Ryan Güt - The Shastafarian (Album Review)

Release Date: May 23rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

The Shastafarian - Tracklisting

Beggars and Choosers (explicit)

Basically Dead (This Town)

Song for G

On the Up & Up 

Sand to Snow

Crig Lord Archduke Earl of Montague (The Monkey)

DHS (12th St. Remixes)

Veteran of the Psychic Wars

Members

Ryan Güt - Everything

Review

The Shastafarian is the debut album from Desert Rock/Stoner Rock multi-instrumentalist Ryan Güt who is better known for his work with the legendary Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and Nick Oliveri. Ryan has been part of projects such as Stöner, Mario Lalli & the Rubber Snake Charmers and Hammerface. Ryan’s musical and desert rock credentials have never been in doubt where he’s been part of some of the most memorable Desert/Stoner Rock records of the last decade.

The Shastafarian is an eclectic mix of Psych, Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Americana, Prog and Jazz for a record that’s quite experimental whilst also being superbly familiar. Ryan channels the music of his youth and what has influenced him within his lifetime. There’s a subtle Blues Rock and Soft Rock charge that takes inspiration from the heartland of Seventies and Eighties AOR along the way but with a superb Desert Rock vibe. I would say The Shastafarian has close ties to Brant Bjork’s classic experimental laid back record Jacoozzi.

You can hear influences as diverse as Prince, The Eagles, Tom Petty and KYUSS but Ryan uses a superbly developed style of classic rock melodies set against a backdrop of Cosmic surroundings which shines a light beautifully on the legendary Californian Rock scene. The lyrics can be quite playful and subversive in equal measure especially on tracks such as Beggars And Choosers, Basically Dead (This Town) and Song For G which opens the album superbly well.

There is an “outsider” quality about this album about not fitting in and perhaps following your own destiny though the power of music that Ryan constructs here makes sure that everyone is welcome here with its warm hearted musical energy. I would say that influence has perhaps been learned by Ryan’s time with Brant Bjork over the last decade or so.

However, Ryan still deserves all the credit for releasing an album that is constantly refreshing and showcasing a lost art of storytelling we don’t truly appreciate nowadays especially on a debut album. The songs are wonderfully constructed which allows Ryan to explore the finer details of the Californian Desert Rock landscape. There are plenty of hard rocking moments to fully lose yourself in but you will be thrown a few curve balls along the way as Ryan embraces quite a nomadic creative structure on tracks such as Song For G, On The Up & Up and Sand To Snow.

The Shastafarian drifts into areas of Post-Rock and Electronica which can be quite classical or even low-key in many ways. The album may perhaps be too experimental for the casual Stoner Rock fan but there’s so much to admire and brilliantly enjoy here as the album takes a refreshing approach into how the Jazzy themes interlock with the classic Desert/Stoner Rock melodies. 

The second half of The Shastafarian perhaps contain the heaviest sounds on the record but still spliced with the earlier Post-Rock/Jazz/Desert Rock movements but still being quite grounded. The lyrics are bold and superbly earnest once more with Ryan fully embracing his storytelling persona with a freakish commanding performance on the standout tracks of Crig Lord Archduke Earl of Montague (The Monkey) and Veteran Of The Psychic Wars.

The lyrics could be inspired by the likes of Frank Zappa and perhaps other worldly WEEDIAN ingredients the whole scene is known for. All I can say is that The Shastafarian never plays out how you fully expect and that makes this such a truly outstanding and highly original Desert Rock record you’ll likely hear this year. 

The Shastafarian is superb and I’m hoping Ryan will be releasing more solo albums in the near future. As he’s a true original which this album proves time and time again.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rebelle Rebelle for the promo.

The Shastafarian is available to buy on DD/Vinyl from May 23rd 2026.

Links 

Official | 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

THE MON - Songs Of Abandon (Album Review)

Release Date: November 07th 2025. Record Label: Supernatural Cat. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Songs Of Abandon - Tracklisting

1.Smiling Dog 02:18

2.Two Stones 03:54

3.The Hidden Ghost 05:08

4.Hourglass 03:22

5.The Moon And The Devil 03:25

6.Mayhem 03:22

7.Little Bird 03:33

8.The Fluorescent Sand 02:31

9.Beautiful Star 04:10

10.Your Eyes 03:26

Lineup

Urlo - Everything

Review

Drone/Doom/Ambient artist THE MON is back with their new album Songs Of Abandon which is the first part of "Embrace The Abandon" which is a two-chapter journey that explores loss and rebirth. For folks not in the know, THE MON is the solo project of Urlo (Bass/Vocals) from the legendary Doom Metallers UFOMAMMUT. This project is about as far as you can possibly get from UFOMAMMUT with Urlo exploring musical genres such as Drone, Ambient, Americana, Folk, Electronica and Alternative Sounds.

Songs Of Abandon is a gloomy experience with THE MON creating a minimal and solitary experience that’s full of emotional wonder with Urlo’s tender vocals set against his Post-Doom instrumental surroundings and subtle Ambient effects. There is a lovely and affectionate style of melody that develops very early on from the opening tracks of Smiling Dog and Two Stones which can be quite carefree and influenced by the dark sounds of the Sixties and Seventies rock scene.

This is quite a different affair compared to THE MON’s 2023 critically acclaimed album THE EYE as Urlo is doing everything himself here where THE EYE had major guest contributions from the likes of Steve Von Till (Neurosis), Colin H. Van Eeckhout (Amenra),Sarah Pendleton (Subrosa, The Otolith) and David W. (White Hills). Songs Of Abandon allows THE MON to go back closer to their earlier releases but still maintaining a similar style heard on THE EYE.

The music is quite experimental and brilliantly therapeutic especially within the standout third track The Hidden Ghost which has a grounded Country/Americana approach whilst adding Post-Doom and Drone based movements within the darker aspects of the track. Urlo’s vocals are earnest and superbly real that offer a stark contrast to his work with UFOMAMMUT. The song works best when the Drone aspect takes charge in the later stages as this album ventures briefly into the domain of Psych Rock and Space Rock soundscapes.

The haunting fourth track Hourglass explores that Space Rock angle for the first few seconds before settling upon an excellent style of Acoustic Doom groove with Urlo’s vocals being its most daring and remarkably honest with some experimental background vocals giving it an outlandish quality. The subtle flashes of semi-acoustic Psychedelic sounds once again twists the creative narrative where you begin to notice the smaller things being played in the background. As this is a superbly realized multi-layered track that will surprise you of how it ultimately plays out and changes the course for the rest of the album.

Songs Of Abandon flirts with a vivid assortment of different musical styles that are constantly evolving which makes this one of the most unique and engaging solo albums I’ve heard in quite some time and THE MON keeps on delivering songs of real beauty and quality especially on tracks such as The Moon And The Devil, Mayhem and Little Bird. However, THE MON still offers moments of intense DOOM & GLOOM quality which gives an unsettling feeling at times but the sheer cinematic and emotional scope that Urlo fully commits himself to is a joy to behold.

The songwriting on the album is simply magnificent and so is Urlo’s musical abilities which once again showcases a different side to his work on UFOMAMMUT. The album becomes quite adventurous with flashes of Post-Rock and Gothic Doom that surprised me in many different ways which appear on tracks Mayhem and Little Bird developing into hazy areas of trippy psychedelics that left me wanting more.

Songs Of Abandon is an absolutely exquisite record that shows how THE MON are at the top of their game with their most deeply rewarding and brilliantly engaging record to date. I can’t wait to hear part two to see where this extraordinary journey takes me. Until then, Songs Of Abandon is a record you all need to experience as soon as possible.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to THE MON for the promo.

Songs Of Abandon is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Supernatural Cat.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doubtsower - The Past Melts Away With A Sneer (Album Review)

Release Date: November 28st 2025. Record Label: UBAii / Unbidden Audio: Formats: CD/Digital

The Past Melts Away with a Sneer - Tracklisting

The Past Melts Away with a Sneer

 

Lineup

All tracks written, performed, recorded, produced & mixed by Matt Strangis

Review

The Past Melts Away With A Sneer is the fourth full length album from one-man Blackened Doom/Sludge Metal collective Doubsower and this is my first experience with Matt Strangis’s highly disturbing and nihilistic creative alter ego. This record is full of gloomy visions and harsh sonic landscapes that moves within the areas of Industrial Metal, Funeral Doom, Post-Metal, Post-Rock and Horror Movie Soundtracks for an album that is highly unusual and brilliantly eclectic at the same time.

Doubtsower has gained a lot of great praise from the musical underground scene and it’s not hard to see why as Matt is very passionate about making music across the wider musical spectrum. As Matt plays bass in doom merchants "Pantheist", and also produces experimental electronic music under the alias "Kyam". The whole atmosphere is creepy with Doubtsower playing heavy amounts of warped FUNERAL DOOM soundscapes that’s wrapped around a ton of disturbing ELECTRONIC beats which does take time for the “REAL” metallic movements to appear. 

Matt teases and scares the hell out of the listener with expertly placed soundbytes and sound effects that amps up the tension. Doubtsower feels inspired by the highly controversial and deeply uncomfortable horror movies of European and Asian cinema. This record isn’t watered down by any means with the slow-paced Black Metal grooves merging into heavier slices of violent ELECTRONICA and INDUSTRIAL beats with extreme vocals to match. 

Though, Matt does show a keen sense of melody within the more restrained Post-Rock and Post-Metal passages that appear from momentarily within the album. The record’s main strength is it’s gloomy and highly unapologetic production style which has a real core DIY PUNK ethic running throughout and with the amazing Greg Chandler (from legendary funeral doom band Esoteric) handling mastering duties, this is one record that not only dares to be different within the realm of Funeral Doom but actually rewrites the rule book.

This is a singular forty nine minute track with Doubtsower showcasing one of the best extreme records to emerge from within the UK and WELSH underground metal scene in quite some time. The level of dedication and technical ability that Matt plays on this album is simply astonishing to listen to and to make me emotionally invested for an album such as this is no small feat.

Expect The Unexpected with The Past Melts Away With A Sneer as this is as close as to perfection you’ll ever hear in the world of Experimental Doom Metal.

Words by Steve Howe

The Past Melts Away With A Sneer will be available to buy digitally and CD via Unbidden Audio

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Unbelievable Lake - I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream (Album Review)

Release Date: June 13th 2025. Record Label: Cursed Monk Records. Formats: CD/DD

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream - Tracklisting

1.I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream 41:22

Review

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream is the latest sonic expedition from Heavy Psych Sludge Rockers Unbelievable Lake who are a new band for me. Their blend of Psych, Prog, Drone, Sludge, Post-Rock, Krautrock, Ambient and Soundtrack scores allows the band to fully sell their highly original sound to an unexpected audience such as myself. 

The record starts slow and draws you in with slowly played instrumental passages, electronica sounds and glitchy beats which allows Unbelievable Lake to play moments of beautiful Psych Rock movements before playing a heavier destructive Sludge Rock force that comes out of nowhere.

Inspired by the likes of OM, Pink Floyd, SLEEP, Hawkwind, Neurosis, CAN and SWANS can be heard through this epic singular forty one minute track with the excellent Drone Rock vocal delivery that drifts into existence when the need calls for it. There is a stripped back atmosphere that can be heard within the recording techniques used for the album which gives I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream a truly haunting and organic sound where they cross over into the Space Rock vortex with a real force of Sludge Rock magnitude on different parts of the album.

I started to wonder why Cursed Monk Records released this album as it doesn’t feel like their usual style of music. As that great label normally releases heavier, seedier and filthier records compared to I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream but after experiencing this great album for the past few weeks now I can understand why they released this great record.

Some folks will probably walk away from this great album without fully experiencing for themselves as the HEAVIER and AGGRESSIVE moments take time to fully form and appear. However, it’s the quieter and more outlandish soundscapes that Unbelievable Lake impressed me the most. The album takes a more thoughtful and daring creative approach with nuanced ambient sounds and chill out Post-Rock / Krautrock environments for the majority part of the album.

Everything goes BAT-SHIT crazy with fucked up SLUDGE METAL grooves appearing around the twenty five minutes mark. There’s the SWANS aspect coming into play which firmly pushes I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream into Experimental Rock/Metal territory.

Overall, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream offers a deliciously heavy, aggressive and brilliantly FRENZIED experience which is perhaps better suited to the more experienced fan of Avant Garde and Experimental music with some thrilling moments of Doom and Sludge metal being played along the way.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Sergeant Thunderhoof - A Momentary Lapse Of Badon (Album Review)

Release Date: December 25th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

​A Momentary Lapse Of Badon - Track Listing:

1.Badon (Josh Gallop Remix) 04:22

2.Blood Moon (Josh Gallop Remix) 06:52

3.The Orb of Octavia (Josh Gallop Remix) 08:32

4.Salvation for the Soul (Josh Gallop Remix) 04:54

5.Sentinel (Josh Gallop Remix) 06:04

6.Beyond the Hill (Josh Gallop Remix) 09:06

Members

Mark Sayer – Guitars

Josh Gallop – Guitars and Backing Vocals

Darren Ashman – Drums

Dan Flitcroft – Vocals

Jim Camp – Bass

Review

A Momentary Lapse Of Badon is the Ambient/Electronic version of the new critically acclaimed album The Ghost Of Badon Hill by Sergeant Thunderhoof and it’s a highly original take of that brilliant album. I never expect to hear a remix album from Sergeant Thunderhoof but here we are and everything has been remixed by Josh Gallop who mixed and engineered the original version. The record is quite different with the Ambient/Electronic techniques that Josh has applied here which gives the album a more subdued and emotional style. 

I am not the biggest fan of remix albums but when done right such as this then I can listen to this album all day long. Though, I do love the remix albums for records such as Genghis Tron’s BOARD UP THE HOUSE and ISIS’s Oceanic. You can fit A Momentary Lapse Of Badon next to those classic remix albums with Josh doing wonders for an already classic sounding record

If you want a more chilled out and dare I say “DANCE” based version of a Sergeant Thunderhoof album then this is the answer to your prayers. The heavy instrumental parts have been fully replaced by a calmer and abstract style of Ambient Doom and Psychedelic Electronica which could be classed more as Post-Rock or even Shoegaze at times especially on tracks such as Badon, Blood Moon and Beyond The Hill. 

A Momentary Lapse Of Badon is a deeply emotional journey compared to the brilliant original and I’m beginning to wonder if the band would allow Josh Gallop to work his magic on other Sergeant Thunderhoof records in the future. As I would love to hear his take on albums such as The Sceptred Veil and Terra Solus. Anyway, I digress. If you want another exciting and visceral take of “THE HOOF” then A Momentary Lapse Of Badon is that record that proves once again why they’re one of the best bands the UK Stoner Metal scene has to offer right now.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Website: https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergeantthunderhoof
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergeantthunderhoof/

KAHFA - Le poison & la reine (Album Review)

Release Date: July 26th 2024. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Le poison & la reine: Tracklisting

1.Alva 02:45

2.Le poison & la reine 03:56

3.Infernale Torréfaction 02:04

4.RQPSM 05:03

5.Dernière sommation 04:05

6.Errance & dissidence 03:15

7.Ego Trip 02:21

8.Le Trip part. III 02:14

9.Combat de chiens 03:40

10.Maredsous 01:10

Members

Guitar & Chant : Théo Burri

Drums & Synths : Claudio Peragine

Review

Le poison & la reine is the new album from Fuzz/Punk/Stoner Metal duo KAHFA. The album has a mean Punk Rock attitude with the sound being dominated by elements of Fuzz, Heavy Rock and Stoner grooves. The record is never flashy and has a modern day quality to it all with sublime synth sounds provided by Claudio. The vocals from Théo are quite outlandish and have a certain Industrial Rock/Digital Hardcore flow to them.

The sound is powered by a HEAVY METALLIC movement which appears throughout the whole album with KAHFA being quite experimental with noises, synths and electronic beats that appear very early on within tracks such as: Alva, Le poison & la reine and Infernale Torréfaction. The Stoner Metal aspect of KAHFA’s music is quite abstract at the best of times but when those heavy sounding guitars appear then the album takes upon a whole different meaning with a PARTY ROCK atmosphere. 

Will everyone like this album? Perhaps not everyone as this record is for the Stoner Rock/Metal fan who like their music slightly off-beat with a wicked sense of humour to match. I was quite surprised when Argonauta Records released this great album as it’s not their usual style of music but Gero (Owner of Argonauta Records) has never played by the rules and fair play to him for releasing something different.

Other standout tracks include: RQPSM, Dernière sommation, Ego Trip and Combat de chiens

Le poison & la reine is a freakish and highly inventive slice of Stoner Metal that fuses the more experimental sounds of Punk Rock, Heavy Metal and Electronica with a twisted sense of humour with a demented DOOM METAL sound spliced throughout the album. The demented and heavy digitized vocals give KAHFA a highly original style of music to call their own.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

Le poison & la reine is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram