Californian Sludge Veterans -(16)- release noisy Scorpions cover off upcoming "Forgeries Vol 1, (1972-1984)" album on Heavy Psych Sounds; European & UK tour announced!

Santa Ana, California sludge metal veterans -(16)- drag the anthemic metal of Scorpions through the mud with their raucous cover of "Can't Get Enough", premiering now on Metalsucks. Their upcoming 11th album "Forgeries Vol 1, 1972-1984" will be released on May 1st via Heavy Psych Sounds, followed by an extensive European and UK tour.

 Hear their sludgy Scorpions cover with Can't Get Enough

There comes a point in every band’s life when originality stops being a virtue and honesty takes the wheel. On their 11th long-playing record: Forgeries 1972-1984, -(16)- return to the impulse that first dragged them into loud rooms and bad ideas: the urge to steal what we love and make it semi-unrecognizable through devotion. "We have partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds Records to release a collection of covers that function less as homage and more as a possession to be given away," says the band. The artwork, rendered by the ever-amazing Marald van Haasteren, completes the ritual, iconic, unsettling, and unafraid.

"We’ve always believed that a great cover is not mimicry but revelation. It’s finding a song that's already lived inside you since youth and letting it crawl out, bruised and changed." From the early ’90s onward, -(16)- have treated covers as translations rather than as replicas, acts of tribute and emulation, filtered through distortion, fatigue, and lived experience. "These are songs that taught us how to stand, how to fall, and how to keep going," they add. "In our collective head, this album exists because these songs demanded it. Because they screamed copy me, and we listened. In the end, Forgeries 1972-1984 stands as both a thank you note and a theft, a reminder that all music worth a damn is borrowed, broken, and passed on between friends."

The selections on Forgeries 1972-1984 span eras and attitudes, unified not by genre but by necessity. Each track is a document of obsession, of influence absorbed and re-expressed without permission. The first volume will be issued on LP, CD and digital on May 1st, with preorders available via Heavy Psych Sounds.

*** -(16)- - European Tour 2026 ***

01.05 PT Barroselas - SWR Metalfest
02.05 IT Torino - HPS Fest
03.05 IT Bologna - HPS Fest
04.05 IT Genova - Trinità Live Club
05.05 IT Milano - Legend Club
06.05 IT Pescara - Scumm
07.05 IT Roma - Traffic Live Club
08.05 NO Oslo - Deserfest
09.05 ***OPEN SLOT***
10.05 FR Marseille - Le Molotov
12.05 ***OPEN SLOT***
13.05 DE Göppingen - Gaststätte Zille
14.05 ***OPEN SLOT***
15.05 CH Winterthur - HPS FEST
16.05 UK London - Desertfest
17.05 ***OPEN SLOT***
18.05 ***OPEN SLOT***
19.05 NL Amsterdam - Toekomst muziek
20.05 DE Bielefeld - Forum
21.05 ***OPEN SLOT***
22.05 DE Dürrröhrsdorf - GockelScream
23.05 CZ Brno - Kabinet Muz
24.05 ***OPEN SLOT***

New album "Forgeries Vol 1, 1972 - 1984" - Out May 1st on Heavy Psych Sounds - Pre-order

TRACKLIST:

1. Can't Get Enough – Scorpions
2. Nausea – X
3. Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll – Blue Öyster Cult
4. Rotten to the Core – Rudimentary Peni
5. Mother Mary – UFO
6. Tragedy – Bee Gees
7. Bloodstains – Agent Orange
8. Beat My Head Against the Wall – Black Flag
9. St. Vitus Dance – Black Sabbath
10. Foreign Policy – Fear

Formed in 1991 in Santa Ana, California, 16 stylized as -(16)- emerged from the Southern California skate scene. The original lineup featured Bobby Ferry (guitar), Cris Jerue (vocals), Ben Clark (bass), and Jason Corley (drums). Initially called *15*, the band quickly rebranded after discovering another group with the same name. Drawing influence from 7 Seconds, Bad Brains, Metallica, and the Amphetamine Reptile roster, -(16)- developed a sound that helped define both their early years and the sludge subgenre itself.

Their 1993 debut, Curves That Kick, arrived on Pushead’s Bacteria Sour and was followed by a Japanese tour and shows with Slayer. Drop Out (1996) and Blaze of Incompetence (1997) followed, with Phil Vera joining on guitar. After a 1998 U.S. tour with Grief and the 2002 release Zoloft Smile, the band toured the U.S., U.K., and Japan before entering a hiatus in 2004 amid personal struggles.

Reforming in 2007, -(16)- signed to Relapse Records for Bridges to Burn (2009), followed by Deep Cuts from Dark Clouds (2012). With Bobby Ferry now on vocals, the San Diego–based lineup of Alex Shuster (lead guitar), Barney Firks (bass), Dion Thurman (drums) released Lifespan of a Moth (2016), Dream Squasher (2020) and Into Dust (2022) to critical acclaim. Heavy touring across the U.S., Mexico, and Europe, plus major festival slots, cemented their reputation for intense, connecting live performances.

In 2025, -(16)- released Guides for the Misguided on Relapse Records, which was named one of Decibel Magazine’s Top 40 Albums of the Year. That same year, the band headlined a three-week European tour and later performed select shows in California with Acid Bath, High on Fire and Fu Manchu.

In 2026, the band partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds to release Forgeries 1972–1984, a covers album spanning influences from Black Flag to the Bee Gees. That May, they return to Europe for a tour that includes Desertfest Oslo and London, as well as the Italian and Swiss Heavy Psych Sounds Festivals. With a legacy built on resilience and constant reinvention, -(16)- continue to evolve and captivate audiences, affirming their lasting relevance in heavy music.

-(16)- is

Bobby Ferry - Guitars / Vocals
Alex Shuster - Lead Guitar
Barney Firks - Bass
Dion Thurman - Drums / Percussion

-(16)- links

Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Californian Sludge Veterans -(16)- to release "Forgeries Vol 1, (1972-1984)" cover album on Heavy Psych Sounds this May. Stream crushing Bee Gees cover now!

Santa Ana, California sludge metal veterans -(16)- take over the finest classics from Sabbath, Bee Gees, Black Flag to Scorpions on their upcoming 11th album "Forgeries Vol 1, 1972-1984", to be released on May 1st via Heavy Psych Sounds.

 Hear their crushing cover of the Bee Gees with new single Tragedy 

There comes a point in every band’s life when originality stops being a virtue and honesty takes the wheel. On their 11th long-playing record: Forgeries 1972-1984, -(16)- return to the impulse that first dragged them into loud rooms and bad ideas: the urge to steal what we love and make it semi-unrecognizable through devotion. "We have partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds Records to release a collection of covers that function less as homage and more as a possession to be given away," says the band. The artwork, rendered by the ever-amazing Marald van Haasteren, completes the ritual, iconic, unsettling, and unafraid.

"We’ve always believed that a great cover is not mimicry but revelation. It’s finding a song that's already lived inside you since youth and letting it crawl out, bruised and changed." From the early ’90s onward, -(16)- have treated covers as translations rather than as replicas, acts of tribute and emulation, filtered through distortion, fatigue, and lived experience. "These are songs that taught us how to stand, how to fall, and how to keep going," they add. "In our collective head, this album exists because these songs demanded it. Because they screamed copy me, and we listened. In the end, Forgeries 1972-1984 stands as both a thank you note and a theft, a reminder that all music worth a damn is borrowed, broken, and passed on between friends."

The selections on Forgeries 1972-1984 span eras and attitudes, unified not by genre but by necessity. Each track is a document of obsession, of influence absorbed and re-expressed without permission. The first volume will be issued on LP, CD and digital on May 1st, with preorders available via Heavy Psych Sounds.

New album "Forgeries Vol 1, 1972 - 1984"
Out May 1st on Heavy Psych Sounds - Pre-order

TRACKLIST:

1. Can't Get Enough – Scorpions
2. Nausea – X
3. Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll – Blue Öyster Cult
4. Rotten to the Core – Rudimentary Peni
5. Mother Mary – UFO
6. Tragedy – Bee Gees
7. Bloodstains – Agent Orange
8. Beat My Head Against the Wall – Black Flag
9. St. Vitus Dance – Black Sabbath
10. Foreign Policy – Fear

Formed in 1991 in Santa Ana, California, 16 stylized as -(16)- emerged from the Southern California skate scene. The original lineup featured Bobby Ferry (guitar), Cris Jerue (vocals), Ben Clark (bass), and Jason Corley (drums). Initially called *15*, the band quickly rebranded after discovering another group with the same name. Drawing influence from 7 Seconds, Bad Brains, Metallica, and the Amphetamine Reptile roster, -(16)- developed a sound that helped define both their early years and the sludge subgenre itself.

Their 1993 debut, Curves That Kick, arrived on Pushead’s Bacteria Sour and was followed by a Japanese tour and shows with Slayer. Drop Out (1996) and Blaze of Incompetence (1997) followed, with Phil Vera joining on guitar. After a 1998 U.S. tour with Grief and the 2002 release Zoloft Smile, the band toured the U.S., U.K., and Japan before entering a hiatus in 2004 amid personal struggles.

Reforming in 2007, -(16)- signed to Relapse Records for Bridges to Burn (2009), followed by Deep Cuts from Dark Clouds (2012). With Bobby Ferry now on vocals, the San Diego–based lineup of Alex Shuster (lead guitar), Barney Firks (bass), Dion Thurman (drums) released Lifespan of a Moth (2016), Dream Squasher (2020) and Into Dust (2022) to critical acclaim. Heavy touring across the U.S., Mexico, and Europe, plus major festival slots, cemented their reputation for intense, connecting live performances.

In 2025, -(16)- released Guides for the Misguided on Relapse Records, which was named one of Decibel Magazine’s Top 40 Albums of the Year. That same year, the band headlined a three-week European tour and later performed select shows in California with Acid Bath, High on Fire and Fu Manchu.

In 2026, the band partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds to release Forgeries 1972–1984, a covers album spanning influences from Black Flag to the Bee Gees. That May, they return to Europe for a tour that includes Desertfest Oslo and London, as well as the Italian and Swiss Heavy Psych Sounds Festivals. With a legacy built on resilience and constant reinvention, -(16)- continue to evolve and captivate audiences, affirming their lasting relevance in heavy music.

-(16)- is

Bobby Ferry - Guitars / Vocals
Alex Shuster - Lead Guitar
Barney Firks - Bass
Dion Thurman - Drums / Percussion

-(16)- links

Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

-(16)- Lifespan Of A Moth (Album Review)

Release date: July 16^th 2016. Label: Relapse Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Lifespan Of A Moth – Tracklisting

1.Landloper

2.Peaches, Cream and the Placenta 05:57

3.The Morphinist

4.The Absolute Center of a Pitch Black Heart 03:25

5.Gallows Humor

6.Secrets of the Curmudgeon

7.Pastor in a Coma

8.George

Band Members:

Bobby: Guitar

Dion: Drums

Cris: Voice

Barney: Bass

Review:

Greetings all,

I put on the new -(16)- album "Lifespan of a Moth" after a particularly long and shitty day at work. After listening my mood improved, or got worse, depending on how you look at it. This record reminded me of why we all fell in love with metal to begin with. It is a reminder that there are others out there as pissed off and angry as we are. It's quite cathartic.

For those that are not in the know, -(16)- is a California Sludge metal band that has been around since the early 90's. Lifespan is the band's 7th full length. Despite the Cali roots, this record is steeped heavily in the sludge and metal side, as opposed to the Cali Stoner vibe. This is sludge at it's grimiest, no stoner vibe. I detect more of misery and booze vibe, and I love it. -(16)- pummells you unapologetically. The riffs are meaty, the drums mighty, the bass is slow and heavy like molasses, and the vocals kill. 9 times out of 10 if I am going to give up on a metal record it is because of the vocals killing the deal, but these are spot on. Focused and intense just like the rest of the band.

After a couple of quiet seconds the first track, Landloper, smacks you with it's intensity, and moves with a start/stop pace that is bound and determined to snap your neck. The doomy intro to my favorite track Peaches, Cream, and Placenta slowly pummels you before lumbering into the next track. The Morphinist a lumbering behemoth of a song. The absolute center of a pitch black heart has possibly the closest connection to the Cali thrash collective.

The instrumental Gallows Humor, almost delves into a groove, but steps back and reminds you who they are and why they are here. I felt a bit of connection to their Cali brethren Neurosis with Secrets of the Curmudgeon, with the "Here comes the pain again" hook, you are grabbed by the throat and pulled back down into the sludge. Pastor in a Coma pulls out an anguished throat punch to lay you out before they finally relent and slay you with the stop/start riffage of George. These 8 tracks will satisfy you like a sludgy snickers bar. Yeah I went there, and You can stuff your sorries in a sack!

-(16)- have entrenched themselves firmly at the top of the Sludge metal mountain, with Lifespan. If you like heavy, plain and simple, this is a record to check and listen to repeatedly. I know I will be. Highly recommended!

Cheers!

Words by Todd Stealey

Lifespan Of A Moth will be available to buy via Relapse Records on CD/DD/Vinyl from July 15^th 2016.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp