Release Date: October 17th 2025. Record Label: Klonosphere Records. Formats: CD/DD
The Monkey - Tracklisting
1.Get Down
2.The Monkey Who Dipped his Balls in my Whiskey
3.Lost in Space
4.Sinking Too Much
5.Black Sands
6.Wolf & Dog
7.Arrakis
Members
Drums/vocals: Greg (aka The Naked Drum)
Bass/vocals: Gilles (aka Black Cousteau)
Guitar/vocals:Bruno (aka Mr.Grrra)
Review
The Monkey is the second full length album from High On Wheels and it’s a splendid musical adventure crossing the Desert Rock wastelands with classic sounding Fuzz Rock and Stoner Metal grooves along the way. With a sound that’s influenced by the likes of FU MANCHU, Kyuss and Red Fang things get straight up HEAVY when they add touches of AMPLIFIED FUZZ into the mix which echoes the early sounds of TRUCKFIGHTERS.
However, High On Wheels sometimes move into a different direction with flashes of Punk Rock, Doom and Psych Rock combining for a gritty sound especially within the excellent second track The Monkey Who Dipped his Balls in my Whiskey which shows a great sense of humour from the band. Before that, the opening track Get Down appears and it’s a straightforward affair allowing the band to lay down some classic Desert/Stoner Rock melodies with some witty lyrics to match.
Though, The Monkey really kicks off from that kick-ass second track with mean sounding vocals and a sudden shift into DOOMED out theatrics. From that moment on, High On Wheels remain ON FIRE by playing a splendid style of different Stoner Rock/Metal themes with a cool “GAELIC” flair appearing within tracks such as Lost In Space, Sinking Too Much and Black Sands.
The album moves at a superb pace with a slight Progressive texture appearing which branches out into COSMIC waters that seriously gives this record a more grounded vision. The vocals are delivered superbly well with an HONEST and GRITTY movement that feels positively real throughout. HIgh On Wheels add some cool DESERT ROCK vibes which sometimes have a haunting Ambient, Blues and Space Rock effect.
There’s more to High On Wheels music that you initially expect with dramatic instrumental solos and musical cues that lead you closer to PSYCHEDELIC and SPACE ROCK bliss. With excellent production values helping High On WHeels along their way, that allows this album to be an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish. This is old-school Desert Rock, Fuzz Rock and Stoner Rock of the highest order which should allow the band to build up a solid and loyal following within the underground scene.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.
The Monkey is available to buy now on CD/DD via Klonosphere Records.
Links
Official | Facebook | BandCamp