Friday, 24 July 2026

Swedish Sludge Metal Trio FIREBREATHER to release new album "Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire" on Heavy Psych Sounds, first track streaming!


Swedish sludge metallers FIREBREATHER have signed to Heavy Psych Sounds Records for the October 16th release of their new full-length "Blood That I Spill Turns to Fire", and premiere the title track via Doomed & Stoned today!

Check out new track Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire


Firebreather formed in Gothenburg in 2016, rooted in crushing, sludge-doused doom from the very beginning. Never wavering from that commitment across all three of their incendiary full-length releases, the trio has pursued weight with purpose, not as spectacle, nor as an exercise in excess, but as the only language broad enough to hold the emotional reach and sonic heft of their sound.

The music arrives in a way that writes itself with no distance between the words and the sound; they rise from the same cursed ground, and that honesty has become the band's defining force.
Firebreather is a band that never postures or asks to be admired for their heaviness- and to see them live is to experience exactly why. Their weight takes on another life entirely. The band’s towering tone and consuming grit don't fill a room so much as alter it. Volume presses against the body before the first lyric lands and riffs arrive like shifting earth. The drums don't drive the songs forward; they anchor them while the line between sound and physical force begins to disappear.

Years spent crossing Europe and North America have only sharpened that purpose, and a decade on with a fourth album on the way via the notorious Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Firebreather remains exactly where it belongs. Head down. Volume up.

New album "Blood That I Spill Turns to Fire"
Out October 16th on Heavy Psych Sounds (LP/CD/digital)


FIREBREATHER is

Mattias Nööjd - Vox/guitar
Jacob Madetoja - Bass
Joakim Olsson - Drums

FIREBREATHER links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS links


Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Gatsu - Hymns From The Abyss (EP Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Hymns From The Abyss - Tracklist

1.Hymns

2.Crimson Sun

3.Lost

4.Leaves


Review


Hymns From The Abyss is the debut EP from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Gatsu who come from New Orleans, Louisiana which plays a big part on how the band deliver their music. There is a great NOLA influence heard within Gatsu’s music but they strive to be different by adding areas of Psych, Grunge and Shoegaze which you can feel throughout this record.


The sound is quite sludge metal oriented with distorted movement with those elements of Grunge, Doom, Fuzz and Stoner Metal allowing Gatsu playing fractured and quite broken instrumental passages with a sudden Doomgaze appetite appearing within the excellent opening tracks of Hymns and Crimson Sun. The vocals are aggressive, emotional and quite commanding all at the same time with Gatsu employing an emotionally charged sense of Nineties Alt-Metal delivery especially with the hard-hitting lyrics. 


Gatsu develop and play their best work on the two epic tracks of Crimson Sun and Leaves which feels like Alice In Chains, Nirvana or Soundgarden being given a NOLA makeover but still allowing Gatsu to implement their own creative identity into the music. The overlapping areas of Amplifier Distortion and bleak Shoegaze passages are superbly soulful and beautifully heavy to listen to at the same time. 


There’s some small excursions into Drone based grooves but Gatsu are fully committed to developing that harsh Sludge/Stoner Metal landscape which will have you emotionally connected to their music in no time at all. There’s some exquisite Sludge/Stoner Metal riff- worship influenced by the likes of MONOLORD, YOB and ELDER but with that seedy NOLA aspect adding a distorted grime aspect that fully standout to make a lasting impression.


Hymns From The Abyss a stunning debut EP with Gatsu playing to their creative and musical strengths with superbly realized production values allowing this to be one of the best sounding debut EP’s I’ve heard from the underground scene in quite some time. 


If you’re in the mood for a Sludge/Stoner Metal record with extra aggression which joins the heavy distorted forces of Psych, NOLA and Doomgaze into a powerful force of nature then GATSU are the band for you.


Words by Steve Howe


Links 


LinkTree | BandCamp | Instagram

Hollow Drifter - Colours In Time (EP Review)

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

Colours In Time - Tracklist

1.Morning Fog 02:27

2.Seasons, Ages, Legends... 14:01

3.Cradlesong 01:48


Review


Colours In Time is the latest EP from Psych/Prog/Stoner Rockers Hollow Drifter which continues their emotionally charged journey into Seventies Psych Rock with flourishes of Cosmic and Spaced Out excursions. This EP has a more modern quality compared to their previous releases with a lush sounding Post-Stoner and Post-Doom quality appearing mostly within the shorter tracks which instantly draws you in especially with the excellent opening track of Morning Fog. This track feels like a subdued version of ELDER and KING BUFFALO with Hollow Drifter adding a haunting Folk-ish quality before the song suddenly fades out.


The centerpiece of Colours In Time has to be the outstanding fourteen minutes epic second track Seasons, Ages, Legends… which starts cautiously slowly but with a highly energetic Post-Rock confidence. The song is very stripped back with semi-acoustic optics allowing the band to build up a stirring psychedelic atmosphere with small amounts of Stoner and Space Rock passages to emerge behind the scenes. Hollow Drifter experiments with subtle storytelling vibes within the lyrics. T


he Seventies Rock melodies transform into a great mix Ambient Post-Rock, Proto-Rock and Post-Stoner grooves. The song is utterly captivating where I may have enjoyed some heavier themes to develop which Hollow Drifter have delivered on previous records but the second half is amazingly inventive especially when the Proto-Rock surroundings fully emerge along the way.


The final song Cradlesong is an Ambient and Psychedelic number with small intricate Stoner guitars being played against a simple delivery of classic sounds that allow Colours In Time to end naturally.


This isn’t the heaviest thing that Hollow Drifter have recorded but it’s a charming and superbly pleasant record that shows a different side to the band which they use to their own great advantage. I wish the EP was on slightly longer but it’s better leaving the audience wanting more and that’s what Hollow Drifter prove with this great record.


Words by Steve Howe


Links 


Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram


If These Trees Could Talk - The Hidden Hand (Album Review)

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Metal Blade Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Hidden Hand - Tracklist

1 Archons

2 Moon Machine

3 Sea Of Glass

4 Blurry Creatures

5 Silence Between Mountains, Pt. 1

6 Silence Between Mountains, Pt. 2

7 Metanoia

8 Flim

9 Endlessly Connected


Lineup


Tom Fihe – bass guitar

Jeff Kalal – guitar

Cody Kelly – guitar

Mike Socrates – guitar

Zack Kelly – drums


Review


If These Trees Could Talk from Akron, OH, were on frequent rotation in my home with 'Red Forest' back in 2016 but then they fell off the radar. Don't know the reason why but with the exception of the single 'Trail of Whispering Giants' in 2024 the band released nothing in 10 years. Thankfully the long wait is over with the arrival of 'The Hidden Hand', and what an album it is! 


'Archons' is a short mystical yet mesmerizing opener which sets the tone perfectly for the entire album. It blends elegantly into 'Moon Machine' where the intense guitars soars above the slowish but crushing rhythm section. Drops back as vivid transcendent images are created...only to pick up again. After a beautiful delicate start 'Sea Of Glass' leads into some intense shredding only to fall back again. Eventually the band goes wide open taking it away. 'Blurry Creatures' builds up gradually turning screws tighter until a beautiful mid-section appears. Mellow and trippy it moves the song to amazing heights.


'Silence Between Mountains, Pt 1' is sparse, elegant and dreamy as it leads into 'Silence Between Mountains, Pt 2'. It follows along with Part 1 but with a hint of darker undertones. This helps to project the majestic traits of mountains. If These Trees Could Talk comes on strong with the guitars initially on 'Metanoia'. Drops back only to build up in that captivating way this band does it. 'Flim' is light, airy, positive and almost sacral in its approach and it's a highly uplifting composition at that. 'Endlessly Connected' picks up where 'Flim' left off but is even more elaborate.


Few bands can handle instrumental music the way If These Trees Could Talk do. It requires a high level of musicianship as well as compositional skills to create that style of music which reels you in and holds you captivated throughout. And this Akron quintet are masters at it as 'The Hidden Hand' is evidence of. Very good, indeed!


Words by Håkan Nyman


Links 


Facebook | BandCamp


Sludge/Stoner Metallers 10,000 YEARS Release New Song PARANOIDIUM From Upcoming New Album


Sludge/Stoner Metallers 10,000 Years release the excellent third single PARANOIDIUM from their epic forthcoming new album EXOS LCIFER that is due out August 07th 2026 via Ripple Music.

10,000 Years say this about the song:

"In celebration of our appearance today at Krökbacken Festival, Swedens Mekka of heavy, we are super stoked to drop a little surprise for y’all: a third single from our upcoming new album ”Esox Lucifer”!

The song is called ”Paranoidium” and it’s the penultimate track on the new album. It’s heavy on riffs, melody and weirdness, just how we like it.

We hope that you enjoy ”Paranoidium” too and that you keep an eye out for ”Esox Lucifer” on August 7th!



The Lowdown

10,000 Years are set to return with their long-awaited new album, once again pummeling the world into oblivion! Delving deep into existential dread and dark lore, Esox Lucifer drifts through deep space with the same sci-fi, horror, and fantasy obsessions that have always fueled the band. Esox Lucifer delivers the riff-centric, melodic stoner metal that 10,000 Years has become known for, all driven by Erik Palm’s guitar wizardry and searing solos, the thunderous anchor of Alvin Risberg’s drums, and Alex Risberg’s fuzzed-out bass and fire-driven howls. The result is the band’s most ambitious work to date — one that will easily win over fans of Torche, High On Fire, The Sword and Kylesa!

10,000 YEARS "Esox Lucifer" - Out August 7th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)


Formed in the plague year of 2020, 10,000 Years has wasted no time forging their signature brand of skull-crushing stoner metal. Across three records in as many years — including II, which earned them a nomination for Best Metal at the Swedish Independent Grammys (Manifest) — the band has proven relentless.

Their 2024 release, All Quiet On The Final Frontier, saw the Riff still reigning supreme, but with a newly melodic edge described as "an experience that’s as heavy as it is spiritual" by The Sleeping Shaman and "the psychedelic-stoner embodiment of science fiction" by Ghost Cult Magazine. The album marked their debut on Californian label Ripple Music, introduced powerhouse drummer Alvin Risberg on wax, and locked into perfect symmetry with Erik Palm's guitar wizardry and Alex Risberg's thundering bass and howling vocals. A massive leap forward into new and hugely exciting territory, which will be sealed with their upcoming album Esox Lucifer, coming in the summer of 2026.

10,000 Years lineup

Erik Palm – Guitars
Alex Risberg – Bass/Vocals
Alvin Risberg - Drums

10,000 Years links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Ripple Music links

Thursday, 23 July 2026

Undertong - UNDERTONG (Album Review)

Release Date: June 25th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

UNDERTONG - Tracklist

1.God's Gaze 06:00

2.Black Mass 04:50

3.Lost in Neverland 06:09

4.Rosetta 05:20

5.Cosmic King 06:47

6.Under the Tongue 06:34

7.Spaceship Crashing 08:32


Lineup


Marek Holeček - Vocals

Jakub Adamčík - Guitars

Daniel Chorouš - Bass

Piettro Torchio - Drums


Review


Undertong is a Psychedelic Stoner Metal band from Prague, Czechia. They explore the heavy Psychedelic elements of the Space Rock domain as the band also deliver fine amounts of Grunge, Sludge and Doom Rock within their self-titled album. The record has massive amounts of Cosmic Doom that flirts with a modern day aspect of Psychedelic Stoner Rock with grungy soundscapes allowing Undertong to develop a heavier fuzzed out sound.


With a great fusion of Truckfighters and FU MANCHU fuzz rock grooves and some classic Soundgarden vibes appearing within the early stages of the record. Undertone are onto a real winner from the excellent opening track of God’s Gaze with the lyrics being quite grounded and slightly fantastical when the need calls for it. The vocals from Marek Holeček have their own distinctive style that moves along the lines of Stoner Rock, Hard Rock and full on DOOM within the heavier moments. They’re not overly produced either with Marek’s delivery being quite Punk Rock sounding which gives Undertong’s music a subdued creative vibe to them. 


You can hear flows of Ambient Post-Rock within the quieter moments with the sludgy guitars keeping up the appearances of that Cosmic Doom flavour which moves to different levels of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and drowning in FUZZY REVERB on tracks such as Black Mass, Lost In Neverland, Rosetta, Cosmic King and Spaceship Crashing being the real highlights of the album. However, all the tracks are superb with their own distinctive spiced out flavour. Undertone are fully committed in delivering their own great take of this Heavy Psychedelic journey with outbursts of Stoner Metal aggression with slight detours into Post-Rock, Shoegaze and mellow Grunge soundscapes. 


The instrumental work is deeply rich in variety with areas of Prog Metal developing in the later stages of the album but still keeping of the overall mission of delivering CLASSIC SOUNDING sounds of the Nineties Heavy Rock/Metal scene whilst not afraid to add modern Stoner Rock home comforts along the way. The whole record does have a stripped back production process which allows Undertong to project their true creative selves to whoever listens to this great album.


There is some wicked SONIC creativity being used here where Undertong use levels of gloomy distortion as a weapon of choice to entice listeners with. This gives the album a proper Sludge Rock and Cosmic Doom atmosphere that reaches fever pitch within the brilliant final two tracks of Under The Tongue and Spaceship Crashing that adds a pure cinematic energy to the whole journey.


