Skogskult - Skogskult (Album Review)

Release Date: December 05th 2025. Record Label: Bonebag Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Skogskult - Tracklisting

1.Lyktans Låga

2.Turs

3.Jag Ger Mig Av

4.Pakten

5.Sol

6.Snöblind

Lineup

Samuel Nordström - Guitar

Albin Kroon - Bass

Simon Rosengrim - Vocals

Alexander Söderlund - Drums

Review

Swedish Doom/Stoner Metallers Skogskult debut album offers quite a different musical adventure compared to other albums currently out there but it also has a familiar creative attitude inspired by the likes of SLEEP, Acid King, Monolord and Electric Wizard. The album is produced by Cavern Deep’s Max Malmer and owner of Bonebag Records who are releasing this album. What makes this record stand out is the band’s willingness to sing all their vocals in Swedish and focus upon Nordic folklore and Swedish Nature.

I don’t understand Swedish at all but I understand the creative vision that Skogskult are ultimately aiming for and it’s quite a deeply personal and spiritual journey told through the realm of Doom/Stoner Metal. The music is quite soulful with harsh melodies that explore the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal landscapes with a haunting psychedelic sound being added throughout. The LOW & SLOW vibrations allows Skogskult to add a grounded and fantastical effect within the stunning opening track Lyktans Låga.

The opening track has some folk-ish elements appearing within the lyrics and vocals but the music is full-on Doomed Out aggression with Skogskult tapping into the murkier depths of the underground Stoner scene. There’s a level of  Progressive energy appearing from time-to-time that even allows the music to become quite extreme in places with lead vocalist’s outlandish vocals appearing on the later stages of the record.

The next batch of tracks of Turs, Jag Ger Mig Av and Pakten sees Skogskult explore the musical legacies of Electric Wizard and SLEEP but add that classic Swedish WEEDIAN flavour into the mix with trippy guitars and spaced out melodies that navigates around a FUCK-TON of heavy reverb and overlapping sludgy instrumental passages. The standout tracks on the album for me have to be Turs and Pakten with Skogskult going for a true OVER THE TOP journey but once again keep everything grounded that’s bursting within intense solos that adds a forceful level of volume to the record.

Skogskult do show deft touches of Post-Doom and Post-Stoner surroundings which gives the album a sense of romanticism but it’s the gruff, aggressive and muscular exterior that impresses the most which Skogskult carry out with supreme efficiency on the final two songs on the album with Sol and Snöblind. This perhaps the heaviest, gloomiest and darkest parts of the record where Skogskult leave no stone unturned with their highly original style of destructive Doom/Stoner Metal that leaves a lasting impression. 

This is another great band releasing another ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender even at this late stage of the game. The record can be downright experimental and outrageous but Skogskult have delivered the goods with this album that will no doubt pave the way for them to gain a loyal following within the underground scene and perhaps perform at some of the most prestigious stages and festivals the scene has to offer. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

Skogskult’s self-titled debut album is available to buy now (Out December 05th 2025) on DD/Vinyl via Bonebag Records. 

Links

 

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Polish Heavy Psych Rockers WEEDPECKER to release new album "V" on February 27th via Heavy Psych Sounds; stream first track "Fading Whispers"!

Poland's heavy psychedelic rock pillars WEEDPECKER announce the release of their highly anticipated fifth studio album "V" on February 27th via Heavy Psych Sounds Records, and present its mesmerizing debut single "Fading Whispers".

The wait is over. Weedpecker is proud to announce their monumental fifth studio album "V", a profound and immersive journey that stands as their most personal and refined work to date.

Stream Weedpecker's breathtaking new track Fading Whispers 

Forged in a crucible of personal change and existential reflection, "V" is the sound of stability crumbling and beauty rising from the fragments. About the album's emotional core, guitarist and vocalist Piotr Dobry comments: "I started writing the songs for V at the beginning of 2023. While creating this material, I kept returning to one thought: everything we take for granted is, in reality, incredibly fragile. Nothing lasts forever, and the sense of things slipping away can hit much sooner than we expect. I tried to translate those feelings into sound."

This thematic weight became a creative catalyst. After a year of meticulous solo writing and demoing, the project evolved into a collective labor of love. Recorded across several studios over many months, this patient, detail-oriented approach has resulted in a rich and expansive sonic tapestry. From sprawling, psychedelic soundscapes to moments of crushing heaviness and soaring melody, "V" is a testament to the Weedpecker's unwavering commitment to their craft.

"V" is an open door to a transformative period in the band's life, as Dobry explains: "This album is something deeply personal. It’s an act of opening up to anyone who chooses to listen — a glimpse into things I can’t fully describe with words, into what I felt and who I became during that period. I’m incredibly happy that together with my friends, we’ve created another record. What comes next... time will tell."

WEEDPECKER "V" - Out Feburary 27th on Heavy Psych Sounds (LP/CD/digital)

TRACKLIST:

1. Intro
2. Fading Whispers
3. Ash
4. In the Dark We Shine
5. Mirrors
6. The Last Summer of Youth

Forged in Warsaw, Poland in 2012, Weedpecker emerged from the creative union of brothers Piotr and Bartek Dobry. Their mission was to weave dreamy, expansive psychedelic rock with the raw gravity of stoner and grunge. Throughout the decade, the band solidified its reputation with three critically acclaimed albums, delivering some of the most revered heavy psych anthems the scene has witnessed.

After the powerful release of “III” in 2018, the band entered a new chapter as longtime members Bartek Dobry, Robert Kulakowski, and Grzegorz Pawlowski moved on. Weedpecker re-emerged in 2020 with a revitalized lineup, welcoming members of Dopelord and Major Kong. This new incarnation debuted not only fresh faces but also an expanded sonic palette, introducing keyboards to their live performances.

Their latest chapter, “IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts” (2021), fully unveils this evolved identity. The album effortlessly flows from mellow psychedelia to blistering rock explosions, all anchored by their signature melodic heavy riffage. Through transformation and growth, Weedpecker continues to affirm its place as one of Europe's most essential and exciting psychedelic acts. In 2025, they signed a worldwide deal with Heavy Psych Sounds Records for the release of their anticipated fifth album "V" in the winter of 2026.

Weedpecker is

Piotr Dobry — Guitars / Vocals / Synths
Zbigniew Promiński — Drums
Piotr Kuks — Bass
Piotr Sadza — Synths
Tomasz Walczak — Synths

Weedpecker links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Hexjakt - Blessing Of The Damned (Album Review)

Release Date: December 01st 2025. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records / Burning Skull. Formats: Cassette/DD/Vinyl

Blessing Of The Damned - Tracklisting

1.10,000 Crows

2.Black Circle

3.Void Throne

4.Wyrd

5.The Act of Dying 

6.Don't Talk to Strangers

7.Monolith

8.Cathedrals

Lineup

Hampus Henningsson - Guitar/Vocals

Toni Åkerman - Bass/Vocals

Dan Nordin - Drums

Review

Hexjakt return with their debut full length album Blessing Of The Damned and it has all the classic hallmarks for a spectacular record from the world famous Swedish Doom/Stoner Metal scene. The mood can be mean and nasty with Hexjakt forging a muscular and murky battlefield to play their music upon. Everything has an aggressive presence with Hexjakt taking influence from the mainstays of the Swedish Doom/Stoner Metal scene and further beyond with acts such as HIGH ON FIRE and CONAN making a mighty presence along the way. 

There is a sudden influx of Psychedelic surroundings and Classic Heavy Metal melodies with a Thrash based outlook which all appear within the first few moments of the epic opening track 10,000 Crows. The music is mightily thick and bursting with an almighty confidence with the excellent vocals from Hampus Henningsson and Toni Åkerman joining forces that becomes a mighty formative defence to unleash a dominating musical presence. Hexjakt captures a sublime sludgy presence on the later stages of the song that projects a huge WALL OF NOISE that’s played at a mighty fine pace. 

Second track Black Circle could have easily arrived from their acclaimed 2025 self-titled debut EP with it’s downbeat Thrash and Sludge based sound with the band navigating around a backdrop of thick and highly powerful WEEDIAN melodies. The atmosphere is quite stripped back with Hexjakt having an intense physical AURA within their music. With a sudden rush of NOLA based grooves appearing, Hexjakt plays with sonic fuelled Psychedelic and Spaced Out passages with an ice cold level of distortion appearing. The lyrics go slightly into fantastical realm but not too much with this record have quite a grounded creative vibe throughout. The music is always demanding your full attention and Hexjakt are always happy to provide the listener with an onslaught of epic grooves that even have a hint of Post-Stoner, Ambient and Post-Rock surroundings within them. 

Third song Void Throne sees Hexjakt once again keep with the Prog Metal theme within their music for another epic song running past the eight minutes mark. The song has quite a calculated presence with Hexjakt forging areas of Doom Metal, Sludge Metal and Stoner Metal where the likes of Mastodon, CONAN and High On Fire reign supreme. Though, the band makes its own destructive world with bombastic vocals from Toni and Hampus combining once more. The sound is quite deceptive when a more riff-driven methodology is added to the mix with Hexjakt showing their technical prowess amongst a thrilling cinematic atmosphere that ultimately becomes one of the standout tracks on the whole album.

Fourth track Wyrd is pure DOOM METAL theatre with droned out vocals appearing setting the scene which may have a slightly slower delivery than the other tracks for the most part. However, Hexjakt delivers faster THRASH paced beats out of nowhere before returning to their slow-to-mid paced Doomed Out environment. Around the third minute mark, the song becomes more aware of it’s Psychedelic and Stoner Metal surroundings which allows Hexjakt once more to fully take flight with Ambient textures and dominant riff-centric landscapes taking you closer to “INTER-DIMENSIONAL SPIRIT ANIMAL” territory. 

The second half of the record sees Hexjakt become more DOOM METAL obsessed with darker moments of lyrical content and exploring Post-Metal themes whilst keeping in line with their core Doom and Stoner Metal beliefs on tracks such as The Act Of Dying, Don’t Talk To Strangers, Monolith and the epic final track Cathedrals that runs for an almost mind-expanding fourteen minutes. 

Hexjakt appears more confident within the second half of the track by exploring more daring themes and heavier soundscapes though the distorted and down-tuned melodies of tracks such as The Act Of Dying and Monolith are real head-banging epics. The band show their true creative and technical MIGHT within the final track of Cathedrals where they everything into the blender and conjure up a masterclass of modern day Doom/Stoner Metal that still offers a few surprises along the way especially if you’re a fan of the more Progressive side of underground music.

Blessing Of The Damned is a stunning and highly evolved slice of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal that will impress you with its complex and challenging sounds that will leave you on the edge of your seat throughout. Hexjakt already feel they’re at the top of their game and for a debut album that's something very hard to achieve. This is one of those rare debut albums that you simply cannot ignore.

Unmissable. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Hexjakt, Viral Propaganda PR and Metal Devastation PR for the promo.

Blessing For The Damned is available to buy now on Cassette/DD/Vinyl from the links below:

Cassette - https://hexjaktband.com/product/cassette-blessing-for-the-damned/

Vinyl – Blessing for the Damned – Wine Queen Edition

Vinyl - Blessing for the Damned – The Joker Edition

Vinyl - Majestic Mountain Records

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

TARMAK - Delete To Proceed (Album Review)

Release Date: November 07th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Delete To Proceed - Tracklisting

1.Delete to Proceed 07:19

2.Careless CRISPR 06:02 

3.Ark of Nowhere 09:58 

4.Gene Roulette 09:10

5.Wörtrilg 07:16

6.Blue Renewed 09:07 

Lineup

Sander - Guitar, chants, concept & visuals

Geert - Bass

Simon - Drums, artwork

Review

Delete To Proceed is the debut full length album of instrumental Post-Metal collective TARMAK who take a cerebral and cinematic approach with their music. As the band a contemporary storytelling theme into the music with areas of Science Fiction combining grounded Post-Rock themes and subtle sound effects which is ultimately quite a thought provoking and progressive sounding record.

TARMAK never play by the rules with a highly intelligent delivery forming throughout every individual track that could be dominated by Post-Metal grooves one moment and the next it’s being dictated by Ambient Post-Rock melodies. Whichever creative turn TARMAK takes, the end result is a complex dark vision with the band successfully avoiding the negative pitfalls of releasing an album such as this. The record does a great job of focusing on a stylish atmospheric narrative which fully sells the overall tension of the album especially within the opening tracks of Delete To Proceed and Careless CRISPR.

TARMAK are perhaps more closely aligned to the likes of RUSSIAN CIRCLES, MOGWAI, THIS WILL DESTROY YOU and MONO instead of the heavier sludgy sounds of PELICAN. TARMAK create songs with a strong Post-Rock energy before slowly transforming into a powerful Post-Metal entity of their own making. There’s a lot more Progressive experimentation which becomes one of the main creative focus for the band on tracks such as Careless CRISPR,  Ark Of Nowhere, Gene Roulette and Blue Renewed.

Though, the best way to approach this album is to see it as one extended instrumental song broken down into individual chapters telling the next exciting parts of the story. As some times TARMAK branches out into areas of Drone, Doom, Stoner Rock and Shoegaze along the way with some intriguing chants being added on the later stages of the record.

Delete To Proceed is a highly involving and deeply emotional album that offers HUGE rewards if you last the soulful and gloomy journey. The technical abilities of Sander, Geert and Simon are simply superb as they put their hearts and soul into this record. The mood can be quite abstract along the way but it moves the album such a brooding and emotionally charged edge when TARMAK experiment with their music by adopting elements you would least expect.

TARMAK are another exciting and highly original Instrumental Rock/Metal band from the Belgian underground scene following the likes of MODDER in delivering their own unique take on the Post-Rock/Post-Metal sound.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Bandcamp – tarmaktheband.bandcamp.com

Spotify – open.spotify.com/artist/2o8cOt4C225g0kRezd9Svx

YouTube – youtube.com/@tarmakband

Facebook – facebook.com/tarmakbelgium

Instagram – instagram.com/tarmak_gent

Website – https://vi.be/platform/tarmak9000 

King Cruel - Sky Eater (EP Review)

Release Date: December 05th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Sky Eater - Tracklisting

Haunting Time

Diamond Darya

Sky Eater

Review

Psych Doom/Stoner Metallers King Cruel return with their latest EP - Sky Eater and one that follows their 2023 debut EP Creeper. That EP allowed King Cruel to play a stylish mix of Doom, Psych, Stoner, Proto-Metal and Occult Rock themes. The band still play that sound within Sky Eater but they’ve added an unforgiving style of Grunge and Post-Stoner grittiness to their music which I can hear within the excellent opening track of Haunting Time. This is where the band develops a highly melodic sense with emotionally engaging lyrics to match.

The vocals are delivered with a sense of gloomy optimism and eternal dread which keeps in with the Post-Doom and Occult Rock aspect of their previous EP Creeper. The musical landscapes are quite progressive and leans quite heavily into some intense moments of flashy Hard Rock solos along the way.

Second track Diamond Darya is a stirring mix of Eighties Hard Rock excess with a burgeoning modern Psych Rock and Stoner Metal with King Cruel offering bombastic lyrics and over the top themes that still feel remarkably grounded thanks to the excellent vocals and superb musical solos that each band member provides. The Post-Stoner attitude fully takes over towards the end of the song with King Cruel offering some of the standout melodies within the whole EP.

The final track Sky Eater is where King Cruel makes everything count with a classic Grunge attitude forming behind the scenes and you can hear influences as diverse as Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Velvet Revolver with the sound still being quite DOOM & GLOOM obsessive in the best possible way. This allows King Cruel to fully develop their own intriguing style of music where the RIFF IS KING.

My only complaint is that I would have enjoyed another track to finish off the EP as it’s quite short, running around thirteen minutes in length. However, it’s always best to leave the audience wanting more and King Cruel has succeeded on every level with Sky Eater. I'm hoping King Cruel has more great music to impress us with in the near future as Sky Eater is an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp | Instagram 

Vast Pyre - II: Bleak (Album Review)

Release Date: November 28th 2025. Record Label: Argonauta Records (Octopus Rising). Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl.

II: Bleak - Tracklisting

1.Begotten

2.Tenebrosity's Path

3.Beneath the Surface

4.The Untold

5.Perdition Fatal

Lineup

Ch. Wallstein – Vocals/Drums

A. Först – Guitar

Review

Psych Doom/Stoner Metallers Vast Pyre return with their second full length album II: Bleak that harnesses the same crushing Doomed Out power from the likes of YOB, MONOLORD and SHRINEBUILDER with a sense of aggressive murkiness emitting from all corners. The record continues the same destructive path as their 2024 debut album which established the band as a force to be reckoned with. There is a haunting DOOM & GLOOM attitude emerging within the opening track of Begotten with Vast Pyre slowly establishing a well placed Progressive attitude with a stripped back energy appearing within the darkest corners of the song.

With a hard-hitting and slow-to-mid pace melody transmitting a distorted AMPLIFIER FEEDBACK flow that soon transforms into an element of COSMIC DOOM and full on sludge metal dominated areas of Space Rock just for good measure. The song becomes faster and with razor sharp precision appearing within the Psychedelic landscapes that become more Post-Metal obsessive along the way with a haunting YOB-esque music delivery appearing towards the very end of the track.

Second track Tenebrosity's Path continues with the Sonic and Cosmic Doom trajectory with flashes of psychedelic imagery appearing amongst the down-tuned instrumental passages that have a more dangerous aura behind them. The sound is quite abstract with moments of heavy reverb leaning right into the mix that allows Vast Pyre to demonstrate a highly destructive style that is pure classic DOOM METAL theatre in places with a vivid Electric Wizard influence appearing but still very much part of the underground scene. The mood moves from fast-paced to Sludge Rock rhythms to an unsettling modern aesthetic style of LOW & SLOW instrumental passages.

Vast Pyre are a highly talented duo where they feel they have more members in their ranks which they use to their full advantage delivering a HUGE and DEVASTATING sound throughout the whole album and showcase a more cerebral sound within the excellent third track of Beneath The Surface. This is the shortest track on the album and allows Vast Pyre to bring in a Drone Metal attitude into the album which becomes part of the action for the remainder of the album. Matching this against a Post-Drone and Ambient Metal sound allows this to be one the heaviest and interesting tracks on the record. 

The final two tracks of The Untold and Perdition Final channels that Drone Metal and Ambient aspect again throughout the almost nineteen minutes runtime with Vast Pyre emerging from the ice cold Post-Doom surroundings of the previous track into a heavier, aggressive and destructive style of modern day Stoner Metal with waves of crushing Psychedelics. The warped vocals have a classical PROTO-DOOM delivery when matched against the long drawn out sonic passages that Vast Pyre harnesses and projects into the SPACE ROCK stratosphere with a real sense of urgency that develops with The Untold. 

The album leans heavily into the COSMIC HORROR arena for the second half which gives I!: Bleak a more challenging and highly destructive attitude you first initially anticipated. Vast Pyre have delivered an absolutely devastating Doom/Stoner Metal record that doesn’t shy away in delivering all the thrills, chills and spills you ever want from a first rate record such as this.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Vast Pyre and Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

II: Bleak is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

US Heavy Psych Goldsmiths INSOMNIAC announce US spring tour with Howling Giant

Atlanta-based transcendental doom unit INSOMNIAC just announced an extensive spring US tour in support of Nashville progressive metallers Howling Giant this spring. The band recently released their debut album "Om Moksha Ritam" on Blues Funeral Recordings.

"This record is pure beauty." Doom Charts
“Breathtaking and brilliantly surreal.” Outlaws Of The Sun
“This bridges the big epic rock riffage with hypnotic pulses.” Abysmal Hymns
"This isn’t an album you background. It’s a trip, a drift, a weight, and a lift all at once.” Witching Buzz
“An experience that is truly mandatory for all who consider themselves even the most casual fans of heavy psych.” Headbanger Reviews

Atlanta's Insomniac coalesce onto our plane like a third eye opening into the beyond. On their debut record "Om Moksha Ritam", they deliver a brooding, heavy, and psychedelic journey, both physical and abstract, towering and transcendent. Insomniac drifts between this world and the next, hovering at the periphery of consciousness. REZN, King Buffalo and Dead Meadow are names that arise if trying to fit them into familiar confines, though it’s clear that fitting within confines isn’t really what they do.

About the upcoming spring tour, Insomniac drummer Amos Rifkin comments: "After the early success of our debut record Om 'Moksha Ritam' and tours supporting it this fall, we're champing at the bit to hit the road again in the new year, and especially to be a part of the inaugural Mojave Experience festival in Joshua Tree. We're humbled and honored to support such a fantastic band like Howling Giant and can't wait to travel cross-country making beautiful music together!" 

Howling Giant & Insomniac Spring Tour 2026

3/11 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
3/12 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia
3/13 - Austin, TX - HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT
3/14 - Tulsa, OK - Whittier Bar
3/16 - Taos, NM - Goathead Collective
3/17 - Santa Fe, NM - Desert Dogs
3/18 - Tempe, AZ - Yucca Tap Room
3/19 - Las Vegas, NV - The Griffin
3/20 - Yucca Valley, CA - MOJAVE EXPERIENCE ^
3/21 - Joshua Tree, CA - MOJAVE EXPERIENCE *
3/22 - Bakersfield, CA - Jerry's Pizza
3/24 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill
3/25 - Eureka, CA - Savage Henry
3/26 - Eugene, OR - John Henry's
3/27 - Portland, OR - High Water Mark
3/28 - Seattle, WA - The Funhouse
3/29 - Vancouver, BC - Astoria*
3/31 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon
4/1 - Denver, CO - HQ
4/2 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
4/3 - St Louis, MO - Platypus Bar
4/4 - Nashville, TN - TN Brew Works
* Howling Giant only // ^ Insomniac only

You’ve got it all wrong. The Insomniac isn’t unable to sleep, the Insomniac chooses to evade sleep. We all fall down at some point, but between the waking world and our dreams exists the surreal. In pursuit of that space between, some of history’s most prominent visionaries would hold a physical object, like a spoon or a ball, while sitting in a chair, and allow themselves to succumb to sleep. As they drifted off, the object would fall, and the sound would awaken them at the periphery of unconsciousness. Now more alert than ever, their work could begin.

Such is Insomniac. A band that exists between this world and the next. A bouncing ball on the sound and rhythm of the universe. An aural guide. Writing their songs in the frequency of the earth, the Atlanta-based quintet's sound casts light on the magic and strange beauty in the balance between unconsciousness and dreams. Their debut album “Om Moksha Ritam” is a concept album that guides the listener through an aural and spiritual journey across multiple extreme environments, testing their resolve, principles, and commitment to adhering to the path.

Debut album "Om Moksha Ritam" is available on Blues Funeral Recordings via their online store, Bandcamp and on all streaming services.


Insomniac links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Blues Funeral Recordings links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Doubtsower - The Past Melts Away With A Sneer (Album Review)

Release Date: November 28st 2025. Record Label: UBAii / Unbidden Audio: Formats: CD/Digital

The Past Melts Away with a Sneer - Tracklisting

The Past Melts Away with a Sneer

 

Lineup

All tracks written, performed, recorded, produced & mixed by Matt Strangis

Review

The Past Melts Away With A Sneer is the fourth full length album from one-man Blackened Doom/Sludge Metal collective Doubsower and this is my first experience with Matt Strangis’s highly disturbing and nihilistic creative alter ego. This record is full of gloomy visions and harsh sonic landscapes that moves within the areas of Industrial Metal, Funeral Doom, Post-Metal, Post-Rock and Horror Movie Soundtracks for an album that is highly unusual and brilliantly eclectic at the same time.

Doubtsower has gained a lot of great praise from the musical underground scene and it’s not hard to see why as Matt is very passionate about making music across the wider musical spectrum. As Matt plays bass in doom merchants "Pantheist", and also produces experimental electronic music under the alias "Kyam". The whole atmosphere is creepy with Doubtsower playing heavy amounts of warped FUNERAL DOOM soundscapes that’s wrapped around a ton of disturbing ELECTRONIC beats which does take time for the “REAL” metallic movements to appear. 

Matt teases and scares the hell out of the listener with expertly placed soundbytes and sound effects that amps up the tension. Doubtsower feels inspired by the highly controversial and deeply uncomfortable horror movies of European and Asian cinema. This record isn’t watered down by any means with the slow-paced Black Metal grooves merging into heavier slices of violent ELECTRONICA and INDUSTRIAL beats with extreme vocals to match. 

Though, Matt does show a keen sense of melody within the more restrained Post-Rock and Post-Metal passages that appear from momentarily within the album. The record’s main strength is it’s gloomy and highly unapologetic production style which has a real core DIY PUNK ethic running throughout and with the amazing Greg Chandler (from legendary funeral doom band Esoteric) handling mastering duties, this is one record that not only dares to be different within the realm of Funeral Doom but actually rewrites the rule book.

This is a singular forty nine minute track with Doubtsower showcasing one of the best extreme records to emerge from within the UK and WELSH underground metal scene in quite some time. The level of dedication and technical ability that Matt plays on this album is simply astonishing to listen to and to make me emotionally invested for an album such as this is no small feat.

Expect The Unexpected with The Past Melts Away With A Sneer as this is as close as to perfection you’ll ever hear in the world of Experimental Doom Metal.

Words by Steve Howe

The Past Melts Away With A Sneer will be available to buy digitally and CD via Unbidden Audio

Links

BandCamp | Instagram