Polymoon - Mariposa Magic! (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Vesperian. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Mariposa Magic! - Tracklist

1.Ultra Bloom

2.I End, You Begin 04:23

3.Velvet Rain

4.Lost In Sound, Found In Color

5.Welcome To Another Dimension

6.Glass House, Mortal Rooms 07:15

7.Harvest Of Stars

Members

Kalle-Erik Kosonen - Vocal

Jesse Jaksola - Guitar, synthesizers

Otto Kontio - Guitar

Marco Menestrina - Bass

Tuomas Heikura - Drums

Review

Mariposa Magic! is the third album from Psychedelic/Prog/Space/Shoegazers Polymoon who bring a grounded approach to their style of Cosmic Rock that branches out into areas of Post-Doom and Sludge Rock heaviness along the way. The record is dominated by a healthy obsession with psychedelic melodies and complex shoegaze sounds that’s powered by an epic style of emotionally charged vocals and sublime synths that open the musical gateway to a classic way of storytelling.

Polymoon takes sounds influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, ELDER, HUM, TORCHE and The Mars Volta for a wild and engaging record of different musical landscapes that’s beautifully ethereal and superbly destructive when the challenge arises to the band. This is first laid out within the excellent opening tracks of Ultra Bloom and “I End, You Begin”. 

You begin to hear Polymoon’s deep fascination with warped sonic textures that break out into other areas of spaced out experimentation. The sludgy guitars add a cool touch of intense heaviness with Kalle-Erik Kosonen’s vocals transforming throughout the whole album but holding that excellent Post-Punk and Eighties Synth dynamic.

The music becomes more progressive with that Space Rock vibe battling against the tide of heavy synths, doomed out guitars and an impressive rhythm section that allows an almost Garage Rock aspect to enter the fray. This allows Polymoon to add another layer of heaviness to their music which injects a fresh cinematic perspective into the whole feel of the album. Shades of HUM can be heard in the background but Polymoon are still creating their own great style of music thanks to the heartfelt lyrics and first rate vocals just moving this album further onto greatness.

The album really finds it’s “HEAVY ROCK” footing within the standout tracks of Mariposa Magic! and “Lost In Sound, Found In Color”. As the music becomes quite progressive with movements from the Post-Rock, Electronica and Sludge Rock scenes with Polymoon applying a great Art-Rock and Alt-Rock makeover into the mix. I was quite surprised by the level of FUZZ and DISTORTION that Polymoon added to these parts of the album which gives it a more aggressive sound whilst holding onto that warm-hearted “DOOM-POP” atmosphere which really makes their music truly stand out.

The final three tracks of Welcome To Another Dimension, ‘Glass House, Mortal Rooms’ and Harvest Of Stars sees Polymoon apply that dominant Cosmic Rock and Spaced Out attitude to the maximum with the music constantly shifting into different areas of Doom, Shoegaze and Sludge Rock passages with great lyrics helping to sell the whole story of the record. You become more aware at how brilliantly heavy Polymoon actually are with this part of the album having the most aggressive and heaviest grooves on the whole album.

Mariposa Magic! is a wonderfully delightful record with plenty of offbeat sounds that offer different levels of blissful HEAVY ROCK music that is an absolute joy to listen to. This is my first time being exposed to Polymoon’s weird and wonderful world but it won’t be the last as Mariposa Magic! is going to end up becoming one of my favourite albums of the year. The record can be quite brash to listen to at times but that’s part of the charm with Polymoon carving up their own great style of Cosmic Rock and Heavy Psychedelic based music the whole world can fall in love with.

Outstanding!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Hold Tight PR for the promo.

Mariposa Magic! is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Vesparian.

Links

Website: https://polymoonofficial.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2lQxgCe12tX0YDtoKzFpz5
Bandcamp: https://polymoon.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polymooooon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polymooooon
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@polymooooon
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@polymoonofficial

Vordermann - Feeding On Fireworks (EP Review)

Release Date: August 27th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Feeding On Fireworks - Tracklist

Ego Gland

The Salem Shake

Something Sacred Something Terrible

Members

Alex Bennett - Synths

Peter Hill - Guitars

Matthew Jones - Percussion & Vocals

Philip Malpass - Guitar & Vocals

Joe Palmer - Guitar & Vocals

Review

Feeding On Fireworks is the next exciting chapter from Alt-Rock/Post-Rock/Sludge Rockers Vordermann who released their acclaimed debut EP Feeding On Flowers back in March 2025. Vordermann continue with a similar musical and creative scope outlined on that great release with uplifting Doom-Pop surroundings that once again demonstrates a wealth of musical influences ranging from TORCHE, HUM, MASTODON and THE MELVINS.

The record opens with gloriously uplifting and easy going track Ego Gland which has a soulful Psychedelic Post-Rock energy where the sludgy guitars form a sweet natured drive with superb vocals to match. This is a song that has different areas of HEAVY ROCK forming with Vordermann moving into slightly Ambient based waters with a sudden influx of PELICAN based melodies being played on fthe later stages of the track before returning to the Post-Stoner Rock grooves that are being used for the first time.

Second song The Salem Shake is a slightly different vibe with Vordermann adding a Post-Doom vibe with little traces of Gothic imagery especially with the vocals and eerie synths. You can even detect some classic ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and King Crimson melodies forming and even the vocals aligning themselves to the arena of Seventies Prog Rock. Though, Vordermann like to tease with audience expectations before laying down their usual blend of fast-paced Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs that have a certain Space Rock momentum to them.

The final track "Something Sacred Something Terrible" opens up with the legendary “Can You See Texas On Your High Horse” speech from the classic TV series - True Detective which sets up the gloomy scene of this track. The song has a stripped back presence with sludgy semi acoustic guitars that offer a despairing style of Americana, Country and Doom-Pop soundscapes which is some of the best music I’ve heard from Vordermann yet. The track is unapologetically solitary before the band explore the finer details of the Sludge, Doom and Stoner Metal landscape that also offer the heaviest, finest and most intense sounds on the whole EP.

Feeding On Fireworks is an excellent and even better follow-up to their stunning debut EP which sees Vordermann mature into better songwriters and storytellers which bodes well for their future releases. I’m hoping their next release is their debut album as this EP is too damn short and I wanted to hear more music from this hugely talented outfit. 

If Vordermann continues with this musical journey and keeps creating superb records as Feeding On Flowers and Feeding On Fireworks then these guys are on the right path for a very distinguished and highly rewarding career within the underground scene and beyond.

Words by Steve Howe

Feeding On Fireworks will be available to buy on digital download from all good digital stockists from August 27th 2026.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Beacons

POLYMOON push psychedelic post-gaze to new horizons with Mariposa Magic!

Photo credit: Paulie Moore

Finnish psychedelic rock visionaries Polymoon return with Mariposa Magic!, their third album and most immersive work to date. Set for release on 4th September via Vesperian, the album starts an exciting new chapter for the band, accompanied by the release of a powerful new single.

'Glass House, Mortal Rooms' is the second glimpse of Mariposa Magic! and a true showcase of Polymoon pushing their creative boundaries. Spanning more than seven minutes, the track surges through waves of intensity, radiant textures and constantly shifting movements, balancing fearless experimentation with overwhelming melodic pull. Expansive yet emotionally direct, it demonstrates just how far the band can push their sound without sacrificing the accessibility at its heart. Accompanying the single is a striking new video created in collaboration with acclaimed filmaker Ilona Lehtonen.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/GVN4dFbOqPA

Pre-order Mariposa Magic! here: https://linktr.ee/vesperian

The Finnish quartet inhabit a realm they’ve helped define: psychedelic post-gaze that shimmers, swells and dissolves at the edges. It may sound like an impossible genre to define until the first notes of Mariposa Magic! make everything click into place. Expanding on the foundations laid by Caterpillars of Creation (2020) and Chrysalis (2023), the new album ventures deeper into uncharted territory, where luminous guitar work, fluid rhythms and slowly unfurling melodies merge into vast, iridescent soundscapes. It's music that rewards surrender as much as attention, drawing listeners deeper with every return.

Produced by Juho Vanhanen, best known as the frontman of Oranssi Pazuzu, Mariposa Magic! was recorded and mixed by Valtteri Väänänen at Lammaskallion Audio before being mastered by Jaakko Viitalähde. To preserve the richness and dynamic range of the performances, the record was cut directly to lacquer and sent straight to the pressing plant, ensuring the vinyl master retains the warmth and depth of the original recordings.

The album's striking cover photography comes courtesy of Elizaveta Porodina, the Munich-based visual artist celebrated for her dreamlike, painterly aesthetic. Her work has featured in campaigns for Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, while her portraits of Zendaya, Brad Pitt and Bella Hadid have appeared in multiple international editions of Vogue.

POLYMOON - Glass House, Mortal Rooms

On Mariposa Magic!, songs dissolve into shifting states of consciousness. Melodies emerge from swirling textures, rhythms pulse like living organisms and each composition seems to transform in real time, pulling the listener through an ever-changing landscape where atmosphere and emotion become inseparable. Every passage feels alive, as though the music is quietly evolving beneath your feet.

Beneath its dreamlike exterior lies extraordinary craftsmanship. Every transition, every swell and every fleeting detail has been meticulously shaped, yet nothing ever feels constrained. Instead, the album moves with effortless momentum, balancing technical precision with an intoxicating sense of curiosity, freedom and wonder. It drifts, blooms and erupts in equal measure, dissolving the boundaries between structure and spontaneity.

Mariposa Magic! is more than an album, it's a place to inhabit. Psychedelic, cinematic and endlessly absorbing, it reveals fresh colours, hidden textures and unexpected emotional depths with every listen, lingering long after the final note fades like the memory of an extraordinary dream.

Watch previous single 'I End, You Begin' here. 

Polymoon are:

Kalle-Erik Kosonen - Vocals
Jesse Jaksola - Guitar, synthesizers
Otto Kontio - Guitar
Marco Menestrina - Bass
Tuomas Heikura – Drums

Polymoon online:

Website: https://polymoonofficial.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2lQxgCe12tX0YDtoKzFpz5
Bandcamp: https://polymoon.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polymooooon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polymooooon
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@polymooooon
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@polymoonofficial

Vesperian online:

www.vesperian.world
www.instagram.com/vesperian.world/

Thanks to Hold Tight PR for all of the details.

Funeral Joke - Funeral Joke (EP Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats:DD

Funeral Joke - Tracklist

1.Funeral Joke 05:06

2.The Veil 05:51

3.Doomwell 05:10

4.Waiting For The Wound 05:42

5.Conscious 06:03

Members

Guitars: Michael Mauvais

Vocals: Nora Marcela Aguirre

Bass Guitar: Adrian Palacios

Drums: Matthew "Monty" Montana

Additional Keys and Synths: Anessa Hernandez

Review

The infamous El Paso, Texas Heavy Rock scene provides another great band for the underground scene to become accustomed with. This time round it’s Funeral Joke to make their appearance known with their great blend of Doom, Alt Metal, Sludge and Shoegaze sounds which they build from the ground up on their excellent debut self-titled EP.

The EP lasts around twenty nine minutes across five tracks where Funeral Joke combines that heavy Doomgaze sound against a Sludge Rock driven score with twisted Fuzzed Out melodies with dark levels of Grunge and Psychedelic Metal appearing. The superb opening title track is highly melodic but with a twisted undercurrent of Sludge, Doom and Fuzz Rock with the gloomy vocals from Nora Marcela Aguirre adding a slightly different Post-Gothic energy to the usual great style of Doomgaze sounds that’s becoming quite popular.

The record is cautiously bleak but that doesn’t stop Funeral Joke aiming for a certain Post-Punk and Post-Doom attitude on this record with small traces of Alt Metal keeping a subtle grounded sound emerging on tracks The Veil and Doomwell. There is an exquisite retro Nineties DOOM & GLOOM aesthetic that allows Funeral Joke to create bewitching melodies which feels that the band are bringing the Halloween Season a few months early with how the record builds up the eerie atmosphere slowly and quite confidently at the same time. 

Funeral Joke aims for a frantic Noise Rock finish on certain sections on the record where the later stages offer the most dramatic and distorted progressive moments on the whole EP. You can hear influences such as The Cult, Windhand, Monolord and Neurosis along the way. Well, that’s what I hear when everything is finished but there’s some wicked Stoner Metal sounds starting to emerge which become quite down-tuned and even transfers over into the LOW & SLOW amplified arena which should keep many folks / devoted followers of the almighty riff happy.

The lyrics are quite bleak but they manage to convey some subtle emotional energy to them which matches the music superbly well that allows Funeral Joke to deliver a highly engaging HEAVY RAWK experience you’ll fall in love with over time the more times you listen to the full emotionally charged experience. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Gatsu - Hymns From The Abyss (EP Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Hymns From The Abyss - Tracklist

1.Hymns

2.Crimson Sun

3.Lost

4.Leaves

Review

Hymns From The Abyss is the debut EP from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Gatsu who come from New Orleans, Louisiana which plays a big part on how the band deliver their music. There is a great NOLA influence heard within Gatsu’s music but they strive to be different by adding areas of Psych, Grunge and Shoegaze which you can feel throughout this record.

The sound is quite sludge metal oriented with distorted movement with those elements of Grunge, Doom, Fuzz and Stoner Metal allowing Gatsu playing fractured and quite broken instrumental passages with a sudden Doomgaze appetite appearing within the excellent opening tracks of Hymns and Crimson Sun. The vocals are aggressive, emotional and quite commanding all at the same time with Gatsu employing an emotionally charged sense of Nineties Alt-Metal delivery especially with the hard-hitting lyrics. 

Gatsu develop and play their best work on the two epic tracks of Crimson Sun and Leaves which feels like Alice In Chains, Nirvana or Soundgarden being given a NOLA makeover but still allowing Gatsu to implement their own creative identity into the music. The overlapping areas of Amplifier Distortion and bleak Shoegaze passages are superbly soulful and beautifully heavy to listen to at the same time. 

There’s some small excursions into Drone based grooves but Gatsu are fully committed to developing that harsh Sludge/Stoner Metal landscape which will have you emotionally connected to their music in no time at all. There’s some exquisite Sludge/Stoner Metal riff- worship influenced by the likes of MONOLORD, YOB and ELDER but with that seedy NOLA aspect adding a distorted grime aspect that fully standout to make a lasting impression.

Hymns From The Abyss a stunning debut EP with Gatsu playing to their creative and musical strengths with superbly realized production values allowing this to be one of the best sounding debut EP’s I’ve heard from the underground scene in quite some time. 

If you’re in the mood for a Sludge/Stoner Metal record with extra aggression which joins the heavy distorted forces of Psych, NOLA and Doomgaze into a powerful force of nature then GATSU are the band for you.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | BandCamp | Instagram

French Doom/Grunge Metal power-trio Clegane unveiled new single "Sun Decay".

French doom/grunge metal power-trio Clegane crank every amp up to 11 and drag grunge straight into the darkest depths of doom on their crushing new single, “Sun Decay”.

Loud. Gloomy as hell. Suffocating and cathartic in equal measure.

“Sun Decay” feels like wandering aimlessly through the streets of Paris on a sweltering summer day — the heat closing in, the air running out, and every attempt to find meaning leading deeper into the void.

Built on saturated, granular riffs, a deep, punishing rhythm section and raw, weathered vocals, the track follows a slow loss of control: a life stripped of values and purpose, decaying into inertia, isolation and collapse.

A life like a rotting sun.

The single offers the first glimpse of Clegane’s new album, Ocean of Black Thoughts, out October 2 via ALMOST FAMOUS label (POINT MORT...).

... For the record...

Formed in 2015, Clegane have spent the past decade carving out a singular path between the disillusioned weight of ’90s grunge and the crushing gravity of modern doom. Instinctive, minimalist and deeply introspective, the French trio have built their identity around saturated, granular riffs, deep drums and raw, weathered vocals — turning the darker corners of human existence into music that feels both brutally physical and intensely personal.

That trajectory began with their self-titled debut EP in 2017, followed by 'Funeral at Sea' and a split with Father Merrin in 2018, 'White of the Eye' in 2022 and a split with Fatima in 2023. Across each release, Clegane have progressively expanded their sound without abandoning its primitive core, pushing beyond doom and grunge while preserving the tension and emotional weight that have defined them from the beginning.

That evolution has unfolded just as fiercely on stage. From underground squats in Switzerland to the Purple Stage at Hellfest in 2025, Clegane have developed a reputation for visceral, immersive performances that drag audiences under before pulling them back into the darkness.

Now, 'Ocean of Black Thoughts' marks the band’s most ambitious transformation yet. Breaking down their own stylistic boundaries through richer drumming, deeper work on effects and new vocal nuances, the album moves from eruptions of rage to regret-soaked contemplation — while remaining rooted in the raw, instinctive force that has always driven Clegane.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Score A/V Group for the deteails.

Truster - Creeping Thing (Album Review)

 

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Creeping Thing - Tracklist

1.The Flesh Beneath Our Nails, a Gift 00:34

2.Wretch Collector 03:08

3.She Who Requires Blood Remembers Them 05:16

4.The Fire 07:01

5.The Flood 04:27

6.Lest I Tear You to Pieces and There Be None to Deliver 06:26

7.A Home for the Lonely 06:12

Members

Stacy Burnett

Jordan LaFleche

Kevin Wunderlich

Review

Doom/Shoegaze metallers Truster debut album Creeping Thing is quite a thought provoking and highly emotionally charged record that uses the power of Post-Metal, Shoegaze, Doom and Drone to highlight the experiences that members of the queer community go through especially within their daily lives and even within the HEAVY METAL underground scene. However, the record is also emotionally uplifting throughout despite Truster’s maximum use of Doomgaze and Post-Metal that creates moments of pure chaos and violent soundscapes devouring everything within it’s wake.

Truster are also inspired heavily by the Alt-Rock and Grunge scenes with their music being more potent when it enters that grimy atmosphere. The level of Drone, Fuzz and Distortion that holds everything together is superbly impressive on both a technical and musical level. The haunting vocals from Stacy Burnett are beautifully poetic but also cuts like a knife when the banshee screams come out of nowhere which just hammers the point home on how powerful Creeping Thing actually is. You can tell Stacy is speaking from personal experience when the screams violently shake the listener to their emotional core on track Wretch Collector, She Who Requires Blood Remembers Them and The Fire. 

Those tracks make you aware how socially aware and emotionally devastating the journey that Truster take you upon with compounding Post-Rock/Post-Metal melodies that’s spliced with Shoegaze, Doom and Drone that reminds me of Neurosis, Windhand, Slow Crush, Portishead, Tori Amos and PJ Harvey in equal measure. Sometimes the music is quite hard to describe but that’s a great thing as Truster has a more dangerous element to their musical persona that allows them to take bigger, bolder and fearless risks with their music.

The music is played at a great slow-to-mid pace with the bone-crunching instrumental passages allowing Stacy’s vocals the perfect time to breathe and grow naturally. The Post-Rock/Post-Metal sounds are my favourite aspects of the record from a musical perspective as Truster brings a sense of darkness to their music and when they inject that brooding style of Ambient and Trippy sounds into the mix. Creeping Thing becomes a more sensual experience even when the dominant Sludge Metal grooves reign supreme on tracks such as She Who Requires Blood, The Fire, The Flood and Lest I Tear You to Pieces and There Be None to Deliver which is perhaps my favourite track on the whole album.

One of the strongest aspects of Creeping Thing is how Truster moves between different musical landscapes where it’s emotionally delicate one moment and the next they have the power to destroy whole musical planets with a single note, rhythm or melody. Stacy, Jordan and Kevin are masters of their own musical craft as this is a brilliantly original record which is just earth shattering.

Creeping Thing is an absolute marvel of an album to fully listen to which leaves you a shivering wreck with its brilliantly poetic lyrics and sometimes bleak vision. I’m hopeful that Truster will achieve bigger and better things on this record as they absolutely deserve it. 

WOW. What an experience. 

Words by Steve Howe

Creeping Thing is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl from Truster.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

IRATA - Human (Album Review)

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Small Stone Records Co. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Human - Tracklist

1.Altar

2.Confessions

3.Seeds

4.Delirium

5.Mirrors

6.Slipped

7.Goodside

8.Daystar

Members

Jason Ward: drums, keys, vox

Jon Case: bass, vox

Owen Burd: vox, guitar, keys

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers IRATA return with their emotionally charged fourth album Human which sees the band offer their most melodic record to date. IRATA uses a greater musical creative palette for this record with areas of Grunge, Shoegaze, Prog Metal and Cinematic based storytelling being added. With a mind-expanding use of sludgy psychedelics giving Human a cautionary sound which sees IRATA experiment with their music even further and even applying gloomy modern Doom-Pop hooks.

IRATA draws upon the likes of HUM, TORCHE, FLOOR, KYLESA and TOOL with influences appearing from other areas of the Nineties Alt-Rock scene which has become a constant staple of the band’s music whilst still sounding remarkably just like IRATA. The record may take a few listens to take everything in compared to their 2019 effort Tower and that’s down to IRATA’s great use of Progressive melodies and switching into heavier distorted sounds which gives a frenzied and grounded approach to their music.

The sound constantly switches between harsh environments and lush sounding Sludge Rock grooves with a heavy support of distorted Progressive atmospherics. IRATA depends more heavily on keyboards for this album which gives way to some of the best trippy and spaced out elements that IRATA have created to date. I still find it hard to believe or accept that IRATA have been going as a band for nearly two decades and this is their only fourth full length album. They always find the best time to return and this record does feel like a cause for celebration at times and despite the bleak subject matter the record contains you can’t help but feel the gloriously euphoric jams when they appear that leave you in a highly peaceful meditative state.

The first half of the album sees IRATA within their “business as usual “ phase by playing fast-paced and highly psychedelic grunge sounds which made their last two records personal favourites of mine. The music is constantly heavy with areas of distorted fuzz and grunge that’s played against a wall of destructive moments of Psych, Sludge and Stoner Metal with a developing sense of Shoegaze and Alt-Rock developing that turns into something heavier in the later stages of the record. 

The vocals from Jason, Jon and Owen are universally excellent throughout with shades of The Smashing Pumpkins, FLOOR, TORCHE and HUM appearing highly confident but with their own great style being superbly delivered. 

My favourite tracks on the first half of the album are: Altar, Seeds and Delirium as they bridge the gap to the classic sounds of IRATA but also allowing them to develop a new found sense of creativity especially when the music is stripped back and a forceful Progressive Sludge energy appears. Human becomes more evolving but offering moments of wonderful sing-along moments which you ultimately lose yourself in once more. 

The lyrics are super-fresh that taps into the Nineties nostalgia scene perfectly but adding that subtle modern day vibe that adds a level of darkness when you least expect it. Things change quite dramatically within the second half of the record as IRATA switches musical directions with a firmer grasp of Prog Rock/Metal with swirling TOOL-esque compositions being heard with IRATA putting their own great take of modern DOOM-POP into the mix.

IRATA always seem to be thinking five steps ahead when delivering the heaviest and sludgiest sounds on this part of the album with tracks Mirrors, Slipped and Daystar bringing a more focused and cerebral style of music which retains that classic IRATA energy. The record manages to convey that classic IRATA sound with outbursts of bleak sounding Sludge/Stoner Metal with melodic Psychedelic grooves being delivered from the highest point of MOUNT AMPLIFIED DISTORTION.

IRATA ends the record in the most perfect and complete way. You feel highly satisfied by the whole experience as Human actually feels like a record that has a beginning, middle and end. The musical performances from Jason, Jon and Owen are first rate, which is perhaps their best recorded musical performance to date. The production values are of the chart with Human being expertly produced with some eye-catching aggressive sounds being played from the speakers throughout.

Human is an outstanding album on all levels which IRATA should rightly be proud of. This is perhaps my favourite album from IRATA. It may not be as riff-centric as Tower but there’s a lot more progression and musical variety that allows the band to play some intense grooves we haven’t heard from them before which is perhaps the greatest thing you can take away from this record.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.

Human is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Small Stone Records Co.

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Canadian Doomgaze Band 'Truster' to Release Full Length Album 'Creeping Thing' on July 10

Canadian doomgaze trio Truster have announced their long-awaited new album, “Creeping Thing”, to be released digitally and on vinyl on July 10. The band has also released a single,“Wretch Collector”, which highlights the album’s crushing yet ethereal sound and devastating lyrics.

 
The listener is welcomed to ‘Creeping Thing’ with found audio of harrowing screams from a mass exorcism event in small town Alberta. Truster encapsulates this intensity throughout the album, where even in moments of quiet restraint, there is a seething desperation that inevitably feeds its way into emphatic fervor.

‘Creeping Thing’ is a concept album that explores devotion, reverence, and religious sanctification. It threatens a world where autonomy is no longer given away or taken; it is reinstated to an omnipotent degree. It begs the listener to explore their essentiality and demands that they build an altar to it.‘Creeping Thing’ is not an album of clemency; it is an ode to reclamation through sublime malevolence.

‘Creeping Thing’ can be pre-ordered here. Fans who pre-order will have instant access to an unreleased track from the album.

Truster hails from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They play heavy doomgaze influenced in equal parts by the absurdity of trauma, weaponized resilience, and love. Blending wall of sound, down-tuned guitars, heavy, churning drums, and boundless, desperate vocals, Truster’s sound incorporates elements of doom, black metal and shoegaze.

Truster has shared the stage with notable acts PISS, BIG/BRAVE, Lung Butter, Stuck, Peach Kelli Pop, Anamai, Aversions, and many more.

Creeping Thing’ was recorded and produced in Vancouver by the venerable Jesse Gander, who has worked with White Lung, Ahna, Brutus, Castle, and Baptists, to name a few. It was mastered by Nick Zampiello, who has worked with the likes of Converge, Isis, Pelican, Unsane, and Thurston Moore.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Fjords - Gehenna (Album Review)

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

Gehenna - Tracklisting

1.Virgilio 02:53

2.Inferno 13:51

3.Purgatorio 05:10

4.Paradiso 10:55

Members

André Figueiredo (Drums)

Rafael Borges (bass)

Review

Gehenna is the debut album from Doom/Shoegaze/Stoner Metallers Fjords who I originally featured back in April 2020 when I reviewed their debut self-titled EP. That release showcased what a dangerous style of Doom, Stoner, Fuzz and Prog  music the band created within an entirely Drum and Bass duo structure. Fjords continues with that wicked setup but applies a Shoegaze and Noise Rock element to their music with the band delivering a sublime Doomgaze energy into their music.

Things do get extremely chaotic and superbly weird with Fjords adding electronic beats, glitchy noises and certain “computer game” based sound effects which aligns the band more closely to the likes of Genghis Tron in places. The album opens with the fairly straightforward Virgilio which has a standard Punk Rock/Noise Rock which allows Fjords to set the musical groundwork and framework for the album. There is a sullen sludgy delivery which keeps within the bands “LESS IS MORE” delivery with a certain KOWLOON WALLED CITY influence being heard for the first time.

Second track Inferno is perhaps where the real fun and damage starts with Fjords starting to explore their “real” Doomgaze and Progressive themes with those different sound effects and electronic beats I mentioned previously. FJords have more time to play with here as the track runs for almost fourteen minutes and it’s an epic style of different musical genres all vying for complete creative control. There’s still a great sense of warped melody bursting throughout the seams of Doom, Noise, Industrial. Electronica, Sludge and Progressive movements. The vocals are way out of control and more settled for a Punk Rock and Noise Rock environment but they get the job done. Inferno is delightfully crazy but somehow it brilliantly works for a surreal style of musical entertainment. 

The final two tracks of Purgartario and Paradiso offer over sixteen minutes which sees Fjords once again experimenting with their sound that remains highly original and wonderfully unpredictable but still delivers wave after wave of riff-driven instrumental rock/metal. The nightmarish and vivid creative aspect is another highlight with Fjords unlocking unsettling DOOMED OUT and INDUSTRIAL grooves which have a certain “twisted” identity to them but the band always find a way of delivering intense music that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Gehenna is a complex and highly vivid album that is probably meant for a cult and niche audience within the underground scene. The album is best described having a non-linear structure with Fjords going into multiple different directions with each passing moment but that’s what makes the album truly work and fully stand out.

Fjords dare to be different and release an album that needs your full undivided attention. This won’t be for everyone but if you have the time and willpower then Gehenna can only be described as a highly original and fucked-up musical experience of the highest order. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | Facebook | BandCamp