Sly & The Family Drone - With Love (Album Review)

Release Date: August 28th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/Vinyl

With Love - Tracklist

1.Psychic Surgery

2.The Guts Of Albion

3.Under The Rainbow

4.In The Oils

5.Snagged On Frowns

6.Cloth Control

Members

James Allsopp – tenor saxophone

Kaz Buckland – drums, electronics

Matt Cargill – electronics, voice, percussion

Ed Dudley – electronics, voice

Will Glaser – drums, electronics

Review

Sly & The Family Drone return with their latest offering With Love and it’s equally weird and brilliantly inventive as their previous records. The band have always been quite hard to fully describe or categorize which is down to the endless amount of sounds they create within their music. The band call themselves a “Neo Jazz Wrecking Crew” and that’s a great way to describe them but that only tells half of the story.

Jazz plays a bit part of Sly & The Family Drone’s musical identity but they play movements of Psych, Folk, Doom, Drone, Sludge, Prog and massive freak-ish beats. The sound is wonderfully tribal and quite cosmic which feels like what a Psych/Jazz album would sound like if it was being conducted by Alejandro Jodorowsky. The record has been quite difficult for me to review as I haven’t listened to the band in a long time and how they add so many different musical instruments into the mix makes it even harder.

However, I’m not complaining as With Love is a hugely enjoyable of fucked up moments which kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s best to describe it as a singular album that’s been broken down into individual segments with each song allowing Sly & The Family Drone to experiment with different musical themes, sounds and eerie emotional templates. Any band that plays their own warped and noise rock version of the classic track Over The Rainbow deserves to be heard.

Most readers may know I’m not the biggest fan of Saxophone based music but it’s gloriously heavy and freakishly powerful throughout this album. The opening tracks of Psychic Surgery and The Guts Of Albion are down beat, gloomy and distorted with Sly & The Family Drone adding glitchy sound effects along the way. The Post-Rock, Drone and Psychedelic soundscapes have a dark hallucinogenic effect which allows the Industrial Rock/Metal and Neo-Jazz surroundings to fully take over. 

With Love can be quite demented with the slow paced music forging new creative openings for the band to overlap with an abstract Space Rock theme on tracks such as The Guts Of Albion, Over The Rainbow, In The Oils and Snagged Out Frowns. There’s some massive KrautRock and Japanese Psychedelic Freakout influences with the band applying that epic Jazzy attitude which becomes even more daring and brilliantly surreal which feels like you’re coming down from the most massive WEEDIAN trip possible. 

Even with the intense experimentation, Sly & The Family Drone still offer a grounded approach to their music which does become quite schizophrenic along the way. These guys have been around for the best part of two decades now and know a thing or two about experimenting with finely tuned SONIC based passages which even have a heavier presence than you initially expect.

The vocals drift into existence only when they’re really needed but it’s still sometimes confusing to listen to at first so expect to have multiple listens to fully understand the story of With Love. I’ve listened to the album about four or five times now and I'm even finding new sounds to fully explore with every listen.

With Love is a great album with first rate production values allowing Sly & The Family Drone showing why they’re one of the finest Progressive bands we have in the UK scene. This won’t be for everyone and is perhaps suited for their established fan base. However, I would recommend you give this record a chance as With Love will surprise the hell out of you.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Philly Doom-Jazz Legends Stinking Lizaveta return with 10th album "Cassandra, Prophet of Doom" out September 16th on SRA Records

Bursting forth in doom-jazz glory from the punk underground, Stinking Lizaveta was forged in the 90s in the basements of West Philly.

Yanni Papadopoulos, guitar, Alexi Papadopoulos, upright electric bass and Cheshire Agusta, drums have produced ten full length albums and are road dogs of rock in the US, UK and EU. For over 30 years they have been playing every show like its their first and last.

Bear Stone - Photo credit: SanjaMatic

Having just returned from yet another tour of Europe, including festival highlights Stoned From The Underground and Bear Stone, the band is ready to unleash their new album Cassandra, Prophet of Doom and set forth on a tour with Philadelphia’s science fiction noise rock / metal hybrid Deathbird Earth in November.

Bear Stone - Photo credit: SanjaMatic

Across eight tracks of adventurous, winding, raucous rock that can only be Stinking Liz, the trio chart a grand, unpredictable course.

Furious rhythms, staccato attacks, and wiry guitar heroics bring Cassandra to sprawling life, ranging from the dark, doomed epic of the title track to the anthemic, punky roar and folk touches of "Sherman's March". Stinking Lizaveta are back and as iconoclastic as ever.

Bear Stone - Photo credit: SanjaMatic

Stinking Lizaveta dates Fall 2026:

8/29 – BAD CATT FEST
9/26 – RECORD RELEASE SHOW JOHNNY BRENDA’S PHILADELPHIA
10/10 – EMISSIONS FROM THE MONOLITH

Bear Stone - Photo credit: Valerio Baranović

US November 2026 tour with Deathbird Earth:

FRIDAY 6TH – BALTIMORE, MD – OTTOBAR w/ Arbouretum & Darsombra Sol
SATURDAY 7TH – RICHMOND, VA – NORTHSIDE GRILLE
SUNDAY 8TH – KNOXVILLE, TN – PILOT LIGHT
MONDAY 9TH – RALEIGH, NC – KINGS
TUESDAY 10TH – CHARLOTTE, NC – THE MILESTONE
WEDNESDAY 11TH – BIRMINGHAM, AL – THE FIREHOUSE
THURSDAY 12TH – LAFAYETTE, LA – THE FREETOWN BOOM BOOM ROOM w/ Spickle
FRIDAY 13TH – NEW ORLEANS, LA – POOR BOYS
SATURDAY 14TH – AUSTIN, TX – THE LOST WELL
SUNDAY 15TH – SAN ANTONIO, TX – THE LONESOME ROSE (matinee)
MONDAY 16TH – MEMPHIS, TN – HAVENHUAS
TUESDAY 17TH – CINCINNATI, OH – NORTHSIDE TAVERN
WEDNESDAY 18TH – MILLERSVILLE, PA – PHANTOM POWER

Stinking Lizaveta - Cassandra, Prophet of Doom

Abum out September 16th, 2026
SRA Records (Vinyl, CD, Digital)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
FFO: Black Flag, Gone, Bad Brains, Steve Albini, Earthless, The Obsessed

Recorded and mixed at Permanent Hearing Damage by Steve Roche
Mastered by James Plotkin
Artwork by Stathis Panou

Stinking Lizaveta is:

Yanni Papadopoulos - Guitar
Alexi Papadopoulos - Upright electric bass
Cheshire Agusta - Drums

Tracklist:

1. Champion of My Mind (2:31)
2. Stinkface (3:08)
3. Please Start Now (3:36)
4. Lindsay Wagner Intro (1:07)
5. Lindsay Wagner (3:35)
6. Cassandra, Prophet of Doom (5:05)
7. Sherman's March (3:44)
8. Never to Be Believed (5:09)

Stinking Lizaveta

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

Dorre - Fortress (Album Review)

Release Date: February 22nd 2025. Record Label: Lay Bare Recordings. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Fortress  - Track Listing:

1. Two Crawled Up The Mountain - 9:37

2. Human Cyborg Relations - 5:28

3. Carbonite - 7:48

4. Ender - 10:40

Members

Adriaan De Raymaeker - Rhythm guitars

Wolf Overloop - Drums

Erik Heyns - Lead guitars

Jan Greveraars - Bass

Brecht De Rooms - Vocals

Review

Belgian Psych/Doom/Sludge/Stoner necromancers Dorre return with their new album Fortress and the record is a gateway into a new style of abstract heaviness with the band touching upon moments of Post-Metal, Prog Metal, Hard Rock and Gloomy Space Rock. The sound is influenced by the likes of ISIS, Mastodon, Monster Magnet, The Mars Volta and UFOMAMMUT with its highly adventurous and experimental themes which can be quite Avant Garde and Jazz-centric at times.

 However, Dorre never loses their precise Doom/Sludge Metal focus with the vocals having quite an aggressive and surreal tone which comes to life superbly within the epic opening track Two Crawled Up The Mountain. With a helpful dose of Psychedelia, Space Rock and hallucinogenic ambient themes that all conjure up moments of paranoia within the lyrics on the early stages of the album. 

It’s great to see how Dorre evolved into a band with sublime vocals which is quite different to the instrumental post-metal surroundings they originally started with. Brecht De Rooms adds a cinematic level of storytelling to Dorre’s sound and they’ve added Jan Greveraars on Bass since their last record. Jan’s bass is more ethereal and perhaps fully tuned into a Progressive delivery which suits the outlandish sound that Dorre accomplishes here.

Second track Human Cyborg Relations is a cunning blend of Jazz, Post-Rock, Sludge Metal and Prog Metal that a delicious Tech Metal vibe being added with a fascinating “STOP/START” delivery which almost explores a more “EXTREME” side of Post-Metal before Dorre pull back and play a classic style of Sludge/Stoner Metal that offers the most riff-centric grooves on the whole album. This is perhaps my favourite track on the album as it’s the perfect fusion of Experimental Metal and Straightforward Rock and Roll with moments of first rate Psych Rock passages.

The final two tracks of Carbonite and Ender leans heavily into areas of music played by the likes of CAVE IN, Mastodon and ELDER but with a frantic Jazz Metal atmosphere taking complete control especially on Carbonite. Even at this late part of the album, Dorre are still finding time to experiment, refine and recreate their sound with endless feedback loops, ambient sounds and avant-garde vocals whilst never losing sight of their Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal backgrounds.

The final track Ender is the other standout track with Dorre wisely allowing themselves maximum time of around eleven minutes to play the most out there type of music on the album but one that is perhaps the easiest style of grooves and riffs to listen to on the more catchiest parts of the record. 

Fortress is an absolute MONSTER of a record and it’s an album by Dorre to always think outside the box that entertains the listener on a huge level from start to finish. In this type of form, Dorre are simply unbeatable and in a league of their own. With moments of sheer brilliant and devastating brutality, Fortress is a record that deserves to be heard by the biggest audience possible.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Dorre for the promo.

Fortress will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Lay Bare Recordings from Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Ropes Inside A Hole - A Man And His Nature (Album Review)

Release Date: January 10th 2023. Record Label: Voice Of The Unheard Records and Shove Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

A Man And His Nature: Tracklisting

1.Distance 07:26

2.Others Are Gone. I Don't Care 08:49

3.Loss And Grief 06:39

4.Feet In The Swamp, Gaze To The Sky 09:52

5.Overwhelmed 05:12

6.Time To Sleep 07:54

Members

Drums: Rocco Catturani Guitar: Flavio Di Bella Bass / Synth: Diego Ruggeri Guitar: Andrea Binetti Guitar: MIchele Verni Vocals: Daniel Loefgren

Review

A Man And HIs Nature is the new album from Post-Metal/Shoegaze collective Ropes Inside A Hole (RIAH) and is their second album with the band taking a different creative approach compared to their debut album. This album has more creative structure and more focus as well with RIAH blending newer elements of music such as Shoegaze, Post-Rock and Ambient textures. 

The album perhaps takes influence from recent albums by bands such as CULT OF LUNA and The Ocean Collective whilst RIAH still allowing themselves the opportunity to do their own thing. Heavy organic Sludge/Post-Metal grooves appear on the sublime opening song Distance that has a great use of QUIET vs LOUD dynamics that shift between ice cold glacier synths and heavy Sludge/Post-Metal guitars. The vocals are delivered with emotional intent and bring a sense of urgency to the album. 

Second song “Others Are Gone. I Don't Care'' opens with an extended Instrumental Post-Rock/Post-Metal groove that shows signs of heavier things to come such as almost Thrash/Groove Metal appetite whilst remaining in the Post-Whatever realm. Twinges of Psych Rock show a different side to RIAH with the song having an uplifting aggression to it all. The song does become more experimental and classical within its delivery on the second half of the track that allows it to be one of the standout tracks on the album.

A Man And His Nature is quite an expansive record to listen to and you can feel that from the excellent opening two tracks. RIAH continues that way of thinking for the other tracks of the album with RIAH taking more bolder and daring creative decisions on tracks such as: “Loss And Grief”, “Feet In The Swamp, Gaze To The Sky” and “Time To Sleep”.

The vocals can be quite melodic with a deeper insightful meaning to them none so more on Loss And Grief which reminded me of SOM in places. RIAH’s music can be quite experimental in places on thi album with their use of different instruments such as Violin, Saxophone and Cello which is also performed by a collection of guest musicians such as: Hernan Paulitti, William Suvanne, Francesco "Fresco" Cellini and Mohammed Ashfarf.

A Man And His Nature is a different and perhaps soulful album to other Post-Metal albums currently being released. However, when the heavy Post-Metal grooves appear, there’s a lot to admire here with RIAH delivering a highly accomplished release for the Post-Metal Community to discover. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR and RIAH for the promo.

A Man And His Nature is available to buy on DD/Vinyl now via Voice Of The Unheard Records and Shove Records.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Introduce Yourselves: Kajgūn

What is the name of your band?

Hi, our band is called Kajgūn. The name is a word we made up, it didn’t mean anything, but now it represents us and the music we play.

What is the genre of music that you play?

We play 100% improvised jazz metal. Half of the band brings a mixture of doomjazz and world music, and the other half brings sludge/doom metal. 

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

Kajgūn was formed by members of Modef and Vanta, who decided to play improvised music together. The band made their debut at 2020’s Fekete Zaj festival (you can watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhODamiBGew). We have released an EP called Maorey and a live album Chamber Works in Concrete. Today we are focusing on the release of our debut album Daogoad, the release date is February 11. 

What can people expect from your music?

Our music is trippy and heavy at the same time. Fuzzy Cracklins described it as “Crushing riffs with ethereal theremin and jazz tones delivered as improv.”. Layers of melodies are built by electric violin, theremin, synths, and saxophone on top of sludgy guitar riffs and drums. Furthermore, you can expect a unique experience each time we play because we do total improvisation.

Photo by Peter Szalontai

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

We recommend our debut album Daogoad, you can check it out before the release date because we have already published some music videos from the material. It’s a great snapshot of our work, experiments, and sound. 

Ptahfraw Nowmuuz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD17MudLGJw

Alaiyenna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWdCsMAazqw

Maorey Suh Raawb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xqs8wGKczM

Where can people find you on Social Media?

Follow us on YouTube and Bandcamp if you want to be up-to-date with our releases:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtJnlvYV80Eeks3XINPifOQ

https://kajgun.bandcamp.com/

In general, you can find all our important links at our linktree:

https://linktr.ee/kajgun

Iceburn - Asclepius (Album Review)

Release Date: June 25th 2021. Record Label: Southern Lord Recordings. Format: DD/CD/Vinyl

Asclepius - Tracklisting

1.Healing the Ouroboros 18:48 

2.Dahlia Rides the Firebird 17:49

Members

Joseph "Chubba" Smith -Drums 

James Holder - Guitars 

Gentry Densley - Guitars, Vocals 

Cache Tolman - Bass

Review

I was a huge fan of Iceburn back in the late 90s with their blend of Jazz/Experimental Rock with later releases seeing the band venture into Doom Metal. Iceburn released their last album back in 2001 and the band has now returned with Asclepius. The album feels like it has been 20 years in the making with iceburn revisiting their earlier Jazz Fusion Metal sound with elements of Hardcore, Psych and at twisted style of Doom Metal.

I became a fan of Eagle Twin (Gentry Densley’s other fantastic band) because of Iceburn as I wanted to hear what Gentry had in store for his new musical adventure. However this is Iceburn’s chance to shine once more with this album. The record is firmly rooted in heavy Jazz Fusion textures with Progressive Metal and Doom Metal being added at the later stages. The album contains two tracks running 18 minutes in length and the Drone/Industrial atmosphere is quite experimental with a heavy Start-Stop sludgy presence. This is most definitely vintage Iceburn but given a 21st Century Makeover with the guys using their years of experience wisely and playing muscular slabs of Doom Metal.

This record does remind me of Eagle Twin's last album in many ways but still remaining truly original on it’s own technical and creative merits. Both songs follow the same creative pattern of heavy Jazz based Rock/Metal passages with a foreboding sense of Doom lurking in the background. Though, the moments of Classic Hard Rock and Twin Guitar riffs lighten the mood along the way.

Opening song - Healing The Ouroboros - is my favourite song with Iceburn being more adventurous and daring on this track. With its endless changes in musical beats and tempos for a rather solidifying sound that really comes alive when the Jazzy sounds meet with the Doom Metal grooves then everything becomes a weirdly exciting style of heavy music.

Second song - Dahlia Rides The Firebird - is another crazy exposure into Iceburn’s psyche and this is perhaps the heaviest offering with moments of pure twisted carnage. Maybe not as strong as the opening song but still a thrilling spectacle of Experimental Doom Metal.

Asclepius is perhaps the most technically impressive record I’ve heard this year and that’s down to the sheer variety of different styles the band play for this release. I’m hoping we don’t have to wait another 20 years for an Iceburn release. As this is an essential listening experience for long-time fans of the band but it also allows first time listeners the perfect opportunity to discover this great band all for themselves.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lauren at Rarely Unable PR for the promo. Asclepius is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Southern Lord Recordings.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp