Witchsorrow - The Devil And All His Works (Album Review)

Release Date: July 03rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Devil And All His Works - Tracklist

1.Omnia Finiuntur

2.Bacchus 06:30

3.Hades Chains 06:27

4.Altar

5.In Triumph We Rot!!!

6.Lamentation

7.A Quintessence Of Dust

Members

Nick Ruskell - guitar/vocals

Emily Ruskell - bass

Scott Taylor - drums

David Wilbraham - drums (on album)

Review

Doom Metal legends Witchsorrow with their fifth album The Devil And All His Works which marks their first album in over eight years. Witchsorrow still preaches the work of the Dark Overlords Of Doom Metal with shades of Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and Electric Wizard appearing but with Witchsorrow crafting their own thrilling down-tuned blend of soulful misery. The record has a dark occult and satanic vibe which isn’t surprising since the whole theme  is taken from an occult book by legendary author Dennis Wheatley.

Witchsorrow never forget the powerful SABBATHIAN amplified sounds that is a classic mark of the entire DOOM METAL scene but it’s how the band include other areas of music to weave into their dark nightmarish sound such as Thrash, Heavy Metal, Psych and massive amounts of bone crushing FUZZ. The songs all have a powerful level of distorted melodies which embraces the dark creative themes that lead vocalist Nick Ruskell aka NECROSKULL gleefully and happily sings about. 

There is an abstract level of progressive pitch-black distortion being delivered within the epic opening track Omnia Finiuntur with the undeniable bass line of Emily Ruskell once again terrorizing the atmosphere with violently played sounds that provide a dark contrast to Nick’s gloomy guitars and David Wilbraham’s epic drumming. This is David’s final involvement with Witchsorrow and this album is an epic swansong to end his time with the band. 

The rest of the album follows the dark, gloomy and distorted path of the opening track but Witchsorrow allows themselves to play around with straight-forward riff-centric deliveries. The band still keeps themselves closely aligned to the land of Occult Doom Metal with surprising musical developments happening that breathes new life into the Witchsorrow legend especially on tracks Bacchus, Hades Chains, Altar and A Quintessence Of Dust.

The record sees some very cool guest stars appear on tracks Hades Chains featuring Serena Cherry of Svalbard/Noctule) and A Quintessence Of Dust featuring Employed To Serve’s Sammy Urwin. It’s on these tracks alone that features the heaviest, brutal and violent sounds to appear on the record. This shows how Witchsorrow are quite open to move their music into heavier genres they’re not widely associated with but still incorporating their own classic style of Doom Metal. 

The Devil And All His Works is a masterclass of Doom Metal where Witchsorrow adapts all the different levels that legendary genre fully contains. However, they embrace all styles of HEAVY METAL for this album alone which gives The Devil And All His Works a highly unpredictable sound that’s dominated by a band who are at the peak of their creative powers. 

This is DOOM METAL of the highest order and one record you can simply describe as purely unmissable!!!

Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.

The Devil And All His Works is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | BandCamp | Instagram

Doom/Sludge Metallers Kulk release their stunning new single 'For Blood' | Out Via Church Road Records

Kulk single 'For Blood', which is out today on Church Road Records! The single is taken from their forthcoming album 'Choosing to Die', out 28th August.

"It's not often you look back on decisions you've made and wished you'd behaved worse. 'For Blood' is about how grief can shape the way we respond to the world for years to come. Fearing what someone might do to themselves. You show them restraint, when they deserve fury. It's difficult to reckon with, regretting kindness, it affects the way you see yourself." - Kulk

YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY

The Lowdown

Kulk is a two person band, composed of Thom [guitar/vocals] and Jade [drums/synth], the band is simultaneously an exploration into human suffering and an extension of their relationship. Kulk reflects exactly what heavy music is, aggressive and brutal yet ultimately made out of love for the ones around us. They pride themselves on their energetic and chaotic live performance.

