You’re Not Yourself Lately, the first full-length from Atlanta-based post-heavy solo-outfit Rapidly Aging, will be released on Oct. 2 through Fig on Wrist. The band is a project from Shalor Howell, also of Canopy, and nestles itself quickly into an atmospheric melancholia that’s post-metallic in its flow and construction but, in listening through the 40-minute/seven-track procession front to back, really more like if being sad was a genre.

Howell handles guitar (plus slide), bass, and brings in Matt Hendler on drums and Ethan Fogus to complement the guitar effects with lap steel and violin, and the only vocals are samples of Shelley Duvall from the English overdub of the 1974 film The Man Who Sleeps, originally in French. Duvall‘s narration threads from the intro “Distant Sirens Wailing” through “Fleeting Moment” and across the whole release, taking the place of vocals and adding emotive context to the evocations of the otherwise-instrumentals; the movie is about a guy who drops out of life at 25 years old, seemingly to focus on manifesting despondency. Been there.

Against this backdrop, Howell enacts a fluid procession of duly contemplative post-heavy that is, it should be noted, no less heavy than it is post-. Tonally dense and slow, it leaves space for the narration in quiet passages and at times swallows the voice as well, as at the beginning of “The Negative Thought Loops” (premiering below), and the interaction between the two proves dynamic throughout. The lap steel guitar comes in in “The Negative Thought Loops,” and takes its place in a mix already rife with effects and spacious sounds, adding a sense of wistfulness as one would expect, the song’s depressive crux finishing with backward sounds as it leads directly into “Awoken From a Bad Dream to an Even Worse Reality,” the longest inclusion at 7:58.

“Awoken Form a Bad Dream to an Even Worse Reality” gradually makes its way toward and through a mountainous groove and into a comedown like airy aughts-era Neurosis, Duvall topping the midsentence transition into “How Quickly the Ground Falls Out Beneath You,” shorter and grungeier in the guitar, reversing the structure of the song before to a degree by shifting in its second half to a weightier nod and bringing in the narration — “You just want to wait and forget” — in time to mark the change to the penultimate “Unsaved.” The initial strum opens soon to a roll that feels like You’re Not Yourself Lately‘s “Stones From the Sky” moment, and well enough earned in terms of heft and flow, but most of the second half is about texture after the drums drop out and the effects stretch, leading to Duvall‘s eventual return to shift into closer “To Keep From.”

The sense of something incomplete feels purposeful in the title of the finale, but the song itself isn’t. It builds to a crescendo less forceful than that of “Unsaved” at its heaviest, but that is less about contrast than some of the songs before it. There are changes, of course, but it builds, peaks, and recedes in a way that is more self-contained than some of the other material, which interacts with itself in the transitions and voiceovers and so on. As one might expect, the last word goes to Duvall, whose voice is slowed, echoing and feels like it’s letting go of consciousness at the end, which is fair enough for the film in question.

Howell, as Rapidly Aging, is effective in building a world with and in these songs, and if the project continues, one can’t help but wonder where the exploration underway here might lead. You’re Not Yourself Lately is obviously meant to be taken as a whole, and it works best that way, but release dates and blah blah. The clip below for “The Negative Thought Loops,” however, is enough to give a general idea of what Howell is going for in terms of process and both tonal and ambient weight. You’ll find it on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire, and, at the bottom, The Man Who Sleeps, the film from which the narration comes.

Please enjoy:

Rapidly Aging, “The Negative Thought Loops” track premiere

Rapidly Aging is a solo exercise in space, ambience, and emotion by Atlanta, GA based composer and multi-instrumentalist Shalor Howell. Channeling everything from the smoothed out soundscapes and textures of Brian Eno to the crushing weight of post metal á la Pelican or Mogwai – Howell has a knack for pulling his punches and rewarding the patient listener with the sonic equivalent of an epic film mid crescendo.

Rapidly Aging was bore from a rare break in the traditional creative process of sole member and composer, Shalor Howell. His primary band, the Atlanta, Ga sludge titans Canopy were on pause – which gave way for Howell to birth his longtime passion project; the result of which is the esoteric and powerful You’re Not Yourself Lately. The listener is treated to a 40 minute showcase of Howell’s mastery of all things “post”, weaving through cinematic soundscapes and crushing riffs alike.

Originally conceived in 2025, the songs were slowly compiled at home as a sort of unofficial soundtrack to the film The Man Who Sleeps (Perec, 1974), with samples providing the de-facto narrative to the otherwise instrumental affair. The final studio versions were eventually recorded at Meadowlark studios (Atlanta, GA) by Greg Hendler with the help of session musicians Matt Hendler (drums) and Ethan Fogus (lap steel guitar, violin).

Tracklist:
1. Distant Sirens Wailing (2:41)
2. Fleeting Moment (5:47)
3. The Negative Thought Loops (4:20)
4. Awoken From A Bad Dream To An Even Worse Reality (7:58)
5. How Quickly The Ground Falls Out Beneath You (5:13)
6. Unsaved (6:46)
7. To Keep From (7:48)

Album credits:
– Music by Shalor Howell
– Guitar, Slide Guitar & Bass performed by Shalor Howell
– Drums performed by Matt Hendler
– Pedal Steel Guitar & Violin performed by Ethan Fogus
– Engineered & Mastered by Greg Hendler at Meadowlark Studios
– Art By Michael Ray Marks
– Photography by Jessica Howell
– Layout / Design by AP Lewis / Fig on Wrist
– All samples taken from The Man Who Sleeps (1974)

Rapidly Aging is Shalor Howell

The Man Who Sleeps (1974)

Rapidly Aging on Bandcamp

Rapidly Aging on Instagram

Rapidly Aging on Facebook

Fig on Wrist Linktr.ee

Fig on Wrist on Bandcamp

Fig on Wrist on Instagram

Fig on Wrist on Facebook

Like it says in the headline, Atlanta’s Insomniac begin their summer tour tonight, heading to (and through) Asheville Doomed and Stoned in North Carolina. The band were previously announced as appearing at …In the Key of Doom in Brooklyn this October, so it’s not a huge surprise that they’re taking to the road again in the Fall on an East Coast tour around that and apparances at Joint Jam in Saratoga Springs, NY, and Wisconsin Doomed and Stoned in Green Bay, but certainly having the routing helps.

The Fall tour sees them link up with Howling Giant and High Desert Queen for a few shows, as well as crossing paths with Heavy Temple, Crystal Spiders and, for one night in New Hope, Pennsylvania, avant metal masters Today is the Day, which is a thing to look forward to if you happen to be in that part of the world, or, you know, are in the band, probably. A slew of killer gigs, is what I’m saying. It looks like the kind of touring that makes you want to do more touring.

From the PR wire:

Heavy rockers INSOMNIAC announce US fall shows; summer tour starts this week!

Atlanta, Georgia’s ritualistic heavy rock unit INSOMNIAC has announced a full East Coast tour with festival appearances for the fall, as they prepare to kick off their US summer run alongside Texan doom outfit Slumbering Sun.

With their 2025 debut album “Om Moksha Ritam” on Blues Funeral Recordings, Atlanta’s Insomniac have coalesced onto our plane like a third eye opening into the beyond, delivering a brooding, heavy, and psychedelic journey filled with riffs and beats written in the Earth’s frequency. The music Insomniac creates drifts between this world and the next, hovering at the periphery of consciousness. REZN, King Buffalo and Dead Meadow naturally arise as points of reference, although it’s clear that fitting within confines isn’t really what the Atlanta band does.

About their upcoming tours, Insomniac says: “It’s been an incredible ride over the last 8 months since Om Moksha Ritam released, and we’ve been working hard both on and off stage while racking up a ton of tour dates and road miles in the process. We’re overjoyed to see firsthand how much our music has resonated with people far and wide, and the response continues to grow from the stage to the community daily.”

Summer shows:
7/10 – Shreveport, LA – Bear’s *
7/11 – Tulsa, OK – Whittier Bar *
7/12 – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck *
7/13 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge *
7/14 – Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel *
7/15 – Indianapolis, IN – State Street Pub *
7/16 – Nashville, TN – The End *
7/17 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Doomed & Stoned
7/18 – Atlanta, GA – Boggs Social *
* with Slumbering Sun

Fall shows:
9/30 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
10/1 – Washington, D.C. – Pie Shop
10/2 – Brooklyn, NY – In The Key of Doom Fest
10/3 – Cheshire, CT – Counterweight Brewing ^
10/4 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East ^+
10/6 – Bangor, ME – Old Town Theater
10/7 – Portland, ME – Live At Madrid’s
10/8 – Providence, RI – Alchemy
10/9 – New Hope, PA – John and Peter’s #
10/10 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Joint Jam Festival ~
10/11 – Cleveland, OH – No Class
10/13 – Grand Rapids, MI – Mulligan’s Pub
10/15 – Chicago, IL – Reggies
10/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Zhora Darling ~
10/17 – Green Bay, WI – Wisconsin Doomed & Stoned ~
^ with Heavy Temple
+ with Crystal Spiders
# with Today Is The Day
~ with Howling Giant & High Desert Queen

INSOMNIAC is
Alex Avedissian – Guitar
Van Bassman – Vocals
Juan Garcia – Bass
Amos Rifkin – Percussion, Vocals

https://www.insomniacvibes.com/
https://insomniacvibes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/insomniac_atl/
https://www.facebook.com/insomniacATL/

bluesfuneral.com
https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blues.funeral/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/

Insomniac, Om Moksha Ritam (2025)

Atlanta’s Insomniac haven’t been shy about getting out to support their 2025 album, Om Moksha Ritam (review here), and the momentum will carry them into this summer as they embark on a handful of shows starting tonight in North Carolina with Crystal Spiders headed through Legalize Lex this weekend and newly announce a stint in the Midwest with Slumbering Sun for July.

The impetus for the summer tour is Doomed and Stoned in Asheville, North Carolina, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the band have dates later this year pulling together their Northeastern appearances at In the Key of Doom and the upstate Joint Jam thereafter. Unless, you know, they want to take some time for themselves, enjoy the Finger Lakes or whatever.

All their dates were posted on social media with fancy fonts like so. Note that Insomniac recently took part in the inaugural Mojave Experience Festival in Joshua Tree. That was at the end of March, so these shows aren’t even the band’s first time hitting the road already this year. All the same, here you go:

MORE DATES ADDED! We must be dreaming. Extremely stoked to join our solsticesters SLUMBERING SUN on the road this summer. DON’T SLEEP!

🎨: @maliarifkin

𝙒𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣’ 𝙬/ 𝘾𝙧𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨
4/15 – Chapel Hill, NC / Local 506
4/16 – Harrisonburg, VA / Golden Pony
4/17 – Morgantown, WV / 123 Pleasent Street
4/18 – Lexington, KY / Legalize Lex Festival
4/19 – Knoxville, TN / Pilot Light

𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 30 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨
5/9 – Athens, GA / The 40 Watt

𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒘/ 𝑺𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒖𝒏
7/10 – Shreveport, LA / Bear’s
7/11 – Tulsa, OK / Whittier Bar
7/12 – Lawrence, KS / The Bottleneck
7/13 – Omaha, NE / Reverb Lounge
7/14 – Davenport, IA / Raccoon Motel
7/15 – Indianapolis, IN / State St. Pub
7/16 – Nashville, TN / The End
7/17 – Asheville, NC / Doomed & Stoned
7/18 – Atlanta, GA / Boggs Social

𝑰𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒐𝒐𝒎
10/2 – Brooklyn, NY / The Meadows

𝑱𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝑱𝒂𝒎 2026
10/10 – Saratoga Springs, NY / Putnam Place

INSOMNIAC is
Alex Avedissian – Guitar
Van Bassman – Vocals
Juan Garcia – Bass
Amos Rifkin – Percussion, Vocals

https://www.insomniacvibes.com/
https://insomniacvibes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/insomniac_atl/
https://www.facebook.com/insomniacATL/

bluesfuneral.com
https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blues.funeral/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/

Insomniac, Om Moksha Ritam (2025)

Atlanta rollers o’ riff Hot Ram issue their new EP, Near Fall, today, Jan. 30. Comprised of three songs — get introduced: “Vimana Swamp” (7:27), “Black Weed” (6:02) and “Ironbound” (4:31) — it is a 17-minute onslaught of sludgecrete tones and gurgled vocals. Too thick to be slicing in the way sludge metal sometimes is, it retains a thoroughly stoner atmosphere via tempo languidity and tonal nod, growing more aggressive as it goes. Which is to say that “Ironbound,” a video for which is premiering below, hits hardest among the material included.

Bass, provided on “Ironbound” (and “Black Weed”) by Jerimy McNeil, who seems to have taken the role previously held by Dan Giampietro, is a big part of what makes it punch. With a chug that comes close to ’90s industrial if you squint your ears — guitarist/vocalist/engineer Billy Konkel switches to a cleaner chorus from the Godfleshier verse — “Ironbound” revels in the noise that “Black Weed” and “Vimana Swamp” are nodding toward. That doesn’t mean “Vimana Swamp” doesn’t have a bubbled-up-from-the-earth vibe enough to suit its title. Rest assured, it does. But while it remains very, very heavy, the way the riff settles back for the verse is a contrast, and it’s more about following the nod than getting smacked upside the head. Crushing feels like it goes without saying.

Near Fall is the first Hot Ram release in five years, so if it’s your first exposure to the band, you’re getting something of a compact summary of their take on stoner metal and sludge. The good news is you’ve got three records (and other stuff) you can go back and check out when you’re ready to hit it, the last of them was 2021’s Electric Medicine (review here). It might or might not be that Konkel (who is the remaining founding member), McNeil and drummer Dwayne Jones (Brian Ricks plays on these tracks) are thinking of it as a way to reintroduce themselves to listeners, but likely it didn’t start that way when recording began in 2022. Lineup changes would be part of a delay. Also life. Sometimes dank-ass riffy pummel takes a while. There’s your explanation.

But if it’s been around for a minute, that doesn’t make the Electric Wizardly riff of “Black Weed” any less potent. Hot Ram, to their credit, aren’t taking riffs straight out of Jus Oborn‘s playbook — as many do — but they find a midtempo fluidity that’s reminiscent of Dorset doom without lapsing into mimicry. Just after the midpoint, where Konkel lets out a noise that sounds like Matt Pike drinking nails, might be the noisiest stretch of the EP, but they bring it back to the central riff to finish out, because songwriting, and some riffs deserve to come around again to close.

You’ll find that like the two songs that precede it, “Ironbound” starts by establishing its riff. Once that’s done, the real fun starts. As always, I hope you enjoy:

Hot Ram, “Ironbound” video premiere

HOT RAM is an Atlanta based Stoner Metal band formed in 2016. It was during this time that Billy Konkel, HOT RAM founder, while working as a sound man in local Atlanta’s clubs, realized that he needed to be on the other side of the microphones and that he had a lot of music to write. Konkel enlisted Gordon White (Tetsu Nakasaka a local bassist/guitar player) to play drums. Gordon brought along Dee Flores on bass and together they recorded 2017’s E.P. “Leave A Beautiful Corpse”, 2018’s “Where Light Goes to Die”, and 2021’s “Electric Medicine”.

Billy Konkel and HOT RAM powered through all life’s obstacles and delivered 2026’s new E.P. “Near Fall”, (self-released on their home imprint Second Down Records) The album’s title was inspired by watching copious amounts of pro wrestling with his wrestling obsessed wife. “Near Fall” epitomizes and accurately describes the last few years that Konkel and HOT RAM were pinned to the mat for a 2 count (a “Near Fall”) and always getting back up to live another day….

“Near Fall” began recording in 2022, tracking drums at Leadbelly Studios and the rest of the album was recorded and mixed by Konkel at “Dark Overlord Studio” an over 100 year old warehouse/punk house.The opener “Vimana Swamp” is an about an ancient spaceship that crashed into a southern swamp and hidden in obscurity waiting for a return trip home. “Black Weed” Is about the smoking of the green: getting high and then Netflix and chilling with Lucifer himself from these self proclaimed “ High Priests of Dank Majik”. Lastly “Ironbound” lays up huge slabs of riffage —enough to tranquilize an elephant, lyrically forged with the hammer and brimstone of the Crusades.

HOT RAM’s “Near Fall” E.P. is for anyone that’s been on the ropes with little hope, but digs deep and finds the passion for dusting yourself off and not giving up!

February 2026 is the 10th anniversary of HOT RAM, and they look for it to be their brightest and loudest year yet. They start off the New Year opening for “High on Fire” in January, following it up with a couple of still un-announced festival dates this spring and summer to build some tour runs around what is expected to be a busy year.

Tracklisting:
1. Vimana Swamp
2. Black Weed
3. Ironbound

Near Fall Credits:
Billy Konkel Guitar/Vocals
Jerimy McNeil Bass (Black Weed/Ironbound)
Dan Giampietro Bass (Vimana Swamp)
Brian Ricks Drums

Drums recorded @ Leadbelly Studio-Matt Washburn
Guitars/Bass/Vocals/Mixed @ Dark Overlord Studio – Billy Konkel
Mastered @ Sound Artillery Studio – Jonathan Nunez (Torche)

HOT RAM 2026:
Billy Konkel Guitar/Vocals
Jerimy McNeil Bass
Dwayne Jones Drums

Hot Ram, Near Fall EP (2026)

Hot Ram website

Hot Ram Linktr.ee

Hot Ram on Bandcamp

Hot Ram on Instagram

Hot Ram on Facebook

Insomniac are barely a minute into opening track “Meditation” — by then the ceremonial chime has been struck, so they’re officially underway — before their debut album, Om Moksha Ritam has revealed the creation of texture as a core facet of its purpose. The Atlanta-based then-five-piece of guitarist/vocalist Mike Morris — who played for a time in Zoroaster and whose death this past July changes the context of this release entirely — vocalist Van Bassman, guitarist Alex Avedissian, bassist Juan Garcia and drummer/vocalist Amos Rifkin present their first full-length through Blues Funeral Recordings as seven songs across a heady, immersive 47 minutes.

They use this time to reveal a nuance of approach that is as much post-metal as it is meditative doom as it is progressive heavy in its construction, bolstered by themes of journeying as given through the geologic features and biomes of (most of) the tracks themselves, as “Meditation” unfurls a density that’s more about the wash resulting from layering elements rather than simple tonal heft. Semi-spoken, whisper-screamed and clean-sung parts are interwoven, and the sense of communion with the ethereal is prominent almost immediately. This is not a straight-ahead party band. It’s a mystical-doom crashing exploration-type band. I guess that’s still kind of a party.

“Meditation” bookends with pointedly proggy album finale “Awakening” to give a sense of the result of all this astral-projection-via-riffs, a kind of enlightenment won through the undertakings of “Mountain,” “Forest,” “Sea,” and so on. There’s a chime in “Mountain” as well, but the song is not misnamed for its largesse, and as its initial chug opens to a crash-punctuated roll, one is reminded some of Forming the Void‘s airier moments, or the likes of Rezn for the fog that seems to rest between the sound and the listener’s ears.

A gallop emerges, which is sort of a hook in itself, but Insomniac aren’t looking to toss out catchy numbers so much as convey depth (or height, in this case), and “Mountain” somewhat ironically to its title carries a sense of movement in its later twists of guitar and grooving push. The vocal arrangement once again displays a thoughtful creativity, and when they hit into the slowdown toward the finish (classic), the affect is as consuming as would seem to have been intended.

The subsequent “Snow and Ice” is the longest inclusion at 9:53, and comes to offer a more direct and — this isn’t the right word, but it’s the closest I’ve got — stark payoff in its ending, but the hypnotic, aughts-era-Mastodon-derived shimmer of guitar that makes up much of the track is the real highlight. Getting there, in other words. “Snow and Ice” soothes early coming off the finish of “Mountain,” and gradually solidifies around a low groove kept by Rifkin, whose fills grow increasingly intense as the build progresses.

The third cut might be the answer to how heavy Insomniac get on this first record, but if it hasn’t been clear from the first sentence above, I’ll say outright that Om Moksha Ritam is about more than just being heavy. A later example of this is the sense of float that persists in the penultimate “Desert,” which is not ungrounded (it has drums, for example) but lets its acoustic/electric resonance answer the lushness of melody in the earlier centerpiece “Forest,” which answers back to much of what “Mountain” and “Snow and Ice” accomplish in terms of build, but is distilled in the doing across an album-shortest 4:23 runtime; toying with efficiency and structure, letting parts dwell when it feels right; all of this is dug-in in a positive sense.

As given to creating a wash as Insomniac are — and this should be considered something different from ‘crushing,’ which in my stoner headcanon is more definitively about tone — it’s easy to get lost in the proceedings as a listener and sort of snap back with the next change. “Forest” sees this become part of the dynamic of the band in a different way, broadening their reach even as it seems to rein in impulses toward longer-form expression. It’s fluid either way, and almost can’t help but be with its echoing vocals and cave-reverb, and so on.

These also become part of the persona of the release, and as “Forest” starts a mini-trilogy of three shorter tracks, with “Sea” and “Desert” behind, each one offers something distinct from the others — “Sea” starts out like drunken-regret QOTSA in a slog, builds suitable waves of distortion before the tide rolls out, while desert is clearer-eyed in its course toward the concluding payoff, with layers of vocals, sitar-esque guitar, and the full brunt of volume brought to a head before it’s done.

It’s unsurprising that “Awakening” should pick up from this moment, since it’s not the first time the band has by then employed finishing big and starting subdued going from one track to the next (see “dynamic,” above), but the closer has a sense of patience in its rollout and brings the vocal melody forward, finding Alice in Chainsy resolution after the three-minute mark en route to a resurgent gallop and a solo-topped onslaught finish. Somewhere in there a chime is hit again and it rings out to cap, which is fair for ending the meditation that began with — wait for it — “Meditation.” Although they don’t lack for impact really anywhere on the record, one of the chief accomplishments of Om Moksha Ritam is aesthetic.

The depth of production/mix become an essential piece of the songs’ character, and define a feeling of reaching into the unknown that’s all the more impressive as it seems to be a willfully honed aspect of their sound. It is somewhat inevitable that the band will be changed from here on. They not only have dealt with the trauma of losing Morris in the time leading up to a release that may well define their trajectory going forward, but on a practical level, even if they find another guitarist/vocalist to take up the role, the dynamic as presented across this material will shift as a simple matter of it involving somebody different. Knowing that, and in consideration of Om Moksha Ritam among the most cohesive and engagingly plotted debuts of the year — while at the same time fostering a mystique on a sheer sonic level — the record feels even more special.

Insomniac, Om Moksha Ritam (2025)

Insomniac, “Awakening” official video

Insomniac, “Mountain” official video

Insomniac website

Insomniac on Bandcamp

Insomniac on Instagram

Insomniac on Facebook

Blues Funeral Recordings website

Blues Funeral Recordings on Bandcamp

Blues Funeral Recordings on Instagram

Blues Funeral Recordings on Facebook

Former Mastodon guitarist and vocalist William Brent Hinds has passed away at the age of 51 years. Reports have been confirmed that Hinds was in a motorcycle crash overnight and, according to atlantanewsfirst.com, was struck by a motorist in a BMW SUV who didn’t yield.

Hinds’ passing is a shock to a community still reeling from his separation from Mastodon earlier this year. As a founding member of one of his generation’s most crucial metal/heavy progressive bands, Hinds was an essential facet in the development of the project he co-founded 25 years ago with Troy Sanders, Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher.

Hinds released eight full-lengths as a part of Mastodon, and founded side-projects like West End Motel, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra and Fiend Without a Face to run concurrently. The latter were to tour Europe this November into December, first on a UK and Ireland stint supporting CKY and then headlining thereafter.

Since their inception and since their debut full-length, Remission, landed with an all-hail-the-new-flesh thud in 2002, Mastodon has always been a band of strong personalities. Hinds was no exception. His split with the band in March was headlined by the quote, “I won’t miss being in a shit band with horrible humans,” and there seemed to be no love lost on the other side either.

His death forces a new perspective. Whatever Hinds’ relationship with the rest of Mastodon may have been before last night, the fact is that he was one of four people to have lived the experience of being in that band, and whether any of them liked it or not, that bonded them all together. His passing precludes any chance of reconciliation and would seem to leave what feels a bit like an open wound, or at least a fresh scar, in Mastodon’s collective hide.

On behalf of myself and this site, I offer condolences to Hinds’ family, friends, collaborators and fans. I remember speaking to him a long time ago to write a West End Motel bio, and he was kind and expressive, and on stage, he was either destroy or destroyed, no in-between. The legacy he helped shape stands testament to his artistry, and he will be missed. Rest in peace.

As they reel from the passing of guitarist Mike Morris — pictured second from the right in the photo below; backwards cap, sunglasses, beard — just weeks ago, Atlanta’s Insomniac are pushing forward with the ramp-up to the release of their debut album, Om Moksha Ritam, on Blues Funeral Recordings. The record is out Sept. 5 and “Awakening” finds the band paying homage to Morris in a touching and heartfelt manner at the end. This means the clip must be recent, so no doubt it would have been an emotional shoot for the remaining members of the band — vocalist Van Bassman, guitarist Alex Avedissian, bassist Juan Garcia and drummer/backing vocalist Amos Rifkin — and the realization is accordingly bittersweet.

Note they’ll be out with Kal-El following Om Moksha Ritam‘s Sept. 5 release. The PR wire brings the new video and reminds of doings:

Transcendent post-doom unit INSOMNIAC shares new single off upcoming debut album on Blues Funeral Recordings; fall US tour announced!

Atlanta-based transcendent post-doom architects INSOMNIAC (with members of Zoroaster, Deceased and Avedissian Pickups) present their new single “Awakening”, in memory of their recently departed guitarist and vocalist Mike Morris. Their debut album “Om Moksha Ritam” will be issued on September 5th via Blues Funeral Recordings.

“Om Moksha Ritam” (or “Liberation through merging with the Universal Rhythm”) is a concept album that guides the listener through an aural and spiritual journey across multiple extreme environments, testing their resolve, principles, and commitment to adhering to the path.

“‘Awakening’ is the synthesis of this trip and the climax of both our collective spiritual journey and the record. After enduring and ultimately triumphing over the trials and environments traversed across the seven songs, we find ourselves with the time, space, safety, and gained experience to finally connect, with all our focus and intention, to the universe itself,” says the band.

INSOMNIAC’s resolve has certainly been tested lately. After announcing their album, an upcoming US tour with fellow Blues Funeral Recordings artist Kal-El, and being added to this year’s RippleFest lineup, the band experienced the sudden passing of Mike Morris, guitarist and a founding member of Insomniac.

“Mike was one of a kind – a sweet and generous soul that was always there to spread his good vibes and help lift you up to the higher plane that he existed on. A beach bum at heart – never without a cigarette, Tecate, or guitar in hand. We were so incredibly thrilled to have him as a bandmate and a friend. The mark he made on the music we made together is impossible to quantify. The song, this video, and the record are all dedicated to the memory of Mike Morris.”

As is their way, Insomniac has decided to stick to the path and to continue sharing their music with the world, adding another batch of dates around Ripplefest Texas. “This music was so important to him, and to us, that we knew it was exactly what he would have wanted. The path, we must keep on.”

Upcoming fall shows:
9/16 – Birmingham, AL @ Firehouse
9/17 – Memphis, TN @ The Hi-Tone
9/18 – Dallas, TX @ Armoury DE
9/19 – Austin, TX @ Ripplefest
9/20 – Houston, TX @ 19th Hole
9/21 – Pensacola, FL – The Handlebar*
10/16 – Asheville, NC @ The Odd*
10/17 – Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House*
10/18 – Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye*
10/19 – Cambridge, MA @ Sonia*
10/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Milk Boy*
10/22 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery*
10/23 – Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl*
10/24 – Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary*
10/25 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies Music Joint*
10/26 – Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade*
10/28 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck*
10/29 – Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard*
10/30 – Austin, TX @ The Lost Well*
11/31 – New Orleans, LA @ Holy Diver*
11/1 – Panama City, FL @ Mosey’s*
11/2 – Atlanta, GA @ Boggs Social*
* with Kal-El

On their debut record “Om Moksha Ritam”, to be released September 2025 via Blues Funeral Recordings, Insomniac delivers a brooding, heavy, and psychedelic journey, both physical and abstract. The duality of the experience is for you to experience. Every trip is different. Every spin reveals another layer. Here exists something new, unique, and incomparable. A band that made the music they wanted to hear because it needed to exist. What you choose to do with this information is your choice alone – but don’t sleep on it.

INSOMNIAC is
Alex Avedissian – Guitar
Van Bassman – Vocals
Juan Garcia – Bass
Mike Morris – Guitar, Vocals
Amos Rifkin – Percussion, Vocals

https://www.insomniacvibes.com/
https://insomniacvibes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/insomniac_atl/
https://www.facebook.com/insomniacATL/

bluesfuneral.com
https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blues.funeral/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/

Insomniac, “Awakening” official video

Insomniac, “Mountain” official video

Moon Destroys already toured with Elder this year, and they’ll be out with Dozer and The Sword before 2025 is done. Significant time on the road and in some decent slots. And yeah, a pedigree that lets them namedrop Torche and Royal Thunder is nothing to sneeze at, but if you heard their 2025 debut album, She Walks by Moonlight (review here), upon its self-release this Spring, you already know that as a band they’re more than the sum of their collective discography.

Likely the Blues Funeral Recordings issue of She Walks by Moonlight set to release this October will be the ‘official’ edition, and fair enough for that since they’ll apparently spend much of 2026 touring to support it. Europe yet? Another record first, maybe, but you never know. They’d be a smart pickup for some Desertfest or other happening in Europe next Spring. Just thinking out loud.

Kudos to the band, cheers to Jadd on his forever-to-the-ground ear, and thanks for reading. Here’s the announcement from the PR wire:

Atlanta alternative psych unit MOON DESTROYS (w/ ex-Torche and Royal Thunder) sign to Blues Funeral Recordings; US tours with Dozer and The Sword coming!

Atlanta alternative psych rock unit MOON DESTROYS have signed to Blues Funeral Recordings for the reissue of their self-released debut “She Walks By Moonlight” as well as their new album release in 2026. The band is ready to embark on their US West Coast tour this week alongside Dozer and Abrams, and will be touring the East Coast with The Sword this fall.

Formed by guitarist Juan Montoya (ex-Torche) and drummer Evan Diprima (ex-Royal Thunder), Moon Destroys released their first EP ‘Maiden Voyage’ in 2020. The 5-song debut featured contributions from Troy Sanders (Mastodon) and Bryan Richie (The Sword) and laid a foundation that would come fully into focus when vocalist/guitarist Charlie Suárez (MonstrO) and bassist Arnold Nese completed the band in 2024.

April 2025 found Moon Destroys thrust into the limelight, supporting Elder on tour just as they were self-releasing their debut full-length “She Walks By Moonlight” in limited form. Despite hurrying to get the new LP ready in time to take on the road, the album inarguably captured the band’s tremendous evolution beyond the connections to the members’ former outfits.

Gritty and distorted yet hazy and hypnotic, “She Walks By Moonlight” shifts from shimmering post-rock to driving riff-doom and back to shoegazy psychedelia. It’s a cinematic and otherworldly journey from a band who breeze easily into the environs of Floor, Mother Love Bone, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Russian Circles and Ride, ultimately collapsing all efforts at categorization into its effervescent, compulsive swirl.

Blues Funeral Recordings is proud to welcome Moon Destroys to the label just in time for a string of US tour dates supporting Swedish icons Dozer alongside labelmates Abrams. The label will bring forth a proper worldwide release of “She Walks By Moonlight” this October as they will hit the stage for a coveted run of dates with The Sword, followed by their next album release and more touring in 2026.

The band says: “We are extremely excited to join forces with Jadd and the Blues Funeral Recordings team to continue the saga of Moon Destroys. It’s an honor to join a roster with great, like-minded artists to keep pushing the heavy underground forward! We will see you out on the West Coast this month supporting fellow label mates and Swedish legends Dozer. After that, we’ll be out supporting our friends and fellow rippers The Sword this October on the East Coast before heading back into the studio to finish a new album. We are looking forward to working hard for the rest of the year to make for an even busier 2026! It’s full steam ahead now with a great team!“

Summer 2025 supporting Dozer w/ Abrams
August 7 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Swan Dive
August 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
August 9 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
August 10 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing
August 12 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
August 13 – Eureka, CA @ Savage Henry Comedy Club
August 14 – Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s
August 15 – Portland, OR @ Dante’s
August 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
August 17 – Seattle, WA @ Substation

Fall 2025 tour supporting The Sword

October 13 – Boston, MA @ Paradise
October 14 – New York City, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom
October 15 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
October 17 – Buffalo, NY @ Higher Ground
October 18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
October 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
October 22 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater
October 23 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
October 24 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham
October 26 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl

“She Walks By Moonlight” reissue
Available October 17, 2025 on Blues Funeral Recordings
Shop on BFR website: https://www.bluesfuneral.com/
Bandcamp: https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
European store: https://en.bluesfuneral.spkr.media/

MOON DESTROYS are:
Juan Montoya – Guitars
Evan Diprima – Drums
Charlie Suárez – Vocals Guitars
Arnold Nese – Bass

https://www.moondestroys.com/
https://moondestroys.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/moondestroys
https://www.instagram.com/moondestroys/
https://www.facebook.com/moondestroys/

bluesfuneral.com
https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blues.funeral/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/

Moon Destroys, She Walks by Moonlight (2025)