Looprider - Love (Album Review)

Release Date: April 15th 2026. Record Label: Call And Response Records. Formats: CD/DD.

Love - Tracklisting

1.Love 02:59

2.Chaotic Heaven 02:08

3.Nebula 03:53

4.Havoc 03:54

5.Crush 04:31

6.Kill U 02:59

7.Elegy 12:29

8.Zero 03:32

9.Melt 07:10

Members

Ryotaro - Vocals, Guitars, Noise

Ryo7 - Drums

Tacchi - Vocals on “Chaotic Heaven” and “Zero”

Shoko - Vocals on “Crush” and “Elegy”

Review

Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Looprider return with their latest album LOVE and it’s quite a subversive title for a record such as this. As this album has quite a different and aggressive sound to their acclaimed 2023 album Metamorphose. The uplifting and highly melodic structures that were played throughout that record have been replaced by a harsh, moody and violent down-tuned energy. Along the way, member Haruka left the band and was replaced by Tacchi on guitars and vocals. This version of LOOPRIDER has created their heaviest and sludgiest record yet without sacrificing their whole creative identity.

Looprider still blends Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Noise, Punk, Psych and Fuzz soundscapes throughout LOVE but with a truly devastating cinematic score being played at the very start. There’s a more urgent delivery to their music that once again reminds me of BORIS and THE MELVINS in equal amounts but this is still Looprider’s show. They add distorted movements of Thrash, Drone and even Post-Punk surroundings which are played for the most part at a sublime fast pace. This is a totally different band compared to Metamorphose as within that record they always managed to find the time to play “uplifting” areas of Ambient, Post-Rock and Post-Stoner tracks. On LOVE, the listener is thrusted upon a brutal wasteland of sharp distorted grooves set against an Alt Metal backdrop of dangerous Droned Out Fuzz structures. 

The album never lets up with its breakneck delivery on tracks such as: Love, Chaotic Heaven, Nebula and Havoc superbly setting up the scene with the band exploring some razor sharp vocals and intense lyrics. LOVE feels like a huge WALL of total destruction is being built from beginning to end as multiple levels of different sounding areas of FEEDBACK, DRONE, AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and manic PROGRESSIVE energy holding everything together.

There are some intricate amounts of Psychedelic movements that start to appear on the later stages of LOVE with tracks Crush, Kill U, Elegy and Melt. It’s great to see Looprider embrace some of their familiar sounds they’ve created on previous releases but still keeping in line with their new found Sludge Metal aggression. Taachi’s vocals are exquisite when they do appear. There’s also guest vocals from Shoko from Shoegaze collective COLLAPSE on the excellent tracks of Crush and Elegy.

The two standout tracks are Elegy and Melt with these being the two longest tracks on the album. You can expect subdued Post-Rock moments before Looprider unleashes screeching and glitchy guitars that provide a haunting and unsettling aspect into the mix. Though, it’s the slow-paced surroundings that offer the most rewarding aspect for listeners to fully lose themselves in.

LOVE is an epic and masterful style of modern day of Heavy Rock music with Looprider once again proving why they’re one of the best bands worth knowing about from the Japanese Sludge/Stoner Metal scene. They never release the same record twice and LOVE only proves that point. This is a record with real human insight that makes LOVE such an unmissable and brilliantly powerful record in its own right.

Words by Steve Howe

LOVE is available to buy now on CD/DD via Call And Response Records.

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

TONS - Stoned Villains (Album Review)

Release Date: April 20th 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl.

Stoned Villains - Tracklisting

1. Shirley Temple Ball

2. Hangover The Top

3. Lost In Plantation

4. Intro (Cabin Fever)

5. The Big Bong Theory

6. Darth Vaper

7. Rollercoaster Diet Bombo

Members

Gingerzilla - Bass / Voice / Synth

Duncan McCrapper - Lead Guitar / Sampler

Stewart J Tanuki - Rhythm Guitar

Oreste Pennarelli - Drums

Review

Weedian Metallers TONS make a stunning return with their fourth album Stoned Villains which sees them elevate their sounds to greater heights than ever before. The record is a punishing and heavy melodic mix of Psych, Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Fuzz and no fucks given melodic attitude. TONS have really transformed into a more mature and trippy style of WEEDIAN flavour compared to their previous albums. However, their trademark style of black comedic humour is still reigning amok in the background that generates huge laughs along the way.

The music itself is once again powered through heavy down-tuned instrumental psychedelic and fuzzed up drugged inducing passages which sees slight influences such as Church Of Misery, WEEDEATER and BONGZILLA being heard from time to time.

The opening track of Shirley Temple Ball is a drug laced musical odyssey with harsh vocals and music that’s been filtered through the eye of a rusty and sludge induced needle with a frantic Hardcore Punk and Spaced Out attitude being the creative glue that holds everything together. The atmosphere and attitude can be quite vicious which allows the record to fully stand on its creative merits especially when TONS start using classic movie soundclips for the first time on the record. 

You can expect soundclips from the likes of Big Trouble In Little China and Top Secret within the album with a few cool more being added along the way. TONS start moving between LOW & SLOW grooves to a more fast-paced Sludge Metal onslaught on the majority of the tracks. There’s some fantastic social satire being laid down within the excellent lyrics which TONS have been complete masters at especially on tracks on Hangover The Top, Lost In Plantation and The Bing Bong Theory. 

You can see from the brilliantly titled song titles there’s some great word play which will only endear the band even more to the listener. The music always moves to the caustic style of Thrash, Sludge and NOLA based energy whilst TONS always manage to find a way to move themselves closer to the Space Rock and Psych Rock astral planes that comes within the most unexpected of places.

Stoned Villains is brilliantly outlandish and surreal the best times which TONS make no apologies for. This is their fourth album and the band have perfected their own great flavour of WEEDIAN METAL that you can easily be considered MASTERS of the actual scene now along with WEEDEATER and BONGZILLA.

TONS never take themselves too seriously and just have fun with their music where the message maybe completely lost under massive amounts of green smoke. The music has some classic Hardcore Punk influences and musical vices bursting from the seams which keeps everything grounded. TONS have a great storytelling narrative running throughout Stoned Villains which does allow the listener to shout angrily at the world in perfect unison which you’ll be doing along the way like I did.

The production is top-notch with this record being TONS strongest recorded effort to date especially within the final two tracks of Darth Vaper and Rollercoaster Diet Bombo. These two tracks perfectly capture TONS at their most outrageous, grounded and completely free with some of the heaviest, freakiest, dirtiest and heaviest sounds on the whole record. Though, Stoned Villains as a whole is a brilliant experience that takes you into some highly unexpected places that leave you wanting more and then some. Though, that could be the “MUSICAL MUNCHIES” kicking in!!!!

TONS have once again released another ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender with Stoned Villains and with this being released on Heavy Psych Sounds then you have one of the most complete and perfect “WEEDIAN” musical packages you’ll experience all year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

You can buy TONS now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds 

Tons links

Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp

MT. SARIN - Fortær (Album Review)

Release Date: April 10th 2026. Record Label: El Capitan Records / 5FeetUnder Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl.

Fortær - Tracklisting

ÆT

FORTÆR

MASKERNES NAT

BAKLA

MORGENRØDE

DEN, SOM SÅR VIND, HØSTER STORM

PITUFFIK

KORSHØJEN

SYNDFLOD

Review

Fortær is the debut album from Instrumental Post-Metallers MT. SARIN who are influenced by the likes of Pelican, Russian Circles, Telepathy and Kollapse. Their debut album merges with the dense heavy sounds of the American Post-Scene amongst the ice-cold direct progressive melodies of the European Post-Metal scene. This is perhaps a record that showcases the best of both worlds with Fortær having a quite varied and global feel which is quite engaging and highly impactful for the band’s debut album.

MT. SARIN didn't wait for long to develop a thuggish intense sound that’s bursting with a real progressive energy that soon transforms into a slightly distorted direction with traces of Ambient, Post-Rock and Psychedelic surroundings appearing. The songs are quite direct with MT. SARIN perhaps sometimes takes a bit too long in playing the heavier Atmospheric Sludge Metal passages when the record really needs them and that’s my only complaint for such a well constructed and deeply engaging record.

As when MT. SARIN really hit their musical stride, they play a real intense style of Post-Metal that’s bursting with real brawn and intelligence especially when that translates into a classic style of Progressive music with flashes of aggressive Sludge Metal leading the way on the tracks such as ÆT, FORTÆR, MASKERNES NAT and BAKLA. These songs allow MT. SARIN to expand their creative journey into heavier waters such as Blackened Doom and Post-Black Metal which allowed the album to become a more exciting prospect. There’s some intense Ambient trickery developing behind the scenes with faster played melodies and some thrilling beatdowns becoming more commonplace as the album draws to its thrilling climax.

The second half of Fortær has a more unforgiving attitude compared to the first half with MT. SARIN exploring darker and heavier themes whilst still drawing upon some classic Post-Metal themes on tracks such as: DEN, SOM SÅR VIND, HØSTER STORM, PITUFFIK and SYNDFLOD. Sometimes the band use a “LESS IS MORE” approach that reminds me of early PELICAN in places but they add that modern day Blackened Doom energy to the record which gives the album it’s own original, stylish and highly relentless sound of it’s very own. 

Fortær is a highly accomplished record from MT. SARIN to release as their debut album which should gain the band a loyal and dedicated following within the underground Post-Metal scene. If you want an album that pays great respect to the legendary formative  years of the Instrumental Post-Metal scene whilst breaking new ground of their very own then MT. SARIN has delivered the goods here. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Wasteland Haze - Tales From The Wasteland Chapter I: Lonestar (Album Review)

Release Date: April 17th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD.

Tales From The Wasteland Chapter I - Lonestar - Tracklisting

Sunburn

Better To Fall Among Crows

Reincarnation

Pathfinder (The Great Hunt)

Handful Of Dust

Wstlnd Messiah

Members

Björn, Hendrik & Christian

Review

Tales From The Wasteland Chapter I: Lonestar is the latest release from Instrumental Desert Rock/Stoner Metallers Wasteland Haze who bring a scorched earth and highly apocalyptic feel to this record. The sound is quite vast with distorted elements of Doom, Sludge, Fuzz and Psych soundscapes which is moulded by a highly committed DRONED out attitude throughout the whole album. The band are fully committed to selling their progressive and highly outlandish vision which results in some truly tremendous instrumental Desert Rock/Stoner Metal passages that’s inspired by the likes of Karma To Burn, Earthless, KYUSS, FU MANCHU, Yawning Man and Monkey3. 

Wasteland Haze like to experiment with sonic tapestries and spaced out feedback loops where they even add areas of end of the world soundbytes into the mix. There’s a rough exterior bursting out from the seams especially within the production values as the whole album has a rough sound from start to finish which only sells to the whole creative illusion that Wasteland Haze brings into their dark world. There’s plenty of melodic and musical changes that’s laid down within the excellent two opening tracks of Sunburn and Better To Fall Among Crows. 

Wasteland Haze gets straight down to business in laying down the creative groundwork to build their slightly violent message of destruction upon. The music is quite fractured and broken up into individual pieces with an extraordinary “JAM BASED” sound merging with progressive landscapes and sinister Droned musical energy. Everything can be quite confusing at times with the band moving into different areas of music you don’t quite expect especially on the later stages of Better To Fall Among Crows with that warped message being played through the stunning tracks of Reincarnation, Pathfinder and Handful Of Dust. 

Tales From The Wasteland Chapter I: Lonestar fully goes into “SCORCHED DESERT” overdrive from the third track onwards with Wasteland Haze wisely acknowledging the listener will fully understand and be totally on board with their twisted musical experience. Long drawn out notes become commonplace and fractured pieces of Sludge Rock start to fully take control. The rhythm section of Wasteland Haze has a brutal determination especially with the powerful bass playing that feels like it’s punching holes in the actual planet or opening doorways into the astral realm. 

This album is a refreshing change of pace with Wasteland Haze taking many bold creative decisions along the way and this makes this record quite a highly original record with a unique voice of its own. There may be a lot of rough instrumental phases to go through but with the high volume of outstanding grooves, riffs and extended passages the band fully commit themselves to make this a truly superb record within its own right. The whole thing can be downright original especially within the later stages of the record where a destructive style of Post-Stoner, Post-Rock and Blues Rock themes appear.

Tales From The Wasteland Chapter I: Lonestar is a must have record. Add this one to your collection as soon as you can. You won’t be sorry!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

LungBurner - Dogma (Album Review)

Release Date: April 17th 2026. Record Label: Terminus Hate City. Formats: DD/Vinyl.

Dogma - Tracklisting

 Adamu - 5:02

 Rapture - 4:14

 The Sin of Defiance - 4:40

 (Bhajan) The Fall - 6:44

 Apostasy - 4:42

 Misery  - 6:31

 Pistus Sophia - 9.01

Members

Jens Anderberg — Guitar, Lead Vocals

Joseph Mills — Guitar, Backing Vocals

Joshua Broughton — Bass

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers LungBurner make a welcome return after a two and half year absence with their latest album Dogma. With the record named after Dogma, you can expect an album that isn’t afraid to touch upon the psychological and spiritual themes of the worldwide belief systems. Some may say that’s a controversial subject to touch upon but that makes this record such a daring and bold experience with LungBurner adding a touch of Atmospheric Sludge Metal heaviness to the record. With the band drawing upon the likes of NEUROSIS, MASTODON, YOB and ISIS to build their conceptual ideas upon.

There’s quite a deft flow of different HEAVY METAL sounds emerging from the darkness such as Prog Metal, Thrash Metal and Southern Metal with LungBurner being quite hard to define at the best of times. The vocals are mostly told through the “HARSH GROWLS” structure though they’re quite easy to understand which allows the listener to either agree or disagree with the hard-hitting lyrics for the whole album.

LungBurner perfectly captures that classic style Nineties and Noughties Sludge/Stoner Metal melodies where everything really did feel quite fresh and brutally exciting back in the day. LungBurner still offer their own great style of musical progression with areas of Post-Rock, Ambient Metal and Distorted Amplified movements which leads the listener into some incredible “uplifting” instrumental solos that float between Post-Metal and Post-Doom surroundings. 

This is quite a different sounding LungBurner compared to their previous two albums with Jens Anderberg (Guitar / Lead Vocals) being the only original member left. He’s joined on his “fruitful” sonic journey by Joshua Broughton on Bass and Joseph Mills on Guitars & Vocals. Though, the old magic is still there with a more refined and grounded SONIC TAPESTRY being woven into LungBurner’s DNA on outstanding tracks such as: Adamu, Rapture and Bhajan (The Fall) from the first half of the album. There’s a wealth of different sounding Sludge Metal and Psychedelic Rock soundscapes with LungBurner even adapting a brooding style of Middle Eastern vibes along the way. 

Dogma does become more slow paced and spaced out within the second half of the album as LungBurner further explores the more thematic constructs of multiple belief systems. The whole sound does become slightly more vicious and brutal from the final stages of (Bhajan) The Fall which slowly manifests all the way through Apostasy, Misery and the stunning final epic track Pistus Sophia. The music has a more deeper and emotionally charged impact within the second half of the album with LungBurner venturing into heavier and extreme waters compared to the first half of Dogma.

Just be prepared for a journey of pure SONIC excess with that grounded Sludge, Thrash, Post-Metal and Doomed Out approach holding everything together. Dogma is a record that pulls no punches with its undeniably brutal vision. LungBurner may have left the “Stoner Metal” void completely with Dogma which is most definitely a great thing for the band. As they can explore darker themes and create more violent rhythms, soundscapes and grooves with their music.

This album may perhaps be the actual making of LungBurner where they can move forward and really build a name for themselves within the modern Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.

Dogma is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Terminus Hate City.

Links:

Bandcamp: https://lungburner.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lungburneratl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lungburneratl
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lungburneratl
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0WRBgLDbYMfLSrbb3tjNzK
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/lungburner/1724598173

German Progressive Stoner Metal unit PLAINDRIFTER returns with sophomore album "Gestalt" on Ripple Music this June 19th; first single streaming now!

German progressive stoner metallers PLAINDRIFTER sign to Ripple Music for the release of their sophomore album "Gestalt" this June 19th, and reveal a towering first track with "Moth Murmuration" today!

 Watch new lyric video for Moth Murmuration + listen to the single on all streaming services

With their 2021 debut Echo Therapy hailed as "a mind-blowing journey" by the Doom Charts and "music for the mind, body and soul" by UK website Outlaws of the Sun, it is clear that Plaindrifter have impressed critics and fans alike, as few newcomers do.

Now, the quartet returns with their forthcoming sophomore album and Ripple Music debut; Gestalt. Pushed by a deep sense of self-criticism and a fear of repeating themselves, Plaindrifter have expanded their signature blend of tempo and key changes with bold new elements, including keyboards by Philipp Seitzer and guest vocals from Ryan Garney (High Desert Queen) and Lena Schneider. The result is an immersive, forward-looking heavy journey born from patience, passion, that should caught the ear of fans of Elder, King Buffalo, Howling Giant and Lowrider. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Robin Stirnberg, mastered by Dennis Köhne, with a stunning cover artwork by André Tinibel.

PLAINDRIFTER "Gestalt" - Out June 19th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital) - Pre-order

TRACKLIST:

1. Moth Murmuration
2. Eternal Season
3. Hyborian Age
4. Respite
5. In Anima
6. Debaser

Hailing from Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr Area, Plaindrifter formed in 2017 to forge a brand of heavy psych that refuses to stand still. Blending hypnotic riffs, expansive soundscapes, and the restless spirit of stoner, prog, and post-rock, their 2021 debut Echo Therapy carved out a name in the European underground, winning over listeners with raw heaviness and unexpected melodic depth.

The band entered the studio in June 2025 with engineer Robin Stirnberg, but an unexpected setback forced them to relocate mid-session. Undeterred, Plaindrifter finished recording Gestalt in their rehearsal space. That resilience paid off quickly: through their friends in High Desert Queen (whose frontman Ryan Garney lends guest vocals to the track "In Anima"), the album's master found its way to Ripple Music's Todd Severin, who took the leap and instantly welcomed the band to the label's roster. Now looking ahead with optimism, the band invites listeners old and new to dive into their anticipated new album Gestalt, to be released in the summer of 2026.

Plaindrifter is

Marcel "Uwe" Kloß — Vocals and Drums
Nils Stecker — Guitar
André Tinibel — Bass

Plaindrifter links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Abrams - LOON (Album Review)

Release Date: April 17th 2026. Record Label: Blues Funeral Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

LOON - Tracklisting

1.Glass House 

2.White Walls 

3.Last Nail 

4.Said & Done

5.Waves

6.How Did I Lose My Mind?

7.A State of Mind

8.Home

9.Remains

10.Sirens

Members

Zachary Amster – guitar, vocals

Taylor Iversen – bass, vocals

Ryan DeWitt - drums

Graham Zander - guitar

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers Abrams take a step back from the Ambient and Psychedelic delivery they have forged with their last two albums where they start forging closer ties once again to the Post-Hardcore and Noise Rock movement they experimented with earlier in their musical career. The end result is their highly satisfactory latest record LOON which brings a turbo-charged and highly deceiving style of Sludge/Stoner Metal that has a constant influx of Noise, Psych, Doom and Alt Metal structures that moves the band into new areas of Progressive sounds along the way.

The first few songs of Glass House, White Walls and Last Nail are quite chaotic and jagged with Abrams adding a creative sense of music employed by the likes of CAVE IN, MUTOID MAN and BOTCH. Though, the soulful and uplifting psychedelic passages they brilliantly perfected on their acclaimed 2024 album Blue City continue to be heard at the most convenient time which allows the listener to fully immerse themselves into Abrams dark and gloriously riff-fuelled musical environment.

The bombastic atmospherics does have small doses of vibrant Post-Punk, Post-Rock and Post-Stoner energy with their engaging style of real-life lyrics, harmonies and glorious uplifting beats still having a volatile dimension to it all. The music is played at a very loud, fast and pissed off pace with raw sounding Punk Rock mechanics holding everything together. Sometimes LOON delivers a NIGHT and DAY message and creative energy compared to Blue City especially on tracks such as Said & Done, Waves and How Did I Love My Mind?

The vocals from Zachary Amster and Taylor Iverson compliment each other superbly well with the album allowing them to put their own identity within their music. Zach and Taylor both deliver dynamite musical performances on guitars and bass respectively with Ryan DeWitt (Guitar) and Graham Zander (Drums) also adding to the ferocious and pissed off delivery that LOON wonderfully contains.

LOON can be wholly unpredictable at the best of times with Abrams switching between modern day Stadium Rock anthems and pulsating Sludge Metal sounds that can be quite deafening even when the listener is rocking out and headbanging in full agreement. There’s also a real sense of cynicism and downbeat energy on the later stages of the album and that’s not hard to see why.

A lot has changed in the world since Abrams released their last record. The world is teetering on the brink of destruction more than ever before and Abrams perfectly captures those violent surroundings on the remaining tracks of A State Of Mind, Remains and Sirens that are my favourite moments of the whole experience.

Abrams could have easily delivered Blue City Part Two and I will admit I still prefer that record only slightly compared to LOON, however I admire their bold creative choices they’ve achieved with LOON. This is their heaviest, aggressive and most violent record to date and maybe Abrams may return to more uplifting Psychedelic pastures for future records. However, the time is now and Abrams once again prove why they’re one of the most essential and consistently forward thinking bands the Sludge/Stoner Metal scene currently needs right now.

This may take a few listens to fully appreciate and truly admire but it’s well worth the journey as LOON has it all and offers an uncompromising style of music you cannot ignore.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

LOON is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Blues Funeral Recordings: 

BFR website / Bandcamp / SPKR Shop

Links 

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram