Tidal Wave – Volume Tree

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · June 30, 2026

Tidal Wave is a stoner rock band from Sundsvall, Sweden. Active since 2017, they have released 2019’s Blueberry Muffin, 2023’s The Lord Knows, and their latest, 2026’s Volume Tree. The quartet consists of Alexander ‘Sunkan’ Sundqvist on vocals, Jesper ‘Jupiter’ Sjödin on guitar, Adam ‘Aden’ Nordin on bass, and Rasmus ‘Raz’ Sundberg on drums. Volume Tree was released on June 5th 2026 on Ripple Music. It contains eight tracks at thirty nine minutes long.

Volume Tree starts off with “The Orb”, an illuminating number that has a classic doom and metal sound to it. The dank fuzzy riffs and the Dio-style vocals from Sundqvist sets the scene for a terrific recording. “The Orb” lures you in and rips you apart! Tidal Wave brings the heavy riffs and soaring melodies with “Hangman”. The engaging light to heavy dynamics are compelling and the powerful rhythms are accompanied by some fantastic guitar leads. I find the band has really expanded their sound from their two prior releases, The Lord Knows and Blueberry Muffin. The songs are more dense and interesting with their overall structure and execution.

The third track called “Earth” is a great example of the band pushing their sound forward. The song begins with a brief sample that flows into a sludgy doom riff, enhanced by the high register vocals. The tempo changes throughout this track are awesome! From galloping rhythms, sharp guitar harmonies, devastating riffs, and powerful singing, Tidal Wave has really matured their sonic prowess with this record. “Temple Of Humanity” is another great track! Heavy slabs of metallic rhythms and full fledged rock riffing, the band explore some progressive tones and atmospheric sounds too. “Sideburns” is a quick number that was the first single on Volume Tree. The more straightforward rocker has some vintage style classic rock and proto-metal elements seeping through their sound.

“Shapeshifter” continues along with the hard rocking assault from the previous track and expands on the killer grooves and bouncy rhythms. The band sounds very tight but loose in the feel and execution of each song. The next track, “Manuscript: 512” was originally released as a single back in February of 2024. The song is a great fit for this release and has a lot of sonic variations and dynamics happening with the music.

The final cut on this fantastic record is called “Skitliv”. The mellow tones of clean guitars and expressive vocals capture the essence and feel that sucks you right in. It’s the perfect complement of completion to such an introspective and vibrant recording. Volume Tree only gets better with each listen and it’s definitely a record that I find myself wanting to hear often. Tidal Wave is another exceptional band from Sweden that continues to keep getting better with each album. Volume Tree is another outstanding testament of what the band is capable of producing and the proof is with these eight spellbinding tracks.