The Big Rip – Olympus Mons EP

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · October 1, 2025

The Big Rip is a five-piece stoner/ desert rock band from Porsgrunn, Norway. Formed in 2021, the lineup consists of Danny Valle Johannessen on vocals, Eivind Dalevoll on guitar, Ole Jørgen Kjørholt on guitar, Mats Bredesen on bass, and Simen Lunde on drums. They released their debut EP, Order of the Goatlord in 2023 and have released a couple of singles prior. Their latest EP, Olympus Mons was released on August 22nd 2025 and contains four tracks around twenty minutes long.

When the guitar starts the lead off track, “Behold, This Mountain” and then pauses momentarily, allowing the music to erupt, I knew I was in for a trip! Displaying huge dynamics right from the start, The Big Rip showcase bluesy leads and heavy psych, going hard to soft and slowly building up the song into a banger, that it is. Their song crafting skills are top level with plenty of heavy stoner grooves and infectious melodies throughout. Danny Valle Johannessen’s vocals are excellent and display power and conviction from the very beginning. “Behold, This Mountain” is a seven and a half minute musical maelstrom of tidal wave riffs and soothing melodies that really capture the listener’s attention. Such a massive and powerful song to start this amazing EP.

The second track “KAKTUS” begins with a cool drumbeat into an infectious and fuzzy bass riff exploding into the dense rhythm. The vocals come right in and the song just cranks! The production and sound quality is superb on all of these songs, displaying equal volume and cohesion between the instruments. The two guitar approach works really well with the bass-centric groove and solid drumming. The song is a hard driving and fuzz rocking delight.

“Kraken Mare” begins with clean guitars and emotive vocals that build into another colossal banger. The Big Rip sounds fantastic as if they have been playing together for many years. The heavy desert rock sound with feverish doom riffing and monstrous rhythms coalesce perfectly with the soaring vocals and beautiful melodies. This is a band that is making a huge statement and impact with just four tracks. The final score is the title track, “Olympus Mons”. It’s a ravishing instrumental that is just over two minutes long. It settles in as the outro to an amazing recording.

My only complaint about The Big Rip’s Olympus Mons EP is that it is way too short. I would love to hear a full length album from these hard riffing Norwegians. The band really has a spectacular style and sound that will resonate with a lot of people that are into the heavy music underground. These guys are the real deal and have produced one amazing record.