Monday 31 January 2022

Chapel Floods - S/T (EP Review)

Release Date: January 24th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Chapel Floods - S/T - Tracklisting

1.Time Servers 04:37

2.Thousand Year Stare 04:27

3.Crooked Noose 03:30


Review


Chapel Floods debut EP is almost thirteen minutes of Modern Day Heavy Psych Stoner/Sludge Metal grooves. The vocals are raw and real with no studio polish behind them. What you hear is what you get with an EP that’s quite Melodic and not as aggressive you might think. That’s not to say this EP isn’t heavy as it’s superbly subtle with the heavy riffs heard throughout the three excellent tracks that make up this release.


There is an Alternative Metal and perhaps Grunge feel to Chapel Floods sound as well especially on the opening song Time Servers. It’s quite slow-paced with a cool “LOW & SLOW” approach with the band sticking firmly to their DIY roots. 


The band are more confident on the final two songs of Thousand Year Stare and Crooked Noose. Chapel Floods play seedier and faster paced grooves with that Grungy attitude appearing again. The production is way better compared to the first song.


I would like to hear more from Chapel Floods in the future. There’s a lot to recommend here if you dig your Sludge/Stoner Metal on the more Psychedelic and Grunge side of life. Add some cool Alternative Rock/Metal touches and this EP gets the job done of letting you know who Chapel Floods actually are.


Words by Steve Howe



Sunday 30 January 2022

First Draft - Declines Are Long Gone (EP Review)


Release Date: February 19th 2022. Record Label: LyloProd. Format: DD/Vinyl


Declines Are Long Gone - Tracklisting

Declines Are Long Gone

A CHapter On Each Page

Time Hail No Suns

Kneel Down In Silence

Obey The Rhyme


Members


Marine Arnoult - Drums/Vocals

Clément Douam - Guitars


Review


French Post-Rock/Shoegaze/Alt-Rock Duo First Draft debut EP - Declines Are Long Gone - is a richly rewarding listen drawing influences from True Widow and Mogwai with layers of a twinge of Noise Rock and cinematic psychedelic weirdness. The earthly vocals from lead vocalist Marine are passionate with a sweet emotional core shining through.


The first track Declines Are Long Gone is most definitely of today’s Post-Rock movement with the Shoegaze aspect allowing First Draft to draw in other sounds that seem quite bleak at first especially with the haunting lyrics that accompany the fantastical Post-Rock sounds. The song does have an eighties and nineties feel to them but one that should appeal to long time devotees of the Post-Rock/Shoegaze movement.


Second song A Chapter On Each Page offers a heavier Post-Rock approach with the Shoegaze aspect missing in action. However, the Alt-Rock and Noise Rock elements make willing counterparts with First Draft being more progressive in their vision and creative directions. The lyrics are quite heartfelt and the vocals are superb yet again with the music not overthrowing Marine’s vocal performance. One of the EP’s standout songs.


Third song Time Hail No Suns sees First Draft bring an almost “Post-Metal” sound to the EP. As this is one of the heaviest tracks on the EP though it does take a few moments to fully arrive. The sparse drumming and guitars are intelligent throughout with the guitars being mostly in the background whilst the drumming are the loudest aspects for this song. The song does lend itself to bands such as Russian Circles for the heavier Post-Rock grooves but still allowing First Draft to play their own devilish brand of Post-Rock.


The final two songs on the EP - Kneel Down In Silence and Obey The Rhyme - follow the same creative formula as the other songs that lead to some interesting musical Post-Rock passages especially on Obey The Rhyme. This is my favourite part of the EP with First Draft playing the most haunting and boldly artistic vibes on the entire EP.


Declines Are Long Gone is a stunning backdrop into the darker depths of Post-Rock and Shoegaze with a band with some truly interesting to say.


Excellent and Highly Recommended.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Floriane at Shake Promotion for the promo.


Declines Are Long Gone will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via LyloProd from Feb 19th 2022.


Links


Official Website: https://firstdraftmusic.com

Bandcamp: https://firstdraft.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearefirstdraft

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearefirstdraft

Saturday 29 January 2022

Devil Magick Announce New Song TEARS IN RAIN


Devil Magick has released their first single "Tears in Rain" on January 22, 2022.

Hailing from the sun bathed shores of Southern California, Devil Magick is preparing to bring it's own unique brand of heavy gloom and doom to the the world. Drawing influence from a broad spectrum of genres, from old school death metal and hardcore to epic doom metal and goth rock, they've been characterized by authoritative doom metal blog "Doomed and Stoned" as possessing "searing guitar tone and an atmosphere of wintry sadness". The band's first single -Tears in Rain- is a loving tribute to Ridley Scott's monumental film Blade Runner, based on the stoic speech of the fugitive Replicant Roy Batty at the film's end.

Their first EP is releasing Spring 2022.


Links



Donovan North -Vocals/Guitar
Kevin Aguilar -Vocals/Guitar
Pete Bucci -Vocals/Bass
Jose Garcia - Drums

Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave (Album Review)

Release Date: January 28h 2022. Record Label: Relapse Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Caterwaul - Tracklisting

1.Lost Meaning 04:31

2.Dissolution Wave 05:26

3.A Force At Play 03:44

4.Dottie-back Thrush 04:37

5.Fear of Being Fixed 03:45

6.Lambspring 05:20

7.Doubts 03:59

8.Dissembler 05:50


Review


Stoner/Alternative/Shoegaze trio Cloakroom celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band by releasing their new album Dissolution Wave. A record that sees the band reaching new creative highs that they brilliantly set on their wonderful debut album Further Out. Their second album Time Well dialed the heavy grooves all the way back for a more reflective and quieter album. However, Cloakroom have managed to find the right balance of their heavy debut album and the subdued sounds of their second release on this wonderfully Stoner-Gaze based album.


The record lies in the same world of TORCHE, HUM and NOTHING with it’s off-beat style of heavy sludgy distorted sounds. This album has been described as a “space western” by the band and has a lot more fantastical elements that I didn’t expect. The music is more “Space Rock” influenced which you can hear on the excellent opening song Lost Meaning. A song that explores the aspects of experimental driven Stoner Rock, Alt Rock, Noise Rock and that epic sounding Shoegaze groove that holds everything together. The vocals and lyrics remind me of HUM but still allowing Cloakroom to do their own thing. 


Second song Dissolution Wave starts off very melancholic but the heavy thumping bass and gorgeous sounding synths bring an ethereal layer of heaviness. The intelling and slow paced drumming is distracting for all the right reasons and becomes one of the best parts of the song. The music is quite slow-paced but with genuine purpose. The gloomier elements of the song start to really stand-out before the lush psychedelic and spaced out musical arrangements become heavier for one of the best songs of the record. 


Third song A Force At Play is a more of a straight-forward Alt Rock/Pop song that is quite sweet natured with the vocals and lyrics held on the song. The music is very nineties sounding but there’s a dark sensibility to it all. This is a nice song to get away from the heavy sounds on the record and shows a lovely creative side to Cloakroom. There are some epic pounding drum beats that stay on the right side of Stoner Rock towards the end of the song that even have a fantastic “Amplifier Distortion Worship” aspect to them.


Fourth song Dottie Back-Thrush returns to the heavy Stoner/Grunge style of grooves for Cloakroom for another one of the standout tracks on the album. Pure shoegaze through and through with those sweet based vocals kicking in and telling another excellent lyric adventure. The music is the real star here though with Cloakroom excelling building levels of almost STADIUM ROCK based Stoner-gaze riffs that stay low and slow then DISTORTED AND LOUD. The psychedelic parts soon become the dominant force before Cloakroom opt for a Post-Rock narrative with first rate results.


The remaining four songs on the album are equally as good as the first half if not better with Lambspring and Dissembler being the heaviest tracks on the entire album. Cloakroom play around with mood and movement on this part of the album with songs ending suddenly or changing musical shifts that you might not expect or fully agree with.


The production on Dissolution Wave is wonderful and gives Cloakroom a more human and organic feel compared to their previous records. This album has quickly become my favourite album of this hugely talented outfit. It’s a bold, daring and adventurous release from one of the best bands within the whole Stoner-Gaze movement. 


Dissolution Wave is a brilliant and must have release and perhaps a potential Album Of The Year Contender. Check out now.


Words by Steve Howe


Links


Facebook | BandCamp


Friday 28 January 2022

Introduce Yourselves: RITUAL EARTH


What is the name of your band?

Ritual Earth


What is the genre of music that you play?

We play a style of heavy, trippy, psych doom.

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

Steve, Chris Turek, and Chris Scott were in a band together previously, ChimpGrinder, which had started to dissolve around the fall of 2018. Although we had stopped looking for shows and weren’t really playing with our singer any more, we were still playing together, even trying some really bad ideas like switching instruments to spark some new ideas. I can’t say I know what we were thinking there, but at some point we started playing the right instruments and things clicked again instantly. We started recording some ideas again and decided it was time to find a singer.  A mutual friend suggested I reach out to George, as his last band Seagrave had also broken up. 

ChimpGrinder and Seagrave had played together before so we already knew George had a great voice and we brought him onboard immediately. It was a really easy start for a brand new project for all of us. We had a foundation for George to jump right into with the demos we’d recorded, but there was a lot of room to breathe, to find a new space. We didn’t want George to just be a new singer for the old band, we wanted to start over, make it about what these four people can do. That's also why we came up with the name Ritual Earth, to give it a completely fresh start. Steve and Chris also changed tuning, I guess just another way to move away from what was and embrace what Ritual Earth could be.

What can people expect from your music?

Trippy heavy psych doom that takes several twists and turns throughout our live set as well as our record. There are many influences that the band tapped into when these songs were being written, everything from Sabbath and Kyuss to My Bloody Valentine and even some Pink Floyd. But the important things that remain consistent throughout, is that it’s heavy, dark, and melodic. With our record, we really concentrated on song placement and the dynamics of each track going into each other as we really wanted this record to be enjoyed as a whole, a journey in which we invite the listener to be a part of. We also took some extra time when mixing to allow for the experience to also be enjoyed on headphones.


What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

We only have one release out right now called MMXX, the vinyl is coming out on Iodine Recordings on March 18th, 2022 which is also when the record will pop back up on all streaming platforms. Right now you can listen to our demo at our bandcamp page as well as the two singles for the record “Distress Signal” and “Free From My Vessel” which are also on streaming.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

All of our social media and music links can be found via our linktree page here:  

https://linktr.ee/RitualEarth

Can you provide info about your upcoming release, “MMXX”.

MMXX Is our debut full length, which was originally self released in Fall of 2020 right in the middle of the first wave of COVID 19. We have since partnered with Iodine Recordings for the vinyl and proper re-release, the vinyl street date is March 18th, 2020. Below are some links you should check out for more information.

Ritual Earth’s epic debut album “MMXX” delivers monolithic riffs in a vast soundscape with pounding heavy grooves. Emerging from the darkness of a collapsing nebula, MMXX reverberates the electronic radiation of all things Doom, Space, and Psychedelia. Heavy, Slow, Atmospheric and Dark. Seven charged, dystopian transmissions set to the pulse of the dying universe to come

PRE-ORDER LINK: https://orcd.co/ritualearth-mmxx

IODINE SITE: https://iodinerecords.com/

EVIL GREED (EU): https://evilgreed.net/collections/iodine-records

DEATHWISH STORE: DTHW.SH/IODINE

Milquetoast - Caterwaul (Album Review)

Release Date: January 28h 2022. Record Label: Wise Blood Records. Format: CD/Cassette/DD

Caterwaul - Tracklisting

1.Intro 00:33

2.Dead Inside 02:35

3.Recognize 04:30

4.Matapacos 02:42

5.Stoner Safari 04:50

6.Step Off 03:34

7.Space Force 04:25

8.Fake News Blues 03:18

9.Wall 03:25

10.Forgotten Death 04:46


Members


Ty - guitar and vocals

Andy - bass, vocals, and synth

Nick - drums


Review


Sludge/Stoner Punk Rockers Milquetoast should be suffering from an identity crisis on their debut album Caterwaul. As they play a mixture of Punk Rock, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal and elements of early Proto-Heavy Rock. However, Milquetoast impressed me early on with their fast-paced style of gloomy and grimy based grooves that wallowed in the Punk Rock movement before bringing the heavy presence of Sludge Metal and Stoner Metal to the party.


The album is fast-paced with an addictive “KNOW IT ALL” and “ALWAYS RiGHT” attitude which can be heard through the spiky vocal performances and harsh lyrics. An album of this quality caught the attention of CONAN’s very own Chris FIelding who mastered this album. This album is the furthest album I would expect Chris to be involved with but he does a great job here.


Imagine a mixture of Black Flag, Fu Manchu, The Shrine and The Melvins joining forces for one insane recording session and this is what to expect here. It’s loud, noisy, messy and this record still ends up being a gloomy and grimy riff-fest with some epic guitar solos along the way. Distorted Amplifier Sounds can be heard from start to finish even if they’re forced along by Punk Rock themes.


The songs are a mixture of different styles and lengths that all end up having their own identity. Everything is violently abrasive but also delightfully hip and having a great sense of humour for an almost PARTY based ATMOSPHERE.


Standout songs include: Dead Inside, Recognize, Stoner Safari, Space Force, Wall and Forgotten Death. 


Caterwaul are a breath of fresh air for the world of Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal. As they guys play around with genre rules and conventions whilst having something to say even if it’s done with a bleak and sly sense of humour. 


All in all, Caterwaul is an action-packed and Punk-tastic release to please almost everyone within the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal community. 


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Wise Blood Records for the promo.


Caterwaul is available to buy now on CD/DD/Cassette from Wise Blood Records.


Links


Facebook | BandCamp




Thursday 27 January 2022

Howling Wolves Premiere New Song BAD COMPANY And Signing To KARMA CONSPIRACY RECORDS


About Howling Wolves

HOWLING WOLVES from Berlin were formed 2014 after the disbanding of their prior Hardcore Punk Bands to continue their love for music. They released a Demo in 2015 followed by some local gigs. End of 2017 the Howling Wolves s/t 12“ was released and saw positive feedback in the scene and some great reviews. After playing and touring to support the record they started to write for the followup.

In the beginning of 2021 they recorded what would become the "As Above So Below“ LP.

The Howling Wolves Sound on the new record is like a mix of 80s Metal guitar heaviness, 90s Grunge catchiness, on a Stoner Rock vibe transported with the urgency of Hardcore Punk. So figure out! We call it Sabbath Punk because it feels like a mix of Black Sabbath Hard Rock Metal and Hardcore Punk with a nice dose of melody. So basically a hybrid of everything nice and heavy.
 
Independent from the actual pandemic shit the songs deal with failure of humanity on all its levels. A lot of personal reflection on both sides of the spectrum are happening and end with a positive note. Its about losing deadweight like unnecessary relationships or hiding from the outside world. There is a will for better times and new starts. But in the end its: Fuck Them All, I will do it on my own.
 
We are happy to release this heavy rocking hybrid in 2022 with our partners from Karma Conspiracy Records. Lookout!

Here's the premiere of BAD COMPANY



About the song:

Rick About writing About the Music of "Bad Company“

"We came up with the song as we jammed out that Black Sabbath Riff. It naturally became the Opening Riff of the song. Because we didn’t just want to copy it, but Keep the vibe , we changed it Right after the first notes and moved into that melodic catchy part directly after. As we love to fasten Things up we wrote that fast HC Punk like Chorus. „Bad Company“ got everything Howling Wolves is, its a great Display of our qualities.“

Felix adds what the lyrics of "Bad Company“ are about:

"consciously changing your ways of thinking and therefore altering your behavioral patterns to break your personal viscous circles and get a new perspective on life, is generally possible even though it sometimes appears like an impossible quest. Although it is helpful and necessary to have some critical or challenging voices in your social environment to not lose touch with your external impact, not every skeptic voice needs to be heard, after you chose a path. It’s a narrow ridge between irrationality and rationality, between constructive and destructive criticism. So at one point you may be forced to make a decision to ensure your personal growth“


Thanks to Karma Conspiracy Records for all of the details.

Howling Wolves Links:


Karma Conspiracy Records Links:

Wednesday 26 January 2022

Introduce Yourselves: Polyfrenetics

What is the name of your band?

Polyfrenetics

What is the genre of music that you play?

Rock hard, psychedelic, proto, prog, punk.


Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

POLYFRENETICS was formed in Oslo late 2007 by Are Linnerud (git.) and Per Erik Sæter (bass/voc.), a.k.a: the toxic twins. The two had been in several bands together on and off since the mid-nineties, but never quite found their space, place or peers in other bands. The reason for this was probably because of the damage inflicted by playing in various prog rock bands in their youth, general hostility to society, various substance abuse and childhood trauma, and it was not until they started to make their own psychedelic brew of brutal progressive rock with their punk infested hearts that things started to happen.

They recruited drummer Sven Martin Jørgensen (Dr. Jorgensen) and guitarist Nicholas Chung (Mr. Chung) along the way, did some gigs and recordings, but it all came to a sudden halt in 2015 when Dr. Jorgensen decided to quit the band and follow his lifelong dream chasing salmon in Patagonia.

Luckily for the band, plenty of their «so called friends» were washed up solo guitarists and wannabe singer songwriters. In a desperate need of a steady income, to be able to provide for the consequences of his massive reproduction needs, longtime friend and guitarist Anders Nannestad (mANdrax) persuaded the band that he could fill in on drums while they finished the first leg of the «High Gain, Low Expectations Tour». Since this was back in 2016, and mANdrax is still in the band, it states the fact that the best mediocre guitarists truly are the ultimate drummers.

Fast forward to 2019. The band is on a roll, writing songs, playing gigs and frequently recording tracks, when Mr. Chung decides to call it quits. He has had it with the bands never ending shenanigans and mischief and is now determined to devote the rest of his grown life to restore eighties video-games back into their original state from their golden age.

With hours of unfinished recordings the band regrouped in the studio to figure out what to do next. While smoking out what tracks that could and could not be finished within reasonable time, tracking unfinished parts and so on, it became obvious that the band needed another guitarist.

In the nineties, while trying to play prog rock from the era 1967 - 1974, the toxic twins played with another brilliant axe swinger named Simen Bing Stafseng (Bingo). By the time the prog band they all played in imploded in its own smegma of singing drummers, headset microphones, fiddles, flutes, saxophone, cello and whatnot, Bingo had lost interest in the glamour and glitz of the music business. After a tour of Germany, with another band, Bingo was instead in pursuit of a more lucrative career in filming movies, commercials and other flixs of dubious character. This was of course in a failed attempt to fill the void that only old Marshall amps, vintage fuzz pedals and seventies Japanese guitars can do, and so it came to be that Bingo ended up playing with the same two boneheads he’d played with twenty-something years earlier, and a third guitarist who now must play drums so that he can feed his numerous children.

Life is strange indeed, but not funny.

Due to a total of ten kids, midlife crisis, lineup changes, personal havoc, internal psychic warfare and «life as we don’t want know it» POLYFRENETICS debut EP has not been avalible for the unknowing masses of naysayers. That is until now! The rock hard, psychedelic, punk infested, progressive heaviness that is POLYFRENETICS is released on vinyl through Argonauta Records and on cassette by Evil Noise Recordings summer 2021.

What can people expect from your music?

The unexpected fierce blend of rock hard, psychedelic, punk infested, progressive heaviness!


What is the latest release that folks should check out from your band?

Our debut EP is out now on all streaming platforms,

cassette (https://evilnoiserecordings.bigcartel.com/product/polyfrenetics-cassette)

Where can people find you on Social Media?


https://www.facebook.com/Polyfrenetics/

https://www.instagram.com/polyfrenetics/?hl=en
https://polyfrenetics.bandcamp.com/releases

What can people expect in the future?

Polyfrenetics are currently recording new material.

Tuesday 25 January 2022

Regulus - Pulse (Album Review)


Release Date: January 28th 2022. Record Label: Earache Records Digital. Format: DD

Pulse - Tracklisting

Into The Black
Fuchsia
Hive Mind
Contagion
The Flood
In The Wake Of The Galleon
Skin
Pulse

Members

Adam Perkins - Drums
Thomas Osborne - Guitars
Chloé Jolivel - Vocals
Billy Law-Bregan - Guitars
Martyn Bewick - Bass

Review

UK Stoner Rockers Regulus return after a five year absence with their new album Pulse and the band have had some line-up changes since then. The band are now a five piece with Chloé Jolivel taking over vocal duties from ex-member Luke Jennings who sadly left the band due to health issues. The band have also added Billy Law-Bregan from 57 Down on Guitar duties. This version of Regulus offers a more soulful sound compared to their 2017 album.

Pulse is an exceptionally well made affair with the right amount of gritty and blues rock style of UK Stoner Rock/Metal. Chloé’s vocals have an easy going and ice-cold edge to them when the heavier moments appear especially on the superb opening song Into The Black that’s a mixture of Black Sabbath heavy grooves and KYUSS fused Stoner Rock/Metal with a classic hard rock appeal.

Second song - Fuchsia - is another heavy pounding song with an 80s Hard Rock/Heavy Metal edge that soon gives off impressive Psych Stoner Rock/Metal vibes. The song is LOUD and BOISTEROUS with the band not afraid playing flashes of Progressive Rock that may have a slightly early-QUEEN twinge to them. With the band being from Sheffield and Lincoln, they do bring that legendary UK Hard Rock/Heavy Mentality to this album with a lovely sideline of Blues Rock along the way.

Third song - Hive Mind - is a hard rocking number with Chloé being a Hard Rock SIren on this track. The background vocals do a fine job aiding Chloé but she’s the real force and power of this song with the music not too far behind. The lyrics maybe too safe at times but the track moves along at a cracking pace and it’s another winning and vintage slice of Hard Rock and Stoner Metal.

Other songs that Regulus impressed me with are: Contagion, The Flood and Pulse. Perhaps the standout and most powerful tracks on the album with Regulus bringing a more emotional and real-life vulnerability to the record.

This version of Regulus reminds me of early-era Sludge Metallers HIGH FIGHTER as Chloé has a similar style of vocals to Mona Miluski. I mean that as a compliment as Mona is one of my favourite vocalists and people within the scene.

Pulse is backed up by fantastic production values with everything being LOUD and CLEAR with a dynamic presence coming from the whole audio projection of the album. 2022 could end up being a big year for Regulus to impress audiences with. Pulse is a wildly addictive and powerful record that’s packed with soul and meaty aggression that make this a welcome addition to the underground Stoner Rock/Metal scene.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Pulse will be available to buy on DD via Earache Records from January 28th 2022.

Monday 24 January 2022

Introduce Yourselves: MATUS

What is the name of your band?

MATUS (formerly known as DON JUAN MATUS)

 

What is the genre of music that you play?

 

We play classic heavy/hard rock, but we like to explore related genres here and there.

 

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?


The project came together when Joaquín Cuadra and Richard Nossar started jamming in late 2005.


In February 2007, the first official line-up was completed with the addition of Nossar's long-time friend Manolo Garfias.

                                                                                             

Between February and August, the trio recorded an album which featured a number of guest musicians that included singer Alex Rojas. After the release of the record at the end of that year, Rojas was invited to join as a permanent member.


In early 2008, Cuadra left and the band became a five piece with the incorporation of Veronik and Alfonso Vargas.


Between September 2008 and December 2014, the group released 3 full-lenght albums and 2 split singles on various labels from Perú, Germany, United States and Japan.


In 2015, Vargas left the band and was replaced by Walo A. Carrillo. With this line up and a shortened name to simply MATUS, the band released 2 albums and 1 EP.   


Being a studio project, the band has never performed live and has no interest in belonging to a particular scene.



What can people expect from your music?

 

Songs and albums with a personality of their own, variety and utterly good taste.


What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?


Our best release is yet to come, but Claroscuro could be a good start for the initiated since it sums up our sound palette pretty well.

   

Where can people find you on Social Media?

 

Bandcamp: https://matus.bandcamp.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCokiy_0J9wLsND4z6al6RIw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matus.peru

 

South African Heavy Psych Experimentalists Acid Magus share the video for Red Dawn


Impassioned, epic, slow, and heavy; it’s all here.

After countless setbacks due to lockdowns and scheduling issues, South African’s Acid Magus finally got around to shooting a music video for the second single off their debut album, Wyrd Syster.

Red Dawn closes out the Pretoria foursome's debut effort and as with the rest of the album, is a metaphorical study of feminism. The band therefore opted to wear "dresses" for the video, tailored for the video by Nina Badenhorst.

Photo Credit - Vivid Portraits


The shoot took place over a weekend in October in an abandoned shooting range underneath guitarist Keenan's in-laws' house in Waterkloof Ridge, Pretoria. Heleen and Susan at Tiger & Lilly Productions conceptualized a red-lit live performance vibe and the rest, as they say, is history...

Crank this one up loud and all hail the Red Dawn!!


“Fuzzy psychedelic grooves from the mountains of Pretoria” – Metal Hammer

“Acid Magus deliver a debut album that’s bonafide AOTY material.” – Doom Charts

“Overall, Wyrd Syster is another album of the year contender and possibly one of the best debut records you’ll hear in 2021.” – Outlaws Of The Sun

“packs a heavy, unavoidable punch, both lyrically and musically” – Texx And The City

“cracking with both light and darkness, melody and cacophony and worthy of multiple spins” – The Sleeping Shaman

Buy / Stream Wyrd Syster out now on Mongrel Records