BELZEBONG - The End Is High (Album Review)

 

Release Date: 20th February 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The End Is High - Tracklisting

1.Bong & Chain
2.420 Horsemen
3.Hempnotized
4.Reefer Mortis

Members

Sheepy Dude - Bass
Alky Dude - Guitar
Cheesy Dude - Guitar
Hexy Dude - Drums

Review

Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metallers Belzebong return after an eight year absence with their new album The End Is High which offers a more apocalyptic take on their music. There is a foreboding sense of dread that the world is going to end but with the band’s great sense of WEEDIAN humour spliced throughout the album. The whole journey can be quite EVIL at times but Belzebong still apply their intense style of psychedelic heaviness into the mix with masses of distorted sludgy melodies that appear in spectacular fashion within the epic opening track Bong & Chain.

Bong & Chain runs for almost eleven minutes with a fuzzed up and highly aggressive energy which is classic Belzebong through and through. The sound is quite progressive with Belzebong undergoing a slight musical makeover with elements of Sludge Rock and Prog Metal appearing towards the later stages of the song. With a great reliance on LOW & SLOW grooves and the heavier fast-paced melodies, Belzebong offer the best of both worlds where they both collide in spectacular WEEDIAN fashion. With traces of Space Rock and Cosmic Distortion slowly starting to filter through from the background, this is a powerful statement of intent from the band to show that one of the best bands from the Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal scene are ready to take over the world once more.

Second track 420 Horseman sees Belzebong returning to their old creative ways by adding trippy and surreal soundclips into the mix whilst expanding upon with that free-spirited and aggressive STONER energy they’ve originally made their names with. The sound is perhaps more dominated by the FUZZED OUT atmosphere with sudden flashes of Cosmic Doom and Post-Stoner surroundings. The whole thing is played to great effect when the LOUD WALL OF NOISE transcends into different and multiple levels of sludgy distortion. Belzebong play a fast paced style of music where some of the finest grooves appear on the whole record. This is the shortest track on the album running for under six minutes in length but the clever use of Ambient and fractured Psychedelic methods is put to great effect within the closing moments of the whole track.

The final two tracks of Hempnotized and Reefer Mortis offers around nineteen minutes of pure WEEDIAN and STONED OUT chaos with Belzebong injecting trippy counter culture soundclips within Hempnotized and with Reefer Mortis having a slightly more outrageous Science Fiction vibe, However, the music is KING with the band playing some of the gnarliest, trippy and heaviest grooves of their entire career.

The band is perhaps more experimental with their music but still keeping within their overall classic sound. With deeper progressive themes starting to emerge, you really do start to feel the sense of dread about the end of the world but it’s told with great comedic timing and bold humour that you can’t help but cheer on Belzebong succeeding with their overall mission.

The End Is High is a masterclass of Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal from one of the legendary bands of the underground scene. They have been gone for a long time but Belzebong always deliver records that are stone cold classics and this is no different with this perhaps easily becoming another ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender for the band.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

The End Is High is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Belzebong links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Weedow - Soundquarium: Live Session (Album Review)

Release Date: January 03rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: Cassette/Digital Download

Soundquarium: Live Session - Tracklisting

1.Intro (live) 01:32

2.Delusion (live) 09:00

3.Threnody (live) 09:06

4.Liquid Sand (live) 10:21

Members

vox and bass guitar - Patryk Wójcik

lead guitar - Tomasz Raszewski

rhythm guitar - Remigiusz Jaskółowski

drums - Maciej Budzowski

Review

Soundquarium: Live Session is the new live album from Polish Doom/Stoner Metallers Weedow that was captured from a live session on 20th September 2025. The music is played out through a slower style of Doom, Psych, Stoner Metal and Space Rock where the music is always constantly evolving into a different energy compared to their 2024 debut album. This performance contains two tracks (Delusion and Threnody) from that album with the final track Liquid Sand perhaps being a new or unreleased track.

The performance has a sense of intimacy which you can watch on YouTube right now and this adds to the Spaced Out surroundings of Weedow’s music. The music becomes slightly cautious with the sludgy movements offering a wicked level of distorted and amplifier heaviness especially within the tracks of Delusion and Threnody. Weedow operate mostly within the “LOW & SLOW” environment but they do transfer over to a faster style of Spaced Out Doom with familiar sounds from the infamous Polish underground music scene appearing along the way. 

Weedow has a great way of blending Space Rock and Ambient themes that adds a contemporary soundtrack feel to their music. As I stated before the music can be quite cautious to begin with but Weedow always finds that magical creative spark to move solely into the right Psychedelic direction with some epic cinematic grooves dominating the musical landscape within Threnody and Liquid Sand.

There’s a haunting Post-Rock and Doomgaze style that superbly develops within the quieter moments that allows Weedow to be more reflective and emotionally engaging with their music. This live album is one that allows the listener to be part of the whole journey and ultimately reward them with a highly captivating style of music that should hopefully allow Weedow establish themselves even further within the global underground scene.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Norwegian Heavy Rockers Mörkekraft Sign To Octopus Rising (Argonauta Records)

Norwegian trio Mörkekraft announce their signing to Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records. Formed in Southern Norway, Mörkekraft have developed a powerful combination of heavy riffs, atmospheric melodies and straightforward rock. Drawing from punk roots, Scandinavian rock and experimental influences, the band blend weight and melody into a style that has been described as “a depressed Thin Lizzy”, combining emotional tension with classic rock sensibility.

In January 2025, the band entered Bridge Burner Recording in Stavanger with Ørjan Kristoffersen Lund (NAG), recording three tracks, which were mixed by Lund and mastered by Steven Grant Bishop (Satyricon, Karavan, Sløtface). These first releases gained airplay on Norwegian national radio NRK P13, featured on shows hosted by Thomas Felberg and Totto Mjelde.

Mörkekraft returned to the studio in May 2025 to complete five additional songs, bringing the total to eight tracks. The full album was mixed by Ørjan Kristoffersen Lund and mastered by Steven Grant Bishop, and will form the band’s forthcoming full-length album.

Ahead of the signing, Mörkekraft released the single and official video “Ghosts”, offering an early glimpse into their sound and direction:

With the album completed and new plans underway, Mörkekraft now begin a new chapter with Octopus Rising. Further details on the release will be revealed soon.

INFO:

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

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

Psych/Doom/Stoner Metallers GNARWHAL Release New Song/Video For ANCIENT VEINS From Upcoming New Album LUCID MACHINES

Doom/Stoner Metallers GNARWHAL release their stunning new single ANCIENT VEINS from their brilliant upcoming new album LUCID MACHINES due for release on March 19th 2026.

You can watch the video below for the song.

The band say this about the song:

"Ancient Veins hits with sharpened teeth—faster, meaner, and wired with defiance. Gnarwhal injects their sludge-heavy sound with a punk urgency, tearing through themes of decay, control, and digital erasure. It’s a tightly coiled anthem of resistance, where blistering riffs and the repeated vow “I won’t die in machinery” cut through the static like a blade. A jolt of raw energy that proves Gnarwhal can burn just as fast as they crush."

You can pre-order Lucid Machines now on Digital and Vinyl from this link, 

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

US Heavy Rock Powerhouse ABRAMS to issue new album "Loon" on Blues Funeral Recordings this spring; first single "Glass House" streaming!

Denver-based heavy rock and post-hardcore goldsmiths ABRAMS blast the blistering debut single and visualizer taken from their upcoming new full-length "Loon", to be issued on April 17th through Blues Funeral Recordings.

With American idealism and societal unity in flames, ABRAMS’ ethereal ambiance has been permeated by vibrating, hair-trigger fury. 2024’s soaring and driving Blue City was a record full of arresting, nostalgic textures. This is no longer the world of that album.

The grinding hopelessness and chaos of these times have infused ABRAMS with the shattering intensity of Converge. Urgent and abrasive, Loon is acerbic, fed up, and riddled with pulverizing fury. Wistful melodies warp into dissonance and aggression. Crystalline beauty is inhabited by bitterness and rage. The band’s instinctive hooks aren't gone, and hopeful moments do shine intermittently through. But it’s clear that ABRAMS, like a lot of us, are pissed off. Desperate and seething, Loon is an irresistible, frenzied purge from a band refusing to give in.

️ Watch new Abrams video Glass House below ️+ listen to the single on all streaming services

On the album, guitarist and vocalist Zach Amster comments: "With each album, our goal is to evolve and not write the same record over and over again. There is no doubt in my mind our album "Loon" is the most unique Abrams record to date. It features some of the most aggressive and heavy Abrams tunes while also sharing some of our most poppy and melodic moments. Vocally, this is the most confident I have felt performance-wise, which sets the mood for the rather dark lyrical content, fitting for the daily bullshit and volatility we are forced to endure. The lead single and opening track, Glass House is a good precursor of what to expect with "Loon". We hope you enjoy!"


New album "Loon" - Out April 17th on Blues Funeral Recordings
Preorder via BFR website / Bandcamp / SPKR Shop

TRACKLIST:

1. Glass House
2. White Walls
3. Last Nail
4. Said & Done
5. Waves
6. How Did I Lose My Mind?
7. A State of Mind
8. Home
9. Remains
10. Sirens

ABRAMS blast forth a cathartic mix of driving rhythms, soaring vocals and dreamy ambiance. Fusing melody and dissonance, guitarist/vocalist Zach Amster, bassist/vocalist Taylor Iversen, drummer Ryan DeWitt and guitarist Graham Zander wield elements of heavy rock, shoegaze, grunge and hardcore with ease and fluency, crafting a blend that's bittersweet and familiar while urgently gazing forward.

Hailed as “one of the most musically diverse and emotionally impactful bands in the scene" by Distorted Sound Magazine, the Denver band's captivating approach finds them sharing terrain with the likes of Torche, Cave In and Converge, while their command of chunky, hooky riffs recalls alt-rock icons Hum and Quicksand, though this swirling amalgam of influences isn't the totality of ABRAMS. Having shared the stage with Dozer, Unsane, KEN mode, King Buffalo, Khemmis and Emma Ruth Rundle, the foursome has always strived to deliver memorable live shows.

A spearhead of the Denver rock scene, ABRAMS joined the ranks of tastemaker label Blues Funeral Recordings in 2024 for the release of their cornerstone album Blue City. Recorded and produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire), it saw their genre-defying heaviness and perfect melodic songcraft meld seamlessly into what Metal Hammer Magazine described as "an upswell of positivity in the face of frustration that’s sure to shake you from your existential slumber".

Their new album Loon will arrive on April 17th, 2026 on Blues Funeral Recordings, just in time for their first European tour the following month, including a performance at DesertFest London.

ABRAMS is:

Zachary Amster – guitar, vocals
Taylor Iversen – bass, vocals
Ryan DeWitt - drums
Graham Zander - guitar

ABRAMS links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

BLUES FUNERAL RECORDINGS links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the details.

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows - Inexorable Opposites (Album Review)

Release Date: February 06th 2026. Record Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Inexorable Opposites - Tracklisting

1.Moss

2.Venomous 

3.Mt. Macedon

4.Dave Is Done 

5.Junior Fiction

6.Seer

7.On The Overwhelm

8.To Die

Members

Tim Coutts-Smith – vocals, guitar

Jordan Richardson – guitar

Brayden Becher – drums

Liam Barry – bass

Review

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows with their fourth album Inexorable Excuses which sees the hugely talented foursome wander into the mist of Appalachian grooves or dare I call this “Mountain Rock”. As the main theme feels inspired by a slightly deep “Country” feel that this band gives a rather Sludge-tastic makeover with the multitude of different sounds that are contained within the record.

Lead vocalist Tim Coutts-Smith takes on a more “storyteller” role within this album and perhaps inspired vocally by the legendary Dave Wyndorf as there’s an epic resemblance on how TIm delivers his world-weary vocals and loud screams. The whole atmosphere is dominated by an aggressive Space Rock, Psych Rock and Cosmic Rock drive which comes across spectacularly well on the opening track Moss. The instrumental passages draw Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows closer to the likes of Monster Magnet, VOLUME and NEBULA than ever before.

There is a heavier and aggressive Sludge Rock aspect currently brewing in the background and fully takes over when the band let fly with some of the catchiest, freshest and heaviest melodies on the record. Though, the band never rely on any cheap progressive gimmicks as they just explore the Doomed Out and Cosmic surroundings of the entire WEEDIAN scene with distorted FUZZY passages dictating the action especially on tracks such as Venomous, Mt. Macedon and Dave Is Done. 

With a cool reliance on Science Fiction at times, Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows sounds like they’ve never been this angry especially when compared to their previous albums. This feels like a band “reborn” and delivering their most mature and grown up sounds to date that actually dares to be different at times. The later stages of the album moved into different areas of Heavy Rock perhaps dominated by the likes of All Them Witches and King Buffalo.

I fell in love with this album from the very first listen with the band using dramatic soundscapes and certain ambient melodies that still retain that “MOUNTAIN ROCK” feel. Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows aren’t afraid to slow things right down and let a more soulful Blues Rock style of Cosmic Doom to lead the listener on a trippy hallucinogenic journey but with that thrilling rhythm section of Brayden Brecher (Drums) and Liam Barry (Bass) exploring different musical dimensions of the whole Cosmic Doom/Stoner Metal movement.

Tim Coutts-Smith and Jordan Richardson level the Space Rock playing field with their epic guitar playing which does remind me of classic era Monster Magnet but still having their own original and highly vintage sound. Other standout tracks include Junior Fiction, Seer and To Die which includes some real “world-building” within the lyrics and the main creative theme of Inexorable Opposites. 

When you listen to this album multiple times you begin to notice the smaller things in the background that make this record work so well. The shift to Post-Rock, Grunge, Blues and Post-Doom landscapes is quite therapeutic and superbly hypnotic to listen to. Though, the main standout of the whole album is the lyrics. Damn. The lyrics are absolutely wonderful with Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows perhaps releasing their best story driven record to date. Everything has meaning here even when they go for an outlandish premise. This is cinematic storytelling of the highest order that left me on the edge of my seat. I maybe going slightly over the top with that observation but I’m sticking by that statement. 

However, that doesn’t stop the potential for Inexorable Opposites for being one of the standout Doom/Stoner Metal releases of the year already. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to All Noir PR and Magnetic Eye Records for the promo.

Inexorable Opposites is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Magnetic Eye Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Void Sinker - Depth (Album Review)

Release Date: January 16th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Depth - Tracklisting

1.Depth 

2.Dragged

3.Drowned

4.Dredged

Members

Guglielmo Allegro - Everything

Review

One man Drone/Doom wrecking crew Void Sinker returns with their sixth full length album Depth which continues with creative mastermind Guglielmo Allegro’s deep fascination with the ocean and aquatic world that’s dominated his musical landscape of the last couple of years. The sound once again is haunting with brooding Drone textures developing with the darker depths of the ambient surroundings that Void Sinker purposely takes a slow time to deliver. However, this is the style of music that Void Sinker has used for the majority of their releases. Guglielmo does change musical direction with a lo-fi brooding style of Doom Metal that has elements of SUNN 0))), CONAN and ELECTRIC WIZARD.

Depth lasts for around eighty minutes in length spread across four tracks which gives Guglielmo plenty of opportunity to challenge your patience for long drawn out DRONE METAL passages. With a neverending style of down-tuned and amplified DRONE heaviness, there’s an undercurrent of bleak progressive elements forming very early on within the epic opening title track. The later stages of the track become heavier, aggressive and even stripped back with Void Sinker allowing the listener to explore the dark undercurrent of Sludge/Stoner Metal melodies forming quietly into the distance.

Void Sinker does play with a cold and highly calculated precision where the music could even be classed as methodical which becomes more part of the action on tracks such as Dragged, Drowned and Dredged. Guglielmo perfectly captures the bleak experience of reaching the bottom of the ocean and not knowing if you’re going to make it out alive. That sense of fear transfers over to real musical mention with Void Sinker developing heavier, progressive and emotionally charged sounds that delves further into the DRONE METAL abyss. 

There are moments with Void Sinker playing with a more riff-centric sound with eerie shadows of Ambient Metal, Post-Rock, Stoner Metal and Blackened Sludge starting to fully emerge. The standout tracks on Depth are most definitely Depth and Dredged. As this is where Guglielmo creates the most interesting ideas and themes on the album though the other tracks perhaps the heaviest and distorted grooves on Depth. As with previous Void Sinker releases, this can be a tough and challenging listen but this album is perhaps more about endurance with the record running for around eighty minutes in length.

Void Sinker once again has delivered a brutally tough and emotionally destructive record that brings some of the most thrilling Droned Out Metal sounds around from within the underground scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram