NILIM - Uncoiling (EP Review)

Release Date: December 12th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Uncoiling - Tracklisting

1.The Relic 

2.Psychic Collapse

3.The Sky Devouring Itself

4.Uncoiling

Lineup

JQ - Everything

Review

Drone/Doom/Post-Metal collective Nilim release their latest bleak offering Uncoiling which follows the same destructive and slowly played sounds heard on their debut record released earlier this year. This time round Nilim has a bleaker and heavier canvas to play with as more distorted and violent soundscapes emerge from the harsh Post-industrial backdrop of Sludge Metal surroundings. The sound is quite abstract with Nilim adapting an early NIN aesthetic with his vocals which seems it will move into a more extreme style at any unpredictable moment.

The actual music is quite fragmented with an ice-cold attitude which allows Nilim to explore other areas of Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal with a slight mechanical sound which you can fully experience within the excellent opening track The Relic. The lingering Drone and Noise effects adds a nightmarish quality to the whole record with a despairing Psychedelic attitude emerging from within which you can see Nilim exploring similar themes from the likes of NEUROSIS, GODFLESH and AUTHOR & PUNISHER. The song is quite subversive with its slow-to-mid paced music luring you into a false sense of security before beating the absolute SHIT out of you with its intense grooves that leaves no stone unturned in providing thrilling riffs from start to finish.

The second track Psychic Collapse continues with the nightmarish energy but with a dominant Industrial energy once again opening up the creative vortex to even more punishing outbursts of aggressive melody and psychedelic textures with an intense Post-Rock/Post-Metal vibe emerging from the darkness. The muscular slab of Sludge/Post-Metal atmospherics is quite grounded with JQ’s vocals holding everything together with a meaty NOISE ROCK and dare I say CAVEMAN DOOM presence. Pay close attention to the lyrics as they seal the deal with this being perhaps the heaviest and most memorable track on the whole EP. With the great use of Ambient and Psychedelic sound effects where NILIM really finds his true creative purpose in providing sounds that will haunt your dreams and nightmares for days.

Third track The Sky Devouring Itself being a pure Ambient/Post-Rock driven track with only minimal outbursts of Industrial and Post-Doom rhythms before returning to his Sludge Metal domain for the final moments with a slightly distorted environment closing the song in great style.

The final track Uncoiling allows Nilim the final choice to unleash another final outburst of nightmarish aggression but perhaps with the most riff-centric track on the whole release. There’s the extra use of Ambient. Post-Rock and Psychedelic textures keep everything within the Post-Metal and Sludge Metal domain but I absolutely adore the “less-is-more” attitude and technical ability that NILIM shows on this track alone. A great way to end this superb EP with.

Uncoiling is quite a dark and brooding experience but one that's not afraid to show moments of uplifting humility that's quite refreshing to hear for a record such as this. Awesome stuff. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | BandCamp

Cult Heavy Blues Rockers HERMANO (with ex-Kyuss John Garcia) to issue Hellfest live album on Ripple Music this February 6th 2026

California's heavy blues titans HERMANO (fronted by iconic Kyuss vocalist John Garcia) announce their new live album "Clisson, France" this February 6th on Ripple Music and present a first video with the roaring single "Left Side Bleeding". The announcement comes with news of a European spring tour, including festival appearances.

About the upcoming Hellfest 2016 live album, guitarist Dave Angstrom enthuses: “We were honored to be invited to perform at Hellfest 2016. It had been several years since we all had been in the same room, let alone had the chance to jam together—and it was an incredible experience. Being with my closest friends in France, connecting with the amazing audience, and having the opportunity to spend time with my family while experiencing the magic of Hellfest is a memory I will always cherish. Capturing that first Hellfest experience for Hermano on vinyl is special, serving as a reminder of the strong bond, love, and friendship I share with John, Chris, Mike, and Dandy. I’m a lucky man. We are so appreciative of Todd Severin and the Ripple Music family for getting this out. We hope everyone enjoys what we created that memorable evening as much as we enjoyed being there together.”
 

