As I reflect back on this past weekend at Ralph’s Rock Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts, I am completely blown away on the reception we got from my old band’s first show in over seventeen years. The love and support that we received from our old school and new fans alike was completely amazing and humbling. The love and appreciation felt...
Temptress is heavy rocking doom metal trio originated in Dallas, Texas. Formed in 2019, the band consists of Kelsey Wilson on guitar and vocals, Christian Wright on bass and vocals, and Andi Cuba on drums and vocals. The music combines heavy psych, grunge, stoner, and doom, with atmospheric layers of synth and post-hardcore elements also. They released a three song...
Lord Elephant is a three-piece instrumental heavy psychedelic stoner doom band from Florence, Italy. The power trio consists of Leandro Gaccione on guitar, Eduardo De Nardi on bass, and Tommaso Urzino on drums. They released their debut album, 2022’s Cosmic Awakening, and 2023’s Doom Sessions Vol.8 (Split with Oreyeon) on Heavy Psych Sounds. They just released their sophomore album called...
New Mexican Doom Cult is a four-piece band from Gävle, Sweden. Formed in 2015, their sound is a mix of proto-metal, doom, and heavy psych. The current lineup consists of: Nils on guitars and vocals, Fredrik on bass, David on guitars, and Magnus on drums. They have released their debut full length album, 2023’s From The Crypt, and a slew...
Capacopter is a stoner rock band from Mannheim, Germany. Formed in 2021, the four-piece features Hannes on lead vocals and guitar, Andi on guitar, Jan on bass and vocals, and Jon on drums. The quartet just released their debut Self Titled album on January 9th 2026 on Nordic Wolf Studios. It contains eight tracks around forty minutes long. The album...
Live at The Usual Place in Las Vegas, Nevada USA *January 29th – February 1st 2026* As I reflect back on the Planet Desert Rock Weekend extravaganza, which took place from January 29th through February 1st 2026, I can’t help but wonder how this was even possible. Twenty one bands total, including acts from all over the world like Sweden,...
Otu Suurmunne is a super talented musician and producer based in Helsinki, Finland. Running his vast and diverse music under his company Moonic Productions, Otu can mimic countless styles of music and artists with great depth and creativity. He is the guitarist and vocalist for the stoner metal juggernauts Kaiser , and his own style is as introspective and diverse...
I am a big fan of heavy instrumental rock music. The heavy underground has a decent amount of these types of bands, each honing in on their own style. There is a big variance from heavy riff rock to atmospheric and psychedelic tones. I enjoy it all! I wasn’t exposed to as much heavy instrumental music this year compared to...
Lowrider is a Swedish stoner rock band from Karlstad/ Stockholm. Formed in 1996, the lineup consists of Peder Bergstrand on bass and vocals, Ole Hellquist on guitar and vocals, Niclas Stalfors on guitar, and Andreas Eriksson on drums. The band released 1999’s Nebula/ Lowrider Double EP split that put them on the map. Their debut full length album entitled Ode...
The year 2025 has been a massive year for new music, all erupting out of he heavy underground. After 150 plus album reviews for this year, I doubled my production for listening and reviewing bands. I am continually amazed at the surmounting number of releases coming out every single week. I participated in the grueling year end list with Dan...