Liquid Pennies - Fore (Album Review)

Release Date: July 25th 2025. Record Label: Threat Collection Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Fore - Tracklisting

1.Tapered Scape 04:17

2.Ready Tide 03:19

3.Echolalia 11:15

4.Sight Skewer 04:56

5.Elliptic Triptych 06:56

6.Further Ennui 02:58

7.The Bone 05:45

8.Fore 01:38

Members

Chas Binns - Guitars, Vocals, Synthesizers, Piano, Mellotron, Samples, Drum Machine Sequencing, Shaker, Tape Manipulation, and Engineering

Pierson Whicker - Drums and Sample Pads

Tysonious Mink - Bass, Synthesizer on Sight Skewer/Further Ennui, and Engineering

Guest Musicians

Zoë Turtle - Vocals and Violin on The Bone

Melissa Grady - Cello on The Bone

Gina Castellano - Viola on The Bone

Matt Flynn - Flute on Ready Tide

Review

Fore is the latest album from Psych/Shoegaze/Doom/Stoner Rockers Liquid Pennies who are quite hard to categorize on this album. As they include elements of KrautRock, Post-Punk, Grunge, Electronica, Indie and Folk Rock for a mysterious and highly experimental record. Imagine The Mars Volta jamming with the likes of Baroness, Mastodon, IDLES and Joy Division which may make Fore a hard record to resonate with some parts of the Hard Rock community.

The record is absolutely stunning with different musical momentums being played at any one time with a deep reliance on Electronica, Indie and Dance Rock beats. Though, Liquid Pennies still manage to inject a Doom/Stoner Rock energy within the whole cascade of Progressive themes holding everything together. There’s also a wealth of different musical instruments being played and multiple guest musicians appearing on the record which gives Fore quite a meditative and transcendental quality especially within the sullen Post-Rock moments though Liquid Pennies will catch people off guard when the heavy Doomed Out sounds appear merging with that trippy Electronica score.

The opening two tracks of Tapered Scape and Ready Tide sets the scene with a lysergic energy being projected throughout the multiple different creative feeds and musical styles that Liquid Pennies play with vivid energy. Perhaps closely aligned to PInk Floyd and The Mars Volta for certain musical passages. The sound is highly original and quite exclusive thanks to the band’s own superb making. There are small amounts of aggressive Hard Rock bursting through the seams but the band keep those moments at bay for good reasons which we’ll experience with the next track Echolalia which is the standout track on the album.

Third track Echolalia is where Liquid Pennies “LET THE INMATES TAKE OVER THE ASYLUM” with plentiful of frenzied Doom/Stoner Rock instrumental passages running amok to the beautiful sounds the band created within the opening two tracks. This time round the ELECTRONICA sound is replaced by a thunderous Psychedelic and Spaced Out environment with a subtle DOOM-POP flow. The instrumental work is MONUMENTAL in places with a frenzied and wide assortment of different grooves being played in every direction. 

The next two tracks of SIght Skewer and Elliptic Triptych keep up with the glitchy and trippy methods of Electronica and Stoner Rock that have a certain flair of Baroness and Talking Heads to it all. The sound is considered Pop, Folk, Psych and Sludge Rock that sees Liquid Pennies once again creating truly original music of their own making that has a certain “STADIUM ROCK” flair running throughout. With hazy Dance Rock beats and Post-Rock grooves emerging from the ice-cold Electro beats of Elliptic Triptych with aggressive vocals that allows the music to be more experimental once more.

The final three tracks of the record - Further Ennui, The Bone and Fore - sees Liquid Pennies undergo a musical transformation once again with some edgy Drone/Post-Rock beats being played within Further Ennui which is also quite therapeutic at the same time. The Bone and Fore sees a left-field creative energy being delivered with some fantastic instrumental guest appearances from Zoë Turtle (Vocals and Violin) ,Melissa Grady (Cello) and Gina Castellano (Viola) on the other standout track The Bone. 

Fore is one of the most refreshing, highly original and downright strange Rock albums I’ve had the pleasure to listen to this year. Liquid Pennies feels like they’re rewriting the rules of Stoner Rock music with Fore which may propel them to bigger and greater things within the Hard Rock scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Liquid Pennies for the promo.

Fore is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from Threat Collection Records and from the band's website.

Links

Linktree | BandCamp

Monolord’s MIKA HAKKI Returns with his Sophomore Album on MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN RECORDS | New Video Out Now

Mika Häkki on Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Best known to those above and below the underground as one third of the most sonically devastating bands in recent memory, Mørker is the second solo album from Swedish bassist Mika Häkki.

Aided and abetted once more by fellow countrymen and peddler of all things heavy, Majestic Mountain Records, much like his 2022 debut Vemod his follow-up is another uncompromising labour of love for the Monolord man. Where his previous album touched upon aspects of classic country and singer/songwriter-centred material, Mørker takes a confident step into the unknown and finds Hakki painting a broader range of styles with a defter and more masterly stroke. From dreamy progressive pop to raw tripped-out proto-punk, hidden within these compositions are hints and hammer blows from the back catalogues of The Stooges, Pink Floyd and even the Americana thrum of Neil Young.

As Hakki himself explains, “Mørker continues the same path which my previous album started. Looking back, looking in and forward, trying to embrace the darkness while finding your place in it. In the darkest of times, you must look into the core to pick apart the strains and see what makes it tick.”

Joined by Klas-Henrik Hörngren on keys, Krister Selander on bass and drummer Kristoffer Ragnstam, who also produced the album alongside Hakki at LÜXFÄLLAN Studios, Mørker by Mika Häkki will be released worldwide via Majestic Mountain Records on 11th April 2025. As premiered on The Obelisk recently, stream and share his new single ‘Take this Light Away’ 

TRACK LISTING:

1. Take This Light Away [Listen]
2. When You're Old
3. Time Stood Still
4. Couch Anthem
5. Makes No Sense
6. Another Reason to Stay
7. Weighted Daze

Artist: Mika Häkki
Album: Mørker
Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records
Formats: Digital
Release Date: 11/04/2025

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for all of the details.

Filthy Hippies - Share The Pill (Album Review)

Release Date: July 05th 2024. Record Label: Mongrel Records. Formats: DD

Share The Pill - Track Listing:

1. We All Fall Down

2. Dual

3. Walk In The Sun

4. Good Time

5. Candy Floss

6. Stolen From Heaven

7. Share The Pill

8. Catch Me If You Can

9. Catatonic

10. Dreaming Of Water

11. You’ll Forgive Me (When I’m Clean)

12. Dead Flowers

Line Up:

Andrew Paine - Vox,Bass,Keys

Mandy Backstrom - Vox,Bass

Tim Ball - Guitar

Ca'Lee Quick - Guitar

Chealsey Leukes – Drums

Review

Share The Pill is the new album from South African Psych/Noise/Shoegaze/Stoner Rockers Filthy Hippies though the record has a deep Indie Rock that aligns them more closely to bands from the 1980’s and 1990’s Alt Rock scene. The record is quite adventurous with Filthy Hippies exploring a surreal and jazzy Psychedelic sound which is quite experimental but always warm-hearted.

Filthy Hippies aren’t afraid with some Classic Pop sounds along the way but there’s a ton of heavy shoegaze guitars that can be quite dynamic and powerful. Share The Pill can only be described as a hallucinogenic trip with layers of sonic tapestry where I can see the Phil Spector influence the PR blurb that accompanied the album coming shining through.

There’s cues to bands such as A Place To Bury Strangers, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Slowdive and even HUM. The record could be too melancholic for some for the first four tracks of We All Fall Down, Duel, Walk In The Sun and Good Time as Filthy Hippies operate too closely within the Indie/Pop creative template at times but it’s beautiful to hear. However, they do show some gritty determination when the heavier Alt Rock grooves appear which adds a layer of distortion that you don’t expect. 

Fifth track Candy Floss is one of the standout tracks where the music shifts dramatically with elements of Shoegaze, Noise Rock, Post-Rock and sullen Stoner Rock attitudes. The vocals from Andrew Paine are excellent and where you can hear influences from the 1980’s Alt Rock scene and the band resemble bands such as REM and The Pixies at times. Perhaps the perfect reason  why I became a fan of this great band in the first place.

Sixth track Stolen From Heaven is a Post-Rock driven number with a slow-paced Shoegaze attitude which has moments of Distorted Pop noises with a Prog Rock attitude becoming quite Jazzy and Psychedelic on the later stages of the track. The dual vocals from Andrew and Mandy work superbly well together and leave you wanting to hear more before the song fades into the distance.

The second half of the album is equally as strong and beautifully dynamic as the first with Filthy Hippies once again experimenting with their Shoegaze focused sound with heartfelt lyrics to match. The Electronica aspect is more dominant here in places but the band manage to keep the “ROCK” aspect of their music fully intact even when the experimental “POPPIER” creative themes take centre stage.

Other great songs to check out are: Share The Pill, Catch Me If You Can, You’ll Forgive Me (When I’m Clean) and Dead Flowers.

Share The Pill won’t be for everyone as Filthy Hippie’s experimental approach is one of the main strengths of this album and allows the band to have a fearless attitude that provides some emotionally charged and highly original sounds throughout the record. 

This is an exquisite release from one of South Africa’s best kept musical secrets. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Plug Music Agency for the promo.

Share The Pill is available to buy from all good digital stockists now.

Follow Filthy Hippies

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SUNWISE - Crime Gardens (Album Review)

Release Date: May 03rd 2024. Record Label: Half Empty Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Crime Gardens: Tracklisting

1.Graveyard of the Nation 05:52

2.The Smallest City 04:33

3.Frenetic 03:34

4.Jumps 05:19

5.Bonus Wolf 04:47

6.Fell Down A Ravine 04:35

7.Frenetic (A Dream) 03:48

8.Lacewings 05:30

9.Endling 08:54

Band Members

J. Blucas - guitars, vocals, synths, samples, malaise

N. Yeager - bass, vocals, chicken philly

C. Kolasa - guitars, backing vocals, dogs

J. Eisenberg - drums, river

Review

Crime Gardens is the new album from Doom/Post-Hardcore/Shoegaze collective SUNWISE who have a sludgy undercurrent to their music with aspects of Slowcore and Space Rock to allow the band to have a cool sounding 90’s Alt Rock/Metal feel. Perhaps taking cues from bands such as HUM, Failure and Cloakroom with the vocals being more Indie Rock based which all comes into great effect on the excellent opening track Graveyard Of The Nation.

SUNWISE are quite a melodic bunch with the band focusing upon tone, melody, composition and aggression in equal measure. There’s a sense of lo-fi surrealism to their lyrics that are often quite moody and prompted by real life which remind me of bands such as EELS in certain aspects especially on tracks such as The Smallest City and Frenetic. 

The music is never what you expect and the heavy Doomgaze grooves appear out of nowhere and then suddenly disappear into a wall of Indie/Alt-Rock haze which can be reminiscent of TORCHE and FLOOR with how the music becomes highly volatile with the pounding sludgy instrumental movements. Areas of Psychedelic Rock transforms suddenly into Sonic Distortion with a modern rock score on the later stages of the album.

SUNWISE aren’t your typical “DOOMGAZE” band as they weave so many different creative themes and elements into their music where I can see the band being adored by the Indie Rock and Doomgaze scenes in equal measure. Crime Gardens is a multi-layered and fascinating experience with SUNWISE delivering music that’s beautifully poetic and most importantly has a real dimension to it all.

The avalanche of crunching guitars becomes more commonplace on tracks such as Jumps, Bonus Wolf, Lacewings and the brilliant final track of Endling. With moments that have a subtle Post-Rock energy matched against the superb Post-Punk vocals that never outstay their welcome. 

Crime Gardens is an album that offers a beautifully constructed and realized vision of the world which you rarely encounter these days. SUNWISE have delivered the goods with Crime Gardens and if you want to experience something different from the usual Doomgaze/Shoegaze sound then this album will open your mind to a whole new world of music to lose yourself in.

Words by Steve Howe

Crime Gardens is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Half Empty Records.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Goodbye Meteor - We Could Have Been Radiant (Album Review)

Release Date: February 09th 2024. Record Label: Dunk Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

We Could Have Been Radiant - Tracklisting

1.This Is Not Here 06:15

2.No Signal 06:06

3.Destructuration 07:34

4.What We Are Here For 12:08

5.We Could Have Been Radiant 09:23

6.Phosphenes 01:26

Review

We Could Have Been Radiant is the debut full length from Post-Rock collective Goodbye Meteor whose style of music is building up Ambient Post-Rock Textures and adding Ambient Chill Out sounds before venturing into a heavier layer of Cinematic Rock. The album isn’t what you expect with Goodbye Meteor perhaps using a more long drawn out delivery within the extended Progressive moments that appear on the album.

There’s moments of Shoegaze and Indie Rock within the record especially on the early album tracks such as This Is Not Here and No Signal. I was expecting outbursts of Aggressive Post-Metal mentality from Goodbye Meteor but they stay within the confinements of modern-day Post-Rock. Truth be told the album is perhaps better for this style of music. As the record remains constantly upbeat throughout though there’s multiple moments of sombre Post-Rock attitude which brings a sense of world-building Ambient themes on tracks such as Destructuration and What Are We Here For.

Listening to the album after multiple times you do begin to realise that Goodbye Meteor have their own blend of aggressive Post-Rock energy on the later stages of the album with progressive leaning guitars and subtle Psychedelic effects that can be quite experimental and distorted in places.

The final tracks of the record (What We Are Here For and We Could Have Been Radiant) sees Goodbye Meteor opt for a more reflective style of Post-Rock delivery which bands such as Russian Circles are well known for. The songs are both deliberately slow with the band using their time effectively drifting into the vastness and deep warmth their music generates within the long drawn out instrumental passages. 

I can see why the famed label Dunk!Records signed Goodbye Meteor to their roster. As Goodbye Meteor create some of the most heartwarming style of Post-Rock music you’ll likely to hear in a very long time whilst playing some truly standout and aggressive based movements that only align the listener to the band’s creative cause.

We Could Have Been Radiant is an extraordinary album which showcases how Goodbye Meteor are one of the most original bands to come from the Post-Rock scene in quite some time.

Words by Steve Howe

We Could Have Been Radiant is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Dunk!Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Psych Stoner Rockers Thomas Greenwood & the Talismans Premiere New Song SUNHOUSE From Upcoming New Album ATES

Thomas Greenwood & the Talismans become, through the years, a psychedelic rock band heavily contaminated by 70s influences, the Western Movies scenario with a Neo-Psychedelic taste. Founder Thomas Mascheroni (also guitar/voice of stoner trio Humulus) gave birth to the first record back in 2021 called 'Rituals', entirely self-produced; Ramble Records from Melbourne and Echodelick Records from Atlanta printed the vinyls. After a long period of wild jams into an old barn on the mountains of lake Iseo, the new upcoming record "Ateş" is ready.

Subsound Records · Sunhouse

Sunhouse is a song about youth. Remembering a ghost house and the memories of being innocent kids playing in the streets. It's a non-stop motion that tries to bring you back to the essence of joy.

Links

https://thomasgreenwoodband.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/_thomasgreenwood/

Subsound Records will release 'Ateş' on LP and digital on March 15th, 2024. Preorders: https://subsoundrecords.bigcartel.com/artist/thomas-greenwood-and-the-talismans

Thanks to Metaversus PR for all of the details.

Chris Korr From Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers THE MOTH: Favourite Albums Of 2023

Chris Korr from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers The Moth selects his Favourite Albums Of 2023.

The Moth released their acclaimed new album FROST earlier this year and it's another album that's made my very own Favourite Album Of 2023 list. 

Read below for some outstanding releases chosen by Chris

Obituary - Dying of Everything

Pure early 90's Death Metal. As simple as it gets. Nothing new but the real deal. For me, the best Obituary Album since The End Complete.

Calavera - Bestial Devastation / Morbid Visions

Still have the tape of the Sepultura debut Album Morbid Visions including the Bestial Devastation EP. Always thought that this stuff needs to be reissued with a better sound. And now, here it is! Awesome! It’s brutal and it sounds so good without losing roughness.

Treedeon – New World Hoarder

Third Album of our friends and label mates. Really good sludge/noise sound from Berlin. Good live band and always super nice to hang out with. Go to their shows and buy their records.

Civic – Taken By Force

OZ Power! The Saints - Radio Birdman - Hybrid with a unique own style! Damn Good.

Kurt Vile - Back To Moon Beach

Not much to say. Kurt Vile is great!

Negative Blast – Echo Planet

 

Great Punk/Hardcore Band from San Diego California with drumming Skateboarder Mario Rubalcaba. Every band he’s playing in is great. Unsurprisingly this Band too!

Gel - Only Constant

New Jersey Hardcore Punk with hurricanesque energy. Reminds me a bit of Trash Talk. Lots of fun to listen to it!

Slowdive - Everything Is Alive

Shoegazing – Psychedelic - Pop from the UK. I’m a huge Neil Halstead fan. I like his solo stuff and every band he’s playing in!

Wilco - Cousin

I haven't listened to Wilco records in ages. But this one ended up on my record player in 2023. Great record! Perfect for winter in Germany.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Swiss Sludge Rockers The Crotals Sign with Argonauta Records and Unveil First Single / Music Video

Argonauta Records proudly announces the signing of Swiss indie/sludge hard rockers, The Crotals, to release the band's third full-length album Conjure. The band, known for its fierce blend of indie, sludge, and hard rock, has garnered attention for its unapologetic sound and intense live performances. Following their acclaimed albums "Fuel ! Flames ! Blast !" and "Horde", The Crotals are set to conquer new horizons with their upcoming release.

To celebrate their signing, The Crotals have unleashed their first single and music video, "La Boue". Translating to "mud" in French, the track is a visceral exploration of dark, introspective themes. "La Boue" is hollered by screamers Guy and Randy in their mother tongue.

« J’ai regardé dans la boue, pour y voir mon reflet » (« I stared at mud, to see my own reflection ») : the first line of this sad and violent track is accompanied by two heroic and sorrowful choruses. Through this alternative piece of darkness, the band offers a glimpse of the indie music that forged their ears some decades ago… to then fill it up with the sour perfume of howling harshness.

Watch "La Boue" below:

About Conjure - The Crotals lay claim to rock and roll, but they also are especially fond of taking side roads. Conjure can therefore be understood as a sum of diverse experiments and confluences in the long run. Through eleven rough songs, the band delivers an odd indie/sludge recipe, driving ears from doom/sludge melancholy to the edge of punk/hardcore blades, demonstrating a real pleasure in cracking the « metalsound » cliché. The two screamers give Conjure a peculiar tone, enhanced by a volley of metal, rock, and rap guests who erect a wall of heavy, aggressive, and gloomy tracks.

The Crotals bio:

After having served for more than twenty years in various bands, The Crotals wanted to keep on playing loud music, but in a fiercer way. Originally a trio, they welcomed a second screamer in 2018 to perform the fuzzy craft of rock’n’roll. Following their first two records Fuel ! Flames ! Blast ! (2014) and Horde (2018), The Crotals found the center of gravity of their varied influences: they now «shoot straight and speak the truth» under the benevolent legacy of their ancestral mentors (Entombed, Motörhead, Unsane, Sonic Youth, Breach, Crowbar) and newer buccaneers such as Kvelertak, High on Fire, and Black Cobra.

They dispatch an uttermost piece of dark clamour corroded by wasted speakers and dismembered amps. Swooned in heavy distortion, they crash overheated tubes as the drums are hammered without restraint. The Crotals' heavy indie/sludge tunes only pledge allegiance to the wall of vintage Marshall amps overlooking them. That said, The Crotals are very friendly people.

For more info :

https://www.facebook.com/thecrotals

https://thecrotals.bandcamp.com/
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the info.

Calm Collapse - Mirrored Nature (Album Review)

Date Released: November 25th 2022. Record Label: Spartan Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Mirrored Nature: Tracklisting

Positive Greed

Sounds God

Brad Delp

Subtle Beast

Welfare Tour

Comeuppance

Shadows Paroled

Stairwell From The Moon

Members

Doug Lorig

Rob Smith

Jonathan Pease

Review

Calm Collapse is made up of members from the Indie Rock scene and whilst their debut album Mirrored Nature has Indie Rock vibes, this album is purely made of Prog Rock, Noise Rock, Grunge with massive Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves akin to bands such as Mastodon and Melvins. The album also has influences from bands such as Soundgarden and Torche in places. Recording and Mixed duties are handled by Matt Bayles who knows a thing or two about certain heavy grooves thanks to his work with bands such as Mastodon and ISIS.

Mirrored Nature contains eight tracks where Calm Collapse moves throughout the history of the Heavy Rock spectrum of the last forty years or so. However, this album remains thoroughly modern while striking a perfect balance of Indie Rock sounds with the heavier and more dynamic Sludge/Stoner Metal parts of the album.

Opening song Positive Greed opens with a more commercial heavy rock groove before Calm Collapse starts adding elements of Noise, Grunge, and Sludgy grooves that goes quite Spaced Out rock towards the end of the song. The vocals are equally powerful with a certain Grungy charm to them. There's a certain King Buffalo energy when the track slows the mood right down for a lush Cinematic and Psychedelic Post-Rock or Post-Stoner feel.

Second song Sounds God offers a heavier approach with that Indie Rock vibe working superbly well with the heavier Alt Rock flow of the track. The song revels in its 90's bold drive with a grungy atmosphere being more fast-paced than I originally anticipated. Perhaps one of the more gloomy offerings thanks to the sublime lyrics written for the track. Calm Collapse brings a certain style of calmness to the album whilst playing a refreshing blend of aggressive Psych Rock/Metal.

Third song Brad Delp opens with a killer guitar or bass solo before the Hardcore Punk vocals breaks up the peaceful mood to a more volatile energy. The song can be quite hard to describe in places with Calm Collapse moving between Punk Rock, Grunge, Noise Rock, Psych Rock and Prog Metal with echoes of WEEZER, Mastodon and QOTSA being felt through their wonderfully powerful and creative sounds on the album. This song remains superbly original with the band showing brilliant flashes of EPIC PSYCHEDELIC GROOVES that is violently addictive but so damn catchy at the same time.

Calm Collapse continues with this style of music for the remainder of the album on tracks such as Subtle Beast, Welfare Tour, Shadows Paroled and Stairwell For The Moon. The album does see Calm Collapse merge uplifting Ambient Post-Rock passages for a more reflective style of music whilst maintaining their Sludge/Stoner Metal presence on the later stages of the album.

If you loved HUM or Museum Of Light most recent albums then there's much to admire here with Calm Collapse offering similar Psychedelic and Melodic compositions whilst still being original in it's own right. The second half of the album also sees Calm Collapse play the heaviest and intense sounds on the entire record. 

The added bonus of Indie Rock sensibilities allows Calm Collapse to release an album that is a breathtaking, bold and daring style of Sludge Rock/Stoner Metal that you don't really hear that often. Mirrored Nature is an outstanding release that's fast becoming one of my favourite albums of the year even this late in the game as well.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mike at Earshot Media for the promo.

Mirrored Nature is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Spartan Records from November 25th 2022

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp