The seven-song Future Site of C.Ross, distinguished by its use of keys and lush, languid psychedelic melody that seems to come so naturally from its maker, is the second solo full-length from Chad Ross under the C.Ross moniker. Offered through Echodelick Records, Future Site of C.Ross — which becomes an evocative question when one factors in the Ken Reaume cover art as a potential answer to just where it is we’re talking about — follows behind 2022’s Skull Creator (review here), though solo releases aren’t a new idea for Ross, as he’s previously done two records under the banner of Nordic Nomadic between his time with Quest for Fire and Comet Control. But, as the Ontario-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist — he also did some self-recording, while we’re dropping credits — returned to Chicago to work with producer Josh Wells (who also contributes keys, drums and other percussion), it doesn’t seem wrong to think of Future Site of C.Ross specifically in the context of its predecessor, and in that, it represents an intriguing progression of craft.

Sounds thrilling, right? Ooh, nothing says ‘this is gonna be a high-seller’ more than evident songwriter growth manifest across arrangement balances in a well-structured flow of tracks. Okay, fine. It’s not action-packed, punch-you-in-the-face-with-riffs-and-call-you-bro-after. Nor is it trying to be. C.Ross takes the mellowfuzz folkishness of Quest for Fire and the quieter moments of ethereal reach in Comet Control and brings them into a central position. And while one might hear “Faster Than the Light” with its full serving of acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums and layered vocals and think that maybe Ross a little bit can’t help but work into a ‘band mode,’ I’ll offer contrast through “LU,” immediately preceding, which is arguably the least terrestrial of all the cuts on the 37-minute LP, with a forward current of mellotron and the only sans-drums arrangement (though I’m pretty sure I heard a percussive chime in there) of the bunch. That Wells and Ross function so much as a duo here feels like it’s representing a side of Ross‘ approach that’s more centered around collaboration, about writing for and being in a band, and all the more honest for enjoying it as much as they clearly do.

The harmonica on opener “Love Until You’re Free” feels like a precursor to the sweet hum of the pedal steel in “Hash Cash Ash (No One Rides for Free),” the latter provided by Aaron Goldstein alongside guest vocals in the later wash from Eiyn Sof, but if it’s a landscape it’s a wistful one, and maybe that’s true of Canadiana generally, I don’t know, but it’s a part of Ross‘ craft, to acknowledge a time before country music was quite so outwardly toxic. Both “Hash Cash Ash (No One Rides for Free)” and “Plant Your Eyes” just before it find their way into a wash, but it’s a question of how they get there. “Plant Your Eyes” has more of a direct volume trade and relies on its midsection fuzzy surge and ambient keyboard melody behind the forward light-shuffle of the chorus. It moves, where “Hash Cash Ash (No One Rides for Free)” answers back with texture. It is more languid, more tripped out, and joyous in a more serene way as it gives over to the vocal/instrumental wash that finishes. Different songs taking on or exploring different ideas; each becomes a kind of backdrop to its own exploration, but they’re not incomplete as presented to the listener. That is, Ross and Wells aren’t half-writing songs, even if it sounds so calm and laid back at times.

A convenient but by no means exclusive example of this is the centerpiece, “Rider/Destroyer,” which doubles as the longest track at 6:53. It begins with a developing figure on acoustic guitar before Ross‘ echoing vocals, Floydian, but, you know, not, enter overtop. The verse beginning there continues to grow as the keys enter with string sounds and synth in counterpoint. I don’t know how many layers are at work as they pass the three-minute mark, but the flow ebbs and the keys step back for the vocals and guitar while staying in the background, offering hints of where the song is going to go in counterpoint to Ross‘ melody speaking to the song’s title-character. A cymbal wash about four and a half minutes in begins the slow march complemented by a low keyboard rumble setting a space soon filled by the guitar solo. The string drone is the last thing to go, with some acoustic guitar, and that makes the transition to “LU” that much easier since the guitar/keys hypnotic blend that finished “Rider/Destroyer” is taken further in “LU” before the punctuating snare of “Faster Than the Light” snaps the listener back to some notion of reality. I guess the shape of that depends on your reality.

“Faster Than the Light” is a rocker, and it needs no excuse for being one. Like “Plant Your Eyes,” it’s closer to some of what Ross has offered in Comet Control or Quest for Fire, but that doesn’t make it out of place on Future Site of C.Ross since, of course, it’s all presented as part of the broader context of Ross as a songwriter. Further, “Faster Than the Light” not only regrounds after “Rider/Destroyer” and “LU,” playing an essential role in the overarching momentum of the album, but it gives over to the all-in, keyboardy weirdness of “Unnatural Light” at the finish. With toms and synth noises far back behind an echoing vocal and some stark guitar, it becomes more cinematic with the entry of a low-frequency drone beneath the reverb-floating guitar. There’s some machine noise there — you’re not crazy — that loops through and becomes part of the world, but the point is clearly the world itself.

And that, rather than the expressive priority of a track like “Hash Cash Ash (No One Rides for Free)” or even “LU,” is one more departure Future Site of C.Ross is willing to make. I’m curious what the discussion of ‘future’ in the album’s title means, if it’s a play on escapism in relation to the cover, something morbid, or more about the music itself, like Ross acknowledging C.Ross as the site where the artistic progression that’s taken him from band to band over the last 15-plus years has found a new outlet. From a listener standpoint, as a fan, I count that as a ‘should be so lucky’ scenario, since it means more material to come, but whatever is or isn’t realized by C.Ross over this project’s time, however long that might be, Future Site of C.Ross speaks to an evolution unto itself as well as the thread of which it’s now part.

C.Ross, Future Site of C.Ross (2025)

C.Ross on Bandcamp

C.Ross on Instagram

C.Ross on YouTube

Echodelick Records website

Echodelick Records on Bandcamp

Echodelick Records on Instagram

Echodelick Records on Facebook

It’s got nod, it’s got heavy riffing, but what’s really drawing me in on the new Gnarwhal single is the melody that comes through and adds so much to the spaciousness. The Yellowknife, Northwest Territories-based four-piece will release their new album, Lucid Machines, on March 19 next year, and “Wherewithal” is the second single from it. It’s a banger, whatever gets you there, and between the compact nature of their efficient delivery and the voidward reach they encompass aesthetically, you don’t have to strain hard to find appeal. Lucid Machines will be the band’s second album behind 2023’s self-titled debut.

There’s a pre-save link for those of you who like to manage your digital collections thusly, and vinyl preorders are available through their website. Both of those links and the below info came down the PR wire:

Gnarwhal Announce New Album Lucid Machines, Share Crushing New Single “Wherewithal”

Yellowknife heavy alternative fuzz-rock band Gnarwhal return with “Wherewithal,” the second single from their forthcoming sophomore album Lucid Machines, out March 19, 2026.

Wherewithal is a slow-burning surge of psychic unrest—equal parts crushing and meditative. Gnarwhal pull listeners from the safety of repetition into darker terrain, layering tidal riffs, spectral melodies, and trance-like rhythms that echo with unease. Lyrically cryptic and sonically massive, the track pulses with buried code and whispered resistance.

“It’s the sound of stillness waking—ominous, unrelenting, and impossible to ignore,” the band explains.

Following the release of the album’s first single, Circuits, Wherewithal offers a deeper look into Lucid Machines—an album that expands Gnarwhal’s world of Northern sludge into something more intricate and unnerving. Built from fuzz-drenched riffs and tectonic grooves, the record explores the friction between organic and synthetic life, reality and repetition, decay and renewal.

Lucid Machines arrives March 19, 2026, and is available to pre-order on vinyl and pre-save on digital platforms now.

Pre-save now: https://ffm.to/lucidmachines

Vinyl preorder: https://www.gnarwhalband.com/lucidvinyl

Following the release of the album’s first single, Circuits, Wherewithal offers a deeper look into Lucid Machines—an album that expands Gnarwhal’s world of Northern sludge into something more intricate and unnerving. Built from fuzz-drenched riffs and tectonic grooves, the record explores the friction between organic and synthetic life, reality and repetition, decay and renewal.

Lucid Machines arrives March 19, 2026, and is available to pre-order on vinyl and pre-save on digital platforms now.

https://www.gnarwhalband.com/
https://gnarwhalband.bandcamp.com/
http://instagram.com/gnarwhalsounds
http://facebook.com/gnarmusic

Gnarwhal, “Wherewithal”

I didn’t know a new C.Ross record was coming, but I am sure glad to have found out. The solo-project of Chad Ross, known for his guitar, vocal and songwriting work in Comet Control, Quest for Fire and others, was born as Nordic Nomadic, and under that moniker, Ross released two solo full-lengths basking in a more minimal take on some of the ultra-fluid psychedelia of Quest for Fire, but folk melody has always been part of the pastiche, and it remains so on The Future Site of C.Ross, which is his second album under (most of) his own name.

And like 2022’s late-pandemic-solacebringer Skull Creator (review here), the impending The Future Site of C.Ross finds Ross working with Chicago-based producer Josh Wells to flesh out his acoustic-based arrangements. I know Oct. 22 is very pointedly not three months from now, so by no means is this the earliest album announcement I’ll have put up this month, but the spaces Ross offers in his songs are unto themselves and I guess the bottom line is I’ve heard this one and think you should too. I’ll do my best to have a more in-depth review in the next couple weeks.

Echodelick has the release. Here’s word from the PR wire:

C.ROSS Returns with Future Site of C.ROSS, Out October 22 on Echodelick Records

Canadian singer and guitarist C.ROSS (Chad Ross) has announced his new solo record Future Site of C.ROSS, out October 22nd, 2025 on Atlanta’s Echodelick Records.

Ross has long been a fixture in Canada’s psych and indie-rock underground. Known as the singer/guitarist for heavy psych rockers Quest for Fire (Tee Pee Records), space rock explorers Comet Control (Tee Pee), and as a member of the legendary garage rock band The Deadly Snakes (In The Red), Ross has also toured internationally with Vancouver’s Pink Mountaintops and released acoustic-driven solo work as Nordic Nomadic (Blue Fog, Tee Pee).

On Future Site of C.ROSS, Ross leans deeper into his unique blend of fuzzy psych-folk and cosmic rock, pairing raw songwriting with expansive production. The 7-song album was recorded, produced, and mixed by Joshua Wells (Destroyer, Lightning Dust, Black Mountain) at The Mango Pit in Chicago, with Wells also contributing drums and keys. Additional recording and production were handled by Ross in Muskoka, Ontario. Guest musicians include Aaron Goldstein (pedal steel) and Eiyn Sof (backing vocals).

“I started working on the songs for this record right after Skull Creator was released in 2022,” says Ross. “The tail end of the pandemic was on the horizon and I was still in hermit mode with my acoustic guitar, living in the woods in Ontario with my family. This is the second record I’ve done with Josh Wells. I flew down to Chicago with a handful of acoustic songs and we managed to put everything together rather quickly at his studio. We worked at it over a year, sending ideas back and forth from Chicago to my studio in Ontario. What transpired was a really nice extension of the first record.”

With echoes of Judee Sill, Duke Garwood, Syd Barrett, and Dead Meadow, Future Site of C.ROSS is both grounded and cosmic – balancing fuzzed-out riffs, pedal steel textures, and delicate acoustics.

The lead single “Plant Your Eyes” is described by Ross as:

“…about the things your eyes can’t see. The constant vibration of the unknown. It’s kind of this absurd idea that your eyes can be thought of as seeds, that grow colourful light. I tried to channel some deep Crazy Horse fuzzed-out riffage and some delicate acoustics – all the ingredients for a healthy garden.”

Album Artwork: Ken Reaume
Photo: Nicole Ross

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Ross has long been a fixture in the Canadian underground music scene. He co-founded the heavy psych rock band Quest for Fire in 2007 with Andrew Moszynski, releasing two albums on Tee Pee Records before the group disbanded in 2013.

After Quest for Fire, Ross formed Comet Control in 2013, where he continues to serve as guitarist and vocalist. Comet Control has released multiple records via Tee Pee Records, carrying forward Ross’s vision of psychedelic rock with both atmospheric and melodic leanings.

Earlier in his career, Ross was a member of The Deadly Snakes, a Toronto garage-rock band known for their energetic live shows and releases on In the Red Records.

Ross has also explored more acoustic, introspective territory under the solo name Nordic Nomadic, releasing albums through Blue Fog and Tee Pee Records.

In addition to his own projects, he has toured as a member of Vancouver’s Pink Mountaintops, contributing to their live performances and further expanding his presence in Canada’s psych and indie rock scenes.

https://nxnx.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/cxrossx
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmYibPZPqsM6tp6c5gVTpg

https://www.echodelickrecords.com/
https://echodelickrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/echodelickrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/ERECORDSATL

C.Ross, Skull Creator (2022)

Last day o’ the QR, and that’s always fun, but looking at the calendar and looking at my desktop, I might try to knucle down for a follow-up edition next month. I know I traditionally do one in December, which is so, so, so stupid, even with the relative dearth of press releases around the holidays, because there’s so much else going on. But maybe in November, before the Thanksgiving holiday. I only have one thing maybe-slated for November now, so now would be the time to slate it. Check back Nov. 10? Roll it out on my sister’s birthday? Maybe.

For now though, one more batch of 10 to round out the 70 total releases covered here, and as ever, I’ve basically packed the final day with stuff I already know I like. That’s nothing against anything on any of the other days, but if you’re a regular around here, you probably already know that I load up the finish to make it easier on myself. Not that any day here was really hard to get through, but for everything else in life that isn’t sitting in front of the laptop and writing about music.

Thanks as always for reading. I hope you found something you dig in this QR. Back to normal tomorrow.

Quarterly Review #61-70:

Elder, Liminality/Dream State Return

Progressive heavy rock spearheads Elder surprise-dropped Liminality/Dream State Return, their first two-songer EP since 2012’s Spires Burn/Release (review here), a couple weeks ago. It’s their first studio outing since 2022’s Innate Passage (review here), and while one might be tempted to read into the melodic wash of “Liminality” (13:10) and the way its vocals become part of the song’s atmosphere, balanced for nuance and texture in the mix, and the keyboardier take on “Dream State Return,” the material was reportedly sourced from pieces of material left over from their last couple albums, rather than written new. Nonetheless, the way these parts are fleshed out underscores just how special a band Elder is, since basically they can take a progression they’ve had laying around for however long and turn into something so majestic. This, in combination with their work ethic, has made them the best band of their generation. They remain such.

Elder on Bandcamp

Stickman Records website

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Hibernaut, Obsidian Eye

Following 2023’s Ingress (review here), brash Salt Lake City four-piece Hibernaut — guitarist/vocalist Dave Jones (Oxcross, Dwellers, ex-SubRosa), lead guitarist Matt Miller, bassist Josh Dupree and drummer Zach Hatsis (Dwellers, ex-SubRosa) — begin to step further out from their influences with their second album, the six-track/47-minute Obsidian Eye. High on Fire remain a central point of inspiration, but you know how that band really kind of announced who they were with Blessed Black Wings and set themselves on their own path? There’s some of that happening in the grooves of “Pestiferous,” “Revenants” and others here, and while the galloping double-kick and dirt-coated declarations might ring familiar, Hibernaut are beginning to put their own stamp on their craft, and one remains curious how that will continue to manifest their persona in their sound. High on Fire never had a song like “Beset,” and that wah on “Engorge Behemoth” has just an edge of Sabbath-via-Electric Wizard, so there’s more here than marauding if you want to hear it.

Hibernaut website

Olde Magick Records on Bandcamp

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The Oil Barons, Grandiose

Titled as though they intended to preempt criticism of their own self-indulgence — a kinder-self-talk version might have been called ‘Expansive’ — the second album from L.A.’s The Oil Barons, Grandiose, is working with an expanded definition of heavy either way. Part desert rock, it’s also Western Americana enough to open with a take on Morricone and while they’re for sure laying it on thick with the gang-chanted version of “John Brown’s Body” worked in between the organ sway of “Gloria” and the nine-minute lap-steel-inclusive expanse of “Shinola.” The later heavy instrumental reacher “Quetzalacatenango” (16:39) and their beefing up of the Grateful Dead regular “Morning Dew” as “Morning Doom” (13:49) are longer, but there’s more going on here than track length, as the melodic twang-pop of “Vivienne” and the light-barroom-swing-into-harmonies-into-riffs of the subsequent “Death Hangs” demonstrate. Top it all off with a purported narrative and Grandiose lives up to its name, but also to its intention.

The Oil Barons on Bandcamp

The Oil Barons on Instagram

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Temple of Love, Songs of Love and Despair

The first Temple of Love full-length, Songs of Love and Despair, feels very much like a willful callout to classic goth rock. The core, partnered founding duo of vocalist Suzy Bravo (Witchcryer) and guitarist/vocalist Steve Colca (ex-Destroyer of Light), as well as the rhythm section of bassist Joseph Maniscalco and drummer Patrick Pascucci (Duel) begin with a string of catchy, uptempo numbers dark in atmosphere with an unmistakable sheen on the guitar tone and by the time the centerpiece instrumental “Paradise Lost” takes hold with a heavier shift leading into the second half of the album, with “Devil” as an obvious focal point, you’re hooked. The vocal trades on “Save Yourself” and the rocker “Joke’s on You,” with Colca growling a bit, distinguish them as modern, but they’re firm in their purpose unto the string sounds that cap “If We Could Fly,” and clearly aesthetic is part of the mission. They didn’t name themselves after a Sisters of Mercy LP by mistake.

Temple of Love website

Temple of Love on Bandcamp

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The Gray Goo, Cabin Fever Dreams

From garage-style heavy and psychedelic jamming, modern space boogie to denser, doomier roll and a stylistically-offbeat quirk that feels ever more intentional, Montana-based trio The Gray Goo are dug into this mini-gamut of style on their third album, Cabin Fever Dreams, with guitarist/vocalist Max Gargasz (who also recorded/produced) giving space in the mix (by Robert Parker) for the melody in Matt Carper‘s bass to come through on 10-minute opener/longest track (immediate points) “Intrepid Traveler,” beginning a thread of nuance that emphasizes just how flexible the band’s sound is. Even amid the fuzz and chugging resolution of “Isolation” and the jammed-but-with-a-plan “Floodgates,” there’s a sense of looking beyond genre to internalized individualism, the latter carrying into the marching semi-nerd-rapped title-track, which breaks to let the weirdness persist before coming back around with a shuffle to close, while “Manic” (with Colton Sea on guest vocals) roughs up proto-punk until it hits a midsection of Sabbath blues and gets a little more shove from there. “Manic” brings this to a culmination and some chanting gives over the minimal psych experiment “Someone’s at the Door,” which closes. They’ve let go of some — not all, but some — of their earlier funk, but The Gray Goo remain delightfully on their own wavelength. Someone in this band likes Ween, and they’re better for it.

The Gray Goo Linktr.ee

The Gray Goo on Bandcamp

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Sergio Ch., Shiva Shakti Drama

A decade after his first solo release, the declarative 1974 (review here), former Los Natas guitarist/vocalist Sergio Ch. (né Chotsourian, also of Ararat, Soldati, numerous other projects and collaborations) has only broadened his palette around a central approach to avant folk and intimate experimentalism. “Las Riendas” has been around for a while, unless I’m wrong (always possible) and “Tufi Meme 94” is an unearthed four-track demo of the Los Natas song of the same name, but it’s in the repetitions and slow, fuzz-infused evolution of “Tear Drop,” the vocally-focused “Stairway” and the somehow-ceremonial “Centinelas Bajo el Sol” that Shiva Shakti Drama lays out its most ethereal reaches. The album was reportedly put together following an injury to Chotsourian‘s ear, during a recovery period after his “left ear blew up during a Soldati rehearsal.” So there’s healing to be had in “Little Hands” and the buzzing lead of “Violet,” as well as exploration.

Sergio Chotsourian on Instagram

South American Sludge Records on Bandcamp

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Spectral Fields, Spectral Fields IV

Spectral Fields is the duo of Jason Simon (Dead Meadow) and and Caleb Dravier (Jungle Gym Records), and with IV they present a two-part title-piece “IV A” (20:04) and “IV B” (23:12), with each extended track taking on its own atmosphere. The hand percussion behind “IV A” is evocative of quiet desert Americana, like clopping horseshoes, while “IV B” runs more sci-fi in its keyboard and synthy beat behind the central, malleable-and-less-still-than-it-seems overarching drone. The guitar on “IV A” works with a similar river’s-surface-style deceptive stillness. Immersion isn’t inevitable, and the challenge here is to dwell alongside the band in the material if you can, with the reward for doing so being carried across the gradually-shifting expanse that Simon and Dravier lay out. It’s not a project for everybody, but Spectral Fields shine with meditative purpose and ethereal presence alike.

Jason Simon on Bandcamp

Not Not Fun Records website

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Pink Fuzz, Resolution

The second full-length, Resolution, from Denver-based harmony-prone heavy rockers Pink Fuzz owes much of its impact to tempo and melody — which I think makes it music. The brother/sister duo of John Demitro (guitar) and bassist LuLu Demitro bass share vocal duties and trade lead spots to add variety across the taut, no-time-for-bullshit 10 songs as drummer Forrest Raup lends shove to the buzzing desert riffage of “Coming for Me,” while the title-track shreds into a ’90s-style ticky-ticky-tock of a groove and “Am I Happy?” moves from its standalone-voice beginning to a gorgeously executed build and roll, bolstered by the Alain Johannes mix bringing up the lead guitar alongside LuLu’s voice, but rooted in the performance captured rather than the after-the-fact balancing of elements. “No Sympathy” and “Worst Enemy” stick closer to a Queens of the Stone Age influence, but the desert is a starting point, not the end of their reach. It’d be fair to call them songwriting-based if they didn’t also kick so much ass as players.

Pink Fuzz Linktr.ee

Permanent Teeth Records on Bandcamp

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The Dukes of Hades, Oracle of the Dead

Having the tone is one thing and making it move is another, but Dorset, UK, two-piece The Dukes of Hades bring forth their debut EP, Oracle of the Dead with a pointed sense of push, more so once they’re on the other side of rolling-into-the-slowdown opener “Seeds of Oblivion,” in “Last Rites,” “Pigs” and “Constant Grief,” where the tempo is higher and the bruises are delivered by the measure. Even Gareth Brunsdon‘s snare on “Constant Grief” comes across thick, never mind the buzzing riffs of Steve Lynch, whose guttural vocals top the procession. They save their most fervent shove for the two-minute finale “Death Defying Heights,” but the eight-minute penultimate “Tomahawk” sees them work in more of a middle-paced range while executing trades in volume and even letting go to silence as they hit minute six soon to burst back to life, so they’re already messing with the formula a bit even as they write out what that formula might be. That’s just one of the hopeful portents on this gritty and impressive first outing.

The Dukes of Hades on Bandcamp

The Dukes of Hades on Instagram

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Worse, Misandrist

A noise-infused trio from Vancouver — or maybe it’s just that their logo reminds me of Whores. — the three-piece Worse issued their latest single “Misandrist” in memory of Ozzy, following on from the also-one-songer “Mackinaw” from earlier in the year. The newer cut is more lumbering and establishes a larger tonal presence by virtue of its instrumentalist take, while drummer Matt Wood brought party-time shouts to “Mackinaw,” which of course emphasized and complemented the central riff in a different way. Out front of the stage, guitarist Shane Clark and bassist Frank Dingle offer rumble and spacious distortion, the effect seeming to build up with each new, lurching round as they dirge to the fading ringout. Sludgy in form, the affect presents itself like a half-speed High on Fire, which if you’ve got to end up somewhere, is a more than decent place for “Misandrist” to be. If you’re still reading this, yes, I’m talking about myself as well as the band. They’ve got one LP out. I’d take another anytime they’ve got it ready.

Worse on Bandcamp

http://www.instagram.com/worseband/

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Already this year, Montreal Dune-themed progressive melodic heavy rockers Sons of Arrakis have hit the West and East Coasts of the US, playing Planet Desert Rock Weekend and (the last) Maryland Doom Fest both, and been to the UK for an appearance at StoomFest. They’ve got festivals as part of this upcoming on-the-continent European run as well, as they’ll hit Into the Void Leeuwarden in the Netherlands and Up in Smoke in Switzerland, both at the behest of Sound of Liberation, which booked the tour.

The ascendant Canucks have been and will be out in support of their 2024 sophomore LP, Volume II (review here), which was released by Black Throne Productions and which, if you’d like a refresher, is streaming in full at the bottom of this post. Yup, under the links. You got the idea.

Interesting to note: it probably isn’t the first time they’ve used it, but this is the first I’ve seen the band self-apply the tag “melange rock.” The word, suitably rooted in French, means a mixture or a somewhat slapdash assortment. As the comments point out, it’s also of course a Dune reference. It’s an okay bit of branding, if not necessarily encompassing or descriptive. It’s a thing they can call themselves, which I imagine answers a fair number of the “what do you call this sound” questions they’ve been receiving. The first two things I think of when I think of them “progressive” and “melodic,” so I went with that. Admittedly, way less catchy.

Dates came from this or that social media:

🌌 UPDATES! SHAI-HÜLÜD ODYSSEY 2025 – EUROPE 🌌

We’re beyond stoked to bring the Melange Rock to Europe this fall! Massive thanks to Sound of Liberation and our label at Black Throne Productions for making this run possible. 🙏🔥

From the Netherlands to Switzerland, with stops in Belgium and Germany, we’re bringing the spice to some of our favorite venues and festivals — see you on the road!

🎟️ Tickets and events: https://linktr.ee/sonsofarrakis

📅 Tour Dates
Sept 25 – Amsterdam (NL) De Tanker In Noord w/MR.BISON
Sept 26 – Namur (BE) BELVEDEREnamur w/Fire Down Below
Sept 27 – Leeuwarden (NL) Neushoorn for Into The Void! Fest
Sept 28 – Hamburg (DE) Hafenklang
Sept 29 – Düsseldorf (DE) Pitcher – Rock’n’Roll Headquarter Düsseldorf
Sept 30 – Hannover (DE) CAFE GLOCKSEE
Oct 1 – Reutlingen (DE) Kulturzentrum franz.K Reutlingen w/Doggod
Oct 2 – Frankfurt (DE) Ponyhof w/PLASMAJET
Oct 3 – Karlsruhe (DE) Alte Hackerei
Oct 4 – Pratteln (CH) Up In Smoke – Festival

Poster/flyer : @Gorepunk__co

https://www.sonsofarrakis.com/
https://sonsofarrakis.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sonsofarrakis/
https://www.facebook.com/sonsofarrakisband

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

Sons of Arrakis, Volume II (2024)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Pete Kasper of Doll

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

We are Doll, an alternative rock band from Ottawa, Canada. What do we do? I would define what we do as making music for ourselves. We like to dabble in a lot of different styles and sounds, but at the same time, mending that into a distinct sound, this is Doll.

Describe your first musical memory.

This is a great question. I would say my first real musical memory was the very first show that I went to with my dad in 1990, he took us to go see Aerosmith at the Ottawa Civic Centre, with Skid Row. I remember how insane it was to see Sebastian Bach at the time, and his stage presence, something I will never forget.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

My best musical memory would have to be when Rammstein played Montreal in 1999 at the Metropolis. It was surreal seeing them and all the fire antics and showmanship of that show. It really brought attention to a show being more than just a musical performance, and the importance of leaving your fans with something more than just a play-through of your songs, but providing a visual experience as well, and telling another layer of the story through the live show.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

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Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I feel that at first bands try really hard at imitating or trying to replicate the sound of all the other bands that they are huge fans of, and over time, you start developing your own sound and style.

How do you define success?

I would say the definition of success is your own happiness. If you put all your best effort into making something that you enjoy, then you’ve succeeded. It doesn’t matter if you are getting tons of views or no views, but that you are proud of your work and you can stand by it.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

When we organized a show for a Norwegian Black Metal band. The singer after the gig got butt naked and put a sock on his weiner in the green room. I had to settle up and pay him in this very awkward attire…

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

Being huge fans of Nine Inch Nails, I’d really love to one day create a song with electronics and keyboards, keeping with that sad but hard rock riffing.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

I would say painting a picture of a point in time of how you felt, whether that be a painting or through music, at that specific day, that is how you felt about something, and it was important enough for you to want to bundle it and package it into some form and share it with the world.

Say something positive about yourself.

I would say we are very nice people. Haha.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

I think that would have to be attending more football games! And one day, I saw the Daytona 500 with the family.

https://doll.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dollbandmusic
https://www.facebook.com/dollband

Doll, Better Days, Different Times (2025)

Doll, “Smoke on the Water” official video

Calgary heavy rockers Woodhawk will spend a goodly portion of the coming autumn on the road supporting their new album, Love Finds a Way (review here), which came out in June through Grand Hand Records. The tour is prefaced by an appearance at Alberta’s Loud as Hell Open Air, which is in its 13th edition and, being more of a metal/prog-metal festival, has Revocation headlining and a lot of acts whose logos look like they’d be too sharp to touch.

I don’t see any dates in Nova Scotia, but putting aside that and the Yukon — which has to have a venue or two somewhere, right? — they cover a lot of ground from one end of Canada to the other, and the cause that drives them is worthy indeed. What the world needs now is love, and such. I just made that up.

Dates and details came down the PR wire, and the album stream is at the bottom of the post. Have at it:

WOODHAWK Announces Cross-Canada Tour For New Album “Love Finds a Way” Out Now!

+ LOUD AS HELL OPEN AIR FEST w/ REVOCATION, FIRST FRAGMENT and more!

After five years of anticipation, Calgary’s stoner groove rock trio Woodhawk announces they will be hitting the road this August through October for tour dates across Canada (dates listed below). The show dates are in support of their latest and third album, “Love Finds a Way,” released on June 6th of this year via Grand Hand Records. Fans can expect a high-energy set packed with new material and favorites from their discography that will be delivered with the raw power and passion.

Their most personal and powerful release to date, their new full-length album, “Love Finds a Way”, marks a turning point for Woodhawk. Demonstrating their evolution from early stoner rock roots into something more emotionally complex while maintaining the infectious grooves and memorable hooks that have defined their sound.

“Love Finds a Way” explores themes of darkness, healing, and hope, while still delivering the infectious hooks and thunderous riffs fans have come to expect. With contributions from longtime collaborator Jesse Gander on synth, the band expands their sonic palette without losing their edge. The trio of Turner Midzain (guitar/vocals), Mike Badmington (bass), and Kevin Nelson (drums) poured five years of growth, struggle, and creative evolution into this record.

“We are over the moon to get this album out. Love Finds a Way is easily the hardest we have worked on an album to date. We poured our heart and soul into this one. It really is a journey of getting out of the darkness and into the light. Check in with your friends and loved ones. Hug the ones you love. Be nicer to each other. Love will always prevail and be stronger than anything else. After 10 years of being a band, I feel like we are still just getting started!” adds the band.

After a decade together, Woodhawk is proving they’re just getting started. “Love Finds a Way” is more than an album; it’s a statement of resilience, connection, and the enduring power of rock.

Recommended for fans of The Sword, Red Fang, and Thin Lizzy, the album is a dynamic journey from start to finish, balancing soft and heavy, slow and fast, light and dark.
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​Album order (out June 6th): https://woodhawk.bandcamp.com​

In additional news, Woodhawk will be performing on day three of this year’s LOUD AS HELL OPEN AIR FESTIVAL on August 3rd in Drumheller, AB alongside Revocation, Cyborg Octopus, Beguiler, Thirteen Goats, Famous Strangers, and more! Full details on LAH can be found at www.loudashell.ca.

Show Dates: ​
Aug 3 – Drumheller, AB – Loud As Hell Open Air
Aug 27 – Calgary, AB – Ship & Anchor
Aug 28 – Lethbridge, AB – The Owl Acoustic Lounge
Aug 29 – Regina, SK – The Exchange
Aug 30 – Winnipeg, MB – Side Stage
Sept 2 – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge
Sept 3 – Hamilton, ON – Club Absinthe
Sept 4 – Ottawa, ON – House of Targ
Sept 5 – Montreal – Turbo Haus
Sept 6 – Toronto, ON – The Monarch
Sept 7 – Kingston, ON – The Mansion
Sept 9 – Oshawa, ON – The Atria
Sept 10 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – Soo Blaster
Sept 11 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirates Pub
Sept 12 – Brandon, MB – The 40
Sept 13 – Saskatoon, SK – Black Cat Tavern
Sept 25 – Kelowna, BC- Jackknife Brewery
Sept 26 – Vancouver, BC – Green Auto
Sept 27 – Victoria, BC – Lucky Bar
Oct 10 – Red Deer, AB – The Vat
Oct 11 – Edmonton, AB – The Aviary

Woodhawk is:
Turner Midzain – Guitar & Vocals
Mike Badmington – Bass & Vocals
Kevin Nelson – Drums

http://woodhawkriffs.com/
https://woodhawk.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/woodhawkriffs/
https://www.facebook.com/WoodhawkRiffs/

Woodhawk, Love Finds a Way (2025)

Alright, y’all. This is where it ends. The Quarterly Review has been an absolute blast, an easy, fun, good time to have, but inevitably it must come to close and that’s where we’re at. Last day. Last 10 releases. Thanks if you’ve kept up. I’ll be back I think in September with another one of these, probably longer.

Hope you’ve found something killer this week. I did.

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Katatonia, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State

Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State is the first long-player in the 34-year history of Katatonia — upwards of their 13th album, depending on what you count — to not feature guitarist Anders Nyström. That leaves frontman Jonas Renkse as the remaining founder of the band, with two new guitarists in Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland, bassist Niklas Sandin and drummer Daniel Moilanen, steering one of heavy music’s most identifiable sounds in new ways. “Wind of No Change” is duly subversive, and “Departure Trails” basks in texture in a way Katatonia have periodically throughout the last 20 years, but the Opethian severity of they keys in “The Light Which I Bleed” and the declarative chug at the end of opener “Thrice” speak to the band’s awareness of the need to occasionally be very, very heavy, even as “Efter Solen” shifts into dark, emotive electronics ahead of the sweeping finale “In the Event Of…” Renkse has never wanted for expression as a singer. If he’s to be the driving force behind Katatonia, fair enough for how that manifests here.

Katatonia website

Napalm Records website

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Black Moon Circle, A Million Leagues Beyond: Moskus Sessions Vol. I

Trondheim, Norway’s Black Moon Circle recorded the four-song set of A Million Leagues Beyond: Moskus Sessions Vol. 1 at the hometown venue of Moskus, a small bar that, to hear them tell it, mostly hosts jazz. Fair enough for cosmic heavy psychedelic grunge rock to join the fray, I should think. It was late in 2023, so earlier that year’s Leave the Ghost Behind (review here) full-length features readily, with “Snake Oil” following the opener “Drifting Across the Plains” — which is jazzy enough, certainly — ahead of the chunkier-riffed “Serpent” and a 20-minute take on “Psychedelic Spacelord (Lighter Than Air),” which has become a signature piece for the three-piece, suitably expansive. If you know Black Moon Circle‘s studio albums, you know they do as much as they can live. Honestly, A Million Leagues Beyond: Moskus Sessions Vol. I isn’t all that different, but it’s definitely a performance worth enjoying.

Black Moon Circle on Bandcamp

Crispin Glover Records website

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Bloodhorse, A Malign Star

Kudos if you had ‘new Bloodhorse‘ on your 2025 Stoner Rock Bingo card or caught it when they launched an Instagram page last year. I certainly didn’t. The Massachusetts aughts-type prog-leaning riffmakers were last heard from with their 2009 debut album, Horizoner (review here), and the six-song/28-minute A Malign Star serves as a vital return, if not one brimming with good vibes as “The Somnambulist” dream-crushes its four-minute course, the band not so much dwelling in atmospheres like the relatively careening “Shallowness,” but getting into a song, making their point, and getting out. This works to their advantage in opener “Saboteur” and the chuggier title-track that follows, but even six-minute closer “Illumination” retains a sense of immediacy amid the dirty fuzz and comparatively laid back roll. This band was once the shape of sludge to come. 16 years later, the future has taken a different course and everybody’s a little more middle-aged, but Bloodhorse still kind of feel like they’re waiting for the world to catch up.

Bloodhorse on Instagram

Iodine Recordings website

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Aawks, On Through the Sky Maze

Should you find yourself thinking you didn’t remember Canadian riffers Aawks — also stylized all-caps: AAWKS — having quite such a nasty streak, you’re not alone. Their 2022 debut, Heavy on the Cosmic (review here), had a take that seems like fuzzy dream-pop in comparison to “Celestial Magick” and the screamy sludge that populates On Through the Sky Maze, their second LP. The nine-song 48-minute full-length is the first to feature bassist/vocalist Ryan “Grime Pup” Mailman alongside guitarist/vocalist Kris Dzierzbicki, guitarist Roberto Paraíso, and drummer Randylin Babic, and songs like “Lost Dwellers” or the mellow-spacier “Drifting Upward,” with no harsh vocals, seem to hit more directly, in addition to arriving in a different context with the “blegh”s of “Wandering Supergiants” and “Caerdoia,” and so on. In the end, Mailman‘s rasp becomes one more tool in Aawks‘ songwriting shed, and the band have more breadth and are less predictable for it. Call that a win, even before you get to the record being good.

Aawks website

Black Throne Productions website

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Moon Destroys, She Walks by Moonlight

The shimmering, floating guitar in “Echoes (The Empress)” tells part of the story in the deep-running The Cure influence, and the somewhat moody vocals of Charlie Suárez echo that emotional foundation, which is coupled in that song and throughout Moon Destroys‘ debut album, She Walks by Moonlight, with a willful progressivism in the songwriting, attention to detail in the arrangements, melodies, even the mix. Comprised of Suárez, guitarist Juan Montoya (ex-Torche), bassist Arnold Nese and drummer/producer Evan Diprima (Royal Thunder), the band are able to set a wash in place that’s not deceptively heavy in “The Nearness of June” (an earlier demo track) because it’s beating you over the head with tone, but still has more to offer than just its own heft. “Only” sounds like heavied-up proto-emo, while the roll of “Set Them Free” is massive in terms of both its riff and its big feelings. If you’re willing to let it grow on you, She Walks by Moonlight can be a space to occupy.

Moon Destroys website

Limited Fanfare website

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Astral Magic, In Space We Trust

In Space We Trust is one of four-so-far full-lengths that Santtu Laakso — multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and producer — has out between Astral Magic and related collaborations and projects. It’s not a pace of releasing one can keep up with, but if you need a check-in from the generation ship that is Astral Magic, chances are Laakso is out there on some voyage or other between classic space rock and clearheaded prog, spanning galaxies. The eight-song/42-minute In Space We Trust pairs him with lead guitarist Jonathan Segel (Øresund Space Collective, etc.), and one should not be surprised at the cosmic nature of the resulting music. The pair get into some sci-fi atmospherics in “Ancient Pilots” and “Alien Emperor,” but the synth and guitar are leading the way across the galaxy and the vibe across the board is more Voyager and less Nostromo, so yes, smooth solar-sailing the whole way through.

Astral Magic on Bandcamp

Astral Magic on Facebook

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Lammping x Bloodshot Bill, Never Never

IMG

The dreamy guitar, semi-rapped vocal, and dub backbeat give the opening title-track of Never Never a decidedly ’90s cast, but it’s not the summary of what Toronto’s Lammping have to offer in their collaboration with weirdo-rockabilly solo artist Bloodshot Bill, bringing together their urbane, grounded psych and studiocraft, samples, etc., with the singer/guitarist’s low, sometimes bluesy delivery across seven songs totaling 15 minutes, peppering the vibe-on-vibes of “Never Never,” “One and Own” and “Won’t Back Down” — the longest inclusion at 3:23 — with ramble and flow alike, with experimental jawns like “Coconut,” “0 and 1” or “Anything is Possible” and the closer “Nitey Nite,” all under two minutes long and each going their own way with the casual cool one has come to expect from Lammping, quietly staking out their own wavelength while still sounding like something from a half-remembered soundtrack to a radder version of your life. This is one of four releases Lammping will reportedly have over the next year or so. Way on board for whatever’s coming next.

Lammping on Instagram

We Are Busy Bodies on Bandcamp

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Fuzz Sagrado, Strange Daze

After the disbanding of Samsara Blues Experiment in 2021, guitarist/vocalist Christian Peters — who had already by then moved from Germany to Brazil — unveiled Fuzz Sagrado with EPs in July and October of that year. Fuzz Sagrado‘s 2021 self-titled (review here) and Vida Pura EPs are included on Strange Daze, a new compilation of tracks unified through a remaster by John McBain, showcasing the early outreach of keyboard and guitar that served as the foundation for the project. As Peters readies a live band for an eventual return to the stage, Strange Daze demonstrates how multifaceted the growth has been in terms of songwriting and still feels exploratory in hindsight as it did when the material was first released. Also included is the jammy “Arapongas,” which wasn’t on either EP but was recorded around the same time. Something of a curio or a fan-piece, but I ain’t arguing.

Fuzz Sagrado website

Electric Magic Records website

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When the Deadbolt Breaks, In the Glow of the Vatican Fire

A couple different modes on When the Deadbolt Breaks‘ In the Glow of the Vatican Fire, which is the long-running Connecticut malevolent doomers’ umpteenth album, running 63 minutes and eight songs. Some of those are longer pieces, like opener “The Scythe Will Come” (12:24), “The Chaos of Water” (14:02), “The Deep Well” (10:42) and “Red Sparrow” (10:57), but interspersed with these are a succession of shorter tracks, and the breakdown between them isn’t just that the short songs are fast and the long songs are slow. Certainly the ripping early portions (and the later, more minimalist spaciousness) of “The Chaos of Water” argue against this, and the dynamic turns out to be correspondingly complex to suit the abiding murk of mood, as founding guitarist/vocalist Aaron Lewis and co-singer Cherilynne provide foreboding croon to suit the lo-fi, creeping, distorted terrors of the music surrounding. This is When the Deadbolt Breaks absolutely in their element; bleak, churn-chaotic, expressive, immersive. They’re able to put you where they want you whether you want to go or not.

When the Deadbolt Breaks on Bandcamp

When the Deadbolt Breaks on Instagram

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A/lpaca, Laughter

It may have sat on the shelf for two years since recording finished in 2023, but don’t worry, it’s still from the future. Laughter is the second-on-Sulatron full-length from Italian experimentalists A/lpaca, and it sees them push deeper into electronic elements and ambiences, keeping some of the krautrock elements of their 2021’s Make it Better, but with songs that are shorter on average and that stand ready to convey a sense of quirk in the keyboard elements or the Devo verses of the title-track, which isn’t without its aspect of shove. Does it get weird? You bet your ass it does. “Bianca’s Videotape,” “Who’s in Love Daddy?,” the post-punk synthery meeting doomed fuzz on “Empty Chairs,” the list goes on. Actually, it’s just the tracklisting and it’s all pretty freaked out, so as long as you know going in that the band are working from their own standard of weirdoism, making the jump into the keyboardy gorge of “Kyrie” or the new wave-y “Don’t Talk” should be no problem. If you heard the last record, yeah, this is different. Seems like the next one will probably be different again too. Not everyone wants to do the same thing all the time.

A/lpaca on Bandcamp

Sulatron Records store

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