Houston, Texas powerhouse STONE NOMADS are coming out with a brand new one on Ripple Music today (get it here). To mark this wrecking ball of a release, the band is sharing a new music video, the title track to ‘Empires of Stone’ (2025). The video, featuring live footage, shows how monstrous their sound and presence is on the stage, ranking them up there with bands like Conan in terms of devastating heft and earth-shaking chug.

Been a fan of these guys for quite a number of years and their t-shirt is still in my regular rotation, along with that fantastic cover they did of Trouble’s “The Tempter,” which we featured on The Doomed & Stoned Show. They’ve really upped the ante this time, though (just wait’ll you hear “Mount Aras”).

Empires of Stone will shake up your space. There’s pure metal magic happening here. Vocals are beastly, but can be exaltant like Slomatics. Their sound is sludgy, with a bitter weet sadness like Gates of Slumber, but also gives us a southern touch like Down. Their rhythms are sometimes plodding like Candlemass, but are rampant and unstoppable too, ala Howling Giant.

For all these touchpoints of comparison, however, Stone Nomads have emerged from the scene as a voice to be reckoned with on its own terms. You could definitely point them out of a line-up and say, “These are my guys.”

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

From the heavy heart of Houston, TX, Stone Nomads charts a monolithic path through the darker realms of doom and sludge. The power trio, formed in 2021 by Jon Cosky (Guitar/Vocals) and Jude Sisk (Bass/Vocals), explores the weighty concepts of life and death through a lens of pummeling riffs and a progressive sludge sensibility.

Their sound is a tectonic blend, drawing equally from the classic doom of Sabbath or Trouble and the savage, sludge-laden attack of High On Fire, Crowbar and Obituary. This evolving vision has been captured on two Doom Charts-approved monoliths Fields of Doom (2022) and …At the Gates of Solitude (2023), building towards the imminent release of their crushingly heavy third album, 'Empires of Stone’ (2025) on international heavy powerhouse Ripple Music.

Known for a live show that is both energetic and utterly immersive, Stone Nomads have carved their name across the Texas scene and southern US on stages shared with the likes of Crowbar, Soulfly, The Obsessed, Eyehategod, Elder, Khemmis, as well as on three multi-region headline and co-headline tours, establishing themselves as a formidable and essential live force within the heavy underground scene.

The product of a turbulent era marked by personal tragedy, their forthcoming third full-length “Empires of Stone” channels its raw emotion into both its music and lyrics, exploring themes of fear, societal struggle, and mortality. While showcasing the power trio’s devastatingly heavy evolution, the album also reveals a deeper, progressive side — brooding and expansive.

“It was crafted as a full album experience, with each song fitting in its respective placement to take the listener on a deep, progressive and metallic sonic journey,” says the trio. “Empires of Stone” will be released on classic and limited vinyl editions, CD digipack and digital formats on November 21st through Ripple Music.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
                                –Charles Caleb Colton

Covers are probably one of the coolest traditions we have in the heavy music scene. It’s all too easy to lose touch with the spirit of previous generations (the aesthetic and sentiment of 1970s folks music, for example), but covers help to keep the essence of a song alive.

I’m addicted to covers (always have been) and appreciate the fuzzed up series put out over the years by the likes of Heavy Psych Sounds, Redux Records, and Ripple Music, so I love when a band or series of bands give their take on brilliance.

Usually that includes the original melody, harmony, and rhythm, though all that can be in flux. Sometimes covers can be entirely unpredictable (think Low Flying Hawk’s rendition of “Dam that River” by Alice in Chains). At other times, a cover will up the ante over the original, such as Howling Giant’s majestic take on “Rooster.”

A well-written song can stand up to this kind of scrutiny, even feeling reinvented. Such is the case with GORDON HEAVYFOOT. The message remains the same, but with a notably growling new animal giving it voice.

This week, Canadian musicians Nichol S. Robertson and Friendly Rich Marsella are poised to release a standout collection of heavy interpretations (really a better term than “covers”) of six Gordon Lightfoot songs. Joining Robertson and Marsella are Gavin Maguire on drums and Vivienne Wilder on bass. The recording was mixed by producer Greg Dawson of Olde (producer of Olde, Grale, Thantifaxath, Panzerfaust records).

While paying tribute to the famed Canadian singer-songwriter of yesteryear, the spin before us stands surprisingly well on its own merits.

Nichol and Friendly tell Doomed & Stoned:

We wanted to honour Lightfoot using our unique voices as artists. We chose these tunes, as they lend themselves well to the heavier interpretation. The band was sort of born from a play on his name, and then when we began working on it, we realized it really worked well. Sometimes, all you need is a creative spark like that, and it almost seems to write itself. That being said, Nichol wrote these sludgy tunes with some help from our bassist Vivienne. Simply put, these are all Gordon Lightfoot songs re-imagined in a heavy dark world.

“Black Day In July”

Motor City madness has touched the countryside,
and through the smoke and cinders you can hear it far and wide

The album begins emphatically, with the spirit and conviction of a downtuned stomping rhythm. When the first verse begins, there is a chill of the night, smoke-filled atmosphere afoot, and I can imagine myself among hushed throngs as the story unfolds.

“Everyone is listening and everyone’s awake.” The lyrics resound today, though contemporary listeners may update their sentiment to the moral, social, and political realities that have evolved since the ‘60s and '70s.

Don’t think it’s going to be a gentle ending. No, we are ushered into pure madness. The payoff, as with so many of the songs here, is well worth the build-up.

“If You Could Read My Mind”

If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell

Even if, God forbid, you haven’t heard the original song (and it won’t take much more than a hop, skip, and a jump to listen for the first time), Gordon Heavyfoot’s rendition holds its own. Many people feel isolated and alone in their thoughts, misunderstood, which makes the words so relatable.

Here, however, the singer takes a break (after the opening “1-2-3-4”), and the instrumentalists do their thing, an extended solo guiding us through the song. The wordless approach is a brilliant call that seems in line with the sentiment of the song, which explores how two people can be so close and yet have such a hard time expressing the true nature of their thoughts and feelings. So, appropriately, it’s a guitar takeover. The ever winding, twisting, screeching, angsty electrified stream of melodic consciousness says it all. Pure music is capable of tapping into a kind of spiritual language that somehow seems to get its point across by how it touches mind, body, and intuition.

All philosophizing aside, this will be an instant yes for many of the regulars here, its tone warm, fuzzy, and inviting. There’s an honest to goodness desert-stoner vibe going on, often noodling its way into psychedelic frenzy, bass and drums providing hearty support for the journey. I was really attracted to the guitar tone, of which Nichol tells me: “The guitar tone is simply a stratocaster through a Traynor Bassmate. With a custom ALLCAPS fuzz and occasional wah.”

“Oh Linda”

I’m gonna sing you a goodbye song
Sing a song that’s most unkind
I ain’t even gonna try to change your mind

This song works so effectively in this style, and would make a fitting companion to the raspy, corrosive cover of Bill Withers’ “Aint No Sunshine” by Montreal’s Dopethrone. The repeated rhythm is a brooding, dark, and bluesy and dons a hypnotically agreeable riff that’s easy to get lost in. The longest song of the album at nearly 6 minutes (just a second shy), I found myself really leaning into the lazy, hazy flow.

“Pony Man

When it’s midnight on the meadow, and the cats are in the shed
And the river tells a story at the window by my bed
If you listen very closely, be as quiet as you can
In the yard you’ll hear him, it is the pony man

This may be a new Halloween classic, worthy of a playlist with Acid Witch and Uncle Acid. Most of us boxed into cities don’t get to experience a quiet midnight on the meadow, but in our mind’s eye the singer can take us there. This demented ghost story goes from eerie to gnarly, Weedeater-style, eyebrow-raising, Dixie Dave territory. So much thoughtful intention was put into the unfolding story that you can’t help but get chills. The sweet spot begins at that 2 minute mark when the rest of the band joins the fold, and a repeated riff just keeps doubling down on the sugar.

"Ribbon of Darkness”

Ribbon of darkness over me
Since my true love walked out the door
Tears I never had before
Ribbon of darkness over me

This is pure doom (probably the doomiest folk song, lyrically, among Gordon Lightfoot’s output), and serves as a release from the nervous tension balled up inside us after the previous song. The grizzling vocals give a sardonic twist of the knife, while lumbering chords stomp beneath Soundgardensque cloud cover. Things kick up quite a notch in the final moments, with a stark raving mad hoe down and some hearty chuckles.

“The Way I Feel”

Now the way I feel is like a robin
Whose babes have flown to come no more

The Gordon Heavyfoot album ends with a song that would have fit just about anywhere on a normal album, but here its ominous feel seems best for last. I have to say, these songs have held up surprisingly well in the stoner-sludge medium. The vocals are ominous, gritty, realistic, defiant, savage, and ultimately unhinged, with the crashout inevitable in each song. The finale here does not disappoint, with an insane Mr. Bungle-like turn.

This is one of my favorite listens of the year so far. If the mood strikes you, it just might be yours too. The attention to detail raises its artistic merit into something I can see being influential in the scene, even if the record is temporarily lodged in the underground of the underground. This may become more and more the norm as AI slop muddies the waters. I can envision a future underground network that passes authentic, badass music like this through trusted hands (much as in the good old days of mix tapes). However, I do hope this project surfaces for wider circulation, perhaps through a record label release. For now it remains among the whispers of the Doomed & Stoned. Spread the word.

Look for the debut of Gordon Heavyfoot on Tuesday, September 30th and catch the act live in October. The album will be issued digitally and on CD at the band’s management site (get it here).

Give ear…

Heavy sludge from Philly, featuring a two-piece band with a provocative name: RED BRICK. Mag Stephens tackles the strings and Chris Penrod the drums, trading barbs on vocals. It’s an all-out assault on the senses, carrying all the contempt of a brick thrown into a glass window.

The band sheds some light on the motives driving the new album, their first full-length following a 2021 EP:

Anchored in real-world despair, class violence, and moments of seething clarity, the album navigates themes ranging from substance abuse and queer trauma to dead-end jobs, burnout, performative activism, blind consumerism, and the failures of authority.

Combative and in your face, ‘Thrown’ (2025), is a wrecking ball of power and emotion blending elements of sludge, death, and grind into a caustic boiling cauldron. “The Price” is their second single and hits you with the force of a seismic wave. Out July 25th on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions is set to release Thrown, the new album from Philly’s destructive hardcore/sludge/grindcore/death metal act Red Brick. Scheduled for July 25, the album will be available on CD and digital formats, along with merch.

Red Brick is made up of two violent homunculi grown in Petri dishes in the bowels of Philadelphia for the dual purpose of suffering and playing false sludge. They arrived upon the world in 2021 AD with the EP Gastric. Operating as a trio until about a year before the debut album, Thrown, was slated for release, Red Brick eventually condensed into a two-piece. That shift birthed a new dimension for the band, as vocalist/guitarist Mag Stephens states: “Through all our various trials and tribulations, we feel like we’ve truly found our sound on this one.”

Recorded in the dead of winter as they mourned the living, Thrown is a testament to their nature, blending sludge, hardcore, grindcore, and death metal sensibilities seamlessly for a soundtrack befitting only the most destructive crash-outs imaginable. Anchored in real-world despair, class violence, and moments of seething clarity, Thrown doesn’t simmer, it erupts. Substance abuse, queer trauma, dead-end jobs, burnout, incompetent authority, performative activism, blind consumerism — it’s all here.

If you see Red Brick, do not make any sudden movements and back away slowly.

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.

Sometimes you just need the right combination of veteran musicians to come together and the magic happens. This is RAVINE, born in 2019. I witnessed their rise from afar during the pandemic and hope to see them live in the months ahead. Based in Portland, the grungy doom act features one of my favorite vocalists from the scene, Paul Dudziak, he of the late great Mammoth Salmon (which I’ve filmed many times).

In fact, I have met just about everyone in the band in the different acts they come from, all stand up dudes. We got ourselves twin guitar fire power with Nico Schmutz of Robots of the Ancient World and Justin Morgan from SkullDozer, joined by drummer Matt Amott of Wölflaut and Dylan Wills of Brick Bath (the only one not originally from Oregon).

This is exactly what I like! Some good ol fashion vintage Saint Vitus worship and nasty guitar riffs with a Southern sludge flair that settle somewhere in the neighborhood of classic Alice in Chains and Down. In fact, Ravine is about everything you could dream of in gritty, hard charging, down-to-earth doom metal band.

These songs ain’t no three-minute wonders, either. We’re talking big, meaty ball busters. “Deliver,” the new single from the band’s upcoming Ripple music premiere, ‘Chaos and Catastrophes’ (2025), is the shortest of the lot at 7 minutes. Nearly every song is 10 minutes long, which is just the kind of sustenance that a good doom lover thrives upon. Give us that red meat, baby.

I’m gonna make my stand!

Listen to that sinister groove chug along from 3:32 on. It’s pure headbanging going if you’re at a live show, guaranteed. Paul’s vocals have plenty of gravelly oomph which, when combined with the grind of the riffage and steady heave-ho beat, give this track a real muscular feel. The guitars shine as the song moves along, getting weird and psychedelic in a Dave Chandleresque sort of way.

Other tracks sport romping, stomping attack that will take you back to the glory days of the genre (“Conjure”), raving, panicked tear up the place moshing (“Contagion”), bluesy, swampy picking (“Prophecy”), and my favorite number (“Ennui”) delivers sweet amp worshipping feedback ala Eyehategod and soul-clutching, plaintive guitar harmonies that lovers of The Skull will adore.

Ravine’s Chaos and Catastrophes is a mad, ominous, moving record. Look for it June 20th on Ripple Music (pre-orders available soon right here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

The heavy hitting Portland Oregon based 5-piece group Ravine were originally formed in 2018. A collaborative effort between two local guitarist friends in the metal scene Nico Schmutz (Robots of the Ancient World) and Justin Morgan (SkullDozer).

Channeling common sounds and influences from bands such as Down, Corrosion of Conformity and Eyehategod, they started writing riffs together as a way to branch out and start something new outside of their already established bands, with new people, and fresh ideas.

After a handful of song ideas came together, they quickly enlisted Drummer Matt Amott of Wölflaut along with San Diego transplantee Dylan Wills of Brick Bath notoriety on Bass. The band played shows locally and in July 2019 released their debut EP with original singer Daren Ford who left the group in late 2020.

In March 2022 the band recruited Paul Dudziak of Mammoth Salmon for vocal duties and Ravine now believes with their solidified lineup that they are ready to show the world what they are capable of.

Fast forward to January of 2024, Ravine went into Wrong Way Recording and laid down an album of new music which demonstrates their already focused chemistry as a solid Doom meets Hardcore Sludge Metal band, and that these veterans show signs of experience beyond their years as this line up.

The band signed with Ripple Music in 2024 and Chaos and Catastrophes is set for release in June 2025.

“This band is extremely brutal…” - Jimmy Bower - Eyehategod/Down

“Portland sludge/doom outfit Ravine isn’t just another five-guys-with-beards. These gentlemen are dedicated to a supreme level of heaviness that stands on the shoulders of Endtyme-era Cathedral and YOB’s first demo. New singer Paul Dudziak has developed a wild character voice that’s one part Lee Dorian, one part Tom Warrior, one part Scott Reagers, and one part Killdozer. All together, Ravine are patient enough to play the same riff for minutes in a row without ever lapsing into boredom or forsaking the groove. Too many doom bands have forgotten how to swing like our masters in Sabbath taught us. Ravine remembers that great music has dynamics, and can both pummel and lurch when needed. Chaos and Catastrophes is a full-length album journey into armageddon, with its full clarity and girth captured at Wrong Way Recording.” - Nathan Carson Nanotear Booking, Witch Mountain, The Keening

Their sound is unmatched. Primal fury and pissed guitar driven ire with vocals that scream WAR! I speak of Vancouver sludgers BISON who have been at it since 206. Guitarist/vocalist Dan And took a few moments to chat with Doomed & Stoned about their upcoming appearance at Electric Highway Festival this weekend!

Tell us your origin story

In the early 2K’s, James was in a band called S.T.R.E.E.T.S., which I had gotten to know from shows in Victoria. When they broke up a mutual friend of ours suggested to James that he and I should play together. James messaged me on MySpace and somehow convinced me to move to Vancouver. We started jamming in August 2006, and that was that.

Bison has been around for almost 20 damn years, what’s changed and what remains a constant in keeping the hard driving energy behind your sound?

We’ve gone through a number of rhythm sections, but James and I have remained constant. I’m the mom, he’s the pop. We’re fuelled by absolute disdain and despair, which are pretty easy to come by these days.

What is it about the Electric Highway Festival that’s got you pumped?

Being back in Calgary with all our old pals is always a great time. Calgary has been our second home since the very beginning. The current stage and sound setup at Dickens also rules.

For newbies to Bison, what can they expect from a live show?

Ringing ears, and a sore back. We’re just 2 old guys and 2 not-so-old guys trying to give it their all and leave it all up on the stage. Complete emotional catharsis while still trying to enjoy themselves.

You’ve had four impressive full-lengths, three of which were released with Metal Blade Records. Do you have new material in the works?

Yea, we’ve been working on some things sporadically over the past few years. We’re all spread out over BC and the Yukon, so it’s tough to get together. We managed to actually get some stuff recorded last summer so we’ll see what happens with that. Stay tuned!

For the devoted metalheads out there, what instruments and gear do you perform with?

My setup has remained pretty constant since we started: a 100W Soldano Avenger into two 4x12 (one Emperor + one Marshall that was re-speakered by Emperor to match). My main guitar is a completely stock ESP - LTD Phoenix 1000 (their version of a Firebird, except 25.5” scale instead of the 24.75” that Gibson usually uses). I also occasionally use a Squire Partscaster Tele or a late 90s cream SG. I had to retire my custom First Act Delgado due to back problems, but it’s still around. Pedals rotate a lot, but for the past few years, I’ve been using an EHX Hot Wax for boost and cut, an EHX Pitchfork, and an MXR Sub Octave Bass Fuzz for a couple of noisy parts here and there. Been through a few different chorus and delays over the years, too, anything from Donner or Joyo to Boss or JHS.

James used a Mesa Mark 4 Long Head (I think?) for years but has been using a Peavey 5150 for a while now. He’s got a Marshall flat 4x12 and a Mesa flat oversized 4x12. He usually uses a First Act custom Lola or a Hamer double-cut (Special?), but also sometimes a Tele or an SG. His pedal setup changes constantly, but usually just a boost for leads and a spacey delay for noise.

Evan has an old Peavey T40 bass that weighs a million pounds in a full Ampeg SVT fridge. He’s got a couple of old, weird dirt pedals, too. And finally Eugene has some drums that sound fucking great. Probably Ludwigs? I can never remember but he bets the hell out of them!

The Electric Highway Festival takes place on April 4 & 5 at Dickens (1000 9 Ave SW) in Calgary, Alberta. Here’s the full line-up:

Friday, April 4, 2025

• Castle (San Francisco/Vancouver)
• Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary)
• Blacksmith and Brewer (Vancouver)
• CHÛNK (Vancouver)
• Hydracat (Edmonton)
• The Astral Prophets (Calgary)
• BUNS (Calgary)
• Doors 5pm – Show 6pm

Saturday, April 5, 2025

• Bison (Vancouver)
• La Chinga (Vancouver)
• Fever Dog (Southern California)
• The Getmines (Vancouver)
• 88 Mile Trip (Vancouver)
• Lover (Calgary)
• GEOFF (Calgary)

Doors 5pm – Show 6pm.

Advance 2-day passes are available for $75. Advance single-day tickets are $40 for Friday and $45 for Saturday.

Festival passes and single-day tickets are available at www.theelectrichighway.ca/festivalstore/.

Enter PRAETORIAN, a pummeling sludge quartet from Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, about 27 miles north of London. The band has been at it since 2015, with three EPs to their name, the most recent being A Deluge of Bad Faith in 2022. Now gearing up for their debut LP, Doomed & Stoned is bringing you a first listen to a song from the upcoming Molotov.

In “Fear & Loathing in Stevenage,” the band captures a rotting slice of life. A portrait of bleakness and despair in contemporary England. Misery, isolation, confusion, hatred. It’s a tale told that is increasingly relatable to the world around, as the concrete jungle and all the trappings of artificiality engulf us, removing us more and more from nature, community, and purpose. Plunging us into social, economic, and technological hamster cages not chosen, but inherited. We seem helpless to escape or change our surroundings.

Here I dwell
Drunk with sour
Endlessly
High on strife
Desolate
Hanging Loose
Needlessly
Begging for life

The words resonate, even if you live outside this particular version of reality. There is no compromise in the brutality of the sound, either. This music nails the words emphatically with bloody hammers.

And this is how you do a music video, folks. Pangaksama’s editing and juxtaposition of imagery shows a lot of thought, syncing poignant moments in the song (lyrically and musically) with visceral tableau and searing visual effects.

Recently signed to APF Records (whose roster we’ve featured many times in these pages), Praetorian are slated to drop their debut full length ‘Pylon Cult’ on January 31st, 2025. It’ll be a rude awakening to another new year on space station Earth, but a welcome release for those whose eyes are opened to the comic tragedy of it all. This is a band that commands savagery.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Taking homage from author Hunter S. Thompson’s classic novel of gonzo journalism gone bad, Praetorian have adapted this drug fuelled mania towards the horrors of living in modern day Britain. Showcasing their sharp eye for pitch black humour, lyrics such as “Way to get stabbed outside the Primark” give the song a distinct Englishness… Or perhaps it’s just a typical day in Stevenage!?

The music video matches Praetorian’s violent sound to a tee, a rapid fire stock footage compilation of death, drugs, destruction, decay, disease and maximum dis-ease! 'Fear & Loathing In Stevenage’ boasts acid tongued riffage, maniacal screams and furious drums. The song takes a real turn halfway through, marked with a monstrous breakdown that transitions from thrashy mayhem into ugly, filthy sludge, sounding as if the earth has engulfed you painfully and slowly. Both the song and video are NOT for the faint of heart!

'Fear & Loathing In Stevenage’ was recorded at Bear Bites Horse Studio in London by celebrated heavy music producer Wayne Adams (of Petbrick, Big Lad and Wasted Death). This studio has produced celebrated records from the likes of TORPOR, Green Lung, Wallowing, Kulk, Opium Lord and many more.

10,0000 YEARS are back with another big record. The sound is urgent, the rhythms unrelenting, the weight heroic. This is ‘All Quiet on the Final Frontier’ (2024) and it’s the hard hitting third album from these sludgy high octane Swedish metallers. Today, Doomed & Stoned brings you a new cut from the record, ominously titled, “The Experiment.”

Says 10,000 Years:

“The Experiment” was one the very first songs we worked on, and finished, after Alvin (Risberg, drums) joined our fearless crew. I think the song is very us, and very telling regarding where we’re at as a band and where we’re going in the future. It’s got the heavy stuff as well as some weird riffing and it just goes all out, all the time. Lyrically, the title came first and I thought “What’s the coolest, most legendary experiment?” and ended up at Dr. Frankenstein’s lair for inspiration.

It’s the latest single to emerge from the band’s forthcoming opus, with a title that provokes thought. It has indeed become an age of experimentation where Pandora’s box has been opened and man has a chance to play Creator, or as it were, mad scientist. The mischief making and miracle working of high technology is fast surpassing our ability to comprehend. If only Dr. Frankenstien had CRISPR when he went to work on his monster. Will our technology ultimately surpass and replace us as a species?

Now I know
What it feels like
To be God

Alex Risberg’s vocals are formidable as usual, filling the skies with vivacious rage. His bass pummels, joined by furious drumming from new guy Alvin Risberg. Erik Palm’s guitars are searing and unmerciful as usual.

Alluding to the famous novel All Quiet On The Western Front, perhaps even in these turbulent times this is but the calm before the real storm begins in our collective culture, civilization, health, and spirit. Wherever we go, heavy music will continue to provide a powerful undercurrent of resistance, reminding us of what it means to be human. Using electicity to rage against the great Metropolis powered by it.

Look for 10,000 Years’ All Quiet on the Final Frontier, out November 22nd (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with High on Fire, Cathedral, Saint Karloff, DÖ, and Sons of Arrakis.

SOME BUZZ

Formed in The Year Of The Plague, 2020, 10,000 Years has since churned out their signature brand of skull crushing stoner metal at a relentless pace. Releasing records in 2020, 2021 and 2022, of which 'II’ gave them a much deserved Manifest-nomination (swedish independent Grammys) for Best Metal, the world may not be ready for the insane massiveness that 10,000 Years have in store for it in 2024 and beyond.

As 10,000 Years now ready their return with their heavily awaited new album, they leave the complex concepts of the Albatross Trilogy behind to explore new frontiers both musically and thematically, focusing on standalone songs and compiling them into the absolute beast that is 'All Quiet On The Final Frontier.’

While still very much in the business of stoner metal, and The Riff still reigning supreme, 'All Quiet On The Final Frontier’ boasts a more melodic approach. It is a natural evolution while staying true to the essence of the band and the sharply focused songwriting makes for 10,000 Years’ strongest effort yet. Having joined the Ripple Family, sure to be a grand new step in their journey, this album sees 10,000 Years take a massive leap forward into new, hugely exciting territory.

'All Quiet On The Final Frontier’ also introduces new drummer Alvin Risberg on wax, his powerhouse drumming providing a shot of adrenaline to the heart of the band and melding perfectly with the guitar wizardry of Erik Palm and Alex Risberg’s thundering bass and howling vocals.

Recording, as usual, took place at the legendary Studio Sunlight with the equally legendary Tomas Skogsberg manning the controls. Mastering was handled by Magnus “Devo” Andersson at Endarker Studios.

As the rapid evolution of technology takes its grip on every aspect of our existence, monitoring our lives, tracking our whereabouts, and yes listening to our conversations, MAMMOTH CARAVAN reminds us of a more primitive time, when the essence of survival was scraping by and worrying about the fundamentals of existence. Yet even in the world of the woolly mammoth, strange things can happen.

On a recent episode of The Doomed & Stoned Show, we speculated what a mammoth in outer space would entail, drawing implications from the cryptic name of Italian band UFOMammut.

Now Little Rock, Arkansas trio Brandon Ringo (harsh vox, bass), Robert Warner (clean singing, guitar, synth), and Khetner Howton (drums) answers our questions with the second single from their upcoming record, ‘Frostbitten Galaxy’ (2024), which sees this Mammoth Caravan heading toward the stars, as is now the ambition of humankind.

Fontman Ringo had this to reveal about the song:

“Siege in the Stars" is the first song that was written for the new album and it was conceived during a time when we had just changed our lineup and had 10 days to create a setlist of new material. Robert came up with the riffs and I started working on lyrics and once Khetner wrote his drums parts, the song became something massive and special. Lyrically the song represents the bloodthirsty mammoth king’s journey through space on his way to achieve his violent quest.

The atmosphere begins with swarthy bass and guitar swirling about like a bowl of incense, perhaps the gaseous precursor to the massive rocket flames that erupt 35 seconds later. “Siege in the Stars” vessel of fury and mad determination, with massive swing and groove 2:01. It’s a motif we’re happy to see return as the song progresses, this time accompanied by sparks of psychedelic doom guitar emitting from the ship as it jetsons into cold, black space, with massive deep beats that mete out the distance along the way.

Mammathus clan overtakes mars
Now we must fly
Martians will die
Empires of rust
Driven to dust
Nothing can stop this siege in the stars

“Siege in the Stars” was captured live for The Anvil Sessions by Holy Anvil Recording Co. in Fayetteville and broadcast by KUAF 91.3, showing us that the band can absolutely deliver on their sound. In an age of AI fakes and phonies, Mammoth Caravan is the real deal.

Look for Mammoth Caravan’s 'Frostbitten Galaxy’ (2024) emerges October 4th on Blade Setter Records on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats (pre-order here). It’s a formidable sound and a must for your next playlist with High on Fire, Forming the Void, Ape Vermin, and Black Tusk.

SOME BUZZ

Little Rock doom trio MAMMOTH CARAVAN is set to unleash its second full-length album, Frostbitten Galaxy. With a revamped lineup, a retooled sound, and a violent tale of mammoths in space, the band’s next offering promises to be their heaviest and most diverse material yet.

Frostbitten Galaxy was recorded and mixed at Wolfman Studios by Jason Tedford, and mastered by Justin Weis at Traxworx. Album art by Tony Koehl.

Doom is alive and well on planet earth with Western Australia’s KING ZOG. Stand in the throes of its thundering court and you’ll be readily convinced. Their name perhaps taken ironically from the insane dictator King Zog of Albania, this Perth-based four-piece follows in the legacy of Black Sabbath infused with ‘90s-influenced heavy rock, presenting to us something extraordinary on its own terms.

'Second Dawn’ (2024) is now King Zog’s sophomore LP and I took to its power immediately. “A new line-up, a new feel,” the band says. “Gongs, mellotron and synths add a textural layer to this thunderously heavy fresh platter of Zog music.” It follows their eponymous full-length entrance in 2017, which we reviewed in these pages in some depth.

Every song on the new venture is seriously strong, beginning with a commanding intro “Scelestic Dust” (scelestic being a rare word for something abominous, formidable, evil). Plenty of weighty thuds from the drums (William Macfarlan on this recording, Sean Ryan in the stage line-up) and pure glitz from lead guitarist Martin Gonzalez, who’s found an excellent tone for his instrument. I can see this being an effective show starter, and get the impression King Zog wanted the album to carry the dynamic of a live experience.

“Rat King” is the first song proper and the second longest of the album at 7:13, as most fall between 4.5 and 6 six minutes. Plenty of time for effective songcraft, and there are some interesting compositional developments along the way. Here we have a damning Sabbath-style groove and misty vocal harmonies anchored in the neighborhood of Chevelle, 3 Doors Down, and Phantom Hound. At 5:36 Martin Gonzalez’s bass builds up to a bittersweet guitar melody that provides a fitting end to this unnerving story.

“Hollow Man Blues” dwells in the phrygian mode of Black Pyramid and Reverend Bizarre, a haunting confrontation of the “stranger in the mirror” lost in a mad fit of pleasure-seeking. Like the previous track, this one has a dramatic Sabbath-style B-section close. Where most songs might end with the music fading, this one gives an emphatic last word.

“Creep On” has similarly gritty lyrics, about someone a clod who’s really creepy and doesn’t quite get it, a sex pest among other things. He’s best summed up by the lines:

Some came to snigger
some came to blame
We heard the ‘timber!’
and down you came

“Madagascar Tree” exudes a dark, macabre flavor that Beastmaker fans will admire, a beautiful fusion of doom and grunge in this bizarre legend of a man-eating tree, the Yateveo.

“Brute Beast” comes out with all the aggressive crunch and grind of that great first album by Stone Temple Pilots, and makes fine company with cosmic doom bands like Domkraft and Forming the Void. It’s a compelling rhythmic headbanger, evolving into a second section which gets surreal and psychedelic, and then rallies a determined beat and downtuned chords with plenty of sway in the final minutes.

“Aruna, Sunmonger” is dramatic spoken word, serving to introduce the title track and record closer “Second Dawn,” which goes on for Slomatics heights of vocal glory, later trailing off in a Sleep-like hypnotic gaze toward some unknown destiny. Yeah, the living dead again, to quote from 1973’s Psychomania.

Look for King Zog’s Second Dawn to see release on vinyl, CD, and digital format this Wednesday, July 31st via Rue Morgue Records (get it here). Stick it on a playlist with Aleph Null, Troll, Sons of Arrakis, Under, and Fuzztoads.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

King Zog’s 2017 debut album inducted a new titan into the underworld of doom – earning unilateral fandom and critical praise for its devotional offering to the gods of metal. Songs like “Temple’s Temple,” “Man-sized Rotisserie” and “Witchsmoker” sounded the way Dominic Sohor’s iconic album artwork looked – fiery and ferocious.

Since the arrival of this musical leviathan, King Zog have worked on a tireless mission. The line-up of Daniel Durack (vocals/guitar), Connor Pitts-West (guitar), Martin Gonzalez (bass) and Sean Ryan (drums) haven’t wasted a single day – hunkering down to write album number two during the pandemic and performing relentlessly once the lockdowns lifted.

The reward for their toil is soon to be unveiled, with “Second Dawn” due for release mid-2024. Bigger, heavier and doomier than its predecessor, King Zog’s second album is everything fans want it to be: a rampaging bull of Iommic riffs, seismic bottom-end and thundering rhythms. Downtuned and distorted, the crushing weight of “Second Dawn”’s music is raised up by undiluted, unadulterated vocal hooks.

Like the eternal journey of Sisyphus up the mountain, “Second Dawn” is a show of otherworldly strength – each song ascending in sheer force before thudding back to Earth, ready to start anew. From its blistering opener “Scelestic Dusk” to its closing title track, “Second Dawn” is a voyage through cyclonic seas… introducing fans to instant doom classics like “Rat King” and “Brute Beast”, whose names do well to serve their ghoulish nature.

Now the go-to doom band in their Western Australian hometown of Perth, King Zog are looking out to the horizon as they ready to set sail in support of “Second Dawn.”

From headlining sold-out shows, to touring the east coast of the sunburnt country, to tearing the roof off every heavy music festival that blows into town – King Zog have become the monster their debut album promised them to be. Now they begin to ink the next chapter in their continuing odyssey… now is the time of their Second Dawn.

It’s been just a minute since we released our compilation Doomed and Stoned in New Zealand, which we were honored to have preserved by The National Library of New Zealand. The current of underground heavy rock and metal is still strong in The Land of the Long White Cloud (or if you prefer, Middle Earth).

Our latest discovery is Wellington five-piece heavy rock beast SIDEWINDER, who today air their latest single “Prisoner” from the upcoming LP ‘Talons’ (2024), an album that has some monumentally heavy moments (wait’ll you hear “The Depths”). We’ve already gotten a taste of the band’s bouncy heavy psychedelic groove with the first single “Disarm The King,” and the second showcases their swagger even further with soaring melodic lines, crunchy southern sludge riffage, chugging bass, and workhorse drumming.

Jem Tupe is a powerful vocalist, on the order of Laura Donnelly from King Witch. She can really belt it out with ferocity and it meshes really well with the swampy might of the band’s hefty, hefty low-end. Sidewinder is taking no prisoners with this one – a big sound through and through.

“Prisoner has been a staple for us with our live shows for years,” says guitarist Ben Sargent. “It was our opener for a while and quickly became a crowd favourite. We did a few things we hadn’t tried before with the recording: like the whisper track through the verses. A lot of the lyrical content refers to Tartarus too which tied in with overall themes of the album. Big riffs, dissonant verses, lead breaks and heavy bridge sections – Prisoner’s got it all.”

“Prisoner was one of those songs that came together naturally and without too much difficulty,” adds guitarist Thomas Rousell (yes, we’ve got two axemen at the ready with Sidewinder). “Ben had a banging riff, we threw in some rolling verses and great melodies, it all came together to make a killer track. The crowd have been hearing this one for quite some time now, but there’s some special bits added to the recording that really lift the track to new heights.”

Sidewinder’s Talons strikes on August 23rd c/o Wyrmwood Records (pre-order here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Since their formation in Wellington back in 2021, NZ heavyweights Sidewinder have always summoned the biggest riffs and most monumental of grooves possible to carve their own path out from the underground.

In a short space of time, they’ve proven themselves to be an integral part of the burgeoning NZ hard rock/stoner scene and this summer they return to the fray with their eagerly anticipated follow-up to their 2022 debut, Vines.

Due for release this August, new studio album Talons is a breathtaking byproduct of their tight, high-energy performances and sold out shows with bands like Orange Goblin and Sasquatch. A swirling tempest of bluesy southern rock and grunge in keeping with the quintet’s heavyset approach to sonic exploration, it draws on influences that span decades, from the hard-driven strut of Kyuss to the spirited sensibilities of Church of Misery.

“We’re really excited for this album,” explains guitarist Ben Sargent. “It’s a lot darker and heavier than our last. There are some monster riffs throughout, some great psych and doom sections and plenty of that eerie, swampy blues thing we do too.”

Featuring new vocalist Jem Tupe; guitarists Ben Sargent and Thomas Rousell, bassist Sean Fitzpatrick and drummer Grant Lister, Sidewinder is primed and ready to bring it all home in the most spectacular of fashions, with their, “wall of riff-heavy psych, with lashings of delta-blues.”

Produced by James Goldsmith (Beastwars, End Boss, Planet of the Dead) and mastered by Will Borza (Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins), just one listen to “Prisoner” showcases just how heavier, darker, and more powerful they’ve become.

Heavy instrumental two-piece WALL are back, featuring Desert Storm members and brothers Ryan & Elliot Cole.

Today, we reveal the first single “Masking My Contempt” from the upcoming record ‘Brick by Brick’ (2024), which will be their first full-length and has been a couple years in the making following a pair of well-received EPs.

Says drummer Elliot Cole:

The song “Masking My Contempt” starts with a sample from an amusing scene that is taken from a film we like called American Beauty. The scene is where Lester Burnham blackmails his boss for over a year’s salary. We have said for years that it would make a cool intro to a song, and to kick in with a big groovy riff after it.

The title of the song is clearly taken from the sample, and the rest of the track was built around that first riff. “Masking my Contempt” switches between a 6/8 and 4/4 time signature. There are only three riffs in the whole song, and some bluesy slide guitar overdubbed. It’s short and sweet and what we set out to achieve with this first single.

The song opens strong with funky metal edge ala Rage Against The Machine, featuring buzzsaw guitar tone, grungy interludes, and an injection of sassy Southern blues guitar. The low-end really rumbles, too. It’ll shake the ground you stand on. “Masking My Contempt” is all too short at 2:26, but nonetheless sweet. It’ll leave you with a good feel for Wall’s dynamo, and wanting more.

Wall’s new album Brick By Brick (13 tracks in all) releases on August 30th via APF Records and will feature a cover of “Electric Funeral” by Black Sabbath and Karma To Burn’s “Nineteen.” See the guys live at New Cross Inn on 08.09.24.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

WALL - An instrumental 2-piece heavy fucking riff machine, built brick by brick & riff by riff by twin brothers and Desert Storm members Ryan & Elliot Cole.

Released on 30th August via APF Records (Desert Storm, Video Nasties, Barbarian Hermit), their debut album ‘Brick by Brick’ is overflowing with unashamed Iommi-worshiping, instrumental, sludge/doom metal. With the band taking inspiration from the first 6 Black Sabbath albums as well as being influenced by the undisputed kings of instrumental stoner rock, the much missed Karma To Burn, drummer Elliot Cole comments on some of the other artists they were listening to at the time while writing the album:

“Torche, High on Fire, Elephant Tree, and The Sword were on heavy rotation a lot. I also was listening to a fair bit of Power Trip at the time too. But as well as the rock/metal stuff, we were listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Radiohead which helped in a way with some of the more spacey & ambient sections on the album.”

Like many recent projects WALL was born during lockdown with the two brothers living together in a small flat. With both of them furloughed, this left the duo with little else to do but write music to distract themselves from the boredom of being stuck at home.

Ryan wrote riffs on an unplugged Gibson SG, whilst Elliot tapped out the drum rhythms on his lap. The first time the twins heard how the songs would sound properly was when they were in the studio tracking their initial first two EPs, as they couldn’t arrange a proper rehearsal due to restrictions.

While originally starting out as a side project, WALL began to evolve into a more serious proposition following shows at Bloodstock Open Air, Desertfest London, Masters of the Riff alongside shows with Discharge, Will Haven and European dates in Germany, Czech Rep & Slovakia.

Now following these shows and two EPs on APF Records, the next step for WALL is the release of their debut album 'Brick By Brick’. Recorded at Shonk studios / Warehouse Studios - Oxford, by Jimmy 'Evil’ Hetherington & mastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio, ‘Brick By Brick’ is essential listening for any fan of slow, crushing riffs.