Megaton Communion - Three Of Cups (Album Review)

Release Date: September 11th 2026. Record Label: Black Doomba Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Three Of Cups - Tracklist

1.Evil Speak 03:43 video
2.Echoes in Time 04:52
3.Desert Centipede
4.Three of Cups
5.Depth
6.Embrace
7.The Hollow
8.Goddess
9.River Valley Queen

Members

Derrick – Guitar

Joe – Bass/Vocals

Ken Gosselin – Drums

Review

Desert Rock/Stoner Metallers Megaton Communion return with their second album Three Of Cups which allows the band to add a seedier and grungier style of music. The sound is still very distorted with a classic Nineties Hard Rock attitude that emerges very early on within the sublime opening track of Evil Speak. There is a great style of different influences appearing where you can hear musical vibes from the likes of Soundgarden, KYUSS, FU MANCHU and The Melvins. 

The whole sound has an aggressive layer of Fuzz Metal with some buoyant QOTSA and Truckfighters based Desert Rock swagger. Megaton Communion are in complete control creating their own great blend of gloomy sounds that become quite DOOM based with each passing song being played such as: Echoes Of Time and Desert Centipede. The band excel playing fast-paced music to the more doom rock orientated slow paced numbers which shows a wide range of different styles to appear.

Three Of Cups may be dominantly melodic but Megaton Communion allow themselves the time and freedom to go in a different musical direction where the sludgy instrumental sounds become more abrasive and refreshingly honest. The “DOOM & GLOOM” themes contained within the lyrics has a certain apocalyptical momentum especially towards the second half of the album.

Megaton Communion even added some TOOL-esque beatdowns and musical progressive beats to make this quite a mind expanding record still keeping with the grounded attitude that’s always been a great aspect of the band’s music. Perhaps not as riff heavy as their debut album but there’s more variety of great music that allows each band member to show their great musical skills from start to finish.

The stripped back production of the album is refreshingly clean and superbly real which allows  Megaton Communion to add real human emotion into their music and nothing is over played with Three Of Cups being superbly original in its own right.

Other standout tracks to check out are: Depth, Embrace, Goddess and the mighty final track River Valley Queen.

My final thoughts is that Megaton Communion have delivered a superbly addictive album that pays homage to the classic Nineties Hard Scene but adding a gritty modern day flavour into the mix that is the complete package if you’re a dedicated follower of THE MIGHTY RIFF!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Metal Devastation PR for the promo.

Three Of Cups is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Black Doomba Records.

Links

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French Heavy Rock Trio GREYBORN sign with Mrs Red Sound for the release of their debut album ‘Insoluble’ this Fall

Photo credit: Florent Pinsault.

GREYBORN's cold, disillusioned heavy rock is being released as a full-length album for the very first time! Following two brilliant EPs, the band have signed to Mrs Red Sound and announced the release of their debut album ‘Insoluble’ on November 20th 2026. First video excerpt Cold Metal Bowels is available to watch now.

As a major milestone in GREYBORN’s history, the new album ‘Insoluble’ marks a lineup change: drummer-vocalist Théo Jude has swapped his drums for a guitar. The project takes on a whole new depth and seems to reveal far greater potential. GREYBORN’s new album ‘Insoluble’ skilfully straddles the boundary between different styles without ever wavering or veering into nonsense. The solid heavy foundation – at times doom, at times psychedelic, and even metal – is enhanced by clean vocals in a 90' style. ‘Insoluble’ has struck the right balance between simplicity and complexity, between impact and atmosphere. Themes of the ego, of abandoning oneself and others, of disappearance and fading away, feature prominently throughout the album.

'Insoluble' was recorded by Théo Jude and Guillaume Barrou, assisted by Thomas Marchand and Alexis Bardet, and mixed by Théo Jude. The mastering was handled by Thibault Chaumont of Deviant Lab.

Much like the album it represents, GREYBORN’s new track “Cold Metal Bowels” straddles genres, featuring clear, pop-rock, 90-inspired vocals, yet with instrumentation that sounds purely stoner, doom and metal. The disenchantment is obvious and reflected in the meticulous crafting of atmospheres and themes, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. The apparent coherence is never quite what it seems.

Guitarist and singer Théo Jude explains: “In Greyborn, we aim to find our balance between pop and ‘metal’, between simplicity and complexity, between efficiency and atmosphere, melody and rhythm. Instinctively, the theme that emerged for “Cold Metal Bowels” is the concept of emptiness. Like many people, I feel trapped in a society and a system that I don’t understand but of which I am inevitably a part. To try and portray this lack of faith, this disillusionment, this feeling of being trapped with no possible escape, Seb and I decided to depict lonely characters, lost in everyday settings that have been rendered empty and strange.”

The music video was directed by Seb Antoine. Stream the single and presave the album on the plateformes at this location.

GREYBORN new album 'Insoluble' - Out November 20th 2026 via Mrs Red Sound and F2M Planet.
Formats: LP, CD, digital.

Artwork: Saiden Burden.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lonely Promises
2. Insoluble
3. Daffodils & Aftermaths
4. Silk Parade
5. Cold Metal Bowels
6. Sulfur Seeding
7. Ghost Pelt

GREYBORN emerged in 2021 from that space between light and darkness, somewhere amidst the damp, mineral-like chill of Limoges. Led at the time by a drummer-vocalist, the band forged its own balance, shaping its raw materials: crushing heaviness, contemplative violence, epic melodies, and hypnotic atmospheres that were by turns sombre and radiant.

‘Leeches’, their debut EP released in 2022, saw them play around thirty gigs in France alongside Mondo Generator, Nebula, My Diligence, Pogo Car Crash Control… ‘Leeches’ was followed by a second EP in March 2024, ‘Scars’. From ‘Leeches’ to ‘Scars’, these releases weave a chronology and a causal link between the themes of the two EPs. Matthieu Giordano of The Heavy Chronicles listened to ‘Scars’ and wrote that “the trio’s music intensifies with this second EP, which boasts a massive, raw sound. Full of heaviness and rage, more disjointed and yet just as refined, it’s the gifted and carefree little brother to ‘Leeches’. Grittier and far more confident in its spontaneity and stoner roots, this second effort pushes all the knobs into the red.”

In 2025, drummer-vocalist Théo Jude became guitarist-vocalist and, after a few gigs that cemented the new line-up, GREYBORN recorded their debut album. Retaining the influences of their previous EPs, ‘Insoluble’ also reveals a darker, more melancholic and aggressive face. It comes out on November 20th 2026, on Mrs Red Sound (vinyl, digital) and F2M Planet (CD).

STUDIO LINE-UP

Théo Jude: guitar, drums, vocals
Guillaume Barrou: bass, backing vocals

LIVE LINE-UP

Théo Jude: guitar vocals
Guillaume Barrou: bass, backing vocals
Thomas Marchand: drums, alternately, depending on the dates
Florian Olives-Demerson: drums, alternately, depending on the dates

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Shake Promotion for the details.

US Psychedelic Rock Trio SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL to issue new album "The Divide" on Ripple Music this October 23rd; stream title track now!

East Coast-based genre-crossing psychedelic trio SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL announces the release of their sophomore full-length "The Divide" this October 23rd on Ripple Music, and shares the dark and gripping title track on all streaming services today.

Get compelled by new single "The Divide" at this location 

On their forthcoming second album and Ripple Music debut The Divide, the versatile Virginia Beach trio channels a world in chaos into a cathartic and unflinching sonic reckoning, leveraging modern psychedelia, surf rock and folkier elements with a darker edge. Confronting everything from the anger and frustration caused by personal turmoil and a country on fire, SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL relinquished control to deliver nine sharp, reckless and definitely genre-bending tracks.

As frontman Ryan Chandler puts it, "I mean to provoke. We always have. 'The Divide' isn’t all thorns and rough edges, though. A major juxtaposition in many of these songs intends to remind us what we might be fighting for. When we protect beauty, peace, love and contentment, sometimes we must show our fangs. We show ours with this new album." The Divide will be issued on October 23rd in various vinyl editions as well as on CD and digital, with preorders available soon on Ripple Music.

New album "The Divide" - Out October 23rd on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)

Formed in coastal Virginia in the summer of 2017, SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL emerged from a collision of distinct musical pedigrees. Drummer Josh Woodhouse brought the precision of Florida's death metal and progressive scenes, bassist/vocalist Ryan Chandler channeled experimental and psychedelic depths, and now former guitarist Zack Trowbridge rounded out the trio with a foundation in blues, jazz, and surf rock. The chemistry was immediate and their early gigs built entirely on improvised sets accompanied by liquid light shows, quickly became the stuff of local legend. Rather than hide from their influences, Snake Mountain Revival playfully embellish them, crafting a vibrant, forward-looking take on psychedelia that feels both timeless and restless.

Their 2018 self-titled demo EP caught fire in the blogosphere, earning praise on both sides of the Atlantic and establishing the band as a formidable live act. In 2021, they released their debut album Everything Is Sight on Rebel Waves Records, hailed as "a vibrant, vast and unyielding landscape that any set of ears will enjoy conquering" by Distorted Sound Magazine. With a polarizing, high-energy presence and crossover sound, they've shared stages with kindred spirits like Acid Dad, Freedom Hawk, Sammi Lanzetta, and Frankie & the Witch Fingers.

Now, with their sophomore album The Divide, SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL turns inward and outward at once. Set for a October 23rd, 2026 release on Ripple Music, this new outing promises to catch listeners off guard and compel them into their own peculiar, transcending realm.

SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL is

Ryan Chandler - Vocals & Bass
George Spellman - Guitar
Josh Woodhouse - Drums

SNAKE MOUNTAIN REVIVAL links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

ROBOT GOD Release New Single – DRIFTING INTO OVERDRIVE - Out Sept 11th From Upcoming New Album

Sydney psychedelic heavy rockers Robot God are showing no signs of slowing down.

Following the release of their acclaimed 2026 album Onto the Afterlife, Robot God return with “Drifting into Overdrive”, the latest single from their upcoming album Curse of the Driven, landing on September 11 across all major streaming platforms.

“Drifting into Overdrive” is Robot God doing what they do best, locking into a deep, hypnotic groove and letting the riffs take the wheel. Fuzz, weight, atmosphere with a relentless forward momentum, delivering another glimpse into a band that continues to push its sound further with every release.

The single arrives ahead of the band's second full-length album of 2026, Curse of the Driven, due October 16th.

Available on vinyl through respected underground labels Kozmik Artifactz and Black Throne Productions, Curse of the Driven sees Robot God continuing their evolution through crushing stoner grooves, psychedelic textures, heavy riffs and expansive jams.

Robot God have spent the past few years building a reputation well beyond their Sydney home base, earning international recognition within the psychedelic, stoner and heavy underground and sharing stages with major international acts. Now, with Onto the Afterlife behind them and Curse of the Driven ready to land, the band are taking things up another level.

Check out the link below for current singles and Robot God socials.

https://linktr.ee/RobotGod

JAPAN – SEPTEMBER 16th to 20th

Before the album campaign hits Australia, Robot God head overseas for a five date Japanese mini-tour of Tokyo and surrounds, taking their live show into the heart of Japan's underground heavy music scene.

September 16 – Cactus – Shinjuku
September 17 – Crescendo – Kichijoji
September 18 – Moonstep – Hatsudai
September 19 – Rathole – Chofu
September 20 – Earthdom – Shinjuku

The Japan run marks another step forward for a band that has steadily expanded its reach beyond Australian shores.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Robot God return home in October for a run of Australian shows supporting new single “Drifting into Overdrive” and the release of their latest album Curse of the Driven, hitting stages across Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and Geelong.

Drifting into Overdrive hits streaming services September 11th.

Full album Curse of the Driven lands October 16th.

Get on board before the machine disappears over the horizon.

Links

Bandcamp | Youtube | Facebook | Spotify

Shrineburner - Hymns Of Despair (Album Review)

Release Date: September 11th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Hymns Of Despair - Tracklist

1.Void of Guilt

2.Spectral Cataclysm 10:48

3.Bodies Dragged to Sunlight 05:53

4.Slow Death Chant

5.An Ocean of Broken Hope

6.Hymn of Despair

Members

Peter Norman – guitar, vocals

Edward Hamel – drums

CJ Johnson – bass

Review

Hymns Of Despair is the massive debut album from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Shrineburner who have risen from the heavy metal wastelands of Chicago which is shown throughout the album. You can hear the creative DNA from bands from that scene that has come before Shrineburner where they apply their own great style of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal folklore. 

The sound here is inspired by the likes of INDIAN, CONAN, BONGRIPPER, HIGH ON FIRE and MASTODON with Shrineburner applying a destructive cosmic energy which manifests into some epic Psychedelic down-tuned melodies with a fast paced Psychedelic quality. The added layer of Blackened Doom grooves adds a ferocious HEAVY METAL attitude which allows Peter Norman’s harsh vocals to put in a commanding performance within the stunning second track Spectral Cataclysm.

The whole environment is built upon violent areas of COSMIC DOOM with an intense THRASH METAL and SPEED METAL alliance forming when Shrineburner play an unstoppable style of HEAVY METAL before changing into an absorbing Post-Rock and Ambient Metal collective. Shades of YOB and PELICAN appear within these quieter moments which are some of my favourite parts of the album as it allows you to become emotionally attached to the whole album.

Even the darkest and bleakest moments of the album have a hopeful energy behind the scenes that gives Hymns Of Despair a multi-layered and progressive feel which the band play to their own great advantage on tracks such as: Bodies Dragged To Sunlight, An Ocean Of Broken Hope and Hymn Of Despair.

The Sludge Metal dynamic becomes the main weapon of choice for Shrineburner to build epic instrumental rhythms and melodies with that thumping bass line being another highlight of the album for me. There’s some great technical grooves being applied to the album which showcases how superbly talented the individual members of the band really are. The harsh atmospheric landscapes adds a true sense of despair with downbeat grooves being projected throughout the album though it’s deeply nuanced COSMIC and PSYCHEDELIC moments that holds everything together.

Shrineburner apply some great storytelling themes within the lyrics that remind me of MASTODON and HIGH ON FIRE but the band apply their own gritty attitude into the whole void with some brutally realistic themes emerging within the longer tracks contained on the album. There’s a great mix of down-tuned, low & slow and amplifier distorted instrumental passages that manage to both be quite old-school and superbly modern at the same time. 

The vocals maybe harsh and abrasive throughout but they’re quite easy to understand which allows the listener to be fully immersed with the whole musical journey at play here. Shrineburner are a fairly “new” band forming in 2023 but they feel like they’ve been around for decades with this record feeling like a greatest hits package than their debut album.

Hymns Of Despair is a masterful record and is one of the strongest debut albums I’ve had the pleasure to listen to. On this form alone, Shrineburner have what it takes to make a long lasting impact within the underground Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene and possibly beyond. 

This is an essential album to own. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.

Hymns Of Despair is available to buy now on CD/Digital Download with a vinyl release planned at a later date.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Dead Sea Apes - Psychic Tension (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Cardinal Fuzz Records / Feeding Tube Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Psychic Tension - Tracklist

1.Damn Your Eyes

2.Psychic Tension 05:57

3.Severance 06:53

4.Ursa Minor

5.Deathless

Members

Brett Savage - Guitars

Jack Toker - Bass, Guitars

Chris Hardman - Drums

Review

Instrumental Rockers Dead Sea Apes have had quite a varied career since their inception back in 2009 as the band traverse multiple different musical genres such as Psych, Krautrock, Drone, Noise, Psych, Post-Rock and even some Doomed Out movements along the way. The band are widely celebrated as one of the most original bands to emerge from the underground scene and the band are gearing up to release their latest album with Psychic Tension. 

Psychic Tension feels like a modern day soundtrack to the fucked up and nightmarish times we currently live in with Dead Sea Apes conjuring gloomy Post-Rock pastured that’s laced with some dark Industrial beats that’s fused with an aggressive Noise Rock energy within the haunting opening track Damn Your Eyes. The sudden shift into heavier Doom and Drone sounds gives the record a cautionary vibe with screeching guitars courtesy of Brett Savage and Jack Toker who also provides bass. 

Instrumental Rock music has never felt so alive with Dead Sea Apes bringing a political energy to the record even without any vocals appearing. These guys are masters of their own craft which they play with vivid imagination the hard hitting opening tracks of Damn Your Eyes and Psychic Tension. The music is played with an intense and precise quality which also allows the band to have a JAZZ based attitude. As the music overlaps into different areas of HEAVY ROCK that allows Chris Hardman on Drums to completely think outside the box and conjure up sounds you didn’t think were possible. His muscular presence allows Brett and Jack to conjure up a musical storm that takes no prisoners.

The record does have a thoughtful side within the quieter Post-Rock and Ambient moments that briefly appear but Dead Sea Apes are mostly about that full on delivery with subtle excursions into Drone and Noise Rock textures. This is a major part of how Dead Sea Apes bring that politically charged atmosphere into their music with a surprising style of Drone Metal emerging from behind the scenes that allows a surprising Atmospheric Sludge environment to fully develop. 

There are some parts of the album that feels like Dead Sea Apes are inspired by the likes of Russian Circles, Pelican, CAN, MONO and even some legendary Seventies Heavy Rock bands which sees a free-flowing style of ROCK and METAL being heard on tracks such as Psychic Tension, Severance and Deathless. 

Dead Sea Apes are always continuously thinking of exciting new ways of injecting that mysterious style of destructive Psych Rock and Space Rock into a more modern setting that feels remarkably offbeat but retaining that vital ingredient of the “ELEMENT OF SURPRISE” that’s made their last few records an absolute joy to listen to.

Despite the experimental creative energy of Psychic Tension, there’s a high amount of instrumental jams, riffs and grooves for long time fans and even casual listeners to fall in love with especially within the standout fourth track of Ursa Minor. This is where Dead Sea Apes get straight down to business playing mind-expanding melodies that maneuver through levels of Noise Rock, Doom, Sludge, Psych, Space Rock, Ambient Rock and Post Rock that’s amplified by a stunning use of Prog Metal just to make things even more violent.

Psychic Tension is one of Dead Sea Apes most essential records in years and feels like the band have reinvented themselves whilst still keeping their core creative principles intact. The record isn’t the most easy going of experiences but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Dead Sea Apes. They’ve been going for the best part of two decades and I hope that continues for a very long time. As this is a record for our fucked up times and I’m pleased we have bands like Dead Sea Apes to tell folks how the world actually is.

This album is nothing short of pure brilliance. Plain and simple.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Shamedia for the promo.

Psychic Tension releases 18th September 2026. Pre-sales will start imminently via Cardinal Fuzz in the UK and Feeding Tube Records in the USA.

Links

Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook

Hazemind - Inner Sanctum (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Inner Sanctum - Tracklist

1.Burning Fuel 06:06

2.Mountain 07:35

3.Hellfire 06:40

4.Welcome To The Void 04:44

5.Broken Ropes 04:51

6.Interruption 00:42

7.When The Leader Speaks 07:04

8.The Shell (Part 1: On The Edge) 05:47

9.The Shell (Part 2: Into The Madness) 03:20

Members

Mathieu Pelletier - Bass

René "Bits" Hosson - Drums

Elliot Cadieux - Guitars

Jonathan Lachapelle - Vocals

Review

Inner Sanctum is the debut album from Stoner Metallers Hazemind which is a classic mix of aggressive melodies and subtle fuzz rock attitude. There’s a great Doom Rock aspect that appears from the very start with Hazemind creating fast-paced sounds with an excellent backdrop of Stoner Rock/Metal mechanics that is easily fused to some classic Heavy Rock and Desert Rock themes.

Jonathan Lachapelle’s vocals have a great throwback quality to them with them filled with vibes from the Nineties Grunge, Psych and Stoner Metal scenes. The rest of the band apply a great level of Psychedelic and Progressive based passages which should have fans of bands such as Howling Giant, KYUSS, FU MANCHU and Truckfighters on the edge of their seats. There is a trippy and psychedelic vibe which becomes more dominant from the excellent second track Mountain with some subtle musical change over to a heavier level of Doomed Out Rock. 

There’s some mighty fine interplay between the Grungier aspects that comes across superbly well from the epic guitars played by Elliot Cadieux. Though, he’s supported brilliantly by the storming rhythm section of Mathieu Pelletier (Bass) and René "Bits" Hosson (Drums) who perhaps have a subtle HEAVY METAL attitude for the way they deliver their music.

Certain sections of the record are quite intense with that Scorched Desert Rock attitude forming on the tracks Mountain, Hellfire, Welcome To The Void, and When The Leader Speaks. As the lyrics have a highly confident atmospheric nature to them. Hazemind approaches their “destructive” and "atmospheric" melodies with real cold hearted efficiency which gives their music a more deceiving style of pure raw heaviness. 

Inner Sanctum does have that raw and stripped back sound mostly heard within the sublime production values that gives Hazemind a heavier presence within the later stages of the album. This is a debut packed full of great tunes which allows Hazemind to fully announce their arrival within the Doom/Stoner Metal underground scene and perhaps make a name for themselves in no time at all.

If you want an album that stays true to the classic essence of Stoner Rock/Metal and have some brief excursions into other areas of Heavy Rock then Hazemind are the band for you!!!

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram