Solace is a heavy stoner/ doom metal band originating in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The band formed in 1996 and the current lineup consists of Justin Daniels on guitars, Tim Schoenleber on drums, Mike Sicaon on bass, Justin Goins on vocals, and original founding member, Tommy Southard on guitars. Their list of recordings includes: 1999’s Jersey Devils (Split with Solarized),...
Üga Büga is a heavy stoner/ sludge metal band from Virginia. The trio play an eclectic mix of hard rock and heavy metal with doom and psychedelic elements blended in. They consist of Calloway Jones on guitars, vocals, and keys, Niko Cvetanovich on bass, backing vocals, and keys, and Jimmy Czywczynski on drums and backing vocals. Formed in 2021, the...
Gutward are a stoner/ doom metal band from Jakarta, Indonesia. The trio consist of Dafiq Achmad on vocals and guitar, Nabiel Habibie on bass, and Paskahline Putra on drums. The band just released their debut full length album called I on June 6th 2026, on Supernaut Sound Production. It contains six tracks at thirty five minutes long. “Reign Of The...
Fossile is a five-piece stoner rock band from Oulu, Finland. They consist of Eetu Heikkinen on bass, Vallteri on drums, Juho Kukkonen on guitar, Olli Heikkinen on guitar, and Lance Fono on vocals. Formed in 2023, the five-piece released their debut full length album entitled No King on May 15th 2026. Released on Afakasi Records, the album contains seven tracks...
Child is a powerful blues rock trio from Melbourne, Australia. Formed in 2012, the band consists of Mathias Northway on guitar and vocals, Rhys Kelly on bass, and Michael Lowe on drums and percussion. They have released 2014’s Self Titled, 2016’s Blueside, 2023’s Soul Murder, and their latest, 2026’s Rebirth. Rebirth is the band’s debut album for Italy’s Heavy Psych...
Green Desert Water is a stoner/ hard rock power trio from Asturias, Spain. The band consists of Kike Sanchís on guitar and vocals, Juan Arias García on bass, and Dani Bárcena on drums. They have released 2012’s Self Titled EP, 2018’s Solar Plexus, 2021’s Black Harvest, and their latest, 2026’s Eerie Meadows. Eerie Meadows was released on June 19th 2026...
I had the pleasure to discuss my Top 10 Favorite Releases for the second quarter of 2026 with Dan from The Heavy Desert Podcast. It was an another dense quarter of new releases and there were a few excellent albums that I didn’t get to listen to that much in time for our show. The records that come to mind...
Broadslab is a stoner rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Playing a blend of heavy rock with southern fried riffs, the band explores doom and heavy psych ingrained into their sound. The six-piece features Johnny Jernigan on vocals, Cody Patrick on guitar, Keith Davis on keyboard, Robby Rodwell on bass, Eddie Watkins on guitar, and Peter Lemieux on drums. Their...
Okay You Win is a stoner rock band from London, England. The quartet are influenced by desert rock, grunge, 90’s alternative rock, and NWOBHM. They consist of David Kirk on vocals, Ryan O’Hare on guitar, Rodrigo Barradas on bass, and Antonio Peci on drums. Formed in 2023, the band just released their debut full length album called End Of Days...
Plaindrifter is a stoner rock/ heavy psych band from Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The trio formed in 2017 and have released 2019’s Discovery EP, 2021’s Echo Therapy, and their latest sophomore album, 2026’s Gestalt. The band consists of Marcel “Uwe” Kloß on vocals and drums, Nils Stecker on guitar, and André Tinibel on bass. Gestalt makes its Ripple Music debut and was...
