Posted in Whathaveyou on February 12th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
Ohio’s Black Moon Cult are set to play Midwest Doom Coalition Fest and HUFR Fest this April 18 and 26, respectively, and with what one assumes is the significant drive from Lawrence, Kansas, to Costa Mesa, California — 22 hours, almost all of it on I-70 — as a central feature, the now-trio are set to support their 2025 debut album, Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) (review here), by making a tour of it. You might recall they were out on the West Coast in Septemeber as well for the release of the record, but though they hit Phoenix and Denver on that run, obviously HUFR Fest being in Denver changes the context there. And I guess Phoenix just rules, so fair enough.
The PR wire brought the poster and dates:
BLACK MOON CULT ANNOUNCE SPRING TOUR DATES
Heavy Psych trio Black Moon Cult have announced a Spring 2026 Midwest and West Coast tour in support of their critically acclaimed debut full-length, Ophidian Future: The Children of Yig (released Sept 2025/ Black Doomba Records).
The run kicks off April 16, in Chicago, and winds through the Midwest before heading Southwest to the Pacific coast. Sharing stages with acts such as Dopethrone, Year of the Cobra, and The Freeks along the way, Black Moon Cult will make notable festival appearances at Midwest Doom Coalition Fest in Lawrence, KS and HUFR Fest in Denver, further cementing the band’s growing presence in the heavy underground.
Since its release, Ophidian Future: The Children of Yig has earned widespread acclaim within the Stoner/Doom Rock scene. Praised for its towering riffs, psychedelic menace, and mythic sci-fi themes, the album has quickly positioned Black Moon Cult as a rising force in modern Psych and Heavy Rock. Now is your chance to experience the Moonchild Ritual in real time — Black Moon Cult live on tour, presented by SuperKool Booking.
Tour Dates: 4/16 – Chicago, IL – Liars Club 4/17 – St. Louis, MO – The Sinkhole 4/18 – Lawrence, KS – Midwest Doom Coalition Fest 4/21 – Costa Mesa, CA – Tiki Bar 4/22 – Thousand Palms, CA – Coachella Valley Brewing Co 4/23 – Las Vegas, NV – TBA 4/24 – Phoenix, AZ – The Blooze Bar 4/26 – Denver, CO – HUFR Fest
Black Moon Cult is: Kaleb Riser- Vocals, Guitar, Synth, Theremin Kevin Lewis- Bass, Synth, Vocals Jeff Vandebussche- Drums, Vocals
Posted in Reviews on November 6th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
The story of Black Moon Cult‘s debut album, Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig), is one of forward potential. There’s no getting away from it. Then the trio of guitarist/vocalist/synthesist Kaleb M. Riser, bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Lewis and drummer/vocalist Jeff Vandebussche — since expanded to a four-piece with synthesist/thereminist/vocalist Logan Mais — the band built buzz over the last year-plus with eeked-out singles and teaser-of-things-to-come touring, introducing themselves to listeners in-person as well as in the more ethereal digital sphere.
Self-produced with recording by S. Daley at The Mohawk Studio and a mix and master by Tony Reed (Mos Generator, etc.) at HeavyHead, the six-track/38-minute offering canonizes “Supernova” and “Stoned Ape” while bringing their audience into a broader narrative world; with respect, I’ll just cut and paste the quote from Riser on their Bandcamp: “Ophidian Future is thematically influenced by Lovecraftian cosmic horror, ancient Chinese mythology, and the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, where God takes away the serpent’s limbs and casts him out of paradise. All of this comes together to create the story of a serpent/reptilian race/their desire to ‘take back the garden’.” Fair enough. But the story of the album is still the band’s potential.
Part of it is that the songs are so gosh darn encompassing. Each of the two intended sides ends with an eight-plus-minute capper — “Ophidian Future” (8:06) and “Stoned Ape” (8:42), respectively — and even after “Moonchild Ritual” and “Supernova” at the outset, the scope of “Ophidian Future” puts decades of influences together in a span that accounts for Om and Death in vocal cadence alone with riffs that mine High on Fire-y intensity from groove wrought in the spirit of The Sword and Fu Manchu, yes in just that one song. “Stoned Ape” calls out to early ’90s Sleep on the way to drawing a line between Hawkwind and trad-thrash, resolving in a swirling Iron Maiden-style solo making way for the last hook, but is in no way out of place with “Ophidian Future” or the penultimate “At the Mountains of Madness” which brings a sludgy crunch to a chorus somewhere between melodic and shouting, metal at its root but bigger in tone and nod.
It’s one of several moments which, on its own and out of the context of Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) as a whole, might seem representative of the course of Black Moon Cult, but again, that’s where the potential of the band is the real story of the record, because you could say the same thing about the keyboardy meditative prog and doomgaze tonal wash of “Sunfish,” with a screamo build in its midsection because why not, or the forward shove and crash, twist, boogie and bombast that start the record in “Moonchild Ritual.” ‘Black Moon Cult‘s style’ becomes a more complex notion as each successive track adds to the reach of the entirety.
Psychedelic progressive stoner metal? Maybe. Cosmic prog and heavy rock? Yeah, that’s part of it, too, I guess. Being tough to pin down suits the songwriting of Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig), which is both genre-aware and more concerned with telling its story than residing in one section of the umbrella or another at any given point, and no doubt the malleability that lets them shift from the push of “Supernova” into the more stately psychedelic flow in the initial buildup of “Ophidian Future,” will continue to serve them well as they move on from here. Likewise the nastier bite of the shouts/screams on “Moonchild Ritual,” offsetting the space-rock shuffle before (and after) the break-to-keyboard.
At their most fervent and fuzzed, as on the lead track, Black Moon Cult might remind of Nebula‘s semi-controlled chaos in terms of tone and production, but the leads of “Supernova” are plotted in such a way as to lock step with the keys later on, and are plotted in their movement rather than solo lines thrown overtop. This sense of balance is rare for a debut, but speaks to the self-awareness in Black Moon Cult‘s take. They don’t sound like a band of indie rockers who just happened to click on their fuzz pedals and ‘oops what’s stoner rock.’ They know of what they riff, and part of what Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) does well is speak to genre and specifically the more open-minded end of a heavy underground listenership that’s hungry for fresh ideas building on familiar elements.
That that’s so much of what happens across Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig), well, it sure speaks to the potential of the band, huh? Coherence of sound, style and form are rare enough for a young act the first time out, but there is still a sense of Black Moon Cult feeling their way through a process of discovering who they are. Part of that is evident in the skate-rock-meets-Chuck–Schuldiner-style-prog of “Ophidian Future,” but the album is more multifaceted than a phrase like “modern stoner melting pot” would want to convey, never mind the significant personality aspect in the material with Riser and Lewis sharing vocals, and double-never-mind the doomed atmosphere of “Sunfish” amid all that ’90s chug.
That their aesthetic isn’t a settled issue — that they came into this LP with a strong idea of what they wanted these songs to be but fewer expectations of who they are in terms of approach — becomes a strength of this material, and while it’s true that the patterns they’re setting forth across “Ophidian Future” and “At the Mountains of Madness” could and otherwise might be maintained and developed across the years to come, it’s also possible that everything they do from now on will be a response to how much they hated this album’s sound. You never really know until you get there. Which — wait for it — is how the story of Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) becomes about how much potential there is in Black Moon Cult, and how clearly one can hear the ambition driving their work already coming to fruition in it. A sure bet for inclusion among 2025’s best debut albums.
Black Moon Cult, Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) (2025)
Posted in Reviews on October 9th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Today is Thursday, but it’s day five of the Fall 2025 Quarterly Review because I snuck in that first day last Friday. I cannot convey to you how much that has screwed me up. Turns out when you do one thing precisely one way for like 13 years and then all of a sudden flip it around another way it can be confusing. Stay tuned for more deep-impact life hacks and insights like this.
Or maybe riffs instead. It’s okay. That’s most of what keeps me coming back too.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Paradise Lost, Ascension
More than 35 years on from their outset, Paradise Lost are an institution. I know they’ve had their stylistic divergences, but since recommitting themselves to their morose take on doom metal more than 15 years ago, they’ve hit a rare echelon of reliability one can only call Kreator-esque. That’s not a sonic comparison, but like the German thrash stalwarts, Paradise Lost have their sound — dark and more malleable in tempo than the thickened tones make it feel across these 10 songs — and within that sphere are able to do basically what they want musically and make it work. Side A’s “Salvation,” the longest inclusion at seven minutes, is a tour de force of the appeal of modern Paradise Lost, and a fitting summary of how encompassing they’ve become while still remaining recognizable as themselves. They even get hooky on “Deceivers,” so yes, still growing, still pushing, still Paradise Lost. A once-a-generation band, even as part of a cohort as they were, and not to be taken for granted.
The sixth full-length from still-younger-than-some-bands-who-haven’t-been-around-as-long Icelandic heavy rockers The Vintage Caravan plays out across 17 tracks and 59 minutes, with groups of songs presumably corresponding to double-vinyl side splits separated by interludes each of which is named “Portal.” So, Portals. The first of them follows “Philosopher,” the lead single which features Mikael Åkerfeldt, who turns out to be one of several guests across the record, but the real headliner is the songwriting. In the big choruses of “Here You Come Again,” “Give and Take,” and others, the band recall a heyday when rock could be heavy and accessible outside its own sphere, while “Electrified” later on builds into a tense boogie hook before “Portal V” transitions to the acoustic-based “My Aurora” and the closer “This Road,” one more uptempo, shred-inclusive, exceptionally well-crafted piece of The Vintage Caravan‘s classic-heavy-informed style, efficient in getting its point across despite allowing itself time to dwell as it does throughout.
It’s not really a huge surprise that Los Angeles dark heavy psych rockers Spirit Mother would ‘go acoustic’ at some point, given the dynamic they’ve showcased to-date on their definitely-plugged studio albums. The most recent of those, 2024’s righteous, Heavy Psych Sounds-issued Trails (review here), is the source for “Wolves” and “Below,” which feature on this short, stripped-down offering. “Wolves,” which capped the record in memorable fashion, leads off here with its foreboding feeling all the more realized given the state of the world, while “Below” finds violinist SJ pushing into a soft crescendo taking off from Armand Lance‘s guitar and vocals. Recorded live, Songs From the Basin sounds duly organic, and whenever Spirit Mother in any form — that is, the full band or just the duo as they are here — wants to drop a full acoustic set, I’m here for it. Once again, the lesson is once you have well-written songs, you can make them do and be just about whatever you want.
I’m pretty sure the now-Berlin-based experimentalist duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff are north of 30 full-lengths released since their first one in 2002, and that doesn’t count blurring the lines between one project and another with collaborations or Baker‘s solo work. Prolific as they are, they remain expressive in the hard-drum-machined “It’s Cold When You Cut Me” (15:09), one of the four extended inclusions of Cut, where the sinister undercurrent comes to fruition in the song’s second half of manipulated, noisy drone. “Dark, No Knowledge” (13:26) lays out a distorted landscape and rolls through it, Godflesh in a hand-cranked meat grinder, becoming a swell of apocalyptic noise, while “She Ate His Dreams From the Inside and Spat Out the Frozen Fucking Bones” (15:14) dares to be pretty as it leaves spaces open and fills out later with psychedelic processionmaking, leaving the immediate ritual of “Omenformation” to resonate high before piling on low end frequencies while also freakjazzing and riffing out. The noise swallows all but it turns out there’s salvation in that monster’s stomach, so I’ll take it. One Nadja album may be an inevitable precursor to the next one, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make it a world of its own.
Düsseldorf-bred psych rockers Vibravoid belong in a class of undervalued all their own. As they mark their 35th anniversary, they begin their new studio album Remove the Ties with a mischievous redirect of krautrock-style electronics before the garage-wavey “Neustart” and pop-shimmerier “Power of Dreams” dig further into the heart of the record, letting side A round out with the longer, deeper-reverbed “Follow Me Follow You” and its effects barrage play out atop the steady kick drum tasked with holding it together. But nobody who’s been in a band for 35 years is about to actually be sloppy, and there’s no actual danger of off-the-rails on Remove the TiesBaby Woodrose roamed the earth. Vibravoid were there then too. It’s easy to get around when you’re from a different dimension.
Do you have six minutes for a good pummeling? Of course you do. Brooklynite four-piece For Fuck’s Sake offer two tracks like a digital punker 7″ with 7-Minute Abs/Lobotomy, and they make no attempt to hide the fact of their sights being set on destruction. Their sound, rooted in hardcore and sludge in like measure, counting in with the snare on “7-Minute Abs” and daring to cross the three-minutes-long threshold with the fervent chug and bone-on-bone impact of “Lobotomy,” reminds of nothing so much as earlier 16, but with an unmistakable edge of Northeastern confrontationalism. That is, they’ll fuck you up and they know it, so that’s what they’re setting out to do. Barking, gnashing intensity set a harsh backdrop for what’s an engaging groove so long as you’re pissed off enough to process it (which you should be; look around), and the rawness of their delivery, the unabashed assault of it, comes through as genuine. Also punishing.
Classic heavy rock and roll forms the core of Paralyzed‘s approach, with guitarist Michael Binder‘s low, gravelly vocals reminiscent of Jim Morrison at his least hinged, suited to the blues behind second cut “Railroad” and the subsequent march of “Rosie’s Town” on the band’s third LP, Rumble & Roar. To say they — that is, Binder, organist/rhythm guitarist Caterina Böhner, bassist Philipp Engelbrecht and drummer Florian Thiele — make it a party across the nine-song/41-minute outing is perhaps understating the case, but if you’d accuse “Heavy Blues” of being too on the nose, you’re missing the fact that on the nose is the point. There’s no irony here, no sneer to the boogie of “White Paper” or the slow organ-laced fluidity of “The Witch,” just heavy vibes and reaffirmation of the band’s growth as songwriters. I’m not even sure where one would start complaining about such a thing.
Delivered as their label-debut for Magnetic Eye Records, the 10-song/40-minute Bear is the fourth full-length from Nashville two-piece Friendship Commanders, with guitarist/vocalist Buick Audra and drummer/bassist/synthesist Jerry Roe having recorded with Kurt Ballou in addition to doing some at home for an affect accordingly tight in craft and heavy in impact. “Melt” pushes toward a ’90s-style reimagining of heavy rock as both commercially viable and empowering, while “X” pairs its tonal crunch with the keyboardy reach of its midsection, poppish but still heavy even unto the snare hits. Pop becomes another tool in their arsenal, whether it’s the layered ascent and push of “New” or the weighted culmination presented with closer “Dead and Discarded Girls,” and the band don’t seem to shy away from being able to compose at the level they are. At the same time, “Dripping Silver” feels fully cognizant of the radness in the riff it’s riding, so there’s a balance to it as well. They sound like professionals.
Former Iron Man and, as of recently, former Spiral Grave vocalist “Screaming Mad” Dee Calhoun is pissed. The Maryland-based acoustic metal troubadour sounds resolute on Angry Old Man, and while his past solo work could hardly be said to pull punches, he hits a different level of laying it all out there on “Kill a Motherfucker” late in the procession here. As ever, hollow-bodied-resonance is the foundation throughout, but other elements like the harmonica in “Voodoo Queen” and the tolling bell at the outset of “VVitch (A Chant)” (not really a chant) fill out the reaches when Calhoun‘s powerhouse voice — still his primary instrument, though the guitar work has gotten more complex with time as well — recedes to a softer delivery. But when he belts it out — looking at you, “Rise Up to March” — he can shake the ground, and if you have any prior familiarity with his work, you already know he’s unmistakable in that regard. That remains the case here, even as he positions himself the titular Angry Old Man. Ain’t none of us getting any younger, dude.
The narrative of the band getting together after a few years, enjoying each other’s company as they wrote and recorded Sörmland — named for where in Sweden they were — becomes real with the mellowprog delve of “Honey Trap” more than the shorter leadoff “Video,” as pastoralia takes centerstage with organic melodies and a casual groove. Unsurprisingly if you know Twin Peaks, “Laura Palmer’s Theme” is darker, but the real reference it’s making seems to be to “Moonlight Sonata” as regards the keys, but “Neon Lights” answers back by being in no hurry whatsoever with sweet intertwining guitar lines and a subtle build to later movement. At 11 minutes, the title-track that caps is the longest inclusion, but fair enough since they have to make room for that tenor sax and all. I wouldn’t know from experience, but Sörmland is what I imagine it would sound like to be emotionally regulated, ever, and anytime Automatism want to get together out in the woods or by some fields or a lake or whathaveyou, I hope someone has the presence of mind to hit record.
Philadelphia heavy rockers Thunderbird Divine recorded their new three-song Live, Loud and Lucky EP in Brooklyn this past June, playing at the venerable Lucky 13 Saloon. They’ll release it tomorrow, Sept. 26, and it’s their first outing since last year’s Black Doomba Records-issued Little Wars (review here) — from whence “Times Gone Bad” and “These Eyes” come — and their first since the passing this April of keyboardist Jack Falkenbach at age 44, which as one might expect sent the band reeling.
This show with the remaining three members of the group — pictured left to right on the cover: guitarist/vocalist/thereminist Erik Caplan, drummer Michael Stuart and bassist Joshua Adam Solomon, with Falkenbach‘s sunglasses as the ‘i’ in ‘live’ — was June 20, not quite two full months after suffering that loss, and in the three songs/15 minutes they present with Live, Loud and Lucky, the primary impression is one of rawness. Thunderbird Divine‘s studio work isn’t hyper-polished or anything like that, but “Times Gone Bad” hits sludgy and then slides on its verse riff, the band able to create movement around the impact, and the slowdown for Caplan‘s lead remains righteous.
That must have felt — or at least hopefully it did — reassuring to the band onstage, knowing that, having already made the decision to continue on in part to pay homage to Falkenbach and his work in this material, they could still sound like themselves. Keyboards have not played a minor role to-date in Thunderbird Divine‘s work, whether it’s a classic organ line or something weirder, but the riffing here is indelible as “These Eyes” pick up with burner fuzz set to march by the drums. Like “Times Gone Bad,” “These Eyes” finishes with flourish in its solo section, classy in a roughed-up kind of way with some “nah, nah-nah” vocals capping, which lets “Bummer Bridge” land all the more lumbering.
Culled from 2019’s Magnasonic (review here), “Bummer Bridge” as presented on Live, Loud and Lucky is enough to remind you that when magazines were looking for a word to call what Grand Funk Railroad were doing, they called it “sludge.” Thunderbird Divine move in this space, that they can make heavy tones and heavy vibes boogie, might be the most reassuring aspect of the release. “Bummer Bridge” is gleefully filthy. There’s a bit of warts-‘n’-all to it, but that just adds to the sense of the band letting loose, and the effect is cathartic. It’s easy to imagine it was on stage as well.
I do not know what the future holds for Thunderbird Divine, whether they’ll continue forward and see if the right fit comes along on keys or eventually pursue new material as a trio. It’s probably not even the year to start answering that question, if I’m honest, but however things shake out long-term, the feeling of tribute to Falkenbach is palpable in this short release, and it’s a clear demonstration of the band finding solace and comfort in the music they’re making. Whatever follows or doesn’t, that’s a beautiful thing.
As always, I hope you enjoy:
Erik Caplan on Live, Loud and Lucky:
“Losing Jack was like losing our collective right arm — we’re alive, but it’s hard to function without him. He was a very special, wonderful, talented and unique man, and nobody can replace a person like that. We like to say we’ll get another keys player (or some other player) if Jack sends them to us. For now, “Live, Loud and Lucky” shows who we are.”
THUNDERBIRD DIVINE returns with Live, Loud and Lucky, a collection of three live tracks recorded at Lucky 13 in Brooklyn on June 20, 2025. The recording captures the band during their first extended run of shows after the passing of keyboardist and friend Jack Falkenbach. It marks a transitional period for the band, performing as a trio and confronting both emotional and technical challenges on stage.
The lineup for the recording includes Erik Caplan on guitar, vocals, and theremin, Joshua Adam Solomon on bass, and Michael Stuart on drums. The set was recorded by Kyle Hodgkin, mixed by Solomon and Caplan, and mastered by Stephen Angello. Stuart also created the album’s cover art.
THUNDERBIRD DIVINE formed in Philadelphia in 2017. Their current sound draws influence from bands like FLOWER TRAVELLIN’ BAND, HAWKWIND, MONSTER MAGNET, and BLUE CHEER. Their style combines heavy riffing with psychedelic textures, experimental instruments, and unusual structures.
Live, Loud and Lucky reflects THUNDERBIRD DIVINE in motion. The performances are raw and unpolished. They show a band adjusting to change while holding on to the core elements of their sound. The album is available digitally starting September 26, 2025.
Psychedelic sludge rockers Black Moon Cult have a video up for “Stoned Ape,” the first single taken from their upcoming debut album, Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig), which is out Sept. 4 on Black Doomba Records. The song, the West Coast tour dates, the release date — none of that is new information if you’ve been keeping up, but the clip is, and it’s a fun one, so here we are.
I haven’t heard this record yet, but the Toledo, Ohio-based outfit continue to intrigue as they move closer to the release. Aesthetically, you wouldn’t call “Stoned Ape” a revolution in concept or execution, but the communion with genre is brought to bear with perspective and an individual lean. Spliced in among performance footage is a narrative of a Bigfoot trying to get to the show, and there’s a disco mushroom, and good times ensue. Right now, looking for anything more than that seems like overkill.
Obviously, charm is part of the appeal here, but that’s a classic element as well. The band have already done the East Coast for shows, so the West Coast tour could possibly be it for the year, though they wouldn’t be out of line to do a string of specifically Midwestern dates either, considering that’s where they’re located. I guess the bottom line for me is it feels good to look forward to a first album from a new band, and whether the thing turns out to be a landmark or not, in wretched and horrifying times, seeing positivity in anything in the near or far future is not something to take for granted. It ain’t stopping genocide abroad or enacting regime change at home, but a nine-minute escape from 2025 is welcome, as is the reminder that not everything is terrible. Don’t fret, reality will still be there when it’s over.
In a spirit of optimism, then, please enjoy:
Black Moon Cult, “Stoned Ape” official video
Black Moon Cult Drops Official Music Video for “Stoned Ape”
Psychedelic doom metal conjurers Black Moon Cult , signed to Black Doomba Records , have just released the official music video for their sprawling new single “Stoned Ape” , offering fans a hypnotic visual journey ahead of their debut full-length album, Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) — out September 4th, 2025 .
Now, the newly unveiled video brings the song’s evolutionary themes to life, blending retro-futuristic visuals, cosmic dread, and slow-burning performance shots that immerse viewers in the band’s doom-laden dimension.
Tour Dates: 9/10 – The Crypt – Denver, CO 9/11 – The Echoes – Albuquerque, NM 9/12 – The Blooze Bar – Phoenix, AZ 9/13 – The Bancroft – San Diego, CA 9/14 – The Tiki Bar – Costa Mesa, CA 9/15 – The Redwood – Los Angeles, CA 9/16 – Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
BLACK MOON CULT IS: Kaleb Riser: Guitar/ Vocals Kevin Lewis: Bass/ Vocals Logan Mais: Synth/Theremin/Vocals Jeff Vandebussche: Drums/Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 15th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
With eight-plus sprawling, dug in minutes of heavy psychedelic rocking, “Stoned Ape” bodes remarkably well for Black Moon Cult‘s impending debut album, Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig), which is out Sept. 4 through Black Doomba Records. Preorders aren’t open yet, I assume because scheduling, but the anticipation around this first Black Moon Cult offering is high, and the band have already set out on tour to herald its arrival and, by extension, their own on the US heavy underground circuit.
“Stoned Ape” makes a convincing argument for why you should be looking forward to the record to come, and it’s on Bandcamp, so you’ll find the embed at the bottom of this post. You may recall, previously, the only way to listen was on Spotify, which remains awful as a practical listening option in addition to supporting the insane right wing fascist military industrial complex. This announcement follows up on the album announce last week, and keep an eye for more as I’ll hope to have a review up for this one before it’s out.
Until then, then:
BLACK MOON CULT UNLEASH NEW SINGLE “STONED APE” — A MIND-MELTING HEAVY PSYCH DESCENT INTO COSMIC CHAOS
🔥 New Album Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) Out September 4, 2025 via Black Doomba Records | Bandcamp Pre-Sale Begins August 15th 🔥
Toledo, OH – Prepare for a thunderous plunge into the primordial mind as Black Moon Cult release their latest single “Stoned Ape” , now streaming worldwide on all major platforms.
This heavy psychedelic anthem rips open the doors of perception with its fuzz-drenched riffs, trance-like grooves, and searing cosmic energy. Inspired by the controversial Stoned Ape Theory —the idea that psychedelic mushrooms accelerated early human consciousness— “Stoned Ape” soundtracks an evolutionary mind trip through rhythmic chaos and cosmic revelation.
“Stoned Ape” is about that spark—the moment our ancestors stepped outside the food chain and into abstract thought. It’s not just about evolution, it’s about awakening,” says frontman Kaleb Riser .
Black Moon Cult fuse elements of doom, heavy psych, prog, and desert rock , delivering a signature sound steeped in the lineage of Black Sabbath , Captain Beyond , Nebula , and Hawkwind , yet visionary in scope and scale.
The single offers a preview of the band’s debut full-length album , Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) , arriving September 4, 2025 via Black Doomba Records , with an exclusive Bandcamp pre-sale launching August 15, 2025 .
The album—an epic tale woven with Lovecraftian cosmic horror, ancient myth, and biblical revenge—promises to be a hallucinogenic journey for fans of The Sword , Mos Generator , and early Pink Floyd .
Produced by Black Moon Cult , recorded at The Mohawk Studio by S. Daley , and mixed/mastered by Tony Reed (Saint Vitus, Mos Generator), the album delivers an immersive sonic landscape of massive riffs and swirling atmospheres.
Since forming in 2021, the band— Kaleb Riser (vocals, guitars, synth), Kevin Lewis (bass, synth), Jeff Vandebussche (drums), and Logan Mais (synth, theremin)—has built a powerful live reputation, including a standout performance at Maryland Doom Fest 2024 , and shared stages with The Obsessed , Today is the Day , and The Atomic Bitchwax .
Black Moon Cult’s “Stoned Ape” is out now. Plug in and let the evolution begin.
ALBUM INFO Title: Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig) Release Date: September 4, 2025 Pre-Sale: August 15, 2025 (Bandcamp Exclusive) Label: Black Doomba Records Genre: Heavy Psych / Doom / Psychedelic Rock FFO: Nebula, The Sword, Captain Beyond
Tour Dates: 9/10 – The Crypt – Denver, CO 9/11 – The Echoes – Albuquerque, NM 9/12 – The Blooze Bar – Phoenix, AZ 9/13 – The Bancroft – San Diego, CA 9/14 – The Tiki Bar – Costa Mesa, CA 9/15 – The Redwood – Los Angeles, CA 9/16 – Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
BLACK MOON CULT IS: Kaleb Riser: Guitar/ Vocals Kevin Lewis: Bass/ Vocals Logan Mais: Synth/Theremin/Vocals Jeff Vandebussche: Drums/Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 8th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Following up on their West Coast tour announcement a couple weeks back, Ohio-based heavy rock upstarts Black Moon Cult have unveiled the cover art for their impending first record, to be released in the coming months (i.e., no exact date listed yet) through Black Doomba Records. Preorders start next month for what I’m assuming is a September release, which would be loosely timed with the tour, and one assumes the band would have copies on the road to sell, and so on.
The cover art is by Mike Stuart of Thunderbird Divine, and below you’ll find that along with the announcement of the album from Black Doomba, as posted on socials. Looking forward to this one:
BLACK MOON CULT – OPHIDIAN FUTURE (THE CHILDREN OF YIG) – ART AND TITLE REVEAL!
Black Moon Cult’s debut album is entitled “Ophidian Future (The Children of Yig)” 🐍🐍🐍🐍
Kaleb Riser speaks of the album: “Ophidian Future is thematically influenced by Lovecraftian cosmic horror, ancient Chinese mythology, and the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, where God takes away the serpent’s limbs and casts him out of paradise. All of this comes together to create the story of a serpent/reptilian race/their desire to “take back the garden”
Some lyrics convey these themes: “Leave me my teeth and my tongue and my neck, the rest I will steal in time,” “Ophidian Future, Serpentine masses align, back to the garden, back to the life that was mine.”
READ ON about the art 👇
The cover art is by Mike Stuart, drummer of Thunderbird Divine, and here is Mike with a few words to explain it 🤘 “I can’t express how awesome it has been to work with the dudes in Black Moon Cult. They had a clear vision of what they wanted, yet gave me space to put my own flavor on things. Having mostly done work for my own bands, most recently Thunderbird Divine on Black Doomba Records, it was nice to step out of my comfort zone and I really appreciate them giving me a chance to be a part of their journey.”
At Black Doomba Records we feel the same, proud to be able to put out this special album by these extraordinary musicians.
Wondering what’s next? Continue following this band’s journey here. By the way, the Pre-Sale begins in August. More about that later, and more to come from Black Moon Cult.
Tour Dates: 9/10 – The Crypt – Denver, CO 9/11 – The Echoes – Albuquerque, NM 9/12 – The Blooze Bar – Phoenix, AZ 9/13 – The Bancroft – San Diego, CA 9/14 – The Tiki Bar – Costa Mesa, CA 9/15 – The Redwood – Los Angeles, CA 9/16 – Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
BLACK MOON CULT IS: Kaleb Riser: Guitar/ Vocals Kevin Lewis: Bass/ Vocals Logan Mais: Synth/Theremin/Vocals Jeff Vandebussche: Drums/Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 24th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Secondary to the tour announcement here for emergent Ohio rockers Black Moon Cult, one notices a shuffle in their lineup that’s brought Jeff Vandebussche to the group on drums and vocals, as well as Logan Mais on theremin, synth and vocals, making them a four-piece for the first time. Guitarist/vocalist Kaleb Riser and bassist/vocalist Kevin Lewis also handle synth, so I’m not sure if the change signals some greater shift in sound from what they’ve put out to-date (their two singles are on Spotify below) or just being able to better embody the music live, but clearly they’re figuring things out on the road, and that’s the way to do it.
The September tour is mostly California dates, but it’s their first time on the West Coast (they hit parts of the Eastern Seaboard this month; I still had them as a trio for it but now am less certain about that), so happy and safe travels in the going.
Dates came down the PR wire:
Fresh off the road from their successful Midwest/East Coast tour with Black Doomba Records labelmates Megaton Communion, Black Moon Cult announces their first West Coast Tour!
Following months of blistering sets and growing buzz across the country, Black Moon Cult is heading west for a week of mind-melting shows in support of their upcoming debut record. Known for their electrifying live performances and Fuzz fueled fusion of Psych, Heavy Rock, and Classic Prog, the band is bringing their signature sonic ritual to fans across seven cities this September!
Presented by SuperKool Booking and Black Doomba Records, the West Coast Tour kicks off in Denver and winds through the Southwest before hitting major California stops, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. (flyer by Mike Stuart)
Tour Dates: 9/10 – The Crypt – Denver, CO 9/11 – The Echoes – Albuquerque, NM 9/12 – The Blooze Bar – Phoenix, AZ 9/13 – The Bancroft – San Diego, CA 9/14 – The Tiki Bar – Costa Mesa, CA 9/15 – The Redwood – Los Angeles, CA 9/16 – Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
BLACK MOON CULT IS: Kaleb Riser: Guitar/ Vocals Kevin Lewis: Bass/ Vocals Logan Mais: Synth/Theremin/Vocals Jeff Vandebussche: Drums/Vocals
