German band PLASMAJET is set to unleash their highly anticipated second album, Solastalgia, marking a bold new chapter in their sonic journey. Formed in Giessen in 2014, the band has evolved through lineup changes and diverse musical explorations, blending metal, stoner rock,blues, and hard rock into an earthy yet powerful sound.
Recorded during the winter months of 2023/2024, Solastalgia captures the weight of loss and displacement—a feeling encapsulated in its title. The album’s themes explore the emotional impact of environmental and societal change, inviting listeners to escape into an "Interstellar Haze" and experience the catharsis of transformation through a rich mix of psychedelic textures, thunderous riffs, and heartfelt melodies.
The creative process behind Solastalgia was fueled by a refreshed lineup, with new members Jannikon guitar and John on drums injecting renewed energy and vision into the project. Mixed and mastered by Martin Giemza, guitarist of German power metal veterans Rebellion, the record boasts a sonic clarity that complements its raw intensity. The striking artwork, created by Artless-Prints,visually echoes the album's themes of loss and renewal.
You can hear the full album with this exclusive album premiere thanks to the good folks over at Grand Sounds Promotion and Argonauta Records.
Release Date: March 14th 2025. Record Label: Argonauta Records / Octopus Rising. Formats: CD/DD
Solastalgia - Tracklisting
Get Up Again – 5:52
Show Me How To Fly – 5:39
A Single Mind – 6:33
Enough Time – 4:46
Deceptive Security – 4:19
Wishes – 6:05
All This Dead Time – 4:31
Interstellar Haze – 6:59
Members
Lars Grote - Vocals/Guitars
Dennis Obermann - Bass
John Sourial - Drums
Jannick Berg - Guitars
Review
Solastalgia is the new album from Stoner Metallers PLASMAJET and is their first new album in seven years since the release of their excellent debut album United Dementia. Aligning themselves to Italian Trendsetting Label Argonauta Records imprint label Octopus Rising, the band have upped their creative game for this album.
Solastalgia has more of a dramatic flair of Blues, Groove, Grunge, Psych, Doom and Heavy Rock compared to their debut album. The album can be quite dramatic and over the top in places with PLASMAJET utilizing all the finer elements of Grooved Out Stoner Metal scene to it’s full advantage.
There’s a slight subtle change with Psychedelic passages coming into play and disrupting the full-on Stoner Metal experience but PLASMAJET know what they’re doing with HEAVY FUZZY grooves keeping things grounded with quite an organic sound being delivered from the ground up on the blistering opening tracks of Get Up Again and Show Me How To Fly.
With a classic Hard Rock / Heavy Metal atmosphere being heard within the production values with Martin Giemza, guitarist of German power metal veterans Rebellion handling mixing and mastering duties. PLASMAJET takes influences from Monster Magnet, Truckfighters, KAL-EL and Red Fang on Solastalgia for certain stages but adds a cerebral Groove Metal oriented vision to their music especially with the lyrics and vocals that appear for the majority of the tracks.
Solastalgia has a true “END OF THE WORLD” theme with the record touching upon environmental issues which is quite original in places and allows PLASMAJET to have real air of social conscience around their music. If you want to solely concentrate on the mighty riffs with a hardened Groove Rock/Metal approach then that’s fine as PLASMAJET have all bases covered on that score especially on tracks such as A Single Mind, Enough Time, Wishes, All This Dead Time and Interstellar Haze. With PLASMAJET moving across multiple areas of Stoner Metal with supreme confidence with a subtle technical level of detail being shown through the neverending instrumental solos and spaced out passages that have a violent Sludge Rock sound bursting through the seams.
The vocals from Lars Grote taps mostly into the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal arena of old school theatrics but Lars adds a subtle modern day gruff sounding Doom/Stoner Metal persona to his vocals which is quite different to their debut album. As Lars feels more comfortable and commanding on this record that gives a heavier element to Solastalgia that you don’t expect.
Solastalgia is a superb RAWK AND ROLL musical adventure set within the realm of Stoner Rock/Metal with an unforgiving presence to PLASMAJET’s way of delivering a record with a deep socially aware message to impress the underground masses with.
Release Date: October 04th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD
Be Good - Track Listing:
1.Loan Shark Business Park 04:52
2.Space Bastard 03:26
3.How the Wheel Rolls 05:28
4.In His Cups 04:01
5.Designed for Big Movement 05:40
6.Wah Boot 04:06
7.Born with a Beard 04:26
8.Castaway 05:09
9.Lungs of Doom 05:54
10.Be Good, Get Good or Give Up 04:41
Review
Be Good is the debut album from Stoner Rockers Kraken Waker who come from my hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne and who I’ve seen a few times live where they always put on a great show. Kraken Waker play a similar style of music to bands such as Red Fang, Clutch, Planet Of Zeus with a bit of Black Label Society and Alice In Chains thrown in for great measure.
The band do add a heavy dose of Groove Metal which gives the album a more melodic and heavy metallic sound which comes right into play on the excellent opening track Loan Shark Business Park. The sound is quite modern with Kraken Waker playing an aggressive style of Stoner Rock/Metal which becomes more Groove oriented within the heavier sections of the track. The vocals are superb throughout which immediately draws you into Kraken Waker’s deeply satirical world which is thanks to the clever lyrics they’ve written for this track which is one of the albums main strengths. This shows how the band have a great sense of humour to match the hard-rocking grooves that appear on the majority of the album.
Be Good is built upon a foundation of EPIC RIFFS with Kraken Waker playing a wide range of different riff-centric styles with even a FUNK sound appearing on the second track Space Bastard. A song that’s very straight to the point but one that has a classic CLUTCH sensibility running through its DNA. There’s a great sense of NOSTALGIA within this track which fuses different eras of the Hard Rock and Stoner Rock scenes which shows how the band have great timing and creativity which only becomes more apparent as the album progresses.
Third track How The Wheel Turns takes a more Heavy Metal stand with a subtle Psych Rock swagger which becomes more Sludge Rock and Grunge based with Kraken Waker switching genres that allows the track to become slightly heavier and melodic. The instrumental jams are a breath of fresh air especially if you’re a fan of Classic Hard Rock. However, Kraken Waker shows some Progressive melodies that have a slight Mastodon sound to them. This is one of the standout tracks on the album and showcases what the band does so well.
You can classify Be Good as ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER with the band have written a collection of outstanding tracks with the band even adding THIN LIZZY classic sounds into their music with the outlandish fourth track In His Cups being the prime example of this. The track alone will speak volumes to fans of CLUTCH but performed with a determined gritty attitude of Kraken Waker’s own creative making.
The second half of Be Good only becomes stronger and even more outlandish with Kraken Waker delivering more subtle slabs of aggressive and muscular STONER ROCK that’s packed with plenty of attitude especially on tracks such as Designed For A Big Movement, Wah Boot and Lungs Of Doom being the other standout tracks from the album.
There’s a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy on the whole album as Kraken Waker delves into so many different musical genres that you never know what you’re going to get. This allows Be Good to be quite a different and exciting style of Stoner Rock than you initially expect with Kraken Waker always delivering the goods through every individual track.
My advice - Add this to your collection now. As this is a superbly entertaining album which should hopefully allow Kraken Waker to build a cool reputation within the Stoner Rock community.
The Netherlands-based, groove-driven heavy rock band Hell Valley High has released its self-titled EP via Argonauta Records today.
The band comments on the EP: “We are very excited to release our self-titled debut EP. After the great (and overwhelmingly positive) response to the first two singles and our recent addition to Desertfest Antwerp, it feels like the time is right to share an entire EP worth of material with everyone. We’ve been working hard since these recordings and have more music coming to you later this year through Argonauta. The songs on these EP are very dear to us, and we’re immensely proud of them. We hope listeners will enjoy listening to them as much as we did creating and recording them!"
01. Blameless 02. Future Nomads 03. To Each His Own 04. The Grind
Hell Valley High is a groove-driven heavy rock band, based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The quintet combines thick, heavy riffing, throbbing bass parts and pounding drums with powerful vocals and punk rock energy.
The band’s music is inspired by the likes of Fu Manchu, Truckfighters, Red Fang, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Karma to Burn, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Black Sabbath.
Hell Valley High is comprised of seasoned musicians who have played a lot of shows in The Netherlands and toured Europe extensively. The group features ex-members of Wildebeast, Filthy Felons, Note to Amy, Apehanger and Junkyard Safari and is currently rocking the stages.
Boisterous psych-prog act GONDHAWA to deliver peppy new video today; new EP "Mäanthagorī" out now via Stolen Body Records
Photo Matthias Eyer.
Amazing ethnic and futuristic psych-prog trio GONDHAWA open the doors to their boundless imagination by sharing their wacky and endearing new video. The footage reveals the two tracks of their new EP "Mäanthagorī" - out today through Stolen Body Records. Embark now on a journey to the planet Gondhawa, heading to "Go ! Go! Sinay" and "Toko Mieko"!
French psych-prog three-piece GONDHAWA are an eclectic sonic tumult that ignore geographical and genre limitations. Their imagination ends where the impossible begins! Straddling the line between psychedelic and progressive rock, they write songs in their very own language: Gondhawii. Lulled by science-fiction literature, Gondhawa's luminous and high-spirited universe rubs shoulders with afrobeat, oriental rhythms and the rock'n'roll frenzy. They unveil their new EP 'Mäanthagorī' in full thanks to an off-the-wall astounding new video directed by Matthias Eyer.
GONDHAWA's new EP 'Mäanthagorī' is a successful synthesis of revisited folk music and space rock. Hypnotic loops a la Moon Duo tickle with exuberant and futuristic ethnic elements. The two-track EP was recorded and mixed by Elliot & Stew at La Cuve studio (Angers, France) and mastered by Thibault Chaumont of Deviant Lab. Artwork by Léo Zedinn. The EP is coming out today.
Artwork by Leo Zedinn
GONDHAWA were born in 2018, following the musical wanderings of their three members who met a year before. Evolving in a garage rock direction until then, the three musicians from Angers, France, decided to break out of the mould and set off on a hallucinatory journey inspired by science fiction literature. From psychedelia to oriental music, passing through afrobeat and progressive rock, Gondhawa draw inspiration from all over the World. All of this converge towards an eclectic and singular musical universe, with lyrics written in their very own language : Gondhawii.
On stage, the power trio takes on a whole new dimension by introducing traditional Chinese instruments (sanxian), Malian instruments (n'goni) or a micro-tonal guitar, always seeking to expand their sound spectrum. Their performances are peppered with improvisations, immersing the audience into unique journeys around this rich blend of influences.
Gondhawa's debut album 'Käampâla' was released on October 2021 on Bristol-based record label Stolen Body (Yo No Se, Slift, Karkara, Bad Pelican). Through the micro-tonal groove of "Raba Dishka", the afrobeat stoner power of "Käampâla", or the softness of "Djoliko" - a beautiful ballad lulled by the melancholy of acoustic strings from all around the World - Gondhawa deliver the soundtrack of an interstellar road-movie. Six tracks of electric tornado with a bunch of rhythms and textures. Gondhawa's new EP 'Mäanthagorī' arrives on November 25th 2022 through Stolen Body Records.
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