Mehïga - Mehïga (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Mehïga - Tracklist

1.Load Up 01:04

2.Smoke 04:31

3.Don't Look Down 05:16

4.Go Where You Go 01:58

5.Disco 06:43

6.Vacant 03:39

7.Space Witch 05:45

8.Mehïga 08:29

9.Exit Ship 03:19

Review

Psych/Desert/Stoner Rockers Mehïga have been playing as a band for over a decade now and are finally releasing their self-titled album. The record is a mixture of sounds influenced by the likes of Truckfighters, Slomosa, DOZER and FU MANCHU with some gritty rock attitude of their own making. It also helps that the band is quite experimental at how they deliver their various musical compositions that draws in sounds from the Shoegaze, Ambient, Sludge Rock and Prog Rock environments.

Mehïga play around with different song structures and disjointed elements of Heavy Psychedelic music which comes across surprisingly well within the opening tracks of Load Up, Smoke and Don’t Look Down with the sound being quite precise and surprisingly disjointed at the same time. The music is constantly fuzzy and moves around the Stoner Rock atmosphere with relevant ease as Mehïga develops some wonderfully awkward Sludge Rock dimensions into the mix. You can feel some cool sounding TRUCKFIGHTERS and SLOMOSA melodies emerging behind the scenes with Mehïga applying their own warped and warm identity into their music.

However, that doesn’t stop Mehïga adding some dark strands of Sludge, Doom and Drone grooves into the darkest and heaviest corners of the album that gives the record a wild and unpredictable nature on tracks such as Don’t Look Down, Disco, Space Witch and their epic title track MEHIGA. The whole thing sounds extremely dangerous and aggressive when the intense doomed out guitars show you how SLOMOSA would sound like if they ever ventured into the Sludge Rock arena.

Mehïga also injected some Alt Rock and Indie Rock sensibility into the album just to make things slightly dramatic but also quite endearing at the same time. The record has an off-kilter creative attitude but it’s this great style of musical delivery that allows Mehïga to create unexpected outbursts of Sludge/Stoner Metal instrumental passages that slowly merge into some grounded Heavy Psychedelic sounds with sublime vocals to match.

The production values are quite raw but gives Mehïga a gritty and determined attitude to play the best of their musical abilities that makes this album such a genuine pleasure to listen to. Mehïga never plays it safe and they may take some listeners out of their comfort zone especially on the later stages of the album. However, the music is absolutely thrilling to listen to with Mehïga finally demonstrating their own great original style of Heavy Psychedelic music that should allow the band to gain a bigger following within the underground heavy rock scene.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Nephila - Huldra (Album Review)

Release Date: August 28th 2026. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Huldra - Tracklist

1 Mother Of The Woods

2 In Her Hands

3 The Hidden Folk

4 Ash Their Bones

5 Capercailles Hymn

6 Huldra

7 Solar Eclipse

8 The Living Grave

9 F.I.N.N

Members

Josephine Asker – vocals

Linn Edlund – vocals

Anton Athley – guitar

Jacob Hellenrud – guitar

Johan Larsson – organ & keyboards

Charlie Andersson Vistbacka – bass guitar

Johan Lööf – drums

Review

Swedish septet Nephila has been around for a few years and are now unveiling their sophomore album, the excellent 'Huldra'. These Swedes champions transcendent and psychedelic 70's heavy rock with a sharp, clear yet organic sound. Add impeccable musicianship and songwriting skills and you have Nephila. Rarely has an album title befitted a band's music as much as 'Huldra' does. A huldra for the uninitiated is a forest nymph or a forest spirit and that's what Nephila brings forth, as if their music was conjured by a forest deity. Regardless, this is a brilliant album whichever way you look at it! 

This wonderful music journey begins with 'Mother Of The Woods'. Mid-tempo, mesmerizing and seductive with a gradual buid-up before going all out. There are 9 compositions in all where 'F.I.N.N' ends it all and what a closer it is. A bluesy backbone blended with excellent organ-fueled heavy rock weaves  back and forth as if you're on a magic carpet ride. In between Nephila brings 70's psychedelic rock mixed with early Deep Purple and Jethro Tull in the brilliant 'Ash Their Bones' and in the title track 'Huldra' as well. 'Capercailles Hymn' moves in within the same vein where the duelling guitars and the organ in this instrumental beauty.

The band throws down the gauntlet in the bluesy 70's heavy rocker 'The Living Grave' where they go full tilt like their lives depended on it as the verses creates the atmosphere and the chorus erupts. 'Solar Eclipse' brings soft and delicate vocals and sparse instrumentation and it creates a spectacular realm to move within. 'The Hidden Folk' has such a nice groove moving parallel with excellent riffs and when the vocals enters the fray this already brilliant song is elevated even further. Nephila reels you in with 'In Her Hands' which offers captivating and hook-laden chorus and brilliant solos.

Nephila are such a revelation! Blending psychedelia, heavy 70's rock with a great sound and a modern touch has me hooked right from the start. Add Josephine and Linn's amazing vocals and you have this outstanding band. Not boxed in nor shackled they do what they want and how they want it and this freedom is so apparent in their music. Miss Nephila at your peril because they are far too good to be ignored!

Words by Håkan Nyman

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Huldra is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Mountain Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Psych Stoner Rockers MISTER EARTHBOUND Release New EP MABON Today

Richmond, Virginia based swamp rockers Mister Earthbound have announced their new EP, »Mabon«, scheduled for release on September 22nd, 2026 as the third part of their seasonal »Endless Man« series.

Tracklist:

01. The Fire That Knows Your Name
02. Decay In Bloom
03. Gone

The Lowdown

Following their release of »Litha«, Mister Earthbound present their newest 3-song seasonal release, »Mabon«. Featuring gloomy instrumentation, melancholic harmonies, and driving percussion, »Mabon« is a heavy, bluesy, psychedelic exploration of the autumnal. For fans of Danzig, QOTSA, Alice In Chains.

With the lush, warm sounds of »Ostara« (Spring) and firey blues of »Litha« (Summer) behind them, Mister Earthbound slow things down to a sinister, smoldering burn on »Mabon«.

»Mabon« is the third in an ambitious new series of EPs in 2026. Each is set to launch on a seasonal solstice or equinox, with the bound collection being released as Mister Earthbound’s sophomore full-length, »Endless Man«.

You can listen to the new EP - Mabon - in full below:

The brainchild of guitarist Walter Gray, Mister Earthbound originally emerged after its founder returned to his hometown of Richmond, Virginia in 2016 armed with a pocket full of riffs and a drive to hit the road with a new project. Named as a homage to Napoleon Hill’s book »Outwit The Devil«, the quartet rapidly established themselves in their region and beyond as pioneers of a new breed of swamp rock, and have been captivating a diverse and growing fanbase ever since.

Building on the foundations laid by influences from the trippy tones of the 13th Floor Elevators and the raucous early days of Pentagram to the eerie blues of Robert Johnson with a psychedelic, doom-tinged approach, Mister Earthbound’s signature blend of searing riffs, haunting vocals, and driving rhythms transports audiences to the depths of the swamp both through their studio recordings and their electric live shows alongside sonic titans like Dead Meadow, Kadavar, Weedeater, YOB, and Black Mountain.

With a host of achievements already under their belt, including the release of their debut record »Shadow Work« via Kozmik Artifactz and a feature in Embassy Skateboards’ »Winter Warriors«, Mister Earthbound’s momentum is at an all-time high as they dive into their biggest undertaking yet with the »Endless Man« series of EPs.

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

Links 

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Linktree

SLEEP - Hempispheres (Album Review)

Release Date: September 03rd 2026. Record Label: Third Man Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Hempispheres - Tracklist

1.Have Spacesuit Will Travel 07:22

2.The Morrisist 04:42

3.Hempispheres 07:57

4.Arrival Of The Industry Ships 11:11

5.Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked 06:52

Members

Al Cisneros - Bass / Vocals

Bubba Dupree - Guitar

Dale Crover - Drums

Review

I’m not sure if the dust has settled on how SLEEP’s new album is busy upsetting their fanbase and even some critics. As this isn’t the SLEEP we’re used to. There’s no Matt Pike or Jason Roeder who have been replaced by Bubba Dupree and Dale Crover respectively on their new album Hempispheres. Though, here we are. I will admit I was sceptical before the album was released about how I won’t enjoy this at all. At first I didn’t enjoy anything that I listened to as everything felt too muted and too safe compared to the spaced out ferocity of the classic album THE SCIENCES.

Now a few weeks after the album’s initial release I’m actually in love with the record. It’s different to what has come before, that's mainly down to the change in personnel. I get folks complaining how this shouldn’t be called a SLEEP record and I partially agree to that extent as well. However, I want to review the album as I’m a mega fan of SLEEP. They’re one of my all time favourite bands.

Hempispheres is a superbly created Heavy Psychedelic record that obviously is missing the legendary destructive Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds played by Matt Pike. However, Bubba Dupree is one hell of a guitarist in his own right and perfectly suits this new low-key and spaced out version of SLEEP. The mood is quite abstract and drone based with the music perhaps closer to OM and Shrinebuilder with Dale’s clever drum beats adding a calm sense of momentum that works superbly well with Al’s dynamite bass playing.

The opening track Have Spacesuit Will Travel is SLEEP in a cautious mood creating diverse Space Rock melodies with a distorted sludgy musical environment which has small instances of Ambient and Drone passages forming. As I stated before, it’s quite low-key compared to SLEEP’s previous bombastic records but that’s no bad thing. As this track has plenty of groove and progressive movement that still feels like SLEEP through and through.

Second track The Mirrorist opts for a denser and hypnotic sound with an ice-cold glacial cosmic sound. The song does feel made up of intricate Middle Eastern moments but Al’s in inspired form throughout. The production can be quite fuzzy and not as clean as I would like but doesn’t deter from the great storytelling aspect that SLEEP have been known for. It’s not the fastest song that SLEEP have created here but the journey is worth taking for a mellow and highly aggressive number towards the later stages of the track.

Third track Hempispheres offers brief glimpses of old-school SLEEP with distorted sludgy guitars and a punishing bass line that may feel repetitive in places but the music is constantly addictive with that subtle lo-fi energy winning the day. The cosmic and psychedelic sound effects adds a layer of SPACE ROCK heaviness with a surprising level of distortion and Blues Rock surroundings towards the end of the song. One of my favourite songs from the whole album as it does make me want to rock out every time I listen to it.

A major criticism I’ve seen about the album is the muddled production values and whilst they’re different to previous albums, the record does sound quite vibrant, seedy and fully realized if you appreciate the “LESS IS MORE” feeling of the whole album.

The final two tracks Arrival Of The Industry Ships and Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked are the best parts of the album with SLEEP delving into heavier and quieter sonic based territories where the riffs feel more fully fleshed out from start to finish. The sonic surroundings feel fully fleshed out with a level of progressive delivery that allows the music to be quite more riff-centric and complex spaced out rhythms left me wanting more.

Everyone brings their “A” game to Hempispheres and I love this record for what it is. It’s not the SLEEP we expect and some longtime fans will never consider this a SLEEP record at all. I respect their opinions but I’m glad to make my mind up with this record and even though I have some issues with the record, I still adore the hell out of HEMPISPHERES. If you would have told me at the start of 2026 that we would have new albums by Mastodon, Neurosis and SLEEP then I would have said NO WAY but here we are and some folks are still complaining!!!

My final thoughts is Hempispheres is another outstanding record from SLEEP. Though, it may have received a better reception if it was released under a different name but I consider this an absolute win!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

King Buffalo Announces Pre-Order Details For Seventh Full Length Album DOOMSAYER And USA/European Tour Details

King Buffalo is proud to announce our 7th Full-Length Record to be self-released on 12/4/2026 throughout North America and see European issue via Stickman Records.

Listen to the 'The Slick and the Dead' here!

Doomsayer finds that which is most essential in King Buffalo’s sound and pushes it to the forefront, whether that’s Roa’s expansive tone, vocal melodies and growing role as producer/engineer, Reynolds’ warm low end groove or the character in Donaldson’s fills and flows, in songs that capture the dynamic chemistry between the three of them at its most vibrant, breathtaking and viscerally heavy. – JJ Koczan, Sept. 2026

PREORDERS

Doomsayer Test Presses - Available this Friday at 12pm EST. Limited to 50, hand numbered, and ship immediately! They include a download code, poly bag, a signed "thank you" from the band, a hand numbered insert, and an exclusive alt art poster.

Doomsayer Deluxe Edition - Limited to 750 units and pressed to an emerald translucent and marbled vinyl. The Deluxe Edition includes a hand numbered insert, polybag and a download code.

Doomsayer Standard Edition - Limited to 1750 units and pressed to Opaque Purple Vinyl. They include a polybag and download code.

Doomsayer CD - King Buffalo's 7th Full Length Record on CD.

VINYL & CD PREORDERS

TOUR DATES

European Dates on sale THIS FRIDAY at 10am BST!

02.03 Hamburg, DE - Grunspan
03.03 Antwerp, BE - Trix
04.03 Haarlem, NL - Patronaat
06.03 London, UK - Scala
07.03 Manchester, UK - Gorilla
09.03 Bristol, UK - Electric Bristol
11.03 Paris, FR - Petit Bain
12.03 Essen, DE - Zeche Carl
13.03 Cologne, DE - Kantine
14.03 Stuttgart, DE - Wizeman
15.03 Munich, DE - Backstage Halle
17.03 Berlin, DE - Festsaal
19.03 Copenhagen, DK - Pumpehuset
20.03 Gothenburg, SE - Monument
21.03 Oslo, NO - John Dee
22.03 - Stockholm, SE Debaser Nova





USA Tour Dates

10/29 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
10/30 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre - LOW TIX
10/31 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
11/2 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre - LOW TIX
11/3 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl - LOW TIX
11/4 Seattle, WA - Neumos
11/6 San Francisco, CA - The Independent - LOW TIX
11/7 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
11/9 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
11/10 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
11/11 Albuquerque, NM - Sister
11/13 Dallas, TX - AM/FM
11/14 Austin, TX - Mohawk
11/17 Houston, TX - Bad Astronaut
11/19 Nashville, TN - Basement East
11/20 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle - LOW TIX
11/21 Cincinnati, OH - Woodward Theatre
12/3 Detroit, MI - El Club
12/4 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
12/5 Cleveland, OH - The Roxy
12/8 Toronto, ON - The Mod Club - LOW TIX
12/9 Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount - LOW TIX
12/10 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall - LOW TIX
12/11 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge - LOW TIX
12/12 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
12/15 Richmond, VA - The Broadberry
12/16 Durham, NC - Motorco
12/17 Washington, DC - Black Cat
12/18 Columbus, OH - Skully’s

BUY TICKETS

EUROPEAN PREORDERS

Doomsayer will be released outside of North America via Stickman Records. Preorders start on Friday!

DOOMSAYER EURO PREORDER

Boston Prog Metallers Momentary Masters releasing new single "Body Tells" September 25th

Out this Friday, September 25th, prog metallers Momentary Masters will release their newest single "Body Tells" from the forthcoming album "Rheospect". Heavy, crunching riffs, ethereal vocals, and winding grooves are the name of the game for this crusher of a track.

Momentary Masters is a four piece Boston-based prog-lite rock band. Subtly weaving prog moves into a digestable, heavy riff-driven format, they are looking to share prog sensibility with the greater rock community throughout New England and beyond.

Their debut album, Rheospect, is a love letter to the album format as a narrative arc. In spirit it tells the story of the creative process from inception (“Prospect”), through the flow state of creation (“Rheospect”), and eventually to letting the product go (“Retrospect”).

Laid out in a palindromic structure, Rheospect plays straight through the roughly 70 minute run time and features big riffs, soaring choruses, dynamic instrumental shifts, and thematic easter eggs.

The band plans to support the record live in the Fall in the greater Boston area and is looking forward to digging into their sophomore record.

Momentary Masters - Rheospect

Album out Fall 2026
Self-released (Digital)
Boston, Massachusetts, US
FFO: Tool, Mastodon, Coheed and Cambria, and Karnivool

Momentary Masters is:

Peter Balogh - Guitar
Corey Fyfe - Bass
Jacob Josefsberg - Drums
M Levesque - Vocals

Tracklist:

1. Prospect
2. Doom and Gloom
3. Turning
4. Ghost
5. Midnight Oil
6. Still Life
7. Rheospect
8. The Waves
9. Farsight
10. Everyone Knows
11. Body Tells
12. Through the Veil
13. Retrospect

Links:

Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

KONGH - Dissolved In Time (Album Review)

Release Date: September 25th 2026. Record Label: Trust No One Recordings!. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Dissolved In Time - Tracklist

1.Staining the Ether

2.Guided to the End 

3.Dissolved in Time

Members

David Johansson – vocals, guitar, bass, electronics

Christian Augustin – drums

Jörgen Sandström – backing vocals

Review

Doom/Sludge Metal heavyweights KONGH return after a decade long silence and their first album in thirteen years. The main creative force of the band (David Johansson) is still leading the band but this time round David has called upon the talents of Christian Augustin and Jörgen Sandström who are well known names within the Swedish Heavy Metal scene in their own right.

Dissolved In Time is a different kind of record from KONGH as it aligns itself more closely to the Psychedelic Doom movement with crushing Sludge Metal destruction. The whole sound is helped along by that classic Post-Metal delivery with intense Atmospheric Metal melodies forging a great progressive Doom Metal sound that reminds me of YOB in places. The vocals from David Johansson are superbly inventive which is quite different to KONGH’s early records as David feels more aware of the musical environment around him.

Sometimes David is helped along by Jörgen Sandström who provides excellent backing vocals along the way where the mood does become quite violent and ferocious as KONGH level the playing field with haunting COSMIC DOOM surroundings especially within the mindblowing opening epic track Staining The Ether.

Staining The Ether runs for almost nineteen minutes which is classic KONGH through and through with the music changing from Sludge Metal, Post-Metal, Doom Metal and Heavy Psych soundscapes which is made more technical and highly efficient by the clever use of electronic passages. The lyrics are quite grounded and slightly fantastical at the same time with KONGH developing a cool sounding Post-Doom and Post-Rock aspect into their musical on the later stages of the song.

Second track Guided To The End is a more riff driven affair with KONGH bringing a brooding and pounding style of Doom/Sludge Metal that has a distorted Stoner Metal aspect forming which gives the band a more urgent drive to their music. The FUZZED OUT exterior is quite aggressive with a low-key Doom Metal flow behind David’s vocals. Sometimes the music has a certain Industrial Metal feel which allows KONGH once more to expand their musical horizons once more. Sometimes the record has a disjointed approach but the music is always thrilling and this track has some of heaviest, meanest and thickest grooves on the whole record.

The third and final track Dissolved In Time blends eerie Space Rock sounds to a destructive Post-Rock and Post-Metal playing field which slowly takes time to form that fully branches out into KONGH’s trademark style of Progressive Sludge Metal. The song does have a wicked slow-to-mid delivery where the different flavours of Psych, Space, Fuzz and Post Doom generate some interesting musical and creative choices being made on the track. This is a track where KONGH let their music do their talking and allowing Dissolved In Time to end on a highly aggressive flourish.

Dissolved In Time is expertly created from top to bottom with great work by everyone who helped behind the scenes with the making of the album. This is a breathtaking album from KONGH who have delivered the goods yet again. This is a masterclass of modern Doom/Sludge Metal that is meant to be truly delivered.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to All Noir PR for the promo.

Dissolved In Time is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Trust No One Recordings!

Links

https://www.facebook.com/KonghDoom
https://www.instagram.com/kongh_official
https://www.kongh.net
https://www.facebook.com/tnorec/
https://www.tnor.se/