Posted in Whathaveyou on November 3rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
I’m not sure if this is everybody playing next year’s Legalize Lex, or just Legalize, at Al’s Bar in Lexington, Kentucky. This year had 17, and this is 14 bands, so if they’ve pared it down a bit, fair enough, but it’s also next April, so if they’re allowing for a couple others to get on board or for plans to chance, also fair enough. Note that Hashtronaut, Crop, Swamp Hawk, Shi and Veilcaste played this year’s Legalize, and a couple repeats year to year, friends and associated acts, is part of building a festival culture as well.
One assumes Spotlights will headline, and Hashtronaut and Crop would seem to have moved up the bill as well. Crystal Spiders will surely be awesome, and Fairie Ring and Doomsday Profit and Insomniac and well basically I’m just listing names at this point because I think the bands are cool and somehow you’re just supposed to get that reading. Come on, man. You were at that Insomniac gig in Brooklyn, right? Talking to myself and Gavin Zollo because I don’t think Ron actually reads. Ha. I don’t think anybody reads.
I digress. Driving untold hours to stand around a place to see bands? Sounds right up my alley. Not even joking:
Legalize Lex 2026
Hello everyone, we had a couple of errors on the initial release post and we want to make sure we represent all our bands the best we can, so we’re reposting this bad boi! We definitely appreciated all of your likes and comments the first time around, your support means the world to us. If you feel so inclined, please share this post so we can keep spreading the word! Year 3 is gonna be a banger! Excited to see you all!
Lineup: Spotlights Hashtronaut Crop Crystal Spiders Swamp Hawk Faerie Ring Uga Buga Insomniac Doomsday Profit Veilcaste Dead Vibes Ensemble Shi Acromancer Blonde Cauldron
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 5th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Crystal Spiders are set to embark on a run of nine shows in nine days next month as they continue to support their new album through Ripple Music, Metanoia (review here). The three-piece played two shows in their home state of North Carolina last weekend, in Raleigh and Asheville, and they’ll be back in the latter for another gig at Fleetwoods at the end of the July tour, but before the run starts, they’ve got an appearance at the reportedly-last Maryland Doom Fest, where I have no doubt they’ll be greeted as liberators.
From there it’s up the Eastern Seaboard into the thick of Northeastern summer haze, then after Philly they hang a left and hit Youngstown, Ohio, Chicago, Detroit and Lexington, Kentucky, to cover some ground in the Midwest as they loop back home through Nashville. It’s a solid run promoting a killer record, and if you live somewhere not covered by this tour, keep an eye out, as it’s always possible the band are dividing up the country across successive runs. Perhaps Fall or Winter on the West Coast? I’m speculating, so don’t quote me on anything.
The tour is put together by Heavy Talent and the dates were posted on social media thusly:
The last 2 shows were amazing! Thank you to all who came out! Next up is the LAST EVER Maryland Doom Fest and then a run of dates across the East Coast! Where will we see you?
CRYSTAL SPIDERS live: 06.22 Maryland Doom Fest Frederick MD 07.18 Gold Sounds Brooklyn NY 07.19 Boston MA O’Brien’s 07.20 Philadelphia PA Century Bar 07.21 Youngstown OH Westside Bowl 07.22 Detroit MI Outer Limits Lounge 07.23 Chicago IL Reggies 07.24 Lexington KY Al’s Bar 07.25 Nashville TN East Room 07.26 Asheville NC Fleetwoods
Listening to the song “Torche” at the outset of Crystal Spiders‘ third full-length, Metanoia, it’s hard not to grow even more wistful at the thought of Maryland Doom Fest (which the band are playing) ending its 11-year run this month. The North Carolinian unit led by bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath, now incarnated as a three-piece with guitarist Reid Rogers and drummer Aaron Willis both making their first appearance, conjure a groove that feels so much descended from the Eastern Seaboard’s longest-lived doom lineage, and Leath belts out the lyrics — in the opener and beyond — with a reach like nontoxic-Pentagram with soul on top. The band, the music, life itself, are still Sabbath at the root, but able to boogie or doom at will with a fluid, unpretentious groove and a cast that seems to come from traditionalist metal. There’s also some punk in there. And it rocks. It’s kind of a melting pot, and while it’s sure to bring the house down in Frederick in a couple weeks, that shortchanges the band’s potential to spearhead and carry the banner for another generation’s worth of family reunions billed as doom festivals. A missed opportunity.
