Modder - Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun (Album Review)

Release Date: October 03rd 2025. Record Label: Consouling Sounds / Lay Bare Recordings . Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun - Tracklisting

1.Stone Eternal

2.Mather 

3.Type 27

4.Mutant Body Double

5.Chaoism

6.In The Sun

Members

Mathlovsky

Gregory Simons

Maurice van der Es

Simon Felix

Jamal Talibi

Review.

Instrumental Doom/Sludge Metallers MODDER destroyed my whole world with their epic 2023 album The Great Liberation Through Hearing which became my favourite instrumental album of that year. I’m pleased to say the band may have achieved that honour again with their brutally heavy and groove addicted masterpiece that is Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun. This album follows the same destructive path as that album but gives it more Grind, Industrial and Electronic based charges with impressive technical melodies being added for a different kind of sound as well.

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun doesn’t follow a simple creative linear with MODDER deconstructing their own musical legacy that they’ve built with their last two albums and then reshaping into something wholly different with a more primal attitude delving into harsh SONIC outbursts of EXTREME metal at times.

This sound is already fully formed and primed to explode within the stunning opening track Stone Eternal where MODDER welcomes the listener into their superbly horrifying world with dark Sludge Metal melodies and harsh Industrial landscapes. The sudden emergence of Psych, Cosmic and Electronica beats just pushes the whole Grind/Thrash attitude of MODDER’s sound into something groundbreaking and original within its own right.

Second track Mather continues with that aggressive and melodic style of music that could easily have appeared on their previous album. The sudden Thrash/Grind/Groove Metal beats pushes the Doom/Sludge Metal narrative into the background at times but this is still absolutely thrilling to experience with MODDER embracing a nightmarish style of Industrial Metal before embracing their Psych/Doom/Sludge Metal heritage. The sound is more direct here with pounding instrumental passages feeling like you’re being hit over the head with Thor’s legendary hammer MJONHIR. 

The highly collective use of Ambient sounds and Electronic glitches makes a welcome return from the last MODDER record but with a haunting Post-Rock energy holding everything together before MODDER explodes into violent musical one upmanship against each other. There are times where you think each individual band member is battling each other for musical domination and creative supremacy but still having that sublime “WORKING TOGETHER” momentum fully fleshed out at the same time.

Third track Type 27 allows MODDER to enter a world of Mastodon based Post-Doom/Post-Sludge passages before “KICKING OFF” yet again with another foray into complex metal breakdowns with a thrilling Progressive Sludge Metal narrative forming. The sound is equally vibrant and brutally dark with MODDER performing one of the most technically accomplished sounds I’ve heard from them. The haunting Post-Rock melodies offer a brief sense of humanity and emotion to MODDER’s core but that’s soon wrapped away with a daring style of Progressive Stoner Metal rhythms that once again sees the band redefine their sound and we’re just only half way through the album.

The second half of the album is equally brutal, weird, hypnotic and brilliantly original as the first half with MODDER exploring their more Primal side on tracks Mutant Body Double and In The Sun. The music becomes a bit more experimental but MODDER never loses sight of what made them such a great band in the first place. However, it’s the most unexpected quieter moments that appear within the heavier parts of the album that make Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun such a soulful and beautiful record to listen to.

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun is without doubt the best instrumental album of the year with MODDER showcasing highly original sounds of their very own making. MODDER are perhaps becoming my favourite Instrumental Metal band which is down to their unique musical perspective and breaking new ground in delivering new styles of extreme heaviness to the genre but still remaining completely TRUE to the absolute scene as well.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from the links below:

Consouling Sounds

Lay Bare Recordings

 

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

MOURN THE LIGHT Announce New Album Sorrow Feeds the Silence + Reveal First Single “The Fading Light”

Argonauta Records is proud to announce the return of Connecticut heavy metal force MOURN THE LIGHT with their highly anticipated sophomore album Sorrow Feeds the Silence, due out November 14th on Deluxe Colored Vinyl, CD and Digital formats.

The album spans 9 tracks across 52 minutes, delivering a powerful blend of doom, power and traditional heavy metal, enriched by progressive elements and the band’s signature emotional depth. Mixed and mastered by Jack Kosto (Seven Spires) and featuring stunning cover art by John Gianelli (Haunt), Sorrow Feeds the Silence stands as Mourn the Light’s boldest and most dynamic work to date.

To mark the announcement, the band has unveiled the first single “The Fading Light”, now streaming on YouTube: 

“The Fading Light was the first song written for the new album and it's about how life can defeat you at times, leaving you questioning everything.”

Formed in Connecticut, Mourn the Light first rose to international attention with their 2021 debut Suffer, Then We’re Gone (Argonauta Records), a critically acclaimed release followed by the praised EPs Stare into the Face of Death and The Magic is Calling. Their latest chapter introduced fans to new vocalist Andy Small (Spellmaster, Olyphant), bringing fresh intensity to the band’s evolving sound.

With Sorrow Feeds the Silence, Mourn the Light push beyond their traditional doom foundations, embracing heavy and classic metal influences while exploring more progressive territories.

“Sorrow Feeds the Silence is a full-length album that carries on in our tradition of singing about life’s struggles and connecting with everyone who feels the same way. We are all human with different stories, but we share the pain that comes with all of it.”

Mourn the Light have built a strong reputation through extensive touring in the US and Canada, leaving their mark on festivals such as Stormbringer Metal Festival, Legions of Metal, New England Stoner and Doom Metal Festival, SXSW Stoner Jam ’19, and sharing the stage with iconic acts including Anvil, Artillery, Haunt, Seven Sisters, Satan, Liege Lord, Cloven Hoof, Lich King and more.

Sorrow Feeds the Silence Tracklist:

1. Empty and Hollow
2. The Truth (Was a Lie)
3. The Fading Light
4. Doomed to Fall Forever
5. Sorrow Feeds the Silence
6. In the Shadows (CD Bonus Track)
7. When Dreams Die
8. We Don’t Belong (feat. Stephanie Lussier)
9. Forever Hollow

Stay tuned for pre-order details coming soon!

For more info:

https://linktr.ee/MournTheLight
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the details.

Groom The Giant - Old Toby (EP Review)

Release Date: September 05th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Old Toby - Tracklisting

1.Old Toby 04:24

2.Megawatts 07:11

3.Wyrms 04:23

4.Pissjazz 07:30

Review.

Old Toby is the latest EP from Psych/Grunge/Stoner Rockers Groom The Giant. I remember listening to the band’s excellent debut EP Culhwch which focused on Celtric folklore and heavy myths with a deep fantastical sense of wonderful mystery. The band keep with that theme on their excellent new EP where they advise the record is about: 

“Celtic heritage and magical fiction into a format of loud, danceable grunge; with songs inspired by the plagues of King Lludd (from where the Welsh flag gets its iconic red dragon) and explorations of omnipotence, to tributes to Gandalf's favourite tobacco.”

What makes Groom The Giant stand out is their grounded sound that’s boosted by elements of Grunge and Sludge with a heavy pounding Psychedelic effort. This highly polished and aggressive sound is perfectly captured through the stunning opening track Old Toby. Though, this is offset by fantastical lyrics with a huge WEEDIAN influence especially if writing songs about Gandalf’s favourite tobacco. 

The music is always quite aggressive with catchy instrumental passages which moves from 1990’s Grunge/Stoner Rock surroundings to the more modern day Psychedelic Rock fused with heavy Sludgy Rock grooves.

The music can be quite dark in places with levels of distorted FUZZ and scorched Desert Earth melodies which fully come along within the second standout track of Megawatts which is perhaps a slight homage to Back To The Future. The song opens with a long drawn out Post-Stoner / Post-Grunge sound that develops into a Psychedelic/Fuzz/Doomgaze landscape which feels inspired by TRUCKFIGHTERS in all the right places. The song is played at a superbly realized slow-to-mid pace with Groom The Giant adding more levels of distorted FUZZ and Psychedelic energy which fully crosses over into Doom Metal pastures. 

Third track Wyrms turns the EP on its head with a weird Piano instrumental beat that pushes the record into Soft Rock/Jazz territories which does show a deep love and respect for FAITH NO MORE. If you ever wanted to hear FAITH NO MORE become a Doom/Stoner Rock obsessed band then this is the best way to describe that track. It’s wonderfully surreal that shouldn’t really work but Groom The Giant add an unexpected Doomed Out twist to the final stages of the track.

The final track of Pissjazz is back to the long drawn out instrumental surroundings of the second track but with some wickedly dark humour being injected into the overall mix of someone actually having a “PISS”. I kid you not before Groom The Giant fully settle back into their heavy FUZZED OUT and STONED AGE creative world. They merge Jazzy soundscapes yet again but it’s the Psychedelic Weeidan flavours washed out by classic Grunge riffs that make this another standout track of the record.

Old Toby is completely off-beat, brilliantly surreal and has a wonderful MONTY PYTHON based madness to it all. If that sounds like it’s the EP for you then I can’t highly recommend this outrageous EP enough. 

Superb. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

 

Links

Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Linktree

GOATMILKER - GOATMILKER (Album Review)

Release Date: September 16th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

GOATMILKER - Tracklisting

Mission Log 1601

Devils On My Tail

Drawing Near

Tearing Apart

Black Grass

Mountains

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Storm

Members

Lars Godal – Guitar

Mathias Lieberknecht– Bass/Vocals

Petter Ramberg – Drums

Vegard Lindtveit – Guitar/Lead Vocals

Review.

GOATMILKER’s self-titled debut album is an interesting mix of Doom, Sludge, Stoner and Prog Metal that’s topped off with a level of Psychedelic weirdness that leads into some unexpected chaos along the way. The band are inspired by the likes of Mastodon, Black Sabbath, Cave In, Kvelertak and Slayer in which the listener is treated to within certain aspects throughout the album. 

You have to admire the band’s dedication of not playing safe at all with the different style of Rock and Metal that GOATMILKER have at their disposal. Even the vocals from lead vocalist Vegard Lindtveit can be quite operatic and way over the top but all done in the best possible way. You’re treated to a whole sense of creative madness and warped melodies on the excellent opening track Mission Log 1601. 

The song delves into full on Prog Metal territory before interacting with other HEAVY ROCK genres for a sound that’s quite complex and technical from the start. Imagine Cave In jamming with Mastodon before going absolutely bat-shit MATHCORE crazy and then settling on a dynamic Sludge Rock sound. GOATMILKER continues with that style of music for the remainder of the album but still adding different ideas, grooves and flashy instrumental passages to keep everything surreal that only adds to the magic of the whole album.

The second track Devils On My Tail offers a more dramatic flair with GOATMILKER perhaps being a bit subdued compared to the opening track. As this allows the band to push the creative envelope even further with jagged rhythms and progressive melodies having a certain JAZZ based approach to them. Fans of Between The Buried And Me may recognise certain musical structures here and there but GOATMILKER are always thinking ahead of how to put their own identity into the record which they do to great effect.

GOATMILKER then really go way over the top on tracks such as Tearing Apart, Black Glass, Mountains and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) with the band fully leaning into a heavier and fantastical style of HEAVY METAL with elements of Thrash, Speed Metal and Groove Metal dominate the musical landscape.

However, the music is so damn catchy and highly addictive which is where I can definitely see the KVELERTAK influence finally starting to emerge. The lyrics are great for the most part but with perhaps a few instances where they don’t match the atmosphere of the intense fast paced grooves.

This is most definitely an EXPERIMENTAL record with GOATMILKER throwing everything into a melting pot with flashes of classic TWIN GUITARS based action making an appearance. This record manages to perfectly capture the more offbeat side of HEAVY METAL from almost every sub-genre possible but giving it a modern day Sludge/Stoner Metal twist.

I will admit it did take me a few listens to fully appreciate the record as it goes into many different directions with each individual song. However, it’s GOATMILKER’s highly engaging vocal performances and bloody sheer determination to play through as many as different genres possible that make this record such a resounding success.

The whole of GOATMILKER deserve credit as they bring their “A” game to this album which makes this an offbeat and brilliantly surreal record that’s full of absolute bangers from start to finish.

This is a must have record. Add it to your collection. You won’t be sorry!!!

Words by Steve Howe

You can buy the album here - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/goatmilker/goatmilker

 

Links

Facebook | Instagram

Gnarwhal - Circuits (Single Review)

Release Date: September 10th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Circuits - Tracklisting

Circuits

Members

Mark Kilbride (vocals)

Benji Straker (guitar and vocals)

Jeremy Straker (bass and vocals)

Layne Rybchinski (drums and percussion)

Review.

Circuits is the latest single from powerhouse Sludge/Stoner Metallers Gnarwhal that is from their upcoming new album due for release in March 2026. The record is a decidedly more progressive song compared to their previous releases. This song is boosted by epic Progressive Sludge sounds with air of Post-Stoner heaviness with the added layers of trippy Psychedelic melodies. Gnarwhal fuses Post-Rock, Doomgaze and Ambient vibes into the backdrop of distorted FUZZY passages. 

There are elements of bands such as BARONESS, MASTODON and YOB spliced into the mix but GNARWHAL still conjure up their own highly powerful and wonderfully polished sound. The vocals are EPIC with a clean, clear and crisp performance by lead vocalist Mark Kilbride. There’s a haunting Alt Metal presence within Mark’s vocals with the rest of the band conjuring up intense Sludge/Stoner grooves that have a subtle riff-centric approach.

On this evidence alone, Gnarwhal have genuinely made me excited to hear their upcoming full length album which could endear them even further to the Sludge/Stoner Metal underground community.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

 

Links

http://gnarwhalband.com

http://facebook.com/gnarmusic
http://instagram.com/gnarwhalsounds
https://gnarwhalband.bandcamp.com

Exclusive Album Premiere Of Psych/Doom/Stoner Rockers APPALOOZA Stunning New Album THE EMPIRE OF LOSS

French heavy rock powerhouse Appalooza release their epic new album "The Emperor of Loss" on September 12th via Ripple Music and we have the exclusive album premiere thanks to the amazing folks over at Purple Sage PR and Ripple Music.

The Lowdown

"The Emperor of Loss" is a wall of sound that raucously fuses stoner rock, grunge rock, metal and tribalism, all propelled by magnetic baritone vocals (as seen in their latest Magnolia video). This gut-wrenching concept album explores the psychological depths of emotional captivity, domestic violence, and the mourning of one's identity. It portrays the torturous journey of a woman grappling with Stockholm Syndrome, caught in the grip of her persecutor, a figure both tyrannical and deeply internal. A fire-driven rock journey and their darkest album to date."

APPALOOZA links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

RIPPLE MUSIC links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Pre-order: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-emperor-of-loss

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for all of the details.

UK Heavy Psychedelic Rockers LACERTILIA to release new album "Transcend" on Majestic Mountain Records this fall.

Cardiff-based heavy psych torchbearers LACERTILIA return after five years with their anticipated third studio album "Transcend", due out on October 24th through Swedish powerhouse Majestic Mountain Records. Stream their brand new single and video for "The Sun Is The Key" now!

Watch Lacertilia's new video The Sun Is The Key below + listen to the single on Bandcamp

Lacertilia stand out as a fearless blend of psychedelic soul and heavy riff warfare, rooted in their Welsh stoner rock identity but unafraid to draw from cosmic textures, primal energy, and punk-inspired vigour. A powerhouse live act, they have leveled stages from Desertfest London to Hellfest in France, converting audiences at every stop.

Their sonic evolution culminates in their forthcoming third album and Majestic Mountain Records debut "Transcend", which sees the five-piece refining their explosive sound, merging the massive riffs and spacey explorations they are revered for with darker, more intricate textures of folk, prog and post-rock. The result is a heavier, more dynamic listen that charts a course through themes of profound personal growth and transformation, grappling with the nature of reality, existential dread, the breakdown of relationships, and the future of mankind.

Their new single "The Sun Is The Key" is a pagan space rock epic that soars with cosmic energy, connecting themes of higher consciousness, mysticism and ancient spiritual practices. Lacertilia worked with filmmaker Ren Faulkner to capture a ritual sunrise performance in the Welsh Mountains during Summer Solstice '25.

New album "Transcend" - Out October 24th on Majestic Mountain Records (LP/CD/digital)

TRACKLIST:

1. Archaic Oscillations
2. We Go Here
3. Listen Close
4. Over & Out
5. Nothing's Sacred
6. Transcending
7. Deviate From The Plan
8. Weird Scenes
9. Cerulean Sky
10. The Sun Is The Key

For the past decade, Cardiff’s Lacertilia has been a formidable force in the UK's heavy psychedelic sphere, forging a reputation as purveyors of high-energy, cosmic rock. They have seamlessly bridged the worlds of underground punk, metal, and stoner rock, delivering their high-energy cosmic sermons everywhere from DIY stages to hallowed European festival grounds like Hellfest in France, Freak Valley in Germany, Desertfest London and their biggest headline show to date: the 10th anniversary show in Cardiff in 2024.

Their recorded journey maps this evolution: from the explosive arrival of their 2015 debut EP "Crashing Into The Future" through their 2016 LP "We’re Already Inside Your Mind" and the raw power of the "Live at Hellfest" EP, to the lockdown-forged introspection of their 2020 sophomore album, "Calling The Quarters".

This journey culminates in their third and most ambitious album to date, "Transcend", coming out in October 2025 through Sweden's esteemed label Majestic Mountain Records. "Transcend" is the culmination of a decade of growth — a mind-altering sonic statement from one of the UK’s most compelling underground rock acts.

Lacertilia is

Matt Fry – Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Lucas Zalunski – Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Michael Young-Temple – Electric Guitar, Djembe
Ed Hughes – Bass
Carl Richards – Drums

Lacertilia links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Youtube

Majestic Mountain Records links

Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.