Norwich based doom duo Kulk have announced their shattering new album ‘Choosing to Die’, out 28th August.

The highly anticipated follow up to their 2024 album ‘It Gets Worse’ is finally here! Kulk unveil their stunning new record and Church Road Records debut ‘Choosing to Die’, out 28th August.

The band have toured across the UK extensively the past few years, playing amongst bands such as Part Chimp, Hey Colossus, Crowbar, Melt Banana, Iress, Big Brave, Gnoomes, Conan and Portrayal of Guilt… to name a few! They have toured twice with PigsX7, including shows at Electric Ballroom (London) and Rock City (Nottingham) and have appeared at the renowned UK festivals Arctangent and Desertfest.

Join them on their sonic assault of a journey!

Upcoming tour dates:

Fri 4th - Norwich, The Holloway
Sat 5th - Norwich, The Holloway
Weds 9th - Nottingham, The Chapel
Thu 10th - Sheffield, CADS
Fri 11th - Cardiff, Fuel Rock Club
Sat 12th - London, New River Studios
Fri 18th - Bournemouth, Four Horsemen
Sat 19th - Bristol, Exchange Basement
Sun 20th - Brighton, Daltons
Mon 21st - Eastbourne, Purpulse
Thu 24th - Glossop, The Globe
Fri 25th - Glasgow, Hug and Pint
Sat 26th - Edinburgh, Home Bar

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/kulkband

Track listing:

An Endless Knife
We're Worried About You
Collapse
Being Forgotten
For Blood
To Take Life
The Saddest Holiday

Band Members:

Thom Longdin - Guitar and vocals
Jade Ashleigh Squires - Drums and synth

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp

Thanks to Church Road Records for the details.

Choosing To Die is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records.

Matador - Above, Below And So (Album Review)

Release Date: February 27th 2026. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Above, Below And So - Tracklisting

1. The House Always Wins

2. Glitter Skin

3. The Flood

4. O Suna

5. A Virus

6. Hooks

Members

Scott Stronach - Drums

James Kirk - Guitar/Vox

Mark Ainsworth - Bass

Review

Above, Below and So is the third album from Post-Metal/Atmospheric Doom Metallers Matador and sees the band move away from their Stoner Metal influences heard on their previous albums. As the band move themselves more closely to the Psych Metal and Post-Metal scenes than ever before for a record that’s emotionally engaging throughout. The album is influenced by the likes of Cult Of Luna, Mastodon, ISIS, YOB and NEUROSIS with Matador creating their own hard-hitting blend of Progressive Metal.

This record has a lot of different musical elements to really stand out from the crowd with Matador exploring different creative themes with multiple beatdowns, breakdowns, psychedelic loops and other riffs based trickery that adds a real aura of mystery to their music. Sometimes the band mould Post-Rock mechanics against Nu-Metal based surroundings for an aggressive and surreal musical energy that’s very hard to define which is put to great effect within the excellent opening tracks of The House Always Wins and Glitter Skin. 

The vocals are a mixture of harsh and clean sounds which can be quite emotional and brutally ferocious from lead vocalist/guitarist James Kirk who has a transcendent tribal energy that appears inside the quieter and reflective moments. The lyrics are another highlight that do remind me of TOOL and YOB in many different ways with Matador combining them against truly WTF musical passages that harness the power of Post-Rock, Ambient Metal and Psychedelic Sludge Metal to their fullest potential.

Matador uses a lot of sonic manipulation and psychedelic experimentation to their full advantage which adds a classic style of Alt Metal into the mix. The music really comes alive when they play a beautiful Post-Rock passage before destroying this momentum and playing a destructive Post-Metal/Sludge Metal melody with flashes of Psychedelic swagger into the mix. 

When all these items join forces then Matador is a force to be reckoned with. It does take some time for these moments to fully come together and take complete control especially from the stunning third track The Flood which sees Matador let fly with the heaviest, trippiest and grooviest parts of the whole album. The whole mood does become more euphoric and quite hazy with Matador moving from Post-Rock, Post-Metal and even Groove Metal in places. It seems the band are always changing their sound but still keeping closely to their Doom Metal/Post-Metal roots.

Above, Below and So does become more Post-Metal and Prog Metal obsessive on the later stages of the album but Matador still continues to develop their own great style of Progressive energy into the mix on tracks such as A Virus and Hooks. There’s a brooding and mysterious storytelling element hidden within their music that makes you question everything happening around you. You have to give Matador credit for creating a highly provoking and deeply subversive record whilst still creating a record full of brilliant sounding music from start to finish.

This is an absolute BEAST of an album which I've been listening to constantly for the past month. It's seriously that great and should propel Matador to bigger and better things as the album has real potential to become one of the standout Psych/Doom/Sludge Metal albums to listen to this year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.

Above, Below and So is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from Church Road Records.

Links

LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Matador - The House Always Wins (Single Review)

Release Date: January 06th 2026. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: DD

The House Always Wins - Tracklisting

The House Always Wins

Members

Scott Stronach - Drums

James Kirk - Guitar/Vox

Mark Ainsworth - Bass

Review

The House Always Wins is the lead single from Atmospheric Doom/Post-Metallers Matador upcoming new album Above, Below And So due for release in February 2026. The sound is a blazing mix of Post-Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge, Stoner and Post-Rock with the band offering a multi-layered style of music with some outbursts of classic METALLIC energy. This is the first track from Matador to include vocals as the band have made the brave decision to move away from the instrumental scene they first made their names with.

The song is brilliantly authentic with plenty of Stadium Rock sized movements that sees Matador venture into Alternative Metal territory with intense Psychedelic passages appearing here and there. The vocals from James Kirk are a mixture of harsh screams and clean vocals which feels quite emotionally charged at the best of times. The music has a certain Progressive energy to them with a heavy “STOP/START” thuggish delivery being added within the later stages of the song. 

There are brief Post-Rock surroundings however Matador keeps everything within the Post-Metal world with small flashes of Ambient Rock that gives this song a more grounded atmosphere. This is a great song to open the album with and I’m quite excited to hear the rest of the album when it’s actually released.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Church Road Records for the details.

Above, Below and So is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from Church Road Records.

Links 

LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Mastiff - For All The Dead Dreams (EP Review)

Release Date: October 24th 2025. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

For All The Dead Dreams - Tracklisting

1.Soliloquy 03:29

2.Rotting Blossoms 02:52

3.Decimated Graves 04:24

4.A Story Behind Every Light 03:37

5.Corporeal 02:45

Members

Vocals - Jim Hodge

Guitars - Phil Johnson

Guitars - James Lee-Ross

Drums - Mike Shepherd

Bass - Dan Dolby

Review

Sludge Metal nihilists MASTIFF return with their brutal new EP For All The Dead Dreams which continues the filth and misery created on their critically acclaimed 2024 album Deprecipice. That record showed a new violent side to MASTIFF where their blend of Hardcore, Doom, Sludge and Post-Black Metal grooves showcase a band finally settling on their own blend of aggressive carnage for the underground masses to lose themselves in.

For All The Dead Dreams is another round of pure filth and violent Sludge Metal surroundings with the band adding a slightly chaotic and messy blend of NOISE METAL that has influences ranging from CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH ringing in your ears throughout. The EP lasts for fifteen minutes with MASTIFF still playing some intense riffs with a twisted sense of melody behind them especially on tracks Soliloquy, Rotting Blossoms and Decimated Graves perhaps also being the heaviest and standout tracks on the EP.

MASTIFF provide unbreakable beatdowns and pulsating grind movements with lead vocalist Jim Hodge showcasing his own aggressive style of HARDCORE vocals which moves further into the extreme metal world at times. MASTIFF once again prove why they’re fastly becoming one of the most essential and brutal Sludge Metal bands within the UK scene and with their music having a “NO FUCKS” given attitude this makes the band even more dangerous especially on the final two tracks of the EP with A Story Behind Every Light and Corporeal leaving the listener in a complete FUCKED UP state.

For All The Dead Dreams is everything you want from a brutally charged record that’s not afraid to get down and dirty by providing some of the most horrific and violent sounds you’ll hear this year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.

For All The Dead Dreams is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Still In Love - Recovery Language (Album Review)

Release Date: September 05th 2025. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Recovery Language - Tracklisting

1.Tell The Truth

2.Nervous Impulse 

3.Preserve & Cherish feat. Sam Carter

4.Feathered Nest

5.Inherit 

6.The State Of Things To Come

7.You Have To Let It Go feat. Andrew Fisher

8.Pillar Of Strength

Members

Vocals/guitar - Jordan Hunsucker

Vocals/guitar - Alex Marr

Bass - Rob Pedroza

Drums - Elan O'Neal

Review

Recovery Language is the debut album from Hardcore/Punk Rock/Metallic mob Still In Love which is made up of members from bands such as Dead Swans, Throats, Brutality Will Prevail, Last Witness and Bring Me The Horizon. So a supergroup of sorts from the UK Hardcore scene and it maybe different from the usual Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal fare I usually feature but Recovery Language is a brutal slice of Metallic Hardcore that fuses elements of Doom, Thrash, Noise and Heavy Metal into its creative roots. 

The songs are short, precise and full of pissed off passion with the grooves being played straight to the point with a real violent and emotional quality appearing throughout. The sound is quite melodic with twinges of Psychedelic swagger appearing but Still In Love focus mostly on their Post-Hardcore/Metallic Metal roots and the music is quite different to some of the members of their more famous bands.

The lyrics are gut-wrenching and aim for a technical knockout each and every time especially on tracks such as Tell The Truth, Nervous Impulse, Preserve & Cherish and Feathered Nest allowing the first half of the album allowing the band to play some of the finest and emotionally charged hardcore beats I’ve heard in some time.

The record shows that the UK Post-Hardcore scene is in very good hands indeed with bands such as Still In Love not afraid to experiment with genre conventions and adding other areas of music into the mix such as Psych, Thrash and Post-Doom influences. The end result is an album that’s absolutely ferocious but also equally uplifting in places despite the dark lyrical matter contained within the tracks.

The instrumental passages are delivered with superb technical precision with some of the music being played at 100 miles per hour especially the frantic drumming and jagged guitars. The vocals are quite jarring but add to the overall aggression and heaviness of the whole experience with Still In Love impressing even further on the second half of the record when some outstanding SONIC inducing moments appear.

The band have called upon the amazing vocal talents of Sam Carter (Architects) and Andrew Fisher (Basement) on the album's standout tracks of Preserve & Cherish and You Have To Let it Go. It’s always have sublime musicians such as Sam and Andrew to call upon to appear on your debut album and this still remains Still In Love’s show with the band putting in a devastating and commanding performance before everything is said and done.

My only complaint is that the record is too damn short but it’s better leaving people wanting more and nothing at all. However, with that being said, Recovery Language is everything you want from a debut album if you're a dedicated follower of the UK Post-Hardcore and Metallic Punk scene. Still In Love are no doubt going straight to the top with this incredible release. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.

Recovery Language is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Black/Noise/Sludge Metallers BELIEVE IN NOTHING have released their second new single 'Complete Desolation'

Believe In Nothing is an Eastbourne-based sludge/noise band founded in 2023. Consisting of Caine Hemmingway (vocals/noise), Lawrence Rodriguez (guitar), Steve Collier (guitar) and Jasper Lyons (drums). Believe In Nothing utilise layers of cacophonous and erratic noise, overlaid with gruesome

harsh vocals to build up a bleak atmosphere of dread through both their on-record and live performances.

Despite only making their live debut in May 2024, the band have quickly made themselves known as a force to be reckoned with, having already supported the likes of Mizmor, Harrowed and Unyielding Love in their short timeline. With their debut single ‘Boiling Stone’ released via Bandcamp in June 2024, the band have signed to UK heavyweights Church Road Records for a string of 2025 releases, that will cement them as the dissonant soundtrack to the bleak reality we exist in.

They released their first new offering in the form of ‘What Would You Do?’ on March 25th. The track is an interesting blend of post punk meets insanely heavy riffs akin to Primitive Man and Eyehategod. The band are now back with their second new single ‘Complete Desolation’, which sees them doubling down on the heaviness. This song is as unforgiving as the planet we inhabit.

“The song "Complete Desolation" is an early song we wrote that helped shape the overall sound of the band. It forces you into a future where the wars have been fought, and the mistakes have been made. Primal horror and an economy of pain are all that remain” - Believe In Nothing

Band members:

Caine Hemmingway - Vocals / Noise
Jasper Lyons - Drums
Lawrence Rodriguez - Guitar
Steve Collier - Guitar

Credits:

Recorded at Bad Habit/Echo Zoo studios in Eastbourne by Jasper Lyons and Matt Pugh. Mixed and mastered by Wayne Adams of Bear Bites Horse studios.

Links

Official | BandCamp

Thanks to Church Road Records for all of the info.

Lay Bare Recordings Announces This autumn we are all DOOMED by DÖ, COLTAINE & LOWEN

Get ready to be döömed by Northern dark cosmic doom this autumn! Finnish riff-praising, cosmos-worshipping DÖ are set to release their upcoming LP ’Unversum' at Lay Bare Recordings.

Helsinki’s trio channels dark astral energy into ‘döömer' - a mix of stoner, doom, sludge, psychedelia, with hints of death/black metal - and has been gaining global recognition over the past decade. Inspired by the Astral Death Cult ideology, they promise ‘Unversum’ is more seismic, versatile, and nuanced than ever before.

As Devil’s Horn Zine puts it, “The great thing about this band is they steer away from many sludge bands by mixing in fantastic layers of black metal and even classic hard rock.”

Join us in exploring cosmic riffs of ‘Unversum’ on September 18, 2024. Stay tuned for pre-orders!

OUT ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2024 - PRE-ORDERS OPEN!

COLTAINE - Forgotten Ways (500cps: heavyweight color in color) | transparent purple in bone)

The countdown to COLTAINE’s Lay Bare Recordings debut has begun!

COLTAINE unlocks an adventure in sound with their special ability to transport intuitive creations into unusually exciting and diverse microcosms of dark, atmospheric psychedelia, full of foggy, post-metal-tinged acid rock with somber blackgaze hues.

With a sound that defies categorisation, this German doomgaze band is set to embark on a quest through the deep, misty realms of their own musical craft with 'Forgotten Ways’. As NineHertz said, it’s an album that is “so varied, so unique... moody and gothy, but never cheesy.... savage music!”.

The aural journey through landscapes of desolation begins on September 6, 2024.

PRE-ORDER NOW

OUT ON OCTOBER 4, 2024 - PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE!

LOWEN - Do Not Go To War With the Demons of Mazandaran
(200cps: heavyweight white in transparent blue - EU LBR) | 300cps: transparent red w/ black splatter - UK Church Road)

LOWEN has dominated the live scene with appearances at Desertfest, Doomlines, Masters of the Riff and Uprising Festival.

On October 4, 2024, they are stopping by Lay Bare Recordings to release their fable-inspired and dissent-echoing ’Do Not Go To War With the Demons of Mazandaran’.

London-based, Middle East-rooted progressive doomers deliver a thought-provoking story about the folly of rulers who expand their power despite their people’s resistance. Songs like 'Corruption on Earth' and 'Waging War Against God’ clearly echo this message, addressing the death sentences imposed on women protesting against the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in 2022. This issue is deeply personal to vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nina Saeidi, who was born into exile from Iran in the UK.

Inspired by the fables of the Shahnameh (the Persian Book of Kings), LOWEN once again brilliantly uses the ancient world to explore the pain and longing of the diasporically dispossessed.

Let’s listen to this message together on October 4, 2024.

PRE-ORDER @ LAY BARE RECORDINGS (EU)
PRE-ORDER @ CHURCH ROAD (UK)

Thanks to Lay Bare Recordings for all of the info.

Outlander - Acts Of Harm (Album Review)

Release Date: June 28th 2024. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Acts Of Harm: Tracklisting

1.Bound

2.Want No More 07:50

3.II: Nuclear

4.Orbit 03:44

5.New Motive Power

6.Lye Waste

7.II: Habituation

Members

Daniel Jones - Bass

Ian Grant - Guitar/Vocals

Joseph House- Guitar

Jack House - Drums

Review

Birmingham, UK, Alternative/Shoegaze/Post-Doom/Post-Rock collective Outlander release their second album with Acts Of Harm that continues their therapeutic style of Shoegaze based sounds that appeared on their 2019 debut album The Valium Machine. This record should appeal to fans of HUM, Cloakroom and True Widow with the band drawing upon heavier Post-Doom elements and sludgy textures within the more aggressive and highly melodic aspects of the record.

The opening track Bound is an epic slice of Instrumental Post-Rock filled with Psychedelic sounds and Ambient themes which bring a heavy Post-Doom atmosphere which lays down the gloomy narrative of the record whilst still offering brief moments of uplifting sounds which airs on the right side of cautious bleak sensibility. 

The real magic starts to appear within the excellent second track of Want No More. Acts Of Harm is intentionally and deliberately slow paced which allows Outlander to add a respective and emotional creative energy within their lyrics and lead vocalist Ian Grant’s delicately sung vocals which bring an air of genuine warmth and real humanity within the lyrics written for this track which helps the music transform into more subtle Post-Sludge surrounding with the heavier and muscular guitars slowly to dominate the musical landscape. 

Third track II: Nuclear is a sullen Post-Rock/Post-Metal instrumental track that plays under two minutes with Outlander playing heavy Psychedelic landscapes with their highly melodic style of Doomgaze being quite distant at times. The song does feel longer especially within the quieter moments that appear towards the end of the song.

Fourth song Orbit has an eerie Cloakroom and True Widow vibe within it’s bleak depiction of Post-Rock, Doomgaze and Psych Rock which once again becomes quite distorted within the fractured musical pieces that appear in the Droned Out sounds that Outlander incorporates into the song. Orbit slowly becomes an uplifting and blissful sounding track which is in direct contrast to the next part of the album.

Fifth track New Motive Power was originally released back in 2022 on a separate release but it has a more prominent and important energy when included within this album. The song is perhaps some of the heaviest material that Outlander have delivered to date with the sound moving into full on Drone Metal territory with its thrilling mix of different styles of music that become ever so thrilling when the gloomier elements fully take control on the second half of the track.

The final two tracks Lye Waste and II: Habituation allows Outlander to further delve into the heavier parts of their musical and creative psyche with emotionally charged and socially aware lyrics once again delivered with great delivery by Ian Grant’s immense vocal presence. The music is a mixture of Drone, Ambient Rock, Post-Rock, Doomgaze and a subtle Sludgier vibe when Outlander venture into the HEAVIER side of their music which makes the epic track Lye Waste perhaps the standout track on the whole record.

Outlander are a great band with a truly cinematic approach to their music and this allows Acts Of Harm to be one of the essential records to own right now. Acts Of Harm is a beautiful sounding record with sublime production values that allows Outlander to deliver one of the most deeply engaging and brilliantly entertaining Doomgaze records I’ve heard in quite some time. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.

Acts Of Harm will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records from Friday June 28th 2024.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram