Ken Wohlrob - Forgotten Music (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Obsidian Sky Records. Format: CD/DD

Forgotten Music - Tracklist

1.Snowdrift 07:51

2.William 11:37

3.Simulacrum 06:24

4.The Naked Floor 07:28

5.Rorschach 513 06:18

Members

Ken Wohlrob - Everything

Review

Forgotten Music is the latest record from Ken Wohlrob who is best known for his work with bands such as Eternal Black and Northern Heretic. This time round Ken is flying solo with his latest collection of experimental tracks that are superbly experiential but also have a personal energy attached to them. The whole record operates within a gloomy cinematic and soundtrack landscape with echoes of music created in the Seventies and Eighties with that instrumental approach having a dramatic slow-to-mid paced delivery throughout the whole thing.

The songs are quite hard to categorize as Ken moves between areas of Post-Rock, Ambient, Drone, Doom, Electronica, Movie Soundtracks and Progressive Rock with the exquisite opening track Snowdrift being painfully slow to listen to at first, However, by the end of that track you do feel quite quite refreshed listening to the heavily slow played Droned aspect of the whole musical journey. There’s a creeping sense of Psychedelic doubt appearing which thrusts the song further into video game / movie soundtrack territory.

Second track William is cautiously slow once more but Ken adds fractured instrumental passages with hazy guitars, keys and synths which remain unapologetically in the same musical lane with a low-key melody appearing. The song does have layers of distorted drone and blues doom sounds emerging but the highly unconventional tone makes this even more emotionally rewarding. 

Third track Simulacrum is mostly from the Ambient/Post-Rock world with Ken feeling influenced by the likes of MONO, Russian Circles and SUNN 0))) in places. Though, the music is beautifully slow with strands of melodic Post-Doom and Psychedelic melodies forging an ice-cold alliance that's quite ethereal. The sound does become slightly aggressive and louder when some Shoegaze guitars enter the equation. This is perhaps where Ken shows a few tricks learnt for his other great bands for a great style of heaviness to appear but without being too heavy at the same time. 

The final two tracks of The Naked Floor and Rorschach 513 doesn’t change course with the music becoming more withdrawn but also showing another level of uplifting Ambient soundscapes to emerge from the musical catacombs. Trippy Electronic sound effects and weird Psychedelic glitches offer a chilling emotional insight that’s quite hard to ignore with the music diving right into it’s creative core of Experimental music. 

There’s some musical interludes inspired by the likes of John Carpenter, Vangelis and GOBLIN but that’s my own observations with the great music that Ken has written and played here. Forgotten Music isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s superbly stubborn with the music only changing creative course when the time actually demands this.

Forgotten Music offers a highly peaceful and meditative journey into the more experimental side of Ambient Metal and Post-Rock which shows a totally different side to Ken Wohlrob. This is the type of album that you can easily find “inner peace” with but one that does offer a challenging experience along the way. That's the sign of a great “solo” record for me.

Words by Steve Howe

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KEVIN - It Is What It Is (Album Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Riot Season Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

It is What It Is - Tracklist

1.Wood Grain 07:47

2.Point 03:02

3.Potter's Wheel 06:02

4.Murphy Is Buried 08:49

5.It Is What It Is 06:20

6.Yagura 04:08

Members

Yutaro Umemoto (guitar/vocals) 

Yuichi Umemoto (drums).

Review

Experimental Psych Kraut-Rockers KEVIN release their second album It Is What It Is and it’s quite a vivid collection of tracks that have quite a fractured and disjointed approach to them. The record isn’t the easiest thing to listen to but I was expecting this challenge as the record is being released by the equally weird and amazing record label Riot Season Records. KEVIN bring an aggressive Post-Punk and Noise Rock delivery to their music which is quite different to their 2022 debut album Aftermath since the band are now a duo instead of a dedicated power trio. 

The sound is very lo-fi and quite surreal within the excellent opening track of Wood Grain. This is the type of track I could easily be playing in the background of a David Lynch, Gus Van Sant or Steven Sodenbergh film. The song is definitely it’s own thing with warped instrumental passages that bursts into sudden scenes of intense screeching violent guitars that remind me of The Melvins and BORIS at their most experimental. The vocals can only be described as WTF but they’re brilliantly addictive that draw you into KEVIN’s dark world

The atmosphere is quite hallucinogenic with KEVIN blurring the lines between fantasy and reality with sludgy psychedelics and warped noise rock sounds that are surrounded by that delicious Krautrock delivery and intense experimental vibes. KEVIN apply that same experimental and creative logic to the rest of the album where everything once again becomes freakishly weird and demented with experimental Jazz sounds moving straight back into Krautrock territory on tracks such as: Point, Potter’s Wheel, Murphy Is Buried and Yagura. 

The album does have a sense of isolation as one of its most dominant themes which gives KEVIN a unique and perspective take within the psychedelic movement. The whole record really comes alive when KEVIN play a more straight forward style of conventional Rock and Roll whilst keeping true to their core Experimental sound which allows some areas of Garage Rock and Industrial sounds to emerge from the darkness.

This is a record that has its own dark moral code which allows the music to be quite deliriously seductive and threatening at the same time which you can ultimately feel on the standout track of Murphy Is Buried. The lo-fi production values once again add a menacing attitude which KEVIN run amok with until the dying seconds of the whole album.

It Is What It Is can be considered an offbeat and hip record which manages to be completely original and superbly different in its own right. KEVIN are another great band to discover from the Japanese Rock underground scene.  

Words by Steve Howe

You can buy It Is What It Is on CD/DD/Vinyl now via Riot Season Records

Links

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Sly & The Family Drone - With Love (Album Review)

Release Date: August 28th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/Vinyl

With Love - Tracklist

1.Psychic Surgery

2.The Guts Of Albion

3.Under The Rainbow

4.In The Oils

5.Snagged On Frowns

6.Cloth Control

Members

James Allsopp – tenor saxophone

Kaz Buckland – drums, electronics

Matt Cargill – electronics, voice, percussion

Ed Dudley – electronics, voice

Will Glaser – drums, electronics

Review

Sly & The Family Drone return with their latest offering With Love and it’s equally weird and brilliantly inventive as their previous records. The band have always been quite hard to fully describe or categorize which is down to the endless amount of sounds they create within their music. The band call themselves a “Neo Jazz Wrecking Crew” and that’s a great way to describe them but that only tells half of the story.

Jazz plays a bit part of Sly & The Family Drone’s musical identity but they play movements of Psych, Folk, Doom, Drone, Sludge, Prog and massive freak-ish beats. The sound is wonderfully tribal and quite cosmic which feels like what a Psych/Jazz album would sound like if it was being conducted by Alejandro Jodorowsky. The record has been quite difficult for me to review as I haven’t listened to the band in a long time and how they add so many different musical instruments into the mix makes it even harder.

However, I’m not complaining as With Love is a hugely enjoyable of fucked up moments which kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s best to describe it as a singular album that’s been broken down into individual segments with each song allowing Sly & The Family Drone to experiment with different musical themes, sounds and eerie emotional templates. Any band that plays their own warped and noise rock version of the classic track Over The Rainbow deserves to be heard.

Most readers may know I’m not the biggest fan of Saxophone based music but it’s gloriously heavy and freakishly powerful throughout this album. The opening tracks of Psychic Surgery and The Guts Of Albion are down beat, gloomy and distorted with Sly & The Family Drone adding glitchy sound effects along the way. The Post-Rock, Drone and Psychedelic soundscapes have a dark hallucinogenic effect which allows the Industrial Rock/Metal and Neo-Jazz surroundings to fully take over. 

With Love can be quite demented with the slow paced music forging new creative openings for the band to overlap with an abstract Space Rock theme on tracks such as The Guts Of Albion, Over The Rainbow, In The Oils and Snagged Out Frowns. There’s some massive KrautRock and Japanese Psychedelic Freakout influences with the band applying that epic Jazzy attitude which becomes even more daring and brilliantly surreal which feels like you’re coming down from the most massive WEEDIAN trip possible. 

Even with the intense experimentation, Sly & The Family Drone still offer a grounded approach to their music which does become quite schizophrenic along the way. These guys have been around for the best part of two decades now and know a thing or two about experimenting with finely tuned SONIC based passages which even have a heavier presence than you initially expect.

The vocals drift into existence only when they’re really needed but it’s still sometimes confusing to listen to at first so expect to have multiple listens to fully understand the story of With Love. I’ve listened to the album about four or five times now and I'm even finding new sounds to fully explore with every listen.

With Love is a great album with first rate production values allowing Sly & The Family Drone showing why they’re one of the finest Progressive bands we have in the UK scene. This won’t be for everyone and is perhaps suited for their established fan base. However, I would recommend you give this record a chance as With Love will surprise the hell out of you.

Words by Steve Howe

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Pharm - Proton Blizzard (Single Review)

Release Date: July 17th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Proton Blizzard - Tracklist

Proton Blizzard

Review

Experimental Stoner Rockers Pharm release their latest single Proton Blizzard which is a fusion of Psych Rock, Sludge Rock, Punk Rock, Doom and Alternative Metal. Imagine PRIMUS decided to solely focus on weird Sludge, Stoner and Doom Metal anthems with a slight skittish Mutoid Man influence lurking behind the scenes. Well, that’s what you get with Proton Blizzard and it's a great song that lives upto to it’s GONZO delivery with freakish beats and a massive Funk Rock attitude. 

Pharm have been on the blog before when I reviewed their previous releases and it’s always good to have them back on here as they always deliver a manic slice of crazy heaviness. The four minutes on offer here veers into different areas of Heavy Rock with a fast-paced narrative that’s delivered through off-kilter melodic vocals, warped lyrics and some thrilling bass lines holding everything together.

The song does feel like it’s been left off a Mutoid Man record but Pharm add their own great style of humour with some subversive moments being played along the way. It’s not the easiest track to fully understand what’s going on but with multiple listens Pharm offers brief glimpses into what is actually going on with this track. Adding some intense Psychedelic beats also thrusts the song into full blown over the top theatrics especially when they change their musical style to a frenzied Thrash Metal delivery towards the end of the track. 

For the uninitiated, Pharm is a breath of fresh air and a creative force of nature where everything goes and a whole lot of things don't make complete sense. If you’re already part of the PHARM program then be prepared for a wild and manic ride that shows brief glimpses where their future releases may be heading!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

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PAMPS! Les Pamplemousses Ethyliques - Le Monde Des Tracteurs Geants (Album Review)

Release Date: June 19th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

PAMPS! Les Pamplemousses Ethyliques - Tracklisting

O Simon Diaz (Ianovitch)

Le Monde Des Tracteurs Geants

Octave ou Attention a la Mousse

Savage Biouti

Joachim ou Prends l'apparence du Duc

Members

 

Camille "Guitar Magic" Bouvard (Guitar)

François "Dr. Mad Francwe" Parmentier (Bass)

Alexis "Jean-Pierre Baguette" Caillet (Drums)

Review

Le Monde Des Tracteurs Geants is the third full length album from Psych Stoner Rockers PAMPS! Les Pamplemousses Ethyliques (PLPE) and this is my first exposure to the band. The band play a long drawn out and cinematic style of Stoner Rock that blends Psych, Space Rock, Desert Rock and Prog Rock with other influences ranging from Middle Eastern grooves and full on film soundtrack dynamics appearing on this record alone.

The record is quite epic in scope that runs for over an hour spread across five tracks which all have their own unique flavour and style of Stoner Rock. The record is very overblown, melodramatic and quite long but however this all works to the band’s great advantage. As they create some groundbreaking instrumental passages that are just jaw-dropping to listen to. There’s a fine amount of Post-Rock based melodies before PLPE aims for a heavier, disjointed and fractured sound that’s quite deafening at times. 

Imagine a more spaced out and jazzed up version of EARTHLESS and MONKEY3 then that’s what you’ll experience with PLPE. All of the musicians are absolute geniuses with the amount of different music they conjure up within the outstanding opening track O Simon Diaz (Ianovitch) which demonstrates what to expect for this mammoth album. 

This is mostly an instrumental rock album with some vocals and soundbytes being added along the way but for the majority PLPE are happy to let their music do the talking. They also have an unhealthy obsession using feedback loops, trippy sound effects and distorted amplifier movements within their music which gives a highly unorthodox Doom Rock sound creeping out from the speakers. 

Sometimes the music also feels completely out of control which happens within regular stages of the record as PLPE explore that Jazz Rock and Experimental sound to generate new areas of Heavy Psychedelic and Sonic tapestries to explore, dismantle and re-create in their own great creative image. The album does feel like one extended album broken down into individual chapters which allows a different musical and creative perspective to take the limelight on tracks such as Le Monde Des Tracteurs Geants, Octave ou Attention a la Mousse and Joachim ou Prends l'apparence du Duc. 

The levels of FUZZ is expertly timed with PLPE adding a cautious modern day sound which can be quite romantic within some of the closing seconds of individual tracks. This has been a hard album to review as Le Monde Des Tracteurs Geants conveys many different moods that’s quite hard to describe especially within the realm of Instrumental Rock music. Though, I can’t state how brilliantly breathtaking and emotionally engaging the whole record is. The sheer vision that the band have applied to this record is nothing short of amazing within the intricate sounds that’s played throughout the album. 

Le Monde Des Tracteurs Geants is one of the most warm hearted and most emotionally engaging records I’ve heard in quite some time. There’s not one sign of malice as PAMPS! Les Pamplemousses Ethyliques make everyone feel welcome to join with their massive sounding record. 

Awesome. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

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Exclusive Premiere Of Noise Rock/Sludge Metallers BLEETH Stunning New EP Lázara

Drive through the neighborhoods of Southwest Miami and you’ll see him: San Lázaro, standing in a glass enclosure among the manicured lawns and palm fronds. Eerily positioned between the divine and the mundane, he is a constant, quiet fixture of the city.

For us, the origin of this EP traces back to one of those statues in particular. While we were writing in a cramped side room, a human-sized San Lázaro stared back at us. At first, it was just a joke—a creepy visitor crashed our sessions. But over time, the image of Lazarus became a sort of talisman, a presence that wove itself into the fabric of these songs.

That shift didn't happen in a vacuum. With the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community feeling more precarious by the day, these sessions became a necessary outlet for our collective rage. We needed a way to process the uncertainty and the weight of the current political landscape.

In that pressure cooker, Lazarus took on a new meaning. Through a queer lens, he became a figure marked and cast aside, only to be brought back to life. That tension between collapse and renewal, death and resurrection, is the heartbeat of Lázara.

This set of songs is a new beginning for us. After a period of turbulence that could have easily ended the band, we came out the other side with the heaviest, most eclectic music we’ve ever made.

You can here the blistering new EP Lázara below thanks to the cool folks over at Good Boy PR.

Lázara - Tracklisting

1.Pretty on the Inside 02:44

2.Porcelain 03:46

3.Bent 02:15

Members

 

Lauren Palma (vox,guitar)

Ryan Rivas (vox,bass)

Hector Mojeno (drums)

Links

Official | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Good Boy PR for all of the details.

Bleeth - Lázara (EP Review)

Release Date: May 29th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Lázara - Tracklisting

1.Pretty on the Inside 02:44

2.Porcelain 03:46

3.Bent 02:15

Members

 

Lauren Palma (vox,guitar)

Ryan Rivas (vox,bass)

Hector Mojeno (drums)

Review

Miami-based queer Sludge Metal/Noise Rock band Bleeth latest EP Lázara is meant to be a rebirth for the band after a period of tough challenges and experiences they’ve faced or currently facing within this hostile world. Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and what they're currently going through allows Bleeth to re-invent their music with a new found style of aggression and maturity which is quite refreshing from their 2025 album Marionette. 

Lázara opens with a blistering and brutal cover of the HOLE classic Pretty On The Inside with the original’s Punk and Alt-Rock energy being replaced by a primal mix of Noise Rock, Sludge Metal and Harsh melodies. The stripped back sound of the original track is still there but it’s a stripped back style of crushing sludgy guitars with a ferocious Post-Punk sound allowing Bleeth to fully move into an Industrial and Experimental direction.

The EP does contain two original tracks of Porcelain and Bent which offers six minutes of abstract Sludge Metal and Noise Rock melodies with raw sounding production values. Bleeth are quite rightly pissed off on this EP with the whole creative flow surrounded by intricate Post-Punk and industrial beats. The lyrics hit pretty hard with a solitary and emotionally wrought experience hidden behind them. Bleeth inject that legendary brutal MIAMI underground vibe into their music throughout both of these tracks that remind me of CAVITY and FLOOR.

Lázara maybe on the short side but it gets shit done by allowing the LGBTQIA+ community to have a unique voice within the scene where we usually pride in saying “everyone is welcome” but sadly that isn’t always the case. Lázaras is a genuine gut-wrenching, pissed off and brilliantly heavy EP that allows Bleeth to have a real voice within the underground Sludge Metal scene. 

If this is the new musical direction that Bleeth will be taking then I can’t wait to experience what they have in store for future releases.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo..

Lázara  is available to buy now on Digital Formats from all good stockists. 

Links

Official | BandCamp | Instagram

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 

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Introduce Yourselves: Draconic Fire

What is the name of your band?

Draconic Fire

What is the genre of music that you play?

Stoner, Hard Rock, Doom Rock and Garage Rock.

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

Draconic Fire came about in October 2025 in my own home studio in mid-west Norway while exploring guitar tones and riffs wanting to create something inspired by great albums and bands. Such as Sleep,  Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Pentagram. And Hard Rock and Experimental bands such as King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard.

What can people expect from your music?

You can expect a broad exploration of rock and metal anchored down in groove, noisy fuzz, bass and riffing.

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

The best release is yet to come as Draconic Fire will always strive to outdo itself. But the debut, Demonic Romance (release date 2nd March 2026) is a great starting point.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

You can find Draconic Fire on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/draconicfireband/

Liquid Pennies - Cope (EP Review)

Release Date: January 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Cope - Tracklisting

1.Cope 08:01

2.Floating Mote 07:28

3.Long Fuse 03:59

4.Cope (Single Edit) 06:46

Members

Chas Binns - vocals, guitars, synth, electric piano, engineering

Pierson Whicker - drums

Tysonious Mink - bass

Review

Psych/Shoegaze/Stoner Rockers Liquid Pennies return with their new EP Cope which lasts for twenty minutes spread across three tracks though there’s a shortened and rather nifty single edit of the opening title track. The EP perhaps has a certain Indie Rock/Alt-Rock quality to it compared to their acclaimed 2025 album FORE. However, there are moments of aggressive Stoner Rock sounds which can easily be compared to the likes of QOTSA and FOO FIGHTERS for the more peaceful moments.

Opening track Core is quite an upbeat rocker with a passionate Radio Friendly sound with Liquid Pennies moving closer to the Grunge and Alt Rock platforms. The vocals from Chas Binns have a certain Post-Punk quality to them with a more laid back energy compared to what was delivered on their last record. The second half of the song is the faster sludgy grooves take complete control and you can hear those Mastodon and Baroness highly influenced melodies take this track into a whole new direction before slowing the mood right down before the song closes naturally.

Second track Floating Mote is more of a frenzied Droned Out and Electronic sound with sudden flashes of glitchy Psychedelic beats. This overlaps with a long drawn out experimental Sludge Rock passage which maybe too confusing for some. Though, the sound is quite varied with Liquid Pennies trying some different compared to the previous track. After a few listens I’m beginning to enjoy the track more and more. 

The final track Long Fuse is a gloomy and haunting Electronic/Post-Rock/Post-Doom number with the creative themes of the previous two tracks being heard within the background. This has a certain throwback and influence to the likes of NEW ORDER, DAFT PUNK and NINE INCH NAILS with its cerebral style of Electronica beats. 

Cope may not be as accessible as previous Liquid Pennies releases but if you like the experimental qualities of GENGHIS TRON then there is much to admire and enjoy here. At least Liquid Pennies are always trying something different to stay ahead of the curve.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Linktree | BandCamp