POHL & OGIVES BIG BAND Share Details of 'SPLIT' TOUR 2026 This October

We’re thrilled to announce that Sheffield noise trio POHL and Bristol riff powerhouse Ogives Big Band are joining forces for an EU tour and split album on Ripcord Records.

As two of the UK underground’s most progressively heavy bands, POHL and Ogives Big Band share an appetite for colossal riffs, warped psychedelia, experimentation and outright sonic punishment. Split – due for official release this October – brings these two distinct but complementary approaches together with both bands pushing their respective sounds into exciting new territories.

POHL on Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

POHL are a genre-bending psychedelic noise rock trio from Sheffield featuring guitarist and vocalist Will Pearce (ex-Hey Colossus), drummer Linda Westman (ex-Old Hope) and Lyra Johnson (Lo Egin) on bass. Following the release of their debut album Mysteries on Wrong Speed Records in July 2024, the band have spent the last two years building a reputation as one of the UK's most compelling and unpredictable live bands, touring with the likes of Dearthworms, Human Leather, and Sleemo, as well as playing dozens of shows across the country.

Their contribution to Split is ‘Flayed Lord Prayer’, a sprawling 17-minute opus that brings together odd time signatures, soaring vocals, tortured screams and nightmares. Wrapped in brutal riffs, while somehow remaining strangely catchy, it was recorded and produced by Pearce as an expansive, abrasive and deeply immersive track, shifting between crushing heaviness and psychedelic disorientation. It represents a natural progression from the approach established on Mysteries but stretches that sound into something even stranger and more imposing.

Ogives Big Band on Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

On the flip-side, Ogives Big Band are a Bristol-based riff powerhouse whose monstrously heavy, psychedelic and cerebral sound refuses to sit comfortably within any single genre. Following their first two EPs and 2024 debut LP Boisterous Love, the band have carved out a sound encompassing savage, angular doom, sludge, progressive metal, psychedelic stoner rock and whatever else happens to get caught in the blast radius.

With Split, Ogives Big Band contribute four new tracks that take the band's established vocabulary for complex rhythms and hook-laden refrains, sharpening it into something heavier, and more streamlined. Recorded by James King at Joe's Garage, mixed by Corey Carruthers-Bell at Tree Angle Studios and mastered by Stephen Kerrison. The crushing riffs remain firmly at the centre, and the band's knack for huge, memorable moments endure, as the new material is refined and honed into a more direct and pummelling proposition.

Together, POHL and Ogives Big Band represent two sides of the same instinct: to make heavy music that is adventurous, unpredictable and unconcerned with genre boundaries. 

Both bands take to the road across Europe this October (see dates below) in support of Split, which is released 2nd October 2026 via Ripcord Records | Pre-order

Stream new ‘I'm Glad You Exist’ by Ogives Big Band here

'SPLIT' TOUR 2026:

15/10 – New Cross Inn – London, United Kingdom
16/10 – DND – Dunkirk, France
17/10 – Le Cirque Electrique – Paris, France
18/10 – Cafard’naüm – Saint-Etienne-Les-Remiremont, France
19/10 – Le Chaff – Brussels, Belgium

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for the details.

Sludge/Stoner Metallers HEALER Release New Song RED WAVES And Announce New EP 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 out on July 10th! (Fléau Records/Ace Of Wands)

HEALER is something of an all-star band on the Tours sludge scene. Founded in late 2022, it brings together former members of Verbal Razors, Toekan, Beyond The Styx, and Crack House, who indulge in a french importation of the sound and intent of the Savannah, Georgia USA sludge scene. A precise and meticulously crafted confrontation of heavy, anvil-like riffs gives way to highly effective melodies. The resulting atmospheres are heavy and tormented, yet captivating. This alternation extends to the vocals of Jibus and Hardno, the raspy register of one occasionally contrasted with the clearer, more ethereal tone of the other.

Following Deconstruction, released last year and composed in the same creative burst, Desolation is the second installment in a trilogy of EPs. And it's safe to say that it already have what it takes to comfortably establish the band as a new force to be reckoned with on the French heavy scene. These 17 minutes deliver a relentless barrage of blows, fueled by punk and hardcore aggression, while also offering moments of sheer heaviness and dissonance from doom metal. 

This formula proves more than fitting for the true atonement undertaken by HEALER, who, through this saga, strive to illuminate childhood traumas. This is particularly evident in the lens of overachieving in the face of parental pressure, as suggested by the sublime artwork designed by Wizp. A little name-dropping to conclude this presentation? Because you don't change a winning team, the mastering was once again entrusted to an international figure in this galaxy: Jonathan Nuñez, guitarist of Torche!

Let’s go for a neck-slapping experience, right here right now:

The release of Desolation will be preceded by a handful of great gigs, and in good company:

Live Dates:

27/05 : Tours @ Le Jéricho w/ Zig Zags + Stalemate
28/05 : Rouen @ Le 3 Pièces Muzik'Club w/ Plomb
05/06 : Orléans @ Dropkick Bar w/ Cancer Bats + Maze
18/06 : Clisson @ Hellfest (Purple Stage)

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Vous Connaissez PR for the details.

Canadian Evil Doom Metallers WITCHROT return with "Throat Cutter" video; new album out May 23 on Fuzzed & Buzzed and Majestic Mountain Records.

Toronto-based hypnotic doom merchants WITCHROT unleash the devilishly haunting first video taken from their new album "Soul Cellar", to be released on May 23rd through Fuzzed and Buzzed Records and Majestic Mountain Records. The band also just announced a string of summer European and UK shows.

Watch new video "Throat Cutter" via Metalsucks + listen to the single on all streaming services

WITCHROT's new album "Soul Cellar" sees the band pushing their creative boundaries by injecting more melody and fine touches of keyboards and developing atmospheres while staying true to their ethereal, doom-infused roots. "Soul Cellar" reflects the lives of its creators, delving into themes of hopelessness, betrayal, paranoia, and societal frustration. Deemed as “ dark, deep, and heavy doom metal to break your neck to” by Metalsucks, their haunting, hopelessness-filled soundscapes invite listeners to immerse themselves in the raw emotion and sonic depth they have become known for.

About their new single "Throat Cutter", they say: "Throat Cutter is specifically based on an experience Peter had witnessing his dog's eye being ripped out. The video incorporates an amalgam of imagery and textures caught on tape, true MK Ultra style. Our friend who made the video felt the song and video together were possessed. He was sure he would have to offer blood to the final tapes."

"Soul Cellar" was recorded at Simcoe Mechanical by Nixon Boyd and Palace Sound by Dylan Frankland. Mixed by Dylan Frankland and mastered by Tony Reed at Heavy Head Recording Co. Album art by ZZ Corpse. It will be released on LP, CD and digital formats on May 23rd, with preorders available now from Fuzzed and Buzzed Records (USA) and Majestic Mountain Records (EU).

New album "Soul Cellar"
Out May 23rd on Fuzzed and Buzzed Records (USA) and Majestic Mountain Records (EU)

Emerging from Toronto’s underground in 2018, WITCHROT has captivated audiences with their heartfelt fusion of doom metal, fuzzed-out psychedelia and haunting shoegaze. Founded by vocalist Lea Reto and guitarist Peter Turik, the quintet crafts hypnotic soundscapes where hazy vocals intertwine with massive waves of distortion, sludge and sleaze.

Joined by keyboardist Patrick Sherrard, WITCHROT continues to evolve while staying true to their roots. Their atmospheric melodies and crushing heaviness push genre boundaries, creating a sound that lingers like an echo in the abyss. Joining the lineup are Jon Ferreira (former Panzerfaust) on bass and Myles Deck (Cauldron) on drums.

Witchrot UK and European summer shows

Aug 12 - Amsterdam (NL) Der Tanker
Aug 13 - Antwerp (BE) Antwerp Music City
Aug 14 - TBA
Aug 15 - Dresden (DE) Chemiefabrik
Aug 16 - TBA
Aug 18 - Nottingham (UK) Billy Bootleggers
Aug 19 - TBA
Aug 20 - Bristol (UK) The Gryphon
Aug 21 - London (UK) Helgis
Aug 22 - Brighton (UK- The Green Door Store
Aug 23 - TBA
Aug 24 - Sheffield (UK) Cosmic Vibration Festival

WITCHROT links

Facebook ⎜ Bandcamp ⎜ Instagram ⎜ Youtube ⎜ Spotify

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the details.