Stone Nomads – Empires Of Stone

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · December 29, 2025

Stone Nomads is a heavy power trio from Houston, Texas. They began in 2021, and incorporate a mix of stoner, doom, metal, sludge, and hard driving rock. They have currently released 2022’s Field Of Dreams, 2024’s Beyond The Gates EP, 2024’s …At The Gates Of Solittude, and their latest, 2025’s Empires Of Stone. The band consists of Jon Cosky on guitar and vocals, Jude Sisk on bass and vocals, and Ben Wozniak on drums. Empires Of Stone was released on November 21st on Ripple Music. It contains eight tracks at forty minutes long.

“Lost In The Storm” begins with clean guitars that crank into a thick and sludgy metal ensemble. The thick and menacing guitar riffs are complemented with pounding metal drumming with plenty of double bass action taking place. The music has a strong mix of heavy barrel doom with old school heavy metal guitar harmonies, and segments of metal core with aggressive and clean vocals. I hear a Crowbar influence in the music and singing with an Anselmo-esc vibe, with a swampy metal sludge like in the second track called “Eyehatesociety”. Stone Nomads has a dark and heavy groove injected into their sound with atmospheric layers of heavy psych that further enhances their brutality. There’s some excellent guitar leads happening that cements the band’s love for traditional eighties heavy metal. I really like the raspiness of the vocals in context to the uncompromising sonic sludge.

The third track entitled “Valley Of Souls” is a beautiful one minute clean guitar introduction to the massive title track, “Empires Of Stone”, which really magnifies the talents and creativity of Stone Nomads. It has a powerful doom metal drive taking place but also rages into a colossal metal gallop. More harmonious guitar leads spice up the song, while keeping the structure and tone very diabolical and interesting. The band seems to perform at their best in keeping the songs between the five and six minute range. This allows an adequate build up and flow of swampy riffs, acute melodies, and soaring leads.

“Mount Aras” is a heavy and bulldozing cascade of sludge metal graced with a catchiness in the chorus. The chugging metal riffs are served up with agro-vocals and some screeching Slayer-style guitar leads. The almost seven minute “Desolate Sands” storms the sound waves next and obliterates everything in its path. The slow and brooding doom groove is connected with clean guitars and vocals that seamlessly transition into massive waves of sonic devastation. The song has an uncompromising tone of fuzz and steamrolls ahead with conviction. “Death Adder” is another raging track of bludgeoning! The death and doom rolling of heavy metal savagery is in full effect on this track.

The eighth and final song on Empires Of Stone is called “The Devil Lives In Texas”. This is a fantastic closer for a menacing recording! The way the song begins and floats into the heavy groove is excellent. The bluesy tinge of riff-centric metal is absolutely crushing! The song is a head banging delight and a killer stampede of rhythms and twists. Stone Nomads has delivered a stunning album with Empires Of Stone that just keeps getting better with every listen.