Polish Stoner Rock heroes WEEDPECKER sign to Heavy Psych Sounds!

Poland's heavy psychedelic rock pioneers WEEDPECKER ink a worldwide deal with Heavy Psych Sounds Records for the release of their anticipated fifth studio album, the reissue of their sophomore full-length "II" as well as the booking of their next European tour!

About joining the HPS roster, the band comments: “We’re excited to announce that Weedpecker is joining the Heavy Psych Sounds family. It feels great to team up with a label that shares our vision, and we can’t wait to share the next chapter of our journey with you all.”

Forged in Warsaw, Poland in 2012, Weedpecker emerged from the creative union of brothers Piotr and Bartek Dobry. Their mission was to weave dreamy, expansive psychedelic rock with the raw gravity of stoner and grunge. Throughout the decade, the band solidified its reputation with three critically acclaimed albums, delivering some of the most revered heavy psych anthems the scene has witnessed.

After the powerful release of “III” in 2018, the band entered a new chapter as longtime members Bartek Dobry, Robert Kulakowski, and Grzegorz Pawlowski moved on. Weedpecker re-emerged in 2020 with a revitalized lineup, welcoming members of Dopelord and Major Kong. This new incarnation debuted not only fresh faces but also an expanded sonic palette, introducing keyboards to their live performances.

Their latest chapter, “IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts” (2021), fully unveils this evolved identity. The album effortlessly flows from mellow psychedelia to blistering rock explosions, all anchored by their signature melodic heavy riffage.

Through transformation and growth, Weedpecker continues to affirm its place as one of Europe's most essential and exciting psychedelic acts. Stay tuned as more details regarding the new album and "II" reissue will be revealed soon!

Weedpecker links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Rūdus - Rūdus (Album Review)

Release Date: July 21st 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Rūdus - Tracklisting

1.Entrance 00:34

2.Atoll 11:38

3.Procession 08:38

4.Wildfire 09:04

5.Exo 05:20 

6.Dirge 02:45

Members

Michael Phillips - Drums & Brass

Ethen Scruggs - Bass

Ryan Weston - Guitar

Review

Psych/Doomgaze/Stoner Metallers Rūdus debut album is a sludgy excursion into the Shoegaze environments of Doom Metal and Stoner Metal. The record is cautiously slow with Rūdus playing an aggressive style of Droned Out surroundings with some haunting vocals and chants appearing within the long drawn out second track of Atoll. Before that Rūdus play a thirty four second track called Entrance where the band play a simply played Ambient, Psych and Drone number with some heavy passages that sneakingly changes into a slow paced style of music within the second track of Atoll.

Second track Atoll feels inspired by the likes of SUNN O))), Pelican and OM but with the bleakness of BONGRIPPER. The vocals / chants give Rūdus an air of mystery to their music with the band having a DEMONIC attitude within how they deliver the vocals. Perhaps a clever way to hide behind the opaque and darkness that Rūdus generates with this epic sounding track. There is a great melodic flow when Rūdus changes from Doomgaze to full on Post-Rock / Post-Metal riffsters where the music becomes slightly faster and way heavier with the sound having a muscular presence towards the final stages of the track. 

Third track Possession opts for a distorted Stonergaze momentum with brief glimpses of Desert Rock and Fuzz melodies which doesn’t shy away from that heavy DOOM & GLOOM creative energy which is the standout part of the whole album. The cautious STOP/START effect returns with Rūdus leaning heavily more on the Psychedelic Rock/Metal aspect of their overall sound. Different sound effects and vocals combine for a trippy and lysergic experience which is quite freakish and soulful at the same time. As before, the heavier and groove based moments appear within the final stages of the track where Rūdus once again transform into Post-Metal beasts of the highest order.

Fourth track Wildfire is dominated by a Grunge and Shoegaze effect with Rūdus feeling more confident within their Droned Out and Stonergaze confinements. The instrumental passages have more melody and depth to them which sees a welcoming Post-Stoner attitude reminding me of KING BUFFALO at their most ethereal and heaviest. Rūdus still stays within their remit of Drone Metal whilst allowing other areas of Doom, Stoner and Sludge sounds to appear. The vocals appear only when they’re needed and have a fuzzy and distant feeling to them. Different areas of Desert Rock and Psych Rock combine for a sublime GLOOMY POST-ROCK sound that transforms into something different with Rūdus bringing the heaviest instrumental passages within the final few moments of the track. There’s some screeching sounds that takes the album to an altogether higher level of noise and volume.

The final two tracks of Exo and Dirge is perhaps the fastest and riff-centric parts of the record with Rūdus tapping into the sound that PELCIAN and RUSSIAN CIRCLE have made themselves well known with but with that epic Doomgaze/Stoner Metal sound giving the album a subtle Post-Metallic drive before everything is said and done.

Rūdus debut album offers a fresh and heavy perspective within the Doomgaze/Stonergaze scene that will surprise you with it’s superb experimental style being heard throughout. This is another great band to check out from the famous Texas underground Doom/Stoner Metal scene. You won’t be sorry!!!

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

 

Cloakroom - Last Leg Of The Human Table (Album Review)

Release Date: February 27th 2025. Record Label: Closed Casket Activities. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Last Leg Of The Human Table  - Track Listing:

1.The Pilot 04:28

2.Ester Wind 03:19

3.On Joy and Unbelieving 01:01

4.Unbelonging 03:30

5.The Lights are On 05:39

6.Bad Larry 04:28

7.Story of the Egg 04:25

8.On Joy and Undeserving 01:13

9.Cloverlooper 03:33

10.Turbine Song 05:12

Members

Timo Dinter - Vocals

Manuel Ciofalo - Guitar

Janek Huschke - Guitar

Tobias Rickli - Bass

Alexander Streit - Drums

Review

Last Leg Of The Human Table is the new album from Shoegaze/Stoner Rock specialists Cloakroom and this quite a different record compared to their acclaimed 2022 record Dissolution Wave. This record sees Cloakroom deconstruct their sound into something more minimal and experimental whilst retaining their trademark Psychedelic blend of Noise, Shoegaze, Indie, Stoner and Alternative sounds.

This record did take some time for me to find and form an emotional connection with. Cloakroom uses different musical techniques that we haven’t heard from them to deliver a richly observed and quite surreal record which perhaps leaves many questions unanswered on certain tracks on the album. That’s a bold strategy to use but the music is also superbly powerful with epic amounts of distorted grooves and quirky “outsider” poppier themes with a manic sludgy outlook which appear within the excellent opening tracks of The Pilot, Ester Wind and On Joy And Unbelieving. 

With the band entering their second decade of existence, they’ve more than earned the right to release their “experimental” album and Last Leg Of The Human Table is that record. The record has a kinetic and fucked up energy which still manages to be quite sweet natured at times which has echoes of bands such as HUM, TORCHE and FLOOR with a sense of despairing darkness when the DISTORTED and DRONED instrumental passages appear with a sense of glitchy electronics being thrown in just for the hell of it.

I love how Cloakroom have used sounds and influences very dear to their heart from the Classic Rock scene from over the last sixty years or so and give them a modern day Space Rock/Doom-Pop makeover. The sound is perhaps inspired mostly by the sounds of the 1960’s and 1980’s with the lyrics and melodies being quite poetic with a certain “retro” quality to them.

Last Leg Of The Human Table is Cloakroom’s shortest record yet but it’s action-packed with different types of music from the Noise, Alt, Space Rock and Stoner Rock spectrum with a layer of distorted heaviness which becomes more present on tracks such as: Unbelonging, The Lights Are On, Bad Larry, Cloverlooper and Turbine Song.

Cloakroom even try their hand at areas such as Folk, Americana and Country though you won’t notice with the Doomgaze and Shoegaze attitude of the psychedelic sounds that heavily populate the whole album. The lyrics can be quite whimsical and earnest at times but it works to Cloakroom’s favour that allows them to become master storytellers in their own right.

Last Leg Of The Human Table is a brilliant, richly observed and post-modern take on all things HEAVY which Cloakroom delivers with passion from start to finish. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Vordermann - Feeding On Flowers (EP Review)

Release Date: March 07th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Feeding On Flowers - Track Listing:

Cloudpiercer

Delirium Tremors

Saint Banger (The Lars Ulrich Torrent Finder General Drum Circle Experience)

Members

Alex Bennett - Synths

Peter Hill - Guitars

Matthew Jones - Percussion & Vocals

Philip Malpass - Guitar & Vocals

Joe Palmer - Guitar & Vocals

Review

Feeding On Flowers is the debut EP from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Rockers Vordermann who bring a blend of uplifting Doom-Pop sensibilities to their music with flashes of Post-Rock, Shoegaze and Alt Rock. Vordermann are influenced by the likes of TORCHE, HUM, FLOOR, MASTODON, MELVINS and BIG BUSINESS with one foot still remaining in the 1990’s Alt Rock scene.

The EP only lasts for about seventeen minutes but there’s a lot to admire here with Vordermann tapping into the Shoegaze tapestries of HUM which almost branch into Post-Metal surroundings at times. However, the music is mostly fuelled by the early EP’s of the legendary TORCHE with poppy vocals from Matthew Jones, Philip Malpass and Joe Palmer all showing a very cool Alt Rock/Stoner based style which is grounded by Pop/Stadium Rock sounds.

The opening track of Cloudpiercer is fuelled by bombastic Sludge/Doom-Pop grooves with that sublime Shoegaze/Sludge aggressive energy which manifests into some classic TORCHE/FLOOR inspired heavy pounding instrumental passages. Vordermann have included a highly unusual soundclip from the classic movie Breakfast At Tiffany’s where George Peppard’s character Paul Varjak lays it on the line to Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly. This speech adds a deeply emotional quality to the song whilst being quite superbly funny at the same time though just for the inclusion on this track alone.

Second track Delirium Tremors is a straight up banger with Vordermann building upon their Sludge/Doom-Pop sound with an epic blast of Progressive Sludge/Stoner Rock melodies which harnesses the power of MELVINS and BIG BUSINESS with the complexities of Mastodon. The vocals are once again poppy and bittersweet with Vordermann allowing their music to grow naturally and offer the listener with a wide assortment of different heavy musical styles. Though, the later stages are perhaps softer with a soulful Post-Rock and Doom-Pop approach.

The third track Saint Banger (The Lars Ulrich Torrent Finder General Drum Circle Experience) is the standout track on the EP with the brilliant and highly original premise of using Lars Ulrich quotes set against a Space Rock backdrop with movements of Drone, Post-Rock and Ambient textures for the first part of the song. The second part sees a muscular and aggressive style of music come into play with Vordermann inspired by the likes of Pelican and Russian Circles before returning to the EP’s earlier sounds. This track does have quite a dark comedic vision with the message based on the ramblings of Lars Ulrich unless I’ve completely missed the whole point of the track. Whatever the creative theme, this is a haunting and beautifully played track which shows a different side to Vordermann.

Feeding On Flowers is a stunning and superbly creative EP boosted by a wealth of different heavy sounds that explore the soulful side of the Doom, Sludge and Stoner underground scene. Vordermann reminds me of fellow ELEPHANT TREE and if they release more superb records such as this then they could have a similar career and impact within the underground scene as that great band as well.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Vordermann for the promo.

Feeding On Flowers will be available to buy digitally from Friday 07th March 2025.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Sonicbids | Beacons

Nightscape - Nightscape (Album Review)

Release Date: January 03rd 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

​Nightscape - Track Listing:

1.Silver Moon 06:33

2.Placid Lake

3.Mirrored

4.Floating in Silence

5.Moonflower 04:12

6.Blue Moon

7.Nightscape

Members

Guglielmo Allegro - Everything

Review

Nightscape is the new instrumental project from Guglielmo Allegro who is the creative mastermind behind Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal outfit Void Sinker. This time round Guglielmo focuses upon a quieter sound with a more obsessive Psychedelic groove for Nightscape’s self titled debut album. There’s a deeply emotional Shoegaze or Doomgaze sound with Guglielmo admitting he was influenced by the works of the legendary band EARTH. 

The record is unapologetically slow at times which entices the listener into Nightscape’s dark realm. The instrumental sounds have a slight Drone delivery to them which transforms into a heavier style of Spaced Out Doom with overlapping sound effects in places. The opening track of Silver Moon embodies a hallucinogenic and aggressive style of haunting melodies which has a grand CINEMATIC approach. Ambient textures are added along the way for a slight Shoegaze effect. 

Nightscapes does have its fair share of chillout movements but Guglielmo still delivers a heavy Drone Rock/Metal sound which drifts further into the Stoner Rock/Metal abyss when the heavier grooves appear. Long drawn out notes take time to fully appreciate and absorb which is the main way for Nightscape to grow and evolve naturally. 

Songs such as Placid Lake, Mirrored and Floating In Silence have an ethereal Post-Rock element to them with distorted Drone/Doom progressive sounds allowing Guglielmo to leave the shadow of Void Sinker a distant and long forgotten memory. That’s one of the main strengths of Nightscape with the listener being able to differentiate between the two projects. Both projects can definitely live side-by-side with each other with Guglielmo having all bases covered for folks who like their music that is a little bit more brutal and intense.

There’s quite a meditative quality with different overlapping grooves, sounds and ambient effects paying homage to acts such as EARTH, BORIS, SUNN O))) and BONG. The record is a complex and long drawn out listen but it’s the journey that makes everything worthwhile with Nightscape reaching an epic conclusion within the final two tracks of Blue Moon and Nightscape being the standout tracks of the whole album.

I should advise to be prepared with a ton of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and FUZZED OUT grooves that can be quite aggressive and deafening in places despite the soulful and peaceful intent that Guglielmo originally sets out to do with Nightscape.

For a debut album, Nightscape is a richly observed, highly captivating and emotionally rewarding record where I’m looking forward to hearing the next exciting chapter. This is another superb record from Guglielmo Allegro and if you haven’t heard his musical projects now then I recommend you change that now. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

SUMO - III (Album Review)

Release Date: December 13th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

III - Track Listing:

1. Alyssa (5:50)

2. IPCRESS (5:40)

3. SETI3 (1:39)

4. Shadow of Antiope (5:10)

5. Eta Carinae (6:48)

6. Apophis (5:10)

7. SETI4 (0:47)

8. Cygnus (3:40)

9. Enceladus (6:44)

Members

Amado Ventura: Bass

Hector Mojena: Drums

Chris Salazar: Guitar

Review

Heavy Instrumental Space Rockers SUMO return with their third length album imaginatively titled “III” where the band continue their deep musical exploration into the far reaches of Post-Rock, Cosmic Rock, Shoegaze, Stoner Rock and Psych Rock sounds with a rich Progressive Rock flair appearing along the way. SUMO develop and orchestrate a rich Sludge Rock heavy direction which allows III to be superbly heavy when the time calls for this with sublime guitars that’s quite familiar for fans of music who follow the Florida Heavy Rock scene.

WIth inspiration from bands such as HUM, TORCHE, Pelican, Russian Circles, The Cure and Mogwai with SUMO creating a record that has an effortless amount of aggression, energy and melody combining for an action packed story that’s helped along by interesting choice of soundbytes and samples. The opening tracks of Alyssa and IPCRESS both skate around the dynamics of technicalities of Post Rock before joining creative forces with other areas of music for a sound that’s both tranquil and destructive with a gloomy sense of Space Rock melodies becoming quite cold hearted in places but always wholly original.

SUMO delivers haunting Ambient sounds and synths along the way which gives a Drone based quality on the experimental parts of the album. This appears in the most unexpected of places before SUMO delves into another area of music which feels like the song remains unopened and unanswered but maybe that's the point in certain cases especially with tracks such as IPCRESS and SETI3. That’s one of the highlights of the album with III not offering all the available answers and allowing the listener to draw up their own conclusions.

The album can also be quite uplifting which you’ll experience within the opening moments of the standout fourth track Shadow Of Antiope. There are echoes of Pelican and TORCHE running throughout this track but SUMO are still in full driving control with the excellent use of soundclips adding to the creative narrative of the story. The stop/start sludgy guitars have a slight Electro Rock beat to them with a subtle Psych Rock flavour keeping everything grounded.

SUMO opt for a cerebral style of Post-Rock with a Post-Doom outlook that becomes dominated by a Progressive Rock vibe which fully takes effect across tracks such as: Eta Carinae, Apophis and Enceladus that offer the perfect and winning combination of abstract extended instrumental jams with a free flowing CINEMATIC ROCK attitude. 

SUMO have teamup with ex-TORCHE bassist Jonathan Nuñez who recorded, mixed and co-produced the album and I’m becoming a huge fan of Jonathan’s studio work thanks to his recent collaborations with ORBITER and RESTLESS SPIRIT. Jonathan works wonders yet again here but allowing SUMO the chance to develop their own fascinating and brilliantly heavy sound that ultimately leaves you wanting to hear more.

III is a grand musical adventure from SUMO that masters the fine art of blending Post-Rock harmonies with the heavier and aggressive moments of Doom, Sludge, Stoner and everything else in between. THis allows III to be ranked as one of the standout instrumental records of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

III will be available to buy on Digital Download from Friday 13th December 2024.

Links

Official | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook 

Frozen Future - Hideaway (EP Review)

Release Date: November 19th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Hideaway - Track Listing:

1.Bound 04:56

2.Wander 04:18

3.Cabin Fever 03:30

4.Dawn 02:08

Review

Fuzz/Shoegaze/Stoner Rockers Frozen Future deliver an assortment of sounds on their superb new EP Hideaway especially if you’re a fan of bands such as TORCHE, HUM, FLOOR, JESU and Smashing Pumpkins with a delicious sideline in Alternative Rock and Fuzzed Up grooves. The music is catchy and downright melodic with the vocals being slightly aligned to the world of Indie Rock. The instrumental sounds have a multi-layered quality to them that veers from Shoegaze to an epic style of Doomgaze with a subtle “OUTSIDER” approach especially on tracks such as Bound and Wander.

The use of certain sound effects and trippy passages remind me of early-era TORCHE where the music becomes quite aggressive and quite POPPY at times with a thrilling Space Rock attitude starting to emerge. Frozen Future are from Norway and there’s some cool sounding NORDIC energy coming from the band with that classic Shoegaze swagger which moves over to areas of Grunge at times with songs such as Wander and Cabin Fever allowing the band to develop their own definitive style.

Hideaway is superbly produced that allows Frozen Future to deliver heart-pounding and mightily loud SLUDGY guitars with a muscular progressive sound that gives this EP quite a destructive and addictive quality at the same time.

If you miss the good old days when bands took you on a reflective and cinematic journey then Frozen Future is more than willing to take you to that special place where you can ultimately lose yourself in over and over again.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Low Flying Hawks - Makebelieve (Album Review)

Release Date: October 25th 2024. Record Label: Sympatry Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Makebelieve - Track Listing:

1.OUT FOR BLOOD 04:50

2.BRIDGES 03:37

3.SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF 05:58

4.OLD COUNTRY 07:32

5.STOIC 07:19

6.AXIOM 04:23

7.VAMPIRE 07:11

8.MAKEBELIEVE 04:27

9.MOVE ON 06:21

Members

AAL

EHA 

DALE CROVER

TREVOR DUNN

TOSHI KASAI

Review

Low Flying Hawks return with their fourth full length album Makebelieve with core members AAL and EHA joined once again by MELVINS drummer Dale Crover, Tomahawk’s Trevor Dunn and legendary producer Toshi Kasai. This time round Low Flying Hawks opt for a gloomier and abstract style of Doom Metal and Sludge Metal compared to their previous albums. With a foreboding Shoegaze sound appearing, Low Flying Hawks develop a Alternative Metal sound compared to their previous trilogy of albums which allows this album to have a completely different sound that you initially expect.

The opening songs of Out For Blood and Bridges sets up the scene with distinctive and very different vocal styles which become quite extreme in places, especially on Bridges. The music itself is a mixture of Doom, Sludge, Prog Metal, Post-Metal and Ambient themes for a sound that’s quite diverse and very multilayered at the same time. Drawing upon a slight OCCULT nature for the creative story for Makebelieve, the grooves are plentiful with fine amounts of long drawn muscular sounds which become quite Psychedelic and trippy in nature. 

There are brief moments where Low Flying Hawks draw upon sounds heard from their earlier records and inject a Doomgaze or Shoegaze aspect into the mix. With Dale Crover, Trevor Dunn and Toshi Kasai involved, the record has influences from the legendary bands they’ve all been involved with. Toshi applies his world class mixing and engineering skills into the mix for this record and this allows Makebelieve to sound EPIC throughout. The record is also quite solitary and mournful with some brief moments of uplifting Post-Doom and Post-Metal being employed within the more sombre and heaviest parts of the album within tracks such as Suspension Of Disbelief, Old Country, Stoic, Vampire and Move On. 

Experimentation has always been one of the key factors to Low Flying Hawks providing their own great style of music and that’s true here with Makebelieve perhaps being the band’s most personal and emotionally charged record to date. The lyrics are quite thoughtful and even thought provoking at times which allows the album to provide a deeply satisfying conclusion when everything is said and done. 

Makebelieve feels like Low Flying Hawks are going under a creative rebirth or musical transformation by using different styles of music they haven’t used before and saying goodbye to previous musical endeavours with this more foreboding and in some ways extreme style of music. The album offers no easy answers especially within the harsh vocal structures and intense melodic Post-Doom and Post-Metal passages that Low Flying Hawks strongly focus upon throughout the whole album.

Low Flying Hawks have provided another unforgettable album with Makebelieve and one that is perhaps their most important album to date. The band are always shrouded in mystery and rarely give any interviews which only adds to the whole beauty and intensity of Makebelieve. This is a beautiful, complex and emotionally unforgiving record that will rank as one of the best records of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Makebelieve is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Sympatry Records

Links

Facebook | BandCamp