Undertong’s debut album is superb as the band deliver a thrilling Space Rock odyssey that will surprise, delight and brilliantly entertain you in equal measure. 


Excellent and Highly Recommended.


Words by Steve Howe


Links 


Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram


Canadian Doom / Sludge DESTROY MY BRAINS Prepare to Unleash "WILT" - The Final Chapter of Their Trauma‑Forged Five‑Album Saga; Streaming Singles "OCI" and "Decontribute"


Destroy My Brains - L-R - Rob - Bass, Jarret - Vocals, Guitar, Chase - Guitar, Jadan - Drums

From the frozen prairies of Lloydminster, Canada, doom/sludge cult Destroy My Brains unleash "WILT" on August 14th, 2026, the catastrophic final chapter in their long‑planned five‑album saga. Beginning with "Worthless" (2018), followed by "InsignifiCan't" (2020), "Lifeless" (2020), "Tormented" (2022), and now culminating in "WILT" (2026), the band has executed a conceptual arc conceived from day one, each release carving deeper into their signature themes of self‑destruction, trauma, and sonic decay.

“We already picked the titles of the albums so that all the first letters would spell WILT,” says vocalist/guitarist Jarret

​Destroy My Brains deal in corrosive, melting, abhorrent, Crowbar‑worshipping sludge, and WILT drives that identity straight into the ground. The album hits with pounding grooves, chugs heavy enough to buckle steel, soul‑removing drums, and vocals that scorch everything in their path. Rather than reinventing themselves, the band sharpened their already‑lethal formula, each member pouring their own darkness into the record until it becomes a collective collapse. Frontman Jarret pushes deeper than ever, turning "WILT" into both a sonic beating and a personal exorcism.

“We didn’t reinvent anything. We sharpened, hardened, turned it up louder… and put some of the darkest, most meaningful lyrics we have ever done. I got deep inside to a place of furious hate and pain… trauma I caused myself and others… self-destruction, dying, drug/alcohol abuse, and hatred towards others leading to their ultimate ruin,” adds Jarret.

"WILT" unfolds as a seven‑part descent into psychological collapse and sludge‑soaked extremity, each track carving out its own form of emotional and sonic violence. It opens with OCI, a claustrophobic portrayal of OCD spiraling into anxiety, compulsion, and eventual institutionalization, before shifting into Burn the Virgin, a ritualistic Walpurgisnacht sacrifice story that moves from eerie melody into suffocating doom. Decontribute serves as the band’s manifesto of societal decay, embracing personal ruin with lines like “YOU CAN WATCH ME, FALL APART… I DECONTRIBUTE TO REALITY.” 

The album sinks deeper with Avulsion, the bleakest and most doom‑laden track, using the imagery of bodily tearing to mirror lifelong psychological torment. Downgrade drags listeners through punk‑rooted sludge about manipulation, overdose, and satanic delusion, while Spill confronts childhood violence and emotional shutdown, ending with the devastating admission “I CAN’T FEEL, I DON’T FEEL, I WON’T FEEL, ANYTHING EVER…” Finally, the 11‑minute title track Wilt stands as the album’s tragic apex, confronting the wounds of child abuse and opening with the harrowing line “YOU DESTROYED THE CHILD WITHIN ME.” 

Together, these songs form a cohesive, crushing exploration of trauma, degradation, and the darkest corners of human experience.

"WILT" is Destroy My Brains at their most evolved, most hateful, and most emotionally devastating. “We are pleased to degrade and devolve you while you take in our sonic displeasures,” comments Jarret.

Destroy My Brains is currently streaming two singles, "OCI (Obsessive Compulsive Imploder)" and "Decontribute," in lead-up to the release of "WILT", with a third, "Downgrade," being revealed with a music video in the coming weeks.

Listen at the following links:

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/67kJ5QtfRsT22WZpIZ2NKu

OCI (Obsessive Compulsive Imploder) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ5BJsJeI8g

Decontribute - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4BZ4tET6r4

Recommended for fans of Eyehategod, Crowbar, Buzz-oven, Acid Bath, and Electric Wizard, the album pre-order for "WILT" (release date August 14th, 2026) is available at https://destroymybrains.bandcamp.com/


Track Listing:​

1. OCI (Obsessive Compulsive Imploder) - 4:32
2. Burn The Virgin - 10:30
3. Decontribute - 7:28
4. Avulsion - 7:08
5. Downgrade - 5:14
6. Spill - 9:30
7. Wilt - 11:40

Album Length: 56:03

More info: https://linktr.ee/destroymybrains​



Thanks to Asher Media for the details.