Hazemind - Inner Sanctum (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Inner Sanctum - Tracklist

1.Burning Fuel 06:06

2.Mountain 07:35

3.Hellfire 06:40

4.Welcome To The Void 04:44

5.Broken Ropes 04:51

6.Interruption 00:42

7.When The Leader Speaks 07:04

8.The Shell (Part 1: On The Edge) 05:47

9.The Shell (Part 2: Into The Madness) 03:20

Members

Mathieu Pelletier - Bass

René "Bits" Hosson - Drums

Elliot Cadieux - Guitars

Jonathan Lachapelle - Vocals

Review

Inner Sanctum is the debut album from Stoner Metallers Hazemind which is a classic mix of aggressive melodies and subtle fuzz rock attitude. There’s a great Doom Rock aspect that appears from the very start with Hazemind creating fast-paced sounds with an excellent backdrop of Stoner Rock/Metal mechanics that is easily fused to some classic Heavy Rock and Desert Rock themes.

Jonathan Lachapelle’s vocals have a great throwback quality to them with them filled with vibes from the Nineties Grunge, Psych and Stoner Metal scenes. The rest of the band apply a great level of Psychedelic and Progressive based passages which should have fans of bands such as Howling Giant, KYUSS, FU MANCHU and Truckfighters on the edge of their seats. There is a trippy and psychedelic vibe which becomes more dominant from the excellent second track Mountain with some subtle musical change over to a heavier level of Doomed Out Rock. 

There’s some mighty fine interplay between the Grungier aspects that comes across superbly well from the epic guitars played by Elliot Cadieux. Though, he’s supported brilliantly by the storming rhythm section of Mathieu Pelletier (Bass) and René "Bits" Hosson (Drums) who perhaps have a subtle HEAVY METAL attitude for the way they deliver their music.

Certain sections of the record are quite intense with that Scorched Desert Rock attitude forming on the tracks Mountain, Hellfire, Welcome To The Void, and When The Leader Speaks. As the lyrics have a highly confident atmospheric nature to them. Hazemind approaches their “destructive” and "atmospheric" melodies with real cold hearted efficiency which gives their music a more deceiving style of pure raw heaviness. 

Inner Sanctum does have that raw and stripped back sound mostly heard within the sublime production values that gives Hazemind a heavier presence within the later stages of the album. This is a debut packed full of great tunes which allows Hazemind to fully announce their arrival within the Doom/Stoner Metal underground scene and perhaps make a name for themselves in no time at all.

If you want an album that stays true to the classic essence of Stoner Rock/Metal and have some brief excursions into other areas of Heavy Rock then Hazemind are the band for you!!!

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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HIJSS - HIJSS (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

HIJSS - Tracklist

1.Drain of Thoughts

2.Vicious Cycle

3.Parasite

4.Underwater

5.Dopamine

6.S.W.A.N.

7.Fatal Attraction

8.Outro

Members

Lois Lane - Guitar / Vocals / Electronics

Maurice - Drums

Pan - Bass / Synth

Review

Psych/Space Rock/KrautRock collective HIJSS return with their sophomore self-titled record and continue the great work the band achieved with their acclaimed 2024 debut album Stuck On Common Ground. This time round HIJSS conjured up a more surreal Electro Rock tinged offering compared to their last album. The Space Rock dynamics once again opens the door to other musical areas appearing such as Grunge, Shoegaze, Punk and Blues Rock with a band that are fully cooking on gas with a wild assortment of outrageous grooves and stunning Spaced Out melodies.

Lead vocalist Lois Lane definitely taps into his Post-Punk persona which takes small creative cues from the likes of Monster Magnet, TORCHE and FU MANCHU throughout the album. The sludgy sounds have an aggressive rhythm and boisterous warm-hearted nature to them which you can instantly feel through the stunning opening tracks of Drain Of Thought and Vicious Cycle. The sound is fast paced and wonderfully efficient especially when HIJSS play a faster style of Sludge/Stoner Rock that still has a grounded Punk Rock approach. The Psychedelic and Space Rock beats have a glorious level of infectious COSMIC surroundings that have some destructive lyrics appearing. 

The WEEDIAN themes arrive quite quickly and HIJSS lay that attitude brilliantly thick on the excellent second track Vicious Cycle which reminds me of Dave Wnydorf in his prime. Spiky lyrics which are merged with KrautRock and Post-Punk philosophies which run riot throughout the album. The screeching Electronic beats once again add a warped rhythm with overlapping instrumental passages that’s got some epic synths appearing along the way.

When the stunning and warped tracks Parasite and Underwater appear then HIJSS are simply unstoppable creating music that blends Science Fiction folklore and grounded sensibilities with the music once again being superbly effective whilst being quite hard to describe. There’s a small instance of Industrial beats appearing which allows that KRAUTROCK sound transforming into a gloomier style of Noise, Grunge and Stoner Metal with maximum levels of distorted volumes holding everything together.

Though, HIJSS apply instances of brilliantly played “semi-acoustic” passages which gives this record a gloomier energy with some of the freakiest and trippiest COSMIC grooves forming that leave you in such a cool hallucinogenic state. HIJSS have achieved and created such great things within the first half of the album you begin to wonder how they will top this?

I’m happy to report - Quite Easily!!! - As they keep going on performing and creating more outlandish and heavy distorted “COSMIC GRUNGE” songs that really show how HIJSS have their own original style of music whilst allowing the listener to be transported into their massive sounding world. Songs such as Dopemine and S.W.A.N. are the heaviest, loudest and weirdest songs on the record with the trippy synths and Post-Punk vocals adding a wave of intense movements which are refreshingly “HIP” with HIJSS having a completely FEARLESS attitude appearing within their music.

The final two tracks of Fatal Attraction of OUTRO once again blurs the boundaries between Time and Space with HIJSS applying heavy modern day themes for a mind expanding experience.  HIJSS are always continuing to re-invent themselves through every individual track which makes the album highly unpredictable.

HIJSS are absolute masters of their own Space Rock / Cosmic Grunge domain which leaves you in a complete trance for an album that is bold, hypnotic, mind blowing and brilliantly original within its own right. This is an essential record that everyone needs to fully experience and add to their record collections quickly as possible.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

HIJSS self-titled album is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links

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Mechwar - Love Comes With A Knife (Single Review)

Release Date: September 01st 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Love Comes With A Knife - Tracklist

Love Comes With A Knife

Review

Love Comes With A Knife is the latest single from Sludge/Stoner Metallers Mechwar which continues the great work laid down on their 2025 debut release Hope // Mercy. The time round there’s a violent stripped back atmosphere which has some harsh vocals to match. The violent Post-Doom, Grunge and Noise Rock surroundings is powered by an aggressive bass line which feels like the real motorised engine that Mechwar builds everything around.

Perhaps not as riff heavy that you initially expect but a multitude of different progressive sounding melodies that is quite grimy but superbly melodic within its own unique. Mechwar are playing a less polished style of Sludge and Stoner Metal that’s packed full of menacing intent with the slow paced drumming adding a massive wall of sound into the track. With some cool Psychedelic and Amplifier trickery being added along the way, Mechwar employs a wealth of different LOW & SLOW and DISTORTED grooves which can be quite spaced out in the quieter moments.

Mechwar channels the likes of MELVINS, MONOLORD, SLEEP and SUNN 0))) on this track but still retain their own unique musical identity within the epic eleven and a half minutes runtime with ruthless precision. The raw sounding production values are quite abstract but serves the band amazingly well with the filthy and grimy attitude sealing the whole deal that makes Love Comes With A Knife such a thrilling experience. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp

Introduce Yourselves: FOREST HORSE

What Is the Name of Your Band?

Forest Horse

What Is the genre of music you play?

Stoner, doom, sludge

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

Forest Horse is a solo project peddling sludgy, psychedelic doom from the swamps of West Michigan. It began in 2022 with the release of Keep Awake, which draped layers of doom and noise over a sprawling post-rock frame. Four years later, forged by personal upheavals and an ever-darkening world, Botany exchanges the shoegaze tendencies of the past for heavy, fuzzed-out riffs and dirty blues passages that examine strange flora, extraterrestrial murmurings, fruitless resistance, and inevitable decay.

What can people expect from your music?

Fuzzy, sludgy noise that you can groove to. Some screaming about plants and aliens.

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

Botany – out everywhere on October 28, 2026.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://foresthorse.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/foresthorsemusic

Thanks to Forest Horse for the details. 

Titanosaur - A Thousand Suns (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

A Thousand Suns - Tracklist

1.My Destroyer
2.This Hell
3.Holding On To The Light
4.I Remain
5.The Coming
6.A Thousand Suns
7.Colossus
8.Fire In the Hole
9.Static
10.Fires Blazing
11. Hell Bound

Members

All lyrics and music by Geoff Saavedra, except "Fire In The Hole" lyrics by Kerri Rasmussen

All vocals and instruments played by Geoff Saavedra, except "Fire In The Hole" vocals by Kerri Rasmussen.

Review

A Thousand Suns is the seventh full length album from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal collective Titanosaur which is the creative project from Geoff Saavedra. Geoff has experienced a few tough years recently as he underwent a heart transplant back in 2024. Now, Geoff is on the road to recovery where he’s released his heaviest and most emotionally involved record yet. The end result is a glorious and unapologetic mix of Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Psych, Grunge and Punk with a destructive quality which fully taps into the some cosmic gloomy themes along the way.

Geoff’s vocals and lyrical insight are sharp as ever with a fast-paced narrative forming from the very start as this record has a classic Heavy Metal identity which is mostly used through the production side of things. You can hear influences such as High On Fire, Motorhead, Monster Magnet, Pantera and Metallica. The sludgy grooves come right at you at an astonishing pace which gives Titanosaur a violent riff-fuelled energy which is delivered with such ferocity where you may need a few breaks along the way.

The songs follow a similar structure to each other but you know what you’re getting as Titanosaur feels like they’re exorcising a few personal demons they’ve experienced over the last few years but also with Geoff celebrating and highlighting that he's still around to tell the tale. Despite the rough and ready exterior of the Sludge/Stoner Metal melodies, the album does have some emotionally charged lyrics hidden deep within its muscular delivery on tracks such as: My Destroyer, This Hell, Holding On To The Light and A Thousand Suns being the standout tracks on the first half of the album.

Titanosaur moves between the multiple eras of Classic Hard Rock and modern day Heavy Metal with real precision where the different DOOM & GLOOM atmospherics opens the album into different layers of real heaviness. The record works best when Titanosaur aims for a simpler musical style which forces a heavier Sludge/Stoner Metal to appear which becomes one of the albums main strengths especially on the second half of the album.

A Thousand Suns also has some deft experimental movements which Geoff has spliced throughout the album which allows for a more spaced out environment to develop for some real groove laden “HEAD BANGING” moments.

Other great tracks to check out are: Colossus, Fire In The Hole, Static and Fires Blazing.

Titanosaur once again truly delivers the goods with another superb record that proves why they're one of the most essential “solo” acts we currently have in the underground scene right now.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Chat Pile - Who Loves The Sun (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: The Flenser. Format: CD/DD/Tape/Vinyl

Who Loves The Sun - Tracklist

1.Creature
2.Deep Blue
3.Same Rules
4.PEN I S MALL
5.Shrine
6.Intruder
7.Christabel ‘26
8.Influence
9.Family Funeral
10.October All The Time

Members

Ray B. - Vocals
L. Manhole - Guitar
Stin - Bass
Drums - Cap’n Ron

Review

Noise/Sludge Metallers Chat Pile return with their highly anticipated third album Who Loves The Sun which once again highlights why they’re one of the most unpredictable, original and most important bands to emerge from the Heavy Metal scene in years. This record shows once again how the band incorporates new elements of music into their ever-growing sound such as Alt Rock, Indie Rock, Shoegaze and Trip-Hop.

Chat Pile demonstrates why they’re so highly thought of with ten tracks that captures the raw essence of the Sludge Metal scene with a grimy and seedy attitude most bands cannot capture. The moody Noise Rock theatrics keeps everything grounded and allows Chat Pile to reinvent themselves yet again with a mixture of Industrial Metal and Post-Punk beats which has a mighty Eighties Rock presence especially within the lyrics and the more somber parts of the record. There’s a great style of vicious melody and rhythm developing which is more focused compared to their previous two albums.

Who Loves The Sun even has brilliantly refined commercial aspects which can easily launch these guys further into the mainstream. The despairing Noise Rock quality reminds me of The Jesus Lizard jamming with the likes of The Melvins and Kowloon Walled City but with Chat Pile keeping their own unflinching approach with bleak lyrics holding everything together. The shift in minimalist Post-Rock, Post-Punk and Sludge Metal is quite refreshing with a subtle Grunge and Psychedelic flavour emerging which adds a real chameleon like effect to the whole journey.

The “Doom & Gloom” essence is stripped apart and rebuilt within the band’s image which they incorporate into almost every track with a filth ridden attitude that can be quite buoyant and gleefully upbeat at times. The raw sounding production values allows Chat Pile to play at their own destructive slow-to-mid paced grooves with a level of sheer heaviness only appearing when it’s really needed.

The first half of the album allows Chat Pile to explore a decaying style of Grunge, Noise and Alt Rock with songs Creature, Same Rules and PEN I S MALL adding a heap of Blackened Sludge themes for a subversive experience. This allows the lead vocals to demonstrate a politically charged energy that really does hammer the points home that Chat Pile are providing this album.

Chat Pile are fully committed to exploring different areas of music for this record on other tracks such as Shrine, Intruder, Family Funeral and October All The Time which have some of the most rewarding moments on the album. The whole mood is constantly engaging with intense progressive musical passages being quite hypnotic and brilliantly surreal. 

Who Loves The Sun isn’t an easy album to listen to but it’s one that offers a must have experience where Chat Pile doesn't even offer any easy answers or solutions. As they leave this up to the listener’s own conclusions. What is guaranteed is another masterful record from Chat Pile that once again cements their status as one of the most important Heavy Rock bands in the world currently playing today. 

This is an absolute masterpiece and is a record everyone needs to own right now!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rarely Unable PR for the promo.

Who Loves The Sun is available to buy now on CD, Digital, Tape and Vinyl.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Brūte - How To Build A Mountain (EP Review)

Release Date: August 28th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

How To Build A Mountain - Tracklist

1.Peacemule 05:30

2.Stone & Silence 07:09

3.How To Build A Mountain 07:39

Review

How To Build A Mountain is the latest EP from Brūte which sees the band develop a AMPLIFIER DISTORTED style of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal. The level of distortion is one of the main strengths that allows Brūte to develop a great style of riff-driven music that has vast amounts of Grunge, Psych and Fuzz moving in the background. The vocals are quite gruff and matches the seedy grunge atmosphere that’s played throughout the whole EP.

The music seems to be influenced by the likes of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, FU MANCHU, Red Fang, KYUSS and SLEEP which you can hear within the superb opening track Peacemule. The melodies and messy reverb sounds all play a strong part for Brūte to play a mean sound which develops into heavier strands of Desert/Fuzz Rock with an epic Sludge Rock delivery. 

Though, the band really start to impress within the standout second track of Stone & Silence which starts off with a deceiving stripped back delivery with a haunting Grunge mix allowing Brūte to add a brooding Alt-Rock theme into the mix. The song does start off cautiously slow with eerie vocals that have a certain classic Nineties dominant energy to them. Brūte feels more comfortable when playing that great style of sludgy “DOOM & GLOOM” instrumental passages. If you ever wondered what Truckfighters would sound like if they become part of the Doom Metal world then Stone & Silence is the answer to that question. 

Brūte continue to develop their slightly progressive sound to a more destructive environment which fully leads the way into the stunning final title track How To Build A Mountain. Though, the song starts off quite slow paced yet again which allows Brūte more than enough time to build solid foundations of DOOM & GLOOM based rhythms that does push this EP into destructive areas of reverb and fuzzy feedback. 

This is Brūte’s first release in over four years and it’s definitely been worth the wait as this feels like a different band compared to their superb 2022 debut EP. If you want an EP that’s full of distorted grooves that branch off into a violent style of Desert Rock/Metal with all of the trappings of Sludge/Stoner Metal then How To Build A Mountain has all the answers that you’re currently looking for. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Rocky's Pride & Joy - A Place Unknown (Single Review)

Release Date: August 27th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

A Place Unknown - Tracklist

A Place Unknown

 

Members

Brenton Wilson (vocals/guitar)

Fraser Ray (guitar)

Dominic Ventra (bass)

Jessi Tilbrook (drums)

Review

A Place Unknown is the latest single from Psych/Doom/Stoner Metallers Rocky’s Pride & Joy which is from their upcoming second album. The record is a progressive mix of Doom, Psych, Sludge and Stoner Metal that taps right into the Fuzzed Out Cosmos with intense instrumental grooves that allows lead vocalist Brenton Wilson to dominate the musical landscape with his grizzled and determined vocal performance.

The sudden appearance of Shoegaze and Grunge adds a grounded element which sees Rocky’s Pride & Joy moving between areas of music influenced by the likes of Alice In Chains, Monolord, SLEEP and Mastodon. However, this allows Rocky’s Pride & Joy to create their own haunting style of Post-Doom grooves which moves into an area of Progressive Stoner Metal with Brenton’s vocals adding a heightened sense of Grunge and Post-Metal delivery.

The music then becomes way heavier with broken down pieces of Space Rock forming a sullen and moody atmosphere where the grooves become delivered by riff-driven melodies that are played at a great slow-to-mid pace for the majority of the track. The song has a classic use of FUZZ METAL that’s controlled by Rocky’s Pride & Joy’s great use of Amplifier Distortion and classic guitar shredding that appear within the closing stages of the song.

Rocky’s Pride & Joy are firing on all creative cylinders and if the upcoming album is equally as good as this track then we could be in for something special here. As “A Place Unknown” is seriously worthy of your time and perhaps discover a great new band at the same time.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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Mississippi Bones - Maladroit Blues For The Colorblind (Album Review)

Release Date: September 08th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Maladroit Blues for the Colorblind - Tracklist

1.Elvis Stressly: The King Of Rock And Woe

2.If Failure Is A Learning Experience, I Should Be A Genius 03:50

3.The Owls Asked Me, “Who?”

4.Hornswaggled By Consumer Culture, Again

5.Void, Holy Night

6.A Penny For My Thoughts, And Other Common Investment Blunders

7.Thoughts On The Finer Points Of Lesser Things

8.The Feral Philosophers

9.Is That A Wunderkammer In Your Foyer, Or Are You Just Haughty To See Me?

10.Expect Disappointment And I’ll Never Let You Down

11.This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Members

Jared Collins

Dusty Donley

Review

Blues/Doom/Stoner Rockers Mississippi Bones return with their eighth album Maladroit Blues For The Colorbllind and it sees the band return to their creative roots whilst forging an exciting chapter for themselves at the same time. The record has a stripped back attitude with Mississippi Bones going back to basics with how the music has been produced, recorded and ultimately delivered here on the final product. 

The end result is a high voltage and hard rocking affair where the guys play a great style of Delta Blues, Grunge, Southern Rock, Psych, Doom and Stoner Rock passion which has a deceptive Americana quality way of life appearing within the lyrics. This is Mississippi Bones at their most daring and brutally honest than we’ve ever heard them. However, they’re also brilliantly funny with some laugh out lyrics appearing to lighten the mood. Look at the song titles which has always been one of the great things the band have shown over the extent of their impressive career.

The songs have a great organic sound and energy to them with a murky Grunge vibe being quite deceiving where the music suddenly changes from full on Heavy Rock to Semi Acoustic instrumental passages. Sometimes this feels like Mississippi Bones have been listening to the records they grew up with and this is perhaps why you can hear influences such as Johnny Cash, Alice In Chains Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, KISS, Clutch, Cactus and Led Zepp but I could be overthinking things there. 

You’ll be surprised at how freaky, fuzzy, psychedelic and distorted that Maladroit Blues For The Colorblind can actually be as Mississippi Bones play different styles of Heavy Rock/Metal and Delta Blues for different songs contained on the album. Though, each played with the same level of great talent throughout. Sure, it can be way over the top but that doesn’t stop Mississippi Bones allowing the listener to have such a damn good time where they play some Classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal sounds that will have you headbanging in time at all.

I wanted to do a song-by-song review for this album but there’s a lot to cover with this record and I would have been here for days on end. If you want a record that goes through multiple and different genres of the Heavy Rock spectrum whilst keeping that core “Blues Rock” sound that can be even full on Doom Rock then transforming into a sullen Country Rock number then Maladroit Blues For The Colorblind is the album for you.

The lyrics are constantly engaging which shows the band’s emotional thoughts and playful humour with that masterful storytelling element that’s only become one of the best things to fully emerge from Mississippi Bones over the last few albums of late. 

Here are my favourite tracks from the album: Elvis Stressly: The King Of Rock And Woe, ‘If Failure Is A Learning Experience, I Should Be A Genius’, ‘Hornswaggled By Consumer Culture, Again’, ‘Void, Holy Night’, The Feral Philosophers and Expect Disappointment And I’ll Never Let You Down.

Yeah, the song titles can be a mouthful at times but each one tells you the type of track what to expect but it’s the epic creativity that’s hidden behind the song titles that make the journey so highly unexpected. The musical playing is first rate with Mississippi Bones playing instrumental passages with a real “whirlwind” / “tornado” quality. It’s quite hard to explain but you’ll fully understand when you listen to the whole album.

Maladroit Blues For The Colorblind is a superbly entertaining record that you can listen to all day long and still find something new you missed the first time round.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Maldaroit Blues For The Colorblind is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.

Links

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Pomroe - Heavy Drama (EP Review)

Release Date: August 15th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Heavy Drama - Tracklist

1.Tabby 05:05

2.Outside 03:58

3.Cover the whole 02:19

4.Slime 04:05

5.Center 04:29

Members

Maria Zgoda - guitar/bass, vocals

Paweł Zychowicz - guitar

Bartłomiej Czajkowski - drums

Review

Heavy Drama is the debut EP from Doom/Grunge/Sludge/Stoner Rockers Pomroe who have emerged from the Polish Heavy Rock underground scene and they have similar sounds to bands that have already made their presence known over the years. There’s a stubborn and aggressive attitude to Pomroe which makes their music have an uneasy atmosphere which is heard very early on within their debut release.

There’s an early Deftones presence which allows Pomroe build a determined level of intense murky sounds with a gloomy attitude appearing within tracks such as Tabby and Outside. There’s a slight Post-Punk and Alt-Metal movement heard within how the music is delivered. This has some disjointed and stripped back elements which gives the music a slight chaotic feel but the committed enthusiasm of Pomroe to deliver some great sounding Sludge/Stoner Metal ideas throughout..

The vocals from Maria Zgoda feel quite different to what I originally anticipated. As they’re quite grounded but perhaps best suited to a full on Alt-Metal or Post-Metal style of music and not music such as Pomroe ultimately deliver. However, this works to Pomroe’s advantage as it gives the band a great sullen vibe or energy of their own making where you can hear echoes of TOOL and A Perfect Circle emerging on tracks such as Tabby, Outside and Slime.

The music on the later stages of Heavy Drama has a great Post-Doom / Post-Sludge methodology appearing whilst exploring areas of Drone and Distortion which can only be described as pure paranoia in cases. There’s an underlying sense of dread developing which has the hallmarks of early-era Nine Inch Nails but fully contained within the world of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.

Heavy Drama does feel unpolished at times but this only adds to the uncomfortable feeling you get from listening to the EP and makes it an even better audio experience as a result. It’s not perfect and is perhaps best described as a “WORK IN PROGRESS" but Pomroe have piqued my interest and I’m definitely interested to hear what they will be releasing next. 

Great stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Heathen Tongues - Neurogenesis (EP Review)

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

Neurogenesis - Tracklist

1. Revelation (3:42)

2. Firefight (6:42)

Members

Devin Mendoza - Guitar

Shane Falkenhart - Drums

Review

Neurogeneisis is the debut EP from Progressive Sludge Metallers Heathen Tongues who add a Crust Punk attitude amongst the Grunge, Doom, Post-Metal and Stoner Metal surroundings which changes aggressive attitude throughout the short eleven minutes runtime of the EP. The band have the legendary talents of Brad Boatright on mastering duties and Matt Bayles on mixing duties who have perhaps both help to build and shape the modern day Sludge/Post-Metal scene over the last twenty five years.

This serves Heathen Tongues brilliantly well who forge close sonic alliances to the likes of Pelican, YOB, SLEEP and Red Fang. The EP is purely instrumental with both tracks of Revelation and Firefight having a wide assortment of Crust Punk and Post-Metal grooves with that biting Progressive Sludge Metal environment bringing surprising elements of Psych, Grunge and Stoner Rock into the foray. 

Each song has a great metallic narrative which allows this hugely talented two piece sound like a bigger band with more members than the core duo of Devin Mendoza (Guitar) and Shane Falkenhart (Drums). The gloomy use of the speech from the classic Charlie Chaplin film The Dictator gives a harsh and unsettling reality which comes mostly into focus on Firelight. 

Neurogenesis is one of the strongest debut EP’s I’ve heard in quite some time with Heathen Tongues having some great things to say and without the use of vocals makes it even more emotionally powerful. If you’re here for the grooves and bleak melodies then Heathen Tongues have you covered but only for eleven minutes but it does keep you wanting to hear more and that’ only a good thing.

Heathen Tongues will be releasing their debut album in February 2027 in which both of these tracks will appear and I can’t wait to hear the complete narrative of what they form. As these guys have real potential to release something special and definitely a band to really look out for next year.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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Besvärjelsen - Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem (Album Review)

Release Date: August 28th 2026. Record Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem - Tracklist

1.The Greatest Sin

2.Accelerating Hearts

3.Battles

4.Counting Flies

5.Drifters on a Quiet Stream 

6.The Mountain

7.Pulse

8.Interlude

9.Didn't Come to Party 

10.Black Wave

11.Oblivion

Members

Lea Amling Alazam – vocals

Staffan Vinrot – guitars, vocals (& accordion, violin, keys, keyed fiddle)

Andreas Bajer – guitars, vocals

Erik Bäckwall – drums

Marcus Lindqvist – bass

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Besvärjelsen return with their third full length album Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem and the band are on FIRE exploring their own great style of Forest Rock. A great take on the standard Desert Rock sound but Besvärjelsen add a grounded Mountain Rock vibe into their music. It’s not exactly Appalachian based but it’s fuelled by NORDIC passion. 

Besvärjelsen transform their music into a heavier dimension which comes across very early on within the excellent batch of opening tracks of THe Greatest Sin, Accelerating Hearts and Battles which is one of the strongest collections of tracks I’ve heard to open an album within a very long time. As Besvärjelsen fully set the scene for the album with massive stadium sized grooves and heartfelt vocals to match. The real standout from the very start is the emotional delivery from Lea Amling Alazam who has never been better with excellent support from Staffan Vinrot and Andreas Bajer along the way. 

The album does have a gloomy Grunge and Sludge based aspect which remains grounded and brilliantly heavy with flashes of Psychedelic Doom showing you that Besvärjelsen mean business with levels of that intense “Forest Rock” transforming into a great style of Meditative Doom Metal with echoes of Classic Blues Rock and vintage Hard Rock giving way into a subtle Heavy Metal presence. 

There’s levels of great distortion and amplified feedback with instances of pure soul that develops into wonderful sounding instrumental sounds that even bring a foreboding style of Prog Metal into the mix that channels the likes of Mastodon and Baroness along the way. One of the other main things that stands out on the record is the exquisite and emotionally charged lyrics which pull no punches throughout the album perhaps on tracks The Greatest Sin, Battles, Drifters On A Quiet Stream, The Mountain, Didn’t Come To Party and Oblivion. 

Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem is everything you want and wholly expect for a modern day Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal record. As on this form alone, Besvärjelsen can easily aim for the same great heights that King Buffalo and Howling Giant have achieved recently. This record has that similar type of emotionally charged and uplifting energy those bands are known for. 

Besvärjelsen are continuously finding new ways of developing their own great blend of Heavy Psychedelic music with some detours into Sludge Rock, Shoegaze and Occult Metal which gives this album a highly unexpected and sometimes slightly unorthodox style. This is one of my favourite things about the whole album as you don’t know what to expect with certain individual sections of the record. 

I’m ashamed to say this is my first time reviewing Besvärjelsen on the blog and I have no excuse for missing their other two superb records as they’re bloody brilliant in their own right as well. However, Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem is the record that sealed the deal for me. This record has a fearless attitude that allows the band to deliver one of the best Heavy Psychedelic records of the year. 

Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem is an absolute joy to fully experience with it’s non-stop style of classic tracks throughout. Besvärjelsen have delivered the goods with this album and I recommend to everyone to add this to your record collection at the very earliest opportunity. 

Awesome. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to All Noir PR and Magnetic Eye Records for the promo.

Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Magnetic Eye Records.

Links

www.facebook.com/besvarjelsen
www.instagram.com/besvarjelsen

https://besvarjelsen.bandcamp.com/