ỤBỤRỤ - ỤBỤRỤ (Album Review)

Release Date: 15th May 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

ỤBỤRỤ - Tracklisting

1.Butchered 05:55

2.In Tatters 04:02

3.HSPC 03:55

4.Rotting Flesh 05:08

5.Shaman 06:31

6.An Autophage 05:21

7.An Omniphage 05:47

8.Oblivion 08:52

Members

Joe - Guitar & Lead Vox

Isaac - Bass & Additional Vox

Przemek - Drums & Percussion

Review

Death/Doom/Sludge Metallers ỤBỤRỤ is the type of debut album that you can only listen to when you’re completely pissed off at the world or in total despair with the misery going on around you. The record isn’t a pretty sight with ỤBỤRỤ playing a chaotic and violent style of underground metal that revels within its Death Metal atrophy that acts as the brutal creative glue holding everything together.

ỤBỤRỤ play some intense and turbo charged DEATH METAL beats and breakdowns on this record with the horrible vocals coming from Joe and Isaac at different times on the record. The mood is always helped along by a miserable stench of Doom/Sludge Metal with some great moments of Psychedelic kinetic energy which gives ỤBỤRỤ a highly intelligent style of delivering their music to modern day audience.

This is very much a product of the DIY recording scene with the lo-fi recording techniques and production values that the band use to capture their music and it showcases a band who could be classed as a work in progress but at least they have the tunes and threatening grooves to back up their great talent.

The album can be quite progressive within the longer tracks with ỤBỤRỤ showcasing a great style of vivid imagination and musical composition on tracks such as Butchered, In Tatters, Rotting Flesh, Shaman and Oblivion being the main standouts here. ỤBỤRỤ stay close to the EXTREME METAL way of life with brief excursions into Thrash Metal, Crust Punk and the good old fashioned style of modern day Sludge Metal that gives the band an unpredictable quality.

The sound can be quite disjointed, fragmented and superbly distorted but the experimental quality allows ỤBỤRỤ to play like a a force of nature especially within the longer tracks on the album.

The lo-fi production values start to lose their way towards the end, however, there’s still plenty of great moments for ỤBỤRỤ to entice you with before everything is said and done. For a debut album, ỤBỤRỤ have more than enough right to build up a loyal and dedicated following within the Doom/Sludge Metal underground scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | BandCamp

Weaving Shadows - Existential Decay (Album Review)

Release Date: April 20th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Existential Decay - Tracklisting

1.Anguish 05:07

2.Fragile 07:15

3.Kodokushi 09:10

4.Leech 11:45

5.Noctu 09:30

Members

Joe - Guitar & Lead Vox

Isaac - Bass & Additional Vox

Przemek - Drums & Percussion

Review

Existential Decay is the second album from Drone/Doom/Sludge Metallers Weaving Shadows and it’s an emotionally charged record with the band taking a slight experimental approach with their music. The album opens up with a lot of intricate Electronic beats that’s merged against a backdrop of Industrial themes, Droned Out textures and sullen Sludgy surroundings. The record isn’t full on Sludge Metal but offers a slight variation on that style of music with elements of Ambient Metal, Shoegaze, Psych, Drone and Post-Metal that pushes the band into a confident style of “LOW & SLOW” instrumental movements throughout.

There’s a slightly stripped back and restrained approach on how Weaving Shadows play the heaviest sounds on the whole album and they’re quite content in perfecting their Post-Doom and Post-Metal on this aggressive journey. The vocals have an emotional depth to them that weighs heavily on the listener with the bleak and harsh subject tones the band project within their lyrics. 

Existential Decay is never in a rush to reach its eventual destination with the band taking their time allowing their highly volatile melodies to transform into some devastating Post-Metal sensibility that never quite reaches the levels of pure mayhem that some fans may call out for. This is more understated with Weaving Shadows creating their own great style of subtle heaviness that takes influences from the likes of Black Sabbath, CONAN, NEUROSIS, YOB and Primitive Man. One of the main strengths of the album is the ice-cold delivery of the vocals and how the lyrics fully come to life which they demonstrate on tracks such as: Anguish, Fragile and Leech which remain my favourite tracks on the album.

Weaving Shadows are fully committed in playing their highly understated but equally brilliant style of Post-Metal that has a sense of uplifting harmony appearing when you least expect it. The message maybe be quite opaque but the music allows the listener to make up their own minds and come to a conclusion of being mightily fulfilled on the actual journey that Weaving Shadows has taken them upon. 

The progressive sounds, despairing themes and fluid psychedelic movements are perhaps the most unique and standout moments that I will take away from this record that allow this record to be one of breathtaking quality. The production values can be too “LOW-KEY” in places but this works to the band’s advantage as they let their music do the talking and leave you wanting to hear more from this sublime record.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | BandCamp

DOOM/SLUDGE/STONER METALLERS FROGLORD UNVEIL NEW SINGLE “CROAK” AHEAD OF THE MYSTIC TOAD VINYL REPRESS

Emerging from the hidden swamps of Bristol, Froglord return with another colossal chapter in their ever-expanding amphibious mythology as Black Throne Productions announces the long-awaited vinyl repress of the cult favourite The Mystic Toad, arriving this summer alongside brand new single and music video “Croak”, due for release on 3 June.

Blending crushing sludge riffs, psychedelic doom, cinematic atmosphere, and environmental storytelling, Froglord have carved out one of the UK underground’s most imaginative identities through their immersive narrative world known as The Tale of The Froglord. Their sound exists somewhere between myth, ritual, and towering fuzz-drenched heaviness.

The new single “Croak” expands the mythology surrounding The Mystic Toad while dragging listeners deeper into Froglord’s swamp-soaked universe of subterranean grooves and amphibious horror. The track will appear both as a standalone release and as an exclusive addition to the definitive vinyl repress.

Following the success of Lower & Slower, the band once again descend into the cryptid-haunted world of Loveland, Ohio through their continued collaboration with the creators of the cult horror film Frogman. Froglord contribute to the upcoming sequel Frogman Returns, continuing Dallas Kyle’s terrifying investigation into the legendary amphibian cryptid lurking beneath the town’s folklore.

Their oppressive sonic landscapes sit naturally alongside the film’s found-footage aesthetic, blurring the line between doom metal and cinematic unease. Froglord previously contributed the official track “Frogman” alongside “Amphibian Ascending”, “Swamp Boogie”, and “Frogspawn” to the original film soundtrack, with their involvement culminating in a unique live performance during the UK IMAX screening at Bristol Aquarium.

Beyond the mythology lies a genuine environmental message. Froglord actively support the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, donating proceeds from releases and merchandise toward wetland restoration efforts across the UK.

To support the release of “Croak” and The Mystic Toad repress, Froglord will embark on a UK tour this July supporting Bat Sabbath, the Black Sabbath-worshipping alter ego of Cancer Bats, before returning to Bloodstock Open Air Festival and making their debut at Stoom Festival in London.

LIVE DATES

12 July - Nottingham - Beta, Rock City
14 July - Manchester - Rebellion
15 July - Glasgow - Cathouse
16 July - Sheffield - Corporation
17 July - Birmingham - Castle & Falcon
18 July - Bristol - Exchange
20 July - Cardiff - Clwb Ifor Bach
21 July - Brighton - Concorde 2
22 July - Tunbridge Wells - The Forum
23 July - London - Scala

FESTIVALS

8 August - Bloodstock Open Air Festival (Sophie Lancaster Stage)
25 August - Stoom Festival, London

With new material emerging from the swamp, film collaborations expanding, and a packed live schedule ahead, Froglord continue establishing themselves as one of the UK underground’s most creative and immersive voices in modern doom.

The swamp is spreading.

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp | BigCartel

Thanks to Neon Leopard Promotions for the details.

ELDER Announces North America Tour 2026; New Album "Through Zero" Out May 29th!

[photo: Leon de Backer]

In support of their highly anticipated new studio album Through Zero, followed by an extensive run of European and UK live appearances, progressive heavy rock torchbearers ELDER have announced a North American headlining tour for September and October 2026.

The band states:

"This fall we'll hit the road across much of North America in support of our new album Through Zero. This will be our first 'proper' headlining tour showcasing the record after our summer festival run in Europe and we can't wait to perform new material for our friends in the US and Canada.

We're very excited that the fantastic bands Blackwater Holylight and Bask will join us on selected shows - check the symbols for each date."

Tickets will go on sale from Friday, May 15th at 10:00 AM local time.

Visit https://beholdtheelder.com/tour for more info and all upcoming live dates.

[Artwork by Adam Hill]

Tour Dates

September 09 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry*
September 10 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel*
September 11 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade*
September 13 - TBA
September 16 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater‡
September 17 - San Diego, CA - Music Box‡
September 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theater‡
September 19 - San Jose, CA - The Ritz ‡
September 21 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre‡
September 22 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater‡
September 23 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre‡
September 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge‡
September 26 - Denver, CO - Federal Theater‡
September 28 - Chicago, IL - Avondale Music Hall‡
September 30 - Toronto, ON - Opera House‡
October 01 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount‡
October 02 - New York, NY - Webster Hall‡
October 03 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club‡

* with Bask
‡ with Blackwater Holylight

Two decades into their existence, ELDER remain an anomaly in the heavy underground - a rare band with the ability to absorb and shed influences from a myriad of genres without falling into pastiche or losing their own identity. Through Zero stands as a strong reaffirmation of their commitment to pushing boundaries in the world of heavy rock and cements the group’s status as leaders of the pack in heavy psychedelic rock.

Over the past twenty years, ELDER have mastered crushing riffs, melodic jaunts, progressive patterns, hypnotic grooves and ethereal atmosphere. On Through Zero, the band channel these years of experience into what may be their most immediate and engaging record to date, while allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework. Listeners will find familiar elements of new textures, sequences, and sounds alongside ELDER’s iconic take on heavy rock. As always, every spin reveals new details.

Recorded at Big Snuff Studios in Berlin across several months between tours in 2025, Through Zero marks the first album the band not only produced themselves, but also co-mixed together with longtime collaborator Richard Behrens. Mastered by Carl Saff, the result is a record that feels more like a full extension of the band’s creative intentions than ever before.

Through Zero will be released on May 29th viaThe record is set for release on May 29 in Europe via Stickman Records, in North America through Blues Funeral Recordings and Bird’s Robe in Australia. 

Pre-order the album here: https://mailchi.mp/bluesfuneral/elder-through-zero-preorders

[Cover Art by Adam Hill]

Through Zero Tracklist:

1. Sigil To Ruin
2. Capture/Release
3. Through Zero
4. Strata

5. Blighted Age

Elder is:

Nick DiSalvo - Guitar/Vocals
Jack Donovan - Bass
Mike Risberg - Guitar/Keyboards
Georg Edert - Drums

Elder Live Dates 2026:

13.06. Derby, UK - Download Festival
14.06. Colchester, UK - Colchester Arts Centre w/ Blood Incantation
15.06. Southampton, UK - The 1865 w/ Blood Incantation
16.06. Brighton, UK - Concorde 2 w/ Blood Incantation
18.06. Clisson, FR - Hellfest
19.06. Dessel, BE - Graspop Metal Meeting
20.06. Dortmund, DE - Junkyard Open Air w/ Kadavar
21.06. Frankfurt, DE - Das Bett
23.06. Winterthur, CH - Gaswerk
24.06. Karlsruhe, DE - P8 w/ REZN
26.06. Oslo, NO - Tons of Rock
27.06. Thyrnau, DE - Blackdoor Festival
30.06. Sofia, BG - Mixtape 5
01.07. Thessaloniki, GR - Eightball Club
02.07. Athens, GR - Arch Club
07.07. Slunj, HR - Bearstone Festival
10.07. Pleszew, PL - Red Smoke Festival
23.07. Reutlingen, DE - Hafensounds Festival w/ Kadavar
24.07. Budapest, HU - Monolit Festival
25.07. Tolmin, SI - Tolminator Festival
26.07. Milan, IT - Circolo Magnolia Summer
28.07. Rockstadt, RO - Rockstadt Extreme Fest
30.07. Breitenbach am Herzberg, DE - Burg Herzberg Festival
31.07. Michelau, DE - Rock Im Wald
04.08. Rostock, DE - MAU Club
05.08. Josefov-Jaromer, CZ - Brutal Assault Festial
08.08. Âncora, PT - Sonic Blast Festival
14.08. Valais, CH - PALP Festival

More tour dates announced soon

For More Info Visit:

https://beholdtheelder.com
https://www.facebook.com/elderofficial
https://www.instagram.com/elderband
https://elder.bigcartel.com
https://www.stickman-records.com
https://www.bluesfuneral.com

Thanks to All Noir PR for the details.

Sludge/Stoner Metallers HEALER Release New Song RED WAVES And Announce New EP 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 out on July 10th! (Fléau Records/Ace Of Wands)

HEALER is something of an all-star band on the Tours sludge scene. Founded in late 2022, it brings together former members of Verbal Razors, Toekan, Beyond The Styx, and Crack House, who indulge in a french importation of the sound and intent of the Savannah, Georgia USA sludge scene. A precise and meticulously crafted confrontation of heavy, anvil-like riffs gives way to highly effective melodies. The resulting atmospheres are heavy and tormented, yet captivating. This alternation extends to the vocals of Jibus and Hardno, the raspy register of one occasionally contrasted with the clearer, more ethereal tone of the other.

Following Deconstruction, released last year and composed in the same creative burst, Desolation is the second installment in a trilogy of EPs. And it's safe to say that it already have what it takes to comfortably establish the band as a new force to be reckoned with on the French heavy scene. These 17 minutes deliver a relentless barrage of blows, fueled by punk and hardcore aggression, while also offering moments of sheer heaviness and dissonance from doom metal. 

This formula proves more than fitting for the true atonement undertaken by HEALER, who, through this saga, strive to illuminate childhood traumas. This is particularly evident in the lens of overachieving in the face of parental pressure, as suggested by the sublime artwork designed by Wizp. A little name-dropping to conclude this presentation? Because you don't change a winning team, the mastering was once again entrusted to an international figure in this galaxy: Jonathan Nuñez, guitarist of Torche!

Let’s go for a neck-slapping experience, right here right now:

The release of Desolation will be preceded by a handful of great gigs, and in good company:

Live Dates:

27/05 : Tours @ Le Jéricho w/ Zig Zags + Stalemate
28/05 : Rouen @ Le 3 Pièces Muzik'Club w/ Plomb
05/06 : Orléans @ Dropkick Bar w/ Cancer Bats + Maze
18/06 : Clisson @ Hellfest (Purple Stage)

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Vous Connaissez PR for the details.

SNAIL ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE “RED TENT” — FIRST IN A ROLLING SERIES OF DIGITAL-ONLY DROPS AHEAD OF A VINYL COLLECTION VIA ARGONAUTA RECORDS

Seattle heavy-psych/stoner lifers Snail burrowed underground after 2021’s Fractal Altar and came back swinging with 2024’s live document Thou Art There: Live at The Obelisk All-Dayer. Now the trio re-emerges with “Red Tent,” a cold-sweat ripper inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing, and the opening salvo in a 60s-style singles campaign that culminates in a full vinyl release on Argonauta Records.

“Red Tent” finds Snail leaning hard into the classic metal chassis they rode on 2012’s Terminus: knife-edge riffs, ominous harmonies, and that doom-drunk groove only this band can make swing. Fans who’ve ridden with Snail since their early ’90s origins through Snail (’93), All Channels Are Open (’94), the reunion era of Blood, Terminus, Feral, and Fractal Altar will hear the band’s signature fuzz get meaner, tighter, and freakier.

“Red Tent” is the first of a batch of new studio cuts the band has been quietly tracking since Fractal Altar. Each song will drop digitally as a stand-alone single, bringing maximal riffs with minimal waiting. Then the collected work will be pressed to wax by Argonauta, who also released Fractal Altar and Snail’s 2024 live set. Translation: we’re back to the jukebox era of one killer A-side after another until the platter lands.

Band Quote (Mark Johnson, vocals/guitar)

“We basically disappeared into the ice for a minute while writing, recording, and losing our minds on tones. ‘Red Tent’ is the flare going up. It’s paranoia, it’s body-horror, it’s fuzz that wants to tear through the canvas and eat you. We’re dropping these tracks the way the 60s did it: single, single, single, followed by the tactile vinyl ritual. If Fractal Altar was the ceremony, this is the possession. See you under the black light.”

About Snail

Formed in 1992 and reactivated in 2008, Snail has carved a cult path through psych, doom, and heavy melody. Their most recent releases include the studio album Fractal Altar (Argonauta, 2021) and the digital-only live album Thou Art There: Live at The Obelisk All-Dayer (Argonauta, 2024).

Lineup

Mark Johnson: vox/guitar
Matt Lynch: bass, keys
Marty Dodson: drums

For Fans of

Heavy-tripping doom, desert-fried psychedelia, and classic-metal menace—think the spacefaring heft of Fractal Altar with the blade-edge thrust of Terminus.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/snailhq
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

Void Sinker - Cycle (Album Review)

Release Date: 15th May 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Cycle - Tracklisting

1.Hanged

2.Cycle 

3.Isolated

4.Dreadful

5.Nowhere

Members

Guglielmo Allegro - Everything

Review

Drone/Doom/Sludge Metal collective Void Sinker leaves the comforting sounds of the ocean that we experienced on their last album and returns to the cold, desolate and harsh realities of the Cosmic Void. Their new album Cycles fully embraces the Drone folklore and mythology with heavy monolithic tones that are quite slow-paced in nature. As before, Void Sinker emits creative themes influenced by the likes of SUNN 0))), BONG and CONAN though sticking closely to their own rules they’ve created with previous albums released under the Void Sinker name.

The record lasts around fifty three minutes and is perhaps Void Sinker’s most sprawling and deliberately slow album to date. The tone is quite monolithic with deep instrumental passages having a dark pretence and essence to them. Sounds have a weighted grounded approach with that burgeoning thick AMPLIFIER sound perfectly tapping into the LOW & SLOW environment with the stunning opening track of Hanged. There is a down-tuned progressive theme which allows creative mastermind Guglielmo Allegro once again explore the bleak Ambient leaning Post-Doom and Post-Metal surroundings that manifests into some nightmarish style of Stoner Metal soundscapes with layers of FUZZ METAL feedback coming at you from all angles.

Void Sinker expertly taps into the Post-Industrial theme on tracks such as Cycle, Isolated and Dreadful that taps into the gloomy theatrics of a classic Science Fiction movie soundtrack such as the “ALIEN” franchise. There is a sublime “HORROR” and “SCIENCE FICTION” element that fully comes into play on tracks such as Cycle and Isolated where I feel that Guglielmo may be inspired by certain soundtracks that he grew up with or was inspired by. The sudden sharpness of the down-tuned and drone energy does move into heavier, faster and aggressive waters along the way with the album having some intense and crisp production values especially with the haunting sound effects appearing in the background.

Cycles can be quite solitary with the sludgy movements of certain instrumental passages and how Guglielmo delivers the whole flow of the album. Sometimes it’s not very subtle but it’s how Void Sinker plays out the musical momentum that pays homage to some real grounded characteristics of the Doom, Drone and Sludge Metal underground scene. With a wonderfully observed psychedelic and kinetic energy developing within the later stages of the album, Void Sinker allows the album to breathe organically especially when the heaviest and droned out sounds appear on the album.

Guglielmo Allegro has got his creative mission statement developed down to a fine art with his “Void Sinker” persona but it’s always great to hear him try new things and fully challenge himself with each album he releases either under his Void Sinker or Nightscape personas. Cycles is a gloomy and highly claustrophobic release that demands your full attention that will surely put you through a punishing regime of intense Drone/Doom Metal once more.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

TOOMS - KARST (Album Review)

Release Date: 29th May 2026. Record Label: Various. Formats: CD/Cassette/DD/Vinyl

KARST - Tracklisting

1.Blood Rust of Cudgel and Quill

2.Lowlander

3.Tower of Silence

4.Blue Angel

5.Drinkvlt

6.Two Silver Pieces

7.Whitehorn 

8.A Release of Tension

9.Physics Beyond The Standard Model

Members

Big Al- Guitar & vocals.

Anno- Bass

Gracious K- Drums & vocal

Review

Doom/Sludge Metallers TOOMS offer their second album Karst has a lot of great talent behind the scenes bringing the band's nihilistic vision fully to life. You have the legendary Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Pelican, Russian Circles) on mixing duties and mastering handled by the masterful talents of Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan, Primordial) which makes up for a powerful and destructive combination. TOOMS themselves bring their own dynamically powerful and brutal sound that’s held together by Doom, Sludge, Death Metal, Stoner Metal, Psych and grounded Post-Metallic themes that adds a line of Prog Metal into the mix.

The album has an highly unapologetic sound with TOOMS moving away from their Stoner Metal sound they played briefly on their earlier releases. Karst feels like a band finally discovering the music they were meant to play which is full of death growls, ambient melodies and harsh backdrops that morph into something more cerebral within the stunning opening tracks of Blood Rust Of Cudgel And Quill, Lowlander and Tower Of Silence. You can hear the likes of Mastodon, NEUROSIS, ISIS, Cult of Luna, CONAN, THOU and WEEDEATER being used for creative reference but TOOMS are wise enough to play a seedy backdrop of Post-Metal surroundings which adds extra grit, dirt and pure brutality throughout the album. 

The music is at its most powerful and emotionally gut-wrenching when TOOMS play a style of modern day Post-Metal which is merged with pitch black ferocity with that Death Metal aspect fully shining through with massive amounts of technical beat-downs and psychedelic sounds developing behind the scenes. Some of the instrumental passages have an Industrial Metal and Drone Metal vibe which is laced with that Thrash Metal and Extreme Metal energy that has an ice-cold Post-Black Metal attitude not being too far.

Clean vocals do appear within the record but they’re quite violent when compared to the more extreme styles used for the majority of the album. That may sound strange but TOOMS manage to add another layer of intense violence even within the quieter aspects of the whole album.

Karst moves along at a cracking, aggressive and highly addictive pace with certain sections being quite experimental on the later stages of the record. However, TOOMS actually play a great still of riff-driven music as the album contains a high amount of wonderful instrumental passages which even allowed me to drift quite easily into full on“headbanging” mode that always leave you one thousand percent fully satisfied.

Other standout tracks to check out are: Blue Angel, Drinkvlt, Two Silver Pieces, A Release Of Tension and Physics Beyond The Standard Model. As these moments have some highly original psychedelic tendencies which moves the album into some highly unexpected musical waters you’ll be surprised to fully encounter. 

There’s some perfectly placed dark humour spliced throughout the album which shows that TOOMS know how to have some demonic fun when the time calls for this. Karst is a technically impressive album from the very start with TOOMS proving what great musicians they really are by playing a wide range of different HEAVY METAL sounds that’s mostly told through the power of the Doom/Sludge Metal underground scene. 

KARST can only be described as an absolute MONSTER that’s jam packed with brutal gigantic sounds that destroys everything within its wake. TOOMS have a vivid, expansive and highly unpredictable nature hidden within their music which allows the listener to be part of this brilliantly intense and pissed off musical journey they won’t forget about in a long time to come.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Cursed Monk Records for the promo.

KARST is available to buy from the links below:

Digital and Vinyl - Cursed Monk Records

CD - Road To Masochist

Cassette - Fiadh Productions

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Phantom Logic - Salton Dust (Album Review)

Release Date: 27th April 2026. Record Label: Glory Or Death Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Salton Dust - Tracklisting

1.Salton Dust I 19:49

2.Salton Dust II 06:43

3.Glyphwave 05:13

4.A Sigil Bloom 09:06

Members

Matthew Glenn Meyer - Guitar

Kristofer Dawson - Bass

Kiran Sheshadri - Drums

Review

Salton Dust is the debut album from Instrumental Psychedelic Stoner Rockers Phantom Logic and it’s quite a highly captivating free-flowing affair that shows traces of Acid Rock, Space Rock and Post-Doom melodies along the way. Phantom Logic have a major secret weapon at their disposal on this record and that’s the extraordinary musical talents of a certain Isaiah Mitchell (EARTHLESS) appearing throughout the whole album. Sure, EARTHLESS is a massive influence on Phantom Logic but that’s only a small aspect with the band taking cues from the likes of YAWNING MAN, KARMA TO BURN, MONKEY3 and even heavier Doomed Out Bands.

The record has an epic free-flowing melody which allows Phantom Logic to tap right into the seedy heaviness of their Acid Rock creative persona with a lucid imagination exploring deeper Progressive musical themes especially within the epic opening track of Salton Dust I. There’s a rebellious slice of Classic Hard Rock that has an eerie style of Seventies Twin Guitar based action that reminds me of Thin Lizzy before the mood changes into one of Space Rock exploration with a gritty Stoner Rock undertone. 

There are many moments of all of the band's musical individuals trying to wrestle creative control from each other in order to impress Isaiah Mitchell and that musical direction brings out the absolute best of the core members of the band. The album really becomes more thrilling and interesting for me when they move firmly into the realm of Doom Rock and Stoner Metal heaviness where the music is quite frenzied. Sounds become disjointed and pushes the album into new musical areas of absolute heaviness where an unexpected sideline of Sludgy Psychedelics appear to filter out the jam-based aspect of the album from time to time.

The opening track Salton Dust I is the standout track and just whets the appetite for Phantom Logic to explore other areas of their Instrumental Heavy World for the remainder of the album. The other three tracks Salton Dust II, Glyphwave and A Sigil Bloom are equally as good with Phantom Logic; they're just as capable of creating and exploring massive cinematic worlds within shorter timescales but with a real sense of urgency and grounded reality being the main strengths of the whole album.

You have to admire the great use of Ambient sound effects, fuzzed out amplifiers and distorted reverb that’s added on various stages for the album that feels like a turning point for the listener to become more wonderfully engaged with this epic spaced out adventure. The atmosphere can be quite aggressive and wonderfully uplifting with the great use of Post-Stoner effects appearing towards the end of each song that leaves you wanting more of this sublime use of delivering music that can be quite subversive. 

Salton Dust is a record that deserves to be heard by the biggest audience possible. This is a record that has massive appeal and fans of Instrumental Rock Music should check this out when they possibly can. The production values are off the freaking scale that allows PHANTOM LOGIC to create HUGE SOUNDING GROOVES of their own making. This record has the potential to allow Phantom Logic become the “next big thing” within the Instrumental Stoner Rock scene in the years come if they keep making brilliant albums such as this.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

BandCamp | Instagram

Wandering Mind - Endless Skies (Album Review)

Release Date: 08th May 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Endless Skies - Tracklisting

1.The Watcher 11:05

2.Land of Nod 06:12

3.Endless Skies 07:48

4.Bathe In The Light 10:32

Members

Kurt Werder - Guitar and vocals

Jason Chenoweth - Bass and Tambourine and vocals

Jack Henry - Drums and Synth/Keys

Review

Endless Skies is the debut album from Psych/Stoner Rockers Wandering Mind which takes quite a leftfield turn with how the band develop and deliver their mysterious Stoned Out melodies that lay the entire groundwork for the album to fully work. There’s a lot of mystery behind Wandering Mind’s music that has a dramatic WEEDIAN effect but is still grounded in today’s reality with the band moving into areas of Psych, Prog, Post-Stoner, Ambient and Space Rock momentum. The freakish amounts of Space Rock activity allows the music to be quite jam-based with sludgy instrumental sounds holding everything together.

The vocals from Kurt Werder and Jason Chenoweth work superbly well together as they have a real underground quality in the way they're fully delivered. I mean that as a compliment as these are brilliantly real and far away from any modern day studio trickery that is humanely possible. The music is grounded but still off shooting into areas of Cosmic Dimensions with some jazzy interludes that allows fuzzy screeching instruments to fully lead the way on the excellent opening track of The Watcher.

Wandering Mind are influenced by a wide range of different musical artists which they fully transform into their own creative image with spellbinding musical passages being quite distorted and fully doomed out into areas of menacing Drone, Fuzz, Grunge and Blues Rock melodies. The band even play moments of hazy classic hard rock which has a free form style delivery on tracks such as Land Of Nod and Endless Skies. One moment the record can be quite playful with a subtle charge of start/stop instrumental passages before transforming into a thunderous style of Psychedelic Stoner Rock/Metal filled with intricate Desert Rock sounds along the way. 

There’s an epic style of jam-based rock that becomes the main way for Wandering Mind to play their music against whilst still keeping close to the classic tried and tested way of riff based music which they use brilliantly well on the later stages of the album on tracks such as Endless Skies and Bathe Into The Light. One of the real strengths of the record is how Wandering Mind aren’t afraid to experiment with certain themes, textures and grizzled effects that provides their music with real intelligence and human emotion that gives this a highly undeniable quality of pure brilliance at times.

Wandering Mind are from Australia and they inject their cultural heritage into the record which you can feel from every possible angle. The lyrics can be quite uncompromising to hear at times but it’s a great approach that pays off huge dividends for the band. Even though this record can be superbly “FAR OUT” the best of times, it’s also wonderfully grounded and superbly daring when the time calls for this.

Endless Skies is a superbly entertaining album that showcases another fantastic band to check out from the Aussie Psychedelic Stoner Rock/Metal scene that will surprise you in many ways.

Sublime. End Of. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp

Yawning Balch - Volume Four (Album Review)

Release Date: 29th May 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds.Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Volume Four  - Tracklisting

A. Pyramid of Djoser (22:58)

B. Water Ritual (21:44)

Members

Gary Arce – guitar

Bob Balch – guitar

Mario Lalli – bass

Bill Stinson – drums

Review

Yawning Balch once again continue their seismic, hypnotic and dreamlike journey across the Californian Desert with echoes of Shoegaze, Psych, Stoner, Post-Rock and Ambient textures with Volume Four. This is their first release since January 2025 and the band get down straight down to business in crafting a free forming expedition into the murky sounds of the instrumental rock scene. This volume has a heavier and way more abstract based sound with Yawning Balch employing a hazy backdrop of surreal sounding progressive passages though keeping close by to their critically acclaimed Desert Rock sound.

 

The album contains two tracks running around forty five minutes in length with both volumes created as a direct result of a massive five hour jamming session. This gives the album a sense of urgency which is the similar vibe laid down on Volume Three but this one has a heavier and direct sound. Yawning Balch perhaps experimented more here with sonic environments doubling for the Desert Rock playing fields that the band use throughout the album. The sudden shift into Shoegaze and Post-Stoner dynamics with some epic Space Rock guitars courtesy of Gary Arce and Bob Balch allowing Mario Lalli (Bass) and Bill Stinson (Drums) to create a grounded rhythm section that opens the listeners mind to new spaced out experiences.

The opening track Pyramid Of Djoser is wonderfully opaque and superbly adventurous at the same time with Yawning Man playing their heaviest and aggressive track to date. The song is perhaps mostly dominated by the creative sounds of Yawning Man with Bob Balch’s creative input being more tenacious where he delivers the knockout blow of generating intense aggressive Stoner Rock surroundings. The level of Progressive environments is impressive yet again with a swirling vortex of Post-Rock and Ambient based attitudes holding everything together with a sense of melody that reminds me of Russian Circles and Pelican in places. 

The final track Water Ritual continues with that surreal and trippy environment with haunting instrumental passages firming delving into the world of Spaced Out Desert Rock with flashes of uplifting Psychedelic movements that firmly embraces and rewrite the Stoner Rock folklore that all members have created throughout their legendary careers with their respective bands and musical projects. 

Even though the album is purely instrumental yet again, Volume Four tells an intriguing and highly involving story that easily drops the listener right into of the legendary “Generator” parties that were all the range back in the day that firmly helped to establish the rules of the Stoner Rock scene that we all know and love today. The production values are excellent but they still allow Yawning Balch to offer a cautionary tale where the destination is just as important as the overall journey.

I’m hopeful once more for future chapters within the extraordinary and cinematic story that Yawning Balch has created so far. If this is the last chapter then the guys have ended the journey on a triumphant high where I’m completely satisfied especially after we’ve been treated to four classic individual albums over the years.

Volume Four is an exquisite and beautifully realised album that demands you full undivided attention.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Volume Four is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links 

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram