Ruff Majik Return With New Single “Can of Wyrms”
South African heavy rockers Ruff Majik walked away last May, alluding to concerns of mental health and the drain/drag of being in a band trying to engage an audience. No, they didn’t use those words. Their return with a new single, which features Ben from Slomosa and apparently a slew of others from the South African underground on vocals, expressing a collective point of view of those left behind by suicide. The chorus, “May valkyries carry you home,” is duly stirring, and all the more effective for the group voice delivering it. Ruff Majik always had a good sense of production adding to their material.
The band’s last album, late 2024’s Moth Eater (review here), stepped forward from 2023’s Elektrik Ram (review here) but was perhaps too much too soon as the band’s manic pace of touring and releasing led to their unwinding, even if just for a time. There’s talk of restraint in the PR wire info below, but you’ll find the track has plenty of let-loose behind its push, and while it’s not the first time Ruff Majik have purposefully directed themselves toward the anthemic, they’re going for community resonance here, and the track is affecting. More so when you read the lyrics on the Bandcamp page.
Surprise this morning from the PR wire:
A new chapter begins for Ruff Majik with the release of latest single Can Of Wyrms
South African heavy rock outfit Ruff Majik return with Can Of Wyrms, a stark and emotionally unguarded single that confronts suicide from the perspective of those left behind.
Rather than romanticizing loss or framing it through spectacle, Can Of Wyrms documents grief as an ongoing presence — unresolved, heavy, and communal. The song was written years ago, but only now finds its moment, arriving as the band re-emerge after a period marked by silence, distance, and personal reckoning.
Frontman Johni Holiday has previously spoken openly about PTSD, agoraphobia, and cycles of dependency formed while touring — struggles that ultimately led to Ruff Majik stepping away before the weight became fatal. That pause, and the clarity it forced, directly informs the song’s restraint. Can Of Wyrms does not seek answers. It acknowledges absence, as well as the battle waged by those in the thick of it.
Musically, the track balances Ruff Majik’s stoner-punk urgency with a raw yet anthemic vulnerability. Gang vocals — recorded with friends and members of the South African underground music community — form the emotional core of the song, reinforcing its central idea: this grief is shared, not isolated.
The single also features guest vocals by Ben from Slomosa, adding a further layer of communal voice and international solidarity to a deeply personal release.
All proceeds from Can Of Wyrms, including associated merchandise, will be directed toward mental-health support initiatives.
The release coincides with Ruff Majik’s first live performance (31 January, Pretoria, South Africa) , since their hiatus — not framed as a victory lap, but as a statement of intent. In the band’s own words: “There is work to be done.”
Can Of Wyrms is not a eulogy. It is a warning, a remembrance, and a refusal to buckle under the pressures of the world.
This single is currently available on BandCamp only, and will be released on all other platforms on 16 January 2026. The band will take no requests for press until the first phase is complete.
Special crowd vocal features from Delilah LaVey, Shinesh Rambali, Danny Ylang, Jess Anderson, Matthew Nijland, Wilco Meyer, Estian Smith, Jimmy Glass, Brendon Bez, Lars Key, Kayleigh Mocke, Ahreev Govender, Zuanre Voges, Lumar Schutte
Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)
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