Beneath The Skin - Beneath The Skin (Album Review)

Release Date: 18th April 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Beneath The Skin - Tracklisting

1.People 04:45

2.Internal 04:37

3.Rivalry 04:25

4.So Strange 03:59

5.Fade Away 04:58

6.Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream Cover) 04:21

7.Rearranged 05:21

8.Lies and Politics 06:34

Members

Mike Riley - Vocals

Russell Conner - GuitarT

Josh Bowles - Bass

Jimmy York - Drums

Review

Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Beneath The Skin self titled debut album taps right into the murky underbelly of the NOLA scene whilst still keeping themselves closely to the wider underground scene with flashes of influences from the likes of SLEEP, Electric Wizard and The Melvins. The record itself is a mixture of different styles that does take time for everything to fully gel together. 

The recording techniques used for the album are quite stripped back with that sudden “LIVE GIG” feeling appearing throughout the majority of the album. That’s one of the albums main strengths with Beneath The Skin not being bogged down by flashy progressive gimmicks and just playing some mean sounding NOLA grooves with a reflective DOWN influence being used to great effect.

The songs that appear on the record can be wholly aggressive and even superbly riff-driven; that was all the range in the heyday of NOLA and Southern Metal. The record works best when the band merge certain Stoner Metal structures to an ever-increasing gloomy atmosphere which adds a level of slight creepiness along the way.

The lyrics are quite understated which taps into the area of the nineties and early-millennial era of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. The sudden shift into Grunge dynamics brings small movements of Alice In Chains musical delivery with Beneath The Skin creating their own great blend of Doom & Gloom heaviness into the mix especially on tracks such as: People, Rivalry, So Strange, Fade Away and Lies And Politics. 

Beneath The Skin may add some realistic situations into their lyrics which have an emotional quality and experience to them which makes the music even more powerful. The band creates a superb mid-to-slow instrumental flow where everything is played with real muscular precision that only adds real weight into everything that’s being played on the whole album.

There’s an excellent cover of the CREAM classic track Sunshine Of Your Love which doesn’t stray too far from the original. However, Beneath The Skin adds that unforgiving and seedy style of NOLA heaviness which gives it quite an uneasy and gloomy sound compared to the original. The raw melodies and sinister vocal delivery make this a great cover through and through as the song becomes possessed by a DOOMED OUT and BLUES ROCK spirit especially within the epic instrumental solos that we all know and love.

Beneath The Skin is packed full of great tunes and they bring a sense of world weariness to the party that allows their album to have a cool outsider effect which should hopefully go down a storm with the Sludge/Stoner Metal community.

If you require evidence why it’s always great to be part of the actual heavy metal underground scene and not the mainstream then it’s thanks to great bands such as Beneath The Skin releasing outstanding albums such as this the mainstream scene can never offer!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doom/Sludge Metallers VEILCASTE Announce New Album HELLWARD And Release New Single EMBEDDED

VEILCASTE: a doomed and sludgy metal institution from the center of the American Midwaste; a rusted-out ashtray of post-industrial rot known as Indianapolis.

With a long-standing reputation for heavy hook-laden riffs, cathartic vocal eruptions, and spacey, psychedelic undertones, Veilcaste have embarked on a new chapter that doesn’t so much trudge as groove- with cranium-cracking force. As they approach the release of their fourth album, “Hellward”, they humbly submit the first single “Embedded”:

“Embedded is about embracing what makes us human as an act of defiance. We are not luddites by any stretch, but we are actively reckoning with the insidious presence of technology in practically every aspect of our lives. The song presents sex as transcendence and a rejection of both the false connections of social media and the race-to-the-bottom of AI.”

Youtube: https://youtu.be/RaVSgmUKmnA?si=xSugQUJmN8xlhn4e
Bandcamp: https://veilcaste.bandcamp.com/track/embedded-2

Early listeners have said it pairs well with Crowbar, Chat Pile, or Old Man Gloom, but VEILCASTE were 90s alterna-teens before they found Neurosis, and still worship Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and White Zombie so you might catch a whiff of those in there as well.

Members of the band founded and served time in such bands as Demiricous (Metal Blade) and Coffinworm (Profound Lore).

“Hellward” will be dropping on vinyl/CD/cassette in August via Third House Communications.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Norwegian heavy blues pillars THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY BLUES sign to Ripple Music, unleash new single + announce full European tour!

After years of relentless touring across Europe, Norway's premium heavy blues unit The Devil And The Almighty Blues finally unveils new material — marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter as the band recently inked a worldwide deal with Californian label Ripple Music.

Ripple Music founder Todd Severin enthuses: "I couldn't be more thrilled to welcome the monstrous Devil and the Almighty Blues to the Ripple Family. I saw them headline the second day of the Planet Desert Rock Weekend in Las Vegas, and they were completely mesmerizing — the entire audience was under their spell. I can't wait to help get their music to a wider audience!"

Stream new single "Lied To" at this location ️

Lurking at the darker edges of heavy blues, their new single “Lied To” is the first of three singles set to arrive throughout 2026, leading up to their highly anticipated new album and Ripple Music debut in the spring of 2027. Driven by a slow, heavy groove and elevated by a powerful melodic chorus, the track stays true to The Devil And The Almighty Blues’ unmistakable sound while pushing into new sonic territory. With the addition of guitarist Markus Berntzen to the lineup, a fresh dynamic emerges, expanding their signature heavy blues foundation.

The release also marks the kickoff of their "Tour Of The Seasons" run, covering spring and autumn 2026 across Europe. This fall, the band will be joined by Skyjoggers, adding an extra layer of psychedelic intensity to the tour package.

Upcoming spring shows

Apr 27 – Hamburg (DE) – Knust
Apr 28 – Wuppertal (DE) – Live Club Barmen
Apr 29 – Münster (DE) – Rare Guitar Bar
Apr 30 – Eindhoven (NL) – Effenaar
May 01 – Deventer (NL) – Burgerweeshuis
May 02 – Izegem (BE) – De Leest
May 03 – Aachen (DE) – Musikbunker
May 04 – Neunkirchen (DE) – Stummsche Reithalle
May 05 – Stuttgart (DE) – Goldmark’s
May 06 – Wiesbaden (DE) – Schlachthof
May 07 – Jena (DE) – KuBa
May 08 – Dresden (DE) – Beatpol
May 09 – Siegen (DE) – Vortex Surfer Musikclub

Fall European tour

Sep 26 – Leeuwarden (NL) – Into The Void Festival
Oct 01 – Paris (FR) – Backstage by The Mill *
Oct 02 – Lille (FR) – La Bulle Café *
Oct 03 – Karlsruhe (DE) – Alter Schlachthof *
Oct 04 – Pratteln (CH) – Z7 *
Oct 05 – Cologne (DE) – Club Volta *
Oct 06 – Bielefeld (DE) – Forum *
Oct 07 – Hannover (DE) – Café Glocksee *
Oct 08 – Leipzig (DE) – Hellraiser *
Oct 09 – Erlangen (DE) – E-Werk *
Oct 10 – Munich (DE) – Backstage *
w/ Skyjoggers *

The Devil And The Almighty Blues links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR and Sound Of Liberation for the details.

Red Beard Wall - FTW (EP Review)

Release Date: June 05th 2026. Record Label: Snake Piss Records. Formats: DD

FTW - Tracklisting

W.A.N.T.S.

FTW

Members

Drums: Red Beard Wall

Guitar: Red Beard Wall

Vocals: Red Beard Wall

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers Red Beard Wall return after a five year absence and I thought the band had called it quits ages ago as things have been fairly quiet from the band. However, the band are back with this two track EP called FTW which sees Aaron flying solo this time and venting his pissed off aggression at the current state of the world and perhaps with their most politically charged and pissed off release to date. FTW only contains two tracks but there’;s a mixture of pounding Sludge, Doom, Stoner, Noise and Noise Rock sounds that Red Beard Wall made their name with.

There’s a sudden influx of Hardcore passages with their trademark streetlevel “DOOM-POP” sound being kept to a minimum that’s set against harsh realistic lyrics with Aaron venting out against the world mostly within the track W.A.N.T.S. That track still has a certain TORCHE based influence towards the end of the song but most of the time Red Beard Wall plays a highly volatile mix of down-tuned Fuzz/Sludge instrumental surroundings with socially aware lyrics to make this track an extra spicy level of pure heaviness.

The remaining track FTW is pure Red Bead Wall through and through with a stripped back Psych/Punk Rock groove exploding into a wall of heavy PISSED OFF noise which takes aim at more the dreaded enemy of Artificial Intelligence which sees Aaron taking aim at the perhaps the most dangerous threat known to man at this moment in time. The stripped back production values is obviously free of any A.I/ involvement with Aaron playing a more grounded style of Noise, Punk, Psych and Stoner Metal carnage with down-tuned Sludge Metal riffs that destroys everything within sight.

FTW is quite short running under ten minutes but it’s always great to have new material from Red Beard Wall and I’m hoping there’s a longer release in the long term. As this proves that the world of Sludge/Stoner Metal need RED BEARD WALL more than ever!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Burning Sister - Sunspots (Single Review)

Release Date: 29th April 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Sunspots - Tracklisting

Sunspots

Sunspots (Live Version)

Members

Steve Miller - bass, vox, synth

Alison Salutz - drums

Review

Psych/Sludge/Stoner Rockers Burning Sister return with this excellent new single Sunspots which sees the band transform their great style of “High Downer Rock” even further into the realm of Alt Rock and Shoegaze. This style of music was used heavily on their acclaimed last album “Ghosts” and Sunspots could have easily fitted anywhere within that record.

There’s a seedy and delicate level of intricate Fuzz, Sludge and Stoner Metal building up behind the scenes with Burning Sister using that Shoegaze element to great effect. There’s a great use of Atmospheric Rock, Drone and Psychedelic surroundings that builds into a more fluid style of Progressive melodies that Burning Sister overlaps with Fuzz and Doomed Out passages. 

The added use of Post-Rock and Ambient Rock allows Burning Sister to experiment with different styles of Sonic Distortion with an aggressive Amplified Output being added behind the scenes .The vocals, bass and synths are provided by Steve Miller with Alison Salutz providing the drums that allows Burning Sister to be quite the formidable duo. The second half of the track is perhaps where the real magic happens as the band start playing a more riff-centric style of music that leaves you wanting more.

Burning Sister have added a “LIVE” version of Sunspots which is vastly different to the studio version. As this version is heavier, denser, thicker and way more psychedelic in the heaviest moments. There’s also a stripped back Post-Rock philosophy which allows the song to move into heavier waters. The vocals from Steve are more restrained with the music being the main focus here. Dare I say I prefer this version as it’s rawer, more experimental with a killer Droned Out sound that lasts the whole musical journey.

Sunspots is an excellent song from Burning Sister that once again sees them experiment and transform their music for the better. I’m hoping they’ll release more great songs such as this but I’m still a sucker for the music they created on their amazing 2022 album “Mile High Downer Rock” and this track does offer brief glimpses into that style of music. Though, Burning Sister prove once again why they’re one of the most versatile and creative bands around within the underground scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Blunt Horse - With Teeth (Album Review)

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

With Teeth - Tracklisting

1.Teeth 08:28

2.The Grand Bizarre 07:27

3.Mind Raker 05:43

4.Buried in Significance 09:43

5.Eniccav 09:28

Members

Mike Dee - Bass

BG Drakeley - Drums

Clay Oboth - Guitars

Review

I last featured Sludge/Stoner Metallers Blunt Horse back in July 2021 when I reviewed their split record with Grilith and I was mightily impressed by their slight experimental style of Heavy Rock. Fast forward five years and the band finally return with their debut album With Teeth which is another exquisite slice of Sludge/Stoner Metal with slight jazzy and experimental vibes.

Taking influence from the likes of Mutoid Man, Cave In, Melvins, Faith No More and Mastodon throughout the album. The record itself is powered by a great style of progressive melodies and musical tempo changes that moves into an area of cool weirdness which you can experience within the opening track of Teeth.

Blunt Horse create a fascinating style of Sludge Metal which sees strange vocal techniques being delivered throughout and you can detect influences such as James Hetfield, Devin Townsend and Mike Patton starting to emerge. The lyrics are off the chart with a Frank Zappa approach that propels the album into levels of strange absurdity but everything works with Blunt Horse delivering their own great blend of “OUTSIDER” based Sludge/Stoner Metal.

The album is forty minutes long that’s spread across five tracks with Blunt Horse offering a highly original and unsettling ride at the best of times. The music does become more dominated by Progressive landscapes and trippy psychedelic energy which builds up superbly well on tracks such as The Grand Bizarre and Mind Raker.

Blunt Horse play a confident style of slow-to-mid paced grooves which become quite aggressive and fast-paced when the band decide to switch musical tactics for a more violent sound. The “GONZO” and “OFF-BEAT” approach maybe too weird for some but at least the band are playing music that’s vastly different and brilliantly surreal especially on the later stages of the record mostly on songs such as Buried In Significance and Eniccav. 

With Teeth is a record with genuine “CULT APPEAL” and Blunt Horse offer no apologies for delivering that unique style of music. If you like your music that’s quite multi-layered and perhaps even with a schizophrenic delivery then Blunt Horse are most definitely the band for you to check out. There’s a ton of great riffs, grooves and cool sounding instrumental solos to check out from this hugely talented outfit. 

Production values are excellent as well allowing Blunt Horse the time and space to create something grounded and superbly thrilling at the same time. WIth Teeth is a wonderfully surreal and first rate debut album that I can’t recommend highly enough.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

BONG VOYAGE - Hedonistic Hard Rock (Album Review)

Release Date: May 08th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Hedonistic Hard Rock - Tracklisting

1. Saturday Rite Special

2. Large and In Charge

3. UFOria

4. One Hundred Million Billion Beers

5. Escape Prison Planet Earth

6. Outer Space Freebase

7. Enabler

8. Wizard of Ozlo

9. In Possession

Members

Charlie Ytterli = Vocals

Simen Andersen = Guitar

Kim Grannes = Guitar

Tobias Paulsen = Drums

Asbjørn Halsten = Bass

Review

Hedonistic Hard Rock is the debut album from BONG VOYAGE, a supergroup of sorts made up of members from the likes of Håndgemeng, Suncraft, and Buskas. The end result is a devilishly twisted collection of tracks fused by the legendary sounds of the Seventies Hard Rock and Heavy Metal scene. The band add a certain WEEDIAN and STONER METAL energy into the part for a record that’s inspired by the likes of KISS, BLACK SABBATH, THIN LIZZY, QUEEN, KVELERTAK, THE OBSESSED and even ELTON JOHN.

Yeah, I know that sounds like a crazy concoction but here we are with BONG VOYAGE raiding their parents vinyl collection and giving it a thrilling SATANIC ROCK makeover where the key elements are to ENTERTAIN and PARTY ON throughout the whole album. The album still manages to find the time to touch upon areas of Melodic Hard Rock, NWOBHM, Punk Rock and Psych Rock where you can’t help but fall in love with.

Take the superb opening track Saturday Rite Special which sees BONG VOYAGE channel KISS, KVELERTAK and ELTON JOHN for a song that has a real SATANIC attitude but with a loving embrace to the Seventies Hard Rock lifestyle whilst keeping with the Doomed Out and Stoner Rock melodies that the band lovingly build their music upon. The spiky lyrics and turbo charged vocals just add a real party going atmosphere which makes this one of the albums main strengths that carries through tracks such as Large And In Charge, UFOria and One Hundred Million Billion Beers. 

I would advise to look at lyrics rather closely where BONG VOYAGE live upto the “HEDONISTIC” element of the album’s name with some mature lyrics being written and sung against the party-going classic rock melodies. The sound is always warm-hearted and quite engaging but look further beyond this aspect and you’re treated to a more demonic and sadistic energy which sees the record become more HEAVY METAL obsessive.

There is still tons of GROWN UP fun to be had with the edgy lyrics that the band have written here. The never-ending waves and levels of Psych Rock attitude move BONG VOYAGE closer to the modern mainstream with some epic instrumental soundscapes developing against the classic hard rock delivery that should keep THIN LIZZY fans happy for a long time to come.

Another standout part of the album is how BONG VOYAGE have captured the tone and energy of the Seventies and Eighties Heavy Metal scene where “EXCESS” was a big thing of the actual scene. The band apply this twisted energy into their music with spectacular results which is downright hilarious throughout on other tracks such as One Hundred Million Billion Beers, Escape Prison Planet Earth, Outer Space Free Base and Wizard Of Ozlo being my favourite tracks on the album. There’s a lot of clever wordplay spliced throughout the album which makes this record quite deep and meaningful when you least expect it. 

The subtle shift to Post-Stoner based structures is perhaps the creative glue that holds everything together within the later stages of the record that perhaps comes more from Håndgemeng the most for me. Though, as a whole, BONG VOYAGE are a great band in their own right where you can see why the great Ripple Music signed them to their always amazing roster. 

Hedonistic Hard Rock is one of the most highly unapologetic and brilliantly entertaining debut albums I’ve heard in such a long time that I instantly fell in love with the album on the very first listen. The album is packed full of great songs, great melodies, brilliant musical solos and a whole lot of heart even if BONG VOYAGE are doing the work of SATAN himself.

This is a rip-roaring success on every level which will leave you with a huge smile on your face from beginning to end. Yeah, I love this album a lot. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Hedonistic Hard Rock is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Links 

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram