GNARWHAL - Lucid Machines (Album Review)

Release Date: March 19th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Lucid Machines. - Tracklisting

1.Wherewithal 

2.Lucid Machines

3.Hollow Frames

4.Ancient Veins

5.Circuits

6.Binary Dreams

7.Left To Mend

8.Static

9.Fleeting Currents

10.Mimic

Members

Mark Kilbride (vocals)

Benji Straker (guitar and vocals)

Jeremy Straker (bass and vocals)

Layne Rybchinski (drums and percussion)

Review

Lucid Machines is the latest album from Sludge/Stoner Rockers Gnarwhal who embrace an Eighties heavy New Age sensibility within their music which gives the record a whole contemporary sound. Though the thrilling Sludge Rock aspect allows Gnarwhal to keep within the modern day Psych/Post-Stoner movement that’s perhaps the most popular sound within the underground scene. Adding ice-cold Post-Rock themes against a dominant gloomy atmosphere which really comes alive thanks to the epic rhythm section laid down by Jeremy Straker (Bass) and Layne Rybchinski (Drums / Percussion).

 This allows Benji Straker’s guitars to operate through a maze of Prog Rock/Metal sounds with an epic cinematic Sludge Rock score reminiscent of the likes of WEEDPECKER, HOWLING GIANT and KING BUFFALO with shades of YOB appearing just for good measure. The vocals are impressive throughout with lead vocalist Mark Kilbride being helped along the way by great work by Jeremy and Benji providing back up vocals.

Lucid Machines works best when Gnarwhal start thinking outside of the box and start developing areas of music such as Doom, Shoegaze, Alt Metal, Post-Punk and Noise Rock leaving you fully immersed with the excellent melodies that are formed throughout the album.

Just to make this record more offbeat I detected other influences as diverse from The Cure, HUM and even Duran Duran. Though, that may just be me thinking too much of what’s going on with the whole album especially on the standout tracks of Wherewithal, Lucid Machines, Hollow Frames and Circuits which make up my favourite parts of the whole album though the second half is equally as good.

Gnarwhal always feel they’re on the cutting edge of developing a highly original sound of their own with intricate Ambient sounds, Electronica Beats and distorted levels of FUZZ.

The lyrics are wonderfully insightful, telling the dangers of technology and the resistance that we all must become part of and the global emerging threat of A.I. Though, if fans are just here for the music then the record fully delivers on that score with a ferocious Sludge Rock/Metal sound starting to become more dominant with heavy moments of Doom, Stoner Rock and Psych Rock vying for complete control.

Other great tracks to check out are: Binary Dreams, Left To Music and Fleeting Currents that sees Gnarwhal once more fuse highly atmospheric landscapes with that bombastic style of Heavy Psych and Sludge Rock they captured perfectly at the very start of the album. Lucid Machines never plays out the way you expect with this being quite a forward thinking and riff-fuelled musical adventure. 

Gnarwhal have released an outstanding record that will no doubt become a major favourite with almost everyone who listens to the album. It’s simply that great.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Gnarwhal and Small Fry Music for the promo.

You can buy Lucid Machines now on Digital and Vinyl from this link, 

Links 

http://gnarwhalband.com

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

Exclusive Song Premiere Of Sludge/Post-Metallers WE FOLLOW THE EARTH New Song SIRENS From Upcoming New Album FOAMDRINKER

We Follow the Earth is a sludgy doom band that will occasionally lean into a post-metal sound. Located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, the core of their sound is built on slow, crushing riffs, ever present soul shaking bass, and aggressive, strained screams.

Started as a solo project for Matthew Crotts, with his brother, Robert Crotts, offering to write the concept story and lyrics for the debut album “Lightbearer” in 2023. Shortly after releasing the debut album, writing started for the 2nd concept album “Extinct”, which was recorded/engineered by Jamie King and released in March 2024.

This new album, “Foamdrinker”, takes the listener on a journey through a world that is, for unknown reasons, stuck in a perpetual winter. Facing extinction, our characters are willing to go to any lengths to survive, but dangers beyond the ice lurk in the depths of the ocean and within ourselves. The struggle to overcome these challenges that we are presented with, both the external and the internal superstitions about how we think the world should work from the crux of this story. How we balance selfless acts against selfish ones can save or doom the world.

Thanks to the amazing folks at Desert Bloom PR, we're excited to premiere the debut single and video for SIRENS from the upcoming new album - FOAMDRINKER.

Album credits:

Matthew Crotts – Vocals, guitar
Josh Burton – Guitar
Jason “Buddha” Myers – Bass
Matthew Pickard – Drums
Robert Crotts – Story/Lyric writer
Engineered by Jacob Beeson
Mastered by Esben Willems (Studio Berserk)

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for all of the details.

BORRACHO - Eternos (EP Review)

Release Date: February 20th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Eternos. - Tracklisting

Fang (Spirit Caravan) — in memory of Dave Sherman

Keep On Shoveling (Foghound) — in memory of Rev. Jim Forrester

Twenty Nine (Karma to Burn) — in memory of Will Mecum

Damyata (The Hidden Hand) — in memory of Bruce Falkinburg

A Heart Without a Home (The Hellacopters) — in memory of Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist

Members

Steve - Guitars, synths, keys & vocals

Mario - Drums & percussion

Tim - Bass & backing vocals

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers BORRACHO release their latest record Eternos which is a covers EP where the band pay homage honoring five beloved friends and musical influences who have passed on over the years. This is a great collection of tracks honouring Dave Sherman (Spirit Caravan), Rev. Jim Forrester (Foghound), Will Mecum (Karma To Burn), Bruce Falkinburg (The Hidden Hand) and Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist (The Hellacopters). BORRACHO bring their legendary style of Streetwise Doom/Stoner Metal to some classic tracks whilst remaining true to the original versions.

Sometimes the sound is more aggressive, heavier and more sludge obsessed compared to the originals especially with the excellent vocals as well. However, BORRACHO pulled off a masterclass performance on all of the tracks especially on Fang, Keep On Shovelling and Twenty Nine. The music is superbly contained with BORRACHO allowing each of the individual tracks to have their own sound and feel which perfectly captures the bands that they’re paying huge respect to with Damyata and A Heart Without A Home being actual new tracks that I haven’t had much experiences with. Though, I can see why the guys have picked these tracks. 

Eternos has excellent production values throughout with BORRACHO maintaining that seedy underground style which has served them well throughout their own epic career. After delivering a standout album in 2025 with OUROBOROS, it’s good to see the band trying something different with Eternos whilst giving something back to the Doom/Stoner Metal scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

BORRACHO links

Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

OWLS OVER OAKS - O.O.O. (Album Review)

Release Date: February 27th 2026. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: CD/DD

O.O.O. - Tracklisting

OWLS

OVER

OAKS

Members

Valerio “Leynir” Possetto

Elisa “Aeretica” Iacopini

Roberto “Bob Rip” Ripollino

Review

O.O.O. is the debut album from Extreme/Doom/Drone Metallers OWLS OVER OAKS and is the first part of a planned trilogy where the band play an unsettling and nightmarish style of LOW & SLOW and down-tuned violent rhythms. The three tracks that make up the record allows the band to develop an ice-cold and pitch black delivery of certain Psychedelic and Ice-Cold BLACKENED DOOM Metal with harsh vocals to match. Helping OWLS OVER OAKS on this creative journey is the legendary James Plotkin who recorded the album entirely in analog and handled mastering duties as well. 

What makes OWLS OVER OAKS standout is the absence of guitars with the band relying upon an intense DRUMS & BASS setup which is amplified by the use of long drawn out and repetitive musical passages. That sounds like a complaint but it’s one of the albums main strengths which you can hear within the epic opening track of OWLS. The sudden use of SPACE and AMBIENT textures is highly surreal and brutally volatile at the same time. The band really go in for the KILL with their use of Extreme Drone to punish your hearing with. If you dig bands such as SUNN 0))), KHANATE, BONG and Burning Witch then OWLS OVER OAKS play in that similar area of HEAVY MUSIC whilst still developing their own sound.

The music does become more fast-paced and demonically aggressive on the second track OVER where the band once again add harsh DOOMED OUT surroundings from an instrumental point of view. The guttural vocal styles are quite uncomfortable to listen to and I wish I could say I completely understand what’s being sung but unfortunately I’m not an expert with these types of vocals. Though that only adds to the whole mystery of the whole album. OWLS OVER OAKS experiment with SONIC distortion and pitch black atmospherics for a sudden shift into Progressive Metal and Psychedelic Fuzzed Out landscapes. There’s a great sense of melody that starts to develop which could easily be considered Post-Drone or Post-Black Metal.

The final track OAKS lasts for around eighteen minutes which sees the band go even further with their extreme creative ideas and distorted grooves that move even closer to the EXTREME METAL underground scene. Once again, OWLS OVER OAKS experiment with their music yet again with an almost FUNK attitude. I may sound completely crazy here but you’ll understand when you hear the whole track in full.

O.O.O. is brutally insane and completely goes off the rails at the best of times. However, there’s method to the madness here with the band delivering some catchy and riff-centric sounds along the way. Will this be for everyone, probably not. Though, if you’re a fan of Extreme Drone, Doom and Black Metal then OWLS OVER OAKS will be music to your ears and perhaps you’ll even find your favourite new band.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

O.O.O. is available to buy now on CD/Digital Download via Argonauta Records.

Links 

Facebook | Instagram

SLOMOSA ANNOUNCE LIVE IN BERGEN — LIMITED RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE- 2 LP Trans Red and Black.

Norwegian rock powerhouse Slomosa will release a special live album, Live in Bergen, on Record Store Day, capturing the band’s sold-out hometown show in December 2024 at USF Verftet.

Pressed as a limited-edition double LP in a gatefold sleeve, Live in Bergen showcases Slomosa at full force in front of a hometown crowd — raw, loud, and uncompromising. The album was mixed and mastered by Eirik Marinius Sandvik, preserving the intensity and atmosphere of the band’s legendary live performances.

Live in Bergen will be available exclusively through Record Store Day and distributed by Apollon Records. Quantities are strictly limited. We'll only print 2500 copies. And this one time only.

You can buy it from Border Music-https://www.bordermusic.eu/ in the Nordics (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden) and from Plastic Head https://www.plastichead.com/ for the rest of the world outside the Nordics including their partners such as Cargo (Germany) and Seasons of Mist (France).

Slomosa are:

Benjamin Berdous - Vocals/guitar
Marie Moe - Vocals/bass
Tor Erik Bye - Guitar
Jard Hole - Drums
+ guest on this hometown gig their producer
Eirik Marinius Sandvik- guitar , keys and other instruments

Discography:

Slomosa (2020, Apollon Records)
Tundra Rock (2024, Stickman Records)

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Goatsmoker - E.R.I.S. (Album Review)

Release Date: March 20th 2026. Record Label: Vinyltroll Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

E.R.I.S. - Tracklisting

1.Cursed

2.Waiting

3.Gods of Gunzilla

4.Entropy Reigns in Silence

5.Dakhma

Members

Andreas Krohn - Guitars & Vocals

Magnus Ohmsen - Guitars

Alex Falkesgaard - Bass

Ole Kaspersen - Drums

Lasse Flaaten Husmer - Backing Vocals on Dakhma

Review

Danish Doom/Stoner Metallers Goatsmoker return heavier, bleaker and even more sludgier with their intense second album “E.R.I.S.”. The band laid down this groundwork within their stunning debut album “E.O.T.A.” back in 2022. Though, this time round the grooves are thicker with an extra dangerous level of FUZZED OUT DOOM to match the seedy surroundings of the whole album. According to the PR blurb, the album’s title “refers to the track Entropy Reigns in Silence, and to Eris, the Greek goddess of strife” which gives the record a sense of mysterious gloomy landscape for Goatsmoker to expand into areas of Psych, Post-Metal and Sludge Metal.

Goatsmoker have perfected their own style of “LOW & SLOW” and “AMPLIFIER DISTORTED” attitude which is off-set by some lean and mean harsh growls throughout. Influenced and powered by the likes of Electric Wizard, SLEEP, CONAN and Black Sabbath, the album is still quite grounded which you’ll experience within the stunning opening track of Cursed. There’s a small essence of OCCULT DOOM appearing in the background with the slowly played melodies transforming into mammoth slices of Post-Metal brutality with some trippy Psych Metal sounds emerging from the darkness.

Goatsmoker wisely switch musical allegiances and sounds throughout the album whilst keep with that newly found aggressive Psychedelic and Down-Tuned FUZZ METAL sound that gives this record a vibrant and downbeat sound which comes into full focus on tracks such as Waiting and Gods Of Gunzilla.

These two tracks feature monolithic and gigantic instrumental moments where the music has a soaring Drone based effect with the story having some outlandish themes whilst keeping superbly grounded at the same time. The vocals from Andreas Krohn are hugely versatile and I’m surprised he can still sing after all the high HARSH notes he subjects himself to. They’re absolutely intense and perhaps some of the best harsh vocals I’ve heard in a very long time.

There are a few parts on the album you could call Post-Rock or Post-Stoner where Goatsmoker play a stripped back style of music with shades of straight up Hard Rock appear with a subtle Sludgy environment for the band to have “FUN” and let loose with looser and riff driven score. The final two tracks of Entropy Reigns In Silence and Dakhma sees Goatsmoker amplify the VOLUME levels even further with Progressive themes appearing and creating some of the most haunting and gloomy sounds on the whole album.

I didn’t really want to do a song-by-song review for this record as it’s best to listen to this album as one whole conceptual piece that’s wisely been broken down into individual chapters. Things do become more experimental within the second half of the record with the album almost going into more extreme waters with both the vocals and instrumental passages. However, there’s a thrilling Psych Doom/Stoner Metal aspect that keeps Goatsmoker fully going over to the dark side.

E.R.I.S. is a phenomenal record that’s boosted by first rate production values that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Goatsmoker may have just opened the door to a more exciting future for themselves as this album is simply unmissable.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Audible PR for the promo.

E.R.I.S. is available to buy now on Digital Download and Vinyl via Vinyltroll Records.

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Desert Storm - Buried Under The Weight Of Reason (Album Review)

Release Date: March 06th 2026. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Buried Under The Weight Of Reason - Tracklisting

1. Newfound Respect

2. Shamanic Echoes

3. Woodsman

4. Cut Your Teeth

5. Rot To Ruin

6. Carry The Weight

7. Dripback

8. Law Unto Myself

9. Twelve Seasons

Members

Matthew Ryan - vocals

Ryan Cole - guitars

Elliot Cole - drums

Andrew Keyzor - bass guitar

Special guest:

Chris White - guitar

Review

English heavy hitters Desert Storm are back and I couldn't be happier. I've followed the band for some time now and it's been a pleasure watching them go from strength to strength. They've always delivered the goods with their fantastic blend of doom, stoner, heavy metal and sludge. And nothing has changed on their new album 'Buried Under The Weight Of Reason', well actually two things have occurred. One, the songs are better than ever and second, Desert Storm have dialled down on the sludge part. At least to my ears they have but I could be very wrong. Regardless, the new album is bloody brilliant, and then some!

The album begins with 'Newfound Respect' and it's bottom heavy, slow, lurking and no nonsense. Add Matthew Ryan's brilliant raspy voice to the equation and the song is right in your face. All this before they hit the stratosphere in the second half. 'Shamanic Echoes' follows  and moves within the same sphere as its predecessor but is more hypnotic and transcendent in all its heaviness. 'Woodsman' is ethereal, mind-expanding and spacey for the most part until bone-breaking sections are infused perfectly. Mid-tempo yet crushing 'Cut Your Teeth' is relentless in its approach but at the same time mesmerising. 'Rot To Ruin' comes on sinister, eerie and trippy. A strange but alluring mid-section allows the band to go full tilt and from then on they move back and forth. 

'Carry The Weight' is a soft, short instrumental guitar-driven beauty where the guitars are wonderfully layered. Acts as the perfect segue in to the much faster second half which kick-starts with 'Dripback'. It is one of the fastest songs on the album as the band holds nothing back adding punk flavour into the mix. Bloody fantastic! 'Law Unto Myself' picks up right where 'Dripback' left off tempo-wise but is more metal and with great guitar harmonies almost akin to Thin Lizzy...another great composition. Pounding almost tribal-like drums leads the way until the chorus, that is. Spacey vocal harmonies take over in those parts before reverting back to the heaviness.

Throughout this powerful and brilliant album Desert Storm utilizes gradual build-up within their songs to great aplomb. In doing so, they create great visuals and emotions which in turn enhances the sound immensely and it was already great prior. As a listener and a fan it is so rewarding to hear a band who constantly evolves without losing themselves. And that's what Desert Storm does with each new album. Brilliant stuff, gents!

Words by Håkan Nyman

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Buried Under The Weight Of Reason is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Links 

Linktree | BandCamp