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

Naked Soldier - Echoes (EP Review)

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

Echoes - Tracklisting

1. Reduce Me (04:00)

2. Bit Crusher (04:14)

3. Fortune Teller (05:40)

4. El Bizarre (10:43)

Members

Patrik Caminada - Vocals 

Oliver Corrodi - Guitars, Production 

Noé Burger - Bass 

Janick Sidler – Drums

Review

Echoes is the latest EP from Stoner Rockers Naked Soldier and I remember being hugely impressed by their 2022 debut self-titled album with the band focusing upon a more Hard Rock style of Stoner Rock/Metal. There was a gritty undertone to Naked Soldier’s music which they merged with a swirling Desert Rock, Fuzz Rock and Psych Rock attitude. Echoes takes a slightly different transformation with the band adding a gloomy Post-Stoner and Post-Doom sound which has a cautious Hard Rock and Proto-Rock attitude. 

The four tracks held on Echoes runs for around twenty five minutes length with Naked Soldier employing similar musical techniques used by the likes of FU MANCHU, KYUSS, LOWRIDER, DOZER and TRUCKFIGHTERS. The stunning opening track of Reduce Me sets up the Desert Rock/Stoner Metal foundations that Naked Soldier expertly built upon which results in some long drawn out SONIC baked passages even within the short runtime of the first few tracks. There’s a hidden Classic Rock influence appearing within lead vocalist Patrik Caminada’s subversive vocals.

Naked Soldier slowly moves further into the Cosmic Rock and Space Rock abyss which fully comes into effect on tracks such as Bit Crusher and Fortune Teller with a sudden influx of Progressive landscapes fully taking over before the epic final track of El Bizarre finally appears. 

El Bizarre is the standout track here with Naked Soldier having a wild time conjuring up different musical dimensions that’s built upon the power of the legendary Californian Desert/Stoner Rock scene. The end result can be extremely outlandish and superbly brash but it works to Naked Soldier’s advantage at showcasing what great music they can conjure up when they focus upon play a more spaced out Jam Rock offering.

Echoes is a resounding success on every level which Naked Soldier should rightly be proud of. There’s more than enough hidden musical surprises to keep dedicated followers of the Desert Rock/Stoner Metal community superbly entertained for a very long time.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to The Metallist PR for the promo.

Echoes is available to buy digitally from all good digital stockists now.

Links 

LinkTree

ORGAN - Immobilism (Album Review)

Release Date: April 08th 2026. Record Label: Invisible Order Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Immobilism - Tracklisting

1.TENEBRISM 08:57

2.CONFESSOR 06:53

3.DEVOURING 06:18

4.DOGMA 08:03

5.INACCESSIBLE 09:04

Members

Alessandro Brun - Guitar

Alessandro Scriminich - Guitar

Alessandro De Pellegrin - Bass

Giulio Fabbro - Drums

Review

Immobilism is the third album from Instrumental Post-Metallers ORGAN where they demonstrate a wealth of intense Doom & Gloom surroundings that manifests into a bleak cinematic style of music drawing upon the likes of PELICAN, RUSSIAN CIRCLES, MASTODON and BONGRIPPER in the most of unexpected of places. With a brooding progressive sound that develops into stripped back soundscapes with small moments of Psychedelic and Kinetic musical energy transforms into a heavier and aggressive sound that comes fully into focus on the excellent opening track of Tenebrism.

There’s a sense of HORROR that you can feel throughout the album and some of the song titles give that impression that allows the listener to fully get accustomed to the dark musical surroundings that ORGAN brings to the party. The music is painfully slow and opaque at the best of the times but the droned out and distorted environment instantly takes hold with violent Ambient textures forming that allows ORGAN to experiment with a more “OUT OF THIS WORLD” sound that becomes quite “LOVECRAFTIAN” in places. The Post-Rock vibes transform into areas of Post-Doom and almost Post-Black Metal atmospherics especially on tracks such as Confessor, Devouring and Dogma delivering some of the most thought-provoking sounds on the whole album.

The album is painfully slow which allows the listener to fully take in the dark progressive themes, melodies and sudden shifts into vast areas of cerebral Post-Metal grooves that leave you questioning your own reality. ORGAN undergo a creative shift on the later stages of the record which allows brief pockets of Stoner Metal, Post-Hardcore and Noise Rock to suddenly appear that gives Immobilism a deeply unpredictable grounded energy. 

Immobilism works best when it merges twisted reality and nightmarish based soundscapes for a record that feels inspired by the films of David Cronenberg, David Lynch and Dario Argento with a free-flowing soundtrack narrative being one of the best aspects that I’ve taken away from the whole album. Every note is played superbly with ORGAN proving what great musicians they actually are especially compared to their outstanding 2018 album Eterno.

ORGAN have delivered a uniquely dark take on the realm of Instrumental Post-Metal that perhaps leaves many questions unanswered but you can’t deny the whole incredible audio and gloomy sonic experience the album fully delivers with real dramatic intent. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp

Manali - Manali (Album Review)

Release Date: April 17th 2026. Record Label: Vinyltroll Records and Virkelighedsfjern. Formats: DD/Vinyl

MANALI - Tracklisting

1.In This Body - 11:48

2.Sinful - 07:47

3.Mary - 15:37

Members

Mikkel Hansen - Guitar

Sammy Jagdev - Bass

Pætter Wollesen - Synth/Vox

Tommy Skouboe - Drums

Review

Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Manali self-titled debut album is one that fully met my initial expectations and instantly became part of daily musical ritual over the last month or so ever since I received a copy to review. The album is one that stands on its own creative merits with Manali actually doing something new and highly original with their own great style of Spaced Out Doom merged with instances of Psych, Sludge and Stoner Metal. 

With a sound inspired by the likes of UFOMAMMUT, Belzebong, Monolord and Slomatics, this album has quite a dark approach in how Manali explores their cosmic themes and trippy surroundings. The level of great detail applied to the areas of Drone, Ambient and Cosmic sounds have a rich identity of their own. The music can be quite warped with Manali taking their time bringing a standard sense of melody and musical composition to the album. 

The vocals from Pætter Wollesen only appear when they’re fully needed with Manali focusing upon the instrumental movements for most of this album. The world-weary synths and distorted melodies start to form at the very beginning with a violent psychedelic LOW & SLOW approach being Manali’s main weapon of choice to impress listeners with.

If you’re a fan of the classic UFOMAMMUT album EVE then Manali takes a similar approach with the band developing haunting apocalyptic sludgy excursions into droned out heaviness especially within the thrilling opening track In This Body. The whole record has a highly unapologetic and raw aesthetic that allows the music to be uncomfortably and organically real as possible with Manali pulling no punches in how they deliver their music. This allows the listener to be fully transported into Manali’s dark COSMIC world where’s a few unexpected hidden violent instrumental passages along the way. 

The other tracks Sinful and Mary allow Manali to develop heavier, violent and more cosmic inducing grooves that slowly take over your whole being, especially within Sinful. As they have less time to interact with the listener here and play a more direct style of Psychedelic Sludge/Stoner Metal. The Ambient Metal soundscapes remind of MONOLORD and SLOMATICS along the way but it’s the “less is more” approach with the vocals, progressive sounds and space rock passages that allows Sinful perhaps be my favourite track on the whole album.

Though the final track Mary contains the heaviest and aggressive sounds of the album though it doesn’t start that way. As Manali opens with a Post-Stoner and Post-Doom melody that soon transforms into something really poetic and beautifully real.  Manali keeps exploring and expanding this musical into other areas of Space Rock and Psychedelic landscapes. However, the band always allow themselves the perfect opportunity to add different levels of distorted measurement to the album which left me in quite a musical trance and blissful state of mind. The mood is quite violent and unpredictable at the best of times but there’s a brooding style of psychedelic energy that really impressed a great deal. 

Manali’s debut album really is a masterclass of modern day Spaced Out Heaviness that spoke huge volumes to me on a personal and emotional level. It’s hard to explain but when albums like this make an emotional connection to me then it’s these types of albums that I know I’ll be listening to over and over again in the years to come. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Audible PR for the promo.

Manali self-titled debut album is available to buy now on Digital Formats and Vinyl via Vinyltroll Records and Virkelighedsfjern.

Links 

https://linktr.ee/manaliband
https://www.facebook.com/Manalidoom/
https://www.instagram.com/manali.band/
https://manali-band.bandcamp.com/

Psych Stoner Rockers Hell Valley High Returns With New Single “Futile” And Announce New Album In The Works

Dutch heavy rockers Hell Valley High return with a brand new standalone single, “Futile”, out now via Argonauta Records. Listen here: 

The track marks the band’s first new material since its acclaimed debut Welcome to Hell Valley and delivers a powerful and timely message through its signature mix of groove-driven heaviness, roaring vocals and massive riffs.

The band comments:

“At times it seems that conflict is a necessary part of the human experience. Sometimes we find ourselves thinking that we’ll never learn. Songs like ‘Masters of War’ and ‘War Pigs’ paint pictures that seem every bit as relevant today as they did when they first came out. This song, ‘Futile’, seeks to contribute to an awareness regarding the issues of modern war and the price that’s being paid by those who partake in it. We do this the best way we know how, with thundering drums, distorted guitars and roaring vocals. Make riffs not war.”

At the same time, Hell Valley High confirms that a new full-length album is currently in the works. The band will enter the studio in September 2026 with renowned producer Pieter Kloos, known for his work with Motorpsycho, Dool, Komatsu, 7Zuma7, and The Devil’s Blood.

To support this new chapter, the band will perform a series of live shows across The Netherlands, including an appearance at Offroad, the official complementary program of Roadburn.

Upcoming live dates:

17.04.26 Tilburg, Offroad at Roadburn
02.05.26 Coevorden, MFC w/ Midhaven
30.05.26 Eindhoven, Bridge Guitar Festival
03.06.26 Den Bosch, Willem Twee Poppodium w/ Howling Giant

Released in October 2024 via Argonauta Records, Welcome to Hell Valley established the band as a rising force in the European heavy scene. The album received strong support from major media outlets and led to shows alongside Fu Manchu, Nashville Pussy, Bokassa and Planet Of Zeus, as well as festival appearances at Desertfest Antwerp and Interstellar Solar Fest.

Blending heavy rock, stoner and grunge, Hell Valley High delivers a sound built on thick riffs, pounding rhythms and memorable hooks, drawing inspiration from Truckfighters, Red Fang, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Karma to Burn, Kyuss and Monster Magnet.

With “Futile”, the band opens a new chapter and offers a first glimpse into what promises to be a bold and uncompromising new album.

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/hellvalleyhigh
https://www.instagram.com/hellvalleyhigh
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

The Lumberjack Feedback return with “Sword of the Sun”, a crushing new single-track digital EP

Argonauta Records proudly welcomes back French instrumental post-metal force The Lumberjack Feedback with “Sword of the Sun”, a new EP built around a single, monumental track, available exclusively in digital format.

Listen now: https://tidal.com/album/511312900/u

Designed as a focused and uncompromising sonic statement, “Sword of the Sun” pushes the band further into darker and heavier territories. Massive riffs, oppressive rhythms and relentless intensity drive a composition that unfolds like a slow, inevitable confrontation. Stripping away excess, the band channels everything into one powerful piece, delivering a short yet deeply impactful experience.

The EP embodies the idea of standing alone against adversity, where the “Sword of the Sun” becomes a symbol of raw strength and survival, cutting through chaos with determination.

This new release follows “The Stronghold”, released via Argonauta Records in April 2024, which showcased the band’s signature blend of crushing heaviness, dual drumming and hypnotic atmospheres, further establishing their place in the international post-metal scene.

Formed in France in 2008, The Lumberjack Feedback have built a strong identity through instrumental compositions that merge sludge, doom and post-rock influences into immersive and emotionally charged soundscapes.

For fans of: Pelican, Boris, Monkey3, Gojira, Caspian, Neurosis, Russian Circles

Cover art by Francois Andries https://www.instagram.com/fr_andries

INFO:

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

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

Cult Of Occult - I Have No Name (Album Review)

Release Date: March 31st 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl/Tape

I Have No Name - Tracklisting

1.I Have No Heart 13:18

2.I Have No Limbs 15:05

3.I Have No Companion 05:56

4.I Have No Tongue 03:56

5.I Have No Soul 15:44

6.I Have No End 16:51

Review

I Have No Name is the fifth album from Doom/Sludge/Post-Metallers Cult Of Occult and this is the first time I’ve featured them on the blog in over a decade or so. I honestly thought I reviewed their other albums since then as I’m a huge fan of their droned out and nihilistic vision. This time round the band offer an epic and bleak slice of Blackened Doom Metal that’s merged with Drone, Sludge and Post-Metal sensibilities.

The album lasts over seventy minutes across six tracks where Cult Of Occult perfect a violent style of twisted SONIC precision that brings a dark violent style of music that pays homage to the likes of EYEHATEGOD, THOU, SUNN 0))), SUMAC and NEURORIS. 

There feels like a neverending sense of filth and decay that’s set against a violent style of Progressive Metal which appears throughout the whole record. The brutal vocals move between sick growls and harsh delivery though they’re quite easy to understand for the most part.

All of the tracks start with the term “I Have No” which allows Cult Of Occult to show their complete hatred and distrust with almost everything around them in the modern world. The music is constantly moving to new levels of distorted hysteria which is pitched perfectly within the two epic opening tracks of I Have No Heart and I Have No Limbs.

These two tracks set out the whole mission statement for the album where everything is played with soul crushing melodies and bleak oppression appearing within the psychedelic and droned out surroundings the band wisely use a weapon of choice to power the message home to everyone who is brave enough to listen to the album

The LOW & SLOW creative movement allows Cult Of Cult to transform into a Blackened Post-Metal monster on tracks such as I Have No Limbs, I Have No Compassion, I Have No Tongue and I Have No End. The sheer level of misery and pure violent carnage that Cult Of Occult constructs with each singular track is quite a technical marvel. As they bring a highly original style of Extreme Metal to their music that solidifies the band as one of the best and heaviest metal bands to emerge from the French underground scene over the last fifteen years or so.

If you’re expecting moments of uplifting musical passages or cinematic surroundings then you’ll surely be disappointed as that’s not Cult Of Occult’s style. The lyrics are quite shocking at times with the violent vocals adding a layer of sheer brutality that will haunt your nightmares for a long time to come. Though, the best part of the album is how the band merges different areas of Sludge, Doom, Post-Metal, Psych and Prog Metal and transforms them into a violent apocalyptic style of pure BLACK METAL CHAOS that leaves you begging for more punishment. 

Sure, the music can be very long and drawn out at times but it’s done with real intent and purpose which allows I Have No Name to become a highly unmissable record especially if you're a dedicated follower of the EXTREME METAL scene. Cult Of Occult have once again delivered the goods with a spectacular record that can only be described as “ESSENTIAL LISTENING”.

Epic. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram