Hard-distortion-wielding Phoenix, Arizona, stoner crushers Daytripper will make their way to the Eastern Seaboard next month to play June 19 at Maryland Doom Fest. They come in herald and support of their 2024 debut album, Book I: The Trip, which is likewise molten, addled, and punishing, bringing together classic stoner metallurgy with sludgier and more guttural impulses, riffly worship and a heroic dose of nod. As I invariably would, I whiffed on the record last year, but take a listen to “Staff of the Bog,” “Jarl’s Eyes” and the death-lurch-into-keyboardy-sprawl “Marijuanakon” are deceptively engrossing. The Adam Burke cover art is not at all misplaced.

You will recall that last week, Maryland Doom Fest announced this would be their final edition. Take Daytripper‘s inclusion in it as a sign of the festival commitment to embracing newer acts right up to the end. That’s only part of what makes Doom Fest special, but it’s a big part.

From the PR wire:

DAYTRIPPER ANNOUNCES “DESERT DWELLERS” TOUR

Listen to Book I: The Trip on all major streaming platforms.

Phoenix, AZ’s rising force in desert stoner doom, Daytripper, is hitting the road this June for a five-date run across the South and East Coast, in support of their debut album, Book I: The Trip. The Desert Dwellers Mini Tour will bring the band’s crushing riffs, immersive live show, and psychedelic desert energy to select cities.

With a sound rooted in the heavy traditions of doom, wrapped in storytelling and ritualistic atmosphere, Daytripper has crafted a debut that’s already turning heads in the underground scene. Book I: The Trip is the band’s official debut album, originally released in March of last year and later issued on vinyl by California-based Wet Records. It’s a raw and passionate record built on deep grooves, hypnotic atmosphere, and a genuine love for the craft — a bold testament to the spirit of Arizona Desert Doom and the band’s dedication to pushing the genre forward.

“This album is what AZ Desert Doom is all about. This community has inspired us, and we put everything we had into making this record. We hope everyone can sit back, spark up, and join us on this trip.” said the band.

“We have paused our recording and composition process to make these dates. But we hope to bring more news soon.”

Don’t miss your chance to experience Daytripper live on this limited run:

DESERT DWELLERS TOUR DATES
June 15 – Austin, TX – Valhalla
June 16 – New Orleans, LA – The Goat
June 19 – Frederick, MD – Maryland Doom Fest
June 21 – Raleigh, NC – Kings
June 22 – Lexington, KY – Al’s Bar

https://daytripperdoom.com/
https://daytripperdoom.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/daytripperdoom/
https://www.facebook.com/Daytripperdoom/

Daytripper, Book I: The Trip (2024)

New Mooch tune is a banger. It’s called “Sunburner,” like the headline said, and it’ll be released on June 20 through Black Throne Productions along with the rest of the Canadian riffers’ new long-player, Kin. Coming out in June puts it at 13 months’ remove from the band’s last outing, 2024’s Visions (review here), but if you think that’s me complaining you’re reading it wrong.

The three-piece — who I don’t think have always been partly-based in Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) in addition to Montreal, but are now — will play Rhüne Mountain Fest (June 26-28) to celebrate the release, and they are already confirmed to appear at 2026’s Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI in Las Vegas (info here). The announcement below comes from social media and the album credits and such are from Bandcamp. I snagged the top line from the preorder page. Just trying to pack as much information in as I can. Have I told you I’ve started to think of these things as archival? At very least centralized info I’ll probably want later.

Here you go:

“KIN” is MOOCH’s desert-rock odyssey – their fourth studio album, and is available on 180g fireburst swirl vinyl and CD format – due for release on June 20.

Presales for KIN are now officially available via the MOOCH BandCamp: https://moochmusicofficial.bandcamp.com/

Or the BTP webshop: https://blackthroneproductions.com/en-us/products/mooch-kin-lp

The record’s first single “SUNBURNER” dropped this week. Go give it a listen and tell us what you think. Lots of really good stuff in the works for MOOCH and we have another big announcement for Monday- stay tuned! 🤘

KIN’ is the fourth full length LP by heavy psych band MOOCH. It is the first album to be released in collaboration with Canadian Indie label, Black Throne Productions.

Tracklisting:
1. YR4
2. Meteor
3. Sunburner
4. Hang Me Out (False Sun)
5. Prominence
6. Lightning Rod
7. Gemini
8. Zenith

Produced By MOOCH
Mixing: Julian Iac
Mastering: Richard Addison At Trillium Mastering
Recorded By: Julian Iac At Icebox Studio And Clayton Dupuis At Holy Mountain Studio
Vocal Coach, Vocal Arrangement, Slide Guitar On Gemini : Joe Segreti
Additional Arrangement: Clove Lombardi
Album Artwork: Deliriavision

KIN Canadian Tour 2025 🌑

We’re proud to present the summer tour for our upcoming album KIN.

June 11 – Kingston
June 12 – Ottawa
June 19 – Kitchener
June 20 – Toronto
June 21 – Barrie
June 27 – Oshawa
June 28 – Dunnville

July 4 – Montreal
July 5 – Quebec City
July 19/20 – Yellowknife
July 23 – Lethbridge
July 24 – Edmonton
July 25 – Red Deer
July 26 – Calgary

Tickets in Linktree: https://linktr.ee/moochmusic

We’re ever grateful for the hard work of our partners:

@black_throne_productions
@black_throne_booking
@interland_events
@rhunemountain_fest
@folkontherocks
@cmicalgary
@theelectrichighway
@prouddadspromotions
@decaycrewpromotions
@deathbridgedisease

We’re lucky to be sharing the road with friends old and new.

See y’all on the road ✌️

*ticket links will be rolling out this week for various legs of the tour. By the end of the week you should be able to find your city in our Linktree ✅

Poster: @deliriavision

Mooch are:
Ben Cornel (Guitar, Bass, Vocals)
Julian Iac (Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Percussion)
Alex Segreti (Drums, Percussion, Vocals)

https://www.facebook.com/moochmusicofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/moochmusicofficial/
https://moochmusicofficial.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/moochmusic

https://www.facebook.com/Black-Throne-Productions-101840285724006
https://blackthroneproductions.com/
https://linktr.ee/BlackThroneProductions

Mooch, Kin (2025)

Lay Bare Recordings will present the first-to-my-knowledge Lay Bare Fest in London on Sept. 27, with the five-so-far acts playing The Black Heart to be joined by I don’t know how many more. The forward-thinking Netherlands-based label will showcase acts from its international roster of artists including Germany’s Coltaine — whose new album is set to release through Lay Bare in September — as well as Rosy Finch from Spain, the industrialist Mrs Frighthouse from Scotland, and the dark folk of Kariti and the post-metallic The Answer Lies in the Black Void, making for a lineup-thus-far that’s as broad stylistically as it is geographically.

And I guess even if you’re not going to be traveling to Camden Town to check out the show at The Black Heart, the underlying message here is that digging into these acts — each for different reasons, each offering something of their own — is advisable. Lay Bare consistently backs bands who prize their creative individuality across genre lines, and it seems accordingly like the show’s ‘Frequencies Across Borders’ subtitle — which is awesome; more unity, less division — will likewise transcend methodologies. If you’re curious to know who else will be added, the label’s roster is something of a weirdo dream-team, so take your pick. I’ll forego speculation so as not to feel silly later.

But this is awesome and worth knowing about whether you will see it or not. That’s all. It came from social media:

Tickets are now live for Lay Bare Fest – Frequencies Across Borders at The Black Heart!

Line-up so far:

Coltaine (DE)

Rosy Finch (SP)

Mrs Frighthouse (UK)

kariti (RU/IT)

The Answer Lies In The Black Void (HU/NL)

The label showcase festival will feature exclusive album release shows from some of the Lay Bare Recordings roster. More announcements coming soon…

https://laybarerecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/laybarerecordings/
https://www.instagram.com/laybarerecordings/
https://laybarerecordings.bandcamp.com/

Mrs Frighthouse, “DIY Exorcism” (2024)

Japanese heavy rockers Hebi Katana sign to Ripple Music. The band’s next album would seem to be called Imperfection if the live dates posted on their website are anything to go by, and it will be released in September (presumably; that’s when the release show is) as the Tokyo trio’s first outing for the label.

The post also mentions Tokyo Doom Fest, which Hebi Katana will play as part of a lineup that includes Sun Moon Holy Cult, the legends Eternal Elysium, Demon and Eleven Children from China and Texas’ own Thunder Horse among many others later this month. They also have other shows to be announced for this summer in Japan.

Imperfection, if indeed the album is still called that when it gets announced through PR channels, will be the follow-up to 2023’s III, which you can stream below in its raw charge. The band were signed to Argonauta Records prior to the Ripple pickup, and with this signing announcement going out on socials yesterday, I’d expect the promo cycle to start next month in earnest; album art and details, video maybe or song premieres, leading up to the release. You might hear more about this band this summer, is what I’m saying.

So think of this as a beginning, maybe:

With Tokyo DoomFest on the near horizon (featuring our very own lads of Thunder Horse) it seems a perfect time to drop this nugget, as Ripple expands into Asia! More to come.

Please welcome the heavy riffs of Japan’s leading stoner purveyors, Hebi Katana!

Says the band: “We are so stoked to announce that we signed with Ripple Music! More updates coming soon!!”

Hebi Katana live:
May 24 SUNRIZE Tokyo, Japan
May 30 20000V Tokyo, Japan
May 31 Huck Finn (ハックフィン) Nagoya, Japan
Jun 1 Hokage 火影 Osaka, Japan
July 5 Tokyo TBA
July 21 Tokyo TBA
Aug 24 Tokyo TBA
Sep 14 Tokyo Koiwa Bush Bash – Farewell To The Heroes Vol.5
〜HEBI KATANA 4th album ”Imperfection” Release & 35th Birthday Anniversary Party〜
Oct 18 Sapporo TBA
Nov 16 TBA

Hebi Katana:
Nobu: Guitars, Vocals
Laven: Bass, Vocals
Goblin: Drums, Keyboard

https://hebikatana.wordpress.com/
https://hebikatana.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hebikatana/
https://www.facebook.com/hebikatana

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Hebi Katana, III (2023)

Fresh off their pickup at this year’s Spellmannprisen — where the above photo was taken — for their work on 2024’s Tundra Rock (review here), Bergen four-piece Slomosa have announced a run of tour dates in their native Norway for the end of this year. Of course, in October, they’ll play the first-ever Tundra & Lightning Fest in their hometown, and they have other appearances in the Fall as well, but the tour from Dec. 11-20 has distinct ‘victory lap’ vibes, and that’s fair enough for a band who in five years have gone from completely unknown to generational forerunners in heavy rock.

The post on social media was partly in Norwegian, but it said to translate it, so I did, and included that in brackets below. Dig it:

SLOMOSA – 🇳🇴 NORGE 2025 🇳🇴

Super psyched to share this!! Stay tuned internationals, more tour news to come🤘

Now hit that translate button!

Vi gleder oss ordentlig til å spille i Florø, Hamar, Bodø, Mo i Rana, Lillehammer, Moss & Skien for aller FØRSTE gang, i tillegg til å komme tilbake til kjente og kjære plasser!!!❤️‍🔥

[We are really looking forward to playing in Florø, Hamar, Bodø, Mo i Rana, Lillehammer, Moss & Skien for the very FIRST time, in addition to returning to familiar and beloved places!!!❤️‍🔥]

12.09.25 Hamar – Tk Deathfest
02.10.25 Florø – Vesle Kinn
04.10.25 Bergen – Tundra and Lightning
05.12.25 Stavanger – Folken
06.12.25 Kristiansand – Kick
11.12.25 Trondheim – BYSCENEN
12.12.25 Bodø – Sinus
13.12.25 Mo i Rana – BråK
17.12.25 Lillehammer – Wiese
18.12.25 Oslo – Rockefeller
19.12.25 Moss – Verket Scene
20.12.25 Skien – Parkbiografen

Kristiansand, sammen med de forrige spellemannsvinnere i rock, våre brødre i Kristi Brud , og vårt største headlineshow noensinne i Oslo blir også sykt!

Abonner på nyhetsbrevet vårt (link i bioen) for å få pre-sale link allerede i morgen torsdag kl 10!

Ordinære billetter i salg fredag kl 10:00!

Håper vi sees!

[Kristiansand, along with the previous Spellemann winners in rock, our brothers in Kristi Brud, and our biggest headline show ever in Oslo is also getting sick!

Subscribe to our newsletter (link in bio) to get the pre-sale link already tomorrow Thursday at 10 am!

Regular tickets on sale Friday at 10:00 am!

Hope to see you!]

—

Order/save ‘Tundra Rock’ at this location: https://slomosa.ffm.to/tundrarock

SLOMOSA Tundra Rock Tour Remaining Dates:
05.12 Tromsø // Blårock Cafe
06.12 Trondheim // Verkstedhallen
07.12 Ålesund // T2 Bar og Scene
13.12 Bergen // USF Verftet

Slomosa are:
Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar
Marie Moe – Vocals/bass
Tor Erik Bye – Guitar
Jard Hole – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/slomosaband
https://www.instagram.com/slomosa
https://slomosa1.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/slomosa
https://sptfy.com/4Qaf

https://www.stickman-records.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Stickman-Records-1522369868033940

http://www.mnrkheavy.com
http://www.facebook.com/MNRKHeavy
http://www.instagram.com/MNRK_heavy

Slomosa, Tundra Rock (2024)

I don’t really know the circumstances behind its making, but the behind-the-scenes documentary clip that Kyiv-based trio Risin Sabotage have put up ahead of the May 20 release of their new single “COG,” is remarkably pro-shop. It’s well edited and gives some sense of what the song sounds like without just playing it, making for a solid teaser as well as a glimpse at the band’s creative sausagemaking. Bassists are the same in any language. And wonderful for that, lest you think I believe otherwise.

As for the song itself, I’ve yet to hear it, so I’m just going off the video as well. The band dig into who does what and the arrangements, and it’s an interesting discussion diving deep because it’s still just about one song. I don’t know if they’re heading directly toward an album or not, but in terms of preserving a moment and giving your audience insight into how you do what you do, it’s just awesome.

Video’s at the bottom of this post. Info on the single follows, courtesy of the PR wire:

Risin Sabotage Unleashes New Track “COG” – A Test of Faith and Identity

Ukrainian alternative rock band Risin Sabotage proudly announces the release of their new track “COG”, available on all major platforms starting May 20.

“COG” is a deep and emotional journey exploring themes of faith, identity, and the struggle to find one’s voice in a constantly shifting world. The track is the result of the band’s introspective creative process, aiming to share a raw and honest perspective with their listeners.

More than just a song, “COG” is a call to reflect on who we are and what we’re willing to sacrifice for our beliefs. Join us on this musical journey into the heart of conviction and doubt.

Video featuring: Ihor Nediuzhyi, Viktor Panchishko, Valerii Skorzhenko.
Editing & production: ‪@sanliverecords‬

ALL MUSIC: https://li.sten.to/risin_sabotage

Risin Sabotage:
Igor Nedyuzhiy – drums/vocals
Viktor Panchishko – guitar/vocals
Valerii Skorzhenko – bass

https://www.facebook.com/risin.sabotage/
https://www.instagram.com/risin_sabotage/
https://risinsabotage.bandcamp.com/

Risin Sabotage, “Creating ‘COG'” behind-the-scenes video

Having just wrapped the US portion of their tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their third album, Lore (review here), Elder are about to pick up with the tour in Europe. They’ll be at Desertfest Oslo this week — see you there — and play Desertfest London, Desertfest Berlin, Sonic Whip, Mystic Festival on the run. They’re no strangers to hitting the road hard, and that seems to have been the plan for much of this year.

They’d previously announced the Fall dates below supporting (co-headlining with?) All Them Witches, who I’m thinking will have a new record out by the time they make the trip from their home in Nashville. In addition to that, Elder have a handful of newly-announced shows in Iberia leading them to the Westill Fest in France. You’ll find all of the above, below, as per socials:

We’re extremely stoked to be supporting one of our favorite current bands All Them Witches in Europe this October.

Following that, we’ll be playing a few headline shows in Portugal, Spain and France. Tickets for these gigs will go on sale this Friday at 11AM local time.

All dates below! Ticket links for all shows can be found at www.beholdtheelder.com/tour.

Supporting All Them Witches
06.10.25 Glasgow (UK), The Garage
07.10.25 Manchester (UK), Manchester Academy 2
08.10.25 Leeds (UK), Leeds Beckett Students’ Union
09.10.25 London (UK), O2 Forum Kentish Town
11.10.25 Paris (FR), Le Bataclan
12.10.25 Brussels (BE), Ancienne Belgique
14.10.25 Utrecht (NL), Tivoli/Vredenburg
15.10.25 Tilburg (NL), 013 Poppodium
17.10.25 Copenhagen (DK), Amager Bio
19.10.25 Berlin (DE), Tempodrom
20.10.25 Warsaw (PL), Progresja
21.10.25 Prague (CZ), Roxy
22.10.25 Vienna (AT), Gasometer
23.10.25 Milan (IT), Alcatraz
24.10.25 Berne (CH), Bierhübeli
26.10.25 Barcelona (ES), Razzmatazz
27.10.25 Madrid (ES), La Riviera

Elder Headlining Shows
28.10.25 Lisbon (PT), RCA Club
29.10.25 Porto (PT), Mouco
30.10.25 Bilbao (ES), D8 Sorkuntza
31.10.25 Toulouse (FR), La Cabane
01.11.25 Vallet (FR), Westhill Festival
Artwork by Adam Hill

ELDER
“Lore” 10th Anniversary Tour Spring 2025:
08.05.2025 Hamburg (DE), Bahnhof Pauli
09.05.2025 Copenhagen (DK), A Colossal Weekend
10.05.2025 Oslo (NO), Desertfest Oslo
11.05.2025 Stockholm (SE), Hus 7
13.05.2025 Esch-Alzette (LU), Kulturfabrik
14.05.2025 Tourcoing (FR), Le Grand Mix
15.05.2025 Brussels (BE), Le Botanique
16.05.2025 London (UK), Desertfest London
17.05.2025 Nijmegen (NL), Sonic Whip Festival
18.05.2025 Savigny-Le-Temple (FR), Grand Sludge Fest
20.05.2025 Wiesbaden (DE), Schlachthof – Kesselhaus
21.05.2025 Lyon (FR), L’Epicerie Moderne
22.05.2025 Lucerne (CH), Sedel
23.05.2025 Munich (DE), Feierwerk
24.05.2025 Jena (DE), Kuba
25.05.2025 Berlin (DE), Desertfest Berlin
05.06.2025 Gdańsk (PL), Mystic Festival

Elder is:
Nick DiSalvo – Guitars, Vocals
Mike Risberg – Guitars, Keys
Jack Donovan – Bass
Georg Edert – Drums

http://facebook.com/elderofficial
https://www.instagram.com/elderband/
https://beholdtheelder.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/armageddonshop/
https://armageddonshop.bigcartel.com/
http://armageddonshop.com

http://www.stickman-records.com/
http://stickmanrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Stickman-Records-1522369868033940/

Elder, Lore (2015)

Soon to undertake a quick round of Polish dates surrounding their appearance at this year’s Desertfest London, Polish stoner metal spearheads and recent Season of Mist signees Dopelord have a new Fall tour that includes their previously-announced Nov. 15 show with Orange Goblin on the UK band’s farewell tour. Focusing on the eastern and northern parts of Europe, the stint is one of several I’ve seen at this point for post-fest-season in late 2025, as it seems the adage of everybody going home for December has gone the way of… well, not working all the time generally, I suppose. Fair enough.

But while we revel in modern capitalist hell despair, Dopelord offer solace in mountainous fuzz and tidal riffery. 2023’s Songs for Satan (review here) still resonates. It’s at the bottom of the post if you’d like a demonstration. They’re reportedly working on new stuff now, but unless they pull something sneaky, I wouldn’t expect a record before 2026, especially if they’re focused on celebrating an anniversary at the end of the year. By the way, the ‘XVth anniversary’ thing? Stoned Jesus memed it brilliantly.

Dates from socials:

Dopelord Sign to Season of Mist

Attention! This November and December we embark on our XV Anniversary Tour thanks to Zoltan at Doomstar Bookings. All the dates below:

12 November: Riga, LV @ Vagonu Hall
13 November: Tallinn, EE @ Kinomaja
14 November: Tampere, FI @ Olympia
15 November: Helsinki, FI @ Ääniwalli with Orange Goblin
16 November: Vilnius, LT @ nArauti

04 December: Prague, CZ @ Subzero
05 December: Dresden, DE @ Chemiefabrik
06 December: Vienna, AT @ Escape
07 December: Innsbruck, AT @ PMK
08 December: Ljubljana, SI @ Menza pri Koritu
09 December: Zagreb, HR @ Vintage Industrial Bar
10 December: Belgrade, RS @ Zappa Baza
11 December: Budapest, HU @ Instant
12 December: Bratislava, SK @ Zalar
13 December: Brno, CZ @ Kabinet Múz

Beautiful poster art done by @miodek.art

Dopelord May 2025 15th Anniversary Dates
May 16 – Warszawa, PL @ Klub Mechnik w/ Sanity Control and Head of Cassandra
May 18 – London, UK @ Desertfest
May 22 – Katowice, PL @ Piaty Dom w/ Astral Nomad
May 23 – Poznan, PL @ Pod Minoga w/ Red Scalp
May 24 – Krakow, PL @ Alchemia w/ Sanity Control
May 25 – Wroclaw, PL @ Liverpool w/ Sanity Control

DOPELORD is
Paweł Mioduchowski – Guitars and Vocals
Piotr Ochociński – Drums
Grzegorz Pawłowski – Guitars
Piotr Zin – Bass, Vocals and Mellotron

https://www.facebook.com/Dopelord666
https://www.instagram.com/dopelord_666/
https://dopelord.bandcamp.com/

Dopelord, Songs for Satan (2023)