Sundowner - Cesspool (Album Review)

Release Date: October 16th 2026. Record Label: Disdain Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Cesspool - Tracklist

1.The Deep 05:21

2.Golden Skinned Gods 03:45

3.Grave Wax 03:50

4.Intoxication Blues 03:23

5.Bleach Sniffer 05:02

6.7 Shades Of Shit 04:08

7.Complete And Utter Ruin 01:58

8.Unwilling Subjects 04:54

9.Water Torture 02:56

10.Pond Scum 05:36

Review

Aussie Sludge/Stoner Metallers Sundowner bring another twisted style of filth and debauchery into their music with their third album Cesspool. Taking that legendary NOLA sound and applying areas of Blues Metal, Fuzz Metal and Amplified Feedback where the band still add that classic Australian grimy HEAVY METAL attitude into the mix . This allows Sundowner once again to create a heavily poisoned and filth ridden style of Sludge/Stoner Metal that’s quite violent to hear the best of times especially when the grooves are amplified to fucking hell. 

Taking influences from the likes of EYEHATEGOD, DOWN, IRON MONKEY and CHURCH OF MISERY it’s the nihilistic lyrics and depressing WEEDIAN afterthoughts that Sundowner have applied to this record makes them a great band in their own right. The use of extreme and difficult vocals gives Cesspool another great reason to consider Sundowner one of Australia’s heaviest Sludge/Stoner Metal bands as they leave no stone unturned in delivering some of the filthiest and violent grooves to emerge from DOWN UNDER.

However, Sundowner never forgot to play some outstanding instrumental sounds that are filled with superb LOW & SLOW and AMPLIFIED DISTORTION passages that are violently melodic throughout the album. The level of filth, grime and distorted textures sometimes align themselves to a CRUST PUNK way of life with some great EXTREME METAL sounds developing when you least expect this.

Cesspool is perfectly named with Sundowner never offering or playing clean uplifting instrumental moments. As the band fully revel in the pain and tortuous sounds they create and expertly play on the entire album. The mixture of down-tuned elements and fast-paced grooves all appear at the right time that allows Sundowner to inflict maximum damage to the actual speakers whoever listens to the album.

Standout tracks to punish yourself with include: The Deep, Gold Skinned Gods, Intoxication Blues, Bleach Sniffer, 7 Shades Of Shit, Unwilling Suspects and Pond Scum. As these tracks are consistently the most violent, heavy and aggressive songs on the whole album but you can still rock the fuck out to.

Cesspool is an epic assault on the senses with Sundowner never apologizing for their massive style of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal that destroys everything in their way.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Cesspool is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Disdain Records.

Links

https://sundownersludge.bandcamp.com
https://instagram.com/sundownersludge
https://facebook.com/sundownersludge

Mean Green - Castle (Album Review)

Release Date: August 14th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Castle - Tracklist

1. Castle (3:45)

2. Sludge Puppy (4:33)

3. Employee Of The Month (6:23)

4. Wild Bill (4:30)

5. Slack Jaw (5:26)

6. Cyclone (5:01)

7. Wasteland (5:16)

Members

Jake Helms - Guitar, Vocals

Alex Wierback - Bass

James Matthews - Drums

Review

Castle is the sophomore album of WEEDIAN Metallers Mean Green and sees the band expand their heavy filthy hallucinogenic sound even further compared to their acclaimed 2023 self-titled debut album. Mean Green have always leaned more heavily into the Sludge Metal camp with sludgy passages influenced by the likes of HIGH ON FIRE, WEEDEATER and BONGZILLA. 

The added layers of Doomed Out FUZZ allows a slight Electric Wizard and Church Of Misery vibe to slowly creep in. Mean Green allows some trippy SONIC experimentation flow through their music with shades of Classic Rock Legends such as Cactus, Blue Cheer and Saint Vitus spliced throughout this vicious sounding record. The LOW & SLOW grooves have a calculated and methodical delivery to them which sees some of the heaviest AMPLIFIED surrounding melodies developing on the album thanks to tracks such as Castle, Sludge Puppy, Employee Of The Month and Cyclone.

Mean Green have really improved their technical ability in handling their Psychedelic and Space Rock creative themes as this record is more definitely more drugged out with trippier sonic passages emerging from the down tuned catacombs that the band expertly construct. With a thrilling progressive sound allowing Mean Green to move into the Southern Metal arena with epic outbursts of NOLA aggression changing the album into a faster style of delivery which is where the real magic happens. 

The vocals from Jake Helms haven’t changed much from the band’s acclaimed debut album but they have grown up with a violent delivery that oozes confidence from start to finish. Jake feels more comfortable here and he fully owns the demented front-man role he plays with absolute demented relish here. Add his intense guitar performance which allows Alex Wierback on Bass and James Matthews on Drums to fully commit to their violent rhythm section for some of the meanest, thickest and violent sounds that they brilliantly deliver.

Castle becomes a more violent Sludge Metal based journey with continuous levels of filth keeping everything brutally real with some of the thickest sonic passages you ever want to lose yourself in. The lyrics show a real violent flair which are quite close to the likes of WEEDZILLA and CHURCH OF MISERY but it fully sells the twisted vision of Castle that even allows Mean Green to indulge some mighty fine Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal musical solos along the way that would make MASTODON green with envy!!!

Mean Green have expertly avoided the dreaded sophomore / second album curse with Castle. As this record alone feels like a statement of intent from the band that they mean business and they’re going to be around for a very long time to come. With a non-stop supply of WEEDIAN grooves to drown your hearing with, Mean Green have come of age with this outstanding record. Accept no substitute, these guys are the real fucking deal.  

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Castle is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl.

Links

Facebook | Instagram | BandCamp

Ol' Time Moonshine - Now I Bleed (Album Review)

Release Date: June 12th 2026. Record Label: Black Throne Productions. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Now I Bleed - Tracklisting

1.Poison 03:50

2.Royal Queen 04:06

3.Possession 03:58

4.Witches 04:21

5.Creeping Bad 03:19

6.She Moves 03:58

7.Dancing On Your Grave 04:12

8.Take Me Home 03:18

Members

 

Guitar/Vocals - Bill Kole

Drums - Adam Saitti

Bass - Jesse Mackowycz

Guitar - Chris Coleiro

Review

Now I Bleed is the latest album from Doom/Stoner Metallers Ol’ Time Moonshine and it’s another bombastic style of Southern Metal, Psych and Swampedelic Grooves which has a classic hard rock sound filling up the sludgy landscapes that the band apply to the overall mix of the whole record. Taking creative cues from the NOLA scene with some detours into the modern Post-Doom and Post-Stoner genres with a thrilling Progressive attitude being heard very early on within the album.

The record is quite direct and superbly compact with Ol’ Time Moonshine using the compact run time held within all of the tracks to great effect where they apply a MAXIMUM LEVEL of grounded heaviness into their music with muscular grooves and vocals holding everything together. Ol’ Time Moonshine add heavy amounts of Space Rock surroundings into their music which allows them to form tighter sounds of classic Heavy Metal and Hard Rock attitude especially on tracks such as Poision, Royal QUeen, Witches, Creeping Bad and Dancing On Your Grave.

Now I Bleed is perhaps the band’s most aggressive and doomed out record to date which sees them create some wicked OCCULT METAL imagery along the way. The vocals mostly from Bill Kole are quite determined with plenty of heavy screams, gruff exterior and outlandish clean sounds emitting from the speakers. With a fast-paced and intense melody being played by everyone, the record never feels rushed with Ol’ Time Moonshine adapting their music to the whole gloomy and thrilling mood that resonates within every track.

There is a great sense of nostalgia with Ol’ Time Moonshine paying homage to their musical heroes and perhaps borrowing certain musical solos but they do this with the utmost love and care. However, they still add their own spin into the mix especially with the lyrics which means Now I Bleed feels like the perfect record for the HALLOWEEN season and not the summer month’s it’s being released upon. 

Ol’ Time Moonshine is the type of band that plays Doom/Stoner Metal that comes straight from the heart and they always remain true to themselves and their creative beliefs. This allows Now I Bleed to be a record that’s superbly honest but one that’s brilliantly grounded with some sublime instrumental solos developing along the way. If you want a riff-fuelled Doom/Stoner Metal musical adventure that has a few GLOOMY surprises along the way then look no further as this album is the real deal.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Now I Bleed is available to buy now on Digital Download / Vinyl via Black Throne Productions.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | LinkTree

CROBU - More Than This (Album Review)

Release Date: May 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

More Than This - Tracklisting

More Than This

Crows

Awake

The Bleed

Violet

Full Speed Ahead

Even Worse

I Am The Leaf

Members

Andrea (Guitar)

Federico (Vocals)

Alessandro (Drums)

Lorenzo (Bass).

Review

More Than This is the debut album from Stoner Metallers CROBU who add a menacing NOLA momentum to their music with the band inspired by the likes of DOWN, Corrosion of Conformity and Crowbar. The band offset this NOLA murky style of melody against the likes of KYUSS, Black Sabbath and SLEEP. Their debut album is quite a murky and unsettling affair which doesn’t skimp on the aggressive slabs of WEEDIAN based heaviness. CROBU excel in delivering a style of distorted, down tuned and fuzzed out musical passages which has a delicate level of pissed off aggression.

CROBU’s sound isn’t the most polished around with the band adapting a lo-fi quality to their music which allows More Than This to have quite an exciting and unpredictable aura of quality from the very start. The album does feel like a NOLA and SOUTHERN METAL album at first especially within the storming opening tracks of More Than This, Crows and Awake.

However, little by little, CROBU start adding traces of modern day Stoner Metal into the music which gives a record slightly drugged out aesthetic with some classic WEEDIAN musical interplay happening between, Andrea, Alessandro and Lorenzo providing the musical chops for Federico to inject his intense and grizzled musical persona into the mix.

The lyrics are quite grounded with a simple premise to them but they get the job done with CROBU becoming ever more confident with each passing moment. The grooves become more aggressive and super intricate with a grizzled determination exploding into fucked up FUZZ METAL instrumental solos. The music becomes even faster and quite psychedelic with the NOLA creative fumes taking a back seat on the later parts of the album.

You can detect a slight movement into European based Stoner Rock/Metal reminiscent of the likes of DOZER and ORANGE GOBLIN in places which gives a grittier style of melody to develop on tracks such as Violet, Full Speed Ahead and I Am The Leaf.  CROBU have crafted quite a superbly entertaining debut album that covers a wide range of the whole modern day Stoner Rock/Metal scene while allowing themselves to play other areas of music such as Fuzz, Psych. Sludge and Grunge. 

More Than This feels like CROBU have been around for the last thirty years of the whole Stoner Metal movement as this record has a timeless quality to it all. You’ll be surprised what CROBU has in store for you with this outstanding debut album. Add this great album to your collection at the earliest opportunity as these guys are the real deal. End Of!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to CROBU f0r the promo.

More Than This will be available to buy soon on CD/DD/Vinyl.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Beneath The Skin - Beneath The Skin (Album Review)

Release Date: 18th April 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Beneath The Skin - Tracklisting

1.People 04:45

2.Internal 04:37

3.Rivalry 04:25

4.So Strange 03:59

5.Fade Away 04:58

6.Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream Cover) 04:21

7.Rearranged 05:21

8.Lies and Politics 06:34

Members

Mike Riley - Vocals

Russell Conner - GuitarT

Josh Bowles - Bass

Jimmy York - Drums

Review

Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Beneath The Skin self titled debut album taps right into the murky underbelly of the NOLA scene whilst still keeping themselves closely to the wider underground scene with flashes of influences from the likes of SLEEP, Electric Wizard and The Melvins. The record itself is a mixture of different styles that does take time for everything to fully gel together. 

The recording techniques used for the album are quite stripped back with that sudden “LIVE GIG” feeling appearing throughout the majority of the album. That’s one of the albums main strengths with Beneath The Skin not being bogged down by flashy progressive gimmicks and just playing some mean sounding NOLA grooves with a reflective DOWN influence being used to great effect.

The songs that appear on the record can be wholly aggressive and even superbly riff-driven; that was all the range in the heyday of NOLA and Southern Metal. The record works best when the band merge certain Stoner Metal structures to an ever-increasing gloomy atmosphere which adds a level of slight creepiness along the way.

The lyrics are quite understated which taps into the area of the nineties and early-millennial era of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. The sudden shift into Grunge dynamics brings small movements of Alice In Chains musical delivery with Beneath The Skin creating their own great blend of Doom & Gloom heaviness into the mix especially on tracks such as: People, Rivalry, So Strange, Fade Away and Lies And Politics. 

Beneath The Skin may add some realistic situations into their lyrics which have an emotional quality and experience to them which makes the music even more powerful. The band creates a superb mid-to-slow instrumental flow where everything is played with real muscular precision that only adds real weight into everything that’s being played on the whole album.

There’s an excellent cover of the CREAM classic track Sunshine Of Your Love which doesn’t stray too far from the original. However, Beneath The Skin adds that unforgiving and seedy style of NOLA heaviness which gives it quite an uneasy and gloomy sound compared to the original. The raw melodies and sinister vocal delivery make this a great cover through and through as the song becomes possessed by a DOOMED OUT and BLUES ROCK spirit especially within the epic instrumental solos that we all know and love.

Beneath The Skin is packed full of great tunes and they bring a sense of world weariness to the party that allows their album to have a cool outsider effect which should hopefully go down a storm with the Sludge/Stoner Metal community.

If you require evidence why it’s always great to be part of the actual heavy metal underground scene and not the mainstream then it’s thanks to great bands such as Beneath The Skin releasing outstanding albums such as this the mainstream scene can never offer!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Burnt Witch - Dopelich (EP Review)

Release Date: February 13th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Dopelich - Tracklisting

1.Dopelich 05:57

2.Bastard 05:24

3.Glass Eye 09:57

4.Witchcult 75 09:11

Members

Dustin Morgan - Vocals and guitar

Matt Page - Vocals and Guitar

James Castellaw - Bass and Lyrics

Myk Robinson - Drums

Review

Dopelich is the debut EP from Doom/Stoner Metallers Burnt Witch who inject a rebellious strand of Southern Metal grooves into their WEEDIAN sound. The whole EP is full of NOLA based hallucinogenics and sounds where you can hear bands such as DOWN and CROWBAR regularly with Burnt Witch weaving their own great style of Doomed Out flavour along the way.

The EP is quite sadistic with harsh vocals and eerie instrumental passages which sees Burnt Witch tap into other areas of HEAVY METAL and apply a violent Sludge Metal makeover to them especially on the tracks Dopelich, Bastard and Witchcult. This sounds like the after effects of coming down from a very bad WEEDIAN trip where you’re faced by the grim reality of your actual living situation. Though, there’s something very powerful and deeply engaging about it all with Burnt Witch developing a real destructive style of intense melody and epic down-tuned grooves which are delivered with real primal fury.

Another highlight of the record is Burnt Witch exploring areas of Proto-Metal, Classic Heavy Metal and Psych Metal whilst keeping with their violent interplay of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and LOW & SLOW based sludgy soundscapes with that smoky WEEDIAN atmosphere. Burnt Witch also takes the listener  into unexpected areas of Classic Rock and Blues Rock that suddenly appear out of nowhere. 

The two standout tracks on the EP have to be the final tracks of Glass Eye and Witchcult where Burnt Witch use every Stoner Metal trick in the book to provide a thrilling style of music that has epic moments of NOLA heaviness with flashes of drugged out vocals and sublime lyrics to match. You can even detect small traces of classic Grunge behind the scenes with Burnt Witch not finishing adding other genres of music into the final mix which makes this quite an addictive record from start to finish.

Burnt Witch have released an absolutely stunning debut EP which I can’t recommend highly enough. For a debut EP, this is about as great as it gets especially if you’re a long time follower of the Doom/Stoner/Sludge Metal scene. I’m genuinely excited to hear where Burnt Witch go next as these guys are the real deals and I can only see these guys becoming an essential part of the underground scene if they keep releasing great records such as this.

WOW!!! - Add this to your collection now.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Suplecs - Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky (Album Review)

Release Date: February 20th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky - Tracklisting

1.Got Nothing

2.Pentacle Star

3.I See You 

4.Forest of Fire

5.Blackwater Rising

6.Old Spanish Trail

7.Damn These Pills 

8.Mountain

9.$6 Man

10.Heartless Bodies

11.No Apologies

12.La Ti Da

Members

Danny Nick - Bass, Vocals

Durel Yates - Guitars, Vocals

Andrew Preen - Drums, Percussion

Review

Stoner Metal heavyweights Suplecs return after a fifteen year absence with their new album Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky and the band haven’t lost their distinctive “STREETWISE” sound. As this album sees the band blaze through a ton of epic sounding tracks that forges sounds from the Doom, Fuzz, Sludge, Stoner and Punk musical scenes. You’ll be surprised to hear Suplecs taking influence from the likes of IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK FLAG, MOTORHEAD, FU MANCHU and other great legendary artists that allows the band to tap into a wealth of heavy rock grooves. 

The lyrics are brutally intense in places with a bleak NOLA quality telling stories of life, addiction and suicide along the way. This is what I would expect to hear from an EYEHATEGOD record with Suplecs laying on the depressing slices of real life but this works to Suplecs advantage with a gloomy atmosphere that builds upto to heavy DOOMED OUT BLUES METAL throughout tracks such as Got Nothing, Pentacle Star and I See You. 

The first three opening tracks allow Suplecs to inject a world weary Stoner Metal attitude into their NOLA musical upbringing. Everything is stripped back to the bare minimum with the grimy attitude of the album creating areas of filth infested Sludge/Stoner Metal with a cool sideline in Psychedelic and Fuzzed Out surroundings. That doesn’t stop Suplecs experimenting with their music by adapting a Jazz Metal approach within the excellent fourth track Forest Of Fire before exploring a violent Hardcore/Sludge/Punk based climax. 

That unflinching approach from Suplecs is used brilliantly well throughout the rest of the album with other areas of crazed and dirge filled instrumental sludgy metal passages starting to dominate the whole record. The vocals from Danny Nick and Durel Yates work superbly well on the whole album with the uncompromising tone allowing Suplecs being slightly closer to the likes of KOWLOON WALLED CITY on the later stages of the record.

An even more aggressive MOTORHEAD influence rears its ugly head to put this album firmly into Sludge/Stoner Metal territory with a bevy of sublime NOLA instrumental solos on the second half of the album. Though, be prepared for Suplecs to focus solely playing the BLUES on stunning sixth track Old Blood Trail which has a cautionary and emotionally charged musical atmosphere at its main core. 

Other standout tracks to freak out and lose yourself to are: Damn These Pills, Mountain, Heartless Bodies and No Apologies with Suplecs offering no apologies for the sinister and riff-fuelled musical adventure they will take the listener upon. 

Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky is perhaps the best album for Suplecs to comeback with. They could have easily gone for a more polished sound and user friendlier album but that’s not Suplecs style. They’ve stuck true to their creative beliefs and deliver one of their best albums to date. Fifteen years is a long time to wait for an album but Suplecs have released an album of real emotional depth, heart and perhaps one of the most truthful Stoner Metal albums we’ve heard in a very long time.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doomsday Profit - Doomsday Profit (Album Review)

Release Date: September 19th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD

Doomsday Profit - Tracklisting

1.Stargazer 04:06

2.Spirits 04:03

3.The South Will Sink 06:11

4.Terror Cycle 03:32

5.Drive Into The Sun 02:59

6.Doomsday Profit 05:46

7.Sin Eater 05:19

8.Monument to Nothing 07:38

Members

Ryan Sweeney - bass guitar

Kevin See - lead guitar

Bryan Reed - vocals & guitar

David Ruiz - drums

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Doomsday Profit return with a heavier, seedier and more aggressive sound on their stunning sophomore record. The sound is boosted by harsh melodies and fast-paced grooves that moves the band closer to central NOLA and Southern Metal sound influenced by the likes of EYEHATEGOD especially with the nasty vocals and lyrics that’s been employed by the band for the record.

You can still hear influences by the likes of WEEDEATER, BONGZILLA and DOWN in places with Doomsday Profit adopting a cold calculated foray into areas of Thrash Metal and Speed Metal within the early stages of the record. There’s still a sense of twisted melody being generated by the excellent use of different areas of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal rhythms. The vocals from Bryan Reed are continuously filthy with a guttural presence but most importantly quite easy to understand which allows the listener to easily follow the whole creative outline of the record.

The opening batch of songs of Stargazer, Spirits and The South Will Sink sees an eerily grim sense of rebellion with the down-tuned grooves full of THICK SMOKE and fucked up heavy attitude to match. The seedy Psychedelic movements have a stripped back approach which is laced with an almost nihilistic precision that allows Doomsday Profit to play some thrilling instrumental passages and a neverending supply of intense GLOOMY sludgy guitars sweetening the overall deal of the whole album.

The album is highly unpredictable with Doomsday Profit fully selling their violent musical adventure throughout with epic AMPLIFIER FEEDBACK and DOWN-TUNED REVERB appearing more directly on tracks such as Terror Cycle, Doomsday Profit, Sin Eater and the violently epic final track of Monument To Nothing. The record really shines when the band inject a sense of despairing true life themes into the mix which offers a more powerful statement of intent when the music is played at a cautious slow-to-mid pace.

With a cool small sideline into Progressive areas, Doomsday Profit are never afraid to try different things with their music and still deliver a pulsating, bleak and pissed musical odyssey which should keep the hordes of the underground scene firmly impressed and wanting more carnage in the long term future.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram