Cypriot Heavy Rockers STONUS to release sophomore album "Space to Dive" on Ripple Music this March 20th; new video "Hope Dose" available now!

Straight from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus heavy rock torchbearers STONUS return with their sophomore full-length "Space to Dive" this March 20th on Ripple Music, and unleash their rip-roaring new single and video "Hope Dose" on all platforms today!

Firing on all cylinders and not looking in the rearview mirror, STONUS are ready to set the world on fire with their high-octane and anthemic new single "Hope Dose"! The band comments: "Hope Dose addresses our daily choice between self-destruction and self- improvement. It is about accepting and embracing the darker side of the self, acknowledging that growth requires confronting inner shadows rather than escaping them. Choices carry consequences, but at the end of the day, survival often comes down to holding onto hope, and sometimes, releasing tension through raw, unapologetic living."

 Watch new video "Hope Dose" at this location + listen to the track on all streaming platforms

Their forthcoming sophomore album "Space to Dive" is a transcendent journey into the space within, an esoteric exploration aimed at redefining identity through intuition, sound, and self-discovery. Inspired by the torus field — the visual representation of sound, energy, and atomic vibration — the record explores the continuous flow between the inner self and the universe. "To us, this space represents infinite potential: a meeting point between consciousness, creation, and what could be perceived as the face of God. "Space to Dive" challenged us to move beyond comfort, allowing instinct and vulnerability to guide the songwriting. The result is a more personal and intuitive expression, where each track reflects fragments of introspection, transformation, and awakening," says the band.

Recorded at Wreck It Sound Studios in Corinth, in collaboration with Johnny S.A. (former 1000mods), "Space to Dive" captures the fiery quintet at the peak of their creativity. The mastering, handled by legendary engineer Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, QOTSA, Deftones, Kyuss, Metallica), adds both sonic depth and a rare prestige to the final work. The visual world of the album was crafted by Kamil Czapiga of Cosmodernism, whose mastery of cymatics translates sound into geometry with alchemical precision.

Despite the challenges of being spread across three countries whilst touring and working simultaneously, the realisation of this concept proved essential to the band. "Space to Dive" stands as both a personal reckoning and a universal exploration - an invitation to dive inwards to better understand the whole.

STONUS "Space To Dive" - Out March 20th on Ripple Music - PRE-ORDER

Described by Metal Hammer as “Mediterranean fuzzed-up heavy rock", STONUS have been active since 2015, steadily building their presence across Europe through a raw, high-energy live show and a strong DIY ethic, positioning them as one of the most internationally active Cypriot rock bands. Their acclaimed debut album "Aphasia" was released in 2020 via Electric Valley Records, earning spots on multiple Album of the Year lists within the heavy and stoner rock scene and surpassing 100,000 streams on Spotify.

The momentum continued with the "Seance" EP in 2021 and a live studio session LP "Live in Zen" in 2024 via Ouga Booga & the Mighty Oug and Electric Valley Records. Throughout recent years, the band has shared stages with heavy rock powerhouses including 1000mods, Truckfighters, Planet of Zeus, and Mars Red Sky, while appearing at major European festivals such as Berlin Swamp Fest (DE), Westill Festival (FR), Riffolution Fest (UK), Electric Valley Festival (IT) and Truckfighters’ Fuzz Festival (SE).

STONUS is

Nikolas Frangoulis – Guitar
Kyriacos Frangoulis – Vocals
Kotsios Demetriades – Drums
Pavlos Demetriou – Guitar
Alaa Albaharna - Bass, Additional Vocals

STONUS links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

RIPPLE MUSIC links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

US Heavy Rock Festival PLANET DESERT ROCK WEEKEND shares full lineup for winter 2026 edition in Las Vegas; tickets available now!

Vegas Rock Revolution's Planet Desert Rock Weekend has revealed the full lineup for its 2026 edition, with twenty-one heavy rock bands from across the globe converging in Sin City over the January 29th-February 1st weekend!

Curated by Vegas Rock Revolution founder John Gist, Planet Desert Rock Weekend has become a major event for all heavy rock fans nationwide and beyond. More than just a festival, it's an experience: its strong worldwide curation in an intimate indoor and evening-only setting drives the yearly increase in popularity for this Sin City event — a party atmosphere with top-notch sound provided by The Usual Place!

Planet Desert Rock VI will be presenting a wide range of hard rock and stoner rock acts featuring not only legacy bands such as The Atomic Bitchwax, Black Water Rising, Throttlerod and The Quill, but also scene stalwarts like Spaceslug (Poland), Freedom Hawk, The Devil & the Almighty Blues (Norway), The Heavy Eyes, The Well, Bask, Westing, Saturna (Spain), Paralyzed (Germany) and High Desert Queen. Once again, the festival has invited Californian label Ripple Music to host a special showcase night featuring some of their roster's finest live acts!

Ripple Music founder Todd Severin comments, "John Gist has created and nurtured one of the best festivals in the USA for heavy rock. Not limited by genre, but by quality, each day of the Planet Desert Rock Weekend delivers. Ripple is once again thrilled to support PDRW, and can't wait to show off to the world Ripple night, when Ripple bands storm the stage en masse!" Check out the festival's official Spotify playlist!

Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI - January 29th to February 1st @ The Usual Place (Las Vegas, NV)
Event information // Weekend and day tickets

Former Planet Desert Rock Weekend players include John Garcia, Red Fang, Radio Moscow, Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri, Nebula, Scott "Wino" Weinrich, Sasquatch, Fireball Ministry, Unida, Mos Generator, Solace, Wo-Fat, Fatso Jetson, Steak and more. The purpose of Planet Desert Rock Weekend is to host high-level heavy rock performances that blend legacy bands with stellar up-and-coming acts for a unique listening adventure each night. The intimate venues are highlighted with amazing sound systems for a full experience that captures the pure essence of each band. "Organic bands with no tracks!"

Vegas Rock Revolution on Facebook | Instagram | Website

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Sacri Suoni - Time To Harvest (Album Review)

Release Date: January 23rd 2026. Record Label: Electric Valley Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Time To Harvest- Tracklisting

1. Plow the Void 

2. Soothe

3. Dissolve to Reunite in Varanasi

4. It Will Crumble Before Us

Members

Mattia Carabelli: Bass
Gianmarco De Santis: Lead Guitar
Giacomo Tagni: Rhythm Guitar
Alessio Gavioli: Drums

Review

I wouldn’t blame you for being confused by the album cover for Sacri Suoni’s new album TIme To Harvest, as this gives the impression that this is a Seventies Prog Rock or Classic Rock album and it’s anything but that. Time To Harvest is a beautiful and stunningly heavy Cosmic Doom/Stoner Metal album that’s told thoroughly the power of Instrumental Rock. You can expect to hear fractured and fragmented Spaced Out passages with Sacri Suoni exploring the finer details of Psychedelic Doomed Out Stoner Metal. There is an extra heaviness of Sludge Rock/Metal developing within the Space Rock surroundings which comes to life on the excellent opening track Plow The Void.

Plow The Void continues the distorted and psychedelic vibe heard on their acclaimed debut album Sacred Is Not Divine though Sacri Suoni allows a thunderous progressive energy to develop that overlaps with the intense gloomy guitars from Gianmarco De Santis and Giacomo Tagni. The guitars have a similar sound to the likes of BELZEBONG and CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC but perhaps more Space Rock and Sludge Rock obsessive which becomes the main weapon of choice for the band to destroy the listener’s hearing with.

Second song Soothe is a richer, aggressive and progressive offering with Sacri Suoni adding small movements of Ambient and Drone appearing behind the scenes. The epic rhythm section of Mattia Carabelli on Bass and Alessio Gavioli on Drums keeps everything grounded especially when the music moves at a faster pace. There’s areas of swirling psychedelic sounds and sludgy dynamics that once again ventures into the far reaches of the Space Rock/Cosmic Rock vortex. The music can be quite stripped back with Sacri Suoni opting for STOP/START approach which allows the heavier COSMIC themes bring a gloomy sense of weariness into play. This allows Soothe to be one of the most cinematic and climatic tracks on the whole album. 

Third track Dissolve To Reunite In Varanasi was originally released as the second single from the album and it gained major acclaim for how the song actually plays out. This is a track with a beginning, middle and end but told through a breathtaking creative narrative which propels Sacri Suoni into greater levels of storytelling. Sacri Suoni experiments with tone, sounds, melodies and progressive moods for a song that once again becomes way more CINEMATIC and adventurous. There's an epic intro of Seventies based Prog Rock that’s pitched against a thrilling modern day Psychedelic Doom Soundtrack score. This song has become my favourite track I’ve heard this year with Sacri Suoni exploring different areas of the Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal scene and conjuring pulsating melodies that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Fourth track It WIll Crumble Before Us offers a sombre and moody Post-Rock delivery with Sacri Suoni eerily setting the scene for this mammoth thirteen minute track. Taking cues from the likes of PELICAN, RUSSIAN CIRCLES and VINNUM SABBATHI for the opening moments before exploring their own distinctive style of Cosmic Doom yet again. The sound is multi-layered with the band adding deceptive layers of Psychedelic Metal and Ambient surroundings. Sludge Metal landscapes take centre stage with Sacri Suoni still taking their music into completely new creative directions. The execution is swift and always highly rewarding with Time To Harvest ending in a brilliant and surprising way.

Time To Harvest is an album I’ve been listening to constantly on a daily basis for the past month or so and it becomes a much better experience every time you listen to the album. The record is wonderfully produced and when you have the legendary talents of Brad Boadright to master the record with mixing and engineering duties at Niton Lab by Enrico Mangione & Luca Martegani, then you have the perfect ingredients for a record that sounds incredible from start to finish. 

That’s why TIME TO HARVEST is going to be one of the standout and possibly most important Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal records of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Qabar PR for the promo.

Time To Harvest is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Electric Valley Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Mother Crone - US Progressive Sludge-Metal Collective Reveal New Track “Unseen Way” Via Decibel Magazine

Puget Sound’s progressive sludge-metal collective Mother Crone have revealed a powerful new chapter with their brand-new single “Unseen Way,” which premiered via Decibel Magazine. The track offers another commanding glimpse into the band’s long-awaited sophomore album Embrace the Death, set to be released on March 4th.

Decibel praised the release as a bold step forward, and it’s easy to hear why: “Unseen Way” is eight minutes of progressive, twisty doom with thrashy underpinnings, the epic opener of the quartet’s upcoming second full-length, Embrace the Death."

Listen to “Unseen Way” now via Decibel Magazine.

If you missed it, the band previously unveiled the album’s title track “Embrace the Death,” check it out at this location.

Formed in the Puget Sound area of Washington in 2013, Mother Crone are a band forged from diverse musical backgrounds, converging to create a sound that is as heavy as it is dynamic. Drawing on influences that stretch from the psychedelic depths of Pink Floyd, the classic heaviness of Black Sabbath, and the groove-driven attack of Pantera, to the progressive and atmospheric worlds of Bison B.C., Alcest, and Shrinebuilder, the band weave a progressive/post-metal tapestry that shifts seamlessly between doom, thrash, and groove.

The band introduced themselves with their debut album Awakening in 2015, followed by two years of extensive touring across the region. Life’s demands eventually forced the group to slow down, but Mother Crone have now returned revitalized and refocused, ready to deliver their most ambitious material yet.

With their forthcoming sophomore record Embrace the Death, Mother Crone push their sound to new extremes, heavier, darker, and more expansive. Backed by a refreshed lineup featuring Preston Wilson (bass), Charlie Romano (drums), Edoardo Curatolo (guitar), and Joe Frothingham (guitar/vocals), the band aim to raise the standards of energy and execution in the Seattle scene and beyond.

Embrace Death will be available to buy from March 04th 2026.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/MotherCroneMusic
https://www.instagram.com/mothercronemusic
https://mothercrone.bandcamp.com/

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for all of the information.

Mothertomb - Mountain Hag (Single Review)

Release Date: January 06th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Mountain Hag - Tracklisting

Mountain Hag

Members

Alice Gawlinski: Vocals

Chance Gawlinski: Guitar

Alton Minor: Bass

Mike Benitez: Percussion

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Mothertomb return with their latest single Mountain Hag which takes a similar journey to their acclaimed debut single Beware. Though, this time there is more focus on a more Psychedelic and Progressive sound emitting from all corners. The grooves have a Blues Tinged atmosphere to them with flashes of good old fashioned Classic Rock appearing within the first few moments of the track. There’s also a bewitching “OCCULT” and “TRIBAL” energy allowing Mountain Hag to have a certain Folk or Appalachian aspect to the whole song.

Alice Gawlinski’s vocals impress yet again with a subversive and highly engaging style being delivered throughout the whole track. They can be quite outlandish at times but that’s the charm of the overall song with Mothertomb even stripping back their “HEAVY METAL” themes of the song for a stunning Post-Doom and Post-Stoner atmosphere within the quieter moments of the song.

The instrumental passages once again provided by Chance Gawlinski (Guitar), Alton Minor (Bass) and Mike Benitez (Percussion) have a more multi-faceted dimension to them with a heavier Progressive sound which allows Mothertomb to fully transform into spellbinding storytellers of their own making. This “minor” transformation compared to their debut song “Beware” has me even more excited to hear their upcoming debut album due for release later this year. 

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.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | DistroKid

Smoke Rites - Eager Eyes Of Talon (Album Review)

Release Date: January 06th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Eager Eyes Of Talon - Tracklisting

1.Golden Road 06:59

2.Eager Eyes of Talion 05:43

3.Nothing Never 04:28

4.10ft Dread 05:31

5.Death is a Five Letter Word 06:17

6.Charas Drift 01:27

7.Devil's Advocate 06:07

8.Wind of Most Cruel Kind 04:33

Members

Tomasz Mielnik - Vocal

Łukasz Borawski - Guitars

Adam Ziółkowski - Bass

Michał Kamiński - Drums

Monika Adamska-Guzikowska - Guest Vocal - Death is a Five Letter Word

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers Smoke Rites return with their second album Eager Eyes Of Talion and sees the band conjuring up similar smoked out themes heard on their 2022 debut album Total Lung Capacity. There’s an ever increasing style of Southern Metal, NOLA and Occult Metal sounds appearing which gives the record quite a classic seedy sound.

The sound can be quite abstract and very direct at times with Smoke Rites feeling like they grew up within the legendary NOLA scene and not from their native Poland. Though, Poland has a legendary Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal scene of their own with Smoke Rites flirting between Polish underground heaviness and full on American WEEDIAN surroundings throughout the album.

Opening track Golden Read bridges the gap between these two powerhouse scenes with Smoke Rites conjuring up a dominant Southern Metal style of music with an aggressive backdrop of Fuzzy and Seedy Stoner Metal melodies. The OCCULT DOOM energy appears in small flashes of the song which gives the band a great excuse to delve even further into the SABBATHIAN and ELECTRIC WIZARD influences that decimates and levels the whole drugged out playing field.

The vocals from Tomasz Borawski draw upon from a wide range of different vocalists which he uses to great advantage as Tomasz offers a superb style of his very own making that is delivered with a mixture of harsh, violent and full on Doom Metal vocal passages. Eager Eyes Of Talon is packed full of long drawn out and fuzzed up distorted movements with the raw-sounding aesthetics keeping Smoke Rites closely linked to the underground scene on tracks such as Eager Eyes Of Talion, Nothing Never and 10ft Dread.

These tracks see Smoke Rites venture into a more fantastical and over the top style of Doomed Out Metal with a slight psychological warfare being created through the heavy rhythm section of Adam Ziółkowski on Bass and Michał Kamiński on Drums that adds a mighty violent level of distorted terror in the background. Łukasz Borawski offers a non-stop onslaught of powerful Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves which should appeal to fans from the likes of Black Sabbath, DOWN, HIGH ON FIRE and Electric Wizard.

Some parts of the record almost transform into areas of Blackened Doom or Blackened Sludge Metal but Smoke Rites keep that seedy and drug influenced attitude as the “main glue” that holds everything together which becomes more dominant on tracks such as Death Is A Five Letter Word, Devi’s Advocate and Wind Of Most Cruel Kind.

Eager Eyes Of Talion offers bleak and intense HEAVY METAL entertainment from start to finish with stripped back production values allowing Smoke Rites to play to the best of their technical ability and with a ferocious and primal creative theme being one of the main strengths of the whole album. This is the type of album why the Polish underground HEAVY METAL scene is so highly regarded and for that reason I can’t recommend this album highly enough.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

US Heavy Rock Trio TEMPTRESS shares magnetic second single off new album "hear" on Blues Funeral Recordings. Full US Tour Starts Soon!

Dallas, Texas hybrid power trio TEMPTRESS share a magnetic new track and video taken from their upcoming sophomore full-length "hear", to be issued on January 23rd through Blues Funeral Recordings and supported by an extensive US winter tour.

 
️ Watch new Temptress video "Edge" below️ + listen to the single on all streaming services

About "Edge", the band comments, "the video gives a parallel to the song theme while showcasing the women of Temptress. It's a psychedelic trip with a style reminiscent of nostalgic era music videos and a fun look at what a night of getting ready in a greenroom could entail."

Bombastic yet delicate, crushing yet ethereal, driving yet dark, Temptress is a jigsaw of sonic touchstones with no audible seams. Fusing doom, post-rock, grunge and post-hardcore, their molten sonic blend flows and obliterates like a liquid metal assassin. "This album as a whole is deeply personal, with all of us equally putting our hearts and souls into the songs. It has a different feel than our priors and shows our growth and different influences, tripolar if you will," the band comments.With 200+ shows played in their relatively short tenure, their endless ideas and nuances slide perfectly into place thanks to its three members' vast live experience. Their upcoming sophomore album "hear" churns with searing riffs and dissonant grooves in an irresistible confluence of ideas, all materializing in their compelling male/female vocal trio and taking us on a journey through light and shadow. Fans of hybrid rock crushers such as Helms Alee, The Well, Heavy Temple should love this. Don't miss their previous single These Walls!


New album "hear" Out January 23rd on Blues Funeral Recordings
Preorder via Bandcamp / Bluesfuneral.com / SPKR shop

Temptress is a heavy trio founded in Dallas, Texas who fuse drone, doom, post-rock, noise, grunge and classic metal into an unexpected blend that sounds at times like each yet is also entirely unique. Comprised of veteran touring musicians Andi Cuba (drums/vocals), Kelsey Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Christian Wright (bass/vocals), Temptress began their musical journey in 2019. Within just five months, these experienced players went from jamming for fun to writing and recording their first potent songs, self-releasing the self-titled "Temptress" EP that year and immediately launching into live performances.

Recording their debut album "see" with Kent Stump (Wo Fat) at Crystal Clear Sound Studio and releasing the record in 2023 through Metal Assault Records, Temptress toured extensively to present their hybrid heaviness in the most natural and impactful setting. In their relatively short tenure, Temptress has played over 200 shows across the USA and Canada, sharing stages with bands like Khemmis, Royal Thunder, Eyehategod and Black Tusk, and performing at events like Ripplefest Texas, Grim Reefer Fest in Baltimore, Atlanta Doom Fest and the early days of Austin’s Gravitoyd Doom Fest.

Now signed to US independent powerhouse Blues Funeral Recordings, Temptress is ready to harness their relentless work ethic and explosive live presence to incinerate new stages and make instant new fans with their ambitious, genre-warping heaviness worldwide in support of their new album "hear" in 2026.

US West Coast shows:

1/23 Fri - Dallas, TX - Puzzles
1/24 Sat - Corpus Christi, TX - House of Rock
1/25 Sun - Austin, TX - The Lost Well
1/27 Tue - Tucson, AZ - Surly Wench Pub
1/28 Wed - San Diego, CA - Tower Bar
1/29 Thu - Yucca Valley, CA - Mojave Gold
1/30 Fri - Los Angeles, CA - The Moroccan Lounge
1/31 Sat - Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial
2/1 Sun - Eureka, CA - Siren's Song Tavern
2/3 Tue - Redding, CA - The Dip
2/4 Wed - San Francisco, CA - Neck Of The Woods
2/5 Thu - San Luis Obispo, CA - Dark Nectar
2/6 Fri - Palmdale, CA - Transplants Brewing
2/7 Sat - Las Vegas, NV - The Griffin
2/8 Sun - Tempe, AZ - Yucca Tap Room
2/10 Tue - El Paso, TX - Bye Bye Dear
2/11 Wed - Santa Fe, NM -Desert Dogs
2/12 Thu - Colorado Springs, CO -What's Left Records
2/13 Fri - Taos, NM - Goathead Collective Gallery
2/14 Sat - Tulsa, OK - Whittier Bar

Southeast shows w/ Friendship Commander:

2/18 Wed - Houston, TX - Black Magic Social Club
2/19 Thu - Baton Rouge, LA - Mid City Ballroom
2/20 Fri New Orleans, LA - Siberia
2/21 Sat - Mobile, AL - Alabama Music Box
2/22 Sun - Gainesville, FL - The Atlantic
2/24 Tue - Tampa, FL - Deviant Libation
2/25 Wed - Jensen Beach, FL - Dark Riff Records
2/26 Thu - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
2/27 Fri - Jacksonville, FL - Hard Love
2/28 Sat - Savannah, GA - Totally Awesome Bar
3/1 Sun - Athens, GA - The World Famous
3/3 Tue - Atlanta, GA - Boggs Social
3/4 Wed - Asheville, NC - The Odd
3/5 Thu - Richmond, VA - Cobra Cabana
3/6 Fri - Durham, NC - Pinhook
3/7 Sat - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor
3/8 Sun - Chattanooga, TN - JJ's Bohemia
3/10 Tue - Birmingham, AL - Firehouse*
3/12 Thu - San Antonio, TX - Faust Tavern*
3/13 Fri - Harlingen, TX - Hop Shop*
3/14 Sat - Austin, TX - Stoner Jam SXSW*
*no Friendship Commanders

Temptress is

Andi Cuba – Drums & Vocals
Kelsey Wilson – Guitar & Vocals
Christian Wright – Bass & Vocals

Temptress links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Blues Funeral Recordings links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.