Surf Through Death – III

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · April 28, 2026

Surf Through Death is a stoner rock/ heavy psych trio from Arizona. The band consists of Mike Upsahl on bass and vocals, Chan Schulman on guitar, and Shane Ocell on drums. They have released 2020’s Self Titled EP, 2022’s II, and their latest album, 2026’s III. The band has a great desert rock sound that packs the fuzzy riffs with the psychedelic melodies. III was released on February 27th 2026 on Earth Sound Records. It contains seven tracks at thirty four minutes long.

The band’s moniker “we skate through life and surf through death” is a very cool description of how this band chooses to exist. It’s the kind of living in moment philosophy that I try and employ but struggle with from time to time. Surf Through Death has a terrific sound! “4:10” begins with a soft and mellow guitar that then rages into the fuzz. The upbeat and classic stoner tones are in full bloom with this album but it gives you so much more, underneath the surface. The riff rocking and explosive guitar leads are music to my ears! The vocals have some airy reverb effects that strike up cosmic tones of psychedelic blues. “Awful Good Time” has all the essential ingredients for a kick ass desert rock song. The heavy and fuzz-grooving rhythms and more mellow psychedelic twists, makes for a very interesting and captivating listen. Surf Through Death has a free formula flow to their songs that sets in the hook but slowly reels in the “catch of the day”.

“Break The Fade” explores a great amount of heavy rock and metal terrain. The music is created by dynamics and heart felt feeling. Musically tight, Surf Through Death hovers in classic metal territory and still manages to keep the sonic integrity of their music intact. “Absent Minded” is a blues and clean guitar ruled song that is just beautiful and divine. Surf Through Death are fantastic at what they do! “Demons Dreaming” begins with a nice bass and drum run that fashions in the guitars. The song bursts into a fully tight and oiled rhythm machine of enchanted guitar playing and musical razzle dazzle. Each song is familiar in a sense of riffs and tone, but there is something magical about how they play the songs and the textures and layers that are integrated.

“Minus The Missing” begins with the clean guitars and allows the music to echo into formation. The spacy and powerful riffs are accentuated with psychedelic elements and dreamy vocals. The great thing about Surf Through Death is that from the very first spin, III is a great album! Their style is familiar but authentic and they explore some cool progressive tempos that makes you want to listen to this repeatedly. The final track is called “Time Pilots” and it goes deeper down the heavy psych and stoner fuzz rabbit hole. The band has a lot of great songwriting ideas that work magic and they flourish them beautifully in this finale. Heavy to light transitions with massive fuzz to soaring melodies, Surf Through Death has you covered. III is a record that I keep revisiting with a new eagerness and appreciation for what this band is creating.