Mike Dean, formerly of C.O.C. and a bandmate of Leath‘s in Lightning Born, makes an unsurprising but welcome return as producer after helming the first two Crystal Spiders LPs, 2021’s Morieris (review here) and 2020’s Molt (review here). As far as I know, his collaboration with the band on the seven-track/43-minute Metanoia doesn’t extend to playing guitar as it did on Morieris, but this time Crystal Spiders brought their own guitarist, so fair enough. In any case, his stamp can be heard in the organic moss grown on the distortion of “Torche” as it janga-janga-chugs the backdrop to Leath‘s verse, which she delivers in layers I’m assuming because nobody else in the band or otherwise could stand up to doing a duet with her. I’m being glib, but the basic fact is that Leath‘s powerhouse voice is a major distinguishing feature of Crystal Spiders‘ work, and whether pushing through “Torche” or crooning and gnashing in the slower, more atmospheric “Blue Death,” which follows, down to rolling out the Dehumanizer-style epic “OS” at the finish, there is no flinch in terms of command. That Metanoia — the title from Greek for changing your mind, often used in terms of post-psychotic-break personality rebuilding — is more than just a showcase for Leath‘s voice is a credit to the band as a whole, but if it was, I’m pretty sure she could carry it anyhow.
“Ignite” comes in swinging after “Blue Death,” with a riff riding down a highway of Judas Priest classic metal and attitude in the vocals to suit. At 3:46, it’s the shortest cut on the album by about two minutes, and it has the smooth, knows-where-it’s-headed flow of a song that came together naturally in a rehearsal space, whether or not it actually did — digs in, grooves, does what it wants, gets out. Rogers tears into a solo with special aplomb and the ba-dump ending tells you the band are thinking of the stage, which is where a song like “Ignite” will inevitably shine. The subsequent “Time Travel” is the centerpiece and again plays through at a slower tempo, fluid in the central riff with Willis working some strut into the drums as it moves into the verse with Vol. 4-style confidence. A drawling delivery of the title-line backs the chorus, making it that much catchier as it shifts into the ending of side A and a three-song side B that somewhat changes up the direction the songs are taking. Or at least the direction of the direction. That is to say, while nestled comfortably in the space between doom and heavy rock in terms of their tones and general, overarching approach, side B’s “Maslow,” “21” and the aforementioned closer “OS,” are working toward different ends than the material earlier on Metanoia. This, too, finds the band in communion with classic heavy.
Both “Maslow,” which is an atmospheric highlight a little under eight minutes long that holds its own in bookending with “OS,” and the capper itself are grander. They’re more theatrical in their ambitions, and they’re giving a more narrative impression. By contrast, “21” — think gambling — has energy enough behind its shove as the chorus entreats one to “Place your bets” and “Hit hard or go home,” and delivers on the whole hitting-hard promise throughout. The bounce in the second-half solo feels like a tie to garage doom, but it’s really all coming from that place schooled in early 1970s heavy rock with elements culled from the generations of practitioners since. It’s the way it’s used to offset “Maslow” and “OS” that makes it such a signifier of the burgeoning maturity in Crystal Spiders‘ craft. They’ve played songs off each other before, but the complement that “21” makes leading out of “Maslow” and into “OS,” the rumble and a cymbal wash giving over to the final, more ’90s-style roll taking its time in setting up the airy initial verse, isn’t to be understated. And sure enough, “Torche” fits better as the leadoff with Willis‘ count-in conveying urgency and immediately bringing the listener into the momentum of the song.
These are the kinds of things a band should be doing by the time they’re on their third record, but Metanoia is up to more than ticking boxes, and the emergent truth is that the amalgam of tropes and influences they engage along the way results in a personality that is more their own than it has ever been in terms of the songs. “OS” offers some more of that Chesapeake Watershed-style doomly roll along with grungier drawl, but keeps hold of its underlying foreboding such that the shouts after the dual-tiered solo section arrive with due precedent as a metallic, marching crescendo before residual guitar brings it to a finish. Crystal Spiders are not a band that need to take a roundabout way to hooking an audience. Their work, here and with the prior incarnation of the band, is able to engage by coming straight at the listener. They’re not sneaking around. They’re not pulling tricks. Metanoia is full-on heavy rock and roll ready to flatten that which is set before it. It’s gonna kill in Maryland, and well beyond.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 20th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
The first single from Crystal Spiders‘ upcoming third album Metanoia — they’re also three-for-three on one-word album titles that start with ‘m,’ so there — brings an intriguing sound and twist on the heavy vibes the trio has wrought before, flexible as that is between doom and classic heavy rock. As it happens, “Torche” speaks to both.
I’m pretty sure it’s not about the band Torche — you never know, I guess, but there’s no mention of it below if that’s the case and I’ve been through the songs a couple times and at no point does bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath seem to shout out Steve Brooks, rad as it might be if she did — but especially with the stark accompaniment of the video below, the song piques interest as to where Metanoia might go and how it might get there.
Info and side-of-your-boogie-van-worthy cover art came from the PR wire:
US heavy rock trio CRYSTAL SPIDERS unleash first track and video off upcoming new album “Metanoia”; out May 23rd on Ripple Music!
North Carolina’s fiercest hard’n’heavy rockers CRYSTAL SPIDERS return with their third full-length “Metanoia” on Ripple Music this May 23rd, and present the roaring “Torche” single and video.
Riding the tides of doom-laden riffs and intoxicating grooves, Crystal Spiders returns with their highly anticipated third album, “Metanoia” on Ripple Music. Known for their alchemical blend of heavy metal and psychedelic soundscapes, the North Carolina power trio delves deeper into the abyss, exploring themes of transcendentalism and expansion in a collection of gritty and beautiful tracks. On “Metanoia”, Crystal Spiders masterfully intertwines searing NWOBHM guitar solos, thunderous fuzzed-out basslines, and howling vocal harmonies.
The album’s title, derived from the ancient Greek word for a transformative change of heart, encapsulates a journey of transcending boundaries and venturing into uncharted territories while blending personal introspection and broader societal commentary into a dark, poetic and highly evocative imagery and lyricism. “Overall, “Metanoia” is a profound exploration of the human condition, using powerful imagery and introspective lyrics to invite listeners on a transformative journey. The song “Torche” sets the tone with its visceral depiction of a primal struggle, using fire and light as symbols of both conflict and illumination,” says bassist and vocalist Brenna Leath.
“Metanoia” will be issued on May 23rd in various LP formats, CD digipack and digital, with preorders available now from Ripple Music. It was produced at Volume 11 Studios by Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity) in Raleigh, NC, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Mastering Studios. Artwork by Tyler Pennington and graphics by Mark Aceves.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 31st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
As per Halloween tradition, the venerable Maryland Doom Fest has posted its as-of-now-complete lineup for next year’s edition, and MDDF 2025 looks like a rager. Set to unfold its massive billing across June 19-22 in the riffy epicenter of Frederick, Maryland, the fest will highlight newcomers and established acts alike, as veteran outfits like The Skull and Apostle of Solitude, Hollow Leg, Curse the Son, and others make returning appearances and new incarnations like Legions of Doom, Ages and High Noon Kahuna feature familiar players in new contexts. Always cool to see bands like Thunderbird Divine and Spiral Grave doing the thing, and I’ll admit that my eyebrows went up when I saw Virginia’s Lord would be playing, as I’d yet to encounter word of a reunion from that most chaotic of sludge metal outfits. Sonolith and Demons My Friends and Sons of Arrakis and plenty of others will be traveling for it — Ogre! — so I would expect some tours to be forthcoming, and Sun Years, whose Nov. tour begins — wait for it — tomorrow, will feature.
It’s a family reunion you probably already have on your calendar, so don’t let me keep you from perusing the poster and getting stoked on what you find. From Crystal Spiders to B&O Railroad, there’s both a lot here and a lot here to like, and always more waiting to be discovered by those bold enough to show up to Cafe 611 early in the day. Check it out:
MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2025 – June 19-22, Frederick, MD
WE JOURNEY FROM THE HEAVY UNDERGROUND AND STAGES ACROSS THE WORLD TO ASSEMBLE IN FREDERICK, MARYLAND, FOR A JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF DOOM, GROOVE, AND THE ALMIGHTY RIFF.
JOIN US.
After such a magnificent 10th anniversary celebration of #4daysofdoom in 2024, which involved reorganizing and coordinating two stages in one venue (Cafe 611), we are beyond stoked to share The Maryland Doom Fest 2025 roster and marvelous promotional artwork.
The art design was created by one of our Maryland natives in the local music scene—Ben Proudman, the Frederick, MD-based master artist at Key City Tattoo (IG: @tattoosbyprdmn). Ben is also the drummer for the powerful bands Thonian Horde and Foehammer. Our very own Bill Kole (IG: @BillyDiablo) handled the color design and layouts again this year. He majestically brought this piece to life!
Explore the heavy musical talent of these bands and performers and be prepared for the nonstop riffage party in June! Talent beyond words!!! We can’t wait for our doom community to congregate next summer!!!
Time slots, ticket sales, stage rosters, sponsors, and vendors will be presented by year’s end. — 💀DooM💀
THE SKULL + PSYCHOTIC REACTION + APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE + LEGIONS OF DOOM + COMPRESSION + CRYSTAL SPIDERS + HIGH NOON KAHUNA + RED BEARD WALL + WITCHPIT + STRANGE HIGHWAYS + AGES + SUNYEARS + HOLLOW LEG
FUTURE PROJEKTOR + ALL YOUR SINS + SONOLITH + SPIRAL GRAVE + LORD + SABBATH WARLOCK + GALLOWGLAS + SONS OF ARRAKIS + CROP + HOVEL + OGRE + DREADSTAR + THUNDERBIRD DIVINE + WYNDRIDER + SUN MANTRA + KULVERA + STYGIAN CROWN + CURSE THE SON + BENTHIC REALM + HOLY ROLLER
BLOODSHOT + DUST PROPHET + VANISHING KIDS + BLOOD AND EARTH + FIGHT THE FOLD + DAYTRIPPER + B&O RAILROAD + BAILJACK + COKUS + NEW DAWNS FADE + COMA HOLE + FLORIST + ABEL BLOOD + SEASICK GLADIATOR + ENTIERRO + HEX ENGINE + DEMONS MY FRIENDS + ABOMINOG + VRSA + HIGH HORSE CALVARY
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 8th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
This is one of the best lineups I’ve seen for a US-based heavy fest in the 15-plus years I’ve been running this site. I don’t know what else to say about it, honestly. For the fact that Ripplefest Texas is bringing Dozer over alone, let alone any of the other Euro acts involved who have, say, been to North America in the last 20-plus years, it’s astonishing. And not just bigger bands like Dozer and Truckfighters or Mars Red Sky and Belzebong, but Domkraft and Kal-El, bands you know if you’re into this thing but that haven’t been around as long and aren’t as ‘huge’ in the whatever sense that applies in underground music.
And it’s not like they’re skimping on within-US geography either. Of course the desert is well represented, and Texas has a significant presence as it invariably would, but with Gozu and Leather Lung headed out from Boston, Borracho traveling from D.C., Temple of the Fuzz Witch from Michigan, Robots of the Ancient World from Portland, Oregon, and so on, they’ve got all the corners and between pretty well covered. La Chinga coming from Canada. Demons My Friends giving Mexico a nod. It is extensive.
And quality. I don’t know that I’ll be there to see it, but I’d imagine that for most who get to be, it’ll be the stuff of legend. Congrats to Ryan Garney and Lick of My Spoon for bringing it into the world, and safe travels to all involved:
Here it is! The lineup for RippleFest Texas and the amazing art by Simon Berndt @1horsetown 🤘🔥❤️
We still have a few surprises left but this roster is stacked! Don’t miss your chance to see the world’s best heavy music at the largest family reunion of the year. Plus this is the ONLY premier festival that has absolutely ZERO OVERLAPPING so you can see every second of every band! Get your tickets now and we will see you in September!
Tier 2 tickets are almost sold out and the price increases on Monday so get your tickets now:
DOZER TRUCKFIGHTERS BONGZILLA MARS RED SKY BELZEBONG DOMKRAFT LEGIONS OF DOOM FATSO JETSON GOZU HOWLING GIANT THE HEAVY EYES HIGH DESERT QUEEN KAL-EL 20 WATT TOMBSTONE THE OTOLITH TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH LEATHER LUNG THUNDER HORSE HASHTRONAUT BONE CHURCH BORRACHO SUN CROW CRYSTAL SPIDERS TIA CARRERA ROBOTS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD MR. PLOW LA CHINGA FOSTERMOTHER BLUE HERON TEMPTRESS FORMULA 400 DEMONS MY FRIENDS VERMILION WHISKEY VIOLET RISING HUDU AKIL BUZZ ELECTRO SHADOW OF JUPITER
GRAND FINALE w/ MARIO LALLI & THE RUBBER SNAKE CHARMERS “Desert Jam Session”
Plus the best light show in the business by @themadalchemistliquidliteshow
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 14th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
At the end of last month when the lineups were announced for Ripplefest Germany in Berlin and Köln, we found out that North Carolina’s Crystal Spiders would be making the trip abroad, and since they were going forth on their first performances in Europe, it didn’t seem unreasonable to think they’d at least make a short stint of it.
Indeed they’ll do precisely that, co-headlining on a run alongside Spanish heavy cult rockers Kabbalah, who’ll do 10 shows while Crystal Spiders accompany for seven of them, including the two nights at Ripplefest. Kabbalah reissued their 2017 debut, Spectral Ascent, through Ripple earlier this year, and in 2022 took part in Spinda Records‘ mega-compilation Grados. Minutos. Segundos. (review here), following on from their 2021 second album, The Omen (review here), which came out through Ripple imprint Rebel Waves.
As of last month, Crystal Spiders had six songs written for the follow-up to 2021’s Morieris (review here), and when that’s done, it will be their third record overall, and one assumes it’ll show up sometime in 2024. But new material on the road could certainly happen, and that’s always fun.
The PR wire sent the dates as part of an ongoing glut of Ripple-based news this week:
Occult doom rock trio KABBALAH announces co-headlining European tour with US heavy rockers CRYSTAL SPIDERS this fall!
Spanish occult doom rockers KABBALAH and US heavy rockers CRYSTAL SPIDERS are set to embark on their co-headlining European tour this fall, including appearances at Ripplefest in Berlin and Cologne.
After a remarked performance at Motocultor Festival this summer and opening slots for The Obsessed and Lucifer in Spain, all-female trio Kabbalah are back on the European roads to grace heavy and occult rock fans with their dark and magnetic spells. On this special occasion, they will be joined by their Ripple Music labelmates and fast-rising heavy rockers Crystal Spiders and will both appear at Ripplefest in Berlin and Cologne.
KABBALAH & CRYSTAL SPIDERS European tour 2023 23.11.23 FR – Paris – L’International* 24.11.23 DE – Mannheim – 7er Club* 25.11.23 DE – Berlin – Ripplefest 27.11.23 AT – Linz – Kapu 29.11.23 DE – Jena – Rosenkeller 30.11.23 DE – Gottingen – Vinyl-Reservat 01.12.23 BE – Diest – Hell 02.12.23 DE – Cologne – Ripplefest 04.12.23 FR – Chambery – Brin de Zinc* 05.12.23 FR – Toulouse – Mécanique des Fluides* *Kabbalah only
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Life takes you strange places. I’m reporting live from a bench at what I grew up calling Hershey Park — it’s now known as “Hersheypark,” if current signage is to be believed — in not-much-else-here Hershey, Pennsylvania. My wife and kid are and have been for long enough for me to set up the entire back end of this post, maybe 25 minutes or so, waiting on line for a rollercoaster called The Comet. Park opened at 11 and is slammed.
We’re here, my little family unit, because it’s the end of summer. The Patient Mrs. starts a new semester teaching this week, The Pecan goes to school for full-day kindergarten Sept. 5, so this is pretty much it for summer. Why we’re here instead of something not two and a half hours from where we live is because about 25 minutes from here, at 2PM, we’re meeting with a dog breeder to see about maybe buying a three-month-old puppy. It’s a shichon, small, doesn’t shed much or make a lot of noise. A non-dog, by some standards. Fine. If it doesn’t immediately bite my kid, we’ll probably get it. This has emotional baggage for me — shocking, I know — but it’s time to get this kid a dog, so even if it’s not this one, we’ll keep looking.
What does any of this have to do with Ripplefest Germany 2023 announcing lineups for Cologne — Köln in German — and Berlin?
Just about nothing, actually, but it’s why I’m distracted from giving you the usual spiel: “here’s a cool fest I’ll never get to see but maybe you will and we can both daydream so here you go,” so at least that’s a connection. And please don’t take my inability to focus as somehow detracting from the work Max Röbel has done in assembling lineups both representative and forward thinking from Ripple and -adjacent acts. If you need more proof of his noble mission to shake heavy rock genre norms, go check out the new Plainride. Also, good for Crystal Spiders doing a bit of travel.
These reportedly are not the only acts that will be announced for these events, but it’s a start. Here’s what the PR wire has to say about it:
RIPPLEFEST GERMANY announces first names for 2023 edition in Berlin and Cologne this fall; tickets on sale now!
The international RIPPLEFEST festival series, organized by renowned California independent label Ripple Music, returns to Germany this fall with two unmissable events! Ripplefest Berlin and Ripplefest Cologne promise a musical experience of the highest caliber for fans of Stoner, Doom, and Heavy Psychedelic Rock.
Ripple Music, a label known for its specialization in heavy rock sounds, aims to promote emerging talents from the international heavy rock underground and bring together fans and bands from all over the globe. Dubbing their own festival series “Ripplefest”, the record label has been organizing showcase events for years, in cities such as Austin, San Francisco, London, Nantes, Stockholm, Cologne and Berlin.
The organizer of both Ripplefests is Max Röbel, frontman of Cologne’s heavy rock band Plainride and Head of A&R Europe for Ripple Music. About curating the festival, he says: “Creating a platform for music beyond the mainstream and being able to showcase it with such international lineups is a matter dear to my heart. These festivals are meant to be both a meeting place and a stepping stone for our acts, which is why I am particularly excited that with Kabbalah, Crystal Spiders, and Daevar, we once more have three bands with exceptionally strong frontwomen, on this year’s lineup.”
❱ MOTHER’S CAKE (DE) Stoner rock ❱ KABBALAH (SP) Occult rock ❱ FIRE DOWN BELOW (BE) Stoner rock ❱ CRYSTAL SPIDERS (USA) Doom rock ❱ APPALOOZA (FR) Heavy tribal rock ❱ CANNABINEROS (DE) Stoner rock ❱ DAEVAR (DE) Stoner doom
