Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?
Old World Astronaut is an original 3-piece Heavy Psychedelic Rock band hailing from Bellingham, WA, founded by Mike Mason (guitar/vocals), Tom White (drums), and Graham Johnson (bass/vocals).
What can people expect from your music?
Formed in 2024 in the shadow of the Cascade Mountain, their sound fuses fuzzy stoner rock influences with mind-melding psychedelic soundscapes, crushing riffs, melodic grooves, captivating harmonies, and lyrics which weave stories and themes across space and time. With a combination of influences, Old World Astronaut is a fresh voice in the heavy music scene who pays tribute to heavy psychedelic and alternative rock of the past, while pursuing an inventive path all their own. Old World Astronaut will guide you on a voyage through the inner and outer universe.
What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?
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.
Descending from Norway armed with the twin hammers of riff and groove, Forgotten King are the heralds of a heady, heavy trip into the cosmos. What began as the solo project of Kal-El guitarist Azul Josh morphed into a now full-fledged band, and the four-piece are poised to lay waste to the heavy underground with their brand of euphoric, crushingly weighted psychedelia, stoner, and doom.
Working with Sweden’s Majestic Mountain Records, the crew fire their opening salvo with single »The Sun«.
“The music tells a story about ego, mental illness, and spirituality!”
The Sun is written, recorded, and performed by Azul Josh.
Forgotten King is:
Azul Josh – Guitar and Vocals Svend – Guitar Nils – Bass Erik – Drums
Doom metal supergroup SLOWER — the brand new all-Slayer cover project formed by members of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Kylesa, Monolord, Lowrider and Year Of The Cobra — unleash the crushing first single taken from their upcoming self-titled album, due out January 26th on Heavy Psych Sounds.
The full lineup behind the glacial glory of SLOWER features six major players from the international stoner and doom metal scene: drummer Esben Willems of Monolord, bassist Peder Bergstrand of Lowrider, bassist Scott Reeder of Kyuss, vocalist Amy Barrysmith of Year Of The Cobra, vocalist Laura Pleasants of Kylesa and guitarist Bob Balch of Fu Manchu. This unique recording will catch all heavy and doom metal fans off guard, delivering five fully reinvented Slayer classics with a gloomier and heavier-than-thou atmosphere and compelling ethereal vocals from Kylesa and Year of the Cobra frontwomen. Or as Metal Injection editors would say: "an aural beating of a whole different kind."
Hear Slower's doomy-as-hell cover of Slayer's War Ensemble below
"War Ensemble was the first song I was approached with for this project," says Year of the Cobra vocalist Barrysmith. "The only direction I got was to 'have fun and be creative', so I decided to look at it as if it were an original piece, not a cover, and not Slayer. Pretty easy to do, honestly. The riffs slowed down really created a life of their own. It's genius in so many ways! From there, creating the melody and harmony lines and fitting in the lyrics came quickly and easily. I'm excited to finally share this with everyone and grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with such inspiring and talented musicians."
"I was 13 when Seasons In The Abyss came out," adds Fu Manchu guitarist and project initiator Bob Balch. "I had been playing guitar non-stop for a little over a year by then. I desperately wanted to play 'War Ensemble' but it was way too fast for me at the time. I had no idea how they jumped from string to string during that verse riff. Therefore, I really enjoyed digging into this tune and finally locking in that verse riff! I also think this song is a great representation of how we approached the rest of the record. Enjoy!"
About taking part in the project, Monolord drummer Esben Willems says: "When Bob first approached me with the idea and I heard his scratch guitars, my first thought was “This is genius”. Those iconic tracks we all know by heart suddenly unveiled an unexpected dimension. I’m really proud of how this turned out."
Lowrider bassist Peder Bergstrand adds: “This might be blasphemous considering the circumstances, but when Bob reached out and asked if I’d want to play bass on sludged-out Slayer covers, I had to admit some of these tracks were brand new to me. That made the experience even more special though, hearing and playing on the Slower version first, and then comparing to the original. Bob has really transformed these songs into something totally their own, and on a personal level I feel the rest of the band’s insane performances pushed me to my most inspired playing to date. So incredibly stoked for people to hear this album.”
1. War Ensemble (E. Willems, P. Bergstrand, A. Barrysmith, B. Balch) 2. The Antichrist (E. Willems, P. Bergstrand, A. Barrysmith, B. Balch) 3. Blood Red (E. Willems, P. Bergstrand, A. Barrysmith, B. Balch) 4. Dead Skin Mask (E. Willems, P. Bergstrand, A. Barrysmith, B. Balch) 5. South of Heaven (E. Willems, S. Reeder, L. Pleasants, B. Balch)
Cover artwork by Peder Bergstrand
About this collaborative project, Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch says: “The idea for the SLOWER project started around four years ago. I was teaching a student how to play “South Of Heaven” by SLAYER but she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought “someone in the doom community should do this and name it SLOWER.”
A few years later I befriended Steven “Thee Slayer Hippy” Hanford, best known for his work as the drummer in the influential Oregon punk band Poison Idea. He was backstage at a FU MANCHU show. Oddly enough I was wearing a POISON IDEA shirt and he told me that my shirt sucks. I asked who he was and why he was in our backstage. He told me and I felt stupid. We started drinking whiskey and talking about music. We stayed in touch over the next year or so and during Covid I told him about my SLOWER idea. He asked me to send him tracks. I waited too long because the day I sent the tracks he passed away. Totally tragic. I’m glad I got to know him even for a few years. He was a monster musician with a giant heart. He will be greatly missed.
I shelved the project for a while after that. One day Esben from MONOLORD posted about musical collaborations. I love MONOLORD so I thought what the hell. I sent him some tracks and he killed it on drums. So I sent more. Then more. Shortly after that, we started reaching out to other musicians to get them involved. That’s how we ended up with this lineup. Everyone that contributed completely knocked it out of the park and I can’t thank them enough.
This project has been a long time coming and I’m beyond stoked on how it turned out. Without all of the players involved, Steven Hanford and my baritone Reverend guitar it wouldn’t have happened. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you dig it! I’m a giant SLAYER fan so it’s been a treat to dig into these classic songs. Hopefully, we can do another record in the near future.
Fresh out of the recording studio Mean Green are ready to share their debut self titled album with the world on March 24th, 2023.
Mean Green’s self-titled first release is a full length album consisting of songs written in their first year of the band's forming. Inspired by the likes of early Black Sabbath, Sleep, and Weedeater. Mean Green wrote this album to convey a stripped down and bare bones look at sludge, stoner, and doom metal. Relying heavily on tone and a slow moving freight train like tempo for most of their songs, they bring their own twist on common themes and ideas of the genre. With crushing guitar tone, wall shaking low end, bludgeoning percussion, and growling vocals this album is a first look into the roots and inspiration of Mean Green.
Mean Green is a 3-piece stoner doom band formed in early 2022 by Jacob Helms, Alex Wierback, and James Matthews who enjoy playing metal music as loud as possible and at a slower pace than most people are used to. Armed with much larger guitar and bass rigs than necessary for smaller venues, their tone and energy are a force to be reckoned with in the western North Carolina music community. From the start they knew they did not want to be just another cover band in their small college town of Boone North Carolina, they began writing their own music.
Each of them are experienced working musicians and have connections in the local music scene. They decided to go an unconventional route and immediately went on tour when they had enough original music to fill out a set. This allowed them to make more connections and friends in the growing metal scene around North Carolina. With the help of other bands and promoters they met along the way, they began performing in well known venues in Atlanta, Asheville, Raleigh and Johnson City spreading their take on doom metal to new cities. Their live performances bring an energy that is on par with stoner doom legends. Their slower songs would put people into fuzzed out trances while the fast paced songs are mosh worthy. This combination left something for everyone to enjoy whether it was a crushing doom breakdown or a mid tempo driving riff to groove to.
With no music officially released the band solely relied on word of mouth and self promotion for getting fans to their shows. They found with every show they play people want to hear more of them. Without an album for fans to listen to, they quickly got into the studio to record their debut in August of 2022 and planning their first release on March 24th, 2023. Mean Green is continually gaining traction in their musical career and is not going to stop anytime soon. Mean Green S/T track list:
Law Crow Mean Green Fiend Last Bullet Grease Monkey The Deal
Mean Green is:
Jake Helms (Guitar, Vocals) Alex Wierback (Bass) James Matthews (Drums)
Desert Bloom PR, a brand new PR company introduces first client, California’s instrumental post-rock duo IN THE PONDS
In The Ponds: For fans of: Earth, Grails, The Dead Weather, Cortége, Droneroom
San Jose-based instrumental post-rock duo IN THE PONDS will release their debut EP, Polar Night on October 19th, 2022 on ENTELODON RECORDS. Two additional EPs to follow in the coming months—together comprising a full length-worth of material. As the Polar Night release date edges closer, the band will present a video for the track “Lonesome George.”
IN THE PONDS is what happens when a poet and a filmmaker get married and start an instrumental rock band during pandemic lockdowns and California wildfires. It’s when they spend their honeymoon in quarantine, staring at soot-filled skies wondering how to capture feelings of isolation, dread, and love without using words. The result is three EPs that pay homage to classic rock roots while experimenting with non-traditional song structures for a sound that’s both familiar and otherworldly.
This husband-and-wife duo believes that rock should sound like a smoker's cough and taste like shoplifted bourbon. Their guitars move between patient, gravely rhythms and sharp, icy leads while their bass lines lay solid foundations that get nice and punchy when they need to. Atmospheric washes hint at the places where the couple feels most at home, like the Grand Canyon and the Mariana Trench.
In the Ponds is a poet and a filmmaker getting married and starting a band during pandemic lockdowns and California wildfires. It’s the result of a honeymoon spent in quarantine, staring at soot-filled skies wondering how to capture feelings of isolation, dread, and love without using any words at all. It’s living in San Jose, CA with a black cat who sleeps inside speaker cabinets and leaps from impossible heights.
Polar Night and the EPs to follow—Fever Canyon and Last Stop Ranch—were recorded by guitarist David Perez and mixed by Art Bertik. The front cover artwork and the music video for “Lonesome George” were both created by bassist Jennifer Gigantino.
Polar Night Track Listing:
Lonesome George Someone’s Always Watching Haruki on the Sand
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