Hempire - Sealed By The Sea (EP Review)

Release Date: October 23rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Sealed By The Sea - Tracklist 

1. Amity (Reprise) (0:40)

2. Indianapolis (4:41)

3. Price To Pay (4:52)

4. Blue Water, White Death (3:58)

5. Death By Secrecy (4:20)

Members

Joey Shaw - Vox, Guitar

Jon Andre - Drums

Jason Watson - Bass

Review

Doom/Stoner/Thrash Metallers Hempire latest EP Sealed By The Sea is a brutally heavy mix of aggressive sounds that have a deceiving psychedelic flavour behind everything with certain ambient grooves to fully form behind the scenes. The vocals are quite vicious at times moving from clean vocals to indecipherable harsh growls that gives Hempire a violent creative persona when they fully transform into a completely different HEAVY METAL BEAST altogether.

Hempire deliver punishing grooves inspired by the likes of HIGH ON FIRE, CONAN and MELVINS but they’re also open to exploring subtle Post-Stoner Metal themes that gives Sealed By The Sea a more humbling and emotionally charged sound. Though, for the most part Hempire deals in fast paced Thrash Metal grooves that have that early HIGH ON FIRE attitude fully realized and deconstructed within their own musical image on tracks such as Indianapolis, Price To Pay and Blue Water, White Death.

The EP has a distinctive DIY PUNK attitude appearing within the production values that allows Sealed By The Sea to have a sublime and seedy aesthetic. The sound is quite stripped back but allows Hempire to put maximum effort into their music with some highly frantic grooves forming a dominant Doom/Thrash melody with screeching Sludge/Stoner Metal surroundings. You can also expect to hear intense Appalachian / Mountain Rock musical structures to appear which isn’t surprising with the band coming from Asheville, North Carolina. 

Sealed By The Sea is fast-paced and sees Hempire offer no apologies for powering through from start to finish and not applying any slowly played uplifting soundscapes or instrumental passages. Hempire are a band on a mission which they fully succeed in delivering an intense and first rate record that’s packed full of great grooves and subtle hooks throughout. It would have been great if there was another song as Hempire is absolutely on fire and then the EP suddenly ends but it's always great leaving the audience wanting more.

Hempire have all the hallmarks of being a band we’ll be talking a lot more about in the years to come if they keep releasing great records such as this.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram |  Spotify | YouTube 

Exclusive Premiere Of Doom/Stoner/Thrash Metallers HEMPIRE Excellent New Release - SEALED BY THE SEA

We're beyond happy to premiere the excellent new release from Doom/Sludge/Stoner/Thrash Metallers HEMPIRE new record Sealed By The Sea which you can hear below.

The Lowdown

Sealed By The Sea offers a progressive take on stoner rock with elements of hardcore, thrash, and death metal following their debut release The Weight (2025). Inspired by historical tragedy, Sealed By The Sea is an empirical and intense elaboration of the previous album’s themes of life and death.

Accompanying Sealed By The Sea is the short documentary Count Your Days, filmed by the band and including behind the scenes footage on the recording process & tour, band member interviews, and more.

Hempire has been a part of the DIY music scene in the southern Appalachian region since 2022, opening for Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Whores, and Bongripper, along with repeat appearances at Lily’s Snack Bar’s Doomerang Fest and Kentucky’s Holler of Doom.

FALL 26 /WINTER 27 TOUR:

Hempire will be hitting the road this Fall/Winter with fellow North Carolina heavies Mean Green in October/December and Broadslab in January.

Hempire - Sealed By The Sea

EP out October 24th, 2026
Self-released (Digital, CD)
Asheville, North Carolina, US
FFO: High on Fire • Melvins • CoC • Howling Giant • Conan
Recorded in Asheville at
Roundtable Studios by Reilly Appert (Fliora)

Hempire is:

Joey Shaw - Vox, Guitar
Jon Andre - Drums
Jason Watson - Bass

Tracklist:

1. Indianapolis (4:41)
2. Price To Pay (4:52)
3. Blue Water, White Death (3:58)
4. Death By Secrecy (4:20)

Links:

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram |  Spotify | YouTube 

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

Hash thrashers Hempire announce EP "Sealed By The Sea" out October 24th; Documentary film "Count Your Days" out now

Hempire will self-release Sealed By The Sea on October 24th, an EP recorded in Asheville at Roundtable Studios by Reilly Appert (Fliora).

Sealed By The Sea offers a progressive take on stoner rock with elements of hardcore, thrash, and death metal following their debut release The Weight (2025). Inspired by historical tragedy, Sealed By The Sea is an empirical and intense elaboration of the previous album’s themes of life and death.

Accompanying Sealed By The Sea is the short documentary Count Your Days, filmed by the band and including behind the scenes footage on the recording process & tour, band member interviews, and more.

Hempire has been a part of the DIY music scene in the southern Appalachian region since 2022, opening for Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Whores, and Bongripper, along with repeat appearances at Lily’s Snack Bar’s Doomerang Fest and Kentucky’s Holler of Doom.

FALL 26 /WINTER 27 TOUR:

Hempire will be hitting the road this Fall/Winter with fellow North Carolina heavies Mean Green in October/December and Broadslab in January.

Hempire - Sealed By The Sea

EP out October 24th, 2026
Self-released (Digital, CD)
Asheville, North Carolina, US
FFO: High on Fire • Melvins • CoC • Howling Giant • Conan
Recorded in Asheville at
Roundtable Studios by Reilly Appert (Fliora)

Hempire is:

Joey Shaw - Vox, Guitar
Jon Andre - Drums
Jason Watson - Bass

Tracklist:

1. Indianapolis (4:41)
2. Price To Pay (4:52)
3. Blue Water, White Death (3:58)
4. Death By Secrecy (4:20)

Links:

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram |  Spotify | YouTube 

Thanks to Good Boy PR for the details.

Dragger - Taken Form (Album Review)

Release Date: August 07th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Taken Form - Tracklist

1.Cut to the Bone 03:11

2.In the Mire 04:51

3.Potent Sea 01:56

4.Martyr Tombs 04:40

5.Cautionary Tail 03:35

6.Everything is Rot 04:46

 

Members

Keenan Bouchard - Drums

Justin Gonyea - Guitar, Vocals

Benjamin Lee - Guitar

Nathaniel Parker Raymond - Bass

Review

Taken Form is the debut album from Thrash/Sludge Metallers Dragger who fuse Punk Metal and Metallic Hardcore into their music. This allows Dragger to have an out-of-control and demented creative persona throughout this album whilst still developing some harsh sounding melodic strands of Heavy Metal. The record runs for a brisk and intense twenty five minutes across six tracks with Dragger exploring every facet of their Thrash/Sludge Metal sound.

The vocals from Justin Gonyea are Hardcore Punk through and through with a demented Metallic Sludge dynamic bursting through the seams. The music is wholly aggressive and slightly subversive especially when small pockets of Psych Metal appear within the background that gives Taken Form a heavy destructive Doomed Out Metal sound on tracks such as Cut To The Bone, In The Mire, Martyr Tombs and Everything Is Rot.  

Dragger do veer into Post-Metal territory on small parts of the record which gives them a vibrant Progressive Metal quality that becomes one of the main strengths of the album. You may not hear, feel or experience this at first but Taken Form is quite a complex and multi-layered record with sludgy soundscapes crossing over with Justin’s stripped back and gloomy vocals.

The instrumental work is epic and always offers a highly climatic style of delivery which leaves you wanting more with some of the songs suddenly ending which can be one of the weaker aspects of the album. Though, you don’t have to wait long for another turbo-charged groove and violent melody that’s delivered with great precision that wholly allows that Thrash Metal aspect of Dragger to take complete control.

Taken Form is an action packed ride that allows Dragger to deliver a wonderfully violent debut album that will have listeners coming back time and time again.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp

Pleb - Grease Trap (EP Review)

Release Date: August 07th 2026. Record Label: Human Worth. Formats: Cassette/DD

Grease Trap - Tracklist

1.CLODS OF SHIT AND BONE

2.THE BRUISES MEAN IT'S ON THE WAY OUT

3.THE EYES MELT FIRST

4.PUT IT BACK

5.EVOLUTIONARY ROADBLOCK

6.THE STREETS AREN'T RELIABLE IN THE SLIGHTEST

7.YOU AND ME BABY AIN'T NOTHING BUT CANNIBALS 02:11

8.BELLY UP

Lineup

Delia Fraser - Guitar / Feedback Hell

Steve Myles - Drums / Sqwaks and Grunts 

Review

Grease Trap is the debut EP from Punk/Grind/Doom/Sludge Metallers Pleb and it’s a brutal exercise in pure filth and sonic distortion with a manic Punk Metal sound at its main core. The music is violently intense and it revels in delivering a pure grimy experience from beginning to end. Pleb operate in a no holds barred world where the production values are quite lo-fi which gives them such a NO FUCKS GIVEN attitude with their music. However, it brilliantly works as PLEB manages to combine areas of Grind, Sludge, Doom, Punk, Thrash and even small amounts of Psychedelic beats into a cohesive style of music that pulls no punches.

The vocals are shouted with extreme confidence that it gives the the whole EP a bombastic attitude that develops into violent levels of twisted Sludge Metal carnage on tracks such as Clods Of Shit And Bone, The Bruises Mean It’s On The Way Out, Put It Back and Evolutionary Roadblock being the most threatening, aggressive, seedy and superbly entertaining tracks on the EP. This is where PLEB show their real selves especially with Delia Fraser’s sublime guitars and twisted feedback skills that puts the amplifiers through their fucking destructive paces. 

Steve Myles also excels on vocal duties and drums which gives the EP it’s whole grindcore spirit but everything staying true to the Doom/Sludge Metal world but with a more abstract filth ridden PUNK METAL spirit which Grease Trap delivers right to the very end. 

The EP lasts under fifteen minutes but that’s more than enough time for Pleb to get shit done and leave the audience in a violent and catatonic state where they once again offer no apologies.

The whole thing is brilliantly seedy and the lo-fi production values make this an unpredictable force of nature. I would have liked a couple of more songs on the EP as the whole thing suddenly ends when things start getting truly exciting. However, it’s always best leaving the audience wanting more and that’s what Pleb has fully achieved with this great slice of extreme metal the underground scene will go absolutely crazy for.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

BandCamp | Instagram

Darren Ironside - The Nothing (Album Review)

Release Date: July 03rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

The Nothin - Tracklist

1.Next Stop Hell 00:46

2.The Nothing 03:34

3.Witches Of Essex 02:11

4.Forgotten Dream 03:21

5.Nebula Rising 01:47

6.Overwatch and Control 03:58

7.To The Gallows 04:05

8.Through The Darkness 03:05

9.Planets Collide 03:42

Members

Darren Ironside - Everything

Review

The Nothing is the latest album from Darren Ironside who used to be formally known as MIDNIGHT WHISKEY MASSACRE. It seems that Darren has retired from that project and decided to become a fully fledged solo artist with this highly confident offering. If you’ve heard that great band before then you know what to expect with The Nothing. However, this is way more political than I originally anticipated which you can hear from the very first song Next Stop Hell. 

This record has a deeply subversive political message that’s played out against a backdrop of Punk Rock, Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Proto-Metal and Stoner Metal sounds. The whole thing is quite gritty with true DIY production values being employed all the way though. Darren Ironside is quite good at writing socially aware lyrics set against a backdrop of HEAVY METAL sounds influenced by the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and FU MANCHU.

Darren fully taps into that playful and rebellious delivery with this record sounding as if The Sex Pistols or The Clash fully went down the HEAVY METAL route. There’s nothing progressive or flashy about how Darren delivers his music on the record and that’s no bad thing. This album has a “ZERO FUCKS GIVEN” attitude which makes it more enjoyable with grooves that are laced with political attitude and a big UP YOURS message to the establishment. The great use of soundclips from classic TV shows and movies only hammers the message home but it’s the great musical work that Darren employs here that’s the real standout.  As Darren is an excellent musician playing everything on The Nothing. 

Standout tracks include: The Nothing, Witches Of Essex, Forgotten Dream, Overwatch and Control and Planets Collide where Darren shows a quintessential BRITISH attitude but don’t let that put you off. It’s an essential message that can be used in any part of the world in today’s troubling climate. If you’re here for the music that’s fine as well with Darren playing a massive amount of great sounds to fully lose yourself in.

Some of the songs messages don’t fully reach their target but the music is always superb and the great use of dramatic storytelling when Darren uses his abrasive Punk Rock vocals set against gloomy soundbytes. The Nothing is a solid creative work which will perhaps gain a cult following within the underground scene and there’s really a lot to admire here. Though, some of the dark political themes may put some folks off and that’s a shame as there’s some excellent music bursting from the seams.

Check this out when you can as you’ll be in shock and awe in what awaits you!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doom/Sludge Metallers Kulk release their stunning new single 'For Blood' | Out Via Church Road Records

Kulk single 'For Blood', which is out today on Church Road Records! The single is taken from their forthcoming album 'Choosing to Die', out 28th August.

"It's not often you look back on decisions you've made and wished you'd behaved worse. 'For Blood' is about how grief can shape the way we respond to the world for years to come. Fearing what someone might do to themselves. You show them restraint, when they deserve fury. It's difficult to reckon with, regretting kindness, it affects the way you see yourself." - Kulk

YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY

The Lowdown

Kulk is a two person band, composed of Thom [guitar/vocals] and Jade [drums/synth], the band is simultaneously an exploration into human suffering and an extension of their relationship. Kulk reflects exactly what heavy music is, aggressive and brutal yet ultimately made out of love for the ones around us. They pride themselves on their energetic and chaotic live performance.

Norwich based doom duo Kulk have announced their shattering new album ‘Choosing to Die’, out 28th August.

The highly anticipated follow up to their 2024 album ‘It Gets Worse’ is finally here! Kulk unveil their stunning new record and Church Road Records debut ‘Choosing to Die’, out 28th August.

The band have toured across the UK extensively the past few years, playing amongst bands such as Part Chimp, Hey Colossus, Crowbar, Melt Banana, Iress, Big Brave, Gnoomes, Conan and Portrayal of Guilt… to name a few! They have toured twice with PigsX7, including shows at Electric Ballroom (London) and Rock City (Nottingham) and have appeared at the renowned UK festivals Arctangent and Desertfest.

Join them on their sonic assault of a journey!

Upcoming tour dates:

Fri 4th - Norwich, The Holloway
Sat 5th - Norwich, The Holloway
Weds 9th - Nottingham, The Chapel
Thu 10th - Sheffield, CADS
Fri 11th - Cardiff, Fuel Rock Club
Sat 12th - London, New River Studios
Fri 18th - Bournemouth, Four Horsemen
Sat 19th - Bristol, Exchange Basement
Sun 20th - Brighton, Daltons
Mon 21st - Eastbourne, Purpulse
Thu 24th - Glossop, The Globe
Fri 25th - Glasgow, Hug and Pint
Sat 26th - Edinburgh, Home Bar

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/kulkband

Track listing:

An Endless Knife
We're Worried About You
Collapse
Being Forgotten
For Blood
To Take Life
The Saddest Holiday

Band Members:

Thom Longdin - Guitar and vocals
Jade Ashleigh Squires - Drums and synth

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp

Thanks to Church Road Records for the details.

Choosing To Die is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records.

ỤBỤRỤ - ỤBỤRỤ (Album Review)

Release Date: 15th May 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

ỤBỤRỤ - Tracklisting

1.Butchered 05:55

2.In Tatters 04:02

3.HSPC 03:55

4.Rotting Flesh 05:08

5.Shaman 06:31

6.An Autophage 05:21

7.An Omniphage 05:47

8.Oblivion 08:52

Members

Joe - Guitar & Lead Vox

Isaac - Bass & Additional Vox

Przemek - Drums & Percussion

Review

Death/Doom/Sludge Metallers ỤBỤRỤ is the type of debut album that you can only listen to when you’re completely pissed off at the world or in total despair with the misery going on around you. The record isn’t a pretty sight with ỤBỤRỤ playing a chaotic and violent style of underground metal that revels within its Death Metal atrophy that acts as the brutal creative glue holding everything together.

ỤBỤRỤ play some intense and turbo charged DEATH METAL beats and breakdowns on this record with the horrible vocals coming from Joe and Isaac at different times on the record. The mood is always helped along by a miserable stench of Doom/Sludge Metal with some great moments of Psychedelic kinetic energy which gives ỤBỤRỤ a highly intelligent style of delivering their music to modern day audience.

This is very much a product of the DIY recording scene with the lo-fi recording techniques and production values that the band use to capture their music and it showcases a band who could be classed as a work in progress but at least they have the tunes and threatening grooves to back up their great talent.

The album can be quite progressive within the longer tracks with ỤBỤRỤ showcasing a great style of vivid imagination and musical composition on tracks such as Butchered, In Tatters, Rotting Flesh, Shaman and Oblivion being the main standouts here. ỤBỤRỤ stay close to the EXTREME METAL way of life with brief excursions into Thrash Metal, Crust Punk and the good old fashioned style of modern day Sludge Metal that gives the band an unpredictable quality.

The sound can be quite disjointed, fragmented and superbly distorted but the experimental quality allows ỤBỤRỤ to play like a a force of nature especially within the longer tracks on the album.

The lo-fi production values start to lose their way towards the end, however, there’s still plenty of great moments for ỤBỤRỤ to entice you with before everything is said and done. For a debut album, ỤBỤRỤ have more than enough right to build up a loyal and dedicated following within the Doom/Sludge Metal underground scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

LinkTree | BandCamp

Lair Of The Minotaur - I HAIL I (Album Review)

Release Date: May 01st 2026. Record Label: The Grind-House Records. Formats: DD

I HAIL I - Tracklisting

1.Emperor of Dis

2.I HAIL I 

3.Enthroned in Violence

4.Fucked Inside Out

5.Deepest Hell

6.Saturnus Reign

7.Prowler Twin Sister 

8.Family Tree

9.Vulture Worship

10.Tartarus Apocalypse

Members

Steven Rathbone - Guitar, Vocals, Synth

Chris Wozniak - Drums

Sanford Parker - Bass

Review

I-HAIL-I marks the triumphant return of Thrash/Sludge Metal heavyweights Lair Of The Minotaur with this being their first album in sixteen years and they’ve lost none of their fucked up aggression which was captured perfectly with their landmark 2010 album Evil Power. Nothing much has changed with how the band playing their classic trademark and pissed off HEAVY METAL sound. Lair Of The Minotaur have added metal legend Sanford Parker joining their ranks on bass. Sanford also recorded and mixed the album which you can tell from the very start after all the amazing albums and records he’s been involved with over the years.

This record is pure CARNAGE from start to finish with Lair Of The Minotaur perfecting their highly aggressive blend and fast paced Thrash and Sludge Metal which also adds strands of Grind, Doom, Psych, Punk and Speed Metal. The mood is quite nihilistic with a dark sludgy environment which is laid down with a dominating HARDCORE METALLIC ferocity which comes across brilliantly well on tracks such as Emperor Of Dis, I-HAIL-I and Enthroned In Violence.

There are some great influences which you can’t help but notice from bands such as MOTORHEAD, HIGH ON FIRE, SLAYER and METALLICA but Lair Of The Minotaur always manage to create their own menacing blend of extreme magic which relies heavily on the extreme side of heavy metal. The band love to GRIND, GRIND and GRIND some more on the whole album which results in some brilliantly heavy THRASH based madness with superb vocals to match.

I HAIL I only lasts around thirty minutes spread across ten great tracks with the majority of them only running under a few minutes or so. Lair Of The Minotaur comes flying out of the gate with this perhaps being their most direct, extreme, aggressive and riff-fuelled record to date.

The album thrives on perfecting it’s “PULL NO PUNCHES” and “TAKE NO PRISONERS” approach on other tracks such as Fucked Inside Out, Deepest Hell and Prowler Twin Sister. These tracks are the pure embodiment of Extreme Doom/Sludge Metal with Lair Of The Minotaur allowing themselves to move themselves closer to a more straightforward riff-driven style of music.

There’s even a great surprise with the band performing a cover of Alt Rock/Indie Rock artist Ethel Cain’s stunning track “Family Tree”. This is one of the best tracks on the album as it’s so left-field for Lair Of The Minotaur to choose to cover. Their version of the song is vastly different with the band keeping with the Doom, Sludge and Thrash Metal narrative of the whole album though it pays great respect to the original version which I recommend you comparing them against each other when you have the time. Lair Of The Minotaur does start showing a Post-Thrash and Post-Sludge environment within Family Tree and I would love to see them explore that style more often on future releases if possible.

The final track Tartarus Apocalypse is the longest track on the album running for almost eight minutes which allows the band to stretch their musical boundaries by adding a slight Progressive edge to their music. The sound is grounded, bombastic and even psychedelic charged at times with Lair Of The Minotaur exploring different creative avenues whilst bringing a thunderous and destructive appetite to the actual musical journey.

I HAIL I could be considered a "comeback" album for Lair Of The Minotaur and it’s a major success on every level. The record is extremely brutal and is never afraid to explore a more violent and extreme sound which the band have always delivered throughout their celebrated career. However, there’s more to discover with I HAIL I with Lair Of The Minotaur delivering an epic album that’s packed full of intense grooves and wicked melodies that could easily be classed as some of the best music of their entire career.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.

I HAIL I is available to buy now digitally via The Grind-House Records with physical formats being released at a later date.

Links 

BandCamp | Instagram

Gorilla Warrior - Destroyer (EP Review)

Release Date: March 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD.

Destroyer - Tracklisting

1.Destroyer True 02:56

2.Summon Ape 06:08

3.Slow Crawl Towards Death 08:16

4.Blood, Ice And Steel 03:28

5.Burn The Crown 06:49

Members

Guitars & vocals: Eetu Heikkinen

Drums: Tuomas Ojala

Bass: Olli Heikkinen

Review

Destroyer is the debut EP from Doom/Sludge Metallers Gorilla Warrior and the record more than lives up to its name with the band creating heavy and pummelling grooves from the very start. You can hear influences such as High On Fire, Mastodon, -(16)- and EyeHateGod. The violent vocals have a great violent touch which allows Gorilla Warrior to UNLEASH HELL ON EARTH from the opening beats of the excellent opening track Destroyer True. From this moment on, the music is played at a super fast pace for the most part with Gorilla Warrior expanding their musical horizons to play a sludgy style of LOW & SLOW instrumental passages within the next two tracks of Summon Ape and Slow Crawl Towards Death.

Gorilla Warrior perfect their brutal AMPLIFIED sounds with the music becoming more melodic and quite primal with small elements of Thrash and Black Metal starting to form. There’s a lot going on within Summon Ape with Gorilla Warrior expanding their own brutal musical style for a harsh destructive atmosphere. The vocals are primal growls and harsh screams but they’re quite easy to understand which is always a good thing. The record does start with small bouts of PROGRESSIVE energy which adds to the overall great mix of different styles of music the band have created here.

With a heavy alliance of LOW & SLOW sounds allowing the sickest and heaviest parts of the record to form on tracks such as Slow Crawl Towards Death and Burn The Crown. This is music perhaps better suited to the dedicated follower of the Doom/Sludge Metal scene rather than a casual listener. As the EP does throw up some EXTREME grooves along the way which I adored even more. 

The EP sounds excellent throughout with intense production values having a violent raw aesthetic for Gorilla Warrior to thrive upon. Destroyer is a superb EP for Gorilla Warrior to introduce themselves to the underground Doom/Sludge Metal community. If you want a record that is violent from the offset and never lets up with an avalanche of PISSED OFF sounds to lose yourself in then DESTROYER is the record for you.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

BandCamp | Instagram