ROBOT GOD Release New Single – DRIFTING INTO OVERDRIVE - Out Sept 11th From Upcoming New Album

Sydney psychedelic heavy rockers Robot God are showing no signs of slowing down.

Following the release of their acclaimed 2026 album Onto the Afterlife, Robot God return with “Drifting into Overdrive”, the latest single from their upcoming album Curse of the Driven, landing on September 11 across all major streaming platforms.

“Drifting into Overdrive” is Robot God doing what they do best, locking into a deep, hypnotic groove and letting the riffs take the wheel. Fuzz, weight, atmosphere with a relentless forward momentum, delivering another glimpse into a band that continues to push its sound further with every release.

The single arrives ahead of the band's second full-length album of 2026, Curse of the Driven, due October 16th.

Available on vinyl through respected underground labels Kozmik Artifactz and Black Throne Productions, Curse of the Driven sees Robot God continuing their evolution through crushing stoner grooves, psychedelic textures, heavy riffs and expansive jams.

Robot God have spent the past few years building a reputation well beyond their Sydney home base, earning international recognition within the psychedelic, stoner and heavy underground and sharing stages with major international acts. Now, with Onto the Afterlife behind them and Curse of the Driven ready to land, the band are taking things up another level.

Check out the link below for current singles and Robot God socials.

https://linktr.ee/RobotGod

JAPAN – SEPTEMBER 16th to 20th

Before the album campaign hits Australia, Robot God head overseas for a five date Japanese mini-tour of Tokyo and surrounds, taking their live show into the heart of Japan's underground heavy music scene.

September 16 – Cactus – Shinjuku
September 17 – Crescendo – Kichijoji
September 18 – Moonstep – Hatsudai
September 19 – Rathole – Chofu
September 20 – Earthdom – Shinjuku

The Japan run marks another step forward for a band that has steadily expanded its reach beyond Australian shores.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Robot God return home in October for a run of Australian shows supporting new single “Drifting into Overdrive” and the release of their latest album Curse of the Driven, hitting stages across Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and Geelong.

Drifting into Overdrive hits streaming services September 11th.

Full album Curse of the Driven lands October 16th.

Get on board before the machine disappears over the horizon.

Links

Bandcamp | Youtube | Facebook | Spotify

Shrineburner - Hymns Of Despair (Album Review)

Release Date: September 11th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Hymns Of Despair - Tracklist

1.Void of Guilt

2.Spectral Cataclysm 10:48

3.Bodies Dragged to Sunlight 05:53

4.Slow Death Chant

5.An Ocean of Broken Hope

6.Hymn of Despair

Members

Peter Norman – guitar, vocals

Edward Hamel – drums

CJ Johnson – bass

Review

Hymns Of Despair is the massive debut album from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Shrineburner who have risen from the heavy metal wastelands of Chicago which is shown throughout the album. You can hear the creative DNA from bands from that scene that has come before Shrineburner where they apply their own great style of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal folklore. 

The sound here is inspired by the likes of INDIAN, CONAN, BONGRIPPER, HIGH ON FIRE and MASTODON with Shrineburner applying a destructive cosmic energy which manifests into some epic Psychedelic down-tuned melodies with a fast paced Psychedelic quality. The added layer of Blackened Doom grooves adds a ferocious HEAVY METAL attitude which allows Peter Norman’s harsh vocals to put in a commanding performance within the stunning second track Spectral Cataclysm.

The whole environment is built upon violent areas of COSMIC DOOM with an intense THRASH METAL and SPEED METAL alliance forming when Shrineburner play an unstoppable style of HEAVY METAL before changing into an absorbing Post-Rock and Ambient Metal collective. Shades of YOB and PELICAN appear within these quieter moments which are some of my favourite parts of the album as it allows you to become emotionally attached to the whole album.

Even the darkest and bleakest moments of the album have a hopeful energy behind the scenes that gives Hymns Of Despair a multi-layered and progressive feel which the band play to their own great advantage on tracks such as: Bodies Dragged To Sunlight, An Ocean Of Broken Hope and Hymn Of Despair.

The Sludge Metal dynamic becomes the main weapon of choice for Shrineburner to build epic instrumental rhythms and melodies with that thumping bass line being another highlight of the album for me. There’s some great technical grooves being applied to the album which showcases how superbly talented the individual members of the band really are. The harsh atmospheric landscapes adds a true sense of despair with downbeat grooves being projected throughout the album though it’s deeply nuanced COSMIC and PSYCHEDELIC moments that holds everything together.

Shrineburner apply some great storytelling themes within the lyrics that remind me of MASTODON and HIGH ON FIRE but the band apply their own gritty attitude into the whole void with some brutally realistic themes emerging within the longer tracks contained on the album. There’s a great mix of down-tuned, low & slow and amplifier distorted instrumental passages that manage to both be quite old-school and superbly modern at the same time. 

The vocals maybe harsh and abrasive throughout but they’re quite easy to understand which allows the listener to be fully immersed with the whole musical journey at play here. Shrineburner are a fairly “new” band forming in 2023 but they feel like they’ve been around for decades with this record feeling like a greatest hits package than their debut album.

Hymns Of Despair is a masterful record and is one of the strongest debut albums I’ve had the pleasure to listen to. On this form alone, Shrineburner have what it takes to make a long lasting impact within the underground Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene and possibly beyond. 

This is an essential album to own. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.

Hymns Of Despair is available to buy now on CD/Digital Download with a vinyl release planned at a later date.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

SILVERTOMB release new single and video for “Graves In The Sky” From Upcoming New Album

Doom Metal masters SILVERTOMB released their new single and video today. The song "Graves In The Sky" is also included on the upcoming studio album "The Interpretation Of Nightmares".

Guitar player and singer Kenny Hickey: "“Graves in the Sky” was a piece that was written from acoustic guitar and piano-a different creative approach for the band that yielded a new texture for the music, blending acoustic guitar, strings and distorted guitar along with piano. I felt I was coming close to death at the time of writing this song and the lyrics deal with that reality!" .

You can watch the video here:

You can watch the video for previous single "No Way To Live" here: https://youtu.be/36vA99eoufo

"The Interpretation Of Nightmares" will be released on November 13th, 2026 through Steamhammer worldwide in the following configurations:

=> CD DigiPak
=> LP, 140 g, black vinyl, padded inner sleeve, coloured insert
=> Exclusive LP Version and CD/LP Bundles with a shirt only at the Steamhammer shop
=> Download / Streaming

Pre-Order link for all configurations: https://silvertomb.lnk.to/Nightmares

Tracklisting:

 

1. Brain Matter / No God

2. Ascension

3. Graves In The Sky

4. You Know

5. Prayer For The Paranoid

6. Distorted

7. No Way To Live

8. When Will You Learn?

From left to right: Johnny Kelly (drums), Hank Hell (bass), Kenny Hickey (vocals, guitar), Joe James (guitar), Aaron Joos (guitar, keyboards, vocals

Links

https://www.facebook.com/silvertombmusic
https://www.instagram.com/silvertombmusic
https://www.facebook.com/steamhammer

Thanks to Palmer Turner Overdrive for the details.

New Jersey's SHOVELHEAD Return After 19 Years to Unveil Video Single "Witching Hour" Off Upcoming Album!

New Jersey's obscure Stoner Rock titans SHOVELHEAD return after 19 years, hauling in a heavyweight truckload of polished tracks on new album ‘A Place of Dead Roads’. Kicking up the dust on new jams starts right with the first track and video single of "Witching Hour."

Since forming in the early 90s, SHOVELHEAD (originally The Lemmings) has been at the vanguard of the groundbreaking New Jersey scene that produced underground heavy rock goliaths such as Monster Magnet, The Atomic Bitchwax, Solace, Halfway To Gone, Core, and Solarized.

Alongside other pioneering bands that helped lay the foundation for the coveted genre we know as Stoner Rock, SHOVELHEAD began crafting their sound before the genre had fully formed, resulting in a distinctive style of Stoner Rock N’ Roll that has served the scene for over three decades. During their initial run, three regionally notorious SHOVELHEAD albums (and one Lemmings album) were released, and at this point the titanic number of shows played is uncountable.

SHOVELHEAD decelerated in the late 2010s, along with the majority of planet Earth, but is back to full open throttle in 2026. Founding members Mike Scott and Jim LaPointe (also a contributor to Black NASA’s ‘Deuce’ album and live performer with the band) fused with George Pierro (Solarized, Maegashira, Tarpit Boogie) to resume playing shows, writing fresh tunes, and recording a new album.

'A Place of Dead Roads' is due out through independent release on Saturday, September 12, 2026. The heavy power trio self-produced the new full-length, with recording, mixing, and mastering all handled by George Pierro. Our introduction to the album is by way of its opening track, "Witching Hour," available for streaming on Bandcamp, and don't miss out on the official video below!

A Place of Dead Roads - Tracklist:

01. Witching Hour
02. Tempest
03. Dominion/Big Tex
04. Ghost in the Garden
05. Middle Man
06. White Stag Ghost
07. Bombers

To celebrate the release of 'A Place of Dead Roads', the band has a Record Release show with SHUT UP and BLACK HORSE PIKE in Jackson, New Jersey.

Everyone can pre-order 'A Place of Dead Roads' from SHOVELHEAD on their Bandcamp page right now:

https://shovelheadnj.bandcamp.com/

Witching Hour (Official Video) by SHOVELHEAD

Video Production & Editing by George Pierro.

T.R.O.G. - The Race of Gentleman footage was shot and provided by: / @bigblockautomobilia3895

“Best rock band in Jersey......a well-kept secret of that scene.” - The Obelisk

“Those in-the-know, KNOW that SHOVELHEAD is one of Jersey’s best kept heavy rock secrets. Those that don’t know, SHOULD KNOW!” - Tommy Southard, Solace

SHOVELHEAD is:

Jim LaPointe - Vocals, Guitar
Mike Scott - Drums
George Pierro - Bass

SEE SHOVELHEAD LIVE:

Sept. 12 Jackson, NJ - Shovelhead Record Release Show w/ Shut Up & Black Horse Pike
Sept. 25 - Vineland, NJ - w/ Meatplow & Dreadstrar
Oct. 04 - Manahawkin, NJ - w/ Dying Light

Links

https://shovelheadnj.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/ShovelheadNJ
https://www.youtube.com/@theoriginalShovelhead
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pIndavttdvGqKlHdVQp3L
https://intothevoidmerchco.com/collections/shovelhead
https://www.facebook.com/people/Shovelhead/100061003818946/
https://www.instagram.com/shovelheadnj

Thanks to Mettle Media PR for the details.

Mechwar - Love Comes With A Knife (Single Review)

Release Date: September 01st 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Love Comes With A Knife - Tracklist

Love Comes With A Knife

Review

Love Comes With A Knife is the latest single from Sludge/Stoner Metallers Mechwar which continues the great work laid down on their 2025 debut release Hope // Mercy. The time round there’s a violent stripped back atmosphere which has some harsh vocals to match. The violent Post-Doom, Grunge and Noise Rock surroundings is powered by an aggressive bass line which feels like the real motorised engine that Mechwar builds everything around.

Perhaps not as riff heavy that you initially expect but a multitude of different progressive sounding melodies that is quite grimy but superbly melodic within its own unique. Mechwar are playing a less polished style of Sludge and Stoner Metal that’s packed full of menacing intent with the slow paced drumming adding a massive wall of sound into the track. With some cool Psychedelic and Amplifier trickery being added along the way, Mechwar employs a wealth of different LOW & SLOW and DISTORTED grooves which can be quite spaced out in the quieter moments.

Mechwar channels the likes of MELVINS, MONOLORD, SLEEP and SUNN 0))) on this track but still retain their own unique musical identity within the epic eleven and a half minutes runtime with ruthless precision. The raw sounding production values are quite abstract but serves the band amazingly well with the filthy and grimy attitude sealing the whole deal that makes Love Comes With A Knife such a thrilling experience. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp

Problem With Dragons - Permian (Album Review)

Release Date: September 11th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Permian - Tracklist

1.Deeply Divided 02:34

2.The Age of Sin

3.And All Are Anointed by God

4.Suspended

5.Lone Rider

6.Permian 06:32

7.Thine Right Eye

8.This Will Not End Peacefully

9.Reset The Future

Review

Problem With Dragons offer another warped slice of modern Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal with Prog Metal movements on their latest record Permian. This gives the band the freedom to do whatever they want as they continue that great run of developing slightly off-beat fractured songs that have a killer FAITH NO MORE influence to them. The band add a heavier downbeat style to their music with freaky psychedelic grooves that transform into a sublime Industrial Doomed Out theme which has been a major aspect of their music for the last decade or so.

Problem WIth Dragons adds free-flowing sonic and ambient beats along the way as Permian taps right into a classic Science Fiction feel compared to their previous albums. The sludgy sounds are quite anthemic with a frightening real life focus coming into play on tracks such as Deeply Divided, The Age Of Sin and And All Are Anointed by God setting the scene for a sudden shift into real Apocalyptic surroundings.

Some sections of the album once again sees Problem With Dragons merge Prog Metal ideology against the modern Sludge/Stoner Metal melodies where things feel quite disjointed and switched off from the modern day world. The whole thing is wonderfully fucking weird which isn’t a big shock to me but it’s how dark Problem With Dragons have become with some of the yrics contained on the album and also how experimental they are with certain sound effects.

There is a frenzied and pissed off approach with how the band deliver their music as well by applying a fuzz metal structure to the album with a violent COSMIC DOOM story line becoming more real with each passing moment. However, the guys always allow the listener to be fully part of the whole experience which becomes more powerful within the down-tuned, stripped back and droned out soundscapes that offer a trippy nightmarish presence to fully emerge from behind the scenes.

The ELECTRONIC and GLITCHY beats can be quite jarring and unsettling but that’s possibly the point why they’ve been included here as Problem With Dragons create a disturbing experience within the intense riff-centric Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves that appear here. There’s also some wicked DOOM-POP and RADIO FRIENDLY METAL sounding parts included on this record which is one of my favourite aspects on the whole album.

Permian feels like a message is being sent into the COSMOS from humanity after it’s completely destroyed itself with each song telling the listener what happened. The end result is very non-linear and is perhaps down to the listener’s imagination to fully piece everything together. If you’re only here for the music itself then Problem With Dragons never disappoint in that score especially if you’re a fan of the likes of MASTODON, BARONESS, SOUNDGARDEN, FAITH NO MORE and MONSTER MAGNET.

The record is an extraordinary “AUDIO” experience as there’s not many bands like Problem With Dragons who can create different PSYCHEDELIC and SPACED OUT frequencies that are set against a backdrop of classic WEEDIAN grooves. The lyrics and vocals are equally inventive which once again has been a major part of the band’s success over the years especially on tracks Suspended, Lone Rider, Permian, Thine Right Eye and Reset The Future.

Some folks may be put off by the sheer schizophrenic nature of how the music is delivered but that's a great thing about Problem With Dragons, as they're always thinking outside the box where not many bands can possibly create or fully touch.

Problem With Dragons have delivered the goods yet again with another first rate and classic sounding record that’s full of brilliant songs from start to finish that manages to bring something cool and unique to the party.

Words by Steve Howe

Permian is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.

Links

Linktree | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Danish Doom Metal quintet SONIC MOON returns with new album "In Lack Of Clarity" on Ripple Music this November; stream first single "Weightlessness"!

Danish melodic doom metal merchants SONIC MOON have inked a worldwide deal with US label Ripple Music for the November 6th release of their sophomore full-length "In Lack Of Clarity", with its crushing debut single available now on all streaming platforms!

Stream Sonic Moon's towering new single Weightlessness 

Denmark's up-and-coming heavy doom merchants Sonic Moon are set to return with their sophomore effort and Ripple Music debut: In Lack of Clarity. The new material pushes toward heavier and darker territory — menacing stoner doom riffs wrapped in hazy psychedelia, cathedral-sized grooves and soaring vocals. Like their 2023 debut album, it was recorded and produced by the band in their own studio, with mixing and mastering by Haldor Grunberg at Satanic Audio (Behemoth, Weedpecker, Dopelord). 

"The album emerged from a more personal introspective view. We felt inspired to explore the heavier side of the genre on this album, and it certainly has a doom-feel to it. We spent a lot of time experimenting in the studio and tried out a lot of ideas, making it DIY in our own way. With our combined creativity and, at times, ingenuity we have created an album that resembles us as individuals all while diving head first into the deep end of doom," says Sonic Moon.

SONIC MOON "In Lack Of Clarity" - Out November 6th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)

Formed in the fall of 2016 in the suburbs of Aarhus, Denmark, Sonic Moon came together around a shared love for heavy, hypnotic rock. The original lineup spent their early days writing in a cold, rundown house, drawing from the likes of Electric Wizard, Kyuss, All Them Witches or Colour Haze. In 2021, new bassist Niclas Fritz Sørensen joined the band, rounding out the current lineup.

After several EPs and a steady run of live shows, the band honed their sound in their own studio and issued their debut full-length Return Without Any Memory in 2023 via Olde Magick Records. The album found its audience in the stoner and doom underground, picking up favorable reviews from major scene tastemakers such as The Obelisk or Doomed & Stoned, while reaching #7 on the monthly Doom Charts and appearing on multiple year-end lists. Described by The Sleeping Shaman as “incredibly difficult to pigeonhole”, the record leaned into fuzz-heavy guitars, slow-burning grooves, and a melancholic, psychedelic atmosphere.

To support the album, Sonic Moon played shows across Denmark with acts like Weedpecker and 1000mods, and took their first trip outside the country in the spring of 2024 for dates in Germany and the Netherlands. Since then, the band has been writing and recording their sophomore effort, In Lack of Clarity, marking their debut release on Ripple Music, the California-based label known for work with The Obsessed, Hermano, Wo Fat, Colour Haze and countless stoner and doom acts of the international scene.

Sonic Moon is

Oliver Lyngkilde - Vocals
Jeppe Rasmussen - Guitar
Emil Damgaard Andersen - Guitar
Niclas Fritz Sørensen - Bass
Emil Gam Klinkby - Drums

Sonic Moon links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree - In Between Strides (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

In Between Strides - Tracklist

1. Departure

2. Respite

3. Clutching at Straws

4. Elisa

5. Return, Precipice

Members

Simon Weinrich – guitar, vocals, Rhodes piano

Marc Dreher – drums, vocals, Rhodes piano

Lucas Dreher – guitar

Christopher Popowitsch – bass

Review

Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree return with their exquisite fourth album In Between Strides which will surely establish them once and for all as one of the most refreshing and essential modern day Psychedelic Doom/Post-Metal outfits the scene currently has right now. The band perhaps rely on a refreshing style of Ambient Metal unlike ever before with this release which allows them to construct the perfect musical gateway in delivering their sublime Post-Rock vs Post-Metal based structures. 

Though, the band still build those Post-Metal foundations on a solid level of Psychedelic Doom Metal with moody Stoner Rock based measures which comes superbly well within the opening tracks of Departure and Respite. Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree construct an epic cinematic narrative with their lyrical content and the haunting vocals that appear with a dedicated Alternative melody allowing the band to deliver sludgier instrumental sounds.

Some of the songs are quite fractured which reminds me of Pelican and Russian Circles in places but it’s the winning meditative energy that brings everything back together. With a free-flowing creativity matched only by the likes of ELDER and YOB, there’s always something unique, heavy and emotionally rewarding being played within every track.

In Between Strides allows Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree to experiment with areas of Drone Rock, Shoegaze and Prog Rock which arrives on different parts of the album. The band even experimented with haunting piano melodies with both Simon Weinrich and Marc Dreher playing superb instrumental pieces on the Rhodes Piano. 

The second track Respite is more of a Jazzy Post-Rock interlude which showcases a more caring and tender side of the band which is beautifully played and layered with small movements of Psych Rock and Spaced Out sounds. There’s a small glimmer of Drone appearing within the closing stages which allows the band to add a brief sense of gloom and hopefulness into the mix.

Third track Clutching At Straws sees the band return to that heavy Doomgaze world with echoes of Psychedelic Doom being the main focus with distorted sludgy rhythms developing into a modern Post-Metal sound. This is layered with choppy instances of Sludge and Drone with a harsh backdrop of Stoner Metal which is the heaviest part of the album and perhaps the band’s career to date. Everything feels like it is being destroyed before being rebuilt in a more peaceful and hopeful image when the uplifting Ambient Post-Rock melodies appear within the final moments. 

The final two tracks of Elisa and Return, Precipice is a great combination of cinematic based surroundings which sees Bees Made Honey in The Vein Tree to further explore different areas of Doomed Out Heaviness with Elisa really hitting some hard-hitting emotionally charged movements. The vocals are excellent once more but it’s the progressive themes and technical sounds that capture the imagination especially from Marc Dreher (Drums) and Christopher Popowitsch (Bass) as they form a great understanding with that epic rhythm section.

This allows Lucas Dreher (Guitar) and Simon Weinrich (Guitar) to create world-expanding Cosmic based guitar passages which becomes more Space Rock dominated though still holding the band’s core instrumental sound. The vocals do become more depressing, bleak and ultimately destructive within the final track of Return, Precipice with music even transforming into a heavier blend of Blackened Post-Metal but with that sublime Post-Doom momentum still being heard within the background.

This is another album of the year from Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree, as In Between Strides is the band’s heaviest, aggressive and most unique sounding record yet. The music is wonderfully precise, beautifully sweet and equally as destructive the next. The whole journey feels like one grand musical adventure which instantly draws you in with its sweeping romantic Doomed Out measures that will leave you in a tranquil state of being.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to All Noir and Magnetic Eye Records for the details.

In Between Strides is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Magnetic Eye Records.

Links

https://beesmadehoneyintheveintree.com
www.facebook.com/beesmadehoneyintheveintree
www.instagram.com/beesmadehoneyintheveintree

STUIK - In Sanity (Album Review)

Release Date: August 28th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

In Sanity - Tracklist

All The Fuzz

Feel Alive

Foolishness

Roots

Stilted

Loosen The Noose

Laughter

In Sanity We Trust

Lucid Haze

Alone and Alive

Members

Jana Dutohlav on bass and vocals

Pieter Houben (ex-Splendidula) on guitar and vocals

David Vandegoor (ex-Moshlim, ex-Splendidula) on guitar

Patrick Vanderhenst (ex-Solenoid, ex-Splendidula) on drums.

Review

In Sanity is the debut album from Doom/Sludge Stoner Metallers STUIK who are formed with ex-members of Splendidula and Solenoid with the band influenced by the likes of Red Fang, Mastodon and KYUSS but with a gloomier Alt Rock sound. The mood is quite different to Splendidula and Solenoid but they do keep similar gloomier themes on their debut album but with more focus on a great way of delivering intense and stripped back riffs. 

STUIK employ similar Progressive melodies used by the likes of Mastodon and Baroness but break out into different Psychedelic passages with KYUSS being a great influence for the band to weave that gloomy Desert/Stoner Rock sound into the mix. The use of subtle Hard Rock, Punk and Sludge Rock dimensions is applied very early on within the album on tracks such as All The Fuzz, Feel Alive and Foolishness.

There are moments of DOOM & GLOOM and Shoegaze vibes emerging within the emotionally charged vocals that are delivered by Pieter Houben and Jana Dutohlav that form a winning combination when they both appear on the same track(s) contained on the album.

With a melodic backdrop of slow-paced grooves being used sparingly and to great effect before STUIK channel that modern day Progressive Sludge/Stoner Rock into a faster style of music that gives complete focus for the band to play heavier sounds and write emotionally charged vocals to match. The whole thing never feels forced and STUIK never outstay their welcome as they develop some intriguing and well-constructed songs throughout which allows them to play aggressive soundscapes with a thumping metallic energy.

STUIK becomes ever more confident with each passing track as the harsh Desert Rock environment allows the listener to front and centre of the action on tracks such as Roots, Stilted, Loosen The Noose, In Sanity We Trust and ‘Alone and Alive’. There’s a great style of Post-Doom and Psychedelic heaviness that appear within these tracks that makes you feel that STUIK have been around for yours and not delivering their debut album.

The later stages of In Sanity does have a distinct Grunge appearance that gives this album a seedy tone whilst elevating the FUZZIER and PUNK sounds to become the most soulful of the record. STUIK could have played some faster based grooves and melodies within the quieter moments of the album. However, I understand why they took this creative choice and it does perhaps give the album a more satisfying and emotional conclusion.

STUIK have still managed to deliver a superbly realized debut album that should no doubt allow them to make a great impression within the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal scene. In Sanity is an unexpected sludgy and doomed out delight from beginning to end.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | Spotify | Apple Music

Introduce Yourselves: FOREST HORSE

What Is the Name of Your Band?

Forest Horse

What Is the genre of music you play?

Stoner, doom, sludge

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

Forest Horse is a solo project peddling sludgy, psychedelic doom from the swamps of West Michigan. It began in 2022 with the release of Keep Awake, which draped layers of doom and noise over a sprawling post-rock frame. Four years later, forged by personal upheavals and an ever-darkening world, Botany exchanges the shoegaze tendencies of the past for heavy, fuzzed-out riffs and dirty blues passages that examine strange flora, extraterrestrial murmurings, fruitless resistance, and inevitable decay.

What can people expect from your music?

Fuzzy, sludgy noise that you can groove to. Some screaming about plants and aliens.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

Botany – out everywhere on October 28, 2026.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://foresthorse.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/foresthorsemusic

Thanks to Forest Horse for the details. 

Vulture Neck - Vulture Neck (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Vulture Neck - Tracklist

1. Höst (2:46)

2. Rat Riders (7:03)

3. Phantom Carriage (5:16)

4. Raining Fire, Raining Stones (3:44)

5. Bright Lights Descending (5:53)

6. Hand Of A Drowning Man (5:55)

7. Abyss Made Of Stone (7:06)

Members

Östen Jäderberg - drums

Magnus Öhrn - vocals and bass

Martin Sällström - vocals and guitar

Elin and Hanna Jäderberg - backing vocals on Bright Lights Descending

Review

Vulture Neck’s debut self-titled album continues with the rebellious Power-Trio attitude they brought on their acclaimed 2023 debut EP but on a more grander scale as they have more time to play with. This allows Vulture Neck to create heavier levels of sludgy surroundings which sees a Stoner Rock attitude develop with areas of Doom, Sludge, Psych sounds to converge on a mountain top of classic hard rock themes. 

The sound is quite raw sounding with a distinctive Garage Rock / Proto-metal attitude forming within the opening tracks of Host and Rat Riders which sees Vulture Neck bring a determined focus into their music. There are small elements of modern day Swedish Sludge/Stoner Metal forming that remind me of the likes of Dozer, Cities Of Mars and Firebreather. The sludgy sounds become quire progressive with Vulture Neck adding a gloomy atmosphere behind the scenes. 

The vocals are not the most refined but they perfectly match the music that Vulture Neck stunningly creates throughout the record. Shades of Doom & Gloom become more commonplace within the album as Vulture Neck bring an end of the world scenario into their music. The lyrics are quite bleak and get straight to the point on tracks such as Rat Riders, Phantom Carriage, “Raining Fire, Raining Stones” and Bright Lights Descending. 

There’s also some great melodic parts of the record which you only begin to notice on repeated listens with Vulture Neck applying some great musical mechanics within both the “HEAVIER” and “QUIETER” aspects of the album. The warped atmospherics constantly moves to the greyer areas of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal but Vulture Neck always allow themselves and the listener to have some brief uplifting musical passages which allows the record to be transformed into a wicked Classic Hard Rock sound that remind me of Black Sabbath and Budgie at times. 

Vulture Neck always tries something different with each track and for the most part everything comes off superbly well with the record not afraid to take huge risks that allows the album to be refreshingly different and slightly offbeat at the same time. The instrumental parts are epic and superbly cinematic when they’re fully required to but Vulture Neck always have the balls to apply logical Proto-Metal decisions to disrupt the musical flow which leads to some of the most exciting sounds of the album to fully emerge.

One of the main standouts of the album is the Progressive attitude that Vulture Neck apply to their music that shows shades of the legendary RUSH in places and even Mastodon when the band fully transforms into Progressive Sludge Metal monsters. There’s something for everyone to seek out and fully explore with this excellent recorded and produced album. Vulture Neck delivers the goods with a great supply of grounded melodies and hard hitting grooves that will leave you mightily impressed from start to finish.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Vulture Neck is available to buy now on Digital Download

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