Rifle - Bound To A Psychotic Cycle (EP Review)

Release Date: May 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Tape

Bound To A Psychotic Cycle - Tracklisting

1.Incarnation 06:02
2.Twisted Death 05:14

Review

Doom/Stoner Rockers Rifle release their latest dirty and twisted musical assault on the senses with Bound To A Psychotic Cycle which takes a more sleazed out and garage rock journey. I haven’t featured the band on the blog since their excellent 2022 debut album “Repossessed” where their album cover managed to get me a ban on Facebook for a short amount of tim. So thanks for that guys.

Ever since then, Rifle have gone on from strength-to-strength releasing a couple more of records since then including their superb 2025 album Beyond Paranoia. Their music is a little bit more out there with Rifle focusing upon seedier sounds from musical areas such as Garage Rock. Psych, Doom. Proto-Metal and Stoner Rock.

With influences ranging from MC5, Black Sabbath and Led Zepp this EP has a freakish attitude which results in some Jazz Rock passages with a wonderful Psych Rock sound. The whole mood is quite freaky and disjointed when the song has a certain Post-Punk and Post-Dance energy which you can experience within the excellent opening track of Incarnation.

Rifle are quite adept at including moments of Classic Hard Rock freakouts which results into some epic guitar solos along the way. There’s some wonderful South American charm and Blues Rock atmosphere which closes out the opening track. The vocals are quite hard to describe which range from Funk. Doom, Dance, Punk and Heavy Rock but Rifle fully sell this great style throughout.

Second track Twisted Death has echoes of Thin Lizzy shown within the vocals delivery and how the grooves are played out. Though, the energy of Blue Oyster Cult gives this track a proper Doom Rock vibe which Rifle play to their own advantage. The usual mix of Psych, Dance and Post-Punk swagger reigns supreme once more for a song that dares to be different and pulls this off with absolute charm.

Bound To A Psychotic Cycle is a crazy and warped record with Rifle firing on all cylinders by offering the listener a damn good time.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

rifle - Repossessed (Album Review)

Date Released: October 05th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Repossessed: Tracklisting

Seven Thousand Rifle

Fiend

Sonic Rage

The Thrill Is Back

Madness

Demon Djinn

Spirit Rise

Members

Alejandro Suni - Guitar, Vocals, Bass

Cesar Araujo - Drums

Magno Mendoza - Lead Guitar

Review

Peruvian Stoner Rockers rifle make a mighty impression with their debut album Repossessed. An album that sees the band firing on all 1970's Seedy Psych Rock cylinders with a fine sideline in Fuzz Rock, Retro Doom, Stoner Rock and Punk RAWK energy. There is a very cool simplicity to the band's music that makes it unashamedly retro and modern sounding at the same time. The riffs are plentiful with a Classic Rock flavour with echoes of Proto/Garage Rock influences that you can hear from the start.

This album is full of Classic Hard Rock Swagger and the band impresses the most with their extended vintage Swirling Doom based jams and grooves. The opening two tracks Seven Thousand Rifle and Fiend show different sides to the band with the opening song being more of Psych Doom/Stoner Rock song with classic rock vibes and a grubby rebellious attitude to match. Fiend is more Retro/Classic Rock influenced but with a slightly menacing Proto-Doom sound with the Heavy Psych Jams being played whenever the band require HEAVY SWIRLING sounds.

Third song Sonic Rage is one of the more heaviest and trippiest tracks on the album with tons of FUZZ ROCK and GUITAR REVERB being played throughout the track. The heavy psychedelic garage rock vibes can be quite screechy in places but this is a fantastic and superbly written track packed full of aggressive melodies and classic sounding musical composition. Shades of 70's era Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus appear on this track but perhaps with a Pink Floyd-esque attitude especially with the more Psychedelic parts of the song.

Fourth song The Thrill Is Back is a bass-driven Punk Rock delight with a twisted Garage Rock afterthought where rifle offer gloomier creative choices where the vocals and lyrics are concerned. The song is very trippy and psychedelic despite the raw coolness of the production values held within the album.

The final three songs Madness, Demon Djinn and Spirit Rise sees rifle venture further into the Classic Doom Rock underground scene but still showing huge promise of playing first-rate Freaked Out Psych/Stoner Rock jams. Demon Djinn and Spirit Rise are the standout tracks on the album with rifle having more time to play with to enhance their overall great sound.

Repossessed is first rate musical entertainment if you like your albums that little bit DIRTY, SCUZZY and ultimately FREAKY. rifle play a wide array of classic jams and grooves from the Doom/Stoner Rock Underground scene but one that is spliced with other areas of great styles of Punk Rock, Garage Rock and Psych Rock. 

rifle have released a devilishly and one of the most superbly entertaining albums from the South American Doom/Stoner Rock scene. Give this album a chance and you'll be surprised what awaits you.

Fantastic stuff...

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

BandCamp | Instagram