnacle.”

Listen now: https://lnkfi.re/91RJX1aJ / https://youtu.be/RNRSz6cDeOQ

Across 8 tracks, ‘A Tranquil Void’ pushes Urzah’s sound even further, combining brutal riffs, complicated meter and searing guitar tone with deeper explorations of space, dynamics and atmosphere, incorporating folk influences and drones built from cello and guitar. 13-minute album closer ‘Entwined, Twisted Roots of Chaos’ sees Urzah at their most ambitious; across multiple interlocking sections, enriched by guest vocals from friends in the Bristol scene, the song builds from a haunting whisper to a planet-obliterating roar.

ALBUM TRACK LIST

1. At the Mouth of the Cave
2. The Call Beneath
3. Infernal Star I
4. Infernal Star II
5. Bark & Branches
6. In the Mouth of the Wolf
7. Hunter in the Veil
8. Entwined, Twisted Roots of Chaos

Recorded at Stage 2 Studios, Bath, in November 2025, the LP was produced, mixed and mastered by Josh Gallop. Cello was provided by Luke Clemenger, with additional vocals from Dave Cook (Empire of Dust), Chris Wilson (Row of Ashes) and Victoria Bourne (The Spark’s Desire). The album artwork was created by Indonesian artist Putra Satria Nugraha.

ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY, EXCHANGE BRISTOL – 25th July 2026

To celebrate the release of their new album, Urzah are hosting a launch party at Exchange Bristol (main room) on Saturday 25th July with special guests HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN, MOUNTAINSCAPE and DEAD SPACE CHAMBER MUSIC.

Urzah are proud to be part of Bristol’s thriving and diverse music scene, so this specially curated line-up is intended to showcase the best cutting-edge, genre-defying and progressive heavy music.

This immersive, atmospheric and crushingly heavy night will feature experimental gothic doom from Dead Space Chamber Music (Bristol), soaring cinematic post-metal from Mountainscape (Reading), crushing atmospheric post-metal from Hundred Year Old Man (Leeds), and brand-new material from Urzah’s long-awaited sophomore album ‘A Tranquil Void’.

LIMITED EDITION ‘SUPERNOVA’ VINYL VARIANT – https://apfrecords.co.uk/albums/a-tranquil-void

To celebrate Urzah’s new album, APF Records will be offering a limited-edition vinyl. The ‘Supernova’ variant features a blue and white burst, evoking the celestial vortex of the LP artwork.

URZAH LIVE:

Saturday 23rd May - Bristol, Loco Klub (Temple of Doom festival)
Friday 29th May - Bath, The Bell
Wednesday 10th June - Portsmouth, Edge of the Wedge
Thursday 11th June - Brighton, The Pipeline
Friday 12th June - Kent, Poco Loco, Chatham
Saturday 13th June - London, The Devonshire Arms, Camden
Friday June 26th - Newport, McCann's Rock N Ale Bar
Sunday June 28th - Torquay, Arena
Saturday 25th July - Bristol Album Launch Party, Exchange
Saturday 1st August - Chelmsford - Bay Days Festival

URZAH ARE:

Ed Fairman - Vocals / Guitar
Tom McElveen - Vocals / Guitar
Dan Bradley - Bass
James Brown – Drums

Links

Urzah website and socials
APF band profile

Thanks to For The Lost PR for the details.