Post-Sludge/Stoner Metallers OPTICAL SUN Release New Single "STRACH" From Upcoming New Album DIABEL

Listen to the song in streaming: https://ffm.to/opticalsunstrach

Watch the video:

The single announces the release of a new album “Diabeł” - Premiere: September 11, 2025

Optical Sun play Stoner / Post-Sludge / Doom Metal. The band's trademark has become samples and visuals from old Polish movies - including “Przyjaciel Wesołego Diabła” directed by Jerzy Lukaszewicz, and “Pan Twardowski” from 1936, interspersed with strong throaty vocals and double bass parts.

The song ‘Strach’ (eng. ‘Fear’) is about a basic, primal human instinct that accompanies us from birth to death. Fear is unique in that it is independent of us. With experience, it allows itself to be shaped, but it can never be fully tamed.

‘Strach’ announces the band's new album. The album “Diabeł” is scheduled for release on September 11, 2025.

The mixing and mastering of the album is the responsibility of Michal Pijocha (Moonstone, Belzebong), who had a key influence on the sound of the album, giving it the right dynamics and character.

The album “Diabeł” also includes the unique track 'Gasnące kolory’, which is a radio drama created under the melodic line of the composition ‘Strach’ and is a kind of loop in the album's structure. In the new material, the band continues to experiment with mixing intense vocals with spoken samples from movies, creating a modern, emotional sound.

Optical Sun has an unusual approach to instrumentation - they play two basses, with one serving a rhythmic function and the other as a lead one. They have released the EP “Optical Sun” in 2018 and the album “Save Our Souls” in 2021, with the help of the Via Nocturna label and recorded at the Monochrom studio with by Satanic Audio crew.

Members of Optical Sun played for more than a dozen years in the punk project Panta Koina. They also played alongside such bands as Turbo, KSU, Weird Tales, Taxi Caveman, Neon Mud, Weedcraft, Toń, Gravity Eater and Sexy Cutts.

The album was previously promoted by the first single 'Mój Bóg nie umarł'.

‘Mój Bóg nie umarł’ - Listen to the song in streaming: - https://ffm.to/opticalsun

Watch the video: - https://youtu.be/Er7pyvAjE28

Optical Sun:

Łukasz Piłasiewicz - guitar
Hubert Bzoma - bass guitar / vocals
Przemek Bobrowicz - drums
Marcin Jerzyna - bass guitar
Robert Zapała - guitar

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/OpticalSunOfficial
https://opticalsun.bandcamp.com/album/save-our-souls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcpbagkEcts&t=22s
https://www.instagram.com/optical_sun_band/

Nightscape - Catharsis (EP Review)

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

Catharsis - Tracklisting

1.Khonsu

2.Realization of the Path 09:34

3.Remembrance 07:40

4.Catharsis

Members

Guglielmo Allegro - Everything

Review

Catharsis is the latest release from Drone/Doom/Stoner Metal collective Nightscape which is the new musical project from Guglielmo Allegro who is also the creative mastermind behind Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal outfit Void Sinker. Nightscape allows Guglielmo the perfect opportunity to construct long drawn out musical passages and put them within a DRONED out timeframe. This project has more in common to the likes of EARTH, SUNN 0))) and BONG. The music is deliberately slow but has a dark aura of Psychedelic and Sonic riff wizardly that overlaps to a distorted level of Doom/Stoner Metal which has a subtle and aggressive distorted tone.

Nightscape only released their debut full length album back in January 2025 where you can read my review here. Catharsis follows the same path where waves of Post-Rock and Post-Metal appear which allows Guglielmo to enhance his storytelling skills to the maximum compared to his excellent debut record.

The EP can be quite therapeutic in places but has enough creepy and seedy instrumental sounds that most definitely allows Catharsis to fully earn its “DOES IT DOOM” stripes. Tracks such as Khonsu and Realization Of The Path are more closely aligned to the old school of drone legends EARTH. There is a level of progression and heaviness that adds a cold hearted, deeply methodical and calculated attitude within Guglielmo’s intense moods and epic melodies that holds everything together.

The final two tracks Remembrance and Catharsis have a more riff-centric delivery which moves the EP to a stylish blend of modern day Doom/Stoner Metal with small twinges of Drone music still being heard and felt within the air. The sludgy atmosphere becomes quite heavier which reminds me of Void Sinker on the later stages of the EP. 

Nightscape brings a foreboding sense of musical adventure within Catharsis where you can hear elements of Noise, Shoegaze and distorted levels of Fuzz appearing which were quite minimal compared to the band’s self titled album. Catharsis is quite provocative with the freakishly heavy production values that Guglielmo has applied for the EP. Everything is played at a dangerous and high intense volume which allows another kind of heaviness to dictate the action to it’s natural conclusion.

Catharsis is another stunning record for Guglielmo Allegro released under his Nightscape persona and I can’t wait to hear the next exciting installment to see where this twisted sound fully develops in the future.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

THE LAST SOUND REVELATION Sign to Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records; New Single “Large Distances” Out Now

Instrumental Post Metal band The Last Sound Revelation from Rome has officially signed with Octopus Rising, the (un)parallel imprint of Argonauta Records. To celebrate this new chapter, the band has released their new single “Large Distances”, now available on all digital platforms: https://song.link/thelastsoundrevelation

Blending hard rock, progressive metal, blues rock and post-rock, the band delivers intense, emotional instrumental music that draws influences from Pelican, Russian Circles and God Is an Astronaut. Formed in 2005 by bassist Niccolò Sbernadori and guitarist Francesco Salvitti, the lineup now includes drummer Tiziano De Sante and guitarist Valerio “JPeck” Pecoriello, a graduate of Saint Louis College of Music in Rome.

After years of live shows and the release of two records, Far Away…The End and Hidden Voices, the band is now preparing to release their most ambitious album yet, The Proximity Effect, recorded with producer Fabio “Reeks” Recchia at HombreLobo Studios.

Known for their immersive sound and unique visual identity, The Last Sound Revelation explores music as an emotional and symbolic language, aiming to create a deep, transformative listening experience.

Listen to “Large Distances” now and stay tuned for The Proximity Effect.

Links

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

MORDBEAR - MORDBEAR (EP Review)

Release Date: June 06th 2025. Record Label: Dipterid Records. Formats: DD

MORDBEAR - Tracklisting

1. Like the Dead

2. A Mirror with a Sea of Flames

3. The Alchemist

Members

Tyler Balthaser (guitars, vocals)

Nico Martinez (bass)

Erik Larson (drums)

Review

MORDBEAR is a Doom/Stoner Metal band from Portland, Oregon and their debut self-titled EP is easily comparable to the likes of Black Sabbath, SLEEP, OM and Acrimony. There’s a subdued atmosphere that first appears within the opening track Like The Dead with MORDBEAR supremely becoming confident with each passing moment. The sound is quite melodic and brings a classic 1990’s Stoner Rock/Metal sound into the slight Proto-Doom attitude that also appears within MORDBEAR’s delivery. 

The EP allows MORDBEAR to showcase their fine style of Hard Rock delivery with some classic guitar shredding set against a backdrop of gloomy instrumental passages. The vocals from Tyler Balthaser are quite stylish and even understated with Tyler putting in a commanding performance within the more DOOM obsessive moments. 

MORDBEAR plays around with Psychedelic sounds and SONIC passages for the second track A MIrror With A Sea Of Flames. The sludgy guitars make a sneaky appearance here and there with a slowly played delivery that becomes more Proto-Doom riff-focused once again. This song is never in a rush to reach its natural conclusion with MORDBEAR playing multiple different styles of Psych Stoner Metal with a creepy OCCULT vibe appearing within Tyler’s vocals and the fantastic rhythm section of Nico Martinez (Bass) and Erik Larson (Drums) leading the way. There sudden flashes of early-era SLEEP starting to dominate or decimate the musical landscape which results into some of the best grooves of the EP.

The final song The Alchemist is the standout track lasting over seven minutes where MORDBEAR fully settle within their DOOM & GLOOM surroundings. The foreboding sense of trippy Psychedelic grooves and small amounts of distorted modern day Stoner Metal sees the band come kicking and screaming into the modern underground scene. The music is played at a superb slow-to-mid pace once again which allows the music to grow naturally with epic slabs of SLUDGE ROCK to appear. 

MORDBEAR’s debut EP is an excellent release which allows the band to showcase their own style of Psych Stoner Metal that should see the band start building a loyal following within the underground scene before the full length debut album appears. 

Check this out when you can as it’s an absolute BEAST of a record.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Discipline PR for the promo.

The debut EP arrives June 6 via Dipterid Records. Pre-order from now on here.

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

MoldEra - Colonize (Album Review)

Release Date: June 06th 2025. Record Label: Argonauta Records / Octopus Rising. Formats: CD/DD

Colonize - Tracklisting

Full Machete – 06:01

Falling Through The Ashes – 08:03

The Dawn – 05:58

Electric Brain in The Mirror of Doom – 06:00

Third Space part 1 (Wander) – 05:31

Third Space part 2 (No Return) – 06:01

Review

Colonize is the sophomore album from Doom/Grunge/Stoner/Sludge Metallers MoldEra which sees the band explore their Fuzzy and Progressive surroundings even further compared to their 2022 debut album Waste Pile Dunes. The record is quite vast with MoldEra sounding quite different throughout every song with influences ranging from Deftones, NIN, SLEEP, YOB and Alice In Chains. There is a raw sounding backdrop of COSMIC themes with sludgy industrial guitars chopping away in the background. 

The record gets straight down to business of laying out the heavy Progressive Sludge/Post-Metal heartbeat grooves within the opening track Full Machete. The vocals are quite rough in places but have a certain underground vitality to them. MoldEra operate with Grunge and Post-Stoner attitude which becomes more commonplace on the other tracks of the record. 

The lyrics held on Colonize are quite thought provoking, dealing with Environmental themes and the evil influence of Social Media Giants with warnings of global catastrophe not too far behind. So this is a record that has BRAINS and BRAWN to match with MoldEra cleverly creating a subversive record which is very hard to disagree with.

However, the music is where it matters most with MoldEra transforming into a Post-Stoner/Grunge creative entity on the next few tracks of Falling Through The Ashes and The Dawn. With that fuzzy and distorted SONIC instrumental passages appearing, MoldEra becomes closely linked to the likes of SLEEP and even KING BUFFALO for a sound that defies genre categorisation. Colonize thrives further when MoldEra starts injecting heavy amounts of distorted atmospherics and harsh clean vocals to leave an unsettling destructive feeling at times. 

The record experiments with Noise and Sonic frequencies that allows the production values to be quite aggressive and threatening when MoldEra experiments with a Post-Punk and Doomgaze attitude on The Dawn and Electric Brain In The Mirror Of Doom. The music is played a commanding slow-to-mid pace which allows the grooves to grow naturally and retain a sense of creative urgency which results with some of the heaviest and aggressive grooves on the whole record.

The final two tracks of Third Space Part 1 (Wander) and Third Space Part 2 (No Return) is the most hard-hitting aspect of Colonize with MoldEra closing all their creative threads with a truly apocalyptic and destructive sound that is delivered mostly through harsh levels of distorted Sludge Metal that ultimately leaves you fully satisfied from start to finish.

Colonize is a splendid journey and welcome diversion into MoldEra’s dark world where the music is always engaging, challenging and brilliantly heavy throughout. Play this at FULL VOLUME and lose yourself within an epic sounding record.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

Colonize is available to buy now on CD/DD via Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

An Interview With Psych/Stoner Rock Artist MATT C. WHITE

Brooklyn/NYC Musical Artist Matt C. White covers a lot of creative ground with his excellent upcoming new album A Cosmic Year. As Matt takes levels of Psych. Blues, Doom, Stoner, Metal and Punk Rock sounds where he gives it a refreshing makeover throughout. The album is influenced by the likes of Soundgarden, HUM, Mastodon and even The Mars Volta. 

Matt is also involved with other musical projects such as Certain Death and 95 Bulls. I wanted to find out more about Matt and what influenced him when recording the new album.

Hi Matt. How are things with you today.

I'm good! Doing a little guitar noodling before Certain Death Rehearsal. 

For people not in the know, can you give a history of your musical history, bands formed and which bands you’re part of now. As you’ve had quite a varied career being part of bands from different musical scenes. 

When I first moved to NYC (15 years ago) I started doing open mics and really started cutting my teeth playing live. After that I formed Dead Seconds and later joined up with some long time friends to create Grandpa Jack. I would say that’s when I really started getting more involved with other musicians which kind of opened the door for more acts like 95 Bulls and Certain Death. Our common ground is just from being in the Brooklyn scene. I met Henry of Certain Death from mutual musician friends. I new the bulls because Grandpa Jack shared a rehearsal space with them for years. 

You’ve released quite a wide range of solo records since 2018. How would you describe your music for these records? As they’re quite different from each other.

I would say they are pretty different from one another but they all share some sort of weird southern twang or soul. From folky bluesy to this weird sort of alternative psych rock Im playing now, they all contain that bluesy southern grunge thing. 

Your upcoming new album A Cosmic Year does seem to be perhaps your heaviest solo work to date with you exploring sounds such as Doom, Blues, Psych, Stoner and Progressive Rock. How would you describe your overall sound for your upcoming new album

I wanted to harness some more of the doom acts but also some old school psych. I want Santana grooves with The Sword breakdowns thrown in. This album is the first with a fair amount of synth added as well. I really love the swirling and ominous textures they can add. 

What can people expect from the album and what is the creative outline or story for the album. 

I went on a camping trip with hopes of working on some lyrics. I started writing “Fire Rider” and just sort of started riffing on ideas about an alternate origin story for life on earth. As I put pen to paper I saw a meteor and took it as a sign to commit to the concept. A malicious force (fire rider) crashes into earth and we (and every living organism) are descendants and all contain that little bit of hate and predatory inclination. Which is pessimistic and weird but it made for a cool album. It's also chronological so some of the ambient sound-bath songs are intended to represent the 5 mass extinctions earth has undergone to date. 

Where did the name A Cosmic Year for the album come from

A cosmic year is the time it takes our solar system to travel around the milky way. I was just pontificating on more astral ideas and the idea that we are just sort of specks in the ether. This album is a couple years in the making and a lot has happened for me personally in that time as well so I thought it was fitting. Fun face, when I first started working on the album I considered calling it confessional for some reason :). 

Was this an easy or hard album to record, make and produce compared to you compared to your other albums.

This one was difficult. Because I write and record everything myself, sometimes it takes a while to add all the layers. After recording the music, writing the lyrics was especially tough. 

What is the creative process for yourself when writing new music for your solo work and within your other musical projects Certain Death and 95 Bulls.

Solo work is all me late night just sort of riffing around and building songs from those ideas. 95 Bulls is more jamming together as a band. Someone will bring a riff idea to practice and we just sort of play around with it and talk it over while creating flow and dynamics. 

Did your daily struggles, challenges and uplifting moments in life shape up the creative outline for the album

I think when I first started writing this album I was in a bit of a darker place so it was kind of convenient to lean into this dark narrative concept I had created. Themes range from addiction to self sabotage. 

What bands, artists or other collective entities inspire and influence you for A Cosmic Year and your music in general.

I listen to a lot of heavy psych stuff both old and new. Fuzz, Slift, Karkara, Grand Funk Railroad, Wicked Lady, Santana, The Mars Volta, Wand, All Them Witches, Wolf People, The Black Angels, and Budgie just to name a few. 

Who is releasing A Cosmic Year and what formats is the album being released upon.

Im putting out A Cosmic Year myself and will likely do a very limited run of vinyl. 

You're from New York in the USA. What is the local Rock/Metal scene like there? Is there a thriving gig scene and community that allows you to perform regularly or do you have to travel further afield to perform on a regular basis.

I'm originally from North Carolina but have been in NYC for over a decade. There’s definitely a thriving punk and metal scene. I have sort of always struggled to find a scene based solely on musical style and genre. I think my musical network is currently based more on comradery and supporting one another. We all contain some elements of psych but the delivery definitely varies from band to band. 

What future gigs have you coming up with and will you be promoting the album more this year.

I will be doing an album release show in August as well as numerous shows and tours with both 95 Bulls (west coast) and Certain Death (Southern).

What are your favourite venues when you have toured in the past. Any particular venues or locations you always look forward to when touring.

I really loved Kids in the Antwerp. I only had the pleasure of playing once, but its a really sick rock club in a really cool city. 

What bands or artists influenced you to pick up an instrument and to become a musician.

JIMI FREAKIN HENDRIX

Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your fans currently out there

The world’s a pretty weird place right now, but that’s not always a bad thing. Let the weird in. Nothing real is ever lost, it’s just echoing somewhere else.

Words by Steve Howe and Matt C. White

Thanks to Matt for doing this interview.

A Cosmic Year will be out to buy in August 2025.

Links

www.mattcwhite.com
www.Instagram.com/Matt_C_White

https://open.spotify.com/artist/mattcwhite

Psych Rockers Filthy Hippies Unveil Video for ‘Miserable’ — A Gritty Glimpse Into the Psychedelic Soul of South African Shoegaze

Cape Town’s favourite alternative psych-shoegaze collective, Filthy Hippies, have released the music video for their track Miserable, taken from their recently launched album, A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy out now on Mongrel Records.

Since emerging onto the South African music scene in 2018, Filthy Hippies have carved out a distinct sonic identity—meshing swirling shoegaze textures with gritty psychedelic undertones. Their work has earned them a dedicated following, cementing their place among the most compelling acts in the country’s thriving underground. From spellbinding live sets to festival appearances, including a memorable performance at the 2019 Endless Daze Festival, Filthy Hippies continue to push boundaries with every release.

The band also welcomes a refreshed and expanded line-up for this new era. Joining Andrew Paine (Vocals/Bass/Guitar), Mandy Backström (Bass/Vocals), and Tim Ball (Guitar) are Jan-Hendrik Van Wyk (Guitar) and Divan Swanepoel (Drums). This dynamic five-piece brings renewed energy and textural richness to both the band’s studio recordings and live performances, allowing the group to dive deeper into the sonic landscapes they’ve become known for.

The video for “Miserable” is a layered visual journey—raw, dreamlike, and reflective. It captures the emotional paradox at the heart of the track. “We tried to contrast the melancholic vibe of Miserable with a cheerfully sung chorus, that hints at the possibility that the protagonist is happy being unhappy,” says vocalist Andrew Paine. That contrast is brought vividly to life in the video, pairing distorted performance visuals with surreal, analogue textures.

“Miserable” encapsulates the spirit of A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy—an album that drifts through emotion, memory, and existential haze, yet remains grounded in the grungey grit of real experience. It’s an ode to introspection, a sonic pilgrimage wrapped in fuzz and feeling.

Fans of My Bloody Valentine, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, or South Africa’s own Dangerfields will find themselves right at home in the Filthy Hippies’ immersive soundscapes.

Buy / Stream A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy

Follow Filthy Hippies

Facebook | Instagram