LáGoon - Forget What You Heard (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Various. Format: DD/Tape/Vinyl

Forget What Your Heard - Tracklist

1. Kill The Messenger (3:55)

2. You Tried (You Failed) (3:52)

3. Draculove (2:48)

4. Father Of Death (4:06)

5. Wheel Bite (4:11)

6. Skate Fast, Play Loud (3:01)

7. Smoke And Flesh (2:57)

Members

Brady Maurer - Drums

Kenny Coombs - Bass

Anthony Gaglia - Guitar/Vocals

Review

Garage/Scuzz/Stoner Rockers LáGoon return with their latest album Forget What You Heard which sees the band performing in loud and highly unapologetic fashion. The whole record feels like LáGoon have finally found their true calling in the Stoner Rock scene with their blend of Punk, Fuzz, Garage Rock, Psych, Doom and Scuzzy melodies. This is their most confident and highly entertaining record to date with some epic nods of FU MANCHU riff loving amplified worship but with LáGoon’s own great style of music still being heard.

These tracks have been released and recorded differently over the years but these are perhaps the most definitive edition of the tracks and how they're meant to sound. This is the perfect starting point for newcomers to become a fan of this great band.

Opening track Kill The Messenger has some spiky demented lyrics and pure distorted mayhem developing within the music. It’s very stripped back and has a classic Nineties Stoner Rock attitude which becomes one of the best themes from the album. There’s some Punk Rock sounds being played at an relentless fast pace which has been a staple of LáGoon’s music from the very start. It’s a great way to open the album with.

Second track You Tried (We Lied)  has a sublime MELVINS based energy with LáGoon approaching that FUZZY / Scuzz Punk attitude once more. There’s some influences from the likes of Dinosaur Jr and The Ramones emerging from the Punk Rock wastelands but it’s the screeching psychedelics and stripped back Garage Rock mechanics that makes the song work so superbly well.

Third track Draculove is a Doom Punk offering with LáGoon having some fun with the whole Proto-Metal theme of the track. It’s quite a bouncy little number with a subtle manic energy and playful lyrics that plays right into the classic “DRACULA” folklore. Maybe a bit too “radio friendly” at times but it’s refreshingly hip and quite clever with the simply played melodies that brings a huge amount of fun to the album.

The next two tracks Father Of Death and Wheel Bite sees LáGoon return to the playful surroundings of the opening tracks with a certain Sludgier environment developing with some socially aware lyrics. This is LáGoon being socially aware and having some gloomy fun at the same time especially on Father Of Death. The music has a turbo-charged appearance that’s primed to explode on musical impact. The lo-fi surroundings allows the songs to breath organically especially on Wheel Bite.

One of the main strengths about LáGoon and this album in general is how the band don’t give a fuck about Progressive themes at all. This is Stoner Rock music played in it’s purest form where the main mission is JUST TO GET SHIT DONE and leave you superbly entertained which they achieve with flying colours within the excellent two final two tracks Shake Fast, Play Loud and Smoke And Flesh.

The songs allows LáGoon to close the album playing snarling Punk Rock grooves that are almost quite anthemic with that seedy and dirty Psychedelic attitude playing some of the best music on the album. 

Forget What You Heard is another great record from LáGoon who are fastly becoming one of the standout Stoner Rock acts from the infamous Portland underground Heavy Rock scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Forget What You Heard is available to buy now on Digital, Vinyl (via Interstellar Smoke Records), and Cassette (via Evil Noise Recordings)

Links

Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Linktree

MELVINS TO HEADLINE DESERTFEST LONDON 2027 PLUS MONOLORD, MANTAR, INTER ARMA, DOPETHRONE AND MORE - PHASE 1 TICKETS ON SALE NOW.

Desertfest London is proud to announce the Melvins as the first headliner for their 2027 edition, taking place next May 21st-23rd in the heart of Camden Town. Formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington, the Melvins are a band that need little introduction at this point in their career. As true pioneers in heavy music their status as one of modern music’s most influential bands is undeniable, and their live shows are truly unparalleled. Often imitated, never duplicated, we here at Desertfest London are honoured to have the Melvins take their rightful place as headliner next May 2027.

Masters in molten riffs, Monolord have been carving out their path in the heavy for well over a decade. Beloved by fans and peers alike, they are no strangers to the Desertfest stage - who can forget their packed out unforgettable 2024 Ballroom set? It was a no-brainer to have them return for Desertfest ‘27.

For those craving something ferocious and filthy, Mantar’s heavy hybrid of blackened death-punk grooves will be served up by the German duo to those brave enough to devour it. Festivities continue as Virginia’s dissonant doom disciples Inter Arma celebrate 20 years of unparalleled pummelling haunting music. And they won’t be celebrating alone, as we also honour 20 years of Desert Storm, homegrown heroes of British heavy metal.

Meanwhile, Montreal powertrio Dopethrone will bring a hefty dose of “Canadian Slutch” filth direct to the streets of Camden, and Seattle duo Year of the Cobra return in sonic style to the Desertest stage for the first time in 8 years.

Desertfest London announces:

MELVINS
MONOLORD
MANTAR
INTER ARMA
DOPETHRONE
YEAR OF THE COBRA
DESERT STORM
THE GRUDGE
MODDER
KANAAN
OMO
ROW OF ASHES

Desertfest London takes place in its annual home across multiple venues in Camden Town Fri 21st May - Sunday 23rd May 2027.

Phase 1 tickets are on sale now via

www.desertfest.co.uk // https://link.dice.fm/vae99c6ad802

Links

Facebook: @DesertfestLondon
Instagram: @desertfest_london
Website: www.desertfest.co.uk

Thanks to Gardenia Publicity for the details.

Auralayer share "Wall to Wall" single from forthcoming sophomore album

Auralayer, the heavy melodic trio out of Greenville, SC, share their new single from their forthcoming sophomore album. 

The song "Wall to Wall" is now available to hear and share on all DSPs HERE.

Far too many heavy rock and doom bands overlook that the classic progenitors of the genre were firmly rooted in strong melodic hooks, not just skull thwacking riffs. Greenville, SC trio Auralayer bring pop melodies to the forefront of their sound, ensuring that the heaviness hits with exceptional impact.

Into the Aura Lair, the anticipated followup to Auralayer’s 2023 debut full length, Thousand Petals (King Volume Records) is heavy, fun and unpredictable. Think YOB, Torche and The Sword blended with 90s alt rock akin to Hum: Huge riffs pummeling through huge amplifiers, precise cannon like drums, and melodies that stick with you.

Guitarist Thomas Powell zeroes in on slamming High on Fire riffs counterbalanced with Hendrix psychedelic flourish and open-tuned alt-rock shimmer. Bassist/vocalist Jake Williams lays down sludgy, growling lows while his soaring, clean vocals hit powerful highs. The album is the first to feature new drummer Harold Smith, who brings a harder hitting style to their sound than heard previously.

To help them harness their energetic musical vision, the band once again recruited Philip Cope, the founder of the experimental metal band Kylesa, who also engineered, mixed, and mastered their debut album at Jam Room Recording Studio in Columbia, SC. As with Kylesa, Cope helped to capture and channel the band’s diverse influences and experimentation into a cohesive sonic palette.

Into the Aura Lair will be available digitally on December 4th, 2026. Pre-orders are available HERE.

AURALAYER LIVE 2026:

10/09 Warner Robbins, GA - The Reverb Room
10/10 Athens, GA - Flicker Theatre
10/11 Chattanooga, TN - Cherry St. Tavern
10/30 Savannah, GA - The Wormhole

Artist: Auralayer
Album: Into The Aura Lair
Label: Auralayer
Release Date: December 4, 2026

Tracklist

01. Saldo
02. Tantalus
03. Wall to Wall
04. Survival
05. Down From Evil Eyes
06. Mythomania
07. Layers Beneath
08. Stuck on a Spike
09. Dead Arrival

On The Web:

linktr.ee/auralayer
kingvolume.com

Thanks to US/THEM PR Group for the details.

Norwegian Stoner Metallers KAL-EL to kick off North American tour next week!

Norway's preeminent cosmic heavy rockers KAL-EL return to American next week with an extensive fall tour in support of their recently released sonic dyptic "Astral Voyager Vol. 1 & 2" on Blues Funeral Recordings (North Am.) and Majestic Mountain Records (EU/UK).

Their acclaimed albums Astral Voyager Vol.1 (2025) and Astral Voyager Vol. 2 (2026) are a two-part epic of riff-exploration to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, both of which took #1 on the Doom Charts in their release months, with Astral Voyager Vol.1 also landing the #1 spot for the year on the 2025 Doom Charts Annual list.

Now the infectious sci-fi metal fivesome are back to bring their Scandinavian desert anthems to stages in the US and Canada once more, this time alongside Blues Funeral labelmates Goya and California's Black Moon Cult, including a return appearance at this year's Ripplefest Texas.

Kal-El North American tour dates:

9/18 - Haltom City, TX - Haltom Theater *
9/19 - Austin, TX - Ripplefest Texas * ^
9/20 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger *
9/22 - Santa Fe, NM - Desert Dogs Brewery *
9/23 - Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit Live
9/24 - Las Vegas, NV - Dive Bar
9/25 - Landers, CA - The Annex
9/26 - Palmdale, CA - Transplants Brewing
9/27 - Los Angeles, CA - Redwood Bar & Grill
9/29 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
9/30- Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial
10/1 - Eugene, OR - John Henry's
10/2 - Portland, OR - The High Water Mark
10/3 - Seattle, WA - The Funhouse
10/4 - Vancouver, BC - Astoria
10/5 - Victoria, BC - Phoenix
10/7 - Boise, ID - The Olympic
10/8 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon
10/9 - Denver, CO - Black Sky Brewery
10/10 - Colorado Springs, CO - What's Left Records
*no Goya // ^no Black Moon Cult

“If you’re a fan of infectious hooks and riffs for days, then this should be right up your alley.” Metalsucks

Formed in Stavanger, Norway in 2012, KAL-EL established as a unique force in the international stoner and doom metal community by blending hard rock, heavy metal, psychedelic, and doom elements with science fiction themes. Their journey began with the release of "Dark Moon Voyage" EP in 2013, quickly gaining recognition as the top new rock act on NRK Urørt, Norway's platform for emerging music. 

The band's evolution has seen them release multiple acclaimed albums through various labels, including their debut "Pakal" (2014, Wormhole Death Records), "Ecosphere" (2015, Setalight Records), "Astrodoomeda" (2017, Argonauta Records), and the breakthrough "Witches of Mars" (2019). 2021's "Dark Majesty" through Majestic Mountain Records marked a significant milestone in their cosmic journey, followed by 2023's "Moon People" EP.

KAL-EL's signature sound, characterized by bass-heavy grooves, downtuned guitars, and mind-expanding lyrics, is deeply rooted in the sci-fi narratives penned by vocalist "The Captain" himself. Having toured extensively across Europe and the United States, they continue to push genre boundaries while maintaining their commitment to vintage sci-fi aesthetics and thundering stoner metal. 

Check out their latest videos Juno and Juggernaut!

KAL-EL links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.

Burial Site - Deathdrone (Album Review)

Release Date: September 14th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Deathdrone - Tracklist

1.The Will to Death 07:10

2.Doomsday Clock 08:57 

3.Shadows Etched in Stone 03:23

4.Deathdrone 42:04

Members

Null - Vocals/Drums

Void - Guitars

Review

Deathdrone is the debut album from Death/Doom/Drone Metallers Burial Site where the name gives you a huge clue on what to expect for the album. As the band explore the lo-fi surroundings of the Death/Drone landscape with some brooding Doom Metal landscapes being added for gloomy effect. This isn’t the best produced record but it gives Burial Site some real brutal distorted heaviness into their music. 

The album is over sixty two minutes long spread across four tracks with the final Burial Site being over forty two minutes in length. There’s a warped psychological appeal that’s heard within the band’s music and with how lead vocalist Null’s harsh growls are delivered. The use of LOW & SLOW and DISTORTED grooves can be pitch black and ambient heavy within tracks The Will To Death and Doomsday Clock channeling the most violent aspects of SUNN 0))), EARTH and KHANATE.

Burial Site experiment with Black Metal, Noise Metal and stripped down Sludge Metal for a sound that’s always viciously heavy. This album isn’t going to be for everyone and there are parts that I continue to struggle with as the experimental NOISE METAL aspects are even too deafening for me to listen to but it’s superbly played. The whole album feels like it was recorded in the PITS OF HELL with the band playing their brutal style of DRONE METAL to the closing seconds. The long drawn out instrumental passages are given multiple creative makeovers which allows Burial Site to keep the listener on the edge of their seat especially through the mammoth forty two minutes final track. 

The excellent third track Shadows Etched In Stone does allow Burial Site to play a cool sounding Post-Rock and Semi-Acoustic track that has a deeply satisfying emotional centre to it all.

The final track does have faster grooves and frenzied Black Metal attacks with subtle shades of Psychedelic Terror moving the album into some highly unexpected areas of music. If you’re a fan of MERZBOW and MIZMOR then this track will feel like PARADISE to you all. I appreciated the technical and creative approach that Burial Site bring to this track alone.

I’m happy to admit that even though I found this album very hard to listen to at times, I still had a very good experience with the album that actually put me into some highly unexpected moments of terror along the way.

Deathdrone is a must have record for dedicated fans of the Extreme Metal Scene if you’re feeling brave enough that is!!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links

https://www.youtube.com/@BurialSiteDoom

https://www.instagram.com/burialsitedoom/ 

https://burialsitedoom.bandcamp.com 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6XhVRDcijy9saPfE4BB9Ou

Terra Black - Mirage (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: Bonebag Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Mirage - Tracklist

1.The Gathering

2.Guayota 

3.Pareidolia

4.Thorn

5.Maze

6.In Stone 

7.Ruins 

8.In stars

Members

Ezgi – Lead Vocals and Guitars

Isak – Guitars

Denice – Bass

Sophie – Drums

Review

Psychedelic Doomsters Terra Black return with their sophomore album Mirage which takes a slightly different step compared to their acclaimed 2023 debut album All Descend. As Terra Black move slightly further from the spooky Occult Doom sound they conjured up so magnificently on their debut album which has been replaced by a thicker, denser and heavier COSMIC based attitude.

This gives their sound a trippier and psychedelic energy which is noticeable from the very start with a grounded Shoegaze and Sludge Rock melody developing with stunning vocals to match. However, there’s still that highly accomplished Occult Doom sound that made Terra Black such a great band to look out for that manages to stay consistently relevant with punishing levels of distorted FUZZ appearing behind the scenes. The lyrics have a winning DOOM & GLOOM attitude to them with the music matching the likes of MONOLORD and ELECTRIC WIZARD with that intense slow-to-mid pace.

Terra Black developed a thicker, heavier and denser style of Doomed Out Metal with a sublime Psychedelic Stoner Metal attitude forming on different parts of the album. The vocals from Ezgi are utterly captivating and deliver the right level of pure innocence and demonic based passion which feels like they’re being delivered by two different entities. This gives Mirage a bewitching atmospheric and seductive quality within the grounded moments of the album but the whole thing fully excels when the band play into their new found COSMIC DOOM surroundings. 

The music becomes noticeably thicker and brimming with amplified capabilities especially on tracks Guayota, Pareidolia, In Stone and Ruins. The whole sound is full of violent Fuzzed Out landscapes where Terra Black put their AMPS all the way upto dangerous levels and let their music do the talking. The harsh screams linger in the background before exploding into an emotional style that brings the Occult Doom world closer to the fringes of modern day Heavy Psych and Spaced Out Doom closer than ever before.

Terra Black have written some intriguing lyrics to match the music and with the band part of the massive Swedish underground metal scene then you know what to expect when that scene’s legendary sound develops into something more tribal and ritualistic. There’s some dizzying soundscapes and vocal chants that taps right into the Seventies Occult Rock scene but with dazzling Drone Metal overtones. 

Mirage is quite a forward thinking album as it’s fuelled by elements of Heavy Psych, Occult Rock. Doom Metal, Shoegaze, Stoner Metal and Space Rock which gives it such a nomadic and solitary existence at times. The whole thing is superbly real and refreshingly original with certain sections of the album transforming into a meditative style of Grunge, Post-Rock and Shoegaze that gives this record a completely different tone on the second half of the album.

The Ambient themes are exquisite and have a certain romantic elegance to them but that soon gives way to that modern day destructive grooves and soulful melodies that take no prisoners especially within the excellent rhythm section that allows Terra Black to branch out into different areas of music. 

Mirage is a magnificent beast of an album. As this is a record that knows when to become a true force of nature that destroys everything in Terra Black’s wake but it also knows when to show it’s caring, tender and emotionally engaging side as well. When both these worlds collide then there’s no stopping TERRA BLACK delivering one of the most satisfying COSMIC DOOMED OUT experiences you’ll have this year.

WOW!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sheltered Life PR for the promo.

Mirage is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Bonebag Records.

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Spotify | Instagram | Apple Music

Rapidly Aging - You're Not Yourself Lately (Album Review)

Release Date: October 02nd 2026. Record Label: Fig On West. Format: DD/Tape

You’re Not Yourself Lately - Tracklist

1. Distant Sirens Wailing (2:41)

2. Fleeting Moment (5:47)

3. The Negative Thought Loops (4:20)

4. Awoken From A Bad Dream To An Even Worse Reality (7:58)

5. How Quickly The Ground Falls Out Beneath You (5:13)

6. Unsaved (6:46)

7. To Keep From (7:48)

Members

Music by Shalor Howell

Guitar, Slide Guitar & Bass performed by Shalor Howell

Drums performed by Matt Hendler

Pedal Steel Guitar & Violin performed by Ethan Fogus

Review

You’re Not Yourself Lately is the debut album from Ambient/Post-Metal collective Rapidly Aging who brings a dense and progressive style to the Post-Metal world as Shalor Howell (the creative mastermind behind the project) explores a slow style of music that allows other areas of Post-Rock. Shoegaze and Sludge Metal to fully form. Rapidly Aging takes their time in building highly melodic Post-Rock structures that are firm and hold steady one moment before a towering force of Atmospheric Sludge destroys everything for a heavier style of ritualistic passage to form.

You can hear influences from the likes of Pelican, Neurosis, OM, Pink Floyd, Earth and Russian Circles which shows you the type of musical surroundings that Rapidly Aging aims for. The whole thing does take time to fully get moving along but it’s a deeply reflective journey that allows the Ambient and Post-Rock sounds to appear within the haunting opening tracks of Distant Sirens Wailing and Fleeting Moment. I would consider these tracks the most straightforward songs on the whole album as Shalor Howell moves along into some unexpected themes of music for the stunning third track The Negative Thought Loops. 

The Negative Thought Loops combines Post-Metal aesthetics with a gloomy Americana, Gothic and Southern Folk sound which is held together by a commanding Post-Metal presence. The instrumental passages are heavy for the most part but Rapidly Aging then aims for a subtle Alt Rock and Experimental based flow. The whole thing tries to strive for pure Post-Metal heaviness but settles for a great style of Post-Rock and Post-Doom aggression. Parts Neurosis and Pink Floyd combine for a sound that’s perhaps one of the most reflective moments on the whole album.

Fourth track Awoken From A Bad Dream To An Even Worse Reality never shies away from playing a monumental style of precise progressive melodies that have a certain Pelican (Australasia) vibe to them. The free-flowing “cinematic” journey of the track brings a low-key Psych Metal aspect into the mix. The song is equally spaced out and fuelled by tranquil Post-Rock themes that feel cautiously optimistic but quite content to remain in the darkness at the same time.

The level of music experimentation is excellent with some deft classical rock and jazzy scores starting to make themselves known on the second half of the album. All of the vocal samples that provide the main storyline for the album are taken from the classic 1974 French film “The Man Who Sleeps” with this album acting as the unofficial soundtrack. I haven’t seen the film but the samples used are magnificent where they are matched up to the music amazingly well especially within the Ambient sections of the whole record.

The final three tracks of the album allows Rapidly Aging to fully explore the heaviest and progressive moments on the album whilst keeping to a slight Orchestral delivery mostly on How Quickly The Ground Falls Out Beneath You and To Keep From. There’s a determined energy to how the music is delivered with intense Progressive musical beats becoming thicker and denser that allows the album to reach it’s emotionally charged conclusion.

You’re Not Yourself Lately is not an easy album to listen to but it’s the overall journey that Rapidly Aging takes you upon that’s the real highlight. For an instrumental record, Rapidly Aging have crafted a dark and mysterious record that offers no easy answers but you can’y deny how brilliantly powerful the record is when everything is said and done….

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

You’re Not Yourself Lately is available to buy now.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Post-Rock/Post-Metal Collective Our Ceasing Voice Unveil New Single And Video “Wherever You Are”

A deeply personal song about loss, forgiveness and keeping a memory alive

Austrian post rock and post metal quartet Our Ceasing Voice return with “Wherever You Are”, the third single taken from their forthcoming album “The Origin of Everything”, due for release on October 2nd, 2026 via Argonauta Records.

Watch the official video for “Wherever You Are”:

Following the previously released singles “Diamond Eyes” and “The Man You Wanted Me To Be”, “Wherever You Are” reveals perhaps the most intimate side of Our Ceasing Voice. Written in the aftermath of a devastating personal loss, the song is a meditation on grief, guilt and the difficult path towards forgiveness.

Vocalist Dominik Dörfler explains:

“When I was faced with the loss of an especially close friend in 2005, something inside me broke and has still not healed to this day, leaving a huge void.”

For years, Dörfler carried the feeling that he could somehow have prevented his friend's death, a thought that became increasingly difficult to escape.

“This feeling haunted me for so many years and prevented me, in every way, from coming to terms with it.”

Fourteen years after the loss, in 2019, Dörfler finally sat down at the piano and wrote “Wherever You Are”. The song remained untouched for a long time, neither played nor listened to, before the band eventually returned to it while working on “The Origin of Everything”.

Reworking the composition and revisiting its lyrics ultimately became part of a deeply personal process of healing.

“Working on it really helped me cope with this loss, see it in a different light, replace that feeling of anger with a kind of forgiveness toward myself, and immortalize the memory of a beautiful person.”

That sense of emotional transformation lies at the heart of “The Origin of Everything”. While the album looks inward at identity, belonging, memory and the forces that shape who we become, “Wherever You Are” confronts the past directly, turning grief into remembrance and regret into acceptance.

Musically, the song showcases the band's ability to move between fragile intimacy and expansive post rock intensity, creating a space where melancholy and catharsis coexist. It is another glimpse into an album that sees Our Ceasing Voice pushing beyond their earlier sound while preserving the emotional depth that has defined them since their formation in Innsbruck in 2006.

“The Origin of Everything” will be released on October 2nd, 2026 via Argonauta Records and features eleven songs that trace different paths through memory, identity, longing and transformation.

For more info:

​https://www.facebook.com/ourceasingvoicemusic​
​https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords​

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

Matt C. White - The Flood (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: White Locust Records. Rising. Format: DD

The Flood - Tracklist

Three Hunters

Evil Wheel

Away

The Flood

Cold Water

Ursa

Evil Wheel (Instrumental)

Cold Water (Instrumental)

Ursa (Instrumental)

Members

Matt C. White - Everything

Review

Multi Instrumentalist Matt C. White returns with their latest offering The Flood which is another moody offering into the world of Classic Rock and Psych Rock sensibilities. The record follows a similar structure to the 2025 album A Cosmic Year with subtle flashes of Psych, Stoner Rock, Space Rock and KrautRock that allows Matt to embrace his love affair with the different levels of Hard Rock. 

There’s some hazy Blues Rock creative energy that’s heard throughout the album with Matt showing some musical influences by the likes of The Black Keys, Hawkwind, The Sword and Brant Bjork. The Proto-Metal and Classic Hard Rock delivery works exceptionally well from the start of the superb opening tracks of Three Hunters, Evil Wheel and Away. There’s a gloomy Garage Rock presence which moves into a slightly distorted Space Rock backdrop with small instances of Gloom & Doom holding everything back.

The music is quite warped but with a great style of melodic rock forming within the freakish Progressive beats that align the musical landscape. Matt’s vocals have an outsider delivery to them with his vocal range bringing Seventies Hard Rock themes to a more modern day setting. The instrumental sounds are constantly evolving into a heavier style of Cosmic Doom and Stoner Rock landscape. 

This feels like THE SWORD (early era) jamming with MC5 and The Black Keys where there are riffs galore waiting to be found within the standout tracks of Away, Cold Water and Ursa. The Flood works best when Matt explores the Cosmic and Psychedelic themes of his music which transforms into some vibrant musical passages that superbly nail on the Post-Stoner and Post-Rock quality of the whole record. 

The Space Rock delivery is almost hopeful, content and brilliantly realistic when it goes for a more "exploratory" approach. The whole thing becomes laid back where Matt allows his SONIC EXPERIMENTATION skills do the heavy lifting especially within The Flood and Cold Water.

This is quite a short album lasting around twenty seven minutes of new material as the final three tracks are instrumental versions of Evil Wheel, Cold Water and Ursa. These are actually great versions to include as you begin to forge a more emotional connection to these tracks especially if you’re a fan of Instrumental Rock music. 

The Flood is mostly fuelled by Classic Rock structures with some slight detours into modern soundscapes which allows Matt C. White to deliver a worthy and outstanding follow up record to his acclaimed 2025 album A Cosmic Year. This record may not be as heavy as that album but it’s perhaps more vivid and dare I say more emotionally charged and superbly original. 

Matt C. White has taken his music into greater musical heights and has released a highly mature offering that gets the job done.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

 

Words by Steve Howe

The Flood is available to buy now on Digital Download via White Locust Records.

Links

www.mattcwhite.com
www.Instagram.com/Matt_C_White

https://open.spotify.com/artist/mattcwhite

https://mattcwhite.bandcamp.com/

Shovelhead - A Place Of Dead Roads (Album Review)

Release Date: September 12th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Rising. Format: CD/DD

A Place Of Dead Roads - Tracklist

01. Witching Hour

02. Tempest

03. Dominion/Big Tex

04. Ghost in the Garden

05. Middle Man

06. White Stag Ghost

07. Bombers

Members

Jim LaPointe - Vocals, Guitar

Mike Scott - Drums

George Pierro - Bass

Review

Shovelhead may not be a name you’re familiar with but to a small and loyal dedicated following within the Stoner Rock/Metal underground community, these guys are almost legendary  especially around their hometown of New Jersey. This area is home to the likes of Stoner Rock/Metal legends Monster Magnet. SOLACE and The Atomic Bitchwax. Whilst Shovelhead didn’t reach the same towering heights of those legendary bands, their impact is just as meaningful.

The guys have returned with their first album “A Place Of Dead Roads” in nineteen years. I was a huge fan of their 2007 record The Crown & The Knife. The band helped form the style of Rock & Roll driven based Stoner Metal that’s so popular today and I’m pleased to say that almost two decades on that Shovelhead’s latest album makes them feel as important and vital as ever.

The record is powered by a classic style of “TURBO CHARGED” grooves with some great Garage Rock melodies with a burgeoning seedy Psychedelic attitude. Shovelhead don’t apply modern studio and recording techniques into their music. This is good old fashioned Stoner Rock/Metal music how it’s meant to sound and and superbly played. The end result is raw, uncompromising, gritty and highly unpredictable that allows Shovelhead to play with a fearless attitude which is applied throughout the whole album.

There are some moments of Grunge and Progressive momentums contained within the lengthier tracks of the album (Tempest, Dominion/Big Tex, Middle Man and White Stag Ghost) but there’s a multitude of different styles of Heavy Rock that’s being applied by Shovelhead that makes you just appreciate the fact how these guys are still around after thirty years making great music.

There’s a WILD MAN OF ROCK swagger that’s applied by Shovelhead to the fastest and heaviest parts of the record. There’s an out of control “JAM BASED” quality that you can hear within the fuzziest and sleaziest sounds of the album. The vocals by Jim LaPointe appear only when they’re fully needed which gives real weight to the whole record.

Only Jim LaPointe and Mike Scott remain from the original lineup with George Pierro replacing original bassist Sha Zaidi. George Pierro brings his own heavy bass sound to the part which is quite different to Sha Zaidi’s but still fully fantastic and fully becoming part of the Shovelhead creative framework.

A Place Of Dead Roads is quite a loose record and opts for a riff-centric / jam based delivery which has always been a staple of Shovelhead ever since their formative years. However, everything works as it should with the band delivering an intense musical performance that upcoming Stoner Rock bands should study and appreciate having great bands such as Shovelhead on how to create, write and perform a classic sounding Stoner Rock track.

As I stated previously, the production values are very raw and highly unapologetic but it’s one of the main strengths that allows A Place Of Dead Roads to fully stand out from the crowd. Shovelhead have released a first rate “COMEBACK” record that I’m hoping gives the band further appreciation from the whole Stoner Rock/Metal community. As this is as good as it gets.

If you miss the early days of MONSTER MAGNET when they had intense New Jersey destructive sound running through their veins that they may have lost over the years then you really need to check out SHOVELHEAD right now. As these guys are seriously becoming better musicians and more an essential band in their later years.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mettle Media PR for the details.

Links

https://shovelheadnj.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/ShovelheadNJ
https://www.youtube.com/@theoriginalShovelhead
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pIndavttdvGqKlHdVQp3L
https://intothevoidmerchco.com/collections/shovelhead
https://www.facebook.com/people/Shovelhead/100061003818946/
https://www.instagram.com/shovelheadnj