Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Beneath The Weight Of Worlds - Tracklist
1. Empty Pages
2. White Noise (feat. Troy Sanders)
3. Electric Mistress (feat. Matt Pike)
4. Chrysalis (feat. Eryka Fir and Aiwass)
5. What Happened To Rock N' Roll
6. Fever Dog (Original cover)
Lineup
Ryan Garney – Vocals
Rusty Miller – Lead guitar
Blake Carrera – Guitars & synths
Christopher Borrelli – Bass
Kenny Shillingburg – Drums
Review
Stay Dead is the latest supergroup to emerge from the Heavy Underground scene who are made up of members from High Desert Queen, Hollow Light and Fear The Victor, However, that only tells half the story with guest appearances from legends such as Matt Pike and Troy Sanders. You also have appearances from Eryka Fir (Coma Hole) and AIWASS along for the ride. Stay Dead’s debut album Beneath The Weight Of Worlds is quite a complex, brooding, philosophical and emotionally charged statement of the human condition.
The record blends levels of Doom, Sludge, Stoner Metal, Prog Metal and Psychedelic elements with some detours into areas of Post-Rock, Thrash, Space Rock and Groove. This is a very multi-layered record from the very start with influences ranging from Mastodon, High On Fire, ELDER and NEUROSIS with also the band’s members ever present musical projects. Lead vocalist Ryan Garney seems to be everywhere these days and that’s a good thing where he can shine a light to his incredible vocals once more.
Ryan leaves the musical heavy lifting to his colleagues and famous friends where they all brilliantly succeed in laying down pummelling grooves that will give your body a tough physical challenge whilst rewarding your mental wellbeing when everything is said and done. The whole record relies on hard-hitting lyrics and intense vocals which come alive through tracks such as Empty Pages, White Noises, Electric Mistress and Chrysalis.
Beneath The Weight Of Worlds does have a grimy and sludgy exterior where the Post-Doom and Post-Stoner thematics work amazingly well with the intense gloomy melodic moments. The most hard-hitting track has to be the excellent second track White Noise which really does touch upon some tough themes which gives Stay Dead a more vindictive appearance than you initially realise until you hear the actual song which leaves you on a more hopeful message.
The flashes of Post-Whatever and Psychedelic melodies is a great way for Stay Dead to introduce a natural way of creative storytelling with the guest appearances of their friends to find common ground to play great music with. The majority of the album is emotionally wrought with complex grooves allowing Stay Dead to align themselves more closely to the likes of Pallbearer and YOB but with a distinctive Hard Rock quality keeping everything grounded.
However, I will say my favourite aspect or track of the album is Stay Dead’s insane and gloriously entertaining cover of the classic track Fever Dog. Fever Dog is from the classic movie Almost Famous. A classic movie directed by Cameron Crowe which was inspired by his early days in the Seventies working for Rolling Stone Magazine and being shown the seedier side of the Heavy Rock scene from the legendary bands of the day. If you haven’t seen the movie then I implore you to watch it now. Watch both versions, the theatrical cut and the even better director’s cut.
Within that movie, there’s a fictional band called Stillwater whose “famous” track “Fever Dog” is played throughout the movie. That song was written by Nancy Wilson of the band Heart and film director Cameron Crowe. This track is pure Seventies HARD ROCK excess but Stay Dead give this a slamming modern day Sludge Rock/Stoner Rock makeover which stays true to the original. (Apologies for the slight historical lesson there. Almost Famous is one of my all-time favourite movies).
Beneath The Weight Of Worlds is how a “supergroup” should deliver their debut album with its fearless attitude and non-stop supply of impactful grooves from start to finish. The legendary record label Ripple Music is releasing this album so you know this is going to sound great. As Ripple Music never put out a bad record within their entire lifetime.
As we say sometimes in the United Kingdom, Beneath The Weight Of Worlds is the “MUTTS NUTS” or “DOGS BOLLOCKS” which means outstanding, top-quality, or one of the absolute best things out there. Well, you get the picture!!!
Words by Steve Howe
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