The Crooked Skulls – Midnight Sun

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · April 13, 2026

The Crooked Skulls are a three-piece stoner metal band from New Jersey. They incorporate thick and heavy riffs with thunderous drumming, with plenty of groove. They consist of Pete Koretzky on guitars and vocals, Dave Van Auken on bass and vocals, and Chuck Snyder on drums They put out an EP called HIVEMIND in 2024 and just released their debut full length album called Midnight Sun. It came out on March 27th 2026 on Electric Desert Records and contains nine tracks at forty one minutes long.

The title track “Midnight Sun” begins with an engine revving as the guitar riff begins the song. The music kicks in and picks up to a mid pacing of biker metal rhythms and gruff but melodic vocals. Fusing in hard driving rock with fuzzy slabs of riffing, The Crooked Skulls have arrived to kick some ass! “Bury It” has a flowing and heavy groove with some chugging guitar riffs and catchy vocals. The slabs of metal are deliberate and dense. The third track is called “Skull Bong” and it has a doom metal crunch mixed in with some gliding stoner rock grooves. The vocals have a raspy Orange Goblin vibe with a COC edge to them. The heavy metal rhythms blend well with the harmonies and fiery leads. The head banging movements are crunchy and smooth.

“Ashes I See” is a great track laced with some textured keyboards in the background. The simple and deliberate drum beats coalesce nicely with the fuzzed-out riffs and leads. The music has a tinge of southern rock but reeks of heavy metal throughout. “Let Me Out” begins with a fuzzy low end bass tone that crushes into a catchy rocking haze of metal. Scores of bluesy leads and backing vocals continue to push their sound forward with conviction. The song “Broken” is an upbeat stomping of riff-centric metal injected with a hardcore rawness. The accents of fuzzy rhythms are joined with gang vocals and sheer intensity. “Slow Steal” begins with clean guitars that explode into a distorted wave of heavy grooves. The fuzz is warm and strikes just right with the flow of the song. Towards the end of the track, the bass and drums kick into a tight groove as the clean guitars sprinkle in the effects before cranking back to the distortion.

The eighth track entitled “Iron Smile” was an early single from Midnight Sun and it rips! It features a lead solo from guitarist Bob Balch from the legendary Fu Manchu. The fortified rocker plows along with raw power and a punch of punk attitude. It’s a great precursor for the closing track, “Judgment Day”. When the final song begins with the guitar and steam rolls into the rhythm, it has a satisfying groove and bouncy heaviness that is just excellent. The Crooked Skulls is another great new band that should be turning a lot of heads in the heavy underground. The trio has a thick and powerful sound that is enhanced with a great sounding recording.