Watch Hermano perform Left Side Bleeding at Hellfest 2016 + listen to the live track on all streaming platforms

Recording albums and touring when they wanted to since their formation nearly three decades ago, Hermano has always consistently refused to operate on anyone’s schedule other than their own. Lured by the repeated calls of their devoted fans, though, the band first reunited for a stirring performance at Hellfest in Clisson, France, in the summer of 2016. Eight years removed from their last live performance, they arrived in Clisson with time to rehearse through their material for a couple of hours before taking the stage. In what has been hailed as the most thrilling set of the 2016 edition of Hellfest, that evening the audience witnessed a band hitting on all cylinders, a performance so energetic and seamless that those in attendance were in awe that the band had not performed together since 2008.

Captured on both audio and video, "Clisson, France" promises to be one of the most magical and significant live releases of 2026. It will be issued on limited LP edition, CD, and digital format on February 6 through Ripple Music, as well as on DVD through the band's channels.

Not ready to stop there, encouraged by the fervor of fans across the globe, Hermano has booked their first extensive tour in over a decade for the spring of 2026. For both old and new fans of the band, these shows will offer a rare and unique opportunity to experience one of the most influential and thrilling groups in the heavy blues genre.

Hermano European tour 2026 (tickets via links)

May 7 - Paris (FR) La Maroquinerie
May 8 - Utrecht (NL) Tivoli Vredenburg
May 9 - Cologne (DE) Luxor
May 11 - Vienna (AT) Arena
May 12 - Munich (DE) Backstage Halle
May 14 - Berlin (DE) Desertfest Berlin
May 15 - London (UK) Desertfest London
May 16 - Nijmegen (NL) Sonic Whip
May 17 - Brussels (BE) Obsidian Dust

HERMANO "Clisson, France" live album - Out February 6th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)
Preorder the album

TRACKLIST:

1. Left Side Bleeding
2. The Bottle
3. Cowboys Suck
4. 5 to 5
5. My Boy
6. Is This Ok
7. Alone Jeffe
8. Kentucky
9. Manager's Special
10. Angry American
11. Love
12. Señor Moreno's Plan

The story begins twenty-eight years ago in a second-floor apartment in Covington, Kentucky. The details are of a band that never was... Some already know the story. They remember the first time they heard about Hermano, the whispers of a super-group that had tracked an album backed by Frank Kozik and set to be released on Man’s Ruin Records. When Kozik’s label closed shop before the album could be released, those who knew of the project waited through nearly four years of hurdles and contractual obligations to be cleared before they could hear an album that not only lived up to its promise but also established itself as one of the most influential heavy blues (aka stoner rock) collections ever recorded.

Hermano first formed when David Angstrom (Supafuzz), Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs), Mike Callahan (Disengage), and John Garcia (Kyuss) agreed to lend their talents to the session that Dandy Brown had scheduled for December 1998. Coming together for the first time in Cincinnati, the initial riffs that Brown had constructed were arranged by the newly formed group and would become the foundation for the band’s debut album, Only a Suggestion.

Over the next decade, Hermano would go on to release three studio albums (Only a Suggestion, Dare I Say and Into the Exam Room) and a live record (Live at W2) showcasing the force the band had become in the heavy blues market. Embarking on a series of now-legendary sold-out live performances in the United States and Europe, Hermano continued to grow a legion of dedicated fans and critical acclaim. Following the European tour in support of their debut album, Steve Earle’s departure to pursue his solo project opened the door for veteran drummer Chris Leathers (Supafuzz) to step in during the band’s performance at FestiMad in 2004. Performing on the next two studio albums and their live release, Leathers' addition to the group cemented another chapter in the friendships established during the band's formation six years earlier.

With wind in their sails after their iconic 2016 Hellfest performance, and with the acquisition of full ownership of their entire catalogue, Hermano committed to sonically updating their albums through remixing, remastering, and reissuing their three studio albums and live material with San Francisco-based Ripple Music. The first in the series of reissues, Only a Suggestion, was made public in the fall of 2023, drawing tremendous reviews for the band’s updated blues rock masterpiece and giving their devoted fans a delicious first taste of what is to come over the next few years.

Seizing the energy of finally having an open window of opportunity, Hermano issued their first new material in over fifteen years with the release of When the Moon Was High in 2024. Featuring previously unreleased material from their Only a Suggestion sessions, live tracks, and the new single "Breathe", the band stepped back into the fray with overwhelmingly positive reviews, culminating with their stellar headline performance at the 2025 edition of Hellfest.

HERMANO line-up:

John Garcia – vocals
Dandy Brown – bass
Mike Callahan – guitar
David Angstrom – guitar
Chris Leathers – drums

RIPPLE MUSIC links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Sludge/Doom Metallers TARLUNG Reveal Full Album Details for “Axis Mundi”

Vienna-based sludge doom masters TARLUNG are back. Five years after the success of Architect, the band will release their new full-length album “Axis Mundi” on January 30, 2026 via Argonauta Records on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms.

Axis Mundi marks the return of TARLUNG with eight tracks of crushing riffs, chugging rhythm and fierce growls. The album captures a world in turmoil, growing more chaotic and out of line every day, and asks the question of how to maintain one’s sanity until the moment the “Axis Mundi” bursts.

Once again TARLUNG deliver nasty, in-your-face sludge and doom, but they also explore experimental textures and moments of contemplation within the chaos, only to return to uncompromising brutality.

The full tracklist is:

Static Noise
The Valley of Nowhere
Burning Out
Sea of Drowned Souls
Swans
Full Circle
Between Earth and Moon
Axis Mundi

The first single “Static Noise” is already out and can be streamed here: https://song.link/tarlung_sn

Fans of EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Weedeater, Iron Monkey, Dopethrone, Thou, and Grime will find Axis Mundi a relentless and immersive slab of sludge-infused doom that is both punishing and hypnotic.

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/tarlungband
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

https://tarlung.bandcamp.com/track/static-noise-2

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

The Mojave Experience Festival full lineup revealed, single day tickets on sale now

The Mojave Experience festival today announces the full lineup for the first annual event, which takes place from March 20th-21st, 2026 in Joshua Tree, California. The festival is the brainchild of organizer and High Desert native Patrick Brink, frontman of VOLUME and former lead singer of desert rock legends Fu Manchu. Tickets are on sale now for individual days. Tickets are available HERE.

Co-headliners Earthless and Dead Meadow top the bill, totaling 16 bands confirmed to perform over two nights. The lineup includes legends in explorative and countercultural music, as well as future ones now making waves. The full lineup is:

Earthless
Dead Meadow
John Garcia (ex-Kyuss)
Acid King
Nick Oliveri's Death Acoustic
Yawning Man
Hippie Death Cult
Rubber Snake Charmers feat. Sean Wheeler
Ecstatic Vision
Howling Giant
Early Moods
The Freeks
Arthur Seay and the Riff Killers
Borracho
Insomniac
Soft Sun

The Mojave Experience takes place in Joshua Tree, California at the Joshua Tree Lake & Campground. Attendees are encouraged to make use of the camping, hiking and rock climbing in the area while taking in the vast beauty and mystery of the region that birthed the Desert Rock movement.

The Mojave isn’t just a backdrop — it’s the raw, unfiltered stage where music, art, and chaos collide. Out here, under endless stars and brutal sun, the desert strips away the fake and leaves only what’s real.

The Mojave Experience was born from that spirit. It’s not another sanitized festival in a city park, it’s a gathering for the wild ones, the wanderers, the true believers who know the desert doesn’t hand out comfort, only freedom.

This is where local desert legends share the stage with national heavyweights, weaving new stories into the myth of the Mojave. No velvet ropes. No corporate gloss. Just artists, misfits, and seekers coming together for a weekend that won’t be forgotten.

We bring the sound. You bring the fire. Together we’ll carve something into the desert that echoes long after the amps shut down. This is more than a festival — it’s a ritual. A pilgrimage into the heat, dust, and sound that will rattle your bones and rewire your soul.

Come ready. Come raw.

Spotify Playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QKD6f90qkNWLrZtA6lQva

The Mojave Experience isn’t here to entertain you — it’s here to change you.

THE MOJAVE EXPERIENCE 2026:

03/20-21/2026 Joshua Tree, CA - Joshua Tree Lake & Campground

mojaveexperience.net

Thanks to US/THEM PR Group for the details.

Neverseer - Neverseer (EP Review)

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

Neverseer - Tracklisting

1.Between Worlds 06:05

2.Disintegrate 04:36

3.Ouroborean 03:25

4.Prism 04:05

5.To No Return 03:37

Lineup

DAN DREVER

ALI LAUDER

Review

Neverseer is a Progressive Sludge Metal band from Edinburgh, Scotland who focus solely on a modern blend of heavy music that draws elements of Doom, Thrash, Groove and Sludge into a ferocious mix of fast-paced beatdowns, harsh growls and outbursts of grounded melodies. Inspired by the likes of Mastodon, High On Fire, Gojira and Lamb Of God though with Neverseer creating their own vivid style of Progressive musical foundations to build their own music upon.

Their debut self-titled EP is a highly confident and surprisingly technical affair with the music being quite powerful set against Ali Lauder’s dominant vocals. Ali who has also been part of other acts such as Ageless Summoning and Of Spire And Throne knows how to whip the audience into a mighty frenzy with his aggressive vocal style that demands your full attention. The music is written by Dan Drever of Iron Altar fame now branching out into something quite different with Neverseer.

The music here is always grounded and honest with Neverseer keeping to their Groove Metal and Prog Sludge Metal roots. There’s a burgeoning intensity to Neverseer’s music which develops very early on within the outstanding opening track Between Worlds. The song feels twice as long with Neverseer developing a classic narrative that feels inspired by the legendary artists of the modern day Heavy Metal scene.

Second track Disintegrate has a more cautionary effect with Neverseer tapping into areas of Post-Doom authority with the music being dominated by GOJIRA aquatic landscapes and progressive sludge grooves with a passing resemblance to Mastodon but still of their own making. The song is quite violent and beautifully melodic when the epic cinematic Psychedelic surroundings appear on the later stages of the track.

The next batch of tracks of Ouroborean and Prism allows Neverseer to become more influenced by a more outlandish musical style with a classic HEAVY METAL appetite developing with Neverseer still keeping close to their Progressive Sludge Metal surroundings with flashes of pure tech metal appearing throughout both tracks. There is subtle Post-Metal energy that develops along the way which allows Neverseer to play the heaviest moments on this EP.

The final track To No Return allows Neverseer to end the EP the way it started with more grounded THUGGISH melodies that are played at such an intense and emotionally charged pace. The EP delivers a thrilling and action packed finish that Neverseer delivers with supreme authority that you're majorly impressed from start to finish in what the band have brilliantly created here.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

BandCamp | Instagram

Psych Stoner Rockers BLACK LUNG release first single 'Traveler' & details of forthcoming new album "Forever Beyond"

BLACK LUNG drop the opening track 'Traveler' as the first single taken from the American heavy psych rockers' forthcoming new full-length "Forever Beyond". The fifth album from the Baltimore, Maryland outfit is scheduled for release on March 6, 2026, via Magnetic Eye Records.

Pre-order the album here: https://spkr.store/collections/black-lung

Watch the video for 'Traveler' here:

BLACK LUNG comment on 'Traveler': "This song is about relying on one's anxiety and depression -almost like a super power", vocalist and guitarist David Cavalier writes. "You think, its the things that are going to keep you safe and sharp. In reality, it's the complete opposite. The song also touches on the idea of living in a blameless world. Radical acceptance of people and who they are. Musically, this is one of my favorite tracks. We made it as dynamic as possible and each section feels like its own moment."

Tracklist:

1. Traveler
2. Death & Co.
3. Savior
4. Follow
5. Forever Beyond Me
6. Border Hoarder
7. Scum

When you find yourself adrift at zero gravity with a dreamy smile on your face, you've probably booked a flight into space on BLACK LUNG's latest inter-dimensional transport "Forever Beyond".

The veteran trio from Baltimore, Maryland have fine-tuned the recipe of their musical rocket fuel, distilled from stoner doom, psychedelic rock, and other fiery ingredients. BLACK LUNG's unique concoction drives every track with captivating tunes, melodic riffing, pumping rhythms, and the inimitable vocal cords of Dave Cavalier taking it home. Every single song on "Forever Beyond" hits its mark perfectly.

On their fifth album "Forever Beyond", BLACK LUNG complete the hyper jump initiated on their fourth album "Dark Waves", which was already venturing into new sonic galaxies. Undertones of anger and defiance manifest as many of the songs are artistic reactions to the historic political upheaval in the USA, dealing lyrically with the lure of fascism, blind nationalism, and corporate oligarchy.

BLACK LUNG came into being when two founding members of Baltimore's well-established psych rock band THE FLYING EYES, guitarist and organ player Adam Bufano and drummer Elias Schutzman, teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Dave Cavalier in early 2014. The three set themselves apart from the crowded field of psych doom and heavy blues with a sonic interchange of fuzzed-drenched guitars, deep driving drumbeats, and Cavalier’s raw, blues-tinged vocals.

Their self-titled debut "Black Lung" appeared in 2014 and was not just celebrated locally, with the title "Best New Band" awarded by the Baltimore City Paper, but BLACK LUNG also crossed the Atlantic to embark on their first European tour. This was capped with a performance at the prestigious Rockpalast Crossroads Festival, broadcast on German national television.

BLACK LUNG released their sophomore album "See the Enemy" in 2016, building on the strengths of their debut while at times pushing into garage psych territory. The album paved the way for a headlining European tour, notably appearing at Freak Valley Festival and DesertFest Belgium.

In 2019, BLACK LUNG returned with "Ancients". The third full-length channeled years of experience, touring, and songwriting into a more adventurous course, venturing further from familiar doom and psych rock tropes. During the pandemic years, BLACK LUNG managed to push forward with new guitarist Dave Fullerton, which resulted in fourth album "Dark Waves". It was a milestone in the band's career, as they abandoned some of their pet ideas such as eschewing bass guitar live in favour of guitars through bass amps, along with the black and white aesthetics that had dominated their artwork of their first three full-lengths.

BLACK LUNG are openly anti-Trump and anti-fascist to the core and make no secret of it. They have no intention to become dogmatically boring but rather aim for live performances that are both cathartic and fun.

With "Forever Beyond", BLACK LUNG prove that it is possible to rage against injustice with an utmost joyful defiance!

Line-up

David Cavalier – vocals, guitar
Dave Fullerton – guitar
Elias Schutzman – drums, keyboard, vocals
Mac Hewitt (live) – bass

Recording line-up

Dave Fullerton – guitar
Elias Schutzman – drums, percussion, mellotron, synth, bouzouki
Dave Cavalier – vocals, guitar
Charles Braese – bass

Guest musicians

Ms. Sara – vocals on 'Traveler'
Robert Karpay – cello on 'Follow'

Recording by Steve Wright at Wrightway Studios, Baltimore, MD (US)
Mixing by Steve Wright at Wrightway Studios, Baltimore, MD (US)
Mastering by Tony Eichler at Goldtone MasterWorks, LLC, Cape Coral, FL (US)

Cover image courtesy of the NASA/Ames Research Center
Cover image hand-coloured by Zarahlena
Layout by Łukasz Jaszak

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/blacklungbaltimore
https://www.instagram.com/blacklungband

https://blacklungband.bandcamp.com/album/forever-beyond
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords/
https://www.instagram.com/magneticeyerecords/

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

PAK40 - Superfortress (EP Review)

Release Date: December 04th 2025. Record Label: Sonic Centurion / Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD

Superfortress - Tracklisting

1.Old Nomad 10:36

2.Superfortress 06:38

3.Ascend 05:43

Lineup

Leo Hancill - Drums

Andy Glen - Bass / Vocals

Review

Drone/Sludge/Stoner Metallers PAK40 awaken from an almost five year slumber with their new heavy pounding release Superfortress which once again sees the band explore a more minimalistic approach with their music. The mood traverses between Doom, Drone, Noise, Sludge and Stoner Metal surroundings with a sound that’s emphasized by stripped back recording techniques and production values. The EP lasts around twenty three minutes that’s spread across three tracks that allows PAK40 tap into areas of music populated by the likes of SUNN 0))), Neurosis, The Melvins and High On Fire in places.

Opening track Old Nomad sees PAK40 deliver a song that’s blessed and cursed by an aggressive Drone Metal mentality before exploding into a loud volume of noise where the music suddenly transforms into a sludgier riffier and meatier sound. You can hear echoes of BIG BUSINESS coming at the best possible opportunity with PAK40 keeping their own monolithic creative attitude appearing within Andy Glen’s outlandish vocals which has shades of DOOMED OUT PROPHECY behind them. The jagged instrumental passages are quite thrilling especially with the calm and measured drumming performance from Leo Hancill who I just featured recently with his other band’s TELEOST sublime release. 

The other two tracks of Superfortress and Ascend follow the same destructive pattern with elements of Noise, Psych Rock and even Garage Rock allowing PAK40 to add an eerie melody to their music. The sound is wonderfully violent with high levels of DISTORTED hysteria developing behind the loud levels of distorted soundscapes which one again allows Andy’s vocals to be developed with a true MADMAN persona which he delivers with pure evil relish.

Superfortress has the legendary talents of James Plotkin on mastering duties which shows PAK40 packing some serious power behind the scenes with excellent producing, recording and mixing handled by Niklas Pietsch and Eris Deimel. 

PAK40 have delivered the goods yet again with an action packed EP and despite the short running time, they don’t waste a single second in allowing the listener to fully losing themselves within the fucked up chaos that SUPERFORTESS offers from beginning to end.

Words by Steve Howe

Available to buy on Cassette @ https://www.instagram.com/soniccenturion/

Available to buy on CD @ https://invertedgrim-millrecordings.bandcamp.com/#

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Stormtoker - These Edibles Ain't Shit (EP Review)

Release Date: December 04th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

These Edibles Ain’t Shit - Tracklisting

1.The Escapist 05:18

2.Cleanse The Cur 03:13

3.Meet Your Noisemaker 03:27

4.Uncle Cid 05:52

5.The Cycle 07:06

Review

Stormtoker returns with another outlandish slice of Progressive and Experimental Sludge/Stoner Metal that has moments of freakouts, jazzy instrumental passages and classic heavy metal surroundings. Inspired by the likes of High On Fire, Mastodon and The Melvins but offering a more fucked up and experimental approach that reminds me of PRIMUS dabbling into areas of the Occult especially within the opening track The Escapist.

Stormtoker throws everything but the kitchen sink into this song to see what actually sticks where they just run riot with multiple different styles of Heavy Metal being delivered. The song does feel like you’re coming down from a very bad trip and wondering WHAT THE FUCK is happening with trippy jams, weird vocals and experimental sounds all colliding to scare the hell out of you. The song is quite progressive and leans into the weirdly demented sound that The Melvins and PRIMUS developed back in the day.

Second song Cleanse The Cur feels like it was inspired by Mastodon, PRIMUS and Frank Zappa with violent vocals that don’t make a whole lot of sense at first but Stormtoker manages to make everything work. Harsh and death growls emerge from the harsh Psychedelic Sludge Metal and Jazz Metal grooves for a discerning attack on the senses. So expect lots of different styles of thrash beats and subtle musical changes at the drop of a hat.

Third song Meet Your Noisemaker sees Stormtoker change musical direction yet again with a nightmarish journey into the band’s creative and fucked up psyche. There’s echoes of SYSTEM OF A DOWN at play here with the band perhaps adding too many different elements that the song loses momentum towards the end but for the most part this is a solid track to lose yourself in.

The final two tracks of Uncle Cid and The Cycle allow Stormtoker continue their musical and creative journey into demented and spiritual madness with some epic progressive soundscapes being delivered throughout. This is perhaps the strongest part of the EP as the band play with a “LESS IS MORE” approach and let their music finally dictate the action with some marvellous technical skills being shown by the band. 

The Cycle is perhaps the standout track on These Edibles Ain’t Shit with Stormtoker perhaps delivering one of the most offbeat, oddball and superbly confusing releases to emerge this year from the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal underground scene. This won’t be for everyone but if you’re in the mood for something refreshingly different then Stormtoker are the band for you.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Frozen Planet....1969 - Echoland (Album Review)

Release Date: November 25th 2025. Record Label: Pepper Shaker Records. Formats: CD/DD

Echoland - Tracklisting

1.The Plants 02:55

2.Setting The Scene For Time To Stand Still 08:46

3.If It Had Wings 05:31

4.Plastic Banquet 05:36

5.Echoland 18:23

Lineup

Paul Attard.........6 strings

Lachlan Paine....4 strings

Frank Attard.......no strings

Review

I haven’t featured Frozen Planet.…1969 on the blog in almost four years where I reviewed their 2022 album Not From 1969. Well, the guys are back with another extraordinarily slice of Psychedelic Rock with massive amounts of Space Rock, Stoner Rock and extended instrumental jams on their latest musical adventure Echoland. The end result is quite subversive and experimental with Frozen Planet…1969 employing many left-field creative turns with their music which can be straightforward and downright confusing at the best of times.

This has always been the case with Frozen Planet…1969 on previous record and they don’t change direction here with different flavours of Psychedelic Rock which is formed against a backdrop of experimental cosmic themes. There’s different feedback loops, noises and gnarly instrumental effects. The whole record is deeply rooted in Sixties and Seventies psychedelic folklore with a splash of modern day interpretation only being used sparingly throughout the album. 

With influences ranging from EARTHLESS, KARMA TO BURN, HAWKWIND and CAN being heard on Echoland, the band still manage to keep things quite real and putting their own authentic spin especially within the excellent tracks of The Plants, Setting The Scene For Time To Stand Still and the epic final title track of Echoland. There are shades of Garage Rock and more straight-forward Rock & Roll being added for good measure which results into some epic extended instrumental passages with the right amount of Stoner Rock streetwise credibility. 

Though, be prepared for different musical instruments, sound effects and noise effects being thrown in for good measure. If you’re a long time fan of Frozen Planet…1969 then you’ll be use to this surreal experience but for the casual fan, this will be like your mind, body and soul has been transported into an entirely new musical dimension of the band’s own making.

The album can be quite heavy and freakishly loud which makes this one of the most interesting records the band have put out in a long time. Frozen Planet…1969 adapt a whole experimental and cinematic approach which allows their music to feel longer than it actually is. That’s one of the main strengths of Echoland with some hidden and highly deceiving surprises throughout.

The warped use of different sound effects offers a fantastical and science fiction take which is always great to hear but Frozen Planet…1969 manages to keep everything real and grounded and that takes real talent to form a record such as this. 

Echoland is a superb slice of Instrumental Stoner Rock who prove once again they’re one of the finest Psych/Stoner Rock exports the Australian Rock scene has to offer at the moment.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Introduce Yourselves: SUN EMPRESS

What is the name of your band?

Sun Empress

What is the genre of music you play?

Sludge metal, progressive stoner with psychedelic influences

A brief history of the band

Sun Empress is the Swedish duo Henrik Wikner (Vargsol, Caterpillar Ghost, The Distance Between Us) and Christian Fransson (Mon) who started making music together remotely in 2023 as a side project, connected through their common love of slow and explosive heavy music. As the songs grew and morphed from riffs and ideas into a cohesive whole, more effort and time was poured into it as the project solidified into their debut 2025 release, Still Life.

What can people expect from your music?

An uncompromising outlook on life, both the good and bad. A very focused musical endeavour that moves from the gnarly sound of a single locust to the explosive sensation of being stampeded by a herd of elephants. 

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

Still Life is the first release from the hard-hitting outfit from Gothenburg, Sweden. Moving through the realms of the slow paced heavy musical universe of bands like Yob and Kongh, Sun Empress adds psychedelic and progressive colours to a pitch black canvas. Add to this a distinct sense of melody and an expressive vocal style and Sun Empress sets out on a musical exploration.

Where can people find you on social media?

https://linktr.ee/sunempressband

https://sunempress.bandcamp.com/album/still-life

http://instagram.com/sunempressband

https://www.youtube.com/@sunempressband

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583085683603