HUM - Three (Album Review)

Release Date: December 12th 2025. Record Label: Tonzonen Records / Cargo Records. Formats: DD

three - Tracklisting

1.threetoone 03:59

2.freaks of nature 04:08

3.burning air 03:47

4.first contact 02:14

5.humans 05:49

6.march of the lost souls 02:27

7.underground 03:38

8.ashes to ashes 03:57

9.it's up to you 04:08

10.this means war 04:24

11.the HUM 02:23

Lineup

Harri Gottschalk

Martin Kraus

Florian Schnaith

Review

I will admit I was very excited when I received the news that HUM were releasing a new album as I thought this was for the legendary Space Rock Band and not the Psychedelic Stoner Rock band I’m reviewing today. Though, to be fair, this HUM are quite damn good at creating Progressive sounds of their very own with a certain Psychedelic and Space Rock flair. The music is quite freaky and jazzy in places with influences diverse as TOOL, KYUSS, YES and King Crimson. They have also just released their third full length album originally titled “THREE”.

The album spans across eleven tracks with a forty one minute runtime with HUM playing a heavy assortment of Stoner Rock/Metal passages with different time loops and fragmented synths leaning the music into a more fantastical direction. The record opens quite confidently with the excellent opening tracks Threetoone and Freaks Of Nature that does feel very TOOL-esque in places with a witty STONER ROCK approach that has echoes of KYUSS but with HUM doing their own experimental thing. There’s a sudden left-field turn with areas of Surf Rock appearing which gives a very cool sideline in hazy psychedelics and great vocals to match. 

THREE never goes the way you expect with HUM fully exploiting their Prog Rock attitude that brings a more adventurous rhythm to their music on other tracks such as Burning Air, Humans, Underground and This Means War being my favourite parts of the record.

One of the albums main strengths is HUM’s willingness to experiment with different instruments and musical themes that gives the record a highly sophisticated sound even when distorted sounds and freaky passages collaborate with a trippy Spaced Out experience. There is a heavy reliance on Shoegaze, Post-Rock and even Grunge which allows HUM to keep the record remarkably fresh and sometimes unique. 

The production values are excellent whilst offering a minimal aspect for HUM to deliver their music upon and allows the record to be quite cinematic especially within the heaviest moments of the record which there’s a lot of. HUM have delivered the goods with THREE and this is one record worth experiencing time and time again.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Creative Eclipse PR for the promo.

THREE is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Tonzonen Records / Cargo Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Cabfighter - The Sea Between Stars (Album Review)

Release Date: December 20th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

The Sea Between The Stars - Tracklisting

1.Knightrider 05:09

2.Kaiju 05:33

3.Untether Me 04:24

4.Bridge of Irreconcilable Sorrow 08:01

5.Weightless 05:09

6.Sky Sized Heart 01:34

7.Still Breathing 06:50

8.Strength of the Tide 04:30

9.The Words We Don't Speak 06:54

10.Ghost Notes 03:31

Lineup

Dick Shivers: Lead Vocals, Piano

Barry Jones: Guitar

Logan Robertson: Guitar, Lead Vocals on Untether Me, Background/Harmony Vocals

Jerry Jones: Drums, Background Vocals

Shasta Ehrhart: Bass, Background/Harmony Vocals

Review

The Sea Between Stars is the debut album from Psych Rockers Cabfighter who bring a refreshing take on the whole HEAVY ROCK sound as their sound is mostly influenced from the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties. Though there is a splash of modern day vibes appearing along the way. Cabfighter plays a blend of Psych, Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Grunge, Stoner Rock and even Folk. The whole package is not what you expect with Cabfighter leaning heavily into Eighties Heavy Metal with a thrilling Prog Rock attitude emerging within the opening tracks of Knightrider, Kaiju and Untether Me. 

The riffs are built on Prog Rock/Metal energy with Cabfighter showing a fine style of Doom Rock that soon branches out into a more outrageous MOVIE SOUNDTRACK vibe coming from within the lyrics and the great vocals that are delivered throughout the album. If you’re a fan of classic Heavy Metal guitar shredding then CABFIGHTER has that area covered greatly on the album.

As they can’t go without a few moments before an epic guitar solo bursts out of your stereo which transforms the album into something completely different. Though, there’s more to Cabfighter’s music with the band showing some great world-building within their songs that allows this to be quite a conceptual record in many ways.

The production values are excellent with the album having a CLASSIC ROCK atmosphere throughout and when you have the talents of Justin Phelps (The Hallowed Halls), Seánan McCullough (Helvete) and Alan Douches to help behind the scenes then you expect a great sounding record which this one actually is. 

Other standout tracks include: Bridge Of Irreconcilable Sorrow, Weightless, Still Breathing and The Words We Don’t Speak. As these tracks offer the heaviest and most emotionally engaging moments for Cabfighter to entice and impress listeners with. The record can be way OVER THE TOP in places and perhaps slightly too long but Cabfighter’s intense musical performance tugs at the heart strings and the never-ending supply of first-rate instrumental solos allows each band member to impress with their sublime musical skills.

The Sea Between Stars may not be for everyone but if you want a record that cuts out the gimmicks and offers good old fashioned Hard Rock and Heavy Metal then Cabfighter are the band for you. This is the type of Old School Rock & Roll you don’t really come across in today’s musical world. You can thank your lucky stars for CABFIGHTER as they are the real deal. End Of.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

New Mexican Doom Cult Announce New Album Ziggurat Out January 23 Lead Single “Cloudrider” Out Now!

From the frozen edges of Gävle, where the Baltic winds carve deeper than memory and winters seem to stretch into eternity, New Mexican Doom Cult return with their new album Ziggurat, set to be released on January 23rd via Majestic Mountain Records.

Forged in isolation and raised on the altar of down-tuned amplification, the quartet channel a sound unearthed from ancient ruins: a towering fusion of stoner doom, fuzz-worship, and myth-soaked heaviness, steeped in tales of forgotten gods, doomed expeditions, and ritualistic gloom. Their music is a slow-moving avalanche, massive, ominous, ritualistic.

The band recently revealed the lead single “Cloudrider,” a fuzz-drenched hymn inspired by Babylonian demons and “based on true events.” It pays homage to the founding fathers of doom while carving deeper into the band’s own expanding mythology.

Listen to "Cloudrider" here.

New Mexican Doom Cult began their journey with the 2019 single “The Passage”, an eerie ode to a doomed Arctic voyage swallowed by seven months of darkness. This was the first glimpse into the band’s penchant for storytelling steeped in isolation, terror, and the supernatural.

In 2021, the singles “Mark of Cain” and “The Abyss”, recorded with producer Jonas Strömberg at Slowbeat Studios, further defined the band’s aesthetic, biblical fury, primordial chaos, and a steadfast commitment to colossal riffs.

Their true emergence came with the 2023 full-length Necropolis (Ozium Records), a sprawling seven-track ritual of subterranean worship and psychedelic haze. The album earned critical praise for its raw atmosphere and monolithic power, cementing the band as one of Sweden’s darkest and most compelling doom exports.

That same year, From the Crypt (Olde Magick Records) unearthed the band’s earliest recordings, remastered into a five-song tombstone featuring tales of ice monsters, Sumerian demons, cannibal cults, and phantom ships, a proof that from the beginning, the Cult was destined for darkness.

Now aligned with Majestic Mountain Records, New Mexican Doom Cult unveil Ziggurat, their most focused and mythologically rich offering yet. Taking inspiration from the ancient temples of Mesopotamia, the new album feels like a storm gathering over desert ruins, ominous, meditative, and crushingly heavy.

New Mexican Doom Cult

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newmexicandoomcult
Bancamp: https://newmexicandoomcult.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newmexicandoomcult

Majestic Mountain Records

Website: https://www.majesticmountainrecords.com
Bancamp: https://majesticmountainrecords.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Majestic_vinyl

Doom/Post-Metallers Coltaine Release New Video For COLTAINE

Post-Doom/Post-Metal collective Coltaine release a new video for Mogila from their critically acclaimed 2024 album Forgotten Ways with flashes of Black Metal, Psych Rock. Post-Rock and Drone appearing throughout. Quite a bold move releasing a music video from two albums back but when have ever Coltaine played by the rules. 

