From Sardinia, Italy comes four-piece heavy rocker INDIGOSAUR. The band’s name seems to aptly sum up the kind of electricity, energy, and heft you’ll encounter on their debut nine-song record, ‘Cosmic Censor’ (2025). With that chill desert fuzz and frenetic perpetual motion rhythm you’re definitely in for a good time. Rainy late-night atmosphere pervades the listening experience, and I enjoyed taking this one for a drive on my pre-dawn coffee runs this fall.

Today, Doomed & Stoned brings you the second single “Titania,” which delivers the addictive momentum and feel-good rocking we’ve come to expect from late-'80s metal along with the heart-pounding groove of bands like Kyuss and Truckfighters. Loving the guitar play on this one, especially, with its subtle sendbacks to bands like Guns 'N Roses and Stone Temple Pilots.

Says Indigosaur:

‘Titania,’ second single, is an homage to the Bard, William Shakespeare. Titania is the queen of the fairies but it’s also an icy moon, like the one mentioned somewhere else in the album. The song goes straight to the point, an unstoppable race downhill lead by a syncopated riff and rousing groove, catchy but dark.

Look for Indigosaur’s Cosmic Censor, issued by the esteemed Electric Valley Records on December 5th (pre-order here).

Much of the album follows fascinating lyrical rabbit trails that include “pessimistic reflections on the human condition, metaphorical descriptions of astronomical phenomena, and their link with mythology.”

And in case you’re wondering about the meaning of “Cosmic Censor,” just take a look at the album cover. The black hole says it all, which the band characterizes as a “gravitational abomination from which nothing can escape.” Some scientists have speculated that our universe is itself nested in a super massive black hole, which is indeed food for contemplation as the vinyl spins.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Electric Valley Records present the Sardinian heavy rock quartet Indigosaur’s debut LP, Cosmic Censor, scheduled for 5 December 2025 on three vinyl variants and across digital platforms.

Formed in Cagliari in 2018, Indigosaur—Lorenzo Alrifai (drums), Ivano Caria (bass), Nicholas Crozier (vocals), and Gianni Pintus (guitar)—started out by putting together the experience its members had gathered through the years and shaping the songs that would end up on their first record. Their first shows were key in building the band’s cohesion, with Indigosaur seeing live performance as the purest expression of their music. The Italian group plays a vintage and strictly valve-driven sound, drawing on thee hues of the darkest hard rock from the '70s, the steely taste of the new wave of British heavy metal and the narcotic atmospheres of stoner from the end of the millennium.

After a break caused by force majeure, the band returned to playing, both in local rock venues and in more unusual settings such as the cliffs of Ogliastra and the coast of San Pietro island, putting on a handful of “secret shows.” They shared stages with fellow Sardinian bands like Elepharmers, Ilienses Tree, Black Capricorn, and Fuzzriders.

In 2023, they recorded the tracks for their debut, while continuing to hone their live craft. In the summer of 2025, Indigosaur opened for American heavy rockers Duel on their European tour and later for London-based Italo-English outfit Gramma Vedetta. Currently working on new material, the band are eager to bring their sound to a wider audience.

Cosmic Censor is the band’s first record: nine tracks of lysergic heavy rock, at times direct and relentless, at others winding down a more complex path. Vocal lines snake through massive riffs, the rhythm section drives the songs between crushing grooves and passages of reflection. The lyrics dwell on bleak reflections on the human condition, with metaphorical visions of astronomical phenomena and their links to mythology. At the center stands the “Cosmic Censor,” a gravitational abomination from which nothing can escape.

We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Indeed, linguistics – regardless of the language spoken – all reach a point where words fail. Music has the uncanny ability to touch thousand, feelings, instincts and impulses otherwise inexpressible with not but sound.

Enter evocative Italian instrumental trio BASALTIC PALTEAU, deftly blending strands of heavy psychedelia, ambient, desert, stoner, and noise rock into a sensory experience that deserves full volume to bask in all its magnificence.

Before us is the band’s debut LP, ‘Dead Dinosaur Echoes’ (2025), which emerges October 17th on Electric Valley Records (get it here) and receives its Doomed & Stoned world premiere today.

According to the band:

‘Dead Dinosaurs Echoes’ is not just an album; it’s a collective ritual, a descent into the deepest layers of perception. Every note is a crack in the rock, every crescendo an emotional eruption. Between sounds dense as magma and silences heavy with omens, the album invites the listener to get lost in it, and perhaps, to find themselves.

In short: excellent, immersive, and addictive.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Basaltic Plateau is a sonic experiment fusing psychedelic fascinations, stoner rock, and the abrasive distortion of noise. Formed in late 2023 after a chance encounter between Marco, Roberto, and Maurizio at a beach party steeped in surreal sounds, the trio set out to create an instrumental project — a sonic journey transporting listeners through evocative landscapes of beaches, dunes, sea, and untouched nature.

That journey, however, was also rooted in unfinished history. Marco and Maurizio had already shared the stage in Le Mal Noir, their university band that played notable shows in the early 2000s but never recorded an album. Picking up that thread years later, on their first day in the studio, Marco reminded Maurizio with a smile: “You owe me a record.”

About a year later, Basaltic Plateau finally brought their debut album to life. Drummer Roberto brought with him a solid background from the early 2000s, having played in several bands on the Bologna scene. After moving to Sardinia for study, he settled there permanently, becoming the rhythmic engine of the trio.

The debut album, Dead Dinosaurs Echoes, is a sonic journey through the cracks of time and consciousness: expansive psychedelia, desert stoner rock, and abrasive noise come together to create a hypnotic, raw, and deeply evocative musical experience. As spiritual heirs of the ‘90s underground scene, Maurizio Cau (guitars and synths), Marco Serra (bass), and Roberto Loscerbo (drums) craft soundscapes suspended between dream and nightmare. Guitars roar like ancient volcanoes, synths evoke cold and distant stars, while bass and drums pulse with the force of a land in constant motion.

The album moves along a double track: on one side, it’s a lysergic trance, a cosmic drift through dunes, oceans, and astral storms; on the other, it’s a dark reflection on the relationship between humankind and nature, on the corruption imposed by greed and war. The tracks echo a buried past, geological, mythical, and ancestral, where forgotten creatures and primordial ghosts are awakened by the plundering of resources and industrial fury.

From the Bay State of Massachusetts comes a sound muddy and unfettered, and as doomy as those stern ol’ Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth back in 1620. This is GRAVE SPEAKER.

The band calls their latest single, “A riff filled march through the fuzzy atmospheres of a world filled with awaiting dangers.” And indeed there are dangers lurking all about, some as primitive as those our encroaching ancestors faced, others completely alien to them (and to us) – from enslaving technology and the brutal grind of shifting economic realities to unnatural chemicals and dehumanizing systems of concrete and plastic.

There is something quite base and earthy about the sound of Grave Speaker in response to this Brave New World, as you’ll witness on the title track to their upcoming Electric Valley Records sophomore album, ‘Rays of the Emerald Sun’ (2025).

The low-end is fat and stout, its rumbling rhythm staggering about like Weedeater on a fresh batch of Uncle Jed’s moonshine. The track really throws its weight around, with thick groove, stinging and often surreal guitar licks, and deliriously entrancing vocals that sing the blues into late night, then stumble out into the darkness of the wetlands. It’s a strange, warm, and haunting vibe that permeates all six numbers on this record.

Grave Speaker’s Rays of the Emerald Sun got some real meat on its bones. Another outstanding release on EVR, emerging May 16th on (appropriately) green splatter black vinyl (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with Curse The Sun, Wyndrider, and Lo Pan.

SOME BUZZ

Electric Valley Records is proud to once again work with Grave Speaker, this time for the act’s sophomore LP, Rays of the Emerald Sun, slated for May 16 on two vinyl variants and across digital platforms.

Lurching from the swamps of Massachusetts, Grave Speaker is a one-piece psych-stoner-doom project led by John Steele. Rising from the ashes of High n’ Heavy, the doom unit made its presence known with the self-titled debut in 2023, conjuring a ‘70s aesthetic laced with the raw grit of garage rock and the haze of psychedelia.

Now approaching its second album, Rays of the Emerald Sun, Grave Speaker looks toward the future with a mix of optimism and wonder. Across six tracks, the record delves deeper into psychedelia and the stoner realm, delivering heavier, witch-invoking riffage and vocals oozing with a slow-burning, leaden haze, all while clutching tightly to its ‘70s roots.

Love me some fuzz. In fact, it may be the best way to start your day, forget the coffee. Cue up a little FUZZRIDERS and sail right into your day, rain or shine, good or ill. The fuzz has got your back.

Another Electric Valley Records release, a label which can practically do no wrong with one irradiated downtuned issue after another, Fuzzriders bring us a long awaited full-length, having played in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia for some 8 years, home also of Loose Sutures, 1782, and other notables in the Italian heavy music scene as of late.

Fuzzriders channel a vintage sound from an era that just got rock right, amped up with modern innovations to the fuzz rock genre and vocals that for me recall vintage Bobby Liebling of Pentagram (“I am a demon” the singer chants at one point in the album). At the same time, the single before us roils with fearsome undertow that makes it more menacing than your standard ‘70s fare with an injection of jaded grudge. The fierceness of that album cover says it all: this ain’t your grandad’s stoner rock.

Here is the title track for Fuzzrider’s I Like It, coming out on EVR and available soon for pre-order here starting April 16 (release date June 6). US distribution via Glory or Death Records (get it here).

Give ear…

Electric Valley Records is stoked to announce the release of I Like It, the debut LP of the Italian stoner/fuzz rockers Fuzzriders. Scheduled for June 06, the album will be available on three vinyl variants and across digital platforms.

Fuzzriders took shape in 2017 in craggy, sun-drenched Sardinia, born from an idea by Bonettu and Carrasco. After a few trial runs, they were joined by Willy and Cisko, and together they began writing fast, raw, and punchy tracks, full of fuzzy, heavy sounds. On 01 January 2020, the Cagliari-based group released their self-titled EP, Fuzzriders, marking the beginning of a journey that shows no signs of stopping, with a full-length already in the works, set to take the band to new horizons.

In 2020, after the release of their self-titled EP, Fuzzriders reached out to Electric Valley Records with the intention of starting a collaboration. But, unfortunately, with the world shutting down due to the pandemic, the project was shelved before it could take shape. Now, with their debut album finally ready, Fuzzriders and Electric Valley have reignited the conversation, and this time, it’s become a reality.

Fuzzriders’ debut full-length, I Like It, is a sonic explosion: loud, unruly, and packed with the rhythm of chaos. Each track lands like an unexpected slap, leaving you breathless and on edge for unexpected. This is an album that doesn’t ask for permission, it rather kicks the door in and crashes through your consciousness without warning, leaving you rattled but craving more. Expect beefy, riff-heavy songs riding alongside stoned-out, intoxicated vocals, a groove-ready low end, and unfiltered garage convulsions.

Today, we bring you three things we love: WEED DEMON, Frank Zappa, and Electric Valley Records. The dank stoner-doom-sludge four-piece from Columbus, Ohio are veterans of both Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival and Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival, and were featured on our compilation Doomed & Stoned in Ohio some years back. I’ve filmed them before, and I can tell you there are few bands that are as frightening live.

Recorded at StoneRipper Studio, the band had this to say about the ripping new single, “Willie The Pimp”:

It was an easy choice doing a Zappa cover. Frank was always pushing boundaries and creating music that was intentionally outside of the box. We also find ourselves writing music that doesn’t quite fit into your standard stoner-doom song structure. “Willie The Pimp” is a perfect example of the melting pot of groove that is Zappa, and if there’s one thing we love it’s a solid groove. In the spirit of what an absolute jammer this song is, we tracked our version live. We hope you weirdos dig it as much as we do.

With hints of southern metal in their stoner riffs, this cover transforms the song into a real smokeout, while still paying loving homage to the unhinged original from the record Hot Rats (1969). It was ripe for the picking in Weed Demon’s hands. Definitely re-listenable, too, with its irresistible slow-headbanging grooves, stinging guitars, gnarly bass licks, and a brutal heartbeat. I had it set on repeat myself.

It’s good to see Jordan Holland (bass, vox), Brian Buckley (guitars, backing vox), Andy Center (guitar, backing vox) and Nick Carter (drums) back in action after their devastating full-length, ‘Crater Maker’ (2020). I imagine we can expect more from the band as time unfolds.

And now the Doomed & Stoned premiere of “Willie The Pimp,” done as only Weed Demon can. Look for the single to be released for download on Friday, May 17th (get it here).

Give ear…

Lyrics

I’m a little pimp with my hair gassed back
Pair a khaki pants with my shoe shined black
Got a little lady, walk that street
Tellin’ all the boys that she can’t be beat
Twenty dollar bill, I can set you straight
Meet me on the corner boy and don’t be late
Man in a suit with a bow-tie neck
Wanna buy a grunt with a third party check
Standin’ on the porch of the Lido Hotel
Floozies in the lobby love the way I sell

East Tennessee’s WYNDRIDER has been signed to Electric Valley Records, one of the hot growing labels in the doom-stoner heavy underground (and can almost never go wrong with a release). The four-piece got our attention with their self-titled debut last year, and now they follow this up with ‘Revival’ (2024).

The new album is notable for its fuzzed-out, acid-soaked guitar tone, doomy southern metal riffing, and a rumbling rhythm section, contrasted by Chloe Gould’s bluesy occultic vocals and moments of drugged psychedelic wonder.

The Ozzy, Geezer, Ward, and Iommi connection comes to bear in WyndRider’s “Remember the Sabbath” (my favorite track of the album), which has a misty blues club feel and could well stop time. A fitting companion to Black Sabbath’s monumental first album.

Other songs like “Devil’s Den” present a bold face to the band, with soaringly smooth singing and damning low-end. Closing track “The Wheel” is simply haunting, with sweetly pained guitar riffs, dismal atmosphere, and vocals that echo into the night, as though coming from a clandestined spot inside the moonlit woods of the Deep South.

Today, Doomed & Stoned takes you highlights WyndRider’s powers with “Motorcycle Witches.” The track begins with a solitary riff from axeman Robbie Willis, belting out in forlorn sweetness. This theme is repeated as things shift down and the full band moves in a downtuned direction.

There’s lots of slow stoner groove to be had, thanks not only to irradiated guitar play, but Joshuwah Herald’s swaggering bass and Josh Brock’s prolific drumming. Chloe Gould’s delivery is at once dark, sultry, and entrancing.

Think you’ve had enough
Did it all for love
Try to keep it up
Stripped for all your worth
Leaves you in the dirt
Oh, the witch’s curse

Reached for comment, the band says of the new single: “If it’s got two wheels or high heels, you probably can’t afford it and it’s likely trying to kill you.”

Danielle Fehr of The Wizard Productions in Bristol, Tennessee did a standout job of recording, mixing, and mastering this hazy offering of fire and incense to the slow 'n’ low.

Mark your calendars for June 7th, when Wyndrider’s Revival will be revealed by Electric Valley Records on three variants of heavyweight vinyl, along with a CD and digital release (pre-order here). Glory or Death Records will be providing North American folks with an easy alternative to give us a break on overseas shipping costs (get it here).

Stick 'em on a playlist with Acid Witch, R.I.P, The Death Wheelers, Drug Cult, and Shrooms Circle.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Formed in 2022, WyndRider is a four-piece, stoner doom band from the mountains of East Tennessee. Their eponymous debut album, recorded in late September by Danielle Fehr of The Wizard Productions, was released independently in March of 2023. The album earned WyndRider critical acclaim and even AOTY nods from global heavy music media.

Recognized as “one of the hardest working bands in the stoner doom community,” WyndRider made waves with appearances at Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival; Holler of Doom II and III in London, KY; Mountains of Metal 7, and extensive touring throughout the Eastern and Southern US.

In February 2024, the quartet hit the studio once again with The Wizard Productions to record their second full-length. Titled Revival, this sophomore effort is a sharpened knife, showcasing the refined sound of the band. After playing all over the Eastern US, the group returned to their home in the Appalachian Mountains, focusing in on the hopes and horrors of living there with an unapologetically heavy Southern groove. This album, washed in the blood of its region, sheds light on the smoke and mirrors of life in the Bible Belt and provides a fix for those left craving more after the first dose that WyndRider brought to the scene.

This year, WyndRider will be hitting the stage at Maryland Doom Fest, Gravitoyd Doom Fest in Houston, and Holler of Doom IV, alongside numerous other cities and states.

Upcoming Shows

5/02 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
5/03 - Arlington, TX - Growl Records
5/04 - Houston, TX - Gravitoyd Doom Fest at Black Magic Social Club
5/05 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia
5/24 - Knoxville, TN - BrickYard Bar & Grill
5/26 - Charlotte, NC - TBA

6/08 - Johnson City, TN - The Hideaway
6/20 - Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle
6/21 - Akron, OH - Buzzbin
6/22 - The Maryland Doom Fest at Cafe 611
6/23 - New York, NY - The Bowery Electric

7/05 - Asheville, NC - The Odd
7/11 - Nashville, TN - Springwater
7/12 - London, KY - Holler of Doom Fest at Mountain View Farm
7/13 - Cincinnati, OH - The Comet

Cancervo derived their name from an iconic mountain near Bergamo, nestled in a valley steeped in rich traditions and folklore. Charmed by the tale of a mythical creature, part dog and part deer, that roamed on Cancervo, three local heavy riff enthusiasts from San Giovanni Bianco formed the band as a homage to their cherished valley and its mystical legends.

Their 2021 debut, simply titled I, represents local places and myths. A complete instrumental outing, the album dabbles in sedating psych, deserted stoner/doom, and preternatural prog.

II, the sophomore album, continues Cancervo’s occult narratives of their land. In search of doom roots, the album takes more and more motivating forces from the early ’70s and passably abandons the psych moments of the first album. Unlike the first full-length, I, which was entirely instrumental, this record incorporates vocals on most tracks.

The forthcoming full-length, III (2024), heralds a darker and more introspective phase for the band. Each track on the last album evolved from concert to concert, paving the way for this transformative phase. A distinct vocal presence emerges as the guiding force, alongside the inevitable and recognizable doomy riffs that have always been the trio’s trademark. This tale promises to immerse listeners in the timeless struggle between the sacred and the profane — a theme deeply ingrained in the folklore of the valley beneath the shadow of Mount Cancervo.

Today, we’re bringing you the first single from III, “Sacrilegious Mass,” and the band had this to share about the track:

The Sacrilegious Mass celebrated in Val Vedra, is an ancient story about a herdsman and his rebellion against the conventions that required him to go down to the village for the celebration of Holy Mass. The brave man decided to create an altar and celebrate a sacrilegious mass that was interrupted by God. All the presents were engulfed in flames and bound for eternity to the underworld.

Vinyl pre-orders for III launch on February 15th (right here), with the album dropping March 29th.

Give ear…

WET CACTUS hail from Cantabria, Spain and have been plugging away since 2013, making them as old as Doomed & Stoned. My first notion of the psychedelic heavy rockers came in 2015, with their self-titled debut. The cover art then was weird and disjointed on the one hand, colorful and alluring on the other, and I thought it captured the essence of the band’s sound. Add to that urgent.

The new artwork by David Octane captures it brilliantly on ‘Magma Tres’ (2023), the heavy rock quartet’s lastest romp. The album takes us into proggy up-tempo territory, with frenetic drumming, grungy fuzz-toned guitar, and vocals that make me think of Marc Arm from the hey-day of the '90s punk-grunge-alternative scene. There’s fantastic energy here.

Those opening guitar strands on the new single, “My Gaze Is Fixed Ahead,” provide what I like most in my rock 'n’ roll: something disruptive. It seems to break through the sound and fury of an anxious, over-stimulated life and remind us of what is really central. We’re right here, right now. What do we do next?

“This song is about overcoming challenges and staying focused on a goal,” says the band. “It has a spectacular middle section with vocal work that is totally off the charts compared to what the band has done before.”

It’s about time we had some hefty music that’s also positive. And thank God it wasn’t over in 3 minutes, or we would have missed the gorgeous, southern-tinged guitar duet that begins at 3:16. The sweet tones of the guitar have a vintage '70s feel that’s irresistible. A grungy riff takes us on a ride that buzzes and flutters and gallops and lunges toward a heroic end.

Electric Valley Records has another hot one on their hands, with 'Magma Tres’ (2023) by Wet Cactus, their third full-length. The album is a trip, with a desert meets progressive meets spacey psychedelic sort of vibe, and gets big, bad, and bombastic by the time it’s all said and done. Scheduled for release on November 24th on three variants of vinyl (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with Swan Valley Heights, Black Elephant, Black Lung, CCR, and Mudhoney.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Wet Cactus is an alternative rock band with heavy psychedelic hints, formed in Cantabria (Spain) during the summer of 2013. The band has maintained a constant lineup since their formation, with Daniel Pascual on vocals and bass, Ernesto Díez and Óscar Sánchez on guitars, and Jaime Pérez on drums.

Their debut s/t album was released in September 2015 on CD via Producciones Tudancas and Odio Sonoro, followed by a vinyl release through Violence in the Veins in 2023. The album received a great response, laying the foundation for a sound rooted in deep stoner (Californian desert) but unafraid to explore other styles. From this album, which made quite a splash on the North Spain circuit, it’s impossible not to mention “Damned Rope,” the third track, which has become a true classic in the scene.

Their second full-length, Dust Hunger and Gloom, the album was shaped in 2017 and finally released in March 2018. The album is an evolution and development from the first Wet Cactus record, fearlessly venturing into more progressive or psychedelic elements while maintaining the group’s established sound. This time, the album was released on vinyl by Spinda Records, Monasterio de Cultura, Fuzz T-shirts, Stone Hill Records Store and DoomWitch; the CD edition was handled by Producciones Tudancas and Odio Sonoro; and for those who love the pure essence, a cassette edition was made thanks to La Conspiración de los Iguales. The striking and unique cover art is the work of David Octane, who has become a regular collaborator with the band since then.

In 2018 and 2019, the band focused on presenting their new work and building their live performances, mainly playing throughout the peninsula. They even shared the stage with the iconic Yawning Man on several occasions and performed at the 2019 edition of the Resurrection Fest.

After the forced break in 2020, all attention turned back to the creative process, searching and experimenting with ideas that materialized into their third album, Magma Tres. This conceptual album delves into the consequences of Earth’s depletion as a life-sustaining planet due to human inaction in reversing their actions. Eight tracks, recorded live in February 2022, invoke a gritty and explosive atmosphere. Once again, David Octane created the cover art.

Buzzing signals from the electric guitar tease my temples for the opening moments of “Time Crystal/Mind Prism” by Portland’s ASTEROID WITCH. I feel the groove taking control as riffs encircle me. Guitarist and vocalist Dave is joined by spacey chirps and trails from Sophia’s synthesizer. The rhythm team of Trevor (bass) and Eric (drums) is undeniable – I was headbanging to it straight through.

It’s a bold, adventurous, and mysterious cosmic jam with real weight to it, thanks to amply downtuned instruments which can really grind when they need to. Meanwhile, vocals echo into the star-dotted blackness like some jerky cosmonaut. There is no panic as he soars into nothingness; only calm acceptance of the journey ahead.

Today, Doomed & Stoned hosts the world premiere of the first track ever from the aptly named Asteroid Witch. It’ll be one of four songs the psychedelic doomers contributes to an upcoming split with fellow Oregonians, Greenseeker. Look for the release via Electric Valley Records on November 3rd, which by now have become one of the most dependable labels for latest/greatest stoner-doom. Pre-orders go live on September 21st right here.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Electric Valley Records presents a fuzzy split album between Asteroid Witch and Greenseeker, two rising acts from the ever-prolific Portland heavy music underground. Scheduled for 03 November, the split will be available on three variants of vinyl as well as on digital/streaming media.

The Asteroid Witch side of the split is a collection of psychic auditory transmissions that have been fixtures of the band’s live set since their inception. These compositions range on various topics such as alien abduction, ufo encounters, communication with extraterrestrials and extra-dimensionals, high strangeness, astral projection, space travel, time travel, mind travel, trans-dimensional travel, hidden doorways to the celestial temple, prophets from the sky, portals both seen and unseen, orbs both material and non-material, the Lower realm, the Higher realm, the Middle realm(s), and much more.

On their side of this split, Greenseeker explores the blend of groovy throwback riffs, extended meandering jams, and heavy fuzz. In these two long-form tracks, fantasy meets reality with themes of envy, lust, greed, and pride as two rival bards engage in a magical tiff fueled by the thirst for fame, shrouding the world in a black fog. At their rock bottom, the protagonist makes a deal with the devil to gain a fortune but ends up getting more than they bargained for.

Forged in the nucleus of a distant black hole and teleported to Portland, Oregon in 2021 AD, Asteroid Witch is a conduit for the psychic communication of celestial Demi-Gods from deep space. Their sound takes the stoner-rock/heavy psych riffing of bands like Fuzz, Nebula, Red Fang, and Sleep, and blends it with the space-age synths and high-energy freakouts of bands like Hawkwind and Acid Mothers Temple. Since making contact, they have been transmitting cosmic doom metal from the stars to enchanted live audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest.

With a name like ROCKY’S PRIDE AND JOY, I wasn’t sure what to expect. A folk band? A dive bar rocker? More like wicked, fuzzy, downtuned doom, with siren vocals, a driving heartbeat, and devastating low-end from the heart of Adelaide. The song before us opens their forthcoming album, ‘All the Colours of Darkness’ (2023) and is straight-up maniacal riff worship of the highest order.

Once again, hails to Electric Valley Records for continuing to mark out a distinctive heavy sound, with plenty of surprises along the way. You can pre-order the new album starting June 29th via Electric Valley Records, and it will ultimately be released September 29th. Stick it on a playlist with Windand, Electric Wizard, Witchfinder, Demon Lung, and Aluna.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Rocky’s Pride and Joy began in a cursed railway cottage in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, in mid-2020. Unexplained appearances of handprints, falling candles, disquieting sounds in the night, and vivid dreams of a tortured previous tenant haunted the residence for 12 months while the band wrote their first collection of songs, including “Crawl” and “Times Up.”

With a friendship formed between vocalist/guitarist Brenton Wilson, drummer Jessi Tilbrook, and bassist Dominic Ventra at Jessi’s rock ‘n roll club night, the trio’s unbridled love for doom and fuzz led them to explore their collective vision and bring their first live performance to life at the end of 2020.

Now in 2023, after a slew of live shows, the release of “Times Up” and “Future Self,” and months of writing and recording, Rocky’s Pride and Joy is ready with their debut full-length, All the Colours of Darkness. The group from down under continued their exploration of the dark side of life on this eight-track LP, filled with tales of occult rituals, parasites, paranormal encounters, and cold hard revenge. Through nasty, fuzz-saturated riffs, heavy pounding drums, and window-rattling bass, Rocky’s Pride and Joy are putting their stamp on doom.

KING HOWL pay tribute to the open road in their latest album, ‘Homecoming’ (2023), which opens to a hearty desert rhythm, accented by hot guitar licks, weird synths, and bluesy harmonica. As the album progresses, there are excursions into proto-doom, as well. Hailing from Sardinia, Italy, this is the band’s first Electric Valley Records release, though they’ve been putting out records steadily since 2014.

Today, King Howl share the new single, “Motorsound,” which they tell us was first inspired by The Never Open Desert Diner by author James Anderson. “It talks about the beauty of a shiny truck owning the highway while cruising a desert. Like much of King Howl’s music, it is a eulogy to travel, to the road, and motors.”

King How’s Homecoming gets off on June 9th on three editions of vinyl and in digital format (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with All Them Witches, Sons of Arrakis, and Sasquatch.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

King Howl from Cagliari, Sardinia, plays heavy blues: the raw sounds of the blues, filtered by a multitude of different musical influences coming from stoner rock, '70s classic rock, funk, and punk in a crossover labored with spontaneity and naturalness, a flow of sounds that never stops.

King Howl attracted conspicuous attention with their first full-length, King Howl Quartet (2012, Talk About Records/Go Down Records), which imposed a personal sound, pushed by singles like “Morning” and “Drunk.” In 2014, the four-track Truck Stop Ep (Talk About Records) brought new nuances to King Howl’s trademark, developing a more mature songwriting exposed in songs like “Kerouac” or “Time to Say Goodbye.” In July 2017, King Howl released their second full-length called Rougarou. These 10 tracks of blues-fueled, booze-soaked rock’n’roll record is another proof of the band’s peculiar sound defined through years on the road, represented by bangers such as “Gone,” “Screaming,” and “Demons.”

The band toured all of Italy and central Europe several times; often included in the bills of international festivals such as Pietrasonica Festival, Time in Jazz, Duna Jam, Maximum Festival, Crumble Fight Fest, Freiburg Fuzz Fest, Swanflight Festival, Narcao Blues, and Aglientu Summer Blues; and opened (among others) for Mud Morganfield, Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man, Greenleaf, My Sleeping Karma, Siena Root, and Bob Margolin.

King Howl’s new album, Homecoming, represents a new chapter in the band’s stylistic universe, spurring their trademark sound while mixing it with new compositional and sound influences. A mix of blues, stoner, psychedelia, and classic rock that paints the soundscape of an on-the-road story set in 1960’s America, a narrative plot that permeates the entire work, accompanied by a constant sonic evolution, always on the road. Thus, King Howl returns to the theme of travel, the band’s favorite concept from the beginning.

'Homecoming’ tells the story of a young protagonist who escapes from a rural setting and embarks on a journey that takes him on a train ride and encounters various challenges, including temptation and change. The theme of travel and change is a central focus of the album, with some tracks drawing inspiration from James Anderson’s novel “The Never-Open Desert Diner.” The animal world is also a prominent symbol, represented on “The Great Blue Heron” by a powerful Hammond organ. The album’s epic journey concludes with the track “Home,” which represents an angry but hopeful homecoming and serves as an epic tale of growth, change, damnation, redemption, and rebirth. Homecoming also pays homage to the great Rolling Stones with the sixties classic “Gimme Shelter.”

The album was recorded in Sardinia by Roberto Macis and Willy Cuccu and mixed by Nene Baratto and Richard Behrens at Big Snuff Studio in Berlin, a key production hub for international heavy Psych (Kadavar, Samsara Blues Experiment, Elder, Wucan). A sound production focused on an “organic” analog sound, thanks to the use of vintage gear and a reel-to-reel master made by Nene Baratto at the Berlin-based Morphine Raum Studio.

If you’ve ever seen WEED DEMON in concert (as indeed we did at Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival and Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival in years gone by), you know they have a ferocious presence when the lights go down and the smoke starts spewing.

It’s relieving to know they have a sense of humor, too. Witness the Doomed & Stoned premiere of their music video, “The Elder Tree Pyre” (from the LP Crater Maker on Electric Valley Records – reviewed here). It starts as role players are bantering about a game play, when suddenly they’re taken into the game at the break of grandma’s bong. The world changes radically, trapped in the frames of a comic book.

Surrounding this is a swirl of grinding southern-tinged guitar, bruising bass action, and drums that hammer relentlessly into the hazy void. A cultic rhythm emerges and vocalist Jordan Holland roars, telling a tale of unseen horrors. “I see the devil in you.” The guitar plays a hooky Sabbath riff. “I gotta smoke him out!” The song ends on a reassuring note, with downtuned instruments welcoming our release.

We asked the band to say a little something about this kick-ass vid:

Three years, 3000 still images, 1 green screen and a bajillion bong rips later, we are proud to finally release our video for The Elder Tree Pyre. All good things are worth waiting for or something like that. Many thanks to everyone involved in the process of filming, animating, prop creation, and supplying of essential LARP gear.

If you aren’t too stoned by the time you watch this, feel free to share with your friends. On this holiest of high holidays, we hope all of your dice rolls are a natural 20.

Disclaimer: No bongs were harmed in the filming of this video.

Produced by Danny Rogers, with animation by Derek Stewart & Dan Simone, and props by Kevin Buckley

Give ear…

If Electric Wizard were just a bit more fun, they might be LOOSE SUTURES. Dark for damn sure, but with an exuberant beat, acid-saturated retro vibe, and garage rock gusto. We introduced the fuzz rock trio from Sardinia just year before last, and now they mark their return with a third album, ‘Sado Sex for Dummies’ (2023).

Drawing from the party-till-you-drop excess of the 1970s, the band explores themes of lust, murder, and drugs, weilding a fuzzy, smoke-filled, high-energy sound that taps into the libertine spirit of late-60s rock 'n’ roll.

Today, Doomed & Stoned brings you the first track off of Side A: “Highway Shooter.” The band describes like this:

There’s no way out, you’re gonna die and you know that! So just run as fast as you can and kill as much as you can. Based on a true story, “Highway Shooter” is Loose Sutures’ first single from 'Sado Sex for Dummies.’

The fiery single comes out digitally on March 25th, with the new album dropping in late-May on Electric Valley Records (pre-order here). Stick this on a playlist with Deep Purple, Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, The Hazytones, Null, and Turn Me On Dead Man. It’s one of my favorite go-to records of the year so far.

Give ear…

Loose Sutures return with Sado Sex for Dummies, their third LP, slated for 26 May digitally and on three variations of vinyl via Electric Valley Records.

Assembled in 2019 by four roughnecks, Loose Sutures plays classic '70s riffs with a pinch of modern punk attitude, conjuring a blend of stoner and garage energy and displaying an abundance of evil beats, venomous fuzzes, and raunchy lyrics. Loose Sutures’ music has been praised by fans and critics for evoking a dark and seductive atmosphere reminiscent of cult exploitation movies.

Depicting killer profiles and kinky love stories, the Sardinian group presented their self-titled debut LP in March 2020 via Electric Valley Records. They followed it up with the sophomore album, A Gash with Sharp Teeth and Other Tales, the following year via Electric Valley Records; it later saw a Japanese edition in the Spring of 2022. Introducing the newly recruited Giuseppe Hussain (who replaced Gianpaolo Cherchi, guitars/vocals), the album is “a journey delving into lust with filthy guitars, stoned rhythms, and creepy voices escorting you deep inside the sticky core of what you fear yet desire at the same time.”

Loose Sutures again encountered a lineup change in 2022 when Giuseppe Hussain left the band, leaving the band to operate as a trio. It was a setback, but they refused to let it hold them back. Longtime fellow Marco “Grey” Manca joined to take care of the role of Giuseppe on the “High Heeled Barbarians Tour” around Europe the same year.

'Sado Sex for Dummies,’ as the name hints, is a complete handbook to satisfy the needs of the pervs, sadists, and killers out there. An invitation to indulge in fuzz-drenched, punk-‘n-roll violence, this third record from Loose Sutures has no shortage of lurid stories. While there is a touch of evolution, the album has not strayed too far from the band’s established hard, fast, and crude sound. To add more spice to some songs, the album features a couple of guest musicians, including the legendary Nick Oliveri and Alain Johannes.

Get ready to be taken on a frenzied ride into the depths of your darkest desires.

CANCERVO are at once chill and heavy, not unlike the mountain for which they are named. We met the Italian trio in these pages last year, with the debut of ‘I’ (2021). Following this, the band decided to up the ante and build in vocals on top of an already solid riff-centric foundation. This time, the sound is more doomed than stoned, which is quite alright by me.

The first single to emerge from their forthcoming sophomore release, 'II’ (2023), is the mysterious occult tale “Herdsmen of Grem.” According to Cancervo, the track “is inspired by an ancient local legend that tells the eternal damnation of a man who dared to lie in front of the crucifix. The slow and trodden rhythm, combined with the dark sounds will make you taste the upcoming album.”

Luca is on bass and his deep, droning vocals remind me of another bass-clad frontman, Al Cisneros of Sleep. In fact, you may find this album a fitting companion to Dopesmoker, as its spirit wanders slowly through bleak and wide-open spaces.

Cancervo is a vibe for the surreal quiet and stillness of winter, bearing tales most fitting for the dead of night. II sees the light of day in the New Year, releasing c/o Electric Valley Records on January 27th (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with OM, Weird Tales, and Ethereal Riffian.

This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere of “Herdsmen of Grem.”

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Electric Valley Records presents heavy riffers Cancervo’s second full-length, II, scheduled for 27 January 2023 digitally and on multiple vinyl variations.

In 2020, three guys from San Giovanni Bianco, Bergamo, started their heavy rock group, charmed by the folktales, legends, and rich traditions associated with Cancervo, an iconic local mountain in the heart of a valley. The trio eventually named their band Cancervo as a tribute to the mountain.

Their 2021 debut, simply titled 'I,’ represents local places and myths. A complete instrumental outing, the album dabbles in sedating psych, deserted stoner/doom, and preternatural prog.

'II,’ the upcoming album continues Cancervo’s occult tales of their lands. The album, in search of doom roots, is more and more inspired by the early '70s and abandons the psych moments of the first album. Unlike the first full-length 'I,’ which was entirely instrumental, the upcoming album incorporates vocals on most tracks.

Join Cancervo’s fascinating tour to explore the local myths and scenic beauties.

The Italian stoner metal scene has really been flourishing over the past several years. Its vibrant spirit and gritty heft reminds me a lot of Greece over the last decade, with the emergence of punchy acts like 1000mods, Planet of Zeus, and Puta Volcano. Electric Valley Records has been paying attention, too. They’re latest signing is SLOWTORCH, the four-member crew of heavy haulers hailing from the city of Bolzano in northern Italy.

Here is a band that puts on high energy performances with accessible, relevant lyrics. With one full-length notched on the belt already (2014’s Serpente), the band once known as Godmachine prior to their 2005 reincarnation, now returns with a riveting 9-tracker. ‘The Machine Has Failed’ (2022) is a salvo of hefty beats and sizzling riffs from one side to the next.

Lyrically, the songs have less to do with drunken revelry than with contemplation about the present state of a world emerging from pandemic. As we peer into the hazy unknown, we wonder what civilization will become.

Behold man
He brazenly walks among the gods
To steal their fire and rule his kind
To boldly fly to distant worlds

Oh, the heavy price
Blunted fangs
Clouded eyes
Leaden legs

I am man
He screams at the stars
Crawled from the sea
To march against the sun

In the wake of COVID-19, the cracks and fissures of the machines lay exposed to everyone as we veered ever so precariously toward total societal collapse. Indeed “fear is the North Star,” as the band sings. It seems to be the real foundation of society, evidenced by the outbreak of war soon after plague. Given the fundamental nature of humanity, can we hope for better?

Frontman Matteo Meloni’s vocals burn smooth and clean, with the kind of heartiness that turns every verse into a fist-raising rocker. I was hoping for another exhibition of that grungy Alice in Chain dual vocal harmony that I loved so much in the song “27” from the EP, '4 Barrel Retribution’ (2011), but that was over a decade ago and the band’s sound today sounds less jaded and more spiked with urgency, conviction.

Bassist Karl Sandner and drummer Fabio Sforza comprise a hardworking and unrelenting rhythm section, providing the ideal launching pad for Bruno Bassi’s guitarwork to sparkle and fly.

The band had this to share with Doomed & Stoned readers about the return effort that stands before us:

‘The Machine Has Failed’ is a part portrayal of our times, part social commentary. Some of the lyrics are heavily influenced by Huxley and Bradbury (Brave New World, The Island, Fahrenheit 451, etc.), both of whom seem just as relevant now as they were then, while some songs represent our perception of the times we live in as it becomes increasingly clear that ‘the machine’ has indeed failed.

Slowtorch’s new album drops April 29th on Electric Valley Records (pre-order here). Ahead of its weekend release you can party on with this, the world premiere! Stick it in a playlist with Sevendust, Kal-El, Space Coke, Green Desert Water, High Reeper, and Hypnopilot.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Electric Valley Records presents Slowtorch’s sophomore full-length, The Machine Has Failed, due out 29 April 2022 on multiple variants of vinyl, in addition to digital release.

Formed in 2005, Italian stoner metal force Slowtorch has consistently delivered their signature barrage of straightforward, driving riffs, pounding drums, throbbing bass lines, and roaring vocals on stages across Europe. Think of Clutch meeting the forces of Black Sabbath and Corrosion of Conformity, and you will get the notion of the tough, paranoid, and vibrant tones Slowtorch peddles.

Having a couple of EPs and a full-length (titled 'Serpente’) under their belt, they have shared stages with acts such as Orange Goblin, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, Volbeat, Suicidal Tendencies, Yawning Man, Mondo Generator, Colour Haze, and Truckfighters. The Bolzano quartet’s current line-up, comprising Matteo Meloni (vocals), Bruno Bassi (guitars), Karl Sandner (bass), and Fabio Sforza (drums), has remained together for a decade, dating back to 2012.

On the upcoming album, The Machine Has Failed, Slowtorch rides out the storm with full strength and slow-burning grooves, capturing both the low-end stoner vibes and the incredible ‘70s metal/hard rock sparkles. A part of the record is a portrait of the current era, and the other part reflects the social commentary. Some of the lyrics are heavily influenced by the works of Huxley (Brave New World, Island) and Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451).