Bleeth - Lázara (EP Review)

Release Date: May 29th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Lázara - Tracklisting

1.Pretty on the Inside 02:44

2.Porcelain 03:46

3.Bent 02:15

Members

 

Lauren Palma (vox,guitar)

Ryan Rivas (vox,bass)

Hector Mojeno (drums)

Review

Miami-based queer Sludge Metal/Noise Rock band Bleeth latest EP Lázara is meant to be a rebirth for the band after a period of tough challenges and experiences they’ve faced or currently facing within this hostile world. Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and what they're currently going through allows Bleeth to re-invent their music with a new found style of aggression and maturity which is quite refreshing from their 2025 album Marionette. 

Lázara opens with a blistering and brutal cover of the HOLE classic Pretty On The Inside with the original’s Punk and Alt-Rock energy being replaced by a primal mix of Noise Rock, Sludge Metal and Harsh melodies. The stripped back sound of the original track is still there but it’s a stripped back style of crushing sludgy guitars with a ferocious Post-Punk sound allowing Bleeth to fully move into an Industrial and Experimental direction.

The EP does contain two original tracks of Porcelain and Bent which offers six minutes of abstract Sludge Metal and Noise Rock melodies with raw sounding production values. Bleeth are quite rightly pissed off on this EP with the whole creative flow surrounded by intricate Post-Punk and industrial beats. The lyrics hit pretty hard with a solitary and emotionally wrought experience hidden behind them. Bleeth inject that legendary brutal MIAMI underground vibe into their music throughout both of these tracks that remind me of CAVITY and FLOOR.

Lázara maybe on the short side but it gets shit done by allowing the LGBTQIA+ community to have a unique voice within the scene where we usually pride in saying “everyone is welcome” but sadly that isn’t always the case. Lázaras is a genuine gut-wrenching, pissed off and brilliantly heavy EP that allows Bleeth to have a real voice within the underground Sludge Metal scene. 

If this is the new musical direction that Bleeth will be taking then I can’t wait to experience what they have in store for future releases.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo..

Lázara  is available to buy now on Digital Formats from all good stockists. 

Links 

Official | BandCamp | Instagram

Monolord - Neverending (Album Review)

Release Date: May 29th 2026. Record Label: Relapse Records. Formats: CD/DD/Tape/Vinyl

Neverending - Tracklisting

1.Iodine

2.You Bastard 

3.Inside a Collider

4.Crystal Bridge

5.Oozing Wound

6.The Masque

7.Invisible

8.It's Neverending 

Members

 

Thomas Jäger - Guitar/Vocals

Esben Willems - Drums

Mika Häkka - Bass

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Monolord return with Neverending which is their first album in five years and their first new music since 2023’s EP It’s All The Same. This record sees Monolord go under a slight creative transformation which is perhaps down to the band working with legendary producer Sylvia Massy (TOOL, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, JOHNNY CASH and THE MELVINS). This record has a more reflective and personal feel that is quite different to the tone of their previous record. 

The music is more up front relying on stylish Classic Rock and Heavy Metal surroundings than ever before and I love to hear Monolord further exploring their Seventies Hard Rock influences especially when they channel the likes of THIN LIZZY, BLACK SABBATH, BUDGIE and LED ZEPP unlike ever before. However, this is still a quintessentially a MONOLORD record through and through where the band continue to develop their trademark AMPLIFIER and DISTORTED heavy sound with a modern Psychedelic and Melodic energy coming through.

The opening batch of tracks of Iodine, You Bastard and Inside A Collider allows Monolord to explore their own musical legacy whilst stripping back certain elements for a modern Post-Doom and Post-Stoner sound with that huge sounding LOW & SLOW attitude which embraces wickedly sonic and spaced out themes with Esben’s drums leading the aggressive charge. Thomas on Guitars and Mika on Bass opening up the Doom Metal vortex for a world weary style of melody and highly precise musical focus to hold everything together. 

Monolord allow themselves to move away from the Doom Metal landscape their contemporaries such as Electric Wizard, SLEEP and YOB usually reside and venture into musical grounds that KING BUFFALO and ELDER are known especially within the more slow paced and and psychedelic tracks that appear on the album. Monolord have been adapting and changing their music for the better ever since their 2017 acclaimed record RUST (which is still my favourite album of theirs). However, under Sylvia’s teachings and guidance, the band feel like they’ve been part of the Post-Stoner and Post-Doom scenes for a very long time.

Though, Monolord never forget what made them musical TITANS of the scene as they still play heavier, aggressive and fast-paced slabs of modern day Doom/Stoner Metal with that threatening style of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION on tracks such as Crystal Bridge, Oozing Wound and The Masque and Invisible. The second half of the album does see that classic THIN LIZZY vibe appear more and more with Thomas’s vocals being quite warm and superbly real. The heartwarming lyrics are emotionally charged and superbly uplifting with a real human quality appearing within the darkest moments of the album.

Neverending is a record that is never afraid to combine the trademark LOW & SLOW surroundings that Monolord first made themselves known with against a style of modern day Psychedelic Doom Metal energy that pushes the record further into other areas of the Psychedelic Metal scene that fans may not expect. There’s some wicked SONIC and SPACE ROCK experimentation spliced throughout the whole album that allows Neverending to be quite Spaced Out without the need for certain medicinal WEEDIAN compounds. 

One of the most surprising aspects of the album appears on the final track It’s Neverending. This track features former Entombed bassist Jörgen Sandström, (also of Grave, Domedagen and Firespawn) which turns into the heaviest and most ferocious sounding track that MONOLORD have released to date. This was a great decision to let Jörgen appear as this track has a more desperate and violent DEATH CHARGED element which is my favourite track on the album. Monolord play perhaps their most classic sounding song that could easily appear on their first two albums.

It’s Neverending is an absolutely outstanding album that ranks as one of Monolord’s best. The album is a ton of mighty throwback elements you can instantly lose yourself in and continue to rock out like there’s no tomorrow. However, this is also perhaps Monolord’s most daring and modern sounding record to date. The POWER OF THE RIFF compels you once more to journey into Monolord’s brilliantly heavy, vast and unique musical world that stands as one of the best Doom/Stoner Metal records of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Organic Green Monster Machine - The Swords Of Sorrow (EP Review)

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

The Swords Of Sorrow - Tracklisting

1.The Raven Prince 06:06

2.Blade 06:21

3.The Highway Song 08:45

Review

Heavy Psych/Stoner Rockers Organic Green Monster Machine (OGMM) return with their new EP The Swords Of Sorrow which sees the band explore their journey further into SONIC experimentation which they’ve already proven with their earlier records. This EP perhaps has a more direct roots driven energy which allows OGMM to move within a heavier and progressive atmosphere. OGMM borrows sounds from other musical acts such as Soundgarden, KYUSS, FU MANCHU, Black Sabbath and King Buffalo but with a free flowing Space Rock flow that allows them to have their own great take within the Heavy Psychedelic scene.

OGMM have stated that opening track The Raven Prince “serves as the continuation of the story first introduced in the earlier release “Dark Kings Curse from 2023” So you may need to head back to that release if you want to understand the whole creative theme of the story. Though, you can easily enjoy this as a standalone piece with OGMM delivering a finely played slice of modern day Heavy Psych that blends Blues, Americana and Stoner Rock into a winning fusion of subtle melodies. The song is constantly heavy whilst not being overly aggressive that allows OGMM to build up a steady rhythm of epic cinematic soundscapes.

Second track Blade is a more laid back song with a solitary Psychedelic instrumental passage being the standout aspect of the track. The vocals are superbly delivered but it did take me a few listens to fully warm up to them. The song does move between areas of Post-Rock, Blues Rock, Post-Grunge and lush sounding Psych Rock instrumental passages. There’s a hint of Ambient Rock developing behind the scenes and the deliberately slow paced nature of the track is perhaps what make this my favourite track on the whole EP.

Third track The Highway Song feels like a combination of the previous tracks with OGMM combining semi-acoustic soundscapes within the first half of the record before branching out into heavier Psych Stoner Rock passages. OGMM are once again cautiously slow bringing the heavier elements into play but once everything is fully aligned then the EP is finally cooking with the heaviest and aggressive sounds on the EP.

There’s a lot of wicked SONIC interplay being used on this track OGMM which I cannot fault the band for. However, the track never reaches the heavy levels of Psychedelic Stoner Rock I expect from the band and that’s my only minor criticism for that is otherwise an excellent record throughout.

OGMM are slowly carving out a reputation of being one of Australia’s most unique and original Heavy Psychedelic Stoner Rock bands currently out there. I’m excited to hear what they’ll be releasing next as I am a fan of their music and what they bring to the table. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Argonauta Records Launches New “Digital Split Collaborations” Series Connecting Artists Across The Label Roster

Argonauta Records proudly unveils the first chapter of its brand new “Digital Split Collaborations” series, an initiative created to connect artists from the label’s roster through exclusive releases built around artistic exchange and underground spirit.

Kicking off the series are Italy’s Sonic Wolves and Swedish collective Ockra, joining forces for the release of The Path, a unique digital split EP set available on all major streaming platforms.

Listen here: https://tidal.com/album/518573489/u

Far from being a simple split release, The Path captures two distinct creative visions converging into a single immersive experience shaped by hypnotic atmospheres, expansive songwriting and a shared passion for sonic exploration.

Representing the Italian side of the project, Sonic Wolves deliver four powerful tracks recorded in July 2025 at Trai Studio in Inzago, Italy, with production, mixing and mastering handled by Fabio Intraina. The release includes the multi part epic “The Drowned Phoenix Parts I, II and III” together with the instrumental trip “When Mama Was a Hippie”.

Formed in Alessandria, Italy in 2014, Sonic Wolves features drummer Vita, formerly of Ufomammut, bassist and vocalist Kayt Vigil, known for her work with Pentagram, The Hounds of Hasselvander and …Of The Horizon, alongside guitarist Marco Grassano. On this release, guitars are performed by Alberto Catasso.

Balancing the release with a more introspective and dreamlike approach, Ockra contribute two deeply personal tracks born from sessions that initially remained outside the scope of the band’s latest album. The collaboration ultimately became the catalyst that gave those songs new life and meaning.

The band comments:

“We had these songs, which were kind of special and didn’t fit onto our last album. When we got the chance to make a split EP with Sonic Wolves, we finally got the spirit to put some more love into these songs and we are very happy with the result. It was a great pleasure and privilege to work with other musicians and like minded folks such as Sonic Wolves. Thanks Gero and Argonauta Records for this opportunity. We hope you enjoy this EP. Take care, Erik, Jonas and Alex, OCKRA.”

With the launch of the “Digital Split Collaborations” series, Argonauta Records further reinforces its commitment to fostering meaningful artistic connections between bands from different countries, backgrounds and creative approaches, offering listeners exclusive releases available only in digital format.

This first installment stands as a meeting point between two visionary acts from the Argonauta family, opening the doors to future collaborations still to be unveiled.

Tracklist

The Drowned Phoenix Pt.1 – Sonic Wolves
The Drowned Phoenix Pt.2 – Sonic Wolves
The Drowned Phoenix Pt.3 – Sonic Wolves
When Mama Was a Hippie – Sonic Wolves
Silhouettes – Ockra
The Path of Least Resistance – Ockra

Links

Cover art courtesy of: https://www.facebook.com/SoaresArtwork
Sonic Wolves: https://www.facebook.com/SonicWolves
Ockra: https://www.facebook.com/ockraband/
Argonauta Records: https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the detiails.

ELDER - Through Zero (Album Review)

Release Date: May 29th 2026. Record Label: Various. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Through Zero - Tracklisting

1.Sigil To Ruin

2.Capture/Release 

3.Through Zero 

4.Strata

5.Sight Unseen

6.Blighted Age

Members

Nicholas DiSalvo - Guitar, vocals, synthesizer

Jack Donovan - Bass guitar

Michael Risberg - Guitar, Rhodes piano, slide guitar

Georg Edert - Drums, percussion

Review

Elder are celebrating their twentieth anniversary as a band this year and finally perhaps cemented their place and reputation as the premier Heavy Psychedelic Stoner Rock band the scene currently has right now. The band have released multiple critically acclaimed albums since then and some are considered classics of the scene. Elder may still get their usual round of critics saying they prefer the heavier Doom Metal sound they delivered on their earlier records but the band have soldiered onto bigger and better things with each subsequent release.

Through Zero is their seventh album and it’s another masterclass of everything that came before it with Elder rewriting their own musical legacy with a record that manages to be brilliantly heavy and laid back at the same time. This record feels like ELDER has discovered the lost art of storytelling with the way they open up with each individual track that includes emotionally charged lyrics that make you sit up and take notice.

This album is perhaps Elder’s most sonically diverse release yet with the band moving areas into Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Electronica and Progressive elements unlike ever before. There’s even some creative callbacks to their classic 2007 debut album Dead Roots Stirring along the way. Elder leaves no creative stone unturned or untouched with Nick’s stunning work on Synths and Michael’s haunting Rhodes Piano instrumental passages allowing Georg on Drums and Jack Donovan on Bass to form a superbly intelligent rhythm section which holds everything together.

The record is full of passionate musical surroundings with Elder creating a Space Rock landscape to build their musical ideas upon especially within the epic opening track Sigil To Ruin. The track runs for over ten minutes that sees Elder relive past musical glories and modernise them for a new found audience discovering this great band for the first time. Elder effortlessly blends areas  Psych, Post-Rock, Doom, Stoner and Prog Rock into music of such rich musical depth you can’t help but fall in love with what's being played. There is a wonderful “orchestral” and “classical” feel that is being teased and developed on this track that’s used throughout the rest of the album.

Sigil To Ruin is just the doorway to expand the listener’s mind into ELDER’s increasingly hopeful and brilliantly musical quest. The other tracks allows Elder to breathe new life into the whole Heavy Psychedelic scene with different levels of musical heaviness bringing a sense of calm and distorted awareness which fully sells the whole Space Rock vibe whilst being superbly grounded at the same time. 

There are some parts of the album where Elder veer into Post-Metal territory and perhaps challenging the likes of PELICAN and RUSSIAN CIRCLES of developing some of the most sublime Post-Rock/Post-Metal sounds I’ve heard in a very long time on tracks such as Capture/Release, Through Zero and Strata. Though, it’s the ethereal soundscapes that keeps the record firmly within the Heavy Psych and Stoner Rock environments. 

The music is beautifully played with everyone putting in truly magnificent performances with Nick’s vocals once again showing a wealth of knowledge and maturity way beyond his years. Though, it’s the complete musical package that Through Zero takes the listener upon with a never-ending array of uplifting Ambient sounds and forward thinking progressive melodies that’s backed up by first rate production values that make this a real grand musical adventure.

I remember reviewing Dead Roots Stirring for a defunct webzine back in 2008 and I never thought I would be doing the same thing almost two decades later with another new record from them. Fast forward and ELDER have released seven full length albums, four EP’s and two live albums.

The music may have changed directions slightly but they have always remained the same band with a level of warmth and uplifting quality that remains virtually unmatched in today’s scene. Through Zero is a testament to that fact and how Elder proves once again why they’re masters of their musical craft that other bands can’t even come close to fully matching or even surpassing. 

Elder may have just released the finest Heavy Psychedelic / Stoner Rock album of the year for me. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to All Noir for the promo..

Through Zero is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Stickman Records, in North America through Blues Funeral Recordings and Bird’s Robe in Australia.

Links

https://beholdtheelder.com
https://www.facebook.com/elderofficial
https://www.instagram.com/elderband
https://elder.bigcartel.com
https://www.stickman-records.com
https://www.bluesfuneral.com

DOOM/SLUDGE METAL MONSTERS - FROGLORD – “THE MYSTIC TOAD” VINYL REPRESS + NEW BONUS SINGLE “CROAK”

Black Throne Productions is proud to announce the long awaited vinyl repress of Froglord’s cult amphibious doom opus The Mystic Toad, arriving this summer alongside the brand new bonus single “Croak”, due for release on June 3.

Following the massive success of their sixth album Lower & Slower, the UK’s favourite Amphibious Swamp Doom outfit return to Loveland once again, delivering another monstrous collision of cryptid horror and swamp soaked doom in collaboration with the creators of the Frogman film saga.

Dallas Kyle’s journey into the mysteries of Loveland, Ohio continues in Frogman Returns, as Froglord once again provide the perfect sonic pairing to the film’s chaotic found footage horror. Combining swamp worshipping riffs, towering fuzz and cinematic atmosphere, the band continue expanding the mythology that has made them one of the UK underground doom scene’s most recognisable cult names.

The new single “Croak” expands the world of The Mystic Toad even further, serving as both a standalone amphibious sludge anthem and an essential addition to this definitive repress. Filthy, hypnotic and drenched in Loveland swamp energy, the track captures everything that has helped Froglord carve out a distinct identity within modern doom metal.

Originally released in 2021 in an ultra limited run of just 100 copies, The Mystic Toad has become one of the band’s most sought after releases, with fans calling for a repress for years. Partnering with Black Throne Productions finally allows the amphibian overlords to resurrect the record on vinyl once again, now featuring “Croak” as an exclusive bonus track.

The release continues the momentum built by Lower & Slower – Vol. 1, the band’s recent charity focused release supporting the Waterfowl and Wetlands Trust, which raised close to £1,000 for conservation efforts connected to the UK wetlands that inspired Froglord’s swamp dwelling mythology.

FFO: Electric Wizard, Conan, Weedeater, Acid Mammoth, cryptid folklore, swamp horror cinema, found footage terror

To support the release of “Croak” and The Mystic Toad repress, Froglord will tour across the UK this July for a two week run supporting Bat Sabbath, the Black Sabbath worshipping alter egos of Cancer Bats. Personally invited by Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier, the tour marks another huge step forward for the Bristol swamp dwellers following an increasingly explosive rise through the UK underground doom scene.

The tour also sees Froglord returning to Bloodstock Open Air for the festival’s 25th anniversary celebrations, alongside a debut appearance at Stoomfest London alongside bands including Stoned Jesus and Colour Haze.

Known for immersive live performances blending psychedelic sludge, creature feature horror and ritualistic swamp theatrics, Froglord continue building a world entirely of their own. Equal parts doom metal performance and amphibious fever dream, the band’s live reputation has rapidly transformed them into one of the UK underground’s most distinctive heavy acts.

TOUR DATES

July 12 – Nottingham – Beta, Rock City
July 14 – Manchester – Rebellion
July 15 – Glasgow – Cathouse
July 16 – Sheffield – Corporation
July 17 – Birmingham – Castle & Falcon
July 18 – Bristol – Electric
July 20 – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
July 21 – Brighton – Concorde 2
July 22 – Tunbridge Wells – The Forum
July 23 – London – Scala

August 8 – Derby – Bloodstock Festival (Sophie Stage)
August 25 – London – The Garage (Stoomfest London)

RELEASE INFORMATION

Release Date: June 3, 2026
Release: The Mystic Toad (Vinyl Repress) + “Croak” (Bonus Single)
Label: Black Throne Productions
Format: Vinyl + Digital

LINKS

https://www.froglord.org

https://froglord.bigcartel.com/products

https://froglord.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/froglordband/

https://www.facebook.com/Froglordband/ 

https://blackthroneproductions.com/
https://linktr.ee/BlackThroneProductions
https://www.facebook.com/BlackThroneProd 

https://www.youtube.com/@blackthroneproductions

LINEUP

The current formation of Froglord consists of:

Benjamin “Froglord” Oak – vocals
Jordan “Caudata” Cross – guitars
Luke “Bufo” Clemenger – bass
Chris “Anura” Seldon – drums

BAND BIO

Since the dawn of time, mystics have prophesised the coming of an ancient amphibian bestowed with deathray vision and ectoplasmic slime. Emerging from deep within the mystic swamps of Bristol, UK, Froglord arise with their powerful blend of psychedelic doom, swamp sludge and colossal fuzz drenched riffs.

Formed in 2020 and inspired by everything from classic doom metal to cryptid folklore and found footage horror, the band have rapidly built a devoted following through relentless touring, immersive mythology and an unmistakable amphibious identity. Combining creature feature horror, towering sludge grooves and ritualistic live performances, Froglord continue their reign of swamp soaked terror across the underground metal world.

Thanks to Neon Leopard Promotions for the details.

Canadian Doomgaze Band 'Truster' to Release Full Length Album 'Creeping Thing' on July 10

Canadian doomgaze trio Truster have announced their long-awaited new album, “Creeping Thing”, to be released digitally and on vinyl on July 10. The band has also released a single,“Wretch Collector”, which highlights the album’s crushing yet ethereal sound and devastating lyrics.

 
The listener is welcomed to ‘Creeping Thing’ with found audio of harrowing screams from a mass exorcism event in small town Alberta. Truster encapsulates this intensity throughout the album, where even in moments of quiet restraint, there is a seething desperation that inevitably feeds its way into emphatic fervor.

‘Creeping Thing’ is a concept album that explores devotion, reverence, and religious sanctification. It threatens a world where autonomy is no longer given away or taken; it is reinstated to an omnipotent degree. It begs the listener to explore their essentiality and demands that they build an altar to it.‘Creeping Thing’ is not an album of clemency; it is an ode to reclamation through sublime malevolence.

‘Creeping Thing’ can be pre-ordered here. Fans who pre-order will have instant access to an unreleased track from the album.

Truster hails from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They play heavy doomgaze influenced in equal parts by the absurdity of trauma, weaponized resilience, and love. Blending wall of sound, down-tuned guitars, heavy, churning drums, and boundless, desperate vocals, Truster’s sound incorporates elements of doom, black metal and shoegaze.

Truster has shared the stage with notable acts PISS, BIG/BRAVE, Lung Butter, Stuck, Peach Kelli Pop, Anamai, Aversions, and many more.

Creeping Thing’ was recorded and produced in Vancouver by the venerable Jesse Gander, who has worked with White Lung, Ahna, Brutus, Castle, and Baptists, to name a few. It was mastered by Nick Zampiello, who has worked with the likes of Converge, Isis, Pelican, Unsane, and Thurston Moore.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram