Red Sun - Songs From Hidden Places (Album Review)

Release Date: June 19th 2026. Record Label: Subsound Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Songs From Hidden Places - Tracklisting

1.. Hidden Places

2. Details from the Past

3. Sleeping Brainqui

4. The Hidden Truth

5. All Things Are Written There

6. A Hidden Bond

7. The Secret Dope

Members

Stefano "Eno" Dusi (guitar)

Mirco Dugaria (bass)

Federico Rivoli (drums, synth)

Elisa Brusati (vocals)

Review

Psych/Space/Stoner Rock collective Red Sun take a major creative risk with their latest album Songs From Hidden Places by moving from their core instrumental sound and adding a vocalist to the mix. Elisa Brusati has joined the band and this gives Red Sun a more mystical and ethereal progressive quality to their music which aligns them more closely to the likes of TOOL and A Perfect Circle from a musical perspective at times.

Elisa’s vocals are quite grounded which gives Red Sun quite a Spaced Out energy compared to their previous albums. Their trademark style of Acid Rock, Psych and Jam based melodies are fully intact but with a heavier presence which fully comes to life very early on within the excellent opening track Hidden Places. There’s some trippy sounds building up behind the scenes as different layers of musical themes overlap each other whilst still being quite low-key and remarkably subdued.

Songs From Hidden Places does take time to find it’s emotional core but it’s a journey worth taking with the lyrics inspired by the likes of WINDHAND which is powered by some epic gloomy soundbytes being played from the instrumental melodies that accompany each track. There are some interesting themes developing within the hard-hitting tracks of Details From The Past. Sleeping Brain and The Hidden Truth.

The album does have a kaleidoscopic sound that’s developed throughout the album where the music constantly evolves with different hooks, riffs and progressive sounds allowing Red Sun fully reinventing themselves for the better. Red Sun perhaps had to change their music to form around Elisa’s superb vocals which can be quite direct one moment and beautifully sincere the next which left me impressed on an emotional level.

The second half of the album does allow Red Sun to play heavier grooves and wonderful ambient synths which can be considered Doomgaze in some aspects with the most powerful moments appearing on tracks such as All Things Are Written There and The Hidden Dope. 

Songs From Hidden Places is an emotionally charged record that allows Red Sun to open a highly exciting new chapter for themselves. The record is quite daring but one that offers the listener a highly rewarding experience that you will remember for a very long to come.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Metaversus PR for the promo.

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Hard Psych Unit SATURNA to release new album "Light and Shadow" on September 17th via Spinda Records & Ripple Music; debut new video "Self Told Lies"

Barcelona, Spain's hard psych rockers SATURNA are set to return this fall with their new album "Light and Shadow", released collaboratively on Spinda Records & Discos Marracas (Europe) and Ripple Music (North America), with the debut single and video "Self Told Lies" streaming everywhere now.

Watch the "Self Told Lies" lyric video // Live at Siete Barbas Estudio
+ listen to the single on all streaming services

Saturna's upcoming sixth studio album Light and Shadow retains the core elements that define their sound — hard rock, psychedelia and alternative rock — while expanding the Catalan foursome's sonic palette with new dynamics, renewed energy and greater textural variety. The contribution of Max Eriksson’s compositional input, alongside a desire to explore new sonic territories, has helped shape a record that pushes their sound forward without losing its essence.

Recorded and produced by the band themselves, with Enric Verdaguer handling mixing duties, Light and Shadow embraces a more organic, honest and live-oriented approach. Moving between heaviness and introspection, the album explores a wide emotional spectrum while maintaining the intensity that has always defined their music. Thematically, the record revolves around duality: light and darkness, love and hate, life and death. Its lyrics draw on personal experiences and the contradictions between opposing forces.

The artwork is once again created by Jondix, a long-time collaborator of the band internationally known for his work with Tool and other major names in the rock and metal scene.

SATURNA "Light and Shadow"
Out September 17th on Spinda Records & Discos Marracas (EU) and Ripple Music (North America)

From Barcelona, Saturna have spent over a decade building a distinctive identity within contemporary heavy rock, blending the raw power of classic hard rock with psychedelic atmospheres, alternative rock depth and a strong melodic sensibility. With a sound that is both powerful and emotionally rich, the band has developed a singular voice that resonates with audiences across Europe and beyond.

Across five studio albums, Saturna has crafted a musical language rooted in the balance between heaviness and sensitivity, combining crushing riffs with expansive sonic landscapes. Their previous record, The Reset (2023), marked a turning point: it reached number one on the US Doom Charts, appeared on numerous year-end lists, and strengthened their international profile, leading to extensive touring activity on both sides of the Atlantic. The band’s reputation has been built equally in the studio and on stage. Their live performances are defined by emotional intensity, instrumental precision and a genuine connection with the audience, establishing them as a rising force within the European heavy rock scene.

Saturna is

James Vieco - vocals, guitar
Max Eriksson - guitar
Rod Tirado - bass
Enric Verdaguer - drums

Saturna links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Spinda Records links

Webstore | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR and Spinda Records for the details.

Ancestro - En Ruinas (Album Review)

 

Release Date: May 25th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

En Ruinas  - Tracklisting

1.13001 01:50

2.Status Quo 05:14

3.Andante 04:07

4.Wachuma 07:15

5.Horizontes Salvajes 04:15

6.En ruinas 05:59

7.Guerra 02:24

8.Mar desierto 08:24

Members

Boris Baltodano – bass

Rafael Paul – guitars

Diego Cartulin – drums, percussion, and keyboards

Diego Cartulin – effects and clean guitars

Review

En Ruinas is the fourth album from Psych Stoner Rockers Ancestro and this is my first time within their heavy and spaced out realm. The album is helped by the band using levels of Doom, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal and Cosmic Rock which all play a huge part for Ancestro exploring a more personal style of Instrumental music you initially expect. The record can be quite bleak and unforgiving with the distorted amplifiers playing a massive part transporting the listener to a destructive part of the cosmos where you feel multiple planets have been destroyed by a mysterious destructive force. 

Ancestro feel inspired by the likes of SLEEP, HAWKWIND, MONOLORD, MONSTER MAGNET, KARMA TO BURN and EARTHLESS whilst creating their own great style of Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal with the great use of keyboards and sound effects which is heard from the excellent tracks of 13001, Status Quo and Andante. There is a level of Progressive Rock appearing which gives an eerie Seventies Rock energy whilst employing some intricate areas of Nineties Doom, Grunge and Stoner based themes. 

Ancestro make great use of SONIC MANIPULATION and AMPLIFIER DISTORTION throughout this album where it feels like sheer poetry at times. The band are equally wonderful and brilliantly creative when joining up areas of Post-Metal, Prog Rock, Space Rock and Acid Rock for a sound that’s superbly cinematic. This feels like a soundtrack to classic DISASTER movie being played for the WEEDIAN community to call their own.

En Ruinas does have a great storyline holding everything together as the album is explained below by the band themselves:

“Inspired by life in Trujillo, Peru, the album explores the city’s transformation—from its once combative spirit to a present shaped by decay, loss of identity, and day to day violence.. Across eight tracks, it moves through symbols and moments of this decline, forming a critical and emotional sonic testimony.”

The most thrilling moments of the album is when Ancestro fully explores their Post-Metal and Atmospheric Sludge identity even further which allows the record to be quite violent within the volume department. As Ancestro lay down some vicious sounds along the way on tracks such as Status Quo, Andante, Wachuma, En Ruinas and Mar desierto. My favourite aspect about thai album is how Ancestro have included their Peruvian heritage into the album as you feel immersed by the culture especially with the different sounds, trippy effects and massive LOW & SLOW environments the band just throw in for good measure. 

I’ve listened to Ancestro’s previous albums but this is by far their heaviest and boldest record to date. This is quite forward thinking with the band touching upon areas of music they haven’t played before. You’ll even experience some classic Eighties Heavy Metal instrumental solos along the way which shows you how the band are always thinking outside the box. 

En Ruinas is an absolute MONSTER of a record and one of the heaviest Doom/Stoner Metal albums I’ve experienced from the South American underground scene in quite some time. Add this one to your collection folks. You won’t regret it. Awesome stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Mothertomb announce debut album of ethereal, crushing doom "Dying to Live" out July 14th 2026

Mothertomb emerged from the deep woods of Northern Michigan in 2025, forging a sound that is equal parts crushing weight and haunting atmosphere. Rooted in traditional doom metal yet unbound by convention, the band's sound explores a broad spectrum of influences, from the hypnotic haze of heavy psych and stoner metal to the aggression of sludge metal and the dynamic complexity of progressive and groove metal.

Why "Mothertomb"? Although the band had been together for the better part of the year, we still struggled in finding our name to identify our sound and image. In April 2025, Northern Michigan was hit with one of the worst ice storms recorded in the last 100 years — so much so, that it destroyed all power grids in the region and left 145,000 people (including us) without power in below freezing temperatures for several weeks, resulting in a national state of emergency.

In witnessing this natural self-destruction of our forests, trees, and wildlife, we saw the polarization of beauty and despair intertwined and encased in inches of ice. It was both mystical and horrifying. It felt like Mother Nature had created her own tomb. And thus, with that thought came the name… Mothertomb - a duality of the light and dark that represents the human condition and inspires our sound.

Set for release on July 14, 2026, Dying to Live is Mothertomb's debut full-length album. Across its five tracks, the record explores themes of transformation, suffering, transcendence, and the timeless struggle between darkness and light. Drawing inspiration from Welsh folklore and the shadowed corners of the human psyche, the songs traverse landscapes inhabited by ancient spirits, inner demons, and the forces that shape the human condition.

The album unfolds through layers of metaphor, allegory, and introspection, inviting listeners into a world where darkness and illumination coexist. From brutal heaviness to moments of eerie beauty, Dying to Live is a journey through the depths of the human experience.

Created entirely as an independent DIY effort, the album was written, recorded, produced, and artistically directed by the band itself. Dying to Live stands as a testament to that labor of love, and we are honored to share it with the world.

PRAISE FOR "MOUNTAIN HAG" & "BEWARE":

"Mountain Hag is nothing short of a revelation with Mothertomb continuing their progression in perhaps becoming one of the best upcoming acts the underground scene currently needs right now." - Steve Howe, Outlaws of the Sun

“a doom-laden ritual where Sabbath-sized riffs meet prog-tinged menace and pure occult weight." - Mel Lie, Sunday's Heavy Tunes

“one of the bands that could emerge as a new revelation in the coming years." - Rubén Herrera, La Habitación 235

Mothertomb - Dying to Live

Album out July 14th, 2026
Self-released (Digital, CD Cassette)
Northern Michigan, US
Cover art by Alice Gawlinski

Recorded in Charlevoix, MI at Death Box Records (2026).
Music written by: Mothertomb
Produced by: Alton Minor and Mothertomb
Lyrics written by: Alice Gawlinski
Miixed and mastered by: Alton Minor
Recording engineer: Alton Minor and Mike Benitez
Artwork Design and Illustration by: Alice Gawlinski

Mothertomb is:

Alice Gawlinski - Vocals
Chance Gawlinski - Guitar
Alton Minor - Bass
Mike Benitez - Percussion

Tracklist:

1. The Summoning (3:47)
2. Cythraul (10:00)

3. Beware (6:53)
4. Mountain Hag (9:42)
5. Dying to Live (9:35)

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | DistroKid

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

Okay You Win - End Of Days (Album Review)

Release Date: June 26th 2026. Record Label: Blues Funeral Recordings.Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

End Of Days - Tracklisting

1.Smoke 

2.Beat Me Down 

3.The Greatest Lie

4.This Damned Place

5.End of Days

6.Red Flag

7.Ten Year Trip

8.Own It

Members

Rodrigo Barradas – Bass

David Kirk – Vocals

Ryan O'Hare – Guitar

Antonio Peci – Drums 

Review

Grunge/Psych/Stobner Rockers Okay You Win feel primed for great things with the release of their highly anticipated debut album End Of Days. This is a record powered by the glory days of the Nineties musical scene where Grunge, Psych, and Stoner Metal reigned supreme the musical world for a brief moment of time. However, Okay You WIn still manage to capture a sense of modern aggressiveness in their music with the music having a gritty determined attitude running throughout.

Okay You Win have a similar musical energy to fellow UK Stoner Metallers Sergeant Thunderhoof but with this record having that classic SEATTLE and GRUNGE sound to set them both apart from each other. Lead vocalist Dave Kirk does have a similar vocal delivery to The Hoof’s very own Dan Flitcroft but once again having slight differences at the same time. 

Anyway, back to the album itself, the band are fuelled by a determined Grunge aesthetic which allows the band to move further into the Heavy Psychedelic arena with flashes of gritty Doom Rock and Stoner based melodies. There’s also a thrilling aspect of gloomy soundscapes and progressive surroundings which are developed very early on the record on tracks such as Smoke, Beat Me Down and The Greatest Lie which make up the core exciting elements of the first half of the record. Okay You Win writes lyrics that are quite deceiving in places which also allows them to play heavier aggressive melodies with that destructive aura of FUZZ which results in some epic electrifying grooves coming from the speakers.

The musical hooks are always massive and can be quite dramatic but when the music is this good you accept nothing less with Okay You Win slowly carving up their own great sound and creative identity within the landscape of the UK Stoner Metal scene alone and we're not even in the second half of the album yet. Though, Okay You Win continue to deliver and create sublime strands of Stoner Rock/Metal that feel like a mighty throwback to the likes of KYUSS, SOUNDGARDEN and FU MANCHU whilst allowing themselves loads of ground for real creative growth on tracks such as End Of Days, Red Flag and Own It. 

End Of Days sometimes feels like an album that was recorded decades ago but one that’s being discovered for the very time today but still having a refreshing and highly original modern day sound. This is made possible by the outstanding production values that End Of Days contains. The album is superbly heavy with Okay You Win delivering a record that’s absolutely stacked with multiple and potential classic songs from start to finish.

Okay You Win feel like they already have the potential to become major players within the UK Stoner Metal scene with this album alone. They’re already starting to make a name for themselves and it’s not hard to see why with them delivering a record of real outstanding quality. They have the power of Blues Funeral Recordings helping out for their debut album and that is really saying something. 

This is an outstanding debut album that every serious follower within the Stoner Metal community should have in their record collection right now. It’s really that simple!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

End Of Days is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Blues Funeral Recordings

Links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Doom metal punishers GOYA announce European & North American shows!

Arizona doom metal unit GOYA are set to hit the Western tip of Europe with a short summer tour that includes various festivals. The band will also join their labelmates Kal-El on their upcoming fall US tour to support their acclaimed new album "In the Dawn of November" released on Blues Funeral Recordings.

“A red-hot meltdown of dead cold doom brutalism.” - Decibel Magazine

“This is the sound of cities being flattened, mountains collapsing, planets slowly imploding,
and entire galaxies colliding.” - Ghost Cult Magazine

Guitarist and vocalist Jeffrey Owens comments: "We're excited to move into a new era of Goya with our new drummer, Ben Wise. CJ and I have been working with him on some fresh songs. We hope to have enough to make our next record before too long, and we think it's the best iteration of our music yet, as well as a natural evolution. Bringing this vibe around the world couldn't make us happier."

With sprawling compositions, titan-heavy riffs drenched in fuzz and haunting atmospherics, GOYA don't just play doom music: they embody it to the core. Unrelenting and immersive, their fourth studio album and Blues Funeral Recordings debut In the Dawn of November is raucous, hypnotic and defiantly punishing. Recorded by Jack Endino (High On Fire, Soundgarden), this new sonic onslaught from the heavy desert trio takes no prisoners while sweeping everything in its path. Watch their latest videos Depressive Episode and In the Dawn of November!

European summer shows

29 July - Madrid - Wurlitzer Ballroom
30 July - Getxo - Txirinfest
31 July - Santander - Rock and Beer the New
01 Aug - Langreo-Asturias - Castru Garganta
02 Aug - Leon - Doomnight - Xana del Torio
07 Aug - Vila Praia de Ancora, Portugal - SonicBlast

North American fall tour 2026 w/ KAL-EL

9/23 - Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit Live
9/24 - Las Vegas, NV - Dive Bar
9/25 - Landers, CA - The Annex
9/26 - Palmdale, CA - Transplants Brewing
9/27 - Los Angeles, CA - Redwood Bar & Grill
9/29 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
9/30- Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial
10/1 - Eugene, OR - John Henry's
10/2 - Portland, OR - The High Water Mark
10/3 - Seattle, WA - The Funhouse
10/4 - Vancouver, BC - Astoria
10/6 - Spokane, WA - The Chameleon
10/7 - Boise, ID - The Olympic
10/8 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon
10/9 - Denver, CO - Black Sky Brewery
10/10 - Colorado Springs, CO - What's Left Records

Formed in 2011 by guitarist and vocalist Jeffrey Owens, Goya's 2012 demo showcased their early potential, but it was their debut full-length "777" (2013) that announced their fearsome arrival in the doom underground. With sprawling, riff-heavy compositions and occult-tinged lyrics, "777" resonated deeply with fans of titanic sludge-metal. Continuing to evolve, Goya released "Obelisk" in 2015, a concept album that refined their blend of psychedelic doom. They followed this with their magnum opus, 2017's "Harvester of Bongloads", another concept album that leaned as heavily as ever into their fuzz-laden, riff-driven aesthetic and further cemented their legacy of unrelenting doom and immersive sonic landscapes.

Their fourth album "In the Dawn of November" was released in the spring of 2025 via New Mexico-based label Blues Funeral Recordings (Acid King, Lowrider, Dozer). Recorded at Soundhouse Studios in Seattlewith legendary producer Jack Endino (High On Fire, Year of the Cobra, Soundgarden), "In the Dawn of November" lays down a monolithic work of graveyard grooves and bleak reflections to herald their towering return with their most accomplished and unwaveringly bone-crushing record to date.

Goya is

Marcus Bryant - Ben Wise
Jeffrey Owens - Guitar/Vocals
CJ Sholtis - Bass

Goya links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

Blues Funeral Recordings links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Exclusive Album Premiere For Stoner Rockers RED SUN Stunning New Album SONGS FROM HIDDEN PLACES

After three entirely instrumental albums, Red Sun have traced a steady evolution from desert stoner toward increasingly psychedelic horizons, enriched by a growing use of synthesizers and theremin.

'Songs from Hidden Places' marks a turning point: for the first time, the voice of Elisa Brusati (formerly singer of Noema) — who joined the band in 2025 — runs through all seven tracks, grafting the song format onto an already mature sound without betraying its identity. Guitars and bass take a more central role compared to the previous 'From Sunset to Dawn' (2024), while still leaving room for long psychedelic digressions — as in 'Hidden Places' and 'Sleeping Brain' — that keep the band's dreamlike and epic imagery intact.

Thematically, the new album explores those hidden places that belong to us — physical and interior — worn by time but steeped in memories: silent refuges where comfort and catharsis can be found. An idea that also runs through the artwork, based on a concept by drummer Federico Rivoli, who personally carved the song title font and the band's logo into the wall of the old mill in Albone, the Red Sun's historic rehearsal space.

You can listen to the superb new album thanks to the cool folks over at Metaversus PR and Subsound Records.

Find pre-orders at Bandcamp: https://redsun3.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-hidden-places

TRACKLIST

1. Hidden Places
2. Details from the Past
3. Sleeping Brain
4. The Hidden Truth
5. All Things Are Written There
6. A Hidden Bond
7. The Secret Dope

BIOGRAPHY

Photo by Nicola Neso

Red Sun were formed in 2014 in Albone, between Piacenza and the Emilian Apennines. Within less than a year, Stefano "Eno" Dusi (guitar), Mirco Dugaria (bass), and Federico Rivoli (drums, synth) recorded their self-produced debut album 'Trisophy' (2015), later reissued on vinyl by Spin On Black. After an intense run of live activity across Germany, the UK, Switzerland, and France, their second album 'The Wind, the Waves, the Clouds' (Psyka Records) followed in 2017, alongside the split 'Psychedelic Battles n° 4' (Vincebus Eruptum), shared with Chicago's The Luck of Eden Hall. In 2024 they released 'From Sunset to Dawn' (Subsound Records); in 2025 Elisa Brusati joined as vocalist, leading to 'Songs from Hidden Places' (2026).

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Metaversus PR for the details.