Psych Stoner Metallers HOWLING GIANT reveal new video single 'Hunter's Mark' from forthcoming album "Crucible & Ruin"

HOWLING GIANT present the video clip 'Hunter's Mark' as the final advance single taken from the cosmic stoner metal outfit's forthcoming album "Crucible & Ruin". The third full-length by the Nashville, Tennessee band has been chalked up for release on October 31, 2025, via Magnetic Eye Records and is available for pre-order here:

https://spkr.store/collections/howling-giant

Furthermore, HOWLING GIANT will be joining ANCIIENTS as special guests live in Canada & the US in November 2025. Please find the currently confirmed live dates below.

Watch the video for 'Hunter's Mark' here:

HOWLING GIANT comment: "While our previous member James was in the band, we wrote 'Hunter's Mark' as one of the first songs with him", drummer and vocalist Zach Wheeler reveals. "We were working in our friend Drew Harakal's studio in Texas and Tom and James came up with that harmonized verse riff. We instantly knew that we had a slamming track on our hands. I tend to play around with my drum setup when writing, so I set up a second ride cymbal on my left hand side for a little extra flavor in the verses. We loved working with Willy from Polar Desert Studios on the 'Aluminum Crown' video a while back. So we brought him back to create a static animation 2D/3D model blended video to accompany this track. Enjoy!"

Video credit - 3D and VFX by Polar Desert Studios

Tracklist

01. Canyons
02. Hunter's Mark
03. Archon
04. Lesser Gods
05. Beholder I: Downfall
06. Archivist
07. Scepter and Scythe
08. Melchor's Bones
09. The Observatory
10. Beholder II: Labyrinth

HOWLING GIANT take another huge step on their third full-length "Crucible & Ruin", a collection of sparking ideas, captivating melodies, and heavy riffing close to perfection - quite a feat of on-point songwriting for such a still young band!

This is the band's first album to feature new fourth member Adrian Lee Zambrano. Although the guitarist and synth player arrived somewhat toward the end of the writing process, he was still able to add his mark with cool textures on the record. The extra guitar certainly adds even more punch to HOWLING GIANT's sound, which delivers a slightly more aggressive approach compared with predecessor "Glass Future" (2023).

It also helped the overall feel of "Crucible & Ruin" that this is the band's first album to be entirely recorded in a proper studio setting as opposed to their home studio, "the bunker". HOWLING GIANT even leaned into some raw band live takes to capture the emotion in the room.

Lyrically, "Crucible & Ruin" explores the story of the clash of a novice deity against the forces of primordial chaos as an overarching theme that loosely connects the songs. This is also reflected in the album artwork, which was painted by the mother of guitarist and vocalist Tom Polzine, featuring a unique style of alcohol ink on yupo paper.

HOWLING GIANT hail from Nashville, Tennessee, USA, sidestepping the self-proclaimed Music City's assembly line of modern pop country while taking inspiration from the brilliant songwriters and virtuoso session players that keep the town's musical legacy burning bright. Fertile ground for a preeminent fuzz-psych power trio, now turned quartet, who consciously live in the pocket of that lineage!

Following a trilogy of EPs, "Howling Giant" (2015), "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1" (2016), and "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2" (2017), HOWLING GIANT struck a chord with critics and fans on their debut full-length "The Space between Worlds" in 2019. "Glass Future" proved a gargantuan leap for the band that now featured Sebastian Baltes, son of legendary ACCEPT bass master Peter Baltes. Released in 2023, "Glass Future" brought their outstanding musicianship and triple vocal attack fully into stride.

HOWLING GIANT storm forward once more in defiant refusal to remain still. Having grown into a four-piece as well as in their prowess as musicians and songwriters, "Crucible & Ruin" is an album at least as big as their name. Don't take our word for it, just give it a spin – or two or three...

Line-up

Tom Polzine – guitar, vocals
Zach Wheeler – drums, vocals
Sebastian Baltes – bass, vocals
Adrian Lee Zambrano – guitars, synthesizers

Guest musicians

Kim Wheeler – additional synths and EWI on 'The Observatory'
Adam Nohe – additional percussion on 'Beholder I: Downfall'

Produced by Neil Tuuri, Kim Wheeler, and James Sanderson
Engineered by Neil Tuuri at Amish Electric Chair Studios, Athens, OH (US)
Additional vocal tracking by Kim Wheeler in Nashville, TN (US)
Mixed by Neil Tuuri at Amish Electric Chair Studios, Athens, OH (US)
Mastering by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Mastering, Portland, OR (US)

Artwork by Susan M. Davies
Layout by Łukasz Jaszak

Links

https://www.facebook.com/howlinggiant
https://www.instagram.com/howlinggiant
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords
https://www.instagram.com/magneticeyerecords

Live With ANCIIENTS

04 NOV 2025 Columbus, OH (US) Ace of Cups
05 NOV 2025 Indianapolis, IN (US) Black Circle
06 NOV 2025 Chicago, IL (US) Live Wire Lounge
07 NOV 2025 Toronto, ON (CA) Lee's Palace
08 NOV 2025 Montreal, QC (CA) Piranha Bar
09 NOV 2025 Ottawa, ON (CA) Dominion Tavern
11 NOV 2025 Boston, MA (US) O'Briens
12 NOV 2025 Portland, ME (US) Geno's
13 NOV 2025 Providence, RI (US) The Parlour
14 NOV 2025 New York City, NY (US) Woodshop
15 NOV 2025 Philadelphia, PA (US) Kung Fu Necktie
16 NOV 2025 Baltimore, MD (US) Mobtown Ballroom
18 NOV 2025 Nashville, TN (US) Arcane Workshop
19 NOV 2025 Chattanooga, TN (US) JJ's Bohemia
20 NOV 2025 Huntsville, AL (US) Mad Malts
21 NOV 2025 Jacksonville, FL (US) The Albatross
22 NOV 2025 Bradenton, FL (US) Obscura

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

WAR - VENVIDIWAR (Album Review)

Venvidiwar - Tracklisting

1.Morning Chime (3:37)

2. Kraktus (3:59)

3. Grifter (5:41)

4. WARUS (5:07)

5. Entropy (3:50)

6. Tremor (4:18)

7. Mimicry II (3:53)

8. Boggart (4:04)

Members

Arvid - Guitar, Vocals

Fred - Bass, Vocals

Tim - Drums, Vocals

 

Review

Venvidiwar is the second full length album from Doomgaze/Noise/Sludge/Stoner Rockers WAR and it has a lot of different sonic excursions developing from the start. The record can best be described as “genre-blending” as there’s moments of Screamo, Punk and Hardcore being played throughout the whole album. The sound is quite grounded with a distinctive “DIY” sound that allows WAR to play with a raw sounding aesthetic. WAR create their own style of Doomgaze offset against a powerful Sludge/Stoner edge with a slight Industrial quality coming through within the opening track of Morning Chime.

WAR still manages to play a wide assortment of riff-centric melodies despite the harsh NOISE ROCK atmosphere that develops throughout the album with moments of DOOMED OUT clarity forming within the hard-hitting vocals and fast-paced instrumental passages that firmly take control within the early stages of the album. If you dig bands such as KOWLOON WALLED CITY, BOTCH and CAVE IN then WAR should satisfy those cravings with an uncompromising style of Shoegaze and destructive Doom Metal surroundings with a deeply satisfying emotional core appearing on tracks such as Kraktus, Grifter and Warus.

Sometimes WAR do feel stuck in an infinite loop or timewarp with the band focusing upon a daring style of Nineties based Rock/Metal structures for the majority of their music but it still sounds thoroughly modern especially when the band hit upon political themes and personal experiences which you can feel when the vocals from Arvid, Fred and Tim become slightly more acute and emotional. The album isn’t exactly “Post-Metal” but WAR does venture into that world when the heavier Sludgy instruments appear with Arvid’s guitar playing making a mighty impression. 

The later stages of Venvidiwar continues the great work that WAR constructed on the first half with pulsating grooves and melodic rhythms which becomes quite reflective once more when the band go for a heavier, aggressive and sludgier direction on tracks such as Tremor, Mimicry II and Boggart. This closes the album in a highly satisfactory fashion that does leave you emotionally drained at times. 

Venvidiwar is a highly unconventional record but one that delivers intense grooves of the highest order to impress everyone who listens to this album.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Venvidiwar will be available to buy on Digital Download from October 17th 2025.

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp | Instagram

Sunbreather - Sunbreather (Album Review)

Release Date: October 10th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Sunbreather - Tracklisting

Foreglow

Apricity

Sunbreather

WINE

Reverie

Sleep

Aubade

Members

Emma - Vocals/Guitar

Chris - Drums

George - Bass

 

Review

Psych Stoner Metallers Sunbreather release their self-titled debut album where the band show a real dynamic creative flair as they move through Ambient textures and Doomed Out passages. Taking cues from the likes of SLEEP, Elephant Tree, Acid King and EARTH with Sunbreather forging their own sound within the Stoner Metal world. The album is highly organic which is built around lead vocalist Emma’s gutsy and ethereal vocals. There is a sense of roots driven Psychedelics where you can easily see the SLEEP and EARTH influences shining through on the epic second track Apricity. 

Before that, the album opens up with Foreglow which is a lush two minute instrumental song with a Post-Rock and Post-Doom sound that develops and one that opts for a heavier focus within the other tracks on the album. 

The album really kicks off with one of the standout tracks of Apricity which shows you the real power of Sunbreather with long drawn instrumental jams and a pulsating rhythm section formed by Chris (Drums) and George (Bass). The song runs for almost eleven minutes in length and Sunbreather traverses the whole Psychedelic landscape of Doom/Stoner Metal with a song broken down into musical chapters. Some parts HEAVY and some superbly quiet moments that add an emotional Post-Rock score into the mix. Expect the unexpected with this track and you’ll be richly rewarded with some fine storytelling being added along the way. 

Before the excellent title track appears, you see a sense of Spiritualism appearing that reminds me of EARTH and OM in so many ways. It’s not preachy at all but is a winning level of realism that becomes part of the overall journey that Sunbreather takes you upon. The track itself follows a similar path to Apricity but with a more classic Stoner Rock/Metal structure with flashes of Grunge and Stonergaze adding a Garage Rock sound which is perhaps mostly down to the stripped back production values of the album.

Emma’s vocals have a hopeful and earnest delivery to them that are most definitely part of the Nineties Alt-Rock scene but the music is dominated by a modern day aggressive Stoner based momentum. As with the previous track, this song also feels broken down into individual chapters though this time round it’s boosted by pure levels of heavy melodic aggression.

Fourth track WINE is a warped assault on the senses with Sunbreather adding layers of Blues Rock and FUZZ for a track that feels like it’s suffering from an identity crisis but in a good way. As the band deconstructs their happy going sound for one that’s powered along by elements of Punk and Grunge. There is something surreal and outlandish with this track as Sunbreather rely on freaksish soundscapes and wicked sounding solos for one of the strangest and hippest tracks on the album.

Fifth track Reverie is another Post-Rock instrumental track which shows another mellow and caring side to Sunbreather. The song is perhaps more JAZZ based but it’s tranquil Blues/Post-Rock theme make it a journey worth taking.

Sixth track Sleep sees Sunbreather move into areas of Grunge, Shoegaze, Drone and Post-Rock for a sound that’s quite mysterious but with flashes of ALICE IN CHAINS lyrical storytelling matched against the Drone Rock surroundings of EARTH. Another standout track on the album which is absolutely magical from beginning to end.

The final track Aubade continues with that DRONE based trajectory but it’s dominated by an epic Doom/Stoner Metal score which allows Emma, Chris and George to impress with their technical and musical abilities one last time. The song once again has that minimal and stripped back essence that makes Sunbreather such a refreshing change of pace to listen to. The album ends triumphantly allowing Sunbreather the perfect chance to introduce themselves to the Doom/Stoner Metal underground scene with a record of outstanding quality from beginning to end.

WOW!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links

LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Exclusive Album Premiere Of Sludge/Post-Metallers STONEBIRDS Thrilling New Album PERPETUAL WASTELAND

Sludge and Post-Metal merchants STONEBIRDS release their epic new album Perpetual Wasteland via Ripple Music this Friday. What to expect from the album, well think deep, dark and conscious heavy in the vein of Amenra, Year of No Light, Neurosis and you have the perfect ingredients for a bruising encounter of the highest order.

Thanks to the awesome folks over at Purple Sage PR and Ripple Music we're proud to present the new album in full with this exclusive album premiere.

The trio perfects their signature duality of crushing weight and majestic levity, offering a meditation on collapse and transcendence by weaving themes of ecological decay and human isolation into something strangely hopeful, pairing tectonic metallic riffs with heartrending vocals to find fleeting brilliance in the ruin. This is their boldest record to date and a spectacular epitaph — one that will violently sweep you out to sea only to spit you back out onto the shore, changed forever.

You can buy the album on CD, Digital and Vinyl from the links below:

Ripple Music BandCamp | Stonebirds BandCamp

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the details.

GIÖBIA - X-ÆON (Album Review)

Release Date: October 17th 2025. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

X-ÆON - Tracklisting

1.Voodoo Experience

2.Fractal Haze 

3.The Death of the Crows

4.1976 

5.Vers les Terres-Rouges (La Mort de la Terre) 

6.Les Ferromagnétaux (La Mort de la Terre)

7.L'Eau Fugitive (La Mort de la Terre)

8.Dans la Nuit Éternelle (La Mort de la Terre)

 

Review

Psych/Stoner/Space Rock legends GIÖBIA return with their eighth full length album X-ÆON that once again sees the band rewriting the rules for everything Cosmic Rock related as they continue to weave surreal levels of heavy magnetic sounds throughout the album. The record has a more aggressive and sludgier attitude compared to their previous records with opening track Voodoo Experience also opting for a nightmarish tone.

GIÖBIA still maintain their synth heavy and sound effects style of melody with subtle flashes of Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Stoner Rock and Electronica beats fully coming into life on the next batch of tracks with Fractal Haze, The Death Of The Crows and 1976. The sense of musical adventure is strong with GIÖBIA as fractal Space Rock structures fragment into creepy guitars and gloomy synths that demonstrates how the band are writing their own unique style of Space Rock that simply cannot be matched or beaten. 

There is a frenzied approach to GIÖBIA on this record which only amplifies or magnifies their music onto a different level of HEAVINESS that remains quite grounded despite the COSMIC atmospheres that’s being generated and played from every direction possible.

The vocals appear briefly throughout the album and only when they need to appear. As GIÖBIA seem content having minimal vocal interactions with their audience which they’ve done on previous records. Maybe having an album packed full of vocals would be too distracting for the band but it’s the right approach and gives a mysterious vibe and quality for X-ÆON.

The second half of the album is more experimental with GIÖBIA hitting upon classic themes and sounds from their earliest records but still striving for a modern creative vision on tracks such as Vers les Terres-Rouges (La Mort de la Terre) and L'Eau Fugitive (La Mort de la Terre) being two of the standout tracks on the album. 

With a free-flowing narrative and musical expeditions that rely on jam-based instrumental melodies then it’s hard not to be taken with GIÖBIA’s fascination with parallel universes and secrets from the vast reaches of space. Though, you’re still treated to a classic style of Seventies based Psych Rock which then branches out into glitchy sounds of subtle paranoia and lyrics inspired by the likes of Philip K. Dick at times, especially on the excellent track 1976. 

X-ÆON is another stellar and groundbreaking release from GIÖBIA that have earned their place as legends within the Psych/Space Rock scene. This album only solidifies that reputation and with masterful production values throughout the album which allows me to call this album as visionary, unique and absolutely MINDBLOWING.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

X-ÆON is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Doom & Sludge crushers Born of Plagues to release new album "Dead Endings" November 21st; lead single "Silver Light" out October 17th

Playing a brand of chaotic, cathartic death-doom that is at once familiar and all their own, Born of Plagues is a four-piece metal band focused more on crushing heaviness than genre conventions. This group of Baltimore punk/hardcore/doom veterans has pedigree across scenes and styles and doesn’t back away from letting any of their influences bleed through, as long as the result is brash and heavy.

ABOUT THE ALBUM:

Written over a nearly five-year period, “Dead Endings” is a collection of complaints and commiserations that takes aim at social ills and personal woes through a lens of gothic horror and unrepentant riffage. Melding influences from Winter and Hooded Menace to Black Sabbath and Motörhead into a mix of dirge-like plodding, breakneck thrashing, and classic metallic grooves, this brute of an album never sits still for long. Its eight tracks and 55-minute runtime will feed your need for all things heavy and leave you eager for more.

WHAT'S NEXT:

Born of Plagues continues writing new songs, with plans for another full length in the next year or two. The band has several fall/winter shows planned, including the “Dead Endings” release show in Baltimore in Nov/Dec. In addition, they are in the process of booking a summer 2026 tour, focused on the US east coast.

Born of Plagues - Dead Endings

Album out November 21st, 2025
Self-released (Digital)
Baltimore, Maryland, US

Tracklist:

1. Mausoleums (9:10)
2. Silver Light (5:32)
3. Inheritance (8:05)
4. Tithe (6:50)
5. Within The Mist (1:52)
6. What Dreadful Music (7:44)
7. Of Wisdom And War (7:18)
8. Angels On Fire (7:39)

Born of Plagues is:

Austin Lunn - guitars, vocal
Mike Knauer - guitars
Tim Sheils - bass
Matt Maben - drums

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Good Boy PR for all of the details.

Beast Eagle - Sorceress (EP Review)

Release Date: November 21st 2025. Record Label: Golden Robot Records. Formats: DD

Sorceress - Tracklisting

1. Sharp Tongue

2. The Dead Follow

3. Send Me Down

4. Witch Hunt

5. The Demonstration

Members

Kate Lewis - vocals

Austin L'Ecuyer - guitars

Toby Wandel - bass guitar

August Sievering – drums

 

Review

Hailing from Omaha, NE, Beast Eagle are a new acquaintance to me. But what an introduction it is as their new recording 'Sorceress' knocks me off my feet, and then some! Throwing caution to the wind they play what they want and how they want to not listening to anyone but themselves. Being as damned good as they are this approach is the way to go...you don't believe me? Just listen to 'Sorceress' and let the band's music embrace you. Your world will be all the better for it. And what do they play? To these ears it's a wonderful blend of metal/ hard rock and stoner rock which they bring to the table and it's refreshing and rejuvenates these styles.

5 songs are on offer with 'Sharp Tongue' being the opener. It's captivating with brilliant musicianship and has a foundation of heavy mid-tempo metal which moves back and forth with focus on pulverizing us listeners. 'The Dead Follow' grabs your attention immediately with nice heavy riffs and bone crushing rhythms backing Kate's amazing voice perfectly. 'Send Me Down' has a hypnotic trait in the verses while going full tilt in the chorus. 

'Witch Hunt' weaves back and forth between sweet slow parts and faster, lead-heavy sections all while Kate's mesmerizing voice reels you in. 'The Demonstration' ends this brilliant recording and is full of riffs and heavy rhythms and again utilizes changes in tempo perfectly.

Please, bring me more positive surprises like Beast Eagle! In the severely oversaturated world of music of today to be introduced to such a great and original band like this band is a blessing. 'Sorceress' has restored my faith in music again, so Beast Eagle...thank you!

Words by Håkan Nyman

Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

US Desert Metallers BLUE HERON share thunderous Clutch cover off new "Emulations" record on Blues Funeral Recordings; European tour starts this week!

US desert rockers BLUE HERON share a scorching hot new video with their raucous cover of Clutch's "The House that Peterbilt", taken from their new record “Emulations”, out this October 10th through Blues Funeral Recordings and coinciding with the start of their first European tour ever!

Their new release "Emulations" was conceived in early 2025, as Blue Heron prepared to record their rendition of the Nine Inch Nails classic "Head Like a Hole" for the forthcoming Magnetic Eye Records compilation "Best of NIN Redux". Pairing four new studio tracks — including sledgehammer covers of Clutch, Floor and Fudge Tunnel — with live recordings from a session at Albuquerque's KUNM radio station, this seismic new offering from the mighty foursome is an unrelenting charge of gritty vocals and punishing riffs that simply takes no prisoners.

Watch Blue Heron's new video “The House That Peterbilt” below:

About covering this Clutch classic, vocalist Jadd Shickler comments: "When we decided to record some cover tunes, this one was a no-brainer. We've been playing it live for years, and Chav and I are Clutch fans going way back. We had a chance to tour opening for them over 20 years ago and it was a phenomenal experience, playing to their killer fanbase every night and then going out in the crowd to watch one of our favorite bands absolutely destroy. Their influence on what we do is pretty undeniable, so it feels great to give them a proper tribute for everything they've given to the heavy underground over the past three-plus decades!"

Blue Heron are set to bring their blistering desert rock to European stages for the first time in their career, including appearances at Desertfest Belgium and Keep It Low Festival and shows alongside the likes of Gnome, Mephistofeles and High Desert Queen.

Blue Heron European tour 2025:

Oct 10 - Karlsruhe (DE) Alte Hackerei w/ High Desert Queen
Oct 11 - Munich (DE) Keep It Low Festival
Oct 12 - Arnstadt (DE) Rockjungfer
Oct 13 - Bamberg (DE) Live Club w/ Submarin On Mars
Oct 14 - Hagen (DE) Werkhof Hohenlimburg w/ Stargo
Oct 15 - Rotterdam (NL) Roodkapje w/ Mephistofeles, High Desert Queen
Oct 16 - Tilburg (NL) Little Devil w/ Gnome, Tankzilla
Oct 17 - Trier (DE) Rothaus
Oct 19 - Antwerp (BE) Desertfest Belgium

BLUE HERON ‘Emulations” - Out October 10th on Blues Funeral Recordings

Bandcamp pre-order / Label pre-order

TRACKLIST:

1. Grey (Fudge Tunnel cover)
2. Marigold
3. The House That Peterbilt (Clutch cover)
4. Find Away (Floor cover)
5. Everything Fades (Live at KUNM)
6. Day of the Comet (Live at KUNM)
7. Futurola (Live at KUNM)
8. Swansong (Live at KUNM)

Surrounded by endless horizons, Blue Heron formed in 2018 out of a compulsion to fill the vastness with massive volume, saturating their piece of desert with rolling, thunderous riffs, drums that pummel and swing, deep, thrumming tones and vocals that rip and roar.

Their guitarist and singer were founding members of Spiritu, possibly Albuquerque, New Mexico's first desert rock band, whose brief burn in the early aughts included a Jack Endino-produced LP, a European tour with Clutch, Spiritual Beggars and Dozer, and a compilation appearance alongside Entombed and Mastodon. Their debut LP "Ephemeral" arrived in May of 2022 via Kozmik Artifactz in Europe and Seeing Red Records in the USA. Substantial appreciation in the underground led to performances at Ripplefest Texas and Monolith on the Mesa and opening slots for The Well, Elder, Black Mountain, Ruby the Hatchet, Howling Giant, Heavy Temple and The Obsessed, along with a swath of positive reviews throughout the heavy media.

In May 2023, Blue Heron dropped three new tracks on a split LP with friends and fellow southwestern riff-purveyors High Desert Queen for Ripple Music’s Turned to Stone series, with cover art by award-winning comic and poster artist Johnny Dombrowski. The bands embarked on a short tour in August 2023, before they set to work on their next full-length.

Released in the fall of 2024, their last album "Everything Fades" expands on their unyielding desert sound with a new slab of propulsive, sun-scorched riff-heaviness. It landed at #6 on Worship Metal's 50 Best Stoner and Doom Albums of 2024, #8 on The Obelisk's Best of 2024 Year-End Poll, and #13 on the Doom Charts Top 100 Albums of 2024. The record was described as "rooted in the mood and verve of the High Desert" by Doomed & Stoned and "an emotionally charged and truly breathtaking style of down-tuned weedian magic" by Outlaws of the Sun.

BLUE HERON is

Mike Chavez - Guitars
Ricardo Sanchez - Drums
Steve Schmidlapp - Bass
Jadd Shickler - Vocals

Blue Heron links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

Blues Funeral Recordings links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Dark Ocean Circle - Who Is Fooling Who (Single Review)

Release Date: October 03rd 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Who is fooling who - Tracklisting

Who is fooling who

 

Review

Who Is Fooling Who is the new song from Doom/Stoner Rockers Dark Ocean Circle who play a fast-paced style of music that’s packed with lots of FUZZ ROCK swagger and swirling Psychedelic sounds. With the band being from Sweden you can detect influences from the likes of DOZER and TRUCKFIGHTERS along the way but they branch out into the global Stoner Rock scene whilst delivering their own blend of great sounds. 

The vocals are superbly delivered but with a slightly gruff exterior when the song suddenly shifts into full on DOOM and you can hear echoes of SAINT VITUS and THE OBSESSED at times. Just to cap it all off, Dark Ocean Circle also offers a Punk Rock swagger which adds a much needed sense of grittiness but still allows the band to offer a great riff-centric sound that leaves you wholly satisfied. 

Not a bad way to spend four minutes of your life with and I believe the band are hard at work on their next album. From this song alone then Dark Ocean Circle are no doubt going to make a name for themselves within the underground scene.

Watch this space…

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Khan - That Fair and Warlike Form / Return To Dust (Album Review)

Release Date: October 01st 2025. Record Label: Full Contact Safari Records. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl

That Fair and Warlike Form / Return To Dust - Tracklisting

1.That Fair and Warlike Form 23:11

2.Return to Dust 22:53

Members

Josh Bills - Vocals/Guitar/Keys

Will Homan - Bass

Beau Heffernan - Drums

 

Review

That Fair and Warlike Form / Return To Dust is the latest album from Prog/Psych/Stoner Metallers Khan who blend Post-Rock, Doom, Post-Metal and Space Rock melodies for a record that dares to different and offer a refreshing change of pace at the same time. Taking cues from the likes of Mastodon, ELDER, ISIS, King Buffalo and CAVE IN from time-to-time, Khan developed a thunderous and highly aggressive style of music of their own making. 

The album is named after the two tracks that make up the album and it’s quite a lengthy journey with both tracks hitting the twenty three minutes mark. Khan adds a level of trippy mysticism into their music which is quite grounded and brilliantly fantastical at the same time. The sound can be quite profound with the Post-Rock/Post-Metal aspect allowing Khan to venture into heavier waters with the album being peaceful one moment and the next ALL HELL breaks loose with a Sludge Rock/Metal direction appearing. 

The instrumental passages are highly technical with the band sounding like they have more members in their ranks other than the three members that make up Khan. The majority of the album is boosted by a thrilling Psych Rock and Cosmic narrative with long drawn out melodies that last an age. Both tracks follow a similar path to each other with Khan offering moments of gloomy surroundings on the later stages of both tracks. 

The vocals from Josh Bills (who also plays Guitar and Keys) are clean based but perfectly taps into the Doom Metal and Stoner Metal environments with a commanding performance. Will Homan (Bass) and Beau Heffernan (Drums) create a formidable rhythm section where perhaps the real power comes from that allows Josh to inject some epic muscular sludgy guitars that sometimes feel they have a “neverending” quality to them.

The haunting synths, keys and ambient beats gives That Fair and Warlike Form / Return To Dust that truly OUT OF THIS WORLD feel that offers a peaceful and meditative energy even when the heavier Sludge/Post-Metal sounds fully take control for some of the most epic and cinematic feelings on the whole record.

This is music for the soul, heart, body and mind that will leave you wanting to hear more. That Fair and Warlike Form / Return To Dust is a truly original album with Khan releasing their most mature and outstanding record to date. 

The only way to describe this album is BRILLIANTLY EPIC.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp