Okay You Win - End Of Days (Album Review)

Release Date: June 26th 2026. Record Label: Blues Funeral Recordings.Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

End Of Days - Tracklisting

1.Smoke 

2.Beat Me Down 

3.The Greatest Lie

4.This Damned Place

5.End of Days

6.Red Flag

7.Ten Year Trip

8.Own It

Members

Rodrigo Barradas – Bass

David Kirk – Vocals

Ryan O'Hare – Guitar

Antonio Peci – Drums 

Review

Grunge/Psych/Stobner Rockers Okay You Win feel primed for great things with the release of their highly anticipated debut album End Of Days. This is a record powered by the glory days of the Nineties musical scene where Grunge, Psych, and Stoner Metal reigned supreme the musical world for a brief moment of time. However, Okay You WIn still manage to capture a sense of modern aggressiveness in their music with the music having a gritty determined attitude running throughout.

Okay You Win have a similar musical energy to fellow UK Stoner Metallers Sergeant Thunderhoof but with this record having that classic SEATTLE and GRUNGE sound to set them both apart from each other. Lead vocalist Dave Kirk does have a similar vocal delivery to The Hoof’s very own Dan Flitcroft but once again having slight differences at the same time. 

Anyway, back to the album itself, the band are fuelled by a determined Grunge aesthetic which allows the band to move further into the Heavy Psychedelic arena with flashes of gritty Doom Rock and Stoner based melodies. There’s also a thrilling aspect of gloomy soundscapes and progressive surroundings which are developed very early on the record on tracks such as Smoke, Beat Me Down and The Greatest Lie which make up the core exciting elements of the first half of the record. Okay You Win writes lyrics that are quite deceiving in places which also allows them to play heavier aggressive melodies with that destructive aura of FUZZ which results in some epic electrifying grooves coming from the speakers.

The musical hooks are always massive and can be quite dramatic but when the music is this good you accept nothing less with Okay You Win slowly carving up their own great sound and creative identity within the landscape of the UK Stoner Metal scene alone and we're not even in the second half of the album yet. Though, Okay You Win continue to deliver and create sublime strands of Stoner Rock/Metal that feel like a mighty throwback to the likes of KYUSS, SOUNDGARDEN and FU MANCHU whilst allowing themselves loads of ground for real creative growth on tracks such as End Of Days, Red Flag and Own It. 

End Of Days sometimes feels like an album that was recorded decades ago but one that’s being discovered for the very time today but still having a refreshing and highly original modern day sound. This is made possible by the outstanding production values that End Of Days contains. The album is superbly heavy with Okay You Win delivering a record that’s absolutely stacked with multiple and potential classic songs from start to finish.

Okay You Win feel like they already have the potential to become major players within the UK Stoner Metal scene with this album alone. They’re already starting to make a name for themselves and it’s not hard to see why with them delivering a record of real outstanding quality. They have the power of Blues Funeral Recordings helping out for their debut album and that is really saying something. 

This is an outstanding debut album that every serious follower within the Stoner Metal community should have in their record collection right now. It’s really that simple!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

End Of Days is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Blues Funeral Recordings

Links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Boarzoy - The Great Fires (Album Review)

Release Date: June 12th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

The Great Fires - Tracklisting

1.Even in the Rain 05:44

2.A Hundred Pitchers of Honey 03:56

3.Wartime Softshoe 05:02

4.Agency (Is Necessary) 04:19

5.Bib and Bottle 02:45

6.Your New Hands 03:48

7.David 04:35

8.Something Beautiful 01:36

9.The Great Fires 06:12

Members

 

Riley Senne- Bass

Taylor Winterhalder- Drums

Rennie Boyd- Vocals

Jake Sklodowski- Guitars

Review

Groove/Sludge Metallers Boarzoy second album The Great Fire offers more complex and dazzling progressive melodies compared to their excellent debut album. There’s an intense eclectic creative energy to Boarzoy with the band employing different musical styles with influences such as Mastodon, The Mars Volta, The Melvins, Devin Townend, Lamb Of God and Machine Head which you can feel throughout the album.

There’s instances of Grunge, Doom and Stoner Metal based madness lurking in the background with Boarzoy aiming for bigger and better things with this album which they richly deserve.

The Great Fire sees Boarzoy power through a mix of progressive beat-downs and sludgy powerful beats that have a Punk Rock aesthetic with the scattered DIY approach the record ultimately thrives upon. There is a slight outlandish attitude appearing from the band on tracks such as Even In The Rain, A Hundred Pitchers Of Honey, Bib And Bottle, Your New Hands, David and The Great Fires being my favourite tracks on the album. Though, all the tracks have this intense and outrageous manic energy that leaves you fully satisfied. 

Boarzoy are sometimes very hard to describe with their music being quite schizophrenic in nature where they just sound like they have a “FUCK IT” kind of attitude where they play exactly what they want. However, there are massive amounts of great melodic sounds emerging when you least expect it. The jazzy grooves work best when the band play a standard style of Progressive Sludge Metal before Rennie Boyd’s superb vocals just thrust you back into their warped HEAVY METAL world.

The album fully relies on the outlandish sensibilities of Eighties and Nineties Heavy Metal where experimentation was perhaps that little bit different back during those days. However, here's a huge modern day sound that keeps everything grounded despite the crazed music being played throughout. You can even detect a sudden influence of the likes of QUEEN within some of the music and vocals used on the awesome third track Wartime Softshoe. 

The one thing you can call The Great Fires is ORIGINAL. You just don’t come across albums such as this as it feels like an all out assault on your senses. BOARZOY is the real deal if you like your music that is a little bit more AVANT-GARDE with the band always thinking outside the box. This record is an exhilarating mix of different Heavy Metal themes that will leave you completely speechless.

Mind-Blowing. End Of.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

RUFF MAJIK DECLARES WAR ON A.I. WITH NEW ALBUM: “REEFER SADNESS (AND THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MODERN LIVING)”

Johannesburg, South Africa — In an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, algorithmic playlists, and machine-generated slop, South African fuzz-punks Ruff Majik have announced their most ambitious and confrontational project to date.

Their next album will be titled:

REEFER SADNESS (AND THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MODERN LIVING)

And it will not be recorded in a studio.

It will be recorded live, in front of real people, with real mistakes.

Every cheer, every missed note, every burst of chaos and moment of unexpected magic will remain exactly where it belongs: in the music.

Most importantly, every person attending these performances will become part of the record itself. The band will also announce an international ‘support’ counterpart in the coming weeks.

The album will be captured across four performances during July 2026:

• 11 July — That Winter Fest, Sognage (Johannesburg)
• 12 July — Secret Location
• 17 July — That Winter Fest, District (Cape Town)
• 18 July — Aandklas (Stellenbosch)

Every moment exists once and can never be repeated.

Machines can imitate music, sure.

But they cannot create a room full of strangers singing together. They cannot create the feeling of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a fellow reveller while a song falls apart and somehow becomes better because of it. They cannot be punk.

The band has issued a simple challenge to proponents of AI-generated music (Suno specifically it would seem, if their social media is to be considered):

Can your machine do this?

Can it fill a room?

Can it make people sweat?

Can it make people cry?

Can it make a crowd of strangers feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves?

Ruff Majik is willing to bet it fucking can’t, and awaits Suno’s response on further parameters for the wager.

REEFER SADNESS (AND THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MODERN LIVING) begins recording this July.

Ruff Majik is:

Johni Holiday – Vocals, guitar
Brendon Bez – Guitar
Jimmy Glass – Bass
Steven “Boz” Bosman – Drums

Photo credit Ruben Grobler-Bothma

Links:

Linktree | Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

ZuLe - DoomsdayHighrise (Single Review)

Release Date: June 10th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats Digital Download.

Line-up

Cpt.Cisco — guitar & vocals

Niek — guitar

Tjalle — bass

Jonas — drums

Review

The debut single  DoomsdayHighrise from ZuLe is quite an atmospheric track with many of your favourite bands over the last thirty five years from the Grunge, Sludge and Stoner Metal world. There's a deep love and resonance with the legendary Nineties and Noughties Rock/Metal scene with touches of modern Sonic and Psychedelic aggression.]

There's a rough exterior and musical attitude which feels like Alice In Chains jamming with Deftones for the majority of the track which pushes the band further into areas of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal themes. The vocals from Cpt.Cisco have a certain Grunge exterior to them with shades of Alt-Metal giving them a gritty Post-Metal attitude when the harsh sounds appear.

The thuggish rhythm section has an epic industrial quality with ZuLe using the backdrop of Doomed Out grooves and subtle Prog Metal changes for a song that perhaps promises there is better music to come as the song suddenly ends when things were really getting interesting. 

For a debut single, ZuLe has a lot going for them. One of the main things is their broad appeal to the wider Heavy Metal community as they play a high amount of different sounds which they capture superbly well even within the six minutes runtime of this track.

I'm looking forward to hearing more tracks from the band which they've promised will be coming on a more regular basis. ZuLe has crafted a killer sound that delivers the heavy grooves where it matters most. Check them out when you can. 

Superb stuff!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Bandcamp: https://zule-band.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zule_band
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579538023891
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zule73184

The Lowdown

ZuLe is a grungy sludge metal band from West Flanders and Ghent, formed in late 2024 from the remains of Darqo. When that monster returned to the depths from which it came, a new entity crawled upward: dark, loud and melodic. The band brings together heavy riffs, sludge, grunge influences and clean vocals into a sound that hangs somewhere between underlying menace and melodic release. Musically, echoes of Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Eyehategod, Crowbar, Deftones and Godflesh can be heard, but the main breeding ground for the songs lies elsewhere: in film. Underground classics, filled with obscure atmospheres and slowly building tension.

The band consists of Cpt.Cisco on guitar and vocals, Niek De Vos on guitar, Tjalle Groen on bass and Jonas Delbecke on drums. Its members bring experience from previous bands such as Darqo and Mindstab, but ZuLe is mainly the start of a new chapter. The first songs have been recorded, the video is ready, and debut single DoomsdayHighrise marks the first step in a series of three releases. ZuLe creates dragging, abrasive songs that keep resonating long after the last note fades out.

Green Desert Water - Eerie Meadows (Album Review)

Release Date: June 19th 2026. Record Label: Small Stone Co Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Eerie Meadows - Tracklisting

1. Northern Lights - 6:08

2. The Blacksmith - 3:51

3. Eerie Meadows - 5:42

4. Woodcutter - 4:07

5. Holy Ground - 5:27

6. Wolfhound - 3:38

7. Bos Primigenius - 3:31

8. Meteora - 5:28

Members

 

Juan Arias García: bass guitar

Dani Barcena: drums and percussion

Kike Sanchís: guitars and vocals

Review

Heavy Psych Rockers Green Desert Water with Eerie Meadows which is their first album in five years. The band have a fresher and highly energetic sound compared to their last album Black Harvest which sees the band lean quite heavily into the Nineties Grunge and Stoner Rock scene without compromising their Seventies Heavy Rock vision. With flashes of KYUSS and PEARL JAM inspired melodies set against the classic rock scene, Green Desert Water add elements of Thin Lizzy, The Who, Cactus and Led Zepp into their music.

The vocals from Kike Sanchis are quite grounded, gritty and that’s held by a highly melodic approach. The songs are expertly paced throughout with the band not wasting a single second on flashy gimmicks of progressive themes which gives this album a true Hard Rock approach. There is a heavy Doom Rock essence that comes into play that fans of The Sword will truly appreciate especially on the outstanding title track of Eerie Meadows.

The song is quite gloomy with a deeply Doomed Out approach appearing within the music and Kike’s vocals being more Proto-Doom obsessed. However, before that great track, Green Desert Water open up with the opening tracks of Northern Lights and The Blacksmith sees Classic Hard Rock, Psych Rock and Stoner Rock grooves combining for a damn good time with superbly written musical structures and sublime lyrics making this one of the strongest openings to an album you can possibly experience.

Though, Eerie Meadows changes the creative landscape for the band as they lean quite heavily into the Doom Rock/Metal side of life which breathes a new level of heaviness for the album. The guitars are perfectly timed with the epic rhythm section having a fine ear for detail. Green Desert Water adds seedy levels of Fuzz, Psych and Grunge which develops into some of the most interesting sounds on the whole album.

From this moment on Green Desert Water are ON FIRE by developing their music even further into a sandstorm of fuzzy melodies, gritty vocals and extended musical passages with layers of Fuzz Rock allowing the band to put those AMPS all the way past ELEVEN. There seems to be a sense of trouble brewing behind the scenes as the album becomes ever more rebellious on tracks such as Woodcutter, Holy Ground, Wolfhound and Meteora.

Eerie Meadows lasts for around thirty seven minutes in length and even though I wish there was another song to push this past the forty minute mark, it’s still an action packed record full of superbly observed moments that allows Green Desert Water to establish themselves once more as one of the premier Power Trio’s the Stoner Rock scene currently has right now.

Production values are another highlight with Green Desert Water never sounding better and perhaps finding their true sound with an intense musical performance that’s their most mature record to date. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.

Eerie Meadows is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Small Stone Co Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Üga Büga - Valley Of The Wolf (Album Review)

Release Date: June 05th 2026. Record Label: Various. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Valley Of The Wolf - Tracklisting

1.Divine Slaughter (Backyard Barbecue Bonanza) 04:27

2.Earthsuckers 05:42

3.Valley Of The Wolf 05:18

4.Ghost in the Diamond Cage 05:01

5.Mötorhog 03:06

6.Nail That Binds 04:51

7.The Sand Witch 04:01

8.Divination 05:37

9.Descent 00:57

10.Revolting Power 08:44

Members

 

Calloway Jones - Guitars, Vocals, Keys

Niko Cvetanovich - Bass, Backing Vocals, Keys

Jimmy Czywczynski - Drums, Backing Vocals

Review

Progressive Stoner Metallers Üga Büga continue enhancing their own highly original and deeply fantastical world that’s powered through a tone of heavy grooves formed from the legendary sounds of Grunge, Doom, Sludge, Psych, Prog and Stoner Metal. Their second album Valley Of The Wolf is way more out there compared to their celebrated debut album Year Of The Hog. The vocals are freakishly outlandish which fully sells the fantastical element of Üga Büga’s overall storyline and heavy pulsating beats their music brilliantly contains.

Influenced by the likes of Mastodon, High On Fire, Soundgarden and The Mars Volta once more, the band are masters of their own craft with thrilling tales of fantasy and science fiction set against the backdrop of modern day Sludge/Stoner Metal. The music is also more DOOM & GLOOM obsessive with the harsh realities of Atmospheric Sludge Metal appearing very early on that’s set against the primal neanderthal grooves that the band lay down within the opening tracks of Divine Slaughter (Backyard Barbecue Bonanza) and Earthsuckers. 

There’s a lot of different switching around of musical tempos on how everything is delivered. You can detect slight variations of bands such as IRON MAIDEN and BEYOND THE COLOUR AND ME starting to emerge with the scorched and desolate themes of the storyline fully starting to take charge. The music can be quite abstract and solitary but with Üga Büga relying on Jazz Metal and Prog Metal techniques which allows their music to be more free-form and experimental when compared to their debut album.

Some of the vocals are quite extreme but they’re easy to understand as Üga Büga demonstrate a complex style of different musical techniques whilst becoming quite obsessed with Classic Hard Rock and Grunge dynamics on other tracks contained on the album. You can feel, hear and detect a massive Devin Townsend vibe appearing within some of the vocal changes and sublime humour appearing within the lyrics. 

There is a lot to cover and unpack on Valley Of The Wolf as Üga Büga throws everything into the creative blender and just lets the MAGIC happen. The record may not be for everyone but that’s their loss as this album is brilliantly entertaining from start to finish where Üga Büga avoids the dreaded sophomore curse with flying colours. 

Other standout tracks on the album include Ghost In The Diamond Cage, Motorhog, Divination and Revolting Power. These tracks contain the most outrageous and straight-forward riff-centric melodies that will have you headbanging to your hearts content in no time at all. Plus you’ll be amazed by the technical ability that Üga Büga possesses and play on these tracks alone. As the band play different styles of HEAVY METAL at the same time which will have you thinking - HOW THE FUCK IS THIS PHYSCIALLY POSSIBLE. 

It’s these moments that allow Üga Büga to be one of the most technically impressive and musically brilliant bands that have emerged from the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal underground scene within the last decade or so. 

Valley Of The Wolf is completely surreal, outlandish, bat-shit crazy and brilliantly entertaining. It is also one of the most crazed musical experiences I’ve had this year alone with it’s neverending supply of hard hitting grooves that never misses the target. 

Outstanding. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Üga Büga and US/THEM PR Group for the promo.

Links 

ugabugaband.com
instagram.com/ugabugaband
facebook.com/ugabugaband

https://ugabuga.bandcamp.com/album/valley-of-the-wolf

Goodnight Sky - Magnum Opiate (EP Review)

Release Date: May 27th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Magnum Opiate - Tracklisting

1.Shiva 02:43

2.Sex Marks The Spot 03:01

3.Revenge Ritual 04:56

4.Miracles Are Lies 03:12

5.Apocalypse Now 03:48

6.Glue 04:00

7.End Of Days 03:15

8.Shame 06:49

Members

 

Ted Levin - Vocals, guitars

Bill Peluso - Drums

Stas Poletaev - Bass

Review

Magnum Opiate is the latest record from Psych/Grunge/Sludge/Stoner Rockers Goodnight Sky with the band treading a fine line between Doomed Out grooves powered by the likes of Black Sabbath, Uncle Acid, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Restless Spirit and King Buffalo. The grunge attitude of Goodnight Sky’s music gives them a grounded feeling which allows their music to off-shoot into heavier directions. There’s a sense of psychedelic melody that holds everything together with gloomy soundscapes being used at the right moment which allows the record to be more direct.

The songs can be considered quite commercial in places but in the best possible way as the sound is quite clean allowing the record to be considered expertly produced from all creative angles. The record is very multi-layered with the different styles of music that Goodnight Sky have at their disposal. Magnum Opiate works best when Goodnight Sky ventures into the murky depths of Sludge Rock and when the lyrics take a darker turn than you initially expect.

The vocals from Ted Levin are delivered expertly well with elements of Grunge, Doom and Post-Stoner surroundings allowing him to have a deeply engaging persona on this record alone. There’s something soothing and trusting behind Ted’s delivery but there’s also a dangerous side to Ted’s vocals which comes to life on standout tracks such as Sex Marks The Spot, Revenge Ritual, Glue and Shame.

The other members of the band also excel bringing their atmospheric presence to the record with Bill Peluso on Drums and Stas Poletaev on Bass providing a thrilling backline where the heavy Doomed Out and Trippy Psychedelic movements come into play. Ted’s sludgy guitars move from the backdrops of classic Grunge and inject a gloomy modern day psychedelic energy with Bill’s epic drumming and Stas’s intricate bass playing allowing Goodnight Sky to become a formidable power trio in their own right.

Magnus Opiate runs for a tight and compact thirty minutes but actually feels longer which is one of the main strengths of the record. As Goodnight Sky don’t fuck around with overplayed and overlong Progressive instrumental beats where they get straight down into playing a thrilling style of modern day Psych Stoner Metal.

This is a superb EP which is full of great songs from a band that I’m hoping becomes more well known within the underground scene.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Organic Green Monster Machine - The Swords Of Sorrow (EP Review)

Release Date: May 25th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

The Swords Of Sorrow - Tracklisting

1.The Raven Prince 06:06

2.Blade 06:21

3.The Highway Song 08:45

Review

Heavy Psych/Stoner Rockers Organic Green Monster Machine (OGMM) return with their new EP The Swords Of Sorrow which sees the band explore their journey further into SONIC experimentation which they’ve already proven with their earlier records. This EP perhaps has a more direct roots driven energy which allows OGMM to move within a heavier and progressive atmosphere. OGMM borrows sounds from other musical acts such as Soundgarden, KYUSS, FU MANCHU, Black Sabbath and King Buffalo but with a free flowing Space Rock flow that allows them to have their own great take within the Heavy Psychedelic scene.

OGMM have stated that opening track The Raven Prince “serves as the continuation of the story first introduced in the earlier release “Dark Kings Curse from 2023” So you may need to head back to that release if you want to understand the whole creative theme of the story. Though, you can easily enjoy this as a standalone piece with OGMM delivering a finely played slice of modern day Heavy Psych that blends Blues, Americana and Stoner Rock into a winning fusion of subtle melodies. The song is constantly heavy whilst not being overly aggressive that allows OGMM to build up a steady rhythm of epic cinematic soundscapes.

Second track Blade is a more laid back song with a solitary Psychedelic instrumental passage being the standout aspect of the track. The vocals are superbly delivered but it did take me a few listens to fully warm up to them. The song does move between areas of Post-Rock, Blues Rock, Post-Grunge and lush sounding Psych Rock instrumental passages. There’s a hint of Ambient Rock developing behind the scenes and the deliberately slow paced nature of the track is perhaps what make this my favourite track on the whole EP.

Third track The Highway Song feels like a combination of the previous tracks with OGMM combining semi-acoustic soundscapes within the first half of the record before branching out into heavier Psych Stoner Rock passages. OGMM are once again cautiously slow bringing the heavier elements into play but once everything is fully aligned then the EP is finally cooking with the heaviest and aggressive sounds on the EP.

There’s a lot of wicked SONIC interplay being used on this track OGMM which I cannot fault the band for. However, the track never reaches the heavy levels of Psychedelic Stoner Rock I expect from the band and that’s my only minor criticism for that is otherwise an excellent record throughout.

OGMM are slowly carving out a reputation of being one of Australia’s most unique and original Heavy Psychedelic Stoner Rock bands currently out there. I’m excited to hear what they’ll be releasing next as I am a fan of their music and what they bring to the table. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Her Name Was Fire - Obsidian Light (EP Review)

 

Release Date: 08th May 2026. Record Label: Self Released.Formats: DD

Obsidian Light - Tracklisting

00:00 Electrify

04:24 Facekicker

07:21 Head on the wall

11:16 Better Days

16:23 Steamed

Review

Obsidian Light is the latest EP from Psych/Stoner Rockers Her Name Was Fire. The band add a very cool sounding Alternative Rock and Grunge based attitude into their music. The EP lasts around twenty minutes across five tracks with the music being quite commercially friendly with influences such as Foo Fighters, QOTSA and Alice In Chains appearing within the whole EP. 

There are certain sections with Her Name Was Fire applying a solid Post-Doom and Post-Stoner melody within the progressive elements of the EP especially on tracks such as Electrify and Firecracker. It does take time for Her Name Was Fire to fully move over into the Heavy Stoner Rock spectrum but when they achieve that level then the EP takes a wonderful creative energy of its own which appears through the later stages of the second standout track Firecracker. The band continues that great momentum on the other tracks with Better Days and Steamed being the other standout tracks on the EP.

Her Name Was Fire are a super-tight unit as they demonstrate a very keen ear for tone, aggression and melody which should keep fans of Nineties Heavy Rock very happy indeed. The EP has some great production values which allows the band explore the heavier aspects of the Stoner Rock underground scene whilst keeping allowing their own great style of highly energetic Stadium Rock sound to become a major aspect of the record.

Obsidian Light is a great EP with plenty of aggressive and highly anthemic moments that transports the listener to a simpler time where the message of the record means as much as the music itself. The sound can be quite off-kilter as Her Name Was Fire aligning themselves more closely to the “HIPPER” style of Stoner Rock that QOTSA are more known for playing today on the final moments of the EP.

Her Name Was Fire have released a superbly realised and quite grounded record that offers spectacular entertainment throughout.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Robot God - Onto The Afterlife (Album Review)

Release Date: 01st May 2026. Record Label: Kozmik Artifactz & Black Throne Productions. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Onto The Afterlife - Tracklisting

1.Soldier of Love 06:40

2.Onto the Afterlife 06:11

3.Cerebral Annihilation 08:57

4.I am the Night 11:13

5.Long Goodbye 08:19

Members

Matt Allen - Bass,Vocals & Synth

Raff Iacurto - Guitar, Vocals & Synth

Tim Pritchard - Drums & Synth

Review

Psych/Doom/Stoner Rockers Robot God return with their latest sonic conquest Onto The Afterlife after the two critically acclaimed albums (Portal WIthin and Subconscious Awakening) in 2024. This album continues the Psychedelic and Space Rock trajectory of those albums but with a more confident Grunge, Blues and Sludge Rock attitude. The band are also releasing another album called Curse Of The Driven to be released later this year and this is perhaps the first part of a much more expanded story.

Creative cues from the likes of Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, MONOLORD and KYUSS are just some of the bands you can hear throughout this album. However, Robot God are wise enough to formulate their own plans of Sonic Distortion which comes into life on the excellent opening track Soldier Of Love which pairs up the legendary SABBATHIAN heavy DOOMED OUT sound with the murky grunge attitude of Soundgarden. The level of overlapping psychedelic melodies and grounded vocals opens Robot God to new areas of seedy heaviness with a great level of mass distortion emitting from all corners.

There’s a slight dependency on Prog Metal and Proto-Metal which gives a surreal creative attitude which could even allow Robot God to move over to the Post-Stoner Metal brotherhood where the likes of ELDER and KING BUFFALO reign supreme. The influx of Ambient sounds and Post-Rock passages comes across superbly well on tracks Onto The Afterlife and Cerebral Annihilation with that gloomy “APOCALYPTIC” approach holding everything together.

The dual vocals from Matt Allen and Raff Iacurto work superbly well together and even against each other when they’re both trying to battle for vocal supremacy within the band. Robot God adds some thrilling use of intricate Psychedelic sound effects and Space Rock loops that allows the album to drift into heavier pastures.

Onto The Afterlife becomes vastly more creative within the second half as Robot God experiments even further with distorted fragments and down-tuned grooves on tracks such as Cerebral Annihilation, I Am The Night and Long Goodbye. Despite the fantastical element of the music, the album can be quite real with Robot God writing some killer socially aware lyrics that puts the record on a more subversive level with real intelligence appearing from start to finish.

Robot God have once again delivered the goods with Onto The Afterlife which perhaps leaves a few questions unanswered which maybe fully answered when their next album Curse Of The Driven is released in the second half of the year. 

Words by Steve Howe

Robot God Links:

Bandcamp | Youtube | Facebook | Spotify