Tomorrow, March 28, marks the release of the second Smoke Mountain full-length, The Rider, through Argonauta Records. With it, the Floridian three-piece bring into focus the gothic atmosphere somewhat obscured by the low fuzz of their debut, 2020’s Queen of Sin (review here), while saving room in the final three tracks for the band to do a complete revisit to the initial self-titled demo/EP (review here) that set them forth with such ceremony upon its arrival in 2017.

Those three songs appear in their original order, even, so if you told Smoke Mountain at any point in the last eight years or so you liked them, it would seem your voice was heard. The path the band take to get there makes up the heart of what The Rider have on offer, and as they take the chug of Type O Negative‘s verse riff to “Black No. 1” and revamp it for opener “Hell or Paradise,” they do so with a clearly conveyed intent to bridge the (imaginary) gap between doom, goth and heavy rock. This journey culminates in the likeminded march of “The Sun and Heavens Fall,” rich in presence and correspondingly lo-fi in its buzz, as is the procession through “The Way to Heaven” — faster, like late 1970s catchy heavy punk gone cult stoner, so yeah, a little Misfitsy as it gets swallowed by the noise of its own making — the big-on-crash “Bringer of Doom,” and the title-track, which runs under three minutes and has a “Neon Knights” or “Turn up the Night” kind of tension to it its verse.

The Rider, then, isn’t without its sense of dynamic, but it leaves little question that Smoke Mountain know what they’re about in terms of mood and songwriting, and the aesthetic they’re exploring here, continuing on from the first LP, is deceptive in its complexity owing in part to the rawness of the production and the live, in-the-room feel of the performances. And much to the band’s credit, they revisit their origins in such a way as to convey the progression they’ve undertaken since, whether that’s the hypnotic chorus of “Demon” or the stomp of “Violent Night” snapping you back to reality, or the eponymous “Smoke Mountain,” which remains a filthy delight of crunch and march while still letting the vocal cut through. The closing trilogy are distinct, but I don’t think so far out of character with the new material prior as to be incongruous. The tones are there. The structure, the melody. Groove is groove. You split hairs, I’ll nod out.

A suitably blasphemous thematic gives a metallic aftertaste, something dark and seething, and there’s a level of harshness intended in the recording itself, but for experienced heads, nothing on The Rider should be such a challenge as to be completely inaccessible. This is an asset on the band’s part, and something one hopes they’ll carry forward as they move toward the potential realizations of a third record, learning from the meld they undertake in these songs and bringing that experience to the studio as they did after the first outing going into this one. If you’d take on the whole album — awesome; it’s streaming below — keep an ear for the goth vibes and the malleable way the band speak to the different facets of their sound both before and after they dive back to retell their origin story.

And however you go, and wherever you end up, I hope you enjoy.

PR wire info follows:

Smoke Mountain, The Rider album premiere

The Rider combines elements of the past, present, and future of Smoke Mountain. In addition to featuring the three songs from our debut EP, The Rider contains five powerful new tracks that provide a glimpse into the direction the band is heading. We’re very happy with the final product.

Smoke Mountain, the celebrated doom trio hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, is thrilled to announce the release of their highly anticipated new album, The Rider, out March 28th, 2025, via Argonauta Records.

Formed in 2015, Smoke Mountain quickly carved out a place in the doom metal scene with their self-titled debut EP in 2017, which garnered widespread acclaim and set the stage for their first full-length album. Released via Italy’s Argonauta Records in 2020, Queen of Sin earned critical praise for its haunting melodies, crushing riffs, and atmospheric depth.

With The Rider, Smoke Mountain builds upon this legacy while exploring new sonic territories. The album remains true to the band’s doom roots, showcasing their signature blend of occult themes, heavy grooves, and evocative lyrics. At the same time, it reveals a matured approach to melody, arrangement, and production.

Tracklisting:
1. Hell or Paradise
2. The Way to Heaven
3. Bringer of Doom
4. The Rider
5. The Sun and Heavens Fall
6. Demon
7. Violent Night
8. Smoke Mountain

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Dutch now-trio Komatsu are set to issue their fifth full-length, A Breakfast for Champions, on April 11 through Heavy Psych Sounds. Starting with the rush of its title-track, shimmering bright, heavy in the undertone and with a fervent sweep, it’s not a record that gives you a lot of options. You can go with it or be bowled over. “A Breakfast for Champions” revels in dynamic and tonal weight, bringing the ’90s post-hardcore script of its cover art to bear in a sound that is nonetheless charged in its delivery, malleable and progressive in construction, able to call to mind Floor as the Eindhoven three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Mo Truijens, bassist/backing vocalist and hold-my-beer-it’s-time-for-a-quick-solo-in-the-opener drummer Jos Roosen, who pushes the crescendo in the leadoff with a foreshadow of crash, unfurl an increasingly complex procession.

The course is set, and across eight songs and 37 minutes, A Breakfast for Champions goes on to earn whatever ‘hearty meal’ pun you want to throw at it, each song offering something to help paint a more intricate, interesting, and heavier portrait of the band as they are today. “Savage” and the bluesier “The Devil’s Cut” somehow grow spacier one into the next, which sets up the crushing return of “Release the Flies,” the presumed side A finale premiering below which offsets its chorus density of march with spacious verses and a low-key stoner-meander jam past the midpoint. A bit of storytelling as they build back and the roll resumes, surely disrupting local traffic with its sheer largesse.

“Release the Flies” caps with an immersive crescendo and, on the album, gives over to the side B starter “Fatcamp Workout” — just in case you were wondering, still okay to casually hate fat people — with a somewhat mathier turn still mirroring the title-track in its intensity. “What Lies Underneath” and “Welcome to the Underworld” would seem to have some connection with all the ‘under’-ing between the two of them, but if there’s a thematic line to draw, it accompanies a starker turn in sound from the broader melody and nod of the former to the latter’s rougher vocal and uptick in chugging tension. The momentum of that shift carries into the finale “Climb the Vines,” with some influence from the Elderian school of heavyprog with its own persona and departure into wash, and they end with residual cosmic resonance on a fade.

Was it a dream? Was it breakfast? Could be a bit of both, I guess. The varied approach Komatsu take on their fifth full-length demonstrates an ongoing progression of sound and songwriting, showing them as mature but still exploring as the band mark their 15th anniversary this year. Continuing to record with Pieter Kloos and Peter van Elderen and apparently robust pre- and post-production processes have resulted in an album that’s been shaped to seem familiar while offering its own perspective on occasionally crushing craft.

Don’t expect “Release the Flies” to stand-in for the whole record — it has its ebbs and flows, sure — but it’s got a big ol’ riff that it’s about to lower down upon your until-now unsuspecting person, and if it’s your first impression of A Breakfast for Champions, it’s a hell of one for the album to make.

PR wire info follows. Please enjoy:

Komatsu, “Release the Flies” track premiere

Komatsu’s 5th album is no fluffy pancake! 8 heavy, filling and delicious tracks will blow your mind and boost your immune system. Now as a three-piece band, their sound has opened up to show new layers of fuzz, rhythm and groove. Lyrics range from deep topics like the universe, rebirth and dystopia to fatcamps and female parts. Komatsu is proud to add some extra grease, grit and crunch to your morning oatmeal so you can face anything the world throws at you!

1. A Breakfast for Champions
2. Savage
3. The Devil’s Cut
4. Release the Flies
5. Fatcamp Workout
6. What Lies Underneath
7. Welcome to the Underworld
8. Climb the Vines

Credits
All songs written by Mo Truijens.
Publishing: NFL/BMG Rights Management (Benelux) B.V.
“What Lies Underneath” lyrics by Mo Truijens and Ronny Dijksterhuis. “Devil‘s Cut” lyrics by Mo Truijens and Mathijs Bodt. “Welcome To the Underworld” music by Mo Truijens and Mathijs Bodt.

All music recorded at Tarwesound by Pieter Kloos.
Vocals recorded at Bootleg Recordings by Peter van Elderen. Mixed and mastered at The Void Studio by Pieter Kloos.
Pre-production by Komatsu and Peter van Elderen. Post-production by Komatsu and Pieter Kloos.
Artwork and design by Lotte Voorhoeve. Photography by Tessa-Viola Kloep.

Komatsu:
Mo Truijens – Guitars / Vocals
Martijn Mansvelders – Bass / Backing Vocals
Jos Roosen – Drums

Komatsu, A Breakfast for Champions (2025)

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Norwegian heavy gutter rockers Håndgemeng will release their second album, Satanic Panic Attack, on April 11 through Ripple Music. As one might glean from the corpsepaint-‘n’-skin-contact cover art, there’s no lack of shenanigans throughout, but also as one might glean from the cover, a fair amount of it is brilliant, bringing together classic metal and heavy rock, shouty punk and riff after riff, the odd melodic change just for good measure. They pull as much from black metal as from Scandinavian drinking songs, or so posits “The Cauldron Born” at the album’s outset, and while reveling in the idiocy of our times in referencing the notion of a ‘Satanic panic’ at all, cleverly setting it next to the idea of a panic attack, they take all the tropes of darkness and devil-worship and cult this-and-that and make them fun. They’re a reminder that ultimately music is supposed to bring people together.

They’re also brash as fuck. Enough to remind that their home country once produced a group called Kvelertak. Håndgemeng are coming from someplace else sound-wise and aesthetically — we’re talkin’ demons on choppers, beers sloshed in beards, farting dudes and bawdy ladies ripping it up until well into the ancient moonlit forest night of yore, or somesuch — as much raucous unpredictability and gang-shout throwdown with those seven best friends that you definitely at any point in your life had as it is a classic hard rocker, with “Medieval Knieval” long on charm and short on bullshit, the title-track tapping all of our inner Motörheads and “A Path Less Traveled” reminding in its echoing mellow divergence those few times when Death Alley might space out to end a vinyl side.

“The Sundrinker,” premiering below, has some of that same space and proggy nestle in its groove, so keep an ear for it, and it pairs that with a rougher-edged vocal than the earlier song, keeping things moving after side B leadoff “Earthwoman” stoner-reverbs its worshipful procession en route to a psych lead and punkish threat that ultimately turns back to the expansive chorus, and ahead of the closing duo, “Down Below” and “Supermoon,” which round out with a bit of death-bluesy nodder catchiness and an over-the-top succession of solos that really is kind of the only thing that “Supermoon” could do to appropriately cap the proceedings. Not that there was any doubt of the all-in nature of Håndgemeng generally, but there’s no way they’d let an opportunity to showcase it in such a manner slip. Somewhere out on the floor, a drink spills. No one even begins to notice.

After doing Ripplefest in Germany last year, Håndgemeng will go two-for-two at Desertfest Oslo in May, but if you’re thinking about making it to the release show, you’ve got to wait until October for that. I guess sometimes a venue’s calendar fills up. Or maybe they have another album coming. I don’t know. Regardless, I wouldn’t expect either the chicanery or the riffs to have staled by then, as so much of what Satanic Panic Attack captures conveys a live-on-stage feel, from the gang vocals in “The Cauldon Born” to those persistent twists in “Supermoon” and at points between as Håndgemeng reshape genre around themselves rather than curbing their sundry transgressions. This, in the end, is no less a strength than the most searing or righteous of riffs.

Enjoy “The Sundrinker” on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire:

Håndgemeng, “The Sundrinker” track premiere

Five damned dudes, banished from the pits of hell, smelling of brimstone and cheap beer. Brought up on heavy metal and rock n’ roll brewed together with a bad attitude and devil worship, and from that cauldron, Håndgemeng emerges guitars in hand. Get ready to experience the doom n’ roll extravaganza as they play to entertain the devil himself! Riff after riff after riff Håndgemeng will take you from the depths of hell to the farthest reaches of space. Together we will escape prison planet Earth, if just for a little while.

Under the eerie glow of the supermoon, the motorcycle death cult gathers in parts unknown, ready to perform the infamous Ultraritual. As the night deepens, the air crackles with anticipation, and the roar of engines fills the darkness. This is no ordinary gathering; they are here to summon the Cauldron Born, a demon also known as Medieval Knievel, a powerful entity that embodies chaos and fear.

At the center of the ritual, the cult invokes the name of the motorcycle-riding demon, Medieval Knievel. With each rev of their bikes, they channel energy into the night, calling forth Knievel to rise and unleash a wave of satanic panic attacks upon the unsuspecting world. The ground trembles as the demon emerges, a harbinger of dread and madness.

As the denim-clad cult members chant in unison, the atmosphere thickens with tension. Those who walk the path less traveled feel the fear they instill spreading like wildfire, and soon, it becomes clear: we are all going down below, drawn into the chaos that the ultraritual has unleashed. The line between reality and nightmare blurs, and in the shadows, the motorcycle death cult revels in the panic they create. Don’t worry, it’s only black magic.

New album “Satanic Panic Attack” was produced, mixed and mastered by Ruben Willem at Caliban Studios. Artwork by Thomas Moe Ellefsrud.

1. The Cauldron Born
2. Medieval Knievel
3. Satanic Panic Attack
4. A Path Less Traveled
5. Earthwoman
6. The Sundrinker
7. Down Below
8. Supermoon

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Chicago-based post-metallic conceptualist outfit Beware of Gods will release their second full-length, Upon Whom the Last Light Descends II : Amnesia Island, on May 2, taking the title in part from the fictional setting — at least I’m pretty sure it’s fictional, can’t quite remember — where the songs take place. Spearheaded by Jason O’Donnell, who also uses the weighty nom The Archetype, the sophomore LP continues the vocalist/multi-instrumentalist’s collaboration with drummer Kellii Scott (Failure) and brings in two new parties in sound designer Feederwire and guest guitarist Eric Plonka, but the prevailing vision remains in line with what Beware of Gods laid out across their likewise-cumbersomely-named 2022 debut, Upon Whom the Last Light Descends Pt. I : I Am Named After Death, wherein lie the roots both of the new album’s aversion to putting the colon in its title next to the Roman numeral and its prog-metal-encompassing scope.

Which is to say that Upon Whom the Last Light Descends II : Amnesia Island pushes further from where the debut left off, deepening the arrangements — oddly enough, bringing in a sound designer has upped the level of sound design; stay tuned for more useful lifehacks — and generally broadening the reach of the material. O’Donnell himself is a big presence in the material. His vocals come in admirably Devin Townsend-esque swaps between extreme metal screams and soaring prog melodies, and in steering the arrangements across these eight tracks from the atmospheric/shouted intro “Concussion Dream” through the spoken part in closer “Temple of Thieves,” there is an auteurial sensibility that comes through the 49-minute span. This continues the evolutionary thread from the previous LP even as the narrative those songs laid out — the whole Pt. I/Pt. II thing; there are reportedly two more chapters to come — likewise finds its next chapter.

Shades of mid-to-late 1990s influences abound, perhaps most vividly Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, by whom both the vocal patterning in the penultimate “The Science of Slow Moving Monsters” (premiering below) and the distorted piano line in “The End of the Wide Awake Nightmare” seem to be informed, as well as O’Donnell‘s musings about the “man I was before” in “Temple of Thieves.” One could argue that shows up in “Lysergic Liturgies of a Schizo Messiah” as well, but the manner in which that song ups the thrust and punch factors after the crunch and churn of “The Doomsday Zealot of Amnesia Island” leads to a galloping finish lets Beware of Gods burn through a more aggressive catharsis, a harder metallic bite, where the lead guitar in “D.I.E. Sect” feels more specifically in conversation with “Grind” from the self-titled Alice in Chains LP. The Faith No More meets Author and Punisher outset vibe in “The End of the Wide Awake Nightmare” before it diverges into the aforementioned piano and ends-screaming spoken word sends a hidden message about the methodical nature of how all of these influences have come together, and further, highlights the consciousness behind all of it.

“D.I.E. Sect” gets noisy like electronica and obviously, “Submerged by the Ghost of a White Whale” — which on its own consumes more than 15 minutes of the total runtime — is going to be a focal point, but it’s also emblematic of just how manifested Upon Whom the Last Light Descends II : Amnesia Island feels. No one song is just one thing. Whether it’s a buried-deep screaming layer in O’Donnell‘s vocals later on or the Meshuggah-chug that follows the vocals in getting more chaotic and theatrical as the album’s most extended piece builds, offset but not undone in impact by a melodic chorus and a highlight of depth. Like much of what surrounds, “Submerged by the Ghost of a White Whale” digs in, feels conceived and seen through, worked on, hammered out, however you might want to say it. Coinciding with the basic tracks of Scott‘s drums and the guitar, bass and keys is a range of atmospheric and ambient elements, such that Beware of Gods prove no less capable of setting a mood either in “Submerged by the Ghost of a White Whale” or anything that surrounds as of bashing that same mood to itty-bitty pieces with their heaviest stretches.

That meld itself is something individual, but more crucial to the persona of the album and the band as a whole is the deep-running feeling of intention that runs from front to back. Whether a given part is spacing out or brooding, reciting narrative in an effects-manipulated spoken word or crushing a riff en route to the next thing, Upon Whom the Last Light Descends II : Amnesia Island is aware of the choices being made, aware of the direction of its craft, of the influences and inspirations with which it’s in conversation. Maybe this shouldn’t be such a shocker from a project that’s set itself to the task of releasing a four-part narrative concept album cycle, but it’s a prevalent if not directly stated factor in the listening experience that informs everything the band — and it does sound like a band more than a solo-project, wherever the line might lie between the one and the other — does. Even the most unhinged moments here have been sculpted.

It’s a little bit before it’s actually out, but hopefully the closing duo — because “Temple of Thieves” is already streaming, find it near the bottom of this post — gives some sense of where Beware of Gods are coming from at this apparent halfway point in their larger polyptic.

PR wire info follows the player below. As always, I hope you enjoy:

Jason O’Donnell on “The Science of Slow Moving Monsters”:

“The Science Of Slow Moving Monsters” was initially inspired by the YouTube video featuring a slow, long track tornado that hit Fargo, ND in the mid sixties. My fascination with tornadoes, especially wedge tornadoes, knows no end. I feel like I’m trying to capture that power in my guitar riffs. That said, TSSMM is inevitably an amalgam of influences from Prong & Helmet to Alice In Chains & COC. The subject matter is part of an ongoing narrative regarding the protagonist I Nomad & his journey from Terror to Transcendence.”

Tracking with Pete Grossmann at Bricktop is a highlight of my career & life. His work with Huntsmen, Frail Body, Gates To Hell, Warforged & his own band High Priest is prime, top of the peak, best out there imo… Eric Plonka (Scientist, Yakuza, DRÖV, PLNKA) laid down additional heavy blankets of creepy, other worldly guitars in just the right sections, that seem to be crawling of a formless void. Kellii Scott of Failure is of course beyond monumental to the deep ditch digging groove factor on drums, laying a foundation for Feederwire (REKT, Unterm Rad) to construct a digi-doom encrusted network of futuristic soundscapes & Sci Fi audio architecture.

‘Upon Whom The Last Light Descends’ by Beware Of Gods is a IV Part, Epic, Psychoperatic Cathartic Concept inspired by ‘The Blind Idiot God’ from the HP Lovecraft mythos known as Azathoth, a malevolently indifferent Infinite Creator of Chaos re imagined as the Looming Dread treading all of Us which can only be overcome by turning to face it. Other literary & film inspirations include : Dune, The Matrix, Dracula, Demian, Mad Max, Blade Runner, Jonah & The Whale & Foundation.

From melancholy to pure menace, the vocals of B. O. G. lone wolf Jason O’Donnell aka The Archetype soar across UWTLLD and hover like a cloud of locusts within the angular atonal trudging combat between his doom laden guitars & calderaesque fuzzed out bass pummeling. The droning trudging of dissonant riffage is backed by the solid, just ‘behind the beat’ groove of guest drummer Kellii Scott of Alt Space Rock Giants Failure. Beware Of Gods is a Warning and a Blessing. An Honoring Of The Gift of Despair from which Clarity takes Flight and We find the Courage to face the Monster, to Reconcile It to Become and Overcome It…

In terms of ambient soundscapes, there are also stellar initial stabs at sound design work on PT I that bring to mind Skinny Puppy or even NIN. From here, my journey into the B. O. G. gets really interesting because after for PT II & III, the addition of Sound Design veteran Feederwire & Engineer/Producer Pete Grossmann (Gates To Hell, Warforged, Weekend Nachos, Frail Body, Scientist, Huntsmen) of Bricktop Recording is already bringing the concept into even more focus & catapulting it into what The Archetype references in the intro ‘Concussion Dream’ as ‘Amnesia Island’ :

“A post apocalyptic glitchy outpost floating in a bio mechanical ocean that is appearing to lead us along, with it’s protagonist/hero I Nomad, into an even deeper hybrid of analog & digital sounds that provide the landscape for a cast of broken antagonists trapped in a narrative of Self Worship & self determined demise.”

Tracklisting:
1. Concussion Dream
2. The End Of The Wide Awake Nightmare
3. Submerged By The Ghost Of A White Whale
4. The Doomsday Zealot Of Amnesia Island
5. Lysergic Liturgies Of A Schizo Messiah
6. D. I. E. Sect
7. The Science Of Slow Moving Monsters
8. Temple Of Thieves

Co Produced, Engineered & Mixed – Pete Grossmann
Mastered – Brad Boatright
Recorded at : Bricktop Recording
Executive Producer – Christopher Dyer
Artwork – Unexpected Specter

Jason O’Donnell – Vocals, Guitar, Bass & Synth
Feederwire – Sound Design & Additional Guitars on Submerged…
Eric Plonka – Additional Guitars on Temple Of Thieves and D. I. E. Sect
Kellii Scott – Drums

Beware of Gods, Upon Whom the Last Light Descends II: Amnesia Island

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Tomorrow, March 21, marks the release of the debut album, Left for Dust, by Swedish heavy rockers Caboose. Issued through Majestic Mountain, it is a fervent argument in favor of the generational turnover happening in Scandinavia right now — bands like Slomosa and Gjenferd, arguably MaidaVale and others, offering a fresh take on classic heavy rock ideologies, not just of the 1970s, where the sound has much of its foundations, but of the turn of the century era as well. Obviously, this applies differently to different bands, and as Caboose — the four-piece of vocalist/guitarist Dante Lindström, guitarist/backing vocalist Olle Leppäniemi, bassist Herman Serning and drummer Oskar Bergman — emerge with a sharp batch of nine hooky, riffy, fuzzy, groovy, fun-as-hell rockers pulled off with youthful verve in 29 minutes, their songwriting comes through with a corresponding sincerity of purpose in the manner they’re speaking to their influences.

One help can’t be reminded of Lowrider‘s Ode to Io as the hooky shuffle of “High on You” at the outset gives over to “Shiner,” with its more distinctly Fu Manchu-ian desert stomp. The fact that they’re young is part of the appeal, and something of a standout in an underground of ’90s holdovers, but becomes a boon to the directness of the songwriting. They’re not necessarily punk, but even closer “Spacerod,” which dares to edge near the five-minute mark (everything else is between about two and a half and three and a half minutes long), is pointed in its inclusion of a hook, taking some unconscious cue perhaps from what Slomosa brought to a style derived from early Queens of the Stone Age and applying it to the fuzzier shove of the aforementioned Fu Manchu. Certainly “Cement Surfer” supports this, and the twisting structure of the riff and vocal cadence of “Crimson Haze” too. Not at all a thing to complain about. Caboose establish their own dynamic between Leppäniemi and Lindström‘s guitars and the grunge tinge of “Fuzzed Out Mind” gives some hint of stylistic elements that might work their way into the sound over the longer term, and Left for Dust at no point comes across like it’s trying to reinvent stoner rock so much as celebrate it, which in turn makes it feel more heartfelt.

By the time they’ve casually cruised through centerpiece “Sophie’s Sushi Wok” — two verses each with a semi-chorus, a quick boogie jam, done in 2:34 — and through the shove ‘n’ shred of “Cement Surfer,” the die is long since cast. Somebody send apology cards to Caboose‘s parents; your children have been claimed by heavy rock and roll and are thusly condemned to a lifetime of riffing out in square-shaped buildings of various size and locale. In all seriousness, given the level of craft throughout Left for Dust and the fullness of the production through which the album is presented — that is, that they sound way more like a young, hungry band ready to tour and make records than they do like a novelty act — it’s difficult to divorce the high quality of Caboose‘s first LP from the potential it heralds for their future growth in the genre.

There are a lot of young bands out there right now and it can take a lot to break through and grab listeners’ attention, whether it’s on social media or standing on stage. Caboose have the songs behind them here and especially for being their debut, that’s plenty. What their future might hold is anyone’s best guess and will ultimately be a part of the story of how they grow up as people. Lowrider could probably tell you about that, or Elder at this point. Caboose set themselves on a path here that likely will resonate with older heads, sure, and has the potential to bring new listeners on board in a way most new bands can’t, and no, that’s not just about their likely ability to effectively use TikTok to spread awareness of their existence. Though that might help too.

The point is that most of all, Caboose‘s potential is in the songs themselves and the effectiveness with which they convey their realization; the sense of purpose behind the aura of cool that pervades the desert-style spread of “For So Long” early on and the engaging nod of “Feedback City” later. Though straight-ahead, they are not lazy as songwriters — even as stripped down as “Sophie’s Sushi Wok” is, the verse progression makes a brief return at the end — and the malleability of the fuzz throughout speaks to a willingness to try new things in search of what best serves the material and an attention to detail that gives a different framing to the short, snappy vibes of “High on You,” “Shiner,” and so on. Part of the reason one can imagine Caboose doing this for the next 25 years so vividly is no doubt because they already sound so much like they know what they’re doing.

Left for Dust streams in its entirety below. PR wire info follows. Have at it and if the joy doesn’t come through, come back when you’re in a better mood, because trust me, it’s there.

Enjoy:

Formed during the frigid winter of 2022 by four high school friends, Caboose started as a school project aimed at crafting high-tempo stoner rock. What began in a makeshift garage studio quickly evolved into something much bigger, as the band honed their fuzz-driven sound, blending classic rock grit with the modern stoner rock spirit.

Now, nearly two years into their journey, Caboose has become a staple of Stockholm’s rock scene, delivering high-volume, riff-heavy performances from underground venues to festival stages. With fuzz-drenched riffs, thick grooves, and raw energy, Left For Dust cements Caboose as a band to watch in the Swedish rock underground.

Tracklisting:
1. High On You
2. Shiner
3. For So Long
4. Crimson Haze
5. Sophie’s Sushi Wok
6. Fuzzed Out Mind
7. Cement Surfer
8. Feedback City
9. Spacerod

Composer and lyrics: Dante Lindström.
Mixers and engineers:
Alexander Kelam, Martin Sweet and Oskar Bergman.

CABOOSE are:
Dante Lindström: Guitar & lead vocals
Olle Leppäniemi: Guitar & backup vocals
Herman Serning: Bass
Oskar Bergman: Drums

Caboose on Instagram

Caboose on Bandcamp

Majestic Mountain Records store

Majestic Mountain Records on Instagram

Majestic Mountain Records on Facebook

Bear Bones will make their self-titled debut in the coming months on New Heavy Sounds. “Waitin’ Around to Die” (premiering below) is the first single to come from the album, and for those unfamiliar with Townes Van Zandt‘s original version, I won’t spoil the codeine-laced ending to the track’s three-and-a-half-minute downer narrative, which Bear Bones have given a full heavy workup.

Before we go any futher, I kind of dig in here, and if you want to skip it and go to the song, scroll down. If you hit the blue PR text, you’ve gone too far. Thanks.

Now then. Yes, these are dudes with a pedigree. Vocalist Rob Hoey is/was in Limb, while bassist Peter Holland is in Elephant Tree, guitarist Alex Clarke plays in Morag Tong and drummer Marco Ninni hails from Swedish Death Candy, so everybody’s been around for a while, playing standout bands from one of the world’s most densely populated undergrounds: London’s. They know what they’re doing sound-wise, recorded with Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse, and indeed, Hoey and Holland — who reportedly were the driving force behind initiating the project — approach the album with a mission of bringing modern heavy to classic blues.

The PR wire below namedrops Vanilla Fudge and the analogy is just about perfect. In 1967, a bunch of dudes who’d been around in other bands got together and put out a record of rock arrangements that was mostly covers. When Carmine Appice and company did it, it was more contemporary songs — and I have to say, if Bear Bones wanted to take on The Supremes‘ “You Keep Me Hanging On” for their next record as Vanilla Fudge famously did, I’d consider it a personal favor — and one original. For the eight songs of Bear Bones‘ Bear Bones, the source material has shifted from pop to classic blues. Hank Williams‘ “Ramblin’ Man” follows with due burl and an irresistable roll such that they reprise it at the end of the album, albeit in more minimal fashion.

That is to say, the album ends with just Hoey and Holland singing the chorus of “Ramblin’ Man” (which isn’t to be confused with the Allman Brothers‘ song) with some rough recorded handclaps for backing. That in itself mirrors the end of side A, where “Hear the Wind Blow” (which has been done by Burl Ives, among a folk song’s slew of others) unfolds far off the microphone in everything but a line of organ. Ninni‘s drums, Clarke‘s guitar are there, but farther back. Holland‘s bass punches through some, and Hoey‘s vocal is accordingly subdued for the quieter presentation, but the whole thing shifts the atmosphere of the record to speak directly to old blues recordings, like something John Lomax taped Lead Belly playing. Folk blues, which the turn is correct in implying is no less heavy, albeit in a different way.

A start-stop strut and gutted-out verse from Hoey unfolds for “St. James Infirmary” (a blues traditional) as a setup for the chorus which brings Susie McMullan of Brume as the first of three successive guest appearances that continue across the next two tracks. Jack Dickinson of Stubb — it’s been a while, but those records are still great — steps in on guitar for “Goin’ Down” (done notably by Freddie King), and Scott Black of Green Lung burns a hole in the universe on “Ridin’ Out.”

If that seems like an incongruous image — cosmic scorch on a record so pointedly heavy blues in its intention and fresh in its interpretation — you’re right, it is. But “Ridin’ Out” is the only original cut on Bear Bones. It’s eight minutes long and it’s got more in common with Hawkwind than Robert Johnson, who’s at- root behind a lot of what Bear Bones are digging into in their covers. The divergence works for two reasons. One, it’s completely over the top. By the time Black even starts in, the band are already jamming in a way that up to that point the record hasn’t moved at all. It’s a standout already. Then Black gets going and it’s wild. I don’t know shit about guitar technique to note what or how he’s making that instrument make that kind of noise, but the end result is a banger, and when you’ve got that, it makes it fit a lot easier.

Second, it goes back to where the project was coming from: Vanilla Fudge. Go back to their 1967 self-titled debut, it’s all over the place, and side B likewise goes nuts with jams and each track has a piece of “Illusions of My Childhood” in front of it, which is no more the lone original input for that band than “Ridin’ Out” is for Bear Bones — the interpretation and arrangement is part of the creative process here, whether a given song is loud or quiet, etc. — but doesn’t miss the opportunity to provide an extra bit of weirdness just the same. They could’ve written a pop tune to sit next to “Eleanor Rigby” and didn’t. Bear Bones could’ve put together a 12-bar blues and didn’t. It’s these choices that end up defining the persona of a record.

At this point I’ve gone on longer than I probably should for an album that’s not going to be out until I don’t even know when. But I meant what I said above when I called it a fresh take. That Bear Bones exist as a riff-worship heavy blues band from anywhere without being either a dopey masculine caricature (“Ramblin’ Man” notwithstanding, and that’s just so fun) or basically that but also ripping off Clutch is a thing to appreciate in itself. To material they didn’t write, they bring character, tone and intention. And with the moment of originality they allow themselves, they broaden the scope of the record in a way that despite everybody involved having plenty going on besides sure doesn’t make this album feel like a one-off.

But let’s let them play their first gig supporting the record before we start thinking longer term. April 4, the famed The Black Heart in Camden will host Bear Bones‘ initial proceedings, and as noted below, they’ve got friends lined up to appear as well. Good fun if you happen to be in the neighborhood or on nearby continents.

Oh, and this song’s been public on Bandcamp for like two and a half days at least, so if you’ve heard it and you’re like “screw this premiere,” right on. We’re all doing our best.

Either way, enjoy:

Bear Bones was born from a whiskey-fueled jam session between Rob Hoey (Limb) and Pete Holland (Elephant Tree), riffing on old blues tunes deep into the night. When they stumbled upon Vanilla Fudge’s 1967 debut album—packed with raw, soulful covers and a single original track—they found their blueprint. In true blues rock tradition, they set out to create something that felt just as authentic and unpolished.

The duo brought in heavy hitters from across the underground scene: Alex from Morag Tong, Marco from Swedish Death Candy, and Federica from Black Moth. As the sessions heated up at Bear Bites Horse Studios with the legendary Wayne Adams behind the board, more friends jumped in for the ride. Scott from Green Lung, Susie from Brume, and Jack from Stubb all laid down killer grooves, adding to the album’s gritty, old-school vibe.

With Wayne capturing the raw energy of the room, the result was pure magic—a true jam session that oozes vintage blues rock soul. No gimmicks, no gloss. Just pure, unfiltered sound straight from the gut.

Bear Bones is a doom-infused blues supergroup rising from the underground, featuring members of Elephant Tree, Limb, Swedish Death Candy, Black Moth and Morag Tong. Steeped in the raw soul of the blues and the crushing weight of doom, their sound is both haunting and hypnotic—where fuzz-drenched riffs meet smoky, melancholic grooves. With guest appearances from members of Green Lung, Stubb, Brume, and more, Bear Bones is set to shake the foundations of heavy music. With a new album on the horizon, this is just the beginning. The blues has never been heavier—welcome to Bear Bones.

First single “Waiting Around to Die” was written and originally performed by Townes Van Zandt.

Bear Bones will be performing The Black Heart, London on Friday April 4th. There will also be guest appearances during their set.

Support comes from Sky Valley Mistress, Okay You Win and Blue Tree Monitor.

Tickets: https://www.ourblackheart.com/events/2025/4/4/bear-bones

Bear Bones:
Rob Hoey – Vocals
Alex Clarke – Guitars
Peter Holland – Bass
Marco Ninni – Drums

Bear Bones on Bandcamp

Bear Bones on Instagram

Bear Bones on Facebook

New Heavy Sounds on Facebook

New Heavy Sounds on Instagram

New Heavy Sounds on Bandcamp

New Heavy Sounds website

Lisbon-based instrumentalist heavy psychedelic explorers Desert’Smoke will release their self-titled four-songer LP on March 28 through Raging Planet. It is the second full-length from the doubly-guitarred four-piece behind late-2019’s Karakum (review here), continuing a penchant for oil-painted cover art while broadening the material’s reach as the returning lineup of guitarists André Rocha and João Romão, bassist João Nogueira and drummer Cláudio Aurélio priotitize listener immersion from the outset with opener “Fuzzy Txitxu” (7:54) seeming to set itself adrift initially around standalone effects guitar, a patient beginning that soothes as the second guitar enters with drums and bass, subtly building up to a meditative jam over the first two minutes. Then cut. Feedback. A muted crash. Gnarlier guitar twists out a faster, immediately more solidified riff, and mere seconds later they’re chugging along like a two-axe Karma to Burn like nothing ever happened.

The old switcheroo? Pulling the rug out? Shenanigans???

Nothing quite so trickery-laced when you hear it, but that moment is telling. The intro lures you into the blindside, and a more straightforward procession takes hold for the duration. The subsequent “Gravity Absence” (8:59) adds another level of heavy to the end, answering the noisy grunge of the song’s solo-laced midsection with a decisive low-end flattening as they push to the finish. Side B, with “Blind Watcher” (11:42) and the premiering-below “49th Steam Box” (6:46), continues to flesh out from where “Fuzzy Txitxu” began, with the album’s longest track as an obvious standout, both for the runtime and how it expands on the mellower fluidity of earlier intros and, rather than a stark change, how it builds gradually into its crescendo, thoughtful in the construction and organic in the actual sound. The jam ebbs and flows and there’s time enough to accommodate that as well as some post-rock-minded float in the guitar, shades of Red Sparowes or Russian Circles maybe making their way in among influences, but it’s a hypnotic course one way or the other, and its apex solo is executed with particular clarity and class.

At last to the matter at hand, “49th Steam Box” (on the player below) serves to tie all of this together on the record. It’s the place where the weight of “Gravity Absence” and the breadth of “Blind Watcher” coexist, and it calls back to the sharp divide of “Fuzzy Txitxu” with a willful contrast, not lacking dynamic in itself as the guitar peppers light lead notes over a crunching intro and the band find themselves in a kind of instru-prog shove headed toward the midpoint, almost metallic in tone but still locked in a heavy groove rhythmically. They carry through the closer’s middle movement with due force, then reset to make their last go, guitar soaring and scorching all the while as the drums and bass cycle through and build into a dense last-minute chug and an efficient crashing finish before they give over to the heavy silence that follows.

Taken as a whole, Desert’Smoke feels remarkably complete by the time “49th Steam Box” is done; the band have told their story through sound in a way that legitimately feels narrative as various elements tie together throughout, the songs speaking to each other as they refine Desert’Smoke‘s meld, highlighting individuality of purpose by pulling from multiple styles as they go and being willing to take chances in their songwriting.

You can hear “49th Steam Box” on the player here, followed by more from the PR wire.

I invite you to please enjoy:

Desert’Smoke, “49th Steam Box” track premiere

Desert’Smoke on “49th Steam Box”:

Our upcoming self-titled album is a four-track journey spanning 35 minutes, blending heavy stoner rock with immersive psychedelia. The cover artwork is a segment of an oil painting by Catarina Felix Machado, titled ‘Gravity Absence,’ which also inspired the name of the second track. Our first single, “49th Steam Box”, is the shortest and most explosive track on the record, named after our Studio Box, where everything came to life.

Preorder: https://ragingplanet.bandcamp.com/

Born in the underground scene of Lisbon, Desert’Smoke emerged with a mission: to craft an instrumental blend of heavy stoner rock, hypnotic psychedelia, and raw energy fit for the biggest Stoner/Rock/Metal festivals. Inspired by the likes of Elder, The Obsessed, and 40 Watt Sun, the band quickly carved out a space in Portugal’s heavy music landscape.

Their debut EP, Hidden Mirage, introduced their expansive sound and opened doors to major festivals, including SonicBlast. Riding the momentum, they released their first full-length album, Karakum, through Raging Planet Records, receiving praise from fans and critics worldwide.

Despite pandemic setbacks delaying their European ambitions, Desert’Smoke kept the fire burning, playing key festivals in Portugal and sharing the stage with major acts. When the time was right, they joined forces with Bulletseed, a European booking agency, to hit the road across Spain, France, Switzerland, and Italy, marking their first international tour with resounding success.

Reinvigorated by their journey, the band returned to the studio to craft their most ambitious work yet—Desert’Smoke, their upcoming self-titled album, set for release on March 28. With another European tour already in the works for May-August 2025, the band is poised to take their cosmic desert voyage to even greater heights.

From the depths of rehearsal studios to international stages, Desert’Smoke continues to push the boundaries of stoner and psychedelic rock, forging an experience as immersive as it is powerful.

Desert’Smoke:
André ROCHA on guitar
João ROMÃO on guitar
João NOGUEIRA on bass
CLÁUDIO Aurélio on drums

Desert’Smoke on Facebook

Desert’Smoke on Instagram

Desert’Smoke on Bandcamp

Raging Planet Records on Facebook

Raging Planet on Bandcamp

Genoa, Italy, instrumentalist heavy rockers IKITAN make their full-length debut this week with Shaping the Chaos, with distribution through Taxi Driver Records. The 52-minute nine-tracker is a moment toward which the trio of guitarist Luca Nasciuti, bassist Frik Et and drummer Enrico Meloni have been building for the last four years, and I don’t know where they found some of the subject matter, but in taking their overarching theme from strange places and unexplained whathaveyou as they purport to have done — for example, closer “52Hz Whale” refers to a whale call heard in the ocean from a probably-yet-undiscovered whale species at a different frequency than all other whales; a single whale at its own frequency; each title offers its own internet rabbit-hole to go down — they’ve also underscored what seems to be the key ambition of the record itself and the band up to now. It’s about standing out.

You know I had a whole thing with parentheticals behind each title, but for your ease and the sanity of my sentences, here’s the tracklisting and meaning behind each title:

1. Chicxulub (the crater from the impact that killed the dinosaurs)
2. Lahar (a kind of destructive pyroclastic flow with water, ash and ice.
3. Darvaza (a burning gas field in Turkmenistan)
4. Sailing Stones (rocks blown by wind leaving trails in dirt in Death Valley)
5. Natron (the world’s saltiest lake, in Kenya)
6. Bung Fai Phaya Nak (in Thailand, maybe-naturally-occurring burning gas bubbles in the Mekong River)
7. Brinicle (underwater stalactites of sea ice)
8. Blood Falls (a flow of oxidized iron in Antarctica that, indeed, looks like blood)
9. 52Hz Whale (“the loneliest whale” singing at its own frequency)

Prioritizing aural individuality is tricky. “We don’t want to sound like anyone else,” as an operating ethic, can be a loaded phrase. With a progressive mindset to their craft — i.e., they’re paying attention to what they’re doing — IKITAN take the approach with which they set out earlier this decade with 2020’s Twenty-Twenty EP (review here) and push exponentially outward. There’s progressive metal lurking in the punchy bassline of intro “Chicxulub,” but when the two-minute piece bursts to life, its tones are weighted and even its abbreviated runtime is enough for the lead guitar to torch some ground, but they are less willing to be caged by genre than they have shown to this point. “Lahar” and “Darvaza” — the latter of which appeared on 2021’s Darvaza y Brinicle EP (review here) — follow in succession, with a build to a fervent shove in the former and a rush into the ether in the latter that aligns as it heads into the midsection around a declarative, angular riff, recedes, and deftly brings it back at the end, and by the time the bass starts “Sailing Stones,” momentum is well on IKITAN‘s side and they’ve harnessed the sound — somewhat raw in production, but clear enough to let the shifting moods and structures of the material carry through — and with a stop-and-go early, they bring a blend of crunch and float that reminds some of Pelican before a more intense finish.

Later on, “Blood Falls” brings the album back to ground ahead of closing out with “52Hz Whale” as a bookend to “Chicxulub,” but the 10-minute “Natron,” “Bung Fai Phaya Nak” and “Brinicle” (the other track from the aforementioned two-songer) represent the farthest reaching material on Shaping the Chaos. “Natron” has guest percussion by Olmo Manzano and violin later by Roberto Izzo, but more than that, it’s a shift in sound. IKITAN show themselves as willing to explore in these pieces, but that should’t be taken to mean they’re just jamming. Certainly “Natron” likely had its beginnings as a jam, but it’s become a fully-realized centerpiece, deceptively patient in the exeuction, broken into movements the last of which is a set of classic prog-rock twists underscored by a rumble of dirty bass that’s not grandiose sounding by any means, but that purposefully takes on a different atmosphere from most of what the band has offered thus far. A solo takes off early in “Bung Fai Phaya Nak,” and it seems like the turns of “Natron” are going to lead to more thrust, but they calm it down in order to work their way back, and “Brinicle” picks up from there with three movements: a short intro of standalone guitar, a shift into double-kick-backed post-rock (“fascinating,” said Spock), and the heaviest nod and tonality they’ve offered in a Middle Eastern-hued crescendo.

The tempo and shove pull back in the beginning of “Blood Falls,” but there’s metallic tension in the drums, and so when it smoothes out its willfully bumpy early procession, it seems like that’s going to be the story of it, but IKITAN do a quick reset and over a classy push of bass and drums — not too much — soaring lead guitar suddenly drops to silence for the bass-led epilogue in “52Hz Whale.” Mind you I have no idea if any of the outro is actually at 52Hz, but either way, the closer is gone before its two minutes are even up and the band leave without having said a word but having made a statement just the same. Shaping the Chaos was self-recorded and pieced together over a couple years, and the material feels duly sculpted while remaining spare in the production as noted.

That doesn’t really hurt the songs, especially after a couple listens, but if part of the band’s process is going to be handling their own recording duties, this too is an avenue for creative growth as they move forward, and the inclusion of percussion and violin on “Natron” here speaks well for the potentiality of future arrangement flourish as well. Could IKITAN be one of those bands who gets a keyboardist after two or three records? I don’t know, but Shaping the Chaos lays out a sprawl of potential routes the trio (for now!) might take as they continue to grow, and begins to harness the individuality that seems to be so much of what they’re going for. It might be a sleeper in terms of hype, but IKITAN have something here.

Shaping the Chaos streams in full below, followed by more info from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

IKITAN, heavy post-rock trio from Genoa, Italy, proudly announce their comeback with their first full length titled “Shaping The Chaos”.

Recorded between 2021 and 2025, the album is inspired by inexplicable phenomena or weird places from planet earth.

“Shaping The Chaos” is self-produced and it will be distributed by Taxi Driver Records. The album will be published on digital, cd, and vinyl (hand-numbered limited edition of 100 copies with an obi) on Bandcamp Friday 7 March 2025. Both physical formats come with a poster representing the album cover, once again crafted by Luca Marcenaro.

Pre-orders for “Shaping The Chaos” started on Friday 14 February on IKITAN’s Bandcamp page, and the album will be premiered by The Obelisk on Wednesday 5 March.

IKITAN will also present the album at a release party held at Flamingo Records Store in Genoa, Italy, on Sunday 9 March.

“Shaping The Chaos” encapsulates the last four years of the band’s life and the conflicting emotions that led to its making.

Even though it is very different from the debut EP “Twenty-Twenty”, it shares the same emotional and instrumental philosophy.

If “Twenty-Twenty” featured a single track or, better a musical journey, lasting 20 minutes and 20 seconds, “Shaping The Chaos” includes nine self-contained songs, each one inspired by our planet.

“Curiosity has driven us to cross unusual places and delve into the intricacies of the planet Earth’s inexplicable natural phenomena. Each of these inspires the songs on the album.

We go from blood falls to the place where the meteorite that led to the dinosaurs’ extinction fell, from the door to hell to the sound of the world’s loneliest whale,” states the band.

And the music? 100% IKITAN—post-rock and metal with a touch of stoner, psych, and prog, featuring dreamy guitar lines that build over a deep, driving bass and thunderous drums.

This time, IKITAN decided to infuse the song “Natron” with something unique, thanks to the contribution of two incredible artists: Olmo Manzano on percussion and Roberto Izzo on violin.

“Shaping The Chaos” includes 9 tracks in the digital and cd version, and 7 on vinyl, as “Darvaza” and “Brinicle”, which will be available on cd and in digital, were already published as a limited-edition cassette in 2021.

The album will be published on Friday 7 March 2025, which is also Bandcamp Friday.

“Shaping The Chaos” is distributed by Taxi Driver Records and it will be available on digital, cd and vinyl (hand-numbered limited edition of 100 copies with an obi) from Friday 7 March 2025. Both physical formats come with a poster.

Pre-orders for “Shaping The Chaos” started on Friday 14 February on IKITAN’s Bandcamp page, and the album will be premiered by The Obelisk on Wednesday 5 March.

Tracklisting:
1. Chicxulub
2. Lahar
3. Darvaza
4. Sailing Stones
5. Natron
6. Bung Fai Phaya Nak
7. Brinicle
8. Blood Falls
9. 52 Hz Whale

Recorded, mastered and produced by IKITAN between 2021 and 2025 at Marsala Studios, Genoa, Italy, World.

IKITAN is the alleged god of the sound of the stones, brought to life by:
Luca Nasciuti: guitars
Frik Et: bass
Enrico Meloni: drums and cowbell
Olmo Manzano: percussions on “Natron”
Roberto Izzo: violin on “Natron”
Graphics: Luca Marcenaro

IKITAN on Facebook

IKITAN on Instagram

IKITAN on Bandcamp

IKITAN website

IKITAN’s Linktr.ee

Taxi Driver Records on Facebook

Taxi Driver Records on Bandcamp

Taxi Driver Records website