Heavy Underground Band & Album reviews: My favorites in Riff rock/ fuzz/ stoner/ doom/ sludge/ heavy psych/ hardcore & metal
Matra is a stoner/ heavy psych rock band from Milan, Italy. Consisting of Franco Campanella on lead vocals, Paola Bramno on guitars, Gando Pauar on bass and backing vocals, and Fra Lafra on drums, the quartet has a slew of recordings. It all started with 2005’s Missione Delta. Matra then released 2013’s Roots2TheSky, and 2019’s MATRA III. On July 8th...
Psalm is a heavy rocking doom metal band from Los Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2020, during the pandemic, the band has released their debut EP entitled Blessed Are The Cursed in 2021. The trio consists of Jon Torres on vocals and bass, Ian Henneforth on drums, and Carlos Martinez on guitar. Their latest EP, called In Darkness… Have Mercy was...
Margarita Witch Cult are a three-piece proto-doom/ stoner rock band from the birthplace of heavy metal, Birmingham, England. They consist of Scott Abbott on vocals and guitars, James Brown on bass, vocals, synth, mellotron, and guitars, and George Caswell on drums and vocals. They released their Self Titled debut back in 2023 and just recently dropped their latest called, Strung...
Caduta Massi are a stoner rock power trio from Rennes, France. They consist of Martin Vaudorne on guitar and vocals, Thomas David on drums, and Joackim Trublet on bass. Echoes from the Old Crater is the band’s debut EP and it was released on July 11th 2025. It contains four tracks at around twenty eight minutes long. The first song...
Atom Juice is a heavy psychedelic rock band from Warsaw, Poland. They consist of Barszczi on guitar and vocals, Qx on drums and vocals, Zwirz on bass, and Karls on guitar and vocals. The quartet just released their debut Self Titled album on July 11th 2025 on Heavy Psych Sounds Records. It contains six tracks at forty minutes long. “Hercules”...
Sheev is a heavy groove-laden/ progressive stoner rock band from Berlin, Germany. The lineup consists of Nitzan on guitar and vocals, Phil on drums, Joshan on bass, and Songwut on guitar. They released an EP in 2019 called HORSEMOUTH and their debut, 2021’s Mind Conductor. The band has signed to Ripple Music and just released their sophomore second full length...
Gaupa is a hard rock band from Falun, Sweden. They consist of Emma Näslund on vocals, Jimmy Hurtig on drums, Erik Sävström on bass, and David Rosberg on guitar. They have released a Self Titled EP in 2018, 2020’s Feberdröm, 2022’s Myriad, and their latest, a mini album, 2025’s FYR. Original co-founding guitarist Daniel Nygren left in 2024. FYR was...
The Cheshire, England based “stoner metal” band has been active since 2013. The stoner metal label is a generic way to describe their heavy rocking and melodious music. They consist of Andrew Valiant on vocals, Sam Orr on guitar, Bear on bass, and Dan Amati on drums. Their discography thus far includes: 2016’s Self Titled EP, 2017’s Fortuna Havana EP,...
Woodhawk is a power trio from Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Formed in 2013, the band play a blend of heavy stoner rock with plenty of melody. They have released a Self Titled EP in 2014, and have three full length albums to date including: 2017’s Beyond The Sun, 2019’s Violent Nature, and 2025’s Love Finds A Way. The lineup consists...
SkullDozer is a heavy stoner rock/ metal band from Portland, Oregon. The quartet consists of Ben House on vocals, Justin Morgan on guitars, Jay Erbe on drums, and Dylan Wills on bass. They have released a four song EP in 2018 called BEEKEEPER, a full length album, 2019’s Killing Season, and a couple of singles dating back to 2014 and...