Release Date: April 25th 2025. Record Label: Small Stone Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl.
Under A Black Sun - Tracklisting
1.Dark Tomb Nebula
2.Neon Gods
3.Evil Eye of a Witch
4.Chaos Strain
5.Woe Warrior
6.The Bends
7.Fear in Overdrive
8.I drown
9.Blue Sky On Mars (Bonus Track)
10.Elara
11.Under a Black Sun
Members:
Johnny Lee - Vocals
K. Raffah - Guitars
P. Gonçalves - Drums
Ricardo Ferreira - Bass
Review
Psych Stoner Rockers Miss Lava return after a four year absence with their epic and spellbinding new album Under A Black Sun where the band have gone under a massive creative and sonic transformation. I thought their 2021 album Doom Machine is where the band changed for the better but I was wrong as Under A Black Sun is where perhaps Miss Lava aims for true greatness.
Their new album has a grittier Post-Doom attitude with moments of Fuzz, Psych, Shoegaze, Stoner and Sludge based surroundings. The sound of the record is bounded by a Scorched Desert Rock and Apocalyptic based attitude which is delivered superbly through the crux of the album’s earliest tracks such as Dark Tomb Nebula, Neon Gods and Evil Eye Of An Witch.
The vocals from Johnny Lee have an eerie and subtle tone to them with a heartfelt presence being delivered that was first heard on Doom Machine. The music feels inspired by the likes of KING BUFFALO, ELDER and KYUSS but with a melodic and harmonious SHOEGAZE style which does move into DOOMGAZE waters on the more COSMIC based passages that MIss Lava project into the mix.
With a grizzled Cosmic / Space Rock environment being created for the band to play extended instrumental movements upon, Under A Black Sun is brilliantly melodic and quite daring when the mood calls for this.
Miss Lava project a hallucinogenic and mind-expanding experience which darkens the Psychedelic / Cosmic energy which allows the Sludge Rock / Metal sound to be aggressive and dominant without losing the melodic vibes that appear on the other standout tracks such as Woe Warrior, The Bends, Fear In Overdrive, I Drown and Under The Black Sun. This is where Miss Lava draw upon their extensive twenty years experience within the Stoner Rock/Metal scene and create their heaviest and most dynamite based grooves they’ve released to date.
The lyrics are often hopeful and insightful but Miss Lava isn't afraid to add a sense of gloom to the overall message of the album. Though, for the most part Miss Lava takes creative cues from the likes of ALICE IN CHAINS, BLACK SABBATH and SOUNDGARDEN with their lyrics and how they deliver a non-stop style of murky sounding AMPLIFIER based melodies. The production values are perhaps more stripped back to previous albums but a vital modern RAW and PUNK based sound developing that merges with the subtle Sludge/Stoner Metal themes the album ultimately delivers on all levels.
Miss Lava have delivered the goods yet again with an intense and outstanding record that brings a mighty fine and original style of Psych Doom/Stoner Metal that is simply unmissable and truly unforgettable.
Words by Steve Howe
Links:
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