Got to the festival grounds early even for the yoga, but it was mellow and fine. You can always find a spot to sit before doors open. I didn’t quite have my whole wardrobe with me — actually I packed one tshirt too few for the trip and needed to buy one to fly home in; mandatory merch; I took care of it early — but I had my raincoat, my hoodie, my warm hat, my brimmed hat for the sun and my sunglasses, all in my camera bag, which with the camera as well made it pretty tight. So it goes. I felt like I was ready for whatever the day was going to bring, at least weather-wise.

Knowing that I’d already be at the airport in 24 hours put the day into a different kind of focus, but there was still a lot of Freak Valley to go and I wanted to take it in as much as possible while I could. You know how it is. Let me get through one thing before I start getting nervous about the next. Rare luxury, I suppose. I was beat, of course, but that didn’t matter yet either listening to the birds and somebody soundchecking drums.

It has to be noted that the Rockfreaks family — the kind, generous and passionate people who put on this festival, call the Vortex Surfer in Siegen home, and so on — lost a member this April with the passing of Ralf Stötzel. Ralf was a steady presence at the check-in counter every year here, and beloved.

In my experience, I never heard an unkind word from or about him, and he was important to this community. There were tributes set up backstage — a shot and a beer out by photos the food tent — in his memory, and prior to the Tranquonauts set, Jens Heide, who runs the thing, and the crew got onstage and paid homage as well, with no less than Bill late of Bushfire on the mic. Ralf is and will continue to be missed.

The yoga was banger and well needed again — thank you, Judith — and that led basically into the start of the day with Upupayāma, and then it was back to it from there.

Here’s what I saw:

Upupayāma

The Italian psychedelic joybringers have a new album out, but I only learned about it like 12 hours before making the trip to Freak Valley — this ain’t Pokémon; you’re never gonna catch ’em all — but while I hadn’t heard Honesty Flowers yet, I very much enjoyed The Golden Pond (review here) in 2022, and I was looking forward to seeing them. First flute and first sitar of the weekend, and those made the band’s loose swinging trippy shuffle even more engaging, alongside the keys, additional drums/percussion, and so on. I think Super Jet Kinoko had more people on the stage, but it was a party anyhow, in that very specific lysergic-jam-nerd kind of way, which I’m almost always down for at this point. I mean, there was literally a child skipping to the flute out in front. That kind of magic. They got it going, built up momentum over their time, but were still mellow-vibes, and I think that resonated well with the hungover contingent as well as those coming in fresh to the day. I’ll do my damnedest to hear that record, but they’re not a band I ever expected to see, and though I’ve said that many times in my life, each one makes me feel the same: lucky to be here. That feeling was a great way to kick off the afternoon, not the least after yoga.

BB BlackDog

Were entirely new to me. Two basses, one four-string, one five, and the four was played high on the neck with a lot of wah for a sound that was full in its fuzz but still gave a character distinct from the other supply of low end running concurrent. Then you get to the drummer, with a setup elaborate and weird enough that I wondered if he did the machining himself. High dose quirk, but the songs were there and as I soon learned in the merch, 2026 marks their 20th anniversary. So maybe I’m late to the party on the self-billed steampunkers from the UK, but it was a learning experience I was glad to receive as they crossed from heavy rock into funk, psych and other dug-in oddness. Maybe this year is more costumes, more willfully individual, though there was certainly that here last year as well. I don’t know, but the day before as well, I had been struck by the minute-ness of it all, how there’s music that makes complete sense to you if you have the background, the context for it, and if not, I’d imagine it leaves you scratching your head. BB BlackDog, which I’m pretty sure is how you write it, were one of those bands. I would say it must be nice for a band to be someplace like this, where they can be understood in a different way even than a regular show, but the truth is I know exactly how it feels because it happens to me too, and it’s fucking awesome.

Sergeant Thunderhoof

They put on a show, do Sergeant Thunderhoof. Their particular take on heavy prog rock, topped with the classically metal soaring vocals of Daniel Flitcroft was known to the Freak Valley crowd, and that in itself was cool to see. I caught Sergeant Thunderhoof in early ’25 at Planet Desert Rock Weekend in Vegas (review here) — they’ll be there again next January — and, well, it’s not like the wheels have come off as they’ve continued to support 2024’s The Ghost of Badon Hill (review here), so it was cool to see them again, even as darker clouds started rolling in and the wind picked up. Foreboding? A bit, but so was Sergeant Thunderhoof’s brooding melodic take, heavy and bleeding a bit where I stood with the second stage soundcheck, but my impression this time only confirms what I thought after the last one: they know what they’re about, they’ve grown consistently and steadily over time, and the songs stay with you. Pro-shop. Classy on sonic terms, but still probably a band who’d pound a beer with you if you hit them up. You should do that, maybe.

Fuzz Sagrado

Obviously it was good to see Christian Peters take the stage and play songs from his time in Samsara Blues Experiment. Of course it was, and I’m not going to pretend to be impartial about something that made me so personally happy. But having dug into his subsequent work under the banner of Fuzz Sagrado, which on record has been almost entirely solo, it was extra cool to hear those songs too with a full band bringing them to life. And the not-exactly-opposing-anyhow sides bled together with a flow that made the two entities make more sense side-by-side, that progressive character in Peters’ songwriting being the tie in terms of sound, with the performance aspect part of that as well as he and the members of Black Box Massacre have gelled as a lineup on their current tour, which as I understand it won’t be their last. So does the full Fuzz Sagrado band do a record? I hope so, but for sure I’d take ‘Live at Freak Valley’ for a start. Fingers crossed on that one. Only candy-striped drumkit of the fest, and put to wondrous use riding out the big groove at the finish, Peters on synth adding texture to the build happening on guitar, bass and drums. This was the last show of their tour, which The Obelisk co-presented, and that was another appeal, but really, I think the last time I saw Peters onstage was 2013 — he and I both had long hair — and it felt really, really good to watch him play. Dude has been on a journey to get to where he’s at, and Fuzz Sagrado onstage felt like a due celebration. Sure enough, someone in the front threw confetti at the end.

Håndgemeng

Hell yes, headbangers. Get it. You just knew listening to Satanic Panic Attack (review here) last year that Norway’s Håndgemeng were going to be a shove onstage, and so they were, running a line between party thrash and heavy rock without being retro either, going hard and giving every impression of not giving the slightest of fucks while also being impeccably tight. The rain had stopped by the time Fuzz Sagrado were done, and so there was little to stop the mosh for Håndgemeng, and that felt right. The kind of band who, if they don’t yet have a beer brewed in their honor surely will sooner or later, and they might have already, now that I think about it. They did slow down some, nestle into a bluesier roll for a bit, but the volatility didn’t just disappear, and their brashness hit at just the right point in the day for me, even as the came back in some force. I missed seeing Håndgemeng at Desertfest Oslo on the outside stage (too crowded for me; I do the best I can) and consoled myself knowing they’d be here. They had new material in the set as well, which was expectedly furious, and if they hit the studio with the same intensity they had onstage, it’ll be one to look for. No bullshit but drunken bullshit. To normies I bet they’d sound angry. Here people crowdsurfed. Do you understand what a precious thing that is?

Tranquonauts

I was there at the airport when Tony Reed and Isaiah Mitchell met, like, for the first time. This was Tranquonauts first gig ever, the band being the two of them and the cats from Seedy Jeezus: Lex Waterreus, Mark Sibson and Paul Crick. They had rehearsal on Thursday and I assume yesterday as well even though Seedy Jeezus played a set, but they’ve made now-three records together working remotely, so it’s as good a time as any for a first gig. They might’ve been nervous, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more supportive crowd than Freak Valley’s and in addition to the band’s original jams — because again, they have a catalog at this point — they covered UFO’s “Space Child” with Mitchell on vocals. That’s three powerhouse guitarists, so don’t be surprised when I tell you it was heavy on the solos, but they seemed to be having a good time basking in all that shred, and the same was true of the people out front. There were residual big feelings following the tribute to Ralf, but Tranquonauts were so sincere in their revelry, that the emotion kind of fed into it, and at the end, with Reed and Crick leaning back to back on each other and the rampant shred — I think Mitchell would’ve kept going on that last solo — they all stood together on the stage, thanked the crowd, thanked Ralf and still had people cheering as they broke down their gear. I wondered when and where their second show would be.

Kylesa

I saw Kylesa 14 months ago at Roadburn (review here), and this was the second date on a run of summer fests split up between this month and end of July/August, so I was curious to check in with guitarist/vocalists Laura Pleasants and Philip Cope, and their ringer rhythm section of bassist John John Jesse and drummer Roy “Now You Don’t Need Two Drummers Anymore” Mayorga and see where the last year had brought them. Quite literally, to Germany from Barcelona, Spain, the day prior, but it wasn’t like they weren’t going to kill it. It’s Kylesa. There’s never been anyone better at what they do because nobody did what they do before them. And somehow they’re still a punk band. It’s kind of mind-boggling, but just because you see the train coming doesn’t mean it isn’t about to run you over. Watching them, obviously I started to wonder if they’re thinking new album yet, if they’ll take that next reunion-band step, but obviously they have more touring ahead of them and in a genre that needs headliners, they’re ready. With chug, and crush, and Roy fucking Mayorga. Monster band. And the legacy is what it is — that material still slays, speaking from personal been-slayed experience — but I mean Kylesa right now. They pulled what looked to me like the biggest crowd of the weekend, and then flattened it.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

Their new single “Don’t Let it Control You” (posted here) heralds a return to more straightforward Uncle Acid craft after 2024’s cinematic conceptual Nell’ Ora Blu (review here), but I’ll take it however it comes, honestly. The UK garage doom progenitors are more than 15 years tenured at this point, and they’ve offered more than one masterpiece in that time — arguably the last record counts there as well — and since the first time I saw them in 2013, their evolution as a studio and a stage act has fleshed out all that potential their at-that-point-one-of-a-kind eerie melodies, irresistible cultmaking hooks, harsh-produced riffs and grit-tooth vibing had in their earlier days. I don’t know when their album is coming out, whether it’s tomorrow or next month or next year, but I know that when it lands, it will be welcomed far and wide. At Freak Valley, it was all there in that immediately identifiable fuzz. They opened with “Mt. Abraxas,” and if you weren’t headbanging, you were probably already back at the campsite. Special band, and a perfect capper for a weekend of music for, of and by the underground.

—

I leave to go to the airport in about an hour and a half, which should give me time to finish packing and maybe slam some of the scrambled eggs downstairs at the Hotel Ewerts before my ride comes. I think.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you to Jens Heide and the Freak Valley/Rockfreaks family. Thanks Alex, Marcus, Pia, everybody backstage. Thanks Judith for the yoga, and Pete for being my yoga buddy once again. Ralf would’ve been proud. Thanks Bill for making it out on Sunday. Thanks Tim for meeting early for breakfast yesterday so I could stll have time to sort photos.

Thanks to The Patient Mrs. as always, and to my mother and sister. It’s only been a few days, but I look forward to getting back home and seeing my family, even if it means another flight between now and when I can do so.

This is a special fest, in a special place, put together by special people. The crowd is familiar faces, smiling. I was glad to be back. Next year, if I’m so lucky again, a note to myself to bring the big lens.

More pics after the jump.

Read more »

Stacked lineup for Esbjerg Fuzztival 2026 in Denmark, which is expanding beyond its two-dayer presentation with a pre-party on Thursday, May 28 that will be overseen by the fest’s house band, the instrumentalists Vestjysk Ørken, whose third LP will be out by the time they hit the stage. Yawning Man and Fuzz Sagrado headline, with Howling Giant, Craneium, Child, SoftSun, Deville and others providing strong backing for the fest-proper, for which the lineup is now fully announced. That’s as opposed to the pre-show, which still has question marks on the poster below for two more bands playing.

Whoever they get, the Fuzztival always delivers a sense of vibe and already we see it doing so here while showcasing variety in a heavy underground context. I mean, they have Child and Childrenn — what more could you want? Kidding aside, even two bands like Craneium and Howling Giant, both of whom I would describe as melodic and progressive heavy rock, are aproaching those ideas from different angles, so while it’s 14 acts for two days, each one is bringing something of their own to the proceedings.

From social media:

ESBJERG FUZZTIVAL – Full Festival Announcement!!

We are PROUD to be hosting the legends of the desert YAWNING MAN as our Saturday night headliner! What an absolute treat that we have been looking forward to for a long time!

Also proud to be adding SoftSun to the poster! The project between Gary Arce (Yawning Man) and Pia Isaksen (Superlynx). We can’t wait!

14 bands over two days – but wait, there’s more! The Fuzztival Pre-Party on Thursday the 28th we will host 3 additional bands TBA. First band on stage will be Vestjysk Ørken – while they have opened the festival for the past 8 editions, the tradition is now coming to an end, and they are moving to the pre-party instead! Don’t miss out, as their third album is releasing in April, so they will have fresh tunes for us!

https://www.fuzztival.com/
https://www.instagram.com/esbjerg_fuzztival/
https://www.facebook.com/esbjergfuzztival/

Yawning Man, Pavement Ends (2025)

Ignoring decades of warnings from geological experts about the earth-rending that would happen if cosmic doom titans Ufomammut and YOB were ever to share a bill, Belgium’s Obsidian Dust — which, I guess, is also a description that applies to said scenario — have confirmed YOB for their lineup for just one of the two Euro shows the Oregonian trio will play this year. The other is Desertfest Berlin, so I guess if you’re in Europe and you wanna see YOB, there you go.

YOB aren’t the only add here, though. There’s Piss (not to be confused with Mrs. Piss, mind you), countrymen instrumentalists Apex Ten, Swedish melodic psych rockers Gaupa, Lili Refrain, Earthbong, Meatdripper (who I don’t know but am ready to learn based on their name), the esteemed Fuzz Sagrado and Satanic Witch. It’s a diverse bunch, to say the least of it, and with King Buffalo, Acid King, Blackwater Holylight, Earthless, Hermano and Gnod elsewhere on the bill, there’s a lot a lot a lot to like.

The fest is a two-dayer set for May 16 and 17 in Brussels, and the info for the new adds came through social media, which is how these things happen nowadays. I believe them when they say it’s going to be awesome.

Dig it:

Yob will headline Saturday at Obsidian Dust 2026!

They’re flying in for an exclusive show, one of just two European dates in 2026.

And the dust keeps rising with a wild mix of sounds: from the hardcore punch of PISS, the psychedelic waves of GAUPA, and Lili Refrain’s hypnotic ritual, to the crushing riffs of Meatdripper and Earthbong, the stoner grooves of Fuzz Sagrado & Surya Kris Peters, Apex Ten heavy drive, and the black metal-laden mystique of Satanic Witch.

Check our website for day splits and tickets.
https://obsidiandust.be

This is the line-up for now, more updates coming up.

This is going to be awesome. 🤘

https://obsidiandust.be/
https://www.instagram.com/obsidiandust_belgium
https://www.facebook.com/obsidiandustbelgium

From Desertfest Berlin to Freak Valley, with Obsidian Dust, Grand Paris Sludge, Esbjerg Fuzztival and club shows between, you’ll pardon me if I think of Fuzz Sagrado‘s inaugural tour of anywhere as more than just that, since it’s also the return to the European circuit of the now-Brazil-based Christian Peters, formerly of Samsara Blues Experiment.

Together with his assembled Fuzz Sagrado lineup, which itself also operates as the band Black Box Massacre, Peters will present songs from throughout his career at these shows, and he’s been both specific and intentional all the way about saying, yes, Samsara Blues Experiment material is fair game, in addition to what he’s been doing these last few years as he’s made his way creatively back toward a kind of progressive, heavy psychedelic rock.

