Hibernaut / Face Pulp Split (Album Review)

Release Date: February 27th 2026. Record Label: What’s Left Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl/Tape

Hibernaut / Face Pulp - Tracklisting

Hibernaut - Mark of Shame 

Hibernaut - Intermundium

Hibernaut - Tongueless

Hibernaut - Bastardized Cultivation

Face Pulp - Ups and Downs and Crap

Face Pulp - Dicks, Pins, and Needles

Face Pulp - The One You Forgot 

Face Pulp - I'll Need Proof of Humanity

Face Pulp - Stereotypical Paths

Face Pulp Members

Steve - Vocals

MT - Guitar

Landyn - Bass

Randy - Drums

Hibernaut Members

Dave Jones - Guitar, Vocals

Zach Hatsis - Drums

Josh Dupree - Bass

Matt Miller - Lead Guitar

Review

This split album featuring Doom/Stoner/Sludge Metallers HIBERNAUT and Grindcore/Punk/Sludge Metallers FACE PULP is an interesting record with both bands coming from different musical backgrounds though they compliment each other very well. I consider myself a fan of Hibernaut but Face Pulp are an entirely new band for me as I’m not really into the whole Grindcore scene now.

Hibernaut offer the “SLUDGE METAL / STONER METAL” side of the record taking influence from the likes of SLEEP, HIGH ON FIRE, MASTODON and NEUROSIS. Their side of the album is spread across four tracks running around twenty three minutes of great music. The band play to their strengths with stripped back production values that gives a raw sludgy atmosphere developing from the opening track Mark Of Shame which does have an early “NEUROSIS” influence especially with the vocals and how the music is aggressively played.

This style of sound is the dominant style of music that Hibernaut superbly delivers throughout their entire set with mighty slabs of Prog Metal forming within the standout tracks of Interundium and Bastardized Civilization. The band have written some pretty hard-hitting lyrics for this record especially when compared to their previous albums. Hibernaut take creative cues from HIGH ON FIRE and MASTODON especially when the music changes into a heavier THRASH style with echoes of THUGGISH Stoner Metal grooves finally showing up. 

The band do experiment with their music by adding some cool sounding organs into the mix within Interunidum. The record changes into a Occult Doom Metal record for one of the best parts of Hibernaut’s set. Hibernaut once again prove what a great band they truly are with a highly unapologetic performance that leaves you wanting more. 

As I stated previously, I haven’t listened to Face Pulp before and this is my first experience with them but truth be told, these guys are FUCKING AWESOME. I loved their side of the record so much. Face Pulp provides five tracks and within true Grind/Death/Hardcore Punk fashion, their side only lasts thirteen minutes. 

Their style of Grind, Death. Sludge, and Hardcore Punk equals PURE FUCKING CARNAGE and VIOLENT BRUTALITY. There’s also some great rhythms and rocking melodies along the way especially on their tracks “Ups And Downs And Craps”, The One You Forgot and I’ll Need Proof Of Humanity.

Face Pulp live upto their “GRIND” and “DEATH METAL” influences in a huge way with big and brutal slamming riffs from the very start. Their music is the very definition of “MOSH PIT MUSIC”. As you can feel the intensity of their music being played at a very fast pace. It left me breathless at times. However, Face Pulp does slow the mood right down for a wicked Sludge Metal sound to fully emerge and take control in small doses.

Once Face Pulp’s set had finished, I needed a brief rest to collect my thoughts and question what I just listened to. I mean that as a huge complement. The production values are solid with Face Pulp having a raw aesthetic and violent energy that perfectly matches Hibernaut’s side of the split.

This is a great album featuring two amazing bands from different sides of the musical spectrum that should expand their fan base even more. And what’s most important for me is that I’ve become a fan of Face Pulp because of this outstanding album. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Hibernaut / Face Pulp Split Album is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl/Tape via What's Left Records via the links below:

Face Pulp BandCamp Page / Hibernaut BandCamp Page

Hibernaut Links:

Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Linktree

Face Pulp Links:

Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

Dull - A 300 Story Mansion (Album Review)

Release Date: October 20th 2025. Record Label: SloomWeep. Formats: DD

A 300-Story Mansion - Tracklisting

1.門樓志「Dirge of Wound 」 05:55

2.髒東西「Filth」 02:46

3.百樂牆「Peel Wall 」 06:36

4.鴉「Crow」 08:21

5.困苦難當紀「Dull 」 05:36

6.間奏「Interlude 」 04:03

7.萬能血清塘「 Omni-Seretonin Pool 」 03:17

8.腌臢「A Za 」 10:12

9.彳亍「Chi Chu」 05:05

10.子宫「Womb」 06:04

Reviewt

A 300 Story Mansion is the debut album from Chinese Doom/Sludge Metallers Dull who bring a mighty social conscience and awareness into their music which shines a light of perhaps the daily struggles that the band members have experienced. The record is downright brutal and quite ugly to listen to at times with Dull employing a stripped down sound within the production and recording techniques of the whole album.

