Posted in Features on November 26th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
[PLEASE NOTE: This post will remain on top of the page until the poll ends in January. New posts will appear underneath. Thanks for scrolling.]
It is time for my favorite post of the year. This one. And no, not just because half of it is copied over from last year with the rules and such — because I frickin’ love the year-end poll.
This has absolutely become my metric for what people have dug each year, and especially in the results post with all the lists, I still find stuff a decade later that people were hip to that I’m just discovering. As a resource, it’s priceless.
Thanks if you participate this year by adding a list of 20 of your favorite releases. Any social media sharing is deeply appreciated as well. The Obelisk’s Facebook page got suspended (again, for nothing), so I need all the help I can get spreading the word.
The form is here, and the rules are copied over from last year below that:
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Thanks for reading and taking part. Please share the link if you can.
The rules don’t change, except in what year it is: Anything from Jan. 2025 to whatever’s coming out between now and Dec. 31 is eligible. If something is out digitally now and physical later and you want to include it, do. Two lists are tabulated; one of the raw votes, and one in which a 1-4 ranking is worth five points, 5-8 worth four, 9-12 worth three, 13-16 worth two and 17-20 worth one.
I’m not saying it’s a throwaway, but don’t overthink it. Somebody other than me is laughing at that, I know. I keep notes all year of my top releases, and I still struggle sometimes to put a list together. Do your best, pick what feels right, and please have fun.
As always, my most heartfelt thanks to Slevin, without whom this site wouldn’t exist. Slevin puts together the poll every year, tabulates the results, and does so with the sweetest ‘you’re my friend so I don’t charge you for this and I probably should’ indulgence possible. His pick of the year seems to have been Butthole Surfers’ Electriclarryland. Fair enough.
Poll runs until Dec. 31, 2025. Barring disaster or if I decide to let it go a couple extra days, results will be out Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, along with individual lists.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
By the time this six-song split between Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age split EP (previously discussed here) was released by Man’s Ruin Records in Dec. 1997, Kyuss weren’t a band anymore, and guitarist Josh Homme‘s subsequent project, Queens of the Stone Age, was beginning to take shape after starting out as Gamma Ray, releasing an initial single (also on Man’s Ruin) and being threatened with a lawsuit if they didn’t change the name by the German power metal band. Kyuss had released their fourth and final album, …And the Circus Leaves Town (discussed here), in 1995, and though nearly all of the material on the 33-minute posthumous foreshadow was previously released, the CD nonetheless serves as a convenient landmark to note the transition from one band to another. No narrative is actually so clean, of course, and to be honest, I don’t know the dates, when Kyuss was ‘done’ vs. when Queens first got together. I’m sure those stories are out there someplace.
Interestingly, Chris Goss is listed as producer, but only for the Queens of the Stone Age portion of the split, which is side B. Though Kyuss worked with the Masters of Reality mainman on three landmark LPs, two of which came out through a major label, Fred Drake — a co-owner of Rancho de la Luna and founding member of earthlings? who passed away in 2002 — is credited as producing the Kyuss tracks. That first of the two three-song sides is comprised of a Black Sabbath cover taking on “Into the Void,” which is both on-the-nose and brilliant, and two originals “Fatso Forgotso” and “Fatso Forgotso Phase II (Flip the Phase).” The first two had come out on a 7″ through Man’s Ruin already and the latter was a CD-single B-side for “One Inch Man” from the last album, and would show up on Kyuss‘ other posthumous outing, Muchas Gracias: The Best of Kyuss, which came out in 2000.
The Queens of the Stone Age tracks, again, with Goss at the helm, were also mostly previously released. “If Only Everything,” which when the band put out their 1998 self-titled debut (discussed here) would see its title shortened to “If Only,” takes its chunky-style riff born at the Homme-hosted ‘Desert Sessions’ and uses it to preface an entire career of hooky songcraft. It and “Born to Hula” were released as the Gamma Ray single and both would show up re-recorded, while “Spiders and Vingaroons” would have to wait until the 2011 reissue of the first Queens record to see inclusion as a bonus track.
But wherever else one might find its source material scattered about in the short-releases or broader discography of its respective band, the Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age split gives the audience a rare opportunity to experience a moment of transition that generally happens behind the scenes. Think about it. When a band breaks up and a member goes on to form a new project, how many times in your life have you then run into those two bands doing a split with each other? Kyuss vocalist John Garcia, who’d already in 1997 fronted the Slo Burn EP, Amusing the Amazing, sits in on backing vocals for Queens of the Stone Age‘s “Born to Hula.” Homme had a hand in mixing both bands’ tracks. It’s about as close to a passing of the torch from one to the other as you could get without an actual ceremony.
What all of that information doesn’t tell you is that the Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age split is worth it for “Into the Void” alone. One should not blink at the opportunity to hear circa-Circus era Kyuss bring their tonal warmth to the Black Sabbath classic while Garcia adds his own twist vocally. The chugging riff remains unto itself, a holy thing, and for being the only chance I know of to hear Scott Reeder play a Geezer Butler bassline, it’s a palpable draw. And if it seems presumptuous, first, good, rock and roll should be arrogant and sacred cows are useless — music was meant to be played — and second, Kyuss at the time did not have the 30 years of legendmaking plaudits thrown their way that they’ve had since. Note that Monster Magnet did the same song on 2000’s Nativity in Black II tribute to Black Sabbath.
While engaging with …A Circus Leaves Town — which had the same lineup, with Garcia, Homme, Reeder and drummer Alfredo Hernández — it was difficult not to wonder what might’ve been had Kyuss kept going. The rawness of the sound on “Fatso Forgotso” and “Into the Void” gives something of a glimpse. The smooth production of the band’s final album is replaced by something ganglier, with flailing sounds and a volatility that comes through despite the rampant grooves they’re working with. “Fatso Forgotso Phase II (Flip the Phase),” otherwise known just as “Flip the Phase,” is a charged, two-minute heavy punker careen with the band clearly hitting for maximum impact. After the jammier stretch in “Fatso Forgotso” with its twisting lead guitar, the all-in drive of “Fatso Forgotso Phase II (Flip the Phase)” makes for a stirring contrast. It’s about as suitable a note for Kyuss to ‘go out’ on as one might ask.
And it’s easy to hear the attack in the strum of “If Only Everything” and think to yourself that a moment has arrived. The piece inherits grunge slackerdom and laissez-faire, but is too catchy and harmonized to actually be that half-assed. Homme is tentative on vocals compared even to where he’d be as a singer in 1998, and that only adds to the nascent feel. But the song is already there, and I rate “Born to Hula” among the finest hooks Homme has composed for any band. More than “If Only Everything,” “Born to Hula” benefits from the more barebones sound, while “Spiders and Vinegaroons” heralds a weirdo streak that would go on to make the first couple Queens records all the more essential. Again, rarely are endings and beginnings so conveniently paired.
That’s the story here, but for fans of either or both acts, the Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age split is more than just a landmarker. It brings into light and focus the appeal of each band, and in offsetting them one into the next, conveys something about what made each of them special. It’s not the last Kyuss release, but it was the one that let you know it was over and it was time for something else to happen.
As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.
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I guess you saw the link in the first sentence, but I’ve written about this split before. The Friday Full-Length has been a thing around here since 2013, and before that I would just close out with a cool video or whatever, so yeah, I’ve had time to cover some of this stuff. If you look back, it’s a different discussion, and if you ever hear me say I’ve said everything about a record — ever — I’ve lost my mind, so yeah, I feel like this split can accommodate two posts. Maybe 10 years from now I’ll do another. I don’t know.
I’ve never written about Muchas Gracias though, so I’ll probably do that next week.
Next week, also look for a review of the All Them Witches / King Buffalo show on Saturday in Brooklyn, which is closing out my year of live activity (I have to note it was busier than 2024, if still pretty low key), and I have two album reviews I want to write before I drop everything else and dig into the year-end stuff for real.
One is a two-part review for the two LPs Kadavar released this year. I didn’t get either as a promo, so I need to chase them down.
The other is The Whims of the Great Magnet, who now have a two-part collection called Gronsveld Jams that I want to dig into.
If I can do both of those next week, then I’m ready to take on the task of the big year-end post. That’ll be a few days writing where nothing else happens. I’ll put a ‘under construction’ thing up or something cute, maybe, when the time comes, but that should be next weekend.
In the meantime, I continue to get better from last week’s covid excursion. My stamina is better and I’m still coughing a bit but not so much my throat is burning, so I’ll take that. I’ve continued most of this week to sleep like shit, but I think Monday into Tuesday was really good, so that was nice.
Zelda update: I haven’t had time to play, and I don’t think Majora’s Mask is fun anymore, so I’m not exactly dying to finish it. Last night I guided The Patient Mrs. through the Gerudo section. She got the hookshot, which I’m hoping makes the game more enjoyable generally, but it’s like they took Ocarina of Time and decided to bring everything that was a pain in the ass about it into focus as the center of the game. You can’t even collect items because every time you reset the clock so the moon doesn’t smash into Termina, it all disappears. Oh good, I get to go cut bushes to get 50 arrows again. Better put my rupees in the bank! I guess maybe if I was a more ‘serious gamer’ or had more investment in the lore, I’d be into it, but yeah.
The Pecan started a game of Wind Waker on the Switch 2 through Switch Online. I liked that game a lot, maybe best of the bunch pre-Breath of the Wild, though there’s (suitably enough) a piece of my heart that belongs always to Ocarina of Time. She had The Minish Cap on the other night until she got pissed at it, which definitely is a thing that happens. I started a game on my laptop of A Link to the Past using a mod called ‘redux’ that changes some of the dialogue — it also has the unfortunate effect of getting rid of Link’s pink hair in the game, but so it goes — and was thinking I’d play that again before I took on A Link Between Worlds, which uses the same map and is a sequel of sorts. But I’ve never played through Majora’s Mask before and I’m like halfway through with two dungeons done, so part of me feels compelled to finish, even though I’m enjoying it less. I probably wouldn’t want to start again, so it might be now or never. Screw mini-games, though. Really. All of them.
That’s gonna do it for me. I hope you have a great, safe weekend. Hydrate, have fun. If you’re going to KB/ATW, I’ll see you at Brooklyn Steel, and otherwise, I hope you and yours are happy and healthy as the year winds down. Also fuck fascism and its perpetrators. Forever.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
I saw a video the other day wherein Spirit Mother, or at least the portion of it comprised of guitarist/vocalist Armand Lance and violinist/vocalist SJ, talk about some of their plans for next year and note, as Lance holds their baby, that part of the reason they haven’t been on tour as much in 2025 (though they did do a sizable European stint this past summer) is because they made a human. Fair.
In that same clip, which I attempted to embed below, mostly just because it’s nice to see people happy with a baby, they talk about how it’s time to knuckle down and start writing an album. Also fair. Spirit Mother put out a Lance/SJ two-songer earlier this year called Songs From the Basin (review here), but their most recent album is 2024’s Trails (review here). That’s not that old but for an internationally touring unit looking to keep momentum on their side and grow their audience, yeah, 2026 will probably be time for a follow-up.
At least we know what label it’ll be on as they’ve aligned with the label wind of European heavy booking agency Sound of Liberation for their next release. I’ll call the moment they’re facing crucial, because I genuinely believe in this band’s songwriting and think it’s time for them to really make a record that’s front-to-back the best they can. Trails and the prior 2020 debut, Cadets (review here), showed a distinctive growth in craft and atmosphere, a range of moods and an ability to make a song memorable. If they can manage to step forward in this regard, I think it would be reasonable to say they’re living up to their potential, but it’s got to be a next-level kind of collection, which is exactly what I have faith they can put together.
Here’s looking forward:
⚡SPIRIT MOTHER ⚡
We’re thrilled to welcome Spirit Mother to Sound of Liberation Records!
Spirit Mother create heavy rock shaped through a folk-informed and classical lens. We’re incredibly happy to have them on board and can’t wait to share their new music with the world.
Welcome to the family, Spirit Mother!
Spirit Mother are: Armand Lance: Vocals, Bass, Baritone, Acoustic & Electric Guitars SJ: Violin & Vocals Sean McCormick: Electric Guitar Landon Cisneros: Drums & Percussion
Posted in Reviews on December 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Roiled in acidic sneer, the debut EP Real Love from NY psych-shovers Dead Hits has its roots in 2010s-era trippers Naam, whose guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lee Lugar reemerges here. It’s been some 11 years since Naam‘s last studio release — a four-way split (review here) with Black Rainbows, The Flying Eyes and White Hills — and accordingly, Lugar and the company he’s keeping in Dead Hits, with Philippe “Phi Moon” Ortanez (ex-Mirror Queen, ex-La Otracina, Shifters, solo stuff, etc.) also on guitar, Brian Murphy on bass and backing vocals and Jesse Ministero on drums, have embarked on discovering their own take, whatever familiar elements might carry over from Lugar‘s previous outfit, as heard in the vocal pattern on Real Love‘s wah-soaked opening title-track or the gritty blowout in the second half of the penultimate “Perfect World.”
Psychedelic rock is still the foundation, but there’s a fresh dynamic coming together in Dead Hits as well, both in terms of the conversation between Lugar and Ortanez on guitar — which seems to be a big part of it in terms of the songrwiting — and stylistic turns like the grit-garage finisher “Schweinhund,” or its earlier, also-three-minutes-long hard-fuzz-boogie counterpart “Melted.” The second cut behind “Real Love” is a scorcher as regards general purpose, fuzzed in tone and tight in terms of rhythm, with Lugar running through lines overtop, vague but discernible if you want to listen. A series of crashes seems to herald a slowdown but they twist back into the verse instead, some nuance there perhaps ingrained from early NY punk, a bit of perhaps-subconscious strut learned through osmosis before the next ripping solo precedes a last verse and noisy ending.
Pattern-wise, there’s nothing crazy about it. Both “Real Love” and “Melted” have a keeping-it-loose vibe, but the opener is a march and its companion piece at the outset feels no less based around physical movement in its procession, even if that movement happens in another way. Both songs are written to a structure, with purpose, and though Dead Hits may or may not at some point take on a longer form in terms of songwriting — Real Love was co-produced by Lugar and Studio G‘s Jeff Berner (who engineered), but while one assumes the songs started from Lugar, but the only credit given is John Weingarten (ex-Naam) and Tony Castineyra for “additional songwriting” — this initial showing, a first-impression first EP, isn’t where it happens.
Centerpiece “Day and Night” follows the true-to-title finish of “Melted” with a riff that feels culled from the Witch school of riffing and so is suitable for relation to a band who used to be labelmates with them. As it moves past its intro, “Day and Night” has a fervency to its low end that neither “Melted” nor “Real Love” before it boasted. This change in approach doesn’t upset the character of the EP — they’ve had three songs each with something of a different look, so there’s not really anything yet to depart from; they’re still setting the context — and it shifts into a mellower verse before renewing the flood of l0w-end fuzz, shuffling snare and intertwined lead guitar. “Day and Night” is almost entirely instrumental for its second half, and uses much of that time to establish a progression that has both melodic depth and psychedelic outreach. You can hear it in the churn of bass and guitar under the solo, as well of course as in the solo itself.
And maybe it’s inevitable that Lugar and Ortanez would be a focal point for a listener aware of their pedigree, but I’m not sure that’s an obstacle to those otherwise unfamiliar with these players. The reason I say this is specifically because Murphy and Ministero do so much of the work in terms of holding these songs together. Yes, saying something like that is ridiculous in a way, because if the songs weren’t held together they likely wouldn’t be on the EP in the first place, but while the roles of bass and drums in creating the fluidity overarching throughout Real Love is understated, it’s also what lets Ortanez‘s leads and Lugar‘s verses shine, and it’s what balances out the stretches where the guitar is shouting at the universe, because it’s where the band still keep a foot on the ground in terms of groove.
“Day and Night,” also the longest inclusion at 5:31, is a highlight for its tone and for its shred, but if you miss out on the soul behind Ministero‘s snare work or the crunch brought to the underlying rhythm part by Murphy‘s bass, then you’ve missed the song. The point is these are not happenstance or secondary elements. While nascent in the way of a debut EP, Real Love showcases the shape of the whole band, not just the members with parentheses next to their names.
Before the aforementioned “Schweinhund” caps, feedback and low rumble lead the way into the explosion at the start of “Perfect World.” Shorter, more taut and forward-directed in its roll, “Perfect World” keeps its current of guitar noise as the bass punches out the bounce of the verse, bit of grunge creep in the line there, but put through a prismatic filter of some sort or other. They’re building in that early verse and it’s hard to tell because of the noise, which only makes it feel cleverer as they shift into a crashing instrumental hook. It won’t be the last one as they turn around, and with the rough production, what’s probably a catchy-enough riff requires some digging out of the morass, but that’s pretty satisfying too, and when the solo hits around three and a half minutes in, I feel like I can see Ortanez wiggling his foot on the wah for maximum scorch.
At the end, “Schweinhund” caps with a different kind of ambition, still psych but more banger and less prog-indulgence, which I’ll take as a positive sign and thank you very much. I don’t know what Dead Hits‘ plans are beyond these songs and local gigs, if they have any, but while Real Love sounds like the output of a group getting their bearings, it’s also likely to throw the listener off-balance with just how much of a sense of themselves the band seem to have at this point. Self-awareness, and bonus, because it doesn’t seem to be holding them back.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
No surprise here in that it’s almost all surprises; that’s just kind of how it goes at Roadburn these days. Acid Mothers Temple (for a residency), the ethereal reach of Lili Refrain, Planning for Burial doing drone and not, some rap because that still counts as transgression, and a heaping dose of noise and avant sounds — yeah, that’s a Roadburn lineup announcement. You say you’ve heard of like three of these acts and that’s it? Well yeah, that’s how Roadburn does. You think to yourself, I’m gonna go see like the seven bands I know and that’s gonna be plenty anyway and then you spend like a week discovering brilliant new music. Might as well start early.
To wit, I’ve never heard Bosse-de-Nage. So I’m gonna go listen to some Bosse-de-Nage and get myself educated. See how this works? Maybe by April I’ll be dying to see them. I don’t know if I’ll be at Roadburn next year or not — one always hopes, but it’s not up to me, and one of these years that festival is going to realize they need me there like they need a hole in their head — but the likely scenario is I’ll still have found something cool to listen to, and that’s a win no matter other outcomes.
The PR wire sent the full update thusly:
Roadburn adds Acid Mothers Temple, Yellow Eyes, ELUCID and more to 2026 line-up
Roadburn has added another 18 artists to the 2026 festival line up, including Artists In Residence Acid Mothers Temple, black metal band Yellow Eyes, and rapper ELUCID. Roadburn 2026 will take place between April 16-19 in Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Roadburn’s Artistic Director, Walter Hoeijmakers comments:
“As the underground continues to shift and evolve, this latest announcement pushes the Roadburn 2026 vision even further. Each new addition widens the scope of what this year’s edition can become – sharpening its spirit, deepening its identity, and reflecting the full, ever-expanding blueprint of heaviness today.
“We are celebrating artists who challenge themselves, who embrace change, and who boldly carry the underground forward. In doing so, we remain grounded in what drives us: curiosity, connection, and the belief that music can help us navigate whatever lies ahead.
“With every step, the picture grows clearer. With every artist, the excitement builds. And with everyone who joins us, Roadburn 2026 moves closer to becoming exactly what it’s meant to be.”
All ticket and accommodation options for Roadburn are on sale. Tickets are on sale now and more information including the full line up can be found at roadburn.com
Additions to Roadburn 2026:
Acid Mothers Temple as Artists in Residence All Men Unto Me performing Requiem Bitchin Bajas Bosse-de-Nage Dälek ECHT! ELUCID Fauna (GBG) Lili Refrain Lathe of Heaven Moloch NGHTCRWLR Planning For Burial performing a regular set and a drone set Portrayal of Guilt Sanam Siem Reap Sir Richard Bishop Yellow Eyes
These artists will join a slew of previously announced artists including Oathbreaker, Krallice, Agriculture, Maruja, billy woods, Primitive Man, aya and many more. The full line up can be found atroadburn.com
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
A new video from Coltaine isn’t such a shock. The post-genre German dark heavy progressives released their new album, Brandung (review here), on Sept. 5 through Lay Bare Recordings, and especially in light of the tour they have coming up in Jan./Feb. with Faetooth, a new clip to keep momentum going makes sense. But Coltaine do things their own way, exclusively. So how surprised should one be to learn that “Mogila,” which raises a sludgy chug from out of a subtly constructed ambient backdrop, vocalist Julia Frasch using a rasping shout that eventually recedes to let the meditative lead guitar hold sway en route to later layered crooning, isn’t from Brandung at all?
Mildly? A lil bit? Egy kicsi kicsit?
Well, less if you’ve dug into Brandung and you recognize “Mogila” isn’t there. The song is recognizable as the hypnotic opener of 2024’s Forgotten Ways (review here), and the ceremonial feel that emerges from it ties into that record’s ritualistic cast. Once that chug gets going, solidified in its march, the song has its pattern to follow, but the prior swirl is more than scene-setting as well, the two sides coming together to create a sound that is atmospheric and primal alike, something which Coltaine have built upon with Brandung.
In addition to the dates below, Coltaine have been confirmed for Freak Valley Festival in June, where I very much hope to be in no small part to see them for the first time (also doom yoga), but if you’re in position to see Coltaine with Faetooth in the next month or two, that’s probably a thing you want to do. The shows are in the UK, Ireland and major Euro markets. I wouldn’t be surprised if they followed with an Eastern Euro run later in ’26 — maybe that’ll be their summer plans and they’ll start off at FVF for all I know — but there’s plenty of time for such things. The upcoming dates are below, should you want to mark the calendar.
I’ve also got the stream of Brandung down there, even though “Mogila” isn’t on it. Year-end list time is upon us, and I know Brandung is on mine. I thought maybe I’d give you another shot at it too. Might make your day if it hasn’t yet.
But first, the video:
Coltaine, “Mogila” official video
Coltaine on “Mogila”:
‘Mogila’ has been with us since the beginning, and now feels like the right moment to give it its own space. It captures the essence of our first album, and we wanted to revisit it visually.
To us, our music is timeless, and we naturally return to certain songs during periods when our connection to them feels stronger. Mogila is a very dark piece that embodies the mood and atmosphere of this darker time of year in which we currently find ourselves.
Coltaine – Mogila Idea & editing: Natascha Stogu Mix and master: Jan Oberg
Special thanks to: Paul Koranyi Maksim Khmelevsky Tim Plaster Mikalai Kapachou Film Archive Austria
Mogila’ (могила) translates to ‘grave’. ‘Mogila’ can be found on the Forgotten Ways album, which was released on Lay Bare Recordings in September 2024.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 11th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Hermano have an efficient stretch of European touring coming up next Spring, which will take them to Desertfest Berlin, Desertfest London, Sonic Whip and Obsidian Dust, as well as club shows in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. They’ll keep company with Solace and others for the going. Last year, they issued the EP When the Moon Was High (review here), as their first studio offering of any sort (in other words, it was archival, but still) since 2007.
This is an uptick in activity for Hermano. For example, when they played the 2016 edition of Hellfest in Clisson, France, that’s now being released Feb. 8 as the live LP aptly titled Clisson, France, I don’t think they did much else on stage. And Hellfest was again where they wound up earlier this year, so it seems like there’s a relationship there between the fest and the band. So much the better if they’re comfortable.
Obviously, if Hermano were to knuckle down with the lineup they have and put together a new record, well, I wouldn’t be complaining about it. As it is, that they’re doing anything at all feels like a win, and we know from experience one thing leads to the next. For now, here’s what’s up via the PR wire:
HERMANO: Hellfest live album coming on Ripple Music
California’s heavy blues titans HERMANO (fronted by iconic Kyuss vocalist John Garcia) announce their new live album “Clisson, France” this February 6th on Ripple Music and present a first video with the roaring single “Left Side Bleeding”. The announcement comes with news of a European spring tour, including festival appearances.
About the upcoming Hellfest 2016 live album, guitarist Dave Angstrom enthuses: “We were honored to be invited to perform at Hellfest 2016. It had been several years since we all had been in the same room, let alone had the chance to jam together—and it was an incredible experience. Being with my closest friends in France, connecting with the amazing audience, and having the opportunity to spend time with my family while experiencing the magic of Hellfest is a memory I will always cherish. Capturing that first Hellfest experience for Hermano on vinyl is special, serving as a reminder of the strong bond, love, and friendship I share with John, Chris, Mike, and Dandy. I’m a lucky man. We are so appreciative of Todd Severin and the Ripple Music family for getting this out. We hope everyone enjoys what we created that memorable evening as much as we enjoyed being there together.”
Recording albums and touring when they wanted to since their formation nearly three decades ago, Hermano has always consistently refused to operate on anyone’s schedule other than their own. Lured by the repeated calls of their devoted fans, though, the band first reunited for a stirring performance at Hellfest in Clisson, France, in the summer of 2016. Eight years removed from their last live performance, they arrived in Clisson with time to rehearse through their material for a couple of hours before taking the stage. In what has been hailed as the most thrilling set of the 2016 edition of Hellfest, that evening the audience witnessed a band hitting on all cylinders, a performance so energetic and seamless that those in attendance were in awe that the band had not performed together since 2008.
Captured on both audio and video, “Clisson, France” promises to be one of the most magical and significant live releases of 2026. It will be issued on limited LP edition, CD, and digital format on February 6 through Ripple Music, as well as on DVD through the band’s channels.
Not ready to stop there, encouraged by the fervor of fans across the globe, Hermano has booked their first extensive tour in over a decade for the spring of 2026. For both old and new fans of the band, these shows will offer a rare and unique opportunity to experience one of the most influential and thrilling groups in the heavy blues genre.
Hermano European tour 2026 May 7 – Paris (FR) La Maroquinerie May 8 – Utrecht (NL) Tivoli Vredenburg May 9 – Cologne (DE) Luxor May 11 – Vienna (AT) Arena May 12 – Munich (DE) Backstage Halle May 14 – Berlin (DE) Desertfest Berlin May 15 – London (UK) Desertfest London May 16 – Nijmegen (NL) Sonic Whip May 17 – Brussels (BE) Obsidian Dust
TRACKLIST: 1. Left Side Bleeding 2. The Bottle 3. Cowboys Suck 4. 5 to 5 5. My Boy 6. Is This Ok 7. Alone Jeffe 8. Kentucky 9. Manager’s Special 10. Angry American 11. Love 12. Señor Moreno’s Plan
Hermano first formed when David Angstrom (Supafuzz), Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs), Mike Callahan (Disengage), and John Garcia (Kyuss) agreed to lend their talents to the session that Dandy Brown had scheduled for December 1998. Coming together for the first time in Cincinnati, the initial riffs that Brown had constructed were arranged by the newly formed group and would become the foundation for the band’s debut album, Only a Suggestion.
Over the next decade, Hermano would go on to release three studio albums (Only a Suggestion, Dare I Say and Into the Exam Room) and a live record (Live at W2) showcasing the force the band had become in the heavy blues market. Embarking on a series of now-legendary sold-out live performances in the United States and Europe, Hermano continued to grow a legion of dedicated fans and critical acclaim. Following the European tour in support of their debut album, Steve Earle’s departure to pursue his solo project opened the door for veteran drummer Chris Leathers (Supafuzz) to step in during the band’s performance at FestiMad in 2004. Performing on the next two studio albums and their live release, Leathers’ addition to the group cemented another chapter in the friendships established during the band’s formation six years earlier.
With wind in their sails after their iconic 2016 Hellfest performance, and with the acquisition of full ownership of their entire catalogue, Hermano committed to sonically updating their albums through remixing, remastering, and reissuing their three studio albums and live material with San Francisco-based Ripple Music. The first in the series of reissues, Only a Suggestion, was made public in the fall of 2023, drawing tremendous reviews for the band’s updated blues rock masterpiece and giving their devoted fans a delicious first taste of what is to come over the next few years.
Seizing the energy of finally having an open window of opportunity, Hermano issued their first new material in over fifteen years with the release of When the Moon Was High in 2024. Featuring previously unreleased material from their Only a Suggestion sessions, live tracks, and the new single “Breathe”, the band stepped back into the fray with overwhelmingly positive reviews, culminating with their stellar headline performance at the 2025 edition of Hellfest.
HERMANO line-up: John Garcia – Vocals Dandy Brown – bass Mike Callahan – Guitar David Angstrom – Guitar Chris Leathers – drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 11th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
I’ll gladly go on record to say that I could be perfect happy to never hear Geoff Rickley from Thursday sing anything again, ever. Though they and I hail from the same Garden State, I was never a Thursday fan and remain true to that inclination. Pelican don’t feel the same way, and fair enough. The Chicagoan outfit — traditionally but by no means at this point exclusively instrumentalist — have Rickley singing on “Cascading Crescent” on this new EP complementing earlier 2025’s Flickering Resonance LP (review here), as well as two songs that I bought on the Adrift tape last year as they were getting money together to record the album, as well as an off-album track that isn’t streaming or I’d probably be telling you how long it is.
Oh and there’s a European tour with Russian Circles newly announced, tying together previous fest confirmations at Desertfest Oslo, Sonic Whip, Desertfest Berlin, Sonic Rites, and others. It all came down the PR wire thusly:
PELICAN – Ascending EP
Excited to share that our new EP Ascending is coming January 23 from Run For Cover – click the link in our bio to hear the previously un-streamable vocal version of “Cascading Crescent” feat. Geoff Rickly from Thursday. Originally recorded for the “Cascading Crescent” vinyl-only 7” (limited to 500 copies and very sold out), we had the chance to perform this version live in Cleveland when our tours intersected this past July, as documented in the music video out today. The experience made us eager for more folks to hear how Geoff’s melodies re-contextualize the song.
The EP is rounded out by “Ascending,” a hypnotic epic recorded at the Flickering Resonance sessions, and the vinyl debut of “Adrift” and “Tending The Embers,” recorded and self-released in 2024 just as we’d begun piecing the album together.
In honor of the EP, Laurent teamed with Will Killingsworth of Dead Air Studios to create Resonance, a custom reverb pedal that interacts with users’ playing and resonates in unique ways, varying from light echo to lush soundscapes to self-oscillating frenzy. The pedal and a new shirt design are available from the RFC site via the link in our bio.
We’ve also added some headline dates to our upcoming EU tour with Russian Circles. Hope to see you out there
Feb 1 – Something In The Way – Boston, MA Feb 28 – Doom City Festival – Mexico City, MX May 5 – Kollektivet Livet – Stockholm, SE May 6 – Monument – Gothenburg, SE May 7 – Skraen – Aalburg, SE May 8 – Desertfest – Oslo, NO * May 9 – A Colossal Weekend – Copenhagen, DK * May 11 – Gruenspan – Hamburg, DE * May 12 – Live Music Hall – Köln, DE * May 13 – P8 – Karlsruhe, DE * May 14 – dunk!festival – Zottegem, BE * May 15 – Sonic Whip – Nijmegen, NL * May 16 – Desertfest – Berlin, DE * May 18 – Arena – Vienna, AT * May 19 – Durer Kert – Budapest, HUN May 20 – MeetFactory – Prague, CZ * May 21 – Technikum – Munich, DE * May 23 – Sonic Rites – Helsinki, FI * * w/ Russian Circles
Posted in Reviews on December 11th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
In terms of methodology, it’s been a long time between releases for Australian jammers Frozen Planet….1969, but they haven’t been completely absent. In 2022, the Sydney-based heavy psychedelic explorers released Not From 1969 (review here), which was an all-in collection of adventures in aural chemistry and in-the-open jaunts. Mellow-heavy freedom, wrought and recorded. Echoland is the first time to my recollection that the trio — guitarist Paul Attard, drummer Frank Attard (who also produced and mixed) and bassist Lachlan Paine –have dug into more structured material on a record. To look back at the time since Not From 1969, songs on Echoland like opener “The Plants” or the partially-structured “Setting the Scene for Time to Stand Still” find precedent on later-2022’s Glassblaster EP and the earlier-2025 single “Night Movers,” which does appear on the download of the record in an alternate take, but seems to have come about as the three-piece were reconvening around an evolved intention.
Between the initial tight boogie of “Night Movers” and “Night Movers (Alternate Take,” which crosses the 10-minute mark and feels a bit more jazz-swaggering in its plotted flow, the impression remains centered around live performance. Frozen Planet….1969 haven’t come back after three years with a hyper-produced sound, but the shift in their purpose from pure jamming to building songs out of the material resulting from their jams is palpable even as “Night Movers (Alternate Take)” and everything from “The Plants” onward works in some way to toy with the balance between the two sides.
One finds a winding highlight in the fuzzy lead work of “If I Had Wings,” a sometimes-howling line of soloing threaded, eventually in layers, atop an unassuming backing procession. Psychedelic for the tone, “If I Had Wings” gives over to a seemingly-plotted, not-improvised roll, but the key sounds, the course of the nod that arrives as that lead line departs, and the ease with which they carry the song to the finish speak to the tradeoff being made here. For the band, it’s a change in target for Echoland. It’s not about capturing the moment of inspiration anymore, about how the songs are finding their path through uncharted terrain, but about how arrangements are conceived and executed, and how the band are able to foster a sense of purpose behind the choices they’re making to go where and when they do.
“If I Had Wings” resolves in a kind of well-here-we-are proggy bop, after the organ has stepped up in place of the guitar solo and itself made way for the comedown ahead of the also-five-and-a-half-minutes-long “Plastic Banquet,” which feels immediately plotted in its acoustic-guitar-meets-keyboard unfolding, electric guitar gradually layered in. In this way, Frozen Planet….1969 show that not only are they looking at structure as something malleable to their craft, but also realizing their flexibility in terms of arrangement, which feels as much forward-looking as it does about the present moment. Texture and evocation remain a strong piece of Frozen Planet….1969‘s impression on the listener, it’s just that those and others become tools put to use rather than, to the listener, happy accidents along the way.
And I guess that leads to the central question of Echoland, which is just how academic that difference is in the first place. From its melancholy solo line that’s conversing with “If I Had Wings” before it to the chimes in the midsection and the light Morricone-ism that ensues in the second half, “Plastic Banquet” feels declarative in terms of what Echoland is going for and accomplishing as Frozen Planet….1969 take on this bit of willful evolution, but the primary impact of their work — still feels open. That’s true for the lack of vocals throughout, for the linear nature of the structures employed, for the readiness to shift arrangements and the fact that they actually spend a decent amount of time jamming or recounting jams in passages. Does it matter to the casual listener? Is there a discernable difference between Echoland and an earlier work like 2017’s Electric Smokehouse (review here)?
I hate to say it, but it depends almost entirely on the person hearing it. If you want to put on Echoland and from the classic in medias res rush of “The Plants” dive into the multi-stage dynamism of “Setting the Scene for Time to Stand Still” and experience it on the level of appreciating the decisions that have gone into making it, the careful way that Frozen Planet….1969 have taken these steps to have more of a foundation beneath them even as they continue to harness atmospheres beyond, you can. If you want to just let it go and see where it takes you, maybe approach it without the baggage of consideration among the rest of their catalog — just hearing it — the album accommodates this as well. If you don’t believe me, they have the 18-minute closing title-track to prove it.
Now, I say “closing,” and you should know that “Night Movers (Alternate Take)” follows on the download, if not the compact disc version. But the point is that even in its reaches there’s structure, purpose behind the going. If you told me the midsection was completely improvised, or that the entire second half was improvised, or that the entire thing was improvised around a prior backdrop, I’d believe you, but the point is that by the time they’re 13 minutes deep, it doesn’t really matter whether that little flourish of guitar noise was thought of beforehand or not. A solo emerges from the low-key freakout and carries into more noise and skronk, which they bring to a speedier-shuffle culmination to cap as they otherwise might onstage.
No question they finish with their jammiest take, and the messaging there seems to be that making it up as they go is still a part of who Frozen Planet….1969 are, even if the band’s internal definitions of what they do and how they do it have changed and/or are changing. I won’t predict where another three years will find their sound, except perhaps to point out they seem committed to instrumentalism, but Echoland makes them a stronger outfit because of its ethereal reach and the shapes the band are able to carve therefrom.