I was already hoping to get to Freak Valley, but I’ll say that’s only more the case knowing Fuzz Sagrado will take part there. The Obelisk is co-presenting the tour, and I’m honored for that — thank you to Peters and Sound of Liberation — but it doesn’t necessarily mean I know when Pt. 2 will be, though my guess is Fall fest season. In any case, this will be a chance to see something for the first time, and as I was lucky enough to see Peters‘ former outfit on several occasions, I look forward to finding out what Fuzz Sagrado will bring with them when they begin to hit stages.

From the PR wire:

FUZZ SAGRADO – European Tour 2026 Pt.1

14.05.2026 Berlin, Desertfest
15.05.2026 Jena, KuBa
17.05.2026 Brussels, Obsidian Dust
18.05.2026 Lille, Cafe Bulle
19.05.2026 Düsseldorf, Pitcher
20.05.2026 Köln, Kantine
21.05.2026 Stuttgart, Goldmark’s
23.05.2026 Savigny le Temple, Grand Paris Sludge
24.05.2026 Nijmegen, De Onderbroek
27.05.2026 Leipzig, PxLxKxL@kh89
29.05.2026 Esbjerg, Fuzztival
30.05.2026 Flensburg, Kühlhaus
01.06.2026 Oldenburg, MTS records
03.06.2026 Münster, Rare Guitar
04.06.2026 Rotterdam, Baroeg
06.06.2026 Netphen, Freak Valley
+ more to come in 2026!

Chris Peters:

“This is incredibly exciting, and it’s taken about two years to get to this point. As most of you know, I’ve been living in Brazil for the last five years and had some interesting experiences there. After leaving Samsara, I thought about quitting and didn’t want to play in a band anymore, but life had other plans. At 45, I’m still too young to retire. So, in 2024 I tried my luck with a Brazilian band; we played to 600 people in São Paulo, but Brazil is a tough country.

Since around 2022, I’ve had the idea of starting a new band project with new songs, but also personal highlights from 25+ years as a musician and songwriter. There are tracks like Southern Sunset, Orchid Annie, Center of the Sun etc. Who else could sing or play these very personal songs? And no, I won’t forget them! There wasn’t a proper tour for the last Samsara album, and in a way, we re-connect to that with this new group.

It wasn’t my plan to continue with other musicians under the name Samsara Blues Experiment, even though – from a business perspective* – all would have been easier and, in some ways, probably the logical next step. Things have become even more difficult in recent years, and I’d rather focus on the positive aspects. I honor my journey and the people I’ve met along the way, but in my opinion this new band is already playing on a different musical level, literally: A New Dimension!”

*Musicians have to pay their bills too ;) Know what I mean?

Many thanks:

Matte @soundofliberation, for making this tour possible. We’ve come a long way since our first small gigs together. Wolf @worldinsound, thank you for everything! Who’d have thought that when I bought that Dragonwyck CD, ages ago! Jeff @echodelick, thank you for being the first label to believe in this new project. Kai @kozmikartifactz, thank you for taking the risk of releasing the first Fuzz Sagrado-album on vinyl, although it’s no typical stoner album at all ;) Steffen, Charlie, and Raphael @blackboxmassacre for dedicating time and efforts to this project. We’re in this together! Thanks also to Holger @rockhard + Mike @eclipsedrockmagazin + Theee Obelisk @jjkoczan for helping to spread the word! Poster image by @stevenyoyada

https://www.facebook.com/fuzzsagrado
https://www.instagram.com/fuzzsagrado/
https://fuzzsagrado.blogspot.com/

https://electricmagic.bandcamp.com/

Fuzz Sagrado, Strange Daze (2025)

I believe lineup dropoffs should be handled like removing band-aids, so in that spirit, I’ll not slow-peel the disappointment that Fuzz Sagrado (from Germany/Brazil) and Saint Karloff (from Norway) won’t be making the trip to Las Vegas in January for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI. But when it comes to festivals of any size or shape, cancellations are part of the thing, and neither band is done, so you say ‘maybe next year’ and move forward with the fest to come. I was looking forward to seeing those bands, not the least since Fuzz Sagrado‘s Christian Peters is just coming back to the stage after the end of Samsara Blues Experiment, but it’s a big unknowable future and hopefully those paths will cross sooner or later. The conclusion every time, every context, is “so it goes.”

There are few bands who I could name in this paragraph who wouldn’t feel like a consolation prize, but Spaceslug is one of them. Fest curator John Gist — who thanked me in the below press release and I took it out because I’m all ego but also hyper-introverted; anyway, thanks for the thanks — and they and Black Water Rising, plus a couple teased confirmations to come, will add to the shape of the four-nighter from Jan. 29-Feb. 1, which also boasts The Atomic Bitchwax, The Devil and the Almighty Blues, The Quill, Westing, High Desert Queen and more.

Gist sent the following down the PR wire:

Vegas Rock Revolution is excited to announce the next two bands for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI in Las Vegas! Two very different styles of bands to continues the legacy of PDRW. Both of these bands are already legacy PDRW bands and we are honored to have them back!

Spaceslug from Poland will be returning to play only their 3rd USA show ever for this exclusive set. Their spacey blend of atmospheric heavy psych with doom is a magnificent thing to see live. They will be playing their epic album Lemanis in its entirety plus a few more killer tracks to honor the 10th anniversary of the album. They will be headlining Night 4 on Sunday for the Last Call show at Swan Dive. We will have some sort of visuals set up for the evening as well! Should make for an amazing final night.

Spaceslug, “Proton Lander”

Black Water Rising is joining the party as well. This NYC heavy rock band played PDRW II back in 2019 and are no strangers to Las Vegas as they have played a number of times Vegas Rock Revolution shows. Their 2025 release “The Edge” landed #9 on the August Doom Charts and has really lit a spark in the rock scene. This is a very rare west coast show for these boys from Brooklyn and they are flying in just for the show so…..there are no other shows in surrounding area. The band brings great riff action while also providing strong vocals with smart lyrics that you can understand. If you are a fan of bands like COC, Crobot, Sasquatch, Monster Magnet and others then this band is right In your wheelhouse. Their breakthrough song “Brother Go On” catapulted itself to many ears via Sirius XM’s Octane Radio vis Jose Mangin.

Black Water Rising, “Brother Go On”

Now we have some disappointing news as Fuzz Sagrado and Saint Karloff will not be making it to PDRW VI. Possibly in the future we may have them if the timing is better. We wish it wasn’t so but this the reality.

We have two more bands to still announce and we don’t want to wait much longer to get those names to you. Our curation is done very carefully and we want to make sure the right bands that are a fantastic fit for our loyal and incredible fans is chosen. Nightly lineups will start coming out very soon as well as single night ticket options!

Also a massive thanks to our several sponsors we have so far. Ripple Music will again be part of PDRW and will have a full night of music from the label on Friday at The Usual Place. You might be able to figure out which bands are locked in for that evening already! Mettle Media run by long time contributor to the scene Leanne Ridgeway will again be part of Planet Desert Rock Weekend. She has been vital on helping with the Webpage and PR.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2EBcJHjbMeDokzdhXNSZS6?si=3d7d1437262c4023

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/planet-desert-rock-weekend-vi-128-21-2026-4110273

The Atomic Bitchwax, “Hope You Die”

Hell yeah, Desertfest Berlin. The 2026 edition of the German flagship event of heavy’s most crucial festival brand will bring over Nebula for oldschool heads, Fomies for newer heads, Fuzz Sagrado for the in-betweens and Blackwater Holylight for the betterment of all humanity and the weekend in general. That’s not everybody in the second lineup announcement from Desertfest Berlin 2026, as Seattle’s Monsterwatch and Mexico City’s Cardiel will also be making the trip, but taken in combination with the first announcement — you can see the names below; golly they’ll make for a lovely assemblage — you can see it’s very much a roster worthy of the tradition they’re upholding. I don’t think underground heavy would be what it is in Europe today without Desertfest Berlin.

The PR wire brought the update:

DESERTFEST BERLIN reveals second wave of bands for 2026, adding NEBULA, BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT & more!

The 2026 edition of DESERTFEST BERLIN just turned up the fuzz and drifted deeper into the void, as more mind-bending acts join the already eclectic line-up!

From the sunburned deserts of California, NEBULA bring their fuzz-soaked, interstellar riff rituals – pure cosmic fire. Portland’s BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT summon a dark, dreamlike blend of heavy psych and ethereal melody, where doom meets hypnosis. Sweden’s EF shape vast post-rock landscapes, full of emotion and light, stretching beyond the horizon. Switzerland’s fuzz prophets FOMIES channel raw desert spirit through sun-cracked distortion and groove, while FUZZ SAGRADO (ex Samsara Blues Experiment) deliver hypnotic, groove-driven stoner rock rooted in thick tones and jam-heavy flow. Seattle’s MONSTERWATCH erupt in a storm of grunge and punk fury, reckless and cathartic. And from the streets of Mexico City, CARDIEL will ignite the DESERTFEST BERLIN stage with their skate-punk–meets–psychedelic fuzz revolution – political, wild, and unstoppable.

Today’s new additions crank the line-up to the next level, joining a first wave that already boasts heavy-hitters like RUSSIAN CIRCLES, HERMANO ft. JOHN GARCIA, THE SWORD, KING BUFFALO, ACID KING, TRUCKFIGHTERS, EARTHLESS, and many more!

From May 14–16, 2026 at Columbiahalle & Columbia-Theater, DESERTFEST BERLIN will turn the German capital into a heavy riff sanctuary, with more names and special suprises to follow. Better act quick and get your ticket now at: https://desertfest-tickets.de/produkte

✨ARTWORK by Kuba Sokolski Illustration

www.desertfest.de
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin

Nebula, Livewired in Europe (2023)

Keeping things moving right along as he follows up on 2025 outings from his soon-to-be-live-incarnated project Fuzz Sagrado and the defunct Samsara Blues Experiment (a collection of material from well before they were defunct), Christian Peters has put word out of a new release under his solo banner — or one of them; there have been a couple and Fuzz Sagrado started as a solo-project and why you gotta categorize everything anyway, man??? — Surya Kris Peters. Produced and recorded by Peters in Brazil, Viva Galaxia promises a gamut run through influences new and old, and given the productive streak Peters is on (he’s got more coming, reportedly), I believe it.

The good news is it’s not a long wait to take the trip. Viva Galaxia is out this Friday, Aug. 15, as a digital release, with physical to follow. Nothing up from the record yet:

Surya Kris Peters new album “Viva Galaxia” is a rich tapestry of musical influences, blending sounds from across decades and continents.

Drawing deeply from the 70s German Krautrock scene – think Ashra & Manuel Göttsching, Michael Rother, Popol Vuh and Tangerine Dream – it also pays homage to English Prog, especially the atmospheric stylings of Mike Oldfield and Pink Floyd. Adding to the mix are vibrant global inspirations like India’s Ananda Shankar, Japan’s Osamu Kitajima and Isao Tomita, and Turkey’s Erkin Koray.

Modern textures weave through the album as well, with echoes of My Sleeping Karma, Ozric Tentacles, God Is An Astronaut, and even touches of 80s Synthwave and 90s Trance. Much like its predecessor, this release is packed with soaring guitar solos reminiscent of Peters’ former band, Samsara Blues Experiment. And this time, the Indian music influence makes a powerful return.

The only question is: Is your third eye open?

https://fuzzsagrado.blogspot.com/
https://www.instagram.com/fuzzsagrado/
https://www.facebook.com/fuzzsagrado

https://electricmagic.bandcamp.com/

Fuzz Sagrado, Strange Daze (2025)

Samsara Blues Experiment, Time Wizardry (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

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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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