Swedish Heavy Metal Unit BAND OF SPICE to release new album "Fathers in the Sky" on Ripple Music this winter; first single streaming now!

Swedish heavy metallers BAND OF SPICE have signed to Ripple Music for the release of their new album "Fathers in the Sky" on January 22nd, and deliver the first single "Weak And Dangerous" today.

Stream new Band Of Spice single Weak And Dangerous + watch the official video at this location

Band of Spice is back with a new album that promises to take listeners on a journey through the cosmos and straight into the dark alleys of the human psyche. Blending the ferocity of classic heavy metal with the raw, unpolished energy of alternative grit, their new album Fathers in the Sky is a thunderous clash of sound. Lyrically, the album explores a fascinating duality, weaving together themes of extraterrestrial existence and the gritty reality of everyday life. "We explore the strange behavior of humanity," the band explains.

The opening and closing tracks serve as bookends to this theme, dealing with the possibility that we are not alone in the universe, and perhaps never have been. Between these cosmic pillars, Fathers in the Sky dives deep into the strange, often contradictory behavior of humanity, touching on subjects ranging from war and hate to hopes and dreams. Prepare for a sonic collision of interstellar proportions!

New album "Fathers in the Sky" - Out January 22nd on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)

Guitarist and singer Christian “Spice” Sjöstrand has been writing songs and recording music since the 1980s. He first played locally with the band Aeon in his hometown of Värnamo, Sweden, and from 1993 to 2001 he was a member of the Halmstad-based Spiritual Beggars together with Michael Amott (Arch Enemy, Carcass). The successful album Ad Astra led to international tours and major festival appearances alongside bands such as Slayer, Pantera, and Queens of the Stone Age. When Iron Maiden made their triumphant comeback in 2000, Spiritual Beggars, together with Entombed, were invited to join them as support on the subsequent European tour. Since then, Spice has also released albums and toured with The Mushroom River Band, Kayser, and My Regime.

In 2006, Spice formed the solo group Spice and the RJ Band, later renamed Band of Spice, which has since become his longest-running project. The music spans a wide spectrum of rock, both heavier and softer, and no two albums sound alike. Attentive ears may pick up influences from artists as diverse as Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, John Frusciante, Dire Straits, and Monster Magnet. Now back in Värnamo, where it all once began, Spice has recruited an experienced lineup of musicians to back him up for the release of their upcoming new album, to be issued this winter on Ripple Music.

BAND OF SPICE is

Ronnie Nielsen – guitars
Robert Petersson – drums
Alexander Sekulovski – bass

BAND OF SPICE links

Facebook | Instagram | Youtube

RIPPLE MUSIC links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Earthbong - Salutations To The Cultivators (Album Review)

Release Date: October 23rd 2026. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Salutations To The Cultivators - Tracklist

1.Bug

2.Third Eye

3.Harvester

4.Herbal Saints

Members

Selly

Claas

Tommy

Review

Salutations To The Cultivators is the fourth album from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Earthbong which sees the band aim for a heavier and broader style of psychedelic heaviness being included within their music. The record still has similar themes, ideas and contents heard from their previous albums but this time Earthbong aims for an intense COSMIC DOOM methodology. 

Earthbong focuses more on their songwriting skills for this album which gives their music a more dynamic cinematic aspect throughout. Their classic style of LOW & SLOW and DOWN TUNED aggression is there for the most part which you can hear within the magnificent opening track of Bug before Earthbong start experimenting with Space Rock structures that remind of YON within the later stages of the record.

The album was named after a line from the classic song GIZA BUTLER by the legendary SLEEP which have heavily influenced the band in the past. This time round you can hear influences by the likes of YOB and CONAN especially when the harsh vocals fully hit home and when the music becomes dominated by long drawn out instrumental grooves. The level of amplifier distortion powers the first half of the album through BUG and THIRD EYE. This is EARTHBONG recreating their sound for an aggressive style of Post-Doom and Stoner Metal that also combines world building WEEDIAN mysticism into their music.

The use of the classic Roy Batty speech from BLADE RUNNER within THIRD EYE adds a highly measured and grounded approach despite the violent harsh growls offering a different delivery. You start to experience subtle hints of Psychedelic and Cosmic soundscapes to emerge that become an integral part of the album when the final two tracks of Harvester and Herbal Saints appear. 

There is a bleak and desolate imagery that allows Earthbong to play music that’s closer to the likes of BONGRIPPER and YOB like ever before. Though, this is still EARTHBONG’s show with a sublime down-tuned performance lurking from every dark corner that the band applies to this record.

Salutations To The Cultivators does feel it’s being performed by two different bands at times especially when the Psychedelic movements appear. As the record can be quite euphoric and uplifting before EARTHBONG return to their more well known and violent Sludge Metal persona. 

This allows the record to be quite original within its own right and once again help Earthbong establish as one of best bands to emerge from the underground scene. Salutations To The Cultivators is their best album to date that’s bound to propel the band to greater heights and perhaps forge an exciting new creative path in the years to come.

Outstanding. Plain and Simple.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Salutations To The Cultivators is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Exclusive Video Premiere For Doom/Stoner Metallers EARTHBONG Mighty New Single BUG From Upcoming New Album

Earthbong is a three-piece doom band from Kiel/Germany. The band was formed in 2018 and released three studio records, a live album and one EP so far. Earthbong are heading towards the riff-filled land with their unique blend of doom, metal and sludge:

“They're like a Bongzilla-Sleep-Milkshake. But they get it. They are their own thing."(Mike Scheidt, YOB).

Earthbong has toured Australia in spring 2025, including headlining performances at Sun Burn Festival and Stoned To Death Fest Sydney and shared the stage with the ancestors of the bong metal genre like Bongzilla, Bongripper and Belzebong.

They also supported bands such as The Obsessed,Unida and Firebreather.With more than 90 shows over the past years,including festivals like Reykja Doom Festival (Iceland), Stoned From The Underground (DE), Rock in Bourlon (FR) and Hoflärm Open Air (DE),

Earthbong earned a reputation as one of the heaviest and best live acts within the underground doom scene.

Their 4th studio album SALUTATIONS TO THE CULTIVATORS will be released on October 23rd 2026 via The Lasting Dose Records (Vinyl, CD, digital) and Evil Noise Recordings (Cassette), followed by a show at the legendary Høstsabbat Festival in Oslo/Norway.More shows and festivals for 2026/2027 planned.

Thanks to the cool folks over at Purple Sage PR we're happy to premiere the new video for BUG from the upcoming new album.

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Salutations To The Cultivators is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Goat Major - Death Comes Twice (Album Review)

Release Date: October 23rd 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Death Comes Twice - Tracklist

1.Voyage of Cetus

2.Firewalk

3.Death Comes Twice 

4.Under the Moonlight 

5.Wheels of Gold

6.Sirens

7.The Sin Eater

8.Negative Church

9.Detached

Members

Jammie Arnold - guitar

Simon Bonwick - drums

Tom Shortt - bass & vocals

Review

Death Comes Twice is the second album from Doom/Stoner Rockers Goat Major which builds upon the great Occult vibes and sounds from their acclaimed 2024 debut album Ritual. This time round Goat Major add a certain Sludge Rock swagger into their music with a more powerful sound being played from the very start. There is an aggressive melody that’s quite different to ritual with an emphatic FUZZED OUT atmosphere having a clean, crisp and concise delivery which is perfectly delivered throughout the whole album.

The excellent opening track of Voyage Of Cetus is a gloomy instrumental song that touches upon the fringes of Psych, Doom, Stoner and even Ambient Rock for a style of music that feels quintessentially vintage and thoroughly modern at the same time. This wasn’t the type of track I was expecting for Goat Major to open the album with. However, it’s one of my favourite tracks on the album.

Second track Firewalk runs for over eight minutes as Goat Major play against  a seedy backdrop of Seventies based Proto-Doom and elements of modern day Fuzz, Psych and Stoner Rock/Metal delivery. This allows Goat Major to develop an intense style of pure amplified heaviness with a cool sideline in SHOCK ROCK tactics. Some parts of the song are quite progressive with some cool sounding “POPPIER” passages developing along the way. Though, the OCCULT ROCK/METAL obsessed lyrics keeps Goat Major firmly within the DOOM METAL world. 

Third track Death Comes Twice offers a seedy underbelly of distorted Fuzz Metal and harsh amplified sounds transforming into a great style of modern sludgy based heaviness that sees that classic style of ELECTRIC WIZARD surroundings appear but Goat Major adding their own unique spain. The vocals from Tom Shortt have a manic appeal to them which fully sells the OCCULT DOOM cinematic theme that’s a huge part of the band’s musical arsenal. 

Goat Major starts to develop a commanding distorted presence which moves further into the depths of Sludge Rock and sees some vibrant groove rock solos starting to emerge on tracks such as Under The Moonlight, Wheels Of Gold, Sirens, The Sin Eater and Negative Church. The sound is always grounded but still sees Goat Major include some glorious OVER THE TOP ideas into their music whilst playing an intense style of classic Doom Metal energy. 

Death Comes Twice is superbly fast paced with an excellent story driven narrative which reminds me of Alice Cooper in places which gives the album another wonderful offbeat atmosphere to develop within the later stages of the record. Goat Major even started to experiment with modern Psych/Stoner Rock grooves on the album that gives the whole record a refreshing modern day vibe whilst keeping their core “OCCULT DOOM” vibe fully intact.

Goat Major have delivered another masterful record with Death Comes Twice that’s bound to become one of the standout records to listen to before the end of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Death Comes Twice is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

American guitarist Jason Walker to issue Jason Walker's Gravity Amplifiers debut album (featuring Nick Oliveri and Mucho Drums) on Ripple Music this fall!

American heavy metal guitarist Jason Walker signs to Ripple Music for the release of his debut solo project JASON WALKER'S GRAVITY AMPLIFIERS — featuring drummer Mucho Drums and bassist Nick Oliveri — on November 20th, and presents the debut track today!

Stream debut single The Powerful Lie (featuring Nick Oliveri) 

Jason Walker has spent years channeling a singular obsession into sound: the unwavering belief that we are not alone in the universe. Long before the New York Times forced the Pentagon's UFO programs into the public eye in 2017, Walker was already a witness, and his debut solo album Disclosure Vol. 1 is his testimony.

Backed by Mucho Drums (El Perro, Great Electric Quest) and featuring guest bassist Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator) on half the record, Walker builds a heavy, layered guitar album that works on two levels. On the surface, these are songs about an incident, about humanity, about contact. Beneath it, they're work as allegories about a kid who never felt like he belonged, about instinct, about the strange isolation of seeing something the rest of the world wasn't ready to see. Equal parts riff-centric heavy metal and deeply personal reckoning, Disclosure Vol. 1 is a powerful concept release and a sonic statement all at once.

Debut album "Jason Walker's Gravity Amplifiers" 

Out November 20th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital) - PRE-ORDER

Jason Walker's musical journey began unusually early, with his first instrument being a makeshift drum kit built from coffee cans and welding rods. His first concert — Crosby, Stills and Nash — solidified his path toward guitar, and he began learning on his father's 12-string acoustic. By age 14, he was already being paid to play, armed with a late-'70s Marshall JMP and a Les Paul Standard. Walker joined the Gene Simmons Band after being recommended by drummer Brian Tichy and passing an audition. He has since toured extensively and established a strong on-stage presence throughout countless shows across North America.

Jason Walker's Gravity Amplifiers is:

Jason Walker — guitar & vocals
Mucho Drums — drums
Nick Oliveri — bass

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Firebreather - Blood That I Spill Turns to Fire (Album Review)

Release Date: October 16th 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire - Tracklist

1.Only in the eyes of others

2.El Cuervo

3.Blood that I spill turns to fire 05:22

4.The Sorrow hides

5.Protector of realm

6.Against the light

7.Shrines 06:51

Members

Mattias Nööjd - Vox / guitar

Jacob Madetoja - Bass

Joakim Olsson - Drums

Review

Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Firebreather return in glorious Psychedelic fashion with their epic fourth album Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire. This is their first album in four years, the band teaming up with the mighty Heavy Psych Sounds for this release. The whole record sees Firebreather drifting further to an epic style of Post-Doom and Post-Stoner musical abyss. The sound is quite progressive with some flashy and grounded instrumental melodies forming from the very start inspired by the likes of High On Fire, SLEEP, Mastodon and Shrinebuilder. 

Though Firebreather have always been bold and brash in equal measure to apply that classic style of Swedish Heavy Metal direction into their music. However, the modern Psychedelic and Cosmic surroundings have a distorted and riff-centric delivery which is heard throughout the album. Lead vocalist Mattias Nööjd develops a different style of vocals for this record as they have a more aggressive and direct sound compared to Firebreather’s previous albums.

There’s a sudden influx of FUZZED OUT sounds that merges across the Post-Doom and Post-Stoner spectrum with an Atmospheric Sludge Rock appetite being heard within the opening tracks of Only In The Eyes Of Others, El Cuervo and Blood That I Spill Into The Fire. There’s some great modern day STADIUM ROCK aspect that shows how FIrebreather are thinking further ahead of the conventions held within the underground rock/metal scene. Even though the music is constantly aggressive and brilliantly heavy, there’s a few cool sounding quieter moments that see Firebreather apply a different creative style into their music.

Firebreather have a determined Sludge Metal focus to their music which reminds me of their earlier albums and perhaps even back further Mattias’s days with his original band GALVANO. Though, Firebreather still demonstrates a thrilling modern Spaced Out Doom advantage on the following tracks: Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire, The Sorrow Tides, Against The LIght and Shrines. 

There are moments where you think certain instrumental passages feel so out of place but a few seconds later Firebreather injects an outstanding psychedelic element into the mix and the album becomes so much better for it. The album is full of intense musical solos that allows every band member to shine in their own unique way especially on Joakim Olsson putting in a massive  drumming performance from start to finish. Credit must also go to Jacob Madetoja on Bass who develops some devastating sounds that puts a whole level of destructive volume into the mix which allows Mattias’s thrilling guitars to do some lasting damage especially on the later stages of the record.

Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire is the type of album that sounds superbly original and eeriely familiar at the same time which is one of the main strengths of the album. I also adored the understated and highly aggressive delivery that Firebreather applies to the heaviest and bombastic parts of the album which is spread throughout different sections of the record. 

Firebreather had to deliver a HUGE SOUNDING record such as this and they fully deliver on all fronts with tremendous production values allowing Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire having an unpredictable force of nature quality and destructive energy that leaves you emotionally drained every time you listen to the album.

This is another outstanding record from Firebreather and one that will no doubt be making a strong case for being considered as one of the best albums of the year. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Blood That I Spill Turns to Fire is now available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp

London Heavy Rockers OKAY YOU WIN announce fall UK shows. Debut album "End of Days" out now Blues Funeral Recordings.

London, UK's heavy rock revelation OKAY YOU WIN announce a full run of UK fall shows in support of their widely acclaimed debut album "End of Days" on Blues Funeral Recordings.

About the upcoming shows, the band enthuses: "With an incredible show at Stoomfest 2026 now done and dusted, we’re gonna be hitting the road as part of our perpetual ‘Human Garbage Tour’ with a busy run of dates in the south and east of England in the run in towards Christmas, and before we start looking further afield in 2027! Come see us on the road!"

Okay You Win's hard-hitting forthcoming debut album End of Days deploys a towering blend of driving riff-rock chiseled with a touch of psychedelic gold and doom breakdowns that hit like a collapsing cathedral — all propelled by frontman Dave Kirk's breathtaking, soaring vocals. From the first riff to the final drum hit, this album washes over you with hooks that bury themselves in your skull for weeks.

Okay You Win fall UK shows:

24 Oct - St. Leonards - Tough Love Records
25 Oct - Canterbury - Lady Luck
29 Oct - Norwich - Voodoo Showroom w/ Hippie Death Cult
30 Oct - London - Imperial Palace of the Big Red
31 Oct - Tunbridge Wells - Forum Basement
20 Nov - London - Helgi's Bar
21 Nov - Chatham - Poco Loco
28 Nov - Hitchin - Club 85

Debut album "End of Days" out now on Blues Funeral Recordings 
LP and CD available on Bandcamp and Blues Funeral Recordings 
Watch the latest videos Smoke / Beat Me Down / End of Days 

“A record that’s absolutely stacked with classic songs from start to finish.” - Outlaws of the Sun
“A slab of utterly captivating songs that take no prisoners.” - Rock Hard Magazine
“Eight pieces of straight magnificence.” - Headbanger Reviews
“Extremely impressive and catchy as hell.” The Razor’s Edge
“Electrifying and monumental.” Headbanger Reviews

Since their formation in London in 2023, Okay You Win have quickly built a solid reputation in the UK underground since their formation in London in 2023, bringing their blend of driving rock with stoned psychedelics and doomy breakdowns to a string of shows and festivals across England and further afield. Drawing heavily on Seattle grunge, California desert rock, 90s alt-rock and classic British metal, the four-piece caught the attention of fellow UK rockers Psychlona, who offered enthusiastic support and guided their friends toward producer Andy Hawkins and The Nave studio in Leeds for the recording of their debut album, released this summer on independent US label Blues Funeral Recordings.

Okay You Win is

Rodrigo Barradas – Bass
David Kirk – Vocals
Ryan O'Hare – Guitar
Antonio Peci – Drums

Okay You Win links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Blues Funeral Recordings links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Exclusive Album Premiere Of Psych/Fuzz/Stoner Metallers HUMULUS Stunning New Album - SMUGGLER'S CAVE

Smuggler’s Cave marks HUMULUS’ fifth LP and their second outing with vocalist/guitarist Thomas Mascheroni. Following 2023's Flowers Of Death, the band spent two years traversing Europe’s stages, and it was in the cracks between tours that the improvisations for this record took root. True to form, the band returned to the rehearsal room for marathon sessions, capturing hours of raw interplay, isolating the sparks and forging new songs from the embers.

The riffs might hit harder than ever before, yet HUMULUS’s sonic hallmark remains intact with a deft pivot from rhythmic, classic stoner crunch into more psychedelic and introspective depths. Leading the listener through mysterious settings, tales of wizards, cemetery dreams, damned souls and the shade of dark forests, this high-voltage new delivery fills the air with electricity and will compel anyone who worships at the altar of Dozer, Truckfighters, Lowrider and Greenleaf. 

Thanks to the amazing folks at Purple Sage PR and Ripple Music, we're excited to premiere the whole album in full below:

The Lowdown

Humulus is an Italian psych-stoner power trio formed in Brescia, Italy in 2009. Born from the heavy lineage of Kyuss, Karma to Burn and Orange Goblin, they quickly built a reputation across southern Europe with their crushing debut on Go Down Records.

A lineup shift in 2015 flipped the script. New frontman Andrea Bellicini pushed the band into trippier, more dynamic territory through longer songs, richer atmospheres and a sound that outgrew stoner orthodoxy. The years that followed saw Humulus touring non-stop with European festival runs (Freak Valley, Desertfest Belgium, Up In Smoke), and a string of acclaimed LPs that veered from doom-laced riffage to sprawling psychedelic meditation. Another mutation came in late 2022 with the arrival of Thomas Mascheroni, reigniting the band’s chemistry and leading to a fresh creative burst. They hit the road again, sharing stages with heavyweights like Colour Haze and Monkey3, while steadily forging new material.

When founder Giorgio Bonacorsi stepped back in 2026, the remaining core members enlisted Fabio Giacomini to complete the lineup and write their most ambitious work yet.

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Smuggler’s Cove is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Humulus links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Ripple Music links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

STEAK - STEAK (Album Review)

Release Date: October 09th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music / Stickman Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

STEAK - Tracklist

1. Cometh

2. Luxury Junk

3. Dust

4. Two By Two

5. Aether

6. Infinite

7. Knucklehead

8. Short Arms

Members

Chris Haley – Vocals
Reece Tee – Guitar
Dean Deal – Drums
James Cameron – Bass
Tom Cameron – Guitar and Vocals

Review

Psych Stoner Rockers STEAK return with their fourth album which is actually a self titled release this time round and one that arrives four years since their last celebrated effort. This time away has benefited STEAK superbly well both musically and creatively speaking. As they embrace heavier, darker and bolder styles of Doom Rock that you would expect to hear from the likes of ELDER and KING BUFFALO. However, STEAK played with a heavier metallic style with slight expeditions into areas of Grunge, Doomgaze, and Post-Metal within the album.

STEAK have come a long way since their earliest releases which saw the band operate closer to the likes of CLUTCH, KYUSS and ORANGE GOBLIN. That’s not a bad place to be but this album shows how the band have matured over the last fourteen years especially within the opening tracks of Cometh, Luxury Junk and Dust. The storytelling aspect is rooted in Nineties sensibilities with the music moving between different musical timelines of where the Desert/Stoner Metal scene was fully starting to form.

The vocals from Chris Haley and Tom Cameron have a great rhythm to each other with the delicate tones offering a warm hearted nature especially within the subdued moments. Though, the rest of the band are perhaps quite restless at times by focusing upon an aggressive style of Doom, Psych and Cosmic based landscapes which move along at an intense pace.

There is a sense of grounded atmospherics being used here which reminds me of Sergeant Thunderhoof at times with both bands firmly established favourites of the UK’s burgeoning Doom/Stoner Metal scene. STEAK continues to develop waves of different sonic delivery whilst applying some classic fuzzed out movements throughout the album. 

I admire how STEAK obviously stick closely to their musical roots on this record where the listener can expect to hear a classic muscular slice of Stoner Rock/Metal set amongst the dominant Cosmic and Psychedelic sounds that brings the heaviest and most enjoyable sounds on the whole album.

Other great tracks to check out are: Take By Two, Aether, Knucklehead and Short Arms - where STEAK find a cool sludgy rock dimension and gritty Desert Rock attitude which is just the icing on the cake for listeners to wholly appreciate. 

STEAK’s fourth album is a resounding success on every level with this being the bands most technically impressive record to date. The whole record is expertly played and produced from everyone involved and showcases why STEAK are one of the most vastly underrated bands we have within the Stoner Rock/Metal underground scene. However, this is the album that will perhaps change all that for STEAK and propel them onto greater things.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

STEAK is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via- Ripple Music (North America) and Stickman Records (Europe/UK)

Links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Humulus - Smuggler's Cave (Album Review)

Release Date: October 09th 2026. Record Label: Ripple Music. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Smuggler’s Cave - Tracklist

1.Standing in the Sun 

2.Rise and Fall 

3.Pines

4.Smuggler's Cave

5.Cemetery Vision

6.Blue Wizard 

7.Cursed Man

Review

Smuggler’s Cave is the fifth album from Psych Stoner Rockers Humulus with the band moving closer the likes of Lowrider, Dozer, Truckfighters and KYUSS where the band blend the ice-cold Psychedelic Stoner Rock attitude of the Swedish Stoner Metal scene with the gritty energy of the legendary Californian Stoner scene. This is a great mix especially with Humulus originating from Italy. 

The record is a fast-paced mix of different Doom, Desert and Stoner Rock sounds with trippy interludes appearing within the whole album as a great union of Post-Rock and Post-Doom form a winning musical alliance. This seems to spur Humulus to try different things with their music as traces of Grunge and Ambient melodies form when you least expect this.

Humulus starts playing areas of music influenced by the likes of ELDER and KING BUFFALO in the heavier aspects which is quite an exciting creative direction on the first half tracks such as Standing In The Sun, Rise And Fall and Pines. The vocals are delivered superbly throughout as Humulus employ different styles with chants, clean vocals and ethereal tones aligning everything together.

The great use of Psychedelic, Ambient and Space Rock effects adds an aggressive attitude into the whole recording aspect which allows Humulus to start forming strands of Fuzz, Shoegaze and Space Rock which becomes quite adventurous when a thrilling Sludgier direction appears. Even when the record offers a stripped back sound, Humulus never fails in transporting the listener into a more subdued Spaced Out landscape on tracks Smuggler’s Cave, Blue Wizard and Cursed Man. 

The themes become more heartfelt and emotionally haunted with that blissful Post-Rock and Post-Stoner landscape bringing that superb style of uplifting quality into the later stages of the record. The vocals yet again are first rate which have a great storytelling energy to them with Humulus creating a soulful and emotionally charged record that’s not afraid to bring a gritty sense of determined pure raw heaviness to the party. As Humulus rely upon bursts of intense FUZZ and DISTORTED MELODIES within the second half of the album.

Smuggler’s Cove is a superbly entertaining and brilliantly realized album with HUMULUS once again delivering a masterclass of modern day COSMIC and PSYCHEDELIC grooves from start to finish.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Smuggler’s Cove is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Witchthroat Serpent - Demons Left To Roam (Album Review)

Release Date: October 09th 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Demons Left To Roam - Tracklist

1.Cursed Night Circle

2.Doctor Terror

3.Silver Bell of Satanic Ritual

4.Lost Dimension

5.The Blinded Magpie

6.The Zany Magician (Eloy cover)

Members

Fred, Niko, Ügo and Djé

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Witchthroat Serpent return with their fifth album Demons Left To Roam which continues the band’s journey into the seedy and filth ridden abyss of distorted amplifiers and fuzzed out grooves. The music hasn’t changed much since their last album but the lyrics are perhaps more Occult Metal obsessive with an influx of gloomy themes lurking from every corner possible. 

Witchthroat Serpent uses the classic Doom/Stoner Metal template that Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard originally created with the band adding their own violent down-tuned spin with echoes of Sludge Metal forming within the gloriously over the top opening track Cursed Night Circle. There are flashes of Occult Rock, Psych, Fuzz, Sludge and Stoner melodies that have a claustrophobic energy holding everything together. The vocals are seedy with a touch of classic Doom Rock showmanship which never takes away from the thrilling FUZZED OUT surroundings which become heavier, gloomier and more twisted with each passing track.

Tracks such as Doctor Terror and Silver Bell Of Satanic Ritual embrace a distorted LOW & SLOW environment with the lyrics touching upon classic and troubling aspects of the whole OCCULT scene. There’s a great style of VINTAGE bravado appearing within the production side of the album which fuses Seventies Proto-Doom dimensions with that intense modern FUZZED OUT and WEEDIAN based delivery. Some of the musical passages can be quite long with little room for maneuver though the sludgy aspects allows Witchthroat Dimension to treat the listener to some massive layers of AMPLIFIER DISTORTION and a challenging style of sonic experimentation along the way.

This is perhaps Witchthroat Serpent’s most direct and haunting record to date with the doom & gloom optics even having a sense of progressive freedom within the heaviest parts of the album. The music is always played at a great slow-to-mid pace which allows more superb levels of classic SABBATHIAN and ELECTRIC WIZARD based grooves to form on the later stages of the record. However, Witchthroat Serpent’s epic use of psychedelic melodies allows the later tracks of Lost Dimension and The Blinded Magpie to have a certain Spaced Out flow to it all.

You have to give the band credit for performing a cover of the classic KrautRock track The Zany Magician by ELOY and adding a fresh Doomed Out and Fuzz Metal perspective when compared to the original. The hallmarks of the original version can be heard along the way but Witchthroat Serpent add their own sense of creative identity into this track which allows the album to close on a massive level of pure amplified terror.

Demons Left To Roam is another impressive record for the band to add to their acclaimed discography and it’s one that should keep the underground Doom/Stoner Metal scene happy for a long time to come. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Demons Left To Roam is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links

Bandcamp - Facebook - Instagram