Svjetlost - The Forever Silent (Album Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Shadow Of Sorrow Records. Released. Formats: DD

The Forever Silent - Tracklist

1.Above the Mountains

2.Lands of Suffering 

3.The Golden Lilies

4.Between the Peaks

Members

All instruments and vocals by Jamie Kobić

Review

The Forever Silent is the debut album from Sludge/Doom/Stoner/Post-Metal entity Svjetlost which is the creative project from Jamie Kobić who also happens to be the lead vocalist/drummer for Doom/Post-Metallers Garvan. This project takes a slightly different route to Garvan as Svjetlost is primarily inspired by a form of music called Sevdah. Sevdah is the traditional music of Bosnia with minimal, slow and folk based rhythms which transform into different atmospherics and progressive chords. 

Svjetlost adds a heavy and pulsating style of Doom, Drone, Sludge and Stoner Metal for this record which spans across four individual tracks running for almost fifty six minutes in length. Each track tells a different story to each other where the dominant Sludge/Stoner Metal sound delivers the dense instrumental passages to crush your hearing with. However, Jamie uses a lush style of Ambient Rock, Drone and Post-Rock where that more restrained style of melody becomes the dominant factor. 

This record is inspired by the likes of SLEEP, OM, Shrinebuilder and High On Fire but given a unique Folk Rock sound which allows elements of acts such as Neurosis, Russian Circles and Pelican to give The Forever Silent a fever-pitch experimental energy. Though, the music is brilliantly riff-centric with opening track Above The Mountains traversing the finer realms of Space Rock and Cosmic Doom with that grounded Folk Rock relevance appearing within the vocals and sudden shift to amplifier distorted Post-Metal delivery. 

The lyrics are completely off the charts with some cool strands of weirdness appearing but Jaime does write some deeply meaningful reasons behind them that touch upon his own heritage and close links to Bosnia and Herzegovina in general. Svjetlost works best when the music drifts into Ambient Post-Rock and tranquil Shoegaze movements which gives a sense of calm before the record explodes in a loud aggressive Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal stance.

There’s a great use of different sound effects and trippy themes that feel inspired by the classic Post-Rock/Post-Metal scene especially on tracks Lands Of Suffering and Golden Lillies. These parts can be quite melancholic with a brooding self imposed style of reflection before the mood changes dramatically for an intense onslaught of Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves. The Forever Silent isn’t always about the heavy destructive journey and even though that’s some of my favourite aspects of the record, you have to experience the lovely therapeutic Post-Rock surroundings that transport you to another time and place.

The vocals are absolutely exquisite and quite heartbreaking in places especially within the quieter moments. Jamie does a wide range of different vocal styles that matches the mood the music brings throughout each individual track’s massive run time. The sound can be quite abstract with a classic “LESS IS MORE” presence before transforming into a commanding Sludge Metal delivery when you least expect this. 

The later stages of The Forever Silent starts merging the early tone of the record with perhaps a bleak and sombre message that results in some epic long drawn out grooves formed by the Atmospheric Sludge and Psychedelic Stoner Metal domains within the standout tracks of The Golden Lillies and Between The Peaks.

Svjetlost have crafted a rich and brilliantly original style of underground music that easily allows the record to be considered as one of the best debut albums to be released this year. The trippy and ambient effects become even more powerful with every repeated listen that leaves The Forever Silent a breathless and unforgettable AUDIO experience.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

The Forever Silent is available to buy digitally now from all good digital stockists.

Links 

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FUZZING NATION ANNOUNCE "OPERATION MOTHERTRUCK: DRONES OVER GERMANY TOUR 2026" WITH LAST BØLT CEREMONY

Greek heavy rock trio Fuzzing Nation are proud to announce their first German live appearances with OPERATION MOTHERTRUCK: DRONES OVER GERMANY TOUR 2026, a five-date co-headline run with Germany's Last Bølt Ceremony.

Following the release of their debut full-length album Mothertruck via Argonauta Records, Fuzzing Nation will bring their heavy, groove-driven sound to Germany for the first time, taking their signature blend of massive riffs, fuzz-drenched guitars and desert rock attitude to five stages across Solingen, Münster, Köln, Oberhausen and Bremen.

Formed in Athens, Greece, Fuzzing Nation have quickly built an international presence within the heavy rock scene, receiving attention from the European underground press and expanding their audience beyond their home country. With Mothertruck, the band continues their journey of delivering powerful live performances inspired by the timeless spirit of heavy rock.

Joining them for the entire tour are Last Bølt Ceremony, a Dortmund-based trio bringing their own distinctive mix of stoner, grunge and alternative rock. Known for their energetic live shows and raw sound, the band have established themselves within Germany's heavy underground, including their recent appearance at the renowned Stoned

From The Underground Festival.

OPERATION MOTHERTRUCK: DRONES OVER GERMANY TOUR 2026

TOUR DATES

08 Dec — Solingen

09 Dec — Münster

10 Dec — Köln

11 Dec — Oberhausen

12 Dec — Bremen

FUZZING NATION // LAST BØLT CEREMONY

Fuzzing Nation Links 

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Brad Frye announces first solo album, an instrumental drone-meets-spaghetti western offering.

Brad Frye is known as the owner of Desert Records, founder of Red Mesa, and half of the duo Droni Eye Omi.

In the spring of 2025, Brad Frye set out to self-record his first solo album.

Armed with a Reverend baritone guitar, a Fender Champ tube amp, a solar powered generator, and a pedal board, Frye hiked out to remote locations around Albuquerque, NM.

Frye set up a Zoom H6 recorder to capture the ambient natural sounds of the New Mexican landscape. Birds, trains, rivers, wind, insects, and animals are heard throughout the songs.

Drone meets spaghetti western.vPartially composed, but mostly improvised, this is hypnotic and mesmeric instrumental electric guitar music.

100% recorded outside in the high desert….

…A love letter to New Mexico.

Links

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Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for the details.

Slor - Eternal Mirror (Album Review)

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Eternal Mirror - Tracklist

1.Universal Calling 13:52

2.Cosmic Reflections 14:43

3.Supergod 14:17

4.Sky Mountain 10:19

Review

Icelandic Doom/Stoner Metallers SLOR return with their second album Eternal Mirror and it uses the same classic soundclip “TIME TO WAKE UP”  from legendary philosopher Alan Watts that’s appeared most predominantly on the classic 2014 YOB record “Clearing The Path To Ascend” before Slor start playing their own stripped back style of aggressive Doom/Stoner Metal. 

There are shades of YOB, UFOMAMMUT, SLEEP and BLACK SABBATH running quite freely within Slor’s dominant style of Psychedelic and Space Rock flavours that holds everything together. There’s a tribal and primal melody appearing within the music with the epic opening track Universal Calling having an ice-cold approach with a thumping rhythm section taking all the melody out of the heavy atmosphere. The sounds are quite grungy, seedy and stripped back with the sounds becoming quite drawn out with the clean vocals having a shamanic and droned delivery to them. 

The production values are quite sparse and eerie minimal with Slor tapping into the lo-fi atmospherics that becomes superbly powerful and wonderfully soulful at the same time. Slor spend a lot of time in generating sludgy textures which let their music run quite vividly and drift into some far off unexpected Space Rock movements. The tracks run between ten minutes to fourteen minutes in length with that classic UFOMAMMUT sonic delivery being a great musical and creative influence to call upon at times .

All of the tracks follow a similar musical path with Slor overlapping amplified noises, sound effects and distorted cosmic surroundings to great effect on tracks Cosmic Reflections and Supergod. The lyrics can be quite fantastical and over the top but what do you expect for a great COSMIC DOOM album such as this. There is a grounded level of heaviness that Slor uses within the heaviest and down-tuned progressive passages that appear on Eternal Mirror.

With the mighty SLEEP taking a different musical and creative direction without the legendary MATT PIKE then this could be the album to resolve that crushing disappointment. As Slor play a similar style of musical delivery where the AMPS are pumped out to the max with tons of FUZZY REVERB and classic SABBATHIAN based meaty grooves especially on the standout tracks of Cosmic Reflections and Sky Mountain. Though, you can even align Slor closely to the likes of SLOMATICS and CONAN if you want that massive DOOM METAL sound that takes no prisoners. 

Slor has delivered a record that’s beautifully filthy, seedy and one that’s full of earth-shattering grooves that will cause some minor damage to your actual hearing. The lo-fi elements and stripped back production values elevates the record to great musical heights which will leave you in an hypnotic trance especially when that thick, heavy and down-tuned groove fully takes over with Slor destroying everything within the Doom/Stoner Metal COSMOS.

If you love your music played against a backdrop of non-stop LOW & SLOW, DISTORTED FEEDBACK and AMPLIFIED HEAVINESS based soundscapes then Eternal Mirror is the album for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

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ULTRACOMBO - Season 3 (EP Review)

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Season 3 - Tracklist

Out Of My Mind

Annullamento

II pavone

Il fungo e l'universo

Un giorno come ieri

Members

Flavio Gola

Alessio Guarda

Giordano Pajarin

Giordano Tasson

Alberto Biasin 

Review

Psych/Desert/Stoner Rockers ULTRACOMBO return with their new record Season 3 which continues the great work of their previous releases of Season 1 and Season 2. This time round the band include a solid Electronic sound into the mix which gives their music a slight commercial sound that reminds of modern day QOTSA with a dash of RED FANG street level grooves for the majority of the record.

Opening track Out Of My Mind combines Grunge, Desert Rock, Psych and Stoner Rock sound with a cool danceable energy which still is quite rebellious with ULTRACOMBO moving around the Nineties and Noughties Stoner Rock platform. The vocals are excellent with a cool underground appearance being quite expressive with the band applying an almost like “PARTY GOING” atmosphere into their music but the classic Stoner Rock swagger should appeal to fans of KYUSS, FU MANCHU and TRUCKFIGHTERS.

Second track Annullamento is vastly different with ULTRACOMBO applying a Space Rock and Post-Stoner finish with maybe some Yawning Man based soundscapes appearing allowing the band to add a thoughtful trippy and trance based vibe into their music. WIth a lush sounding Post-Rock movement delves into a distorted style of Cosmic and Space Rock synths with an experimental Electronic sound being quite riff-centric which allows this to be the standout track on the EP.

Third track II pavone leans further and quite heavily into the Electronic arena with a vast array of Desert Rock, Fuzz and Stoner Rock musical surroundings transfer themselves over to the land of Drone, Doom and Sludge Rock. This part of the EP is quite abstract but sees a daring style of creativity being applied by ULTRACOMBO for a dense and heavier distorted delivery. 

Fourth track Il fungo e l'universo sees ULTRACOMBO return to the classic style of Desert, Fuzz and Stoner Rock with a laid back melody slowly becoming heavier and more aggressive with each passing moment. The electronic beats are there from time-to-time but it’s the good old fashioned style of Fuzzed Out energy that allows the legendary Californian Desert Rock scene to fully shine through. The vocals are excellent with a delivery that can be quite different from time-to-time. 

The final track of Un giorno come ieri once again allows ULTRACOMBO to use that classic style of QOTSA based delivery with soulful strands of Alt Rock and even Shoegaze which sees the band widen their creative identity much further afield compared to the previous tracks on the EP. When the turbo-charged and blistering FUZZY soundscapes join forces then Season 3 takes giant risks with how the music is played which leaves you wanting more. 

Season 3 is a massive improvement on both musically and creatively speaking for ULTRACOMBO when compared to Season 2. The production process is handled superbly well that allows ULTRACOMBO to once again play first rate instrumental melodies that will go down a storm with the Stoner Rock underground community.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

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Burning Sister - Plunge (Single Review)

Release Date: July 12th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Plunge b/w Fadeout (Live) - Tracklist

1.Plunge 05:54

2.Fadeout (live) 06:56

Members

Steve Miller - Bass, Vox

Alison Salutz - Drums

Review

High Downer Rock collective Burning Sister returns with their warped and refreshingly daring new single Plunge which adds a distorted level of Psychedelic Hysteria into the mix. This follows on from their excellent last single of Sunspots with Burning Sister continuing to experiment with areas of Drone, Shoegaze, Grunge, Space Rock and Sludge Rock which adds a gloomy style of heaviness into the mix. 

The song is quite bleak when compared to their previous releases with some wicked sonic and electronic experimentation that reminds me of L7, The Melvins and Faith No More whilst keeping within the classic Fuzz Rock and Stoner Rock surroundings the band have made their names with. The sludgy bass from Steve Miller and thumping drums from Alison Salutz gives a new droned out aspect to their music which results into some epic instrumental jams and doomed out soundscapes being played against Steve’s restrained vocals.

Burning Sister have added a killer live track of their superb song Fadeout from their acclaimed 2023 release Get Your Head Right. This is a slightly different take compared to the original version lasting about forty seconds longer than the original with Burning Sister adding seedy and dirty down-tuned fuzzy sound effects to a song that was already known for its filthy delivery. The LIVE setting adds a mean-sounding attitude from Burning Sister with a manic Punk Rock sound allowing them to deliver a more direct sound. 

Though, the real star here is PLUNGE which is one of the best tracks I've heard from Burning Sister as they fully lean into areas of music they’ve haven’t explored for a long time which left me fully content and emotionally satisfied. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

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Exclusive Album Premiere Of Doom/Stoner Metallers MOTHERTOMB Stunning New Album DYING TO LIVE

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.

We're beyond excited to premiere the album Dying To Live thanks to the great folks over at Good Boy PR which you can listen to below:

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.

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.