Struck/Down - Queue For The Cure (Album Review)

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

Queue For The Cure - Tracklisting

1. "One Last Drag"

2. "Keep Your Chin Held Why"

3. "The Slog"

4. "Don't Be Like That"

5. "A Queue for the Cure"

6. "This Tall to Ride"

7. "Who Stole The Sun?"

8. "Low"

9. "Leach"

10. "Eat the Fear, Drink The Worry"

Members

Linden Twyman: vocals

Pete McLarney: lead guitar

Ian Spurrett: rhythm guitar

Will Mihr: bass

Tommy Rogers: drums

Review

Queue For The Cure is the second full length album from Groove/Stoner/Thrash Metallers Struck/Down who fuse modern sounding metallic elements against a classic style of Thrash and Groove Metal. The band are influenced by the likes of Mastodon, Metallica, Lamb Of God and GOJIRA though there’s some Grunge based movements appearing amongst the HEAVY METAL carnage. The album still finds the time to lay down the STONER METAL groundwork with epic flash beats and thrash grooves that soon transform into areas of Progressive Metal and Classic Hard Rock.

With the band emerging from the UK Underground scene there’s some added extra levels of “STEEL” and “PURE GRIT” that develops within the opening tracks of One Last Drag, Keep Your Chin Held Why and The Slog which aims for maximum HEAVY METAL DEDICATION. The vocals from Linden Twyman feel inspired by the classic style of metal vocalists with nods to James Hetfield being the most common place. However, there’s some vocal changes channelling areas of the Alt-Metal and Southern Metal scenes. This may be myself going way off base but I'm sure I detected even a COHEED & CAMBRIA vibe developing within the more dramatic parts of the record and if I’m completely wrong then I apologise to the band for that oversight.

The record is quite punishing with how fast Struck/Down actually play with the ferocious beat-downs and thrash grooves that’s heard throughout Queue For The Cure. However, they excel the most within the progressive sounding aspects which allows the band to play even more technical musical passages which leads up to some of the stunning and barnstorming melodies and rhythms the record has to offer.

Queue For The Cure has an excellent and highly welcoming style of “OLD SCHOOL METAL” whilst allowing Struck/Down to further embrace their modern sounding influences on tracks such as Don’t Be Like That, A Queue For The Cure, Who Stole The Sun and “Eat The Fear, Drink The Worry”. Struck/Down show a fine eye for musical detail when they start using Psychedelic and Post-Whatever musical effects which was a welcome surprise. 

This isn’t perhaps the most original “HEAVY METAL” album you’ll likely hear but Struck/Down know what works for them and they deliver a record that should be considered every “HEADBANGER’S” dream album with almost every style of Groove, Thrash, Stoner and Prog Metal aspect wonderfully covered throughout. The album is superbly intense with an epic style of melody which will have you rocking out to in full agreement. 

Overall, Struck/Down have released a superbly produced record that allows them to play to their absolute musical strengths whilst punishing the listener with an intense musical workout. 

Words by Steve Howe

Queue For The Cure is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl now.

Links 

Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify

Purple Lung - Mystic Vision (Album Review-

Release Date: February 13th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Mystic Vision - Tracklisting

1.Blademaster 04:10
2.Annihilation of Time 03:03
3.Digging Up Snakes 03:20
4.Beware the Bog Witch 05:47
5.The Watchful Eye 03:12
6.Mystic Vision 03:56
7.Hum of the Ancients 03:55
8.Swallowed by the Sea 05:48
9.Desethos, The Starved 05:28
10.Dreamwalker's Lament 05:30

Members

Max Schmitt - Bass

James Jaskolka - Drums

Simon Beierle - Guitars

Toni Pennello - Guitars, Vocals

Review

Mystic Vision is the debut album from Doom/Stoner Metallers Purple Lung who focus upon weaving psychedelic, gothic and proto-metal elements into their music. There’s also a soulful quality emitting from lead vocalist Toni Pennello’s voice which has a level of grittiness and classic hard rock passion which allows the lyrics to flow naturally throughout. The music is powered by waves of modern day Psychedelic Stoner Metal melodies with a slight Sludge Rock presence that is quite full-on and fast-paced which you hear from the very start through tracks such as Blademaster and Annihilation Of Time.

You can hear elements of Black Sabbath, Windhand, The Obsessed and The Sword within Purple Lung’s sound but they play with an aggressive style of Blues Rock and Punk Rock which allows the album to be quite grounded with also a street level attitude forming along the way. The band aren’t afraid to employ a classic style of Hard Rock and NWOBHM within certain stages of the album before switching back into a modern day metal band with even areas of Thrash Metal appearing. This is a band not afraid to call upon classic eras of Heavy Metal and adapting that creative vision into a sublime style of Doom/Stoner Metal.

There is also a great style of storytelling starting to form within the lyrics on tracks such as Digging Up Snakes, Beware The Bog Witch, Mystic Vision (which is a very trippy and surreal style of Psych, Drone and Eastern Melodies), Swallowed By The Sea and Dreamwalker’s Lament. These are my favourite tracks on the album where Purple Lung fully come into their own and really start to express themselves naturally with wicked vocals and classic gloomy melodies starting to form within the music. Another strong aspect of the record is how Purple Lung instantly draws you in quite quickly with each individual track and the level of OCCULT and GOTHIC surroundings is absolutely thrilling to experience especially within the more slow-paced moments which allows the whole band to fully shine throughout.

There’s a lot going on within Mystic Vision but Purple Lung are quite adept allowing that “CLASSIC” style of ROCK & ROLL to fully transform into a richer, heavier and aggressive sound with the sublime lyrics telling some EPIC stories along the way. Sure, they can be outlandish at times but Purple Lung fully sell the whole story thanks once again to the dynamic lead vocals from Toni Pennello. Though, the whole band impresses not only on a technical level but also musically with some first rate musical passages being played from the very start.

Production values are excellent with Mystic Vision having some brilliantly powerful sonic dynamics that Purple Lung always plays to their advantage but also allowing the listener to enjoy every step of this wicked sounding journey. 

Purple Lung pulls out all the stops here by releasing a debut album that offers first rate entertainment with all the chills, thrills and spills you could ever want from a record such as this.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

BandCamp | Instagram

Finnish Heavy Rock Rrio MONSTERNAUT unleashes new track "Drain"; new album "Approaching Doom" out March 27th on Heavy Psych Sounds

Finnish heavy rock and metal trio MONSTERNAUT present a driving second excerpt taken from their upcoming third full-length "Approaching Doom", to be released on March 27th through Heavy Psych Sounds.

Stream Monsternaut's new single Drain

Drifting away from the fuzzy stoner rock of the early days, their third album "Approaching Doom" showcases a darker, more metallic and uncompromisingly stomp-inducing sound, with a production leaning toward the grit and weight of early 90s heavy and song themes that add an extra layer of tension beneath the grooves. The songs took shape over several years, during which the arrival of a new drummer opened the door to more adventurous rhythms and riff ideas, pushing the band into new territory while staying true to their roots.

Recorded to analog tape with no digital editing, this new album sees Monsternaut fully locked in and hitting harder than ever, marking a confident new chapter in their story. Don't miss their previous single and title track Approaching Doom!

New album "Approaching Doom" - Out March 27th on Heavy Psych Sounds

Monsternaut is a stoner metal trio from Finland, formed in 2012 by guitarist Tuomas Heiskanen and bassist Perttu Härkönen. Fueled by the grit of Fu Manchu, Corrosion of Conformity, and Down, the band deals in heavy grooves, hard hitting riffs, and hooks built for pure head banging. On stage, Monsternaut keeps it loud, tight, and straight to the point, delivering a high energy set with no filler.

After two early demos, the band released their self-titled debut in 2016 through Heavy Psych Sounds, followed by "Enter the Storm" in 2018. They hit the road across Europe and later crossed the Atlantic for shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, backing up their reputation as a live band worth witnessing.

Drummer Patrik Kuitunen joined after the second album, bringing new rhythmic fire and pushing the music toward bolder riff ideas. That momentum led to "Approaching Doom", their heaviest album to date, recorded entirely on analog tape with no digital editing and capturing Monsternaut as they are: loud, raw, and locked in. Notable Finnish producer and sound engineer Anssi Kippo, known for his extensive work with Children of Bodom, also added valuable expertise to the sessions and strengthened the process. Set for release in 2026 through Heavy Psych Sounds, "Approaching Doom" shows the band tighter, darker, and more focused than ever.

Monsternaut is

Tuomas Heiskanen - Guitars / Vocals
Perttu Härkönen - Bass
Patrik Kuitunen - Drums

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Drone/Doom/Stoner Metallers Release New Video For MONASTERY OF THE SEVEN AGES From Their New Album BRAHMAN

Drone/Doom/Stoner Metallers BREATH release their epic new music video for Monastery of the Seven Sages from their recent acclaimed album BRAHMAN.. 

The band says this about the video:

"Monastery of the Seven Sages peers into a distant proto-bronze age landscape obscured by the fog of time. The power and bond of ‘as above so below’ is conveyed through filmmaker Erik Meharry’s vision for our music video. His inspiration from the song birthed a whole outline of Lynchian depth that made us all too eager for him to be at the helm.A song following steps like Oannes, looking to the wild horizon of space and Earth and finding connection."

Brahman is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/Breathpdx
https://inbreath.bandcamp.com/

Matador - Above, Below And So (Album Review)

Release Date: February 27th 2026. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Above, Below And So - Tracklisting

1. The House Always Wins

2. Glitter Skin

3. The Flood

4. O Suna

5. A Virus

6. Hooks

Members

Scott Stronach - Drums

James Kirk - Guitar/Vox

Mark Ainsworth - Bass

Review

Above, Below and So is the third album from Post-Metal/Atmospheric Doom Metallers Matador and sees the band move away from their Stoner Metal influences heard on their previous albums. As the band move themselves more closely to the Psych Metal and Post-Metal scenes than ever before for a record that’s emotionally engaging throughout. The album is influenced by the likes of Cult Of Luna, Mastodon, ISIS, YOB and NEUROSIS with Matador creating their own hard-hitting blend of Progressive Metal.

This record has a lot of different musical elements to really stand out from the crowd with Matador exploring different creative themes with multiple beatdowns, breakdowns, psychedelic loops and other riffs based trickery that adds a real aura of mystery to their music. Sometimes the band mould Post-Rock mechanics against Nu-Metal based surroundings for an aggressive and surreal musical energy that’s very hard to define which is put to great effect within the excellent opening tracks of The House Always Wins and Glitter Skin. 

The vocals are a mixture of harsh and clean sounds which can be quite emotional and brutally ferocious from lead vocalist/guitarist James Kirk who has a transcendent tribal energy that appears inside the quieter and reflective moments. The lyrics are another highlight that do remind me of TOOL and YOB in many different ways with Matador combining them against truly WTF musical passages that harness the power of Post-Rock, Ambient Metal and Psychedelic Sludge Metal to their fullest potential.

Matador uses a lot of sonic manipulation and psychedelic experimentation to their full advantage which adds a classic style of Alt Metal into the mix. The music really comes alive when they play a beautiful Post-Rock passage before destroying this momentum and playing a destructive Post-Metal/Sludge Metal melody with flashes of Psychedelic swagger into the mix. 

When all these items join forces then Matador is a force to be reckoned with. It does take some time for these moments to fully come together and take complete control especially from the stunning third track The Flood which sees Matador let fly with the heaviest, trippiest and grooviest parts of the whole album. The whole mood does become more euphoric and quite hazy with Matador moving from Post-Rock, Post-Metal and even Groove Metal in places. It seems the band are always changing their sound but still keeping closely to their Doom Metal/Post-Metal roots.

Above, Below and So does become more Post-Metal and Prog Metal obsessive on the later stages of the album but Matador still continues to develop their own great style of Progressive energy into the mix on tracks such as A Virus and Hooks. There’s a brooding and mysterious storytelling element hidden within their music that makes you question everything happening around you. You have to give Matador credit for creating a highly provoking and deeply subversive record whilst still creating a record full of brilliant sounding music from start to finish.

This is an absolute BEAST of an album which I've been listening to constantly for the past month. It's seriously that great and should propel Matador to bigger and better things as the album has real potential to become one of the standout Psych/Doom/Sludge Metal albums to listen to this year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.

Above, Below and So is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from Church Road Records.

Links

LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Burnt Witch - Dopelich (EP Review)

Release Date: February 13th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Dopelich - Tracklisting

1.Dopelich 05:57

2.Bastard 05:24

3.Glass Eye 09:57

4.Witchcult 75 09:11

Members

Dustin Morgan - Vocals and guitar

Matt Page - Vocals and Guitar

James Castellaw - Bass and Lyrics

Myk Robinson - Drums

Review

Dopelich is the debut EP from Doom/Stoner Metallers Burnt Witch who inject a rebellious strand of Southern Metal grooves into their WEEDIAN sound. The whole EP is full of NOLA based hallucinogenics and sounds where you can hear bands such as DOWN and CROWBAR regularly with Burnt Witch weaving their own great style of Doomed Out flavour along the way.

The EP is quite sadistic with harsh vocals and eerie instrumental passages which sees Burnt Witch tap into other areas of HEAVY METAL and apply a violent Sludge Metal makeover to them especially on the tracks Dopelich, Bastard and Witchcult. This sounds like the after effects of coming down from a very bad WEEDIAN trip where you’re faced by the grim reality of your actual living situation. Though, there’s something very powerful and deeply engaging about it all with Burnt Witch developing a real destructive style of intense melody and epic down-tuned grooves which are delivered with real primal fury.

Another highlight of the record is Burnt Witch exploring areas of Proto-Metal, Classic Heavy Metal and Psych Metal whilst keeping with their violent interplay of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and LOW & SLOW based sludgy soundscapes with that smoky WEEDIAN atmosphere. Burnt Witch also takes the listener  into unexpected areas of Classic Rock and Blues Rock that suddenly appear out of nowhere. 

The two standout tracks on the EP have to be the final tracks of Glass Eye and Witchcult where Burnt Witch use every Stoner Metal trick in the book to provide a thrilling style of music that has epic moments of NOLA heaviness with flashes of drugged out vocals and sublime lyrics to match. You can even detect small traces of classic Grunge behind the scenes with Burnt Witch not finishing adding other genres of music into the final mix which makes this quite an addictive record from start to finish.

Burnt Witch have released an absolutely stunning debut EP which I can’t recommend highly enough. For a debut EP, this is about as great as it gets especially if you’re a long time follower of the Doom/Stoner/Sludge Metal scene. I’m genuinely excited to hear where Burnt Witch go next as these guys are the real deals and I can only see these guys becoming an essential part of the underground scene if they keep releasing great records such as this.

WOW!!! - Add this to your collection now.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Fuzz/Stoner Rockers Solar Mantra Return With New Single “A Brand New Grave” Out Now

Argonauta Records proudly announces the return of Italian stoner rockers Solar Mantra with their brand new single “A Brand New Grave,” available now on all digital platforms: https://song.link/solarmantra_bng

After the release of their acclaimed debut album “Away” in 2021, Solar Mantra step back into the spotlight with a track that marks a powerful new chapter in their sonic evolution. “A Brand New Grave” blends thick desert grooves, gritty grunge tension and hard rock drive into a darker, heavier and more focused creative milestone.

Known for merging evocative stoner atmospheres with muscular riffing and strong melodic sensibility, Solar Mantra draw influences from bands such as Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Clutch, The Sword, Greenleaf, Dozer and Danzig, shaping a sound that is both raw and cinematic. The new single pushes their identity further, delivering massive low end, hypnotic grooves and an aggressive edge that reflects the band’s growth since their debut.

Formed in Rome, Solar Mantra started as a desert psych instrumental project before evolving into a full band with a strong vocal driven approach. Their debut full length “Away,” released by Argonauta Records in 2021, introduced them to a wider international audience thanks to its balance of fuzz, atmosphere and songwriting depth.

In 2025 Solar Mantra returned to the studio to record their second full length album, “State of Joyful Lightness,” focusing on a heavier approach while keeping the melodic traits that defined their earlier work. The sessions saw the band collaborating with Danilo Silvestri as co producer and sound engineer, pushing their sound toward a more massive and modern dimension.

The band comment: “We’re thrilled to continue working with Argonauta Records. Gero helped us get our first album, ‘Away,’ out there beyond our expectations, and we hope to do even better with our new album’”

“A Brand New Grave” is the first glimpse into this new era.

More details about the upcoming album will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/SolarMantraStoner
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.