Sea Of Snakes – Magmantus EP

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · May 1, 2026

Sea Of Snakes is a stoner/ doom metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed around 2020, the band consists of Jason Busiek on vocals, Jim McCloskey on guitar, Greg Noriega on bass, and Chris Lowbridge on drums. Their releases include 2021’s World On Fire EP, their debut album, 2022’s The Serpent & The Lamb, and their sophomore, 2024’s Bow To No One. Sea Of Snakes are back with a brand new EP called Magmantus. It was self released on April 2nd 2026 and contains five tracks at twenty four minutes long.

Sea of Snakes deliver a heavy, sludge-driven sound with doom, psychedelic and grunge influences. Magmantus is a thick and massive slab of stoner riffs cased in a fuzzy haze of deafening metal. “Beware The Gods” hits you right in face with a thundering avalanche of sludgy doom! Distorted rhythms and chugging metal riffs are front and center with a cascade of heavy psych to mix it up. Jason Busiek’s vocals are excellent! Like a possessed Layne Staley with a haunting undertone, his powerful vocal delivery is impressive. “Behind The Mask” is another devastating storm of doom. The discordant bass starts the song with the drums and the thick walls of guitar fuzz swiftly connects. The mountainous flow and unhurried hammering of riffs, with pristine vocal melodies are equally devastating and satisfying.

“A Few Minutes” is another pile driving riff machine! The slow and steamrolling rhythm is a swampy Sabbath inspired groove, cemented with the powerful vocals. If a band is going to play slow and heavy doom then this is the blueprint for it. Sea Of Snakes has the repetition and nuances to keep the music engaging throughout the ear bleeding heaviness of the songs. Magmantus is a sledgehammer of brutal doom riffs that could cause bodily harm. The sludgy grinding riffs in “Killing Fields” is ridiculous, in a good way! The vocal melodies remind me of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” with the lumbering groove behind it. It sounds like the band went on a tear with trying to create the most annihilating sound as possible.

The fifth and final song is the title track, “Magmantus”. The colossal instrumental closer, with the exception of some ending screams, stays true to form. Being the shortest track on the EP, just shy of the two minute twenty second mark, it still crushes! I am very impressed with this band and recording! I became a fan from their Bow To No One album but I like these songs better. The production sounds nasty and really enhances these mastodonian riffs. Magmantus will keep you slow dancing with stoner doom and impress the individuals that are fans of, all that is heavy.