The band will be supporting Doom/Stoner Metallers FAETOOTH on their forthcoming 2026 European Tour. Dates listed below. 

EU/UK Tour with Faetooth

Tickets: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15513861-coltaine

22/01 - 🇩🇪 Berlin, Lido

23/01 - 🇩🇪 Hamburg, Hafenklang

24/01 - 🇩🇪 Bochum, Die Trompete

25/01 - 🇩🇪 Mainz, Schon-Schoen

27/01 - 🇳🇱 Utrecht, De Helling

28/01 - 🇧🇪 Brussels, AB Club

30/01 - 🇮🇪 Dublin, Workman's Club

31/01 - 🇮🇪 Galway, Roisin Dubh

01/02 - 🇮🇪 Cork, The Pav

03/02 - 🇬🇧 Birkenhead, Future Yard

04/02 - 🇬🇧 Shipley, Kirkgate Community Centre

05/02 - 🇬🇧 Newcastle, Anarchy Brewery

06/02 - 🇬🇧 Glasgow, Classic Grand

07/02 - 🇬🇧 Manchester, Rebellion

08/02 - 🇬🇧 Nottingham, Rescue Rooms

10/02 - 🇬🇧 Bristol, The Fleece

11/02 - 🇬🇧 Wolverhampton, KK's Steel Mill

12/02 - 🇬🇧 Southampton, Papillon

13/02 - 🇬🇧 Swansea, Sin City

14/02 - 🇬🇧 London, The Garage

15/02 - 🇬🇧 Brighton, Patterns

16/02 - 🇫🇷 Lille, Bulle Cafe

17/02 - 🇫🇷 Paris, L'Empreinte Savigny Le Temple

18/02 - 🇫🇷 Lyon, Rock N Eat

20/02 - 🇮🇹 Milan, Slaughter Club

21/02 - 🇮🇹 Bologna, Freakout Club

22/02 - 🇨🇭 Lucerne, Sedel

23/02 - 🇨🇭 Düdingen, Bad Bonn

24/02 - 🇩🇪 Munich, Feierwerk

25/02 - 🇩🇪 Leipzig, UT Connewitz

27/02 - 🇵🇱 Warsaw, Hydrozagadka

28/02 - 🇵🇱 Wroclaw, Lacznik

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

NILIM - Uncoiling (EP Review)

Release Date: December 12th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Uncoiling - Tracklisting

1.The Relic 

2.Psychic Collapse

3.The Sky Devouring Itself

4.Uncoiling

Lineup

JQ - Everything

Review

Drone/Doom/Post-Metal collective Nilim release their latest bleak offering Uncoiling which follows the same destructive and slowly played sounds heard on their debut record released earlier this year. This time round Nilim has a bleaker and heavier canvas to play with as more distorted and violent soundscapes emerge from the harsh Post-industrial backdrop of Sludge Metal surroundings. The sound is quite abstract with Nilim adapting an early NIN aesthetic with his vocals which seems it will move into a more extreme style at any unpredictable moment.

The actual music is quite fragmented with an ice-cold attitude which allows Nilim to explore other areas of Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal with a slight mechanical sound which you can fully experience within the excellent opening track The Relic. The lingering Drone and Noise effects adds a nightmarish quality to the whole record with a despairing Psychedelic attitude emerging from within which you can see Nilim exploring similar themes from the likes of NEUROSIS, GODFLESH and AUTHOR & PUNISHER. The song is quite subversive with its slow-to-mid paced music luring you into a false sense of security before beating the absolute SHIT out of you with its intense grooves that leaves no stone unturned in providing thrilling riffs from start to finish.

The second track Psychic Collapse continues with the nightmarish energy but with a dominant Industrial energy once again opening up the creative vortex to even more punishing outbursts of aggressive melody and psychedelic textures with an intense Post-Rock/Post-Metal vibe emerging from the darkness. The muscular slab of Sludge/Post-Metal atmospherics is quite grounded with JQ’s vocals holding everything together with a meaty NOISE ROCK and dare I say CAVEMAN DOOM presence. Pay close attention to the lyrics as they seal the deal with this being perhaps the heaviest and most memorable track on the whole EP. With the great use of Ambient and Psychedelic sound effects where NILIM really finds his true creative purpose in providing sounds that will haunt your dreams and nightmares for days.

Third track The Sky Devouring Itself being a pure Ambient/Post-Rock driven track with only minimal outbursts of Industrial and Post-Doom rhythms before returning to his Sludge Metal domain for the final moments with a slightly distorted environment closing the song in great style.

The final track Uncoiling allows Nilim the final choice to unleash another final outburst of nightmarish aggression but perhaps with the most riff-centric track on the whole release. There’s the extra use of Ambient. Post-Rock and Psychedelic textures keep everything within the Post-Metal and Sludge Metal domain but I absolutely adore the “less-is-more” attitude and technical ability that NILIM shows on this track alone. A great way to end this superb EP with.

Uncoiling is quite a dark and brooding experience but one that's not afraid to show moments of uplifting humility that's quite refreshing to hear for a record such as this. Awesome stuff. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | BandCamp

Cult Heavy Blues Rockers HERMANO (with ex-Kyuss John Garcia) to issue Hellfest live album on Ripple Music this February 6th 2026

California's heavy blues titans HERMANO (fronted by iconic Kyuss vocalist John Garcia) announce their new live album "Clisson, France" this February 6th on Ripple Music and present a first video with the roaring single "Left Side Bleeding". The announcement comes with news of a European spring tour, including festival appearances.

About the upcoming Hellfest 2016 live album, guitarist Dave Angstrom enthuses: “We were honored to be invited to perform at Hellfest 2016. It had been several years since we all had been in the same room, let alone had the chance to jam together—and it was an incredible experience. Being with my closest friends in France, connecting with the amazing audience, and having the opportunity to spend time with my family while experiencing the magic of Hellfest is a memory I will always cherish. Capturing that first Hellfest experience for Hermano on vinyl is special, serving as a reminder of the strong bond, love, and friendship I share with John, Chris, Mike, and Dandy. I’m a lucky man. We are so appreciative of Todd Severin and the Ripple Music family for getting this out. We hope everyone enjoys what we created that memorable evening as much as we enjoyed being there together.”
 

Watch Hermano perform Left Side Bleeding at Hellfest 2016 + listen to the live track on all streaming platforms

Recording albums and touring when they wanted to since their formation nearly three decades ago, Hermano has always consistently refused to operate on anyone’s schedule other than their own. Lured by the repeated calls of their devoted fans, though, the band first reunited for a stirring performance at Hellfest in Clisson, France, in the summer of 2016. Eight years removed from their last live performance, they arrived in Clisson with time to rehearse through their material for a couple of hours before taking the stage. In what has been hailed as the most thrilling set of the 2016 edition of Hellfest, that evening the audience witnessed a band hitting on all cylinders, a performance so energetic and seamless that those in attendance were in awe that the band had not performed together since 2008.

Captured on both audio and video, "Clisson, France" promises to be one of the most magical and significant live releases of 2026. It will be issued on limited LP edition, CD, and digital format on February 6 through Ripple Music, as well as on DVD through the band's channels.

Not ready to stop there, encouraged by the fervor of fans across the globe, Hermano has booked their first extensive tour in over a decade for the spring of 2026. For both old and new fans of the band, these shows will offer a rare and unique opportunity to experience one of the most influential and thrilling groups in the heavy blues genre.

Hermano European tour 2026 (tickets via links)

May 7 - Paris (FR) La Maroquinerie
May 8 - Utrecht (NL) Tivoli Vredenburg
May 9 - Cologne (DE) Luxor
May 11 - Vienna (AT) Arena
May 12 - Munich (DE) Backstage Halle
May 14 - Berlin (DE) Desertfest Berlin
May 15 - London (UK) Desertfest London
May 16 - Nijmegen (NL) Sonic Whip
May 17 - Brussels (BE) Obsidian Dust

HERMANO "Clisson, France" live album - Out February 6th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)
Preorder the album

TRACKLIST:

1. Left Side Bleeding
2. The Bottle
3. Cowboys Suck
4. 5 to 5
5. My Boy
6. Is This Ok
7. Alone Jeffe
8. Kentucky
9. Manager's Special
10. Angry American
11. Love
12. Señor Moreno's Plan

The story begins twenty-eight years ago in a second-floor apartment in Covington, Kentucky. The details are of a band that never was... Some already know the story. They remember the first time they heard about Hermano, the whispers of a super-group that had tracked an album backed by Frank Kozik and set to be released on Man’s Ruin Records. When Kozik’s label closed shop before the album could be released, those who knew of the project waited through nearly four years of hurdles and contractual obligations to be cleared before they could hear an album that not only lived up to its promise but also established itself as one of the most influential heavy blues (aka stoner rock) collections ever recorded.

Hermano first formed when David Angstrom (Supafuzz), Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs), Mike Callahan (Disengage), and John Garcia (Kyuss) agreed to lend their talents to the session that Dandy Brown had scheduled for December 1998. Coming together for the first time in Cincinnati, the initial riffs that Brown had constructed were arranged by the newly formed group and would become the foundation for the band’s debut album, Only a Suggestion.

Over the next decade, Hermano would go on to release three studio albums (Only a Suggestion, Dare I Say and Into the Exam Room) and a live record (Live at W2) showcasing the force the band had become in the heavy blues market. Embarking on a series of now-legendary sold-out live performances in the United States and Europe, Hermano continued to grow a legion of dedicated fans and critical acclaim. Following the European tour in support of their debut album, Steve Earle’s departure to pursue his solo project opened the door for veteran drummer Chris Leathers (Supafuzz) to step in during the band’s performance at FestiMad in 2004. Performing on the next two studio albums and their live release, Leathers' addition to the group cemented another chapter in the friendships established during the band's formation six years earlier.

With wind in their sails after their iconic 2016 Hellfest performance, and with the acquisition of full ownership of their entire catalogue, Hermano committed to sonically updating their albums through remixing, remastering, and reissuing their three studio albums and live material with San Francisco-based Ripple Music. The first in the series of reissues, Only a Suggestion, was made public in the fall of 2023, drawing tremendous reviews for the band’s updated blues rock masterpiece and giving their devoted fans a delicious first taste of what is to come over the next few years.

Seizing the energy of finally having an open window of opportunity, Hermano issued their first new material in over fifteen years with the release of When the Moon Was High in 2024. Featuring previously unreleased material from their Only a Suggestion sessions, live tracks, and the new single "Breathe", the band stepped back into the fray with overwhelmingly positive reviews, culminating with their stellar headline performance at the 2025 edition of Hellfest.

HERMANO line-up:

John Garcia – vocals
Dandy Brown – bass
Mike Callahan – guitar
David Angstrom – guitar
Chris Leathers – drums

RIPPLE MUSIC links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Sludge/Doom Metallers TARLUNG Reveal Full Album Details for “Axis Mundi”

Vienna-based sludge doom masters TARLUNG are back. Five years after the success of Architect, the band will release their new full-length album “Axis Mundi” on January 30, 2026 via Argonauta Records on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms.

Axis Mundi marks the return of TARLUNG with eight tracks of crushing riffs, chugging rhythm and fierce growls. The album captures a world in turmoil, growing more chaotic and out of line every day, and asks the question of how to maintain one’s sanity until the moment the “Axis Mundi” bursts.

Once again TARLUNG deliver nasty, in-your-face sludge and doom, but they also explore experimental textures and moments of contemplation within the chaos, only to return to uncompromising brutality.

The full tracklist is:

Static Noise
The Valley of Nowhere
Burning Out
Sea of Drowned Souls
Swans
Full Circle
Between Earth and Moon
Axis Mundi

The first single “Static Noise” is already out and can be streamed here: https://song.link/tarlung_sn

Fans of EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Weedeater, Iron Monkey, Dopethrone, Thou, and Grime will find Axis Mundi a relentless and immersive slab of sludge-infused doom that is both punishing and hypnotic.

For more info:

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

https://tarlung.bandcamp.com/track/static-noise-2

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.