DEATHCHANT - KOVA (Album Review)

Release Date: September 25th 2026. Record Label: RidingEasy Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

KOVAc - Tracklist

1.Enemy 

2.Red Sun

3.Funeral Pyre

4.Reverie

5.Worshipper

6.Ruin

7.KOVA

8.Forgiveness

9.Requiem

Members

Thomas J Lemieux - Guitars, vocals, keys, bass, additional sounds & loops

Doug Stuckey - Guitars, vocals

Quinn-George Camacho - Bass

Nick "Joose" Mcdonnell - Drums

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers DEATHCHANT return with their most personal and reflective record to date with KOVA which is named after their late friend Davey Kova. The record contains all the great musical ingredients that made DEATHCHANT’s previous albums fully stand out. KOVA allows Deathchant to offer a more personal experience for listeners to immerse themselves with the band with emotionally changed lyrics, fast-paced melodies and deft Classic Rock touches that forces a challenging “LIGHT vs DARK” progression into the mix.

The sound has that classic TWIN GUITAR energy that reminds me of the likes of THIN LIZZY, WISHBONE ASH, BARONESS and MASTODON which the band are quite known for. With an aggressive backdrop of Psychedelic and Doom-Pop surroundings making a commanding appearance on tracks Enemy, Red Sun and Funeral Pyre which makes me reminisce when the mighty BARONESS made music as good as this within their classic RED and BLUE period.

However, DEATHCHANT stand on their own creative ground with epic POST-DOOM and PSYCH ROCK themes that manifest into epic stadium sized Sludge Rock grooves with the excellent vocals telling an emotionally rewarding story despite some of the tough bleak themes currently being played out.

DEATHCHANT experiment with Ambient, Space Rock and Cosmic chasms on this record which brings a forceful atmospheric drive whilst keeping that Classic Rock delivery with a distinctive Blues Rock and Doomed Out persuasion forming behind the scenes on tracks Funeral Pyre, Reverie and Worshipper closing the first half of the album in great fashion.

The music is unapologetically fast paced with DEATHCHANT playing some of the heaviest sounds of their career. There’s a lot of amplifier distortion and sludgy reverb appearing when you least expect this which adds a gloomy sense of realism and gritty determination into the mix. 

KOVA offers the perfect balance between “LIGHT vs DARK” movements as DEATHCHANT never shy away from using their real life personal experiences into this record which makes this 100% authentic within the Heavy Rock world. The second half of the record is equally as stunning as the first half with DEATHCHANT diving right into a diverse style of Prog Rock melodies that branches out into areas of Heavy Psychedelics which transforms into a hallucinogenic style of Doom/Stoner Metal sounds with some eerie soundclips being added along the way.

Other standout tracks on the record are: Ruin, KOVA, Forgiveness and Requiem though that’s the whole second half of the album I’ve just mentioned. I should say all of the tracks are great as each other with KOVA allowing each song having their own personal story to tell whilst adding some different sounding grooves to settle the deal. The second half perhaps relies more on Post-Doom and Post-Stoner soundscapes with an uplifting Heavy Psychedelic core.

KOVA is a resounding success on every level and is DEATHCHANT’s most masterful and awe-inspiring record to date. With rich sounding and superbly realized production values, DEATHCHANT have released another sublime album that should solidify them as one of the most electrifying and grounded Doom/Stoner Metal bands currently around today.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to RidingEasy Records for the promo.

KOVA is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via RidingEasy Records.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doom/Stoner Metallers DEATHCHANT Announce New Album KOVA And Premiere New Song/Video For ENEMY. Album To Be Released Via RIDINGEASY RECORDS

We are all at the unforgiving whim of life’s extremes. For every moment of overwhelming sorrow, there’s another of indescribable bliss. For every death, there’s a birth. For all of the darkness, there’s just as much light.

Deathchant have never shied away from extremes. Their sound seamlessly oscillates from high-octane rubber-burning riffs and gravelly chants to purring feedback and melodies as expansive as the desert at night. After gathering millions of streams, earning enthusiastic acclaim, and an endless string of packed shows, the Los Angeles, CA quartet—Thomas J Lemieux a.k.a. TJ [guitar, vocals, keys, bass], Doug Stuckey [guitar, vocals], Quinn-George Camacho [bass], and Nick “Joose” Mcdonnell [drums]—explore life’s highs, lows, and everything in between on their fourth full-length LP, KOVA [RidingEasy Records].

Named after their late friend Davey Kova, it’s simultaneously a raucous send-off worthy of a Viking, an introspective look at manhood, and a dyed-in-the-wool badass barnstorming hard rock record.

“To me, Deathchant means very intense brotherhood and friendship,” observes TJ. “I have a truly safe place to express every facet of myself. Even though we’re really heavy, this is also a vehicle for me to explore softer sides of music and wear my heart on my sleeve. For the last nine years, it’s allowed me to be a raw nerve. It was often brutal, because we lived our lives in the world of motorcycle culture, drugs, and partying. At the same time, I always had space for reflection. We implicitly trust one another. It’s rare for a friendship—let alone a four-way working relationship. I recently became a new dad, went through a divorce, and experienced serious loss. All of these massive shifts fed into the music, making it angrier, but more revealing and intimate.”

Back in 2018, Deathchant began to make noise on the West Coast. The group captivated a cult-like audience with the self-titled Deathchant [2019], Waste [2021], and Thrones [2023]. They landed looks from CBS News, Angry Metal Guy, and It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine who marveled at their “combination of rumbling noise, chiming guitar melodies, bluesy boogie, NWOBHM thrash, and punk fury.” Plus, they ignited the YouTube channel Jam In The Van with a fiery performance and canvased the globe on tour, playing at festivals such as Psycho Las Vegas, Desertfest Belgium, Keep It Low Festival, and SonicBlast Festival.

While writing KOVA, they said goodbye to its namesake.

“My best friend Davey Kova was a dude who white-knuckled life, treated each day like it was his last, took chances, rode fast, and partied hard, but he was the sweetest guy you could ever meet,” sighs TJ. “It’s a weird way to live, yet it’s beautiful. He passed away during the writing process. The record seemed to finish itself after that. The album is a eulogy to not just Davey, but countless friends we’ve lost in the last couple of years.”

TJ helmed the album as producer and sent it off to Kurt Ballou’s legendary God City Studio in Salem, MA where Zach Weeks mixed it. Sonically, it maintained the edge that fans have come to know and expect with some slight tweaks.

“KOVA is different,” affirms the frontman. “I expounded on the lyrics more than I usually would’ve, because the subject matter is so personal. The vocals are also bit dryer and more intentional. You really feel it.”

The opener and first single “Enemy” definitely sets the tone. Feedback groans until a melodic lick pushes the song into overdrive. It culminates on an ominous refrain, “You’re the enemy…Keep the enemy close.” Fret-burning leads entwine at a breakneck pace, bleeding into a screeching solo drenched in wah and echo.

“It’s lyrically related to ‘Mirror’ from Thrones,” he reveals. “You’re ultimately realizing that you are your own worst enemy. So, you’re drowning the ego and being real with yourself about who you are. It’s aligned with the overall concept.”

Then, there’s the two-part title track “Kova (Crawl) Intro” and “Kova (Crawl).” On “Crawl,” acoustic strumming creaks beneath a soulful tear-soaked verse as he laments, “I heard that little boy go quiet, with heavy hearts we said goodbye.” Its heavier companion stomps forward on a swinging rhythm and chugging groove. Offering up a coronation over power chords, the hook booms with bravado, “Call him the king of wild hearts.”

“I was initially writing the song with a vague character in mind,” TJ goes on. “Davey died, and it became clear that the song was fully about him. That’s really when the chorus came to fruition. You’re watching someone slowly kill themselves in a tragic way. The acoustic and heavy versions are equally important. The two parts resemble the ripple effect Davey’s two sides had on people—the dark and the light sides.”

Then, there’s “Worshipper.” A fiery riff smolders in the foreground, giving way to a sample of Shannon Lay above distant gothic strings. “It’s dark as fuck,” he sighs. “I was dwelling in a really pessimistic place with a negative world view. I was depressed and drinking a lot. I had a few people around me who were leaning into Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, religion, and therapy. All of those things may be wonderful. However, they can also give a narcissist an artillery of weapons to use against others. ‘Worshipper’ embodies the weaponization of spirituality by a fake person on a soapbox. You’re worshipping a false prophet.”

“Forgiveness” hinges on bluesy guitar transmissions and a dusty vocal. TJ muses, “Truth is a chamber of bullets and echoes of friends.” Flanked by wailing six-string cries, he accepts, “The curtain keeps closing, but it’s too late to leave now. Goddamn.”

“The lyrics lined up with everything else,” he says. “It’s the human existence of battling addiction and living life to the fullest.”

Ultimately, this is the soundtrack for waking up and going full throttle in pursuit of whatever drives you.

“We’re lucky to be able to tell stories of a legend who’s not with us anymore,” TJ leaves off. “When you have good friends and bandmates around you though, the phoenix rises, and something beautiful comes out of that loss. Life is tough, incredible, and gnarly. Go ahead, embrace who you are, and keep going.”

KOVA is available for pre-order now on CD/DD/Vinyl and will be released by RidingEasy Records from September 25th 2026.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to RidingEasy Records for the details.