Sauros - Offense (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Offense - Tracklist

1.C2O 

2.Offense

3.The Doomsayers Are Right 

4.In The End

5.Grey Ignorance

6.A New Ego In Nihilism

7.Misanthropic Freedom

8.Unnatural Selection In The Age Of Crisis 

9.Nostalgic Anxiety

Members

Doc - Vocals

Nobbe - Guitar

Seb - Bass

Frank - Drums

Review

Doom Metallers Sauros debut album Offense is a great collection of slow-paced Doom/Sludge Metal. The music is played at a very cool slow pace which allows the band to create a highly atmospheric and destructive DOOMED OUT environment to play their music against. The vocals have that classic HEAVY METAL gruff exterior which brings the muscular lyrics to life which you can hear superbly well on the opening tracks of C2O, Offense and The Doomsayers Are Right.

Offense often plays it straight with Sauros never wandering into Prog Metal territory which makes this record feel more authentic. There are moments of Psychedelic and Alt-Metal themes that develop with hidden outbursts of Post-Doom and Atmospheric Sludge surroundings. Sometimes Sauros feels like they’re using bands such as Metallica and Type O Negative for certain sections of the record. There’s a gloomy Thrash based delivery which is quite noticeable especially with the sullen guitar tones and excellent vocals from Doc. 

The vocals remain clean throughout with some harsh tones being injected into the mix only when they’re really needed. The slowcore aspect of Sauros’s music is what makes it really standout as they never play fast-paced melodies which may perhaps disturb the equilibrium of what the band are trying to deliver with Offense. 

Everything is quite bleak with socially aware lyrics helping Sauros’s message in spreading much doom and gloom on this record that’s actually possible on tracks such as The Doomsayers Are Right, In The End, Grey Ignorance, A New Ego In Nihilism and Unnatural Selection In The Age Of Crisis. These songs show Sauros in complete control deploying their own nihilistic style of Doom Metal which feel more unsettling and violent with the epic LOW & SLOW delivery that surrounds everything being played on the whole album.

The album is superbly aggressive in the volume department even with the stripped back production values that’s been applied here. However, this all adds to the gloomy and solitary audio experience that’s being played throughout your speakers of choice. The instrumental work is outstanding with Sauros playing each note, riff and melody with supreme confidence. 

Offense is quite a subversive record where the bleak and moody songs offer a dramatic chilling experience that even has a few nods to classic ELECTRIC WIZARD amplifier distortion which only adds a more menacing quality to the whole experience. 

Sauros really deliver on all fronts with Offense which I’m hoping allows them to become more well known within the underground Doom/Sludge Metal scene.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

ZEMETRAS - ZEMETRAS (Album Review)

Release Date: August 08th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

ZEMETRAS - Tracklist

1.Kto Vie Viac o Smrti 05:40

2.Misky Váh 05:27

 3.Ruky od Krvi 06:36

4.Skús Nezabudnúť 05:44

5.Beda Mi 01:50

6.Soľ a Prach 05:03

7.Súd 05:38

Members

Lukas - guitar / founder

Miyia – bass guitar

Adela – vocals

Vanes – drums

Martin – second guitar

Review

ZEMETRAS self titled debut album is drenched in fuzz, distortion and grimy Psychedelic energy which channels an epic style of modern Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal sounds that have a haunting and tortured delivery to them. Taking inspiration from the likes of Windhand, Electric Wizard, Monolord and YOB this record has ZEMETRAS singing in their native Slovak language which doesn’t diminish the whole emotionally charged journey of the album at all.

ZEMETRAS have added the English Song Titles and lyrics over on their BandCamp Page which I read whilst listening to the album. That was quite a surreal experience as the lyrics gives you a deeper and personal insight into what the band are actually saying especially within the excellent opening track Kto Vie Viac o Smrti (Who Knows More Of Death). The music is superb with ZEMETRAS developing and playing aggressive slabs of FUZZED OUT DOOM with that massive wall of Amplified Sound that cause minor damage to your hearing.

ZEMETRAS play their music with a committed style of LOW & SLOW based delivery which allows an aggressive level of melody of rhythm to be played with small areas of progressive attitude to form in the background. The excellent vocals from Adela are very full on with a dedicated gritty performance throughout the whole journey.

There’s a violent sense of distorted sounds being broken down into individual pieces of psychedelic energy which has a sudden shift into Sludge Rock/Metal which allows ZEMETRAS to experiment with their music multiple times and still sound remarkably fresh on tracks such as: Misky Váh, Ruky od Krvi, Skús Nezabudnúť, Soľ a Prach and Súd.

ZEMETRAS are not afraid to apply Post-Doom and Psychedelic soundscapes into their music that offers a cerebral Spaced Out attitude on the later stages of the record. There’s some excellent instrumental solos where you feel ZEMETRAS have studied the modern Heavy Rock underground scene thoroughly and taken the best aspects before changing into their own musical image. It’s a bold strategy that pays off huge dividends for ZEMETRAS as there’s some wonderful cinematic sounding grooves where the music becomes even deceptively heavier which left me mightily impressed. 

This is a must have record for the committed Doom/Stoner Metal fan who love their music full of FUZZED OUT attitude with violent outbursts of DISTORTED energy dictating the whole musical journey that will leave you wholly satisfied and brilliantly at peace with the world.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

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 

Facebook | BandCamp

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

LinkTree | BandCamp

Tripping Haze Ceremony - Indicat (Album Review)

Release Date: September 13th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Indicat - Track Listing:

1.Indicat 06:37

2.Sabbath’s Bell 09:22

3.Red Eyes Downer 09:07

4.Curse Of The Witches’ Grave 03:42

5.Bed Tundy 09:27

6.Religious Rider 10:54

Line-up:

Epulyard - Guitars/Vocals

Sara - Bass

Lem - Drum

Review

Indicat is the new album from Malaysian Doom/Stoner Metallers Tripping Haze Ceremony (THC) who lay on the Psychedelic Fuzzy Amplifier Reverb from the very start of the record with homages to bands such as Black Sabbath, Church Of Misery, SLEEP and WEEDEATER being used as a great reference. The album delightfully sees a seedy and sadistic attitude starting to form within the epic opening title track of Indicat.

The downtuned sludgy instrumental parts are played at a subtle slow pace with Sara’s powerful bass playing creating an electric atmosphere for Lem’s Drums dictate the action and Epulyard’s muscular and aggressive guitars lead the music into a modern violent landscape of hazy WEEDIAN groove. The excellent choice of audio samples is what gives Indicat such an unpredictable quality where you can see the Church Of Misery reference come through.

Second track Sabbath’s Ball opens with a heavier and faster style of music which oozes that classic SABBATHIAN sound. The music is delightfully creepy with raw-sounding production values allowing THC to demonstrate their love for all things FUZZ and DOOM based. There’s a slight nod to Electric Wizard with some of the lyrics and Epulyard’s vocals may seem laid back but he brings a sinister persona to the party. The majority of the songs on Indicat are quite long but THC keep things moving along at a very cool pace with their sublime creative choices of downtuned progressive sludgy passages which can be quite melodic in places without giving up its epic DOOM METAL surroundings.

The production values are quite sparse indeed with the whole surroundings allowing the record to feel that it was recorded in the 1970’s and being discovered by today’s modern audience. The album still sounds superb and makes you buy into THC’s overall creepy and demented WEEDIAN persona. The album was recorded live and gives Indicat a more authentic and grimy sound which only becomes heavier and sinister on the other parts of the record.

Third track Red Eyes Downer finds the right balance of Occult Doom Metal dominance and the low tuned energy of Stoner Metal with a grimy Sludge Metal attitude starting to form. The music is played at a devilish slow-to-mid pace but THC excel conjures up moments of classic sounding AMPLIFIER DISTORTED mayhem that add superb elements of OCCULT HYSTERIA to the mix.

Fourth track Curse Of The Witches Grave is a gloomy instrumental Occult Doom number which feels inspired by GOBLIN and the works of Dario Argento. It’s a very cool and moody piece which feels quite different to the rest of the album but works overall within the whole creative narrative for Indicat.

The final two tracks of Bed Tundy and Religious Rider sees THC go all out with the heaviest, freakiest and aggressive sounds of the record. Uncomfortable audio clips generate the perfect and unsettling mood for Bed Tundy with THC playing those long drawn out Sludge/Stoner based AMPLIFIER grooves that’s spiced with extra demonic heaviness. Religious Rider allows THC to end the album on a downbeat and seedy note which is how Indicat started.

Tripping Haze Ceremony have released a great album that portrays the perfect picture of the seedy underbelly of the underground Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal scene that I’ve been missing for the last few months.

Indicat is an absolute blast to listen from start to finish and I loved every twisted seedy thing about the album. If Tripping Haze Ceremony isn't on your radar then they should be after this outstanding album.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Green Hog - Fuzz Realm (Album Review)

Release Date: June 20th 2024. Record Label: The Swamp Records. Formats: CD/DD

Fuzz Realm: Tracklisting

Ritual

Voice Of The Forest

Sounds Of Magic

Escape On The Wheels

In The Midst Of The Bong

Nightmare Creatures

Morning Dew

Phantom

Members

Ronan - Drums

Mike - Guitars

Ivan - Vocals/Bass/Guitars

Review

Fuzz Realm is the new album from Doom/Stoner Metallers Green Hog who have released an impressive discography since forming in 2020. This is their fourth full length album and it sees the band venture into the heavier depths of the FUZZ METAL sound with moments of Doom Metal, Sludge Rock, Stoner Metal and a whole lot of creepy amplifier reverb and multiple levels of sonic feedback throughout the album.

The vocals are clean based but with a sideline in slightly demonic fare with the sludgy OCCULT rock vibes which evokes memories of bands such as Church Of Misery and Dopethrone with the sinister sound effects and vocal samples that appear on the album especially on tracks such as Ritual and Voice Of The Forest.

The whole mood echoes one of 1970’s Classic Horror Movies with subtle overtones from the B Horror Movies Scene in general. Doing a similar creative theme as early-era Uncle Acid but with perhaps a slightly menacing purpose. The sludgy and down-tuned FUZZY extended passages have an off-kilter sound running amok through the production and recording techniques used for the album.

This allows FUZZ REALM to transform into a vibrant and highly kinetic affair with the music becoming more aggressive and dominated by an unsettling WEEDIAN approach which gives the album an intelligent and self aware style of darkly comedic humour that adds spice the whole surroundings of the entire record.

Other great tracks to check out are: Escape On The Wheels, Nightmare Creatures, Morning Dew and Phantom. Green Hog play some of the wildest and heaviest sounds on these tracks alone which once again will appeal to fans of Black Sabbath, Church Of Misery, Electric Wizard and Acid Mammoth.

If you love FUZZ ROCK amped upto the MAX with sinister intentions and down-tuned groovy goodness then FUZZ REALM is the place to be with GREEN HOG delivering their best album to date which should cause a stir within the Doom/Stoner Metal community and perhaps especially with the Doom Charts Crew.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to The Swamp Records for the promo.

Fuzz Realm will be available to buy on CD/DD via The Swamp Records from Thursday 20th June 2024.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

VOIDOZER - Silence Is Great (Single Review)

Release Date: June 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Silence Is Great: Tracklisting

Silence Is Great

Band Members

Nicolas - vocals

Stéphane - Bass

Florian - Drums

Matthieu - Guitars

Review

Silence Is Great is the debut single from Post-Doom/Post-Sludge collective VOIDOZER with the band focusing on building Progressive sounding melodies and rhythms which has a sense of resemblance to bands such as Monolord, Mastodon, CONAN, Windhand and Crowbar. The track takes its time building into a heavy sludge fuelled charge with ice cold vocals from Nicolas allowing a dramatic atmospheric flow to settle down.

The song lasts for over twelve minutes and VOIDOZER show echoes of Post-Punk influence before exploding into harsh growls and subtle down-tuned sludgy guitars. The Post-Doom aspect of the track is amped up for more dramatic levels before the band returns to their melodic Psychedelic and Post-Punk inspired creative charge.

The sound is aggressively raw and quite powerful at the same time with the mean sounding bass from Stéphane being one of my favourite aspects for the whole track. The bass lines are meaty and thick which propels the song to the heavier grooves to appear which is where Florian and Matthieu impress the most on Drums and Guitar duties respectively.

Silence Is Great stands out from the crowd with its poetic use of multi-layered vocals and emotionally charged lyrics which all builds upto a hugely exciting finish when a “LOUD WALL OF NOISE” is delivered within the final few moments of the track.

SIlence Is Great is a first rate debut single from VOIDOZER and I’m genuinely looking forward seeing what the guys have in store for us on their debut release.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Voidozer for all of the info.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Voidozer
Bandcamp: https://voidozer.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@voidozer
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/hLNAc