PAK40 - Superfortress (EP Review)

Release Date: December 04th 2025. Record Label: Sonic Centurion / Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD

Superfortress - Tracklisting

1.Old Nomad 10:36

2.Superfortress 06:38

3.Ascend 05:43

Lineup

Leo Hancill - Drums

Andy Glen - Bass / Vocals

Review

Drone/Sludge/Stoner Metallers PAK40 awaken from an almost five year slumber with their new heavy pounding release Superfortress which once again sees the band explore a more minimalistic approach with their music. The mood traverses between Doom, Drone, Noise, Sludge and Stoner Metal surroundings with a sound that’s emphasized by stripped back recording techniques and production values. The EP lasts around twenty three minutes that’s spread across three tracks that allows PAK40 tap into areas of music populated by the likes of SUNN 0))), Neurosis, The Melvins and High On Fire in places.

Opening track Old Nomad sees PAK40 deliver a song that’s blessed and cursed by an aggressive Drone Metal mentality before exploding into a loud volume of noise where the music suddenly transforms into a sludgier riffier and meatier sound. You can hear echoes of BIG BUSINESS coming at the best possible opportunity with PAK40 keeping their own monolithic creative attitude appearing within Andy Glen’s outlandish vocals which has shades of DOOMED OUT PROPHECY behind them. The jagged instrumental passages are quite thrilling especially with the calm and measured drumming performance from Leo Hancill who I just featured recently with his other band’s TELEOST sublime release. 

The other two tracks of Superfortress and Ascend follow the same destructive pattern with elements of Noise, Psych Rock and even Garage Rock allowing PAK40 to add an eerie melody to their music. The sound is wonderfully violent with high levels of DISTORTED hysteria developing behind the loud levels of distorted soundscapes which one again allows Andy’s vocals to be developed with a true MADMAN persona which he delivers with pure evil relish.

Superfortress has the legendary talents of James Plotkin on mastering duties which shows PAK40 packing some serious power behind the scenes with excellent producing, recording and mixing handled by Niklas Pietsch and Eris Deimel. 

PAK40 have delivered the goods yet again with an action packed EP and despite the short running time, they don’t waste a single second in allowing the listener to fully losing themselves within the fucked up chaos that SUPERFORTESS offers from beginning to end.

Words by Steve Howe

Available to buy on Cassette @ https://www.instagram.com/soniccenturion/

Available to buy on CD @ https://invertedgrim-millrecordings.bandcamp.com/#

Links

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Teleost - ATAVISM (Album Review)

Release Date: December 01st 2025. Record Label: Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Formats: CD/DD

ATAVISM - Tracklisting

1.Volcano 12:20

2.Bari 09:59

3.Life 08:21

4.Djinn 08:14

5.Canyon 11:48

Lineup

Leo Hancill - Baritone, Vocals, Guitars

Cat Redfern - Drums

Review

Doom/Stoner Metal Duo Teleost debut album ATAVISM is a heavy destructive style of music with the band forging a slightly industrial based sound set against a sludgy and droned out effect. The album has a distinctive NOISE ROCK aesthetic especially within the production techniques used to capture Teleost's intense musical delivery. The band are quite fond of creating AMPLIFIER FEEDBACK and heavy reverb which is used throughout the album. 

Teleost take influences from the likes of CONAN, THE MELVINS and BORIS but they also show their tender side which moves slightly into Post-Rock or Shoegaze territory which appears within the final stages of the brilliantly chaotic opening track of Volcano.Before that, Volcano allows Teleost to sharpen their Drone/Doom Metal landscapes with some great vocals from Leo Hancill appearing here and there. The song is quite slow at the best of times but Teleost do play a faster style of music for the majority of the track.

There’s some SONIC experimentation being added that allows the album to have a monolithic quality within the heaviest and harshest environments that Teleost deliver with on the other tracks such as Bari, Life and Djinn that all explores the more seedier and distorted levels of Doom/Stoner Metal. There’s an ice cold efficiency to how Teleost deliver their music which channels a classic style of Doom Metal with that epic INDUSTRIAL sound coming mostly from Cat Redfern’s excellent drumming. Though Leo provides some haunting and downright scary melodies on guitars with his vocals once again impressing me even further on the later stages of the album.

If you’re a dedicated follower of the LOW & SLOW style of music with an air of distorted progression then Teleost have delivered a record that will impress you from the very start. The sound and overall delivery of ATAISM can be quite fractured and violent in places but it’s the musical journey that Teleost takes you upon that make this such a standout album. The album can be beautifully melodic with long drawn out Psychedelic passages with hints of Space Rock making everything quite surreal but quite hopeful as well.

ATAVISM is a highly original album with Teleost developing their own great style of music that deserves to be heard by the widest audience possible within the Doom/Stoner Metal scene. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

You can buy ATAVISM now on CD/Digital via Inverted Grim Mill Recordings.

Links 

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Teleost - Three Originals (EP Review)

Release Date: January 03rd 2025. Record Label: Inverted Grim-Mill Recordings. Formats: DD

Three Originals - Track Listing:

Forget

Ether

Throwaway

Members

Catherine Redfern - Drums/Vocals

Leo Hancill  - Guitar/Vocals

Review

Three Originals is the new EP from Drone/Doom/Stoner Metal Duoe Teleost and I’m going to start the review with the fantastic description of their own music they sent to me. As it best describes what to expect:

“We use a baritone guitar strung with a bass string tuned to B (same as a 5 string bass). We then run into 3 amps: lead, rhythm and bass. This way we achieve a massive tone with a breadth and weight often missing in other two-piece bands. On top of this we add ethereal, folkish vocals which gives the music an incantatory feel, reminiscent of bands such as Om and Nadja.”

Teleost avoids the usual cliches of drug references of the Doom and Stoner Metal scene by drawing influences from the world of Folk, Prog and Classical music. Though, you can’t tell with the first rate musicianship they play here. As Teleost firmly belongs in the LOW & SLOW division of music. This is a spellbinding mix of different low & slow styles with the band showcasing a wide range of epic AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and PSYCHEDELIC instrumental passages within each of the superb tracks that make up Three Originals.

The music is constantly played at a superb slow-to-mid pace which allies Catherine’s drums to build up a world shattering rhythm and Leo’s guitars are built for destroying planets with it’s seedy tone and unapologetic delivery. The psychedelic Post-Rock and Ambient beats are a cool touch and I can see why Teleost mention Om and Nadja as influences. However, they can easily add bands such as SUNN O))), UFOMAMMUT, CONAN and SLOMATICS into the mix. As their music is subtly heavy on the COSMIC side of things perhaps mostly within the excellent opening track Forget.

Second track Ether is a mixture of gloomy Drone/Doom textures that builds upto an exquisite destructive rhythm before transforming into a subtle Post-Rock style of music in the middle. Teleost switch back to a heavier Sludgier sound with echoes of Leo’s long drawn out vocal chants. 

Third track Throwaway is a mixture of sounds played on the previous two tracks but with emphasis on distorted feedback and proggy psychedelics whilst keeping away from the drug-influenced creative choices that usually beset the underground scene. Teleost seems to thrive experimenting and diverting peoples expectations and they deserve full credit for doing something uniquely different at times. My only complaint is the song suddenly ends and may peharps an unsatisfactory conclusion for some but this is still a great track to close the EP with.

Three Originals is a great record to open 2025 with that offers listeners a wholly original and brilliantly unexpected ride into the UK Drone/Doom/Stoner Metal underground scene. 

More please…..

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Teleost for the promo.

Three Originals will be available to buy on Digital Download via Inverted Grim-Mill Recordings from Friday 03rd January 2025.

Links

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Geomancer - Khatt Al-Raml (Album Review)

Release date: January 15th 2018. Label: Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Format: CD/DD

Khatt Al-Raml – Tracklisting

1.Geomancer

2.Grief

3.Visions

4.Greed

5.Sacrifice

Members

Guitar / Vocals - Richard,

Bass - Calum,

Drums - Ruben

Review

I first became aware of Geomancer a couple years ago when they supported OHHMS and Conjurer on their joint UK Tour back in August 2016. The guys impressed me a great deal and I was curious to hear more from the band. Well that day has come as Geomancer will be releasing their debut album - Khatt Al-Raml.

Their music is an interesting sound with elements of Doom, Sludge, Post-Metal, Stoner Metal and Blackened Rock/Metal that all combine to create a Post-Doom style of music. The band uses a drone style template to hold everything together.

Opening track - Geomancer - is a slow-paced and bleakly distorted vision with the band focusing on heaviness more than melody. The overall sound has a cold feel with Geomancer playing more doom and gloom riffs with a blackened sludge groove for added measure. The growl based vocals are menacing but at least you can understand them. The second half of the song moves into Psychedelic and Post Rock territory with the band closing the song off with fast-paced Stoner Metal vibes that show you there is a lot more to Geomancer's music.

Second track - Grief is another lengthy opus with the band creating YOB/Electric Wizard levels of heaviness. The mood is bleak and sometimes sombre. Though that doesn't allow Geomancer to become complacent. Far from it. Geomancer build up a steady rhythm of Doom and Sludge Metal theatrics that has a more post-metallic feel compared to the other songs on the album. The vocals become more threatening and perhaps less easier to understand. This is where Geomancer start to experiment with their sound even more. As this song and the whole flow of the album expertly moves from extreme metal to the less harsh ways of Psychedelic Stoner Metal.

Third track - Visions - is a drone/sludge rock song with different swirling sounds opening the song. It has a BONG style influence as the band play an almost never-ending simple drone style riff. The song has quite a Shamanic feel with the different sound effects adding a layer of complex Middle Eastern melodies. Visions shows another side to Geomancer and it's a superbly played song. However it doesn't offer any great insights into the album and could be classed as filler compared to the other songs. Within time my opinion on this song will probably change.

Fourth track - Greed - returns to the furious psychedelic Doom/Sludge Metal onslaught with the band playing perhaps some of the heaviest moments on the album. It's a weirdly addictive sound allowing Geomancer more creative freedom with the heavy distorted/drone experimental noises becoming the main focus. The psychedelic sludgy stoner parts make a welcome appearance as YOB/CONAN style rhythms interact well with the vocals and the brilliant drumming of Ruben.

The final track - Sacrifice - is fifteen minutes plus of epic doom/sludge/stoner/post-whatever spaced out madness. It's quite trippy and spaced-out compared to the other songs but the familiar and harsh Sludge/Doom Metal atmospheric sounds remain as Geomancer finish off with the best song on the album. The vocals from Richard add a menacing feel and heavier substance to the song.

The production on Khatt Al-Raml is highly effective as the sound comes at you from all directions. The music is loud and violently crisp. Some people may find fault with the vocals and the bands willingness to experiment with their music. Those could be valid points when you first listen to the album. After a few listens this album had me under its hypnotic dark spell. If you want a brutally heavy sonic experience that dares to be that little bit different. Well Khatt Al-Raml is the album for you.

Geomancer may have opened the door to a lasting and rewarding career within the realm of Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal. A stunning debut album. No question.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Geomancer and Inverted Grim Mill for for the promo. Khatt Al-Raml will be released on DD via Inverted Grim Mill Recordings from January 15^th 2018. CDs will be released at a later date. 

Links:

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Lump Hammer - S/T (EP Review)

Release date: December 02nd 2017. Label: Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Format: CD/DD

Lump Hammer – S/T – Tracklisting

Party Time

Stacey Dooley

Intruder

Love Song

Members

Kevin Rajiah - Guitar

Tim Croft - Drums

James Watts - Vocals

Review

Lump Hammer are from Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. My home town. This is a band who I've seen multiple times over the last few years and I was excited to receive this new EP from the band. The self titled EP contains 4 tracks and runs for under 23 minutes.

Now the hardest thing to describe about Lump Hammer is their actual sound. The band play a twisted kind of Noise Rock, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal and Industrial Metal. This EP isn't the best produced sound you'll ever likely encounter. Though that's not the point as Lump Hammer are pure chaos and play the fuck whatever first comes into their heads.

Opening track – Party Time – is a noise rock/experimental/doom/sludge metal punch up of angry reckless and huge ugly sounds. And it's even more brilliant as a result. Two minutes of pissed-off vocals will soon get you in the mood.

Second track – Stacey Dooley – is where Lump Hammer try to do the “professional” song-writing thing as they create a Melvins style sonic/noise rock odyssey. Very slow burning at times but highly intriguing at the same time. The music is very down-tempo with the doom/sludge/noise riffs making the mood slightly awkward and downright depressing at times. Yeah the song is ugly but you can't turn away as Lump Hammer bring your twisted nightmares to life.

Third track – Intruder – is back to the more faster sludge/doom/punk riffs heard on the opening track. This song still carries on the nightmarish vibe of the previous two songs. However the band try their hand at a standard Sludge Rock sound. The industrial sounds allows Lump Hammer to bring a more menacing Doom Metal approach to their music.

Fourth track – Love Song – starts off really slow with drone/doom atmosphere for the first few moments of the song. The song really kicks off around the 4^th minute when the Sludge/Industrial riffs appear and all HELL BREAKS LOOSE. As Lump Hammer blends their nightmarish Sludge/Doom/Industrial sounds against a sombre drone/ambient instrumental piece. This is perhaps the best song on the EP as it shows how inventive and Lump Hammer can really be. I would love to hear the band play this style of music more on future records.

If you ever see Lump Hammer live on stage then be prepared to see something wholly different and original. These guys are very hard to define and this EP struggles to capture their brilliant live stage presence. Though as an introduction to the band, Lump Hammer's self titled EP is work of twisted and dark genius. Especially if you're into Experimental Doom/Sludge Metal.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

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