Heavy Underground Band & Album reviews: My favorites in Riff rock/ fuzz/ stoner/ doom/ sludge/ heavy psych/ hardcore & metal

Friendship Commanders – Bear 

Friendship Commanders is a two-piece band from Nashville, Tennessee. Featuring Buick Audra on guitar and vocals, and Jerry Roe on drums, bass, and synths, the duo play heavy yet melodic rock music. They have released the following recordings: 2016’s Dave, 2017’s Junebug EP, 2018’s Bill, 2020’s Hold On To Yourself EP, 2020’s Sonechild Single, 2021’s Altar/ Land Of Men Single,...

Verona Florrist – Self Titled 

Verona Florrist is a stoner rock/ doom band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2024, the three-piece consists of Joe Narducci on guitar and vocals, Dan “Gonzo” Gonzalez on bass, and Alex Van Der Heyden on drums. They just released their Self Titled debut album on October 1st 2025 on Fuzzed and Buzzed Records. It contains seven tracks at thirty...

Soul Blind – Red Sky Mourning 

Soul Blind is a heavy rocking four-piece band from the Hudson Valley in New York. They consist of Cen on bass and vocals, Justin Sarica on guitar, Finn Lovell on guitar, and Steve Hurley on drums. They formed in 2018 and have released: 2018’s Willpower EP, 2018’s Untitled EP, 2019’s Promo 19 EP, 2021’s Third Chain EP, 2022’s Feel It...

Prong live 11/02/25

Live at Ralph’s Rock Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts USA *November 2nd 2025* I first discovered the band Prong in the early 1990’s. My buddy just bought the Beg To Differ cassette at a local record store and we both dug their sound a lot. I was mostly into a lot of heavy thrash metal back then, just before really getting...

Blue Heron – Emulations 

Blue Heron are a desert rocking stoner metal band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The quartet have released two full length albums, 2022’s Ephemeral and 2024’s sophomore record, Everything Fades. They also released a Split EP with High Desert Queen in 2023 called, Turn To Stone: Chapter 8 the Wake, on Ripple Music. The current lineup consists of Jadd Shickler on...

M.E.L.T.  – Innervate/ Obliterate 

M.E.L.T. is a stoner/ fuzz rock trio from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band consists of Joey Troupe on guitar and vocals, James May on bass and vocals, and J.J. Young on drums, vocals, percussion, and theremin. They have released 2021’s Self Titled, 2023’s Replica of Man, and their latest, 2025’s Innervate / Obliterate. They also put out a slew of singles...

Warcoe – Upon Tall Thrones

Warcoe is a three-piece band based in Pesaro, Italy. Formed in 2021, the heavy doom trio has released 2021’s Warcoe EP, 2022’s The Giant’s Dream, 2023’s A Place For Demons, and their latest, 2025’s Upon Tall Thrones. The lineup consists of Carlo on bass, Francesco on drums, and Stefano Fiorelli on guitar and vocals. Upon Tall Thrones is the band’s...

Carson – When Gods Know Why

Carson is an alternative stoner rock band from Lucerne, Switzerland. The three-piece released their first Self Titled EP in 2012. They also released 2017’s Drown the Witness, 2017’s Three Point Split EP, 2022’s The Wilful Pursuit Of Ignorance, and their latest, 2025’s When Gods Know Why. Founded in 2010, the current lineup consists of Kieran Jones on guitars and vocals,...

SUPERCOLLIDER – Soundwaves EP

SUPERCOLLIDER is a three-piece stoner rock band from Esbjerg, Denmark. They just self released their debut EP called Soundwaves on September 19th 2025. It contains four tracks around twenty eight minutes long. The lineup consists of Kasper Madsen on bass, Jens Krabbenhoft on drums, and Rolf Hansen on guitar and vocals. “Flee” emerges with a bludgeoning of fuzzy tones and...

Solace – Further (25th Anniversary Expanded Edition)

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),...