There’s a stark resemblance to the legendary NOLA metal scene appearing within their music with EYEHATEGOD perhaps being a direct influence on their music. You could also add bands such as THOU and GRIEF especially when Dull starting playing more nastier strands of down-tuned Doom and Sludge Metal, There’s a wicked HARDCORE PUNK element appearing within the band’s lyrics which allows this record to be quite thought provoking at the best of times on tracks such as Dirge Of Wound, Filth, Peel Wall and Crow that adds a sense of violent GRIME into the overall mix.

The music is quite LO-FI and you feel this album has been recorded in secret especially with the band originating from Southern China. Dull adds some hard hitting soundclips which resonate with the modern day political world. Dull aren’t afraid to show their political views on this record and this allows A 300 Story Mansion to be even more real and ultimately terrifying at the best of times.

Dull demonstrates a subtle style of Fuzz, Post-Hardcore and even Grunge on certain sections of the record which gives the album a highly proficient melodic style whilst still remaining true to their Sludge Metal roots on tracks such as Crow, Omni-Seretonin Pool, Chi Chu and Womb. The vocals are abrasive and sometimes drowned out by the actual music itself but at least they sound REAL with an intense level of HUMILITY behind them. 

The album is quite experimental with Dull showcasing different styles of ROCK and METAL to get their politically charged message across. Will this album be for everyone, Probably not. However, if you want a record with real SOCIAL CONSCIENCE and SOCIAL AWARENESS whilst still delivering a bucketload of epic grooves along the way then DULL are the band for you. 

Don’t expect the best recorded or produced album as this record feels like it was recorded in secret but is perhaps even better, bolder and quite frankly a little more bit dangerous at the same time.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp

Hardcore Punk/Sludge Metallers PARK+RIOT Release New Video For THE END And Announce UK/German Tour Dates

PARK+RIOT presents the second video from the band's intense live recording session, which was recorded at HoboRec Studios earlier this year. Watch the video for the track ‘The End’ by the MATHCORE/SLUDGE band from Leipzig HERE and share it. Tour dates for the UK and Germany announced!

 

Comments the band: "The track weaves together post-metal textures, spoken word, and black metal influences, revealing a more introspective side of the band. Lyrically, it confronts the emotional cost of staying engaged in a world that rewards apathy."

Park+Riot Share Live Session for "The End". To celebrate the first anniversary of their debut album Wise Words From Well-Fed Mouths, Leipzig’s sludge/mathcore duo Park+Riot have unveiled a live session of their track “The End” — recorded in collaboration with producer Ulf Blomberg (HoboRec).

A departure from Park+Riot's high-energy and chaotic mathcore sound, “The End” dives into darker, more atmospheric territory.

Fittingly the session was captured at The End Studios in Sweden, with Blomberg bringing out the band’s dynamic depth and sonic tension — all created with just two instruments and voices.

UK Dates:

Tues 21 Oct – Oxford | The Wheatsheaf
Wed 22 Oct – Bristol | The Gryphon
Fri 24 Oct – Bournemouth | Anvil
Sat 25 Oct – London | The Dev

German Dates:

14.11.2025 Eberswalde | Exil
15.11.2025 Winterthur | Gisi
16.11.2025 TBA
17.11.2025 Bamberg | Live Club
18.11.2025 Osnabrück | K.A.F.F.
19.11.2025 Köln | Sonic Ballroom
20.11.2025 Oberhausen | Druckluft
21.11.2025 Dannenberg | Raum2
22.11.2025 Kiel | Schaubude

In case you missed it: Watch the First VIdeo for the Track "Lungs Out" From the same Hobo-Rec Live Recording Session Earlier via INVISIBLE ORANGES RIGHT HERE.

"Interspersing bitter melodies and surprisingly intricate vocals with loud, crashing noise and screams, the album whips up a furious storm of discontent." Invisible Oranges

Debut Full-Length "Wise Words From Well-Fed Mouths" Released via THIS CHARMING MAN RECORDS. Make Sure to Check Out This Amazing Duo.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to CZ Promotions for the details.

Mæth Dæmon - Dogma (Album Review)

Release Date: June 27th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Dogma - Tracklisting

1.Dogma 02:29

2.Phalanx 04:11

3.Cargo 05:10

4.Fossils 02:13

5.Prompt Engineering 04:02

6.Wake, Woke, Woken 03:34

7.The Hangman 01:10

8.Settlers 03:54

9.Screen Time 04:56

10.Allegro Ma Non Troppo 01:59

Members

Luca Zadra - Drums

Daniele Ticconi - Guitar

Alexander Startsev - Vocals

Matteo Grigioni - Bass Guitar

Guest Musicians

Alessio Bernardi - Flute / Sax

Ludovico Franco - Trumpet

Review

Dogma is the debut album from Mathcore/Post-Hardcore/Sludge Metal misfits Mæth Dæmon where they also add instances of Noise, Punk and Japanoise into the mix. The end result is an experimental style of Sludge Metal that has a twisted sense of sound, purpose and identity. Adding flutes, saxophone and trumpets is also a big “turn-off” for me as I’m not a fan of those instruments being added to Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal. 

Those elements don’t really work here but I will say they’re superbly played by the individuals (Alessio Bernardi and Ludovico Franco) who play on this blistering, pissed off and fast-paced record. Mæth Dæmon (which is obviously a pun on Matt Damon) and it shows the band do have a sly sense of humour and I’m beginning to wonder if they were inspired by Team America and instead of Good Will Hunting that’s mentioned on their BandCamp Page.

The record is violent, chaotic and feels like you’re being pummelled to death by a mighty sledgehammer over and over again. Mæth Dæmon perhaps falls within the more experimental side of Sludge Metal with their harsh growls and glitchy electronica beats that craft a warped sense of security. There is a drug induced psychedelic environment forming within the record which comes alive on the excellent second track Phalanx. 

For the most part Mæth Dæmon changes musical direction throughout the album with different levels of glitchy FX sounds and trip-hop beats that gave a murky Sludge Metal makeover on tracks such as Cargo, Fossils, Prompt Engineering, Settlers and Screen Time. You can hear influences as diverse as Melt Banana, NIN, The Melvins and Mike Patton which allows Dogma to be quite an unsettling and highly unapologetic record which some folks may turn off before everything is said and done.

Whilst the production values are not perfect with some vocal moments being quite hard to make out with the onslaught of multiple levels of crazed heaviness going on. However, this adds to the overall crazed nature of Dogma with Mæth Dæmon excelling in the least likeliest of places that makes you glad you've listened to the album in full.

If you’re looking for something weird, experimental, daring and different then Mæth Dæmon may be the band for you. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Glowing Brain - Memory Distortion (Album Review)

Release Date: May 09th 2025. Record Label: The Ghost Is Clear Records (vinyl) and Master Kontrol Audio (cassette).. Formats: DD/Vinyl/Tape

Memory Distortion - Tracklisting

1.Long Hair Punks 02:39

2.Revenge Piñata 02:58

3.Crude Bastard 03:06

4.Bong Exhaust 05:55

5.Memory Distortion 03:10

6.Hole In The Skull 04:12

7.Creeping Debt 03:26

8.Bummer Machine 03:03

9.Dying On The Vine 02:22

10.Chilling Technology 05:56

Members

Conrad Nichols - Vocals, bass, guitar

Doc Miller - Guitar, vocals, synthesizer, organ

James Lyter - Drums and percussion

Review

Memory Distortion is the latest record from Punk/Metal upstarts Glowing Brain where they blend Speed Metal, Thrash, Hardcore and Stoner Metal sounds with socially conscious lyrics. The music is played at mighty fast pace with Glowing Brain inspired by the likes of Motorhead, Voivod, The Melvins, Mutoid Man and Suicidal Tendencies.

The songs are downright catchy and aggressive with Glowing Brain playing with a mighty “IF IT AIN'T BROKE, THEN DON’T FIX” attitude which we’ve perhaps heard a million times before. However, the band stays true to their Punk and Heavy Metal roots with songs that “GET SHIT DONE” and still leave you fully satisfied and wanting to hear more. 

The bass heavy attitude of the music from Conrad Nichol’s inspired BASS playing allows the other band members of Doc Miller (Guitar, Synths and Organ) and James Lyter (Drums and Percussion) to play with a more fearless HEAVY METAL delivery which comes across quite reckless on tracks such as: Long Hair Punks, Revenge Pinata, Crude Bastard and Bong Exhaust impressing throughout the first half.

I was quite surprised to hear and experience the band’s expedition into Psychedelic, Sonic and Spaced Out territory thanks to Doc Miller’s excellent use of trippy Synths and sound effects within the mighty fourth track Bong Exhaust which is perhaps my favourite track on the album. This is perhaps considered Glowing Brain’s PROG ROCK/METAL opus compared to the Punk and Speed Metal surroundings of the other tracks the album contains though the final track of Chilling Technology comes mighty close. 

Memory Distortion does feel inspired by the legendary Matrix franchise with the themes and lyrics Glowing Brain have constructed for the record. The mash-up of different sounds and genres from Glowing Brain is quite original and downright technically impressive especially when they blend Punk Rock with a gloomy Space Rock environment. 

The vocals from both Conrad Nichols and Doc Miller both have a “NO FUCKS GIVEN” attitude in how they’re delivered but it’s quite refreshing to hear these style of vocals that allows the message of the album to hit HARDER than you initially anticipate that left me quite breathless at times.

Overall, Memory Distortion is a wickedly subversive album that’s hidden under the pretence of a Punk Rock/Speed Metal/Stoner Metal album that makes it such an even better album on every level possible. This is stirring stuff with Glowing Brain delivering a masterclass of FUCKED UP and HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE grooves from start to finish.

You know what to do….

 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

BLIND MESS - The Storm Within (Album Review)

Release Date: May 09th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

The Storm Within  - Tracklisting

1.The Bell 04:33

2.On The Edge 03:08

3.Mirror Of My Soul 04:32

4.The Hemlock Cup 04:12

5.Sick Society 04:58

6.Bleeding Hearts 02:49

Members

Daniel

Martin

Oskar

Review

BLIND MESS new album The Storm Within is a record that allows the band to expand their style of Hardcore Punk, Doom, Desert Rock and Stoner Metal with a classic 1990’s Alt Rock attitude. If you ever wondered what early era The Offspring would sound like if given a Stoner Rock/Metal makeover then this is the closest result you can possibly get. There is some wicked sounding Thrash and Speed Rock attitude within the opening tracks of The Bell and On The Edge.

The vocals are an inspired take of melodic rock and hardcore punk attitude with the right amount of metallic energy being delivered. The music itself is quite loose and ready but with a catchy Hardcore Punk Rock style allowing the Stoned Out elements having a jagged approach with everything being played at an intense fast-paced style. The production is quite abstract with a subtle LO-Fi sound that develops from the very start. 

The Storm Within is quite a short album lasting under twenty five minutes but there’s sure a lot of catchy grooves that are downright aggressive at the best of times on tracks such as On The Edge, Mirror Of My Soul and Sick Society.

BLIND MESS do offer moments of vibrant Psychedelic passages on the later stages of the record whilst not giving up their Hardcore Punk Rock identity. This style of music has served BLIND MESS well over the course of their career with this perhaps being their most melodic and politically charged record to date but the band still offer moments of highly addictive dangerous fun along the way.

BLIND MESS have once again delivered the goods with The Storm Within and I recommend you to check out this superbly entertaining record that has a high turnover of sublime riffs that will have you headbanging in no time at all.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Flood - Circuit Theory (EP Review)

Release Date: April 25th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Circuit Theory - Tracklisting

1.Now’s The Time! 03:17

2.Boy of War 02:47

3.Perfection in the Design 03:28

4.The Keeping 02:56

Members:

Greg Hooper - Guitar/Vox

Ronzo Farrand - Drums

Emmett Morley - Bass

Review

Circuit Theory is the debut EP from Alt Metal/Sludge Metallers Flood who combines elements of Punk, Grunge, Doom, Stoner and Sludge Metal into a classic and bombastic style of HEAVY METAL within their music. The record has a certain 1990’s Rock/Metal attitude with the band perhaps creating a style of music that could be easily be considered “NU METAL” in places but the great use of Hardcore, Grunge and Sludge Metal allows Flood to create music that always thinks outside of the box.

Imagine RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and NIRVANA joining forces and playing a hybrid style of Grunge and Sludge Metal with Greg Hooper’s vocals perhaps being inspired more by the legendary 90’s scene. The EP itself is an interesting style of music that shouldn’t really work but Flood makes everything work around them with some hard hitting socially aware lyrics being added.

The songs are quite aggressive with fast-paced sludgy rhythms that have a slight DIY quality to them with a wicked STOP / START movement especially on the standout tracks of Now’s The Time! and Perfection In The Design with the EP touching upon the drawbacks of modern day Technology and individuality. The EP is perhaps inspired by The Matrix and Cyberpunk movement for the main storyline and creative themes of the EP which was all the range for sometime back in the late 90’s and early 00’s. 

Circuit Theory is played at a breakneck speed and Flood get everything said and done under thirteen minutes but they have an ARSENAL of intense grooves that demand your full and undivided attention. I wish the EP had a couple more tracks just to make it a more potent experience, however, Flood have delivered the goods here and should gain some attention within the underground Rock/Metal scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram