I mean, you’ve got hometown Athenian heroes Planet of Zeus at the top of the bill with no less than Colour Haze immediately beneath, so yes, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Athens 2026 basically looks like a party from the word go, since as the first lineup announcement, this is the word go. Those two names will surely catch the eye, but Witchthroat Serpent from France and Greece’s own 1782 remain monsters, and I don’t know Dismiss, but I bet you’ll see the name around again before April gets here, and bluesy rockers Fuzzrider provide further hometown representation in this initial lineup.

Can’t help but wonder if Colour Haze touring in Spring means their new album is or will be done by the time they head out, though either way that they’ll be on a stage someplace, somewhere, at any time, is always good news for the planet in general. Interesting mix of some darker sounds here, and the Sab-worship riffing of 1782 is welcome anytime, but of course there’s still more to come so we don’t have the complete picture either. I have a hard time keeping up with HPS Fests around Europe and the US, since I believe the Italian label/booking agency is up to a baker’s dozen of them (not really, but maybe; let me know if you want to do one in the absolute heavy rock hotbed that is Parsippany, NJ) as they admirably spread the good word of heavy vibes and blowout times, and between fest and label news sometimes it feels like the press releases don’t stop, but when I can cover, as here, I want to, because this is an important era in the heavy underground, and gatherings like these are worth celebrating.

That’s my two cents. I know, no one asked. You’ll find the actual information you came for below, courtesy of the PR wire:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST – ATHENS 2026 – FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS ANNOUNCED

THE HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST is landing in Athens again on April 3rd and 4th 2026, bringing with it an unstoppable rock earthquake! For two electrifying nights, ARCH Club and Universe will transform into hotspots for the stoner, doom, and psych rock scene, hosting some of the genre’s most legendary names.

Today Heavy Psych Sounds Records in cooperation with TMR Entertainment Group is announcing the FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS !!

– HPS FEST ATHENS 2026 –
3rd April @ ARCH Club
4th April @ Universe

– FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS –

PLANET OF ZEUS
COLOUR HAZE
WITCHTHROAT SERPENT
1782
DISMISS
FUZZRIDER
+ more TBA

TICKETS PRESALE: https://www.more.com/gr-el/tickets/music/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-2026

Artwork made by Mirkow Gastow

www.heavypsychsounds.com
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Planet of Zeus, Afterlife (2024)

Weedpecker and Rotor, exploitation doomers Mephistofeles on their first Euro tour, plus Heavy Psych Sounds label-backed weirdos like Tons, Giöbia, the Orientalist Belgians Wyatt E., Litania and others, yes, the lineups are packed. Set for Oct. 24-25 in Berlin and Dresden and trading most of its bill between the two cities on one night to the next, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest 2025’s two German editions are characteristically killer. It’s kind of astonishing that the Italian imprint can go basically wherever it wants, from San Francisco to Switzerland, and put together righteous nights under the banner.

These are the same weekend Høstsabbat is happening in Oslo, but wherever you happen to be in Europe that weekend (or, you know, not), the appeal here remains strong. Tickets are available now and the PR wire brought the info below that includes those links.

Have at it:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST Berlin & Dresden reveals final lineup and day splits for upcoming October 24-25th edition!

Stoner, doom and heavy rock festival Heavy Psych Sounds Fest reveals the final lineup and day splits for their Berlin and Dresden edition, taking place on October 24-25th at Urban Spree (Berlin) and Chemiefabrik (Dresden)!

Heavy Psych Sounds Fest is back in Berlin and Dresden to unleash a seismic wave of fuzz, distortion, and mind-bending psychedelia! Curated by European powerhouse label Heavy Psych Sounds Records, this two-day riff extravaganza brings together an unstoppable roster of the best in heavy psych, stoner rock, and doom. Get ready for a weekend of headbanging, transcendental jams, and pure heavy vibes across the iconic Urban Spree and Chemiefabrik venues.

Germany’s cult instrumental psych masters Rotor will weave their hypnotic grooves alongside Poland’s kaleidoscopic sound architects Weedpecker, while Argentinian cult and occult rock conjurers Mephistofeles summon their vintage doom magic. Italy’s retro-futuristic alchemists Giöbia will melt minds alongside oriental drone craftsmen Wyatt E., as Germany’s sludge titans Tons deliver tectonic low-end punishment. The Italian garage-psych insurgents Fvzz Popvli will ignite frenetic energy while the Netherlands’ stoner behemoths Komatsu pummel with primal force. Italy’s transcendental psych blues voyagers Ananda Mida and Hindustan psych-doom poets Litania will guide the congregation through haunting soundscapes, before Krake’s monolithic riff worship brings the ritual to its devastating climax. The amps will be cranked, the fuzz will be thick, so don’t miss this celebration of all things heavy!

Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Berlin
October 24-25th @ Urban Spree – TICKETS: https://www.koka36.de/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-2025-festivalticket_ticket_178900.html
============================
Friday: Weedpecker – Wyatt E. – Tons – Fvzz Popvli – Komatsu
Saturday: Mephistofeles – Giöbia – Ananda Mida – Litania – Krake (Berlin only)

Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Dresden
October 24-25th @ Chemiefabrik – TICKETS: https://www.tixforgigs.com/Event/66936′
============================
Friday: Rotor (Dresden Only) – Mephistofeles – Giöbia – Ananda Mida – Litania
Saturday: Weedpecker – Wyatt E. – Tons – Fvzz Popvli – Komatsu

https://www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Weedpecker, IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts (2021)

This is the first Orange Goblin date I’ve seen for 2025, and surely won’t be the last fest the UK troupe headline as they continue to support this year’s Science, Not Fiction (review here) in Europe and beyond. At Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in Athens — the first time Italy’s Heavy Psych Sounds has put on one of its branded festivals in Greece — Tuber, Belzebong, Black Rainbows and Acid Mammoth will join in the fray of the two-nights/two-clubs event set for March 7 and 8, plus more names still to be unveiled. Of those, Tuber and Acid Mammoth represent the fertile native Greek underground, and it’s unlikely they’ll be the only ones to do so by the time the lineup is done. There’s no lack of bands to choose from between now and the end of winter.

The announcement came through today with what’s probably ultimately about half the bill — unless they’re really packing them in, which is always possible; I don’t know if Arch Club or Universe have more than one stage — but it’s a strong start either way and a way to let the heavy heads of Athens know that a thing is happening as tickets go on presale. This may be the first time in Athens, but it’s not at all Heavy Psych Sounds‘ first time branching into new territory, and you’ll note the partnership here with local producer TMR Entertainment Group, which continues a thread of aligning with regional promoters to ensure things go off with no more hitches than one might generally encounter in stoner-anything.

Another killer two-dayer, and that this sentence started with “another” should be taken as a sign of how utterly spoiled the world is for heavy festivals. Think about where you were and weren’t four years ago.

From the PR wire:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ATHENS 2025

– FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ATHENS – 7th and 8th MARCH 2025 –

FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED TODAY

THE HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST is landing in Athens for the first time on March 7 & 8, 2025, bringing with it an unstoppable rock earthquake! For two electrifying nights, ARCH Club and Universe will transform into hotspots for the stoner, doom, and psych rock scene, hosting some of the genre’s most legendary names.

Today Heavy Psych Sounds Records in cooperation with TMR Entertainment Group is announcing the FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS !!

– HPS FEST ATHENS 2025 –
7th and 8th March
@ Arch Club
@ Universe

FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS

ORANGE GOBLIN
TUBER
BELZEBONG
BLACK RAINBOWS
ACID MAMMOTH
+ more TBA

WEEKEND TICKETS PRESALE:
https://www.more.com/music/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-athens-2025/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Orange Goblin, Science, Not Fiction (2024)

Oh, you know, no big deal. It’s just Desertscene (the folks behind Desertfest London) and Heavy Psych Sounds (the foremost European heavy imprint and booking concern) pairing up for a London-based Heavy Psych Sounds Fest this November with Dozer, Black Rainbows, Lord Dying, Black Tusk, Alunah, The Cosmic Dead, Margarita Witch Cult, Child, Josiah, MR.BISON and The Clamps at The Underworld and The Black Heart. Oh wait, that is a big deal, and awesome besides. Like a mini-Desertfest, tucked right in there after the end of the always-busy Eurofestival October. Killer bill, killer clubs. Dozer and Josiah in the same lineup alone. Total no-brainer. If you can go, just go. Trust me, the rest of us will wish we could too.

From the PR wire:

*** HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST LONDON 2024 ***

– LINEUP + TICKETS PRESALE ANNOUNCED –

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST returns to London after four years this fall to make Camden Town rumble and crumble under the mighty fuzz assault of some of the most revered bands in the stoner, doom, psych and heavy rock scene!

The festival will proudly welcome Swedish stoner rock royalty Dozer, Portland genre-bending heavy metallers Lord Dying, and Savannah swamp sludge specialists Black Tusk for the first time. Fuzz and buzz will be supplied by some of the finest live acts from the HPS roster with stoner rock icons Black Rainbows, Scottish space rock explorers The Cosmic Dead, Birmingham’s soulful proto-rock merchants Alunah and occult doom revelers Margarita Witch Cult, Italian heavy psych goldsmiths Mr.Bison and speed stoner’n’roll unit The Clamps, as well as UK heavy psych veterans Josiah. Fans of the finest psychedelic blues be delighted by an exclusive UK appearance of Australia’s own Child.

Curated by two major players of the European & UK heavy rock scene with London’s fuzz-worshipping Desertscene and leading independent heavy rock label Heavy Psych Sounds, this decibel-charged weekender promises to be one for the books, so don’t wait to book your ticket!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST
LONDON 2024
@ The Underworld // 2nd November 2024
@ The Black Heart // 3rd November 2024

– LINEUP –
DOZER
BLACK RAINBOWS
LORD DYING
BLACK TUSK
THE COSMIC DEAD
ALUNAH
MARGARITA WITCH CULT
CHILD
JOSIAH
MR.BISON
THE CLAMPS

TICKETS PRESALE: https://link.dice.fm/ic5b2e485533

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Alunah, “Trickster of Time”

Okeydokey, what do we learn here? Bongzilla will be in Europe this Spring, and Mondo Generator will be out to follow up on Nick Oliveri‘s winter solo tour, and Kadabra will go supporting their most excellent 2023 outing, Umbra (review here), though that was already apparent from the first Desertfest London announce. Along with MR.BISON, the esteemed Ufomammut — who’ll have a new LP out sometime in 2024, allegedly — Greek mainstays Nightstalker and upstarts 1782, speedrockers Tankzilla and punkers The Clamps, that’s the bill as it stands that will swap acts back and forth across two nights in Bologna and Trieste next May for Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Italy 2024.

This is not the end of the announcements, of course, but it’s a rousing start as the Italian label and booking agency continues to branch out to new places. You’ll note Trieste is home for Rocket Panda Management, who are involved here and also behind the StonerKras Fest that’s taken place the last couple of years later in the summer. I assume that’s still happening too, and will do so until I hear or see otherwise.

I don’t have numbers on the site’s readership in Bologna or Trieste, but I think these things are relevant anyway exactly because of the above: they show you who’s going to be where when. And it gives me an excuse to post the Kadabra record again. Double-win.

From the PR wire:

Heavy Psych Sounds to announce HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ITALY 2024 Bologna & Trieste – TICKETS PRESALE + FIRST BANDS !!!

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking will smash Bologna and for the first time Trieste with their highly acclaimed mini festival-series, the HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST!

In cooperation with Freakout Club and Rocket Panda Management, today Heavy Psych Sounds has announced the first confirmed bands + TICKETS PRESALE for the upcoming HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ITALY 2024 !!!

The HPS Fest Italy will be taking place 3rd and 4th of May at the Teatro Miela in Trieste and 4th and 5th of May at the TPO Club in Bologna !!!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ITALY 2024 – BOLOGNA & TRIESTE

@ TPO, Bologna // 4th and 5th May 2024

@ Teatro Miela, Trieste // 3rd and 4th May 2024

feat.
BONGZILLA
MONDO GENERATOR
UFOMAMMUT
NIGHTSTALKER
1782
KADABRA
MR. BISON
TANKZILLA
THE CLAMPS
+ more TBA

BOLOGNA WEEKEND TICKETS:
https://www.freakoutbologna.com/hps

TRIESTE WEEKEND TICKETS:
https://www.miela.it/spettacoli/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-italy-2024/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Mondo Generator, We Stand Against You (2023)

Kadabra, Umbra (2023)

The set-up-in-two-cities-and-trade-lineups formula employed by Heavy Psych Sounds across two-dayer fests in San Francisco and Joshua Tree, in Berlin and Dresden, coming soon to New York and Baltimore, works. Granted, that any single night among the four bills is righteous on its own might have something to do with it, but that’s obviously not a detriment. Dresden gets Greenleaf, both cities get Iron Jinn as of this update. It’s not the hugest fest add post ever, but I’ve been looking for an excuse to post again about how great Greenleaf were at SonicBlast (review here), and to post the ‘2 Meter Session’ for which Iron Jinn recently collaborated with Alain Johannes, with whom they also did shows this past weekend in the Netherlands.

So yeah, it’s just two acts, but it’s two good ‘uns. Lineups and links follow as per the PR wire:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST Berlin & Dresden confirm Greenleaf and Iron Jinn for upcoming fall edition; tickets available now!

Heavy Psych Sounds Records announce two more bands to play HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST Berlin & Dresden this October 27-28th, with Greenleaf co-headlining the Dresden edition and Iron Jinn joining both lineups.

Europe’s cornerstone stoner, doom and psych rock label Heavy Psych Sounds is happy to celebrate the third edition of Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Berlin & Dresden this fall! Taking place simultaneously in both cities over the October 27-28th weekend, the festival will host some of the label’s flagship acts such as Nebula, Duel or Acid Mammoth, alongside pillar bands of the international heavy scene such as Greenleaf, Dopelord or Danava. A celebration of all things fuzz and groovy with thirteen bands across three venues and many goodies to enjoy!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST BERLIN 2023

Buy tickets: https://www.greyzone-tickets.de/produkte/732
Official event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1043005749901596

Friday 27 October @ LIDO:
Unida / Nebula / Dopelord / Giöbia / Hippie Death Cult / Margarita Witch Cult

Saturday 28 October @ URBAN SPREE:
Duel / Acid Mammoth / The Lords of Altamont / Danava / Blackwater Holylight / Iron Jinn

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST DRESDEN 2023

Buy tickets: https://www.tixforgigs.com/Event/48827
Official event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1287989048480027/

Friday 27 October @ Chemiefabrik:
Greenleaf / Duel / Acid Mammoth / Danava / Blackwater Holylight / The Lords of Altamont / Iron Jinn

Saturday 28 October @ Chemiefabrik:
Unida / Nebula / Dopelord / Margarita Witch Cult / Giöbia / Hippie Death Cult

Founded and curated by European music label Heavy Psych Sounds Records, HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST has become a trademark event among heavy and fuzz rock lovers by taking over major European cities from London to Rome, Bruxelles and Paris since its inception in 2015.

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Greenleaf, Live at Desertfest Berlin 2023

Alain Johannes & Iron Jinn, ‘2 Meter Sessions’ 2023

Two bands left to announce, huh? Well, having been in Baltimore earlier this month to see them, Holy Fingers would sure as shit be a welcome addition to this bill, and if Heavy Temple are back from Europe by then (and I’m not sure they will be), they’d be my other pick, though certainly Heavy Psych Sounds wouldn’t be out of line to tap either Ecstatic Vision or Ruby the Hatchet for those spots, again pending their availability.

Whoever remains to be added, it’s already a pretty sick bill for Heavy Psych Sounds Fest 2023 in New York and Baltimore. Bongzilla‘s new record will be out by then, The Golden Grass put out a banger this year, that Gozu album is a beast, so yeah, toss in Lüger from Montreal and The Atomic Bitchwax who are always welcome, add even more cool bands, and it’s a Heavy Psych Sounds Fest. At the Saint Vitus Bar. I remember a time when nobody went to heavy rock shows in New York. Not a label from Italy is hosting a festival in Brooklyn. Time is very, very weird.

I’m gonna say that’s enough since you probably stopped reading anyhow, skimmed the lineup and clicked off, either to buy tickets or elsewhere. Safe travels, either way.

From the PR wire:

Heavy Psych Sounds Fest New York & Baltimore to take place on November 10-11th with Bongzilla, The Atomic Bitchwax and more; tickets on sale

In cooperation with Saint Vitus Bar and Savage Party, Heavy Psych Sounds Records take over the East Coast with the first edition of Heavy Psych Sounds Fest New York & Baltimore, to take place respectively at Saint Vitus Bar and Metro Gallery on November 10-11th, 2023. Ten bands are already confirmed, don’t wait to get your tickets!

“We are stoked to organize one of our HPS Fests on the US East Coast for the very first time! After conquering the West Coast in March, we are ready to rock the East Coast too!” says Rajko Dolhar from Heavy Psych Sounds.

Heavy Psych Sounds Fest New York 2023
Saint Vitus Bar – 1120 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
BUY TICKETS

Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Baltimore 2023
Metro Gallery – 1700 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201
BUY TICKETS

With BONGZILLA
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
HIGH REEPER
THE GOLDEN GRASS
GEEZER
BLACK LUNG
WITCHPIT
COSMIC REAPER
GOZU
LÜGER
+ two more bands TBA

https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com

The Atomic Bitchwax, Live at Freak Valley 2022

This will be Heavy Psych Sounds‘ first foray into the East Coast, and more specifically in the Northeast, which is fair enough. They’ve done Joshua Tree and San Francisco, so I guess if you’re ever going to bring that to the other side of the US, Saint Vitus in Brooklyn and Metro Gallery in Baltimore are the right spots. I might like to see them do a fest in Woodstock or some such, maybe something out in the woods, but won’t at all complain about a two-dayer this November that’s certain to feature killer acts based on the banner it’s flying alone.

To wit, The Golden Grass are right there and have a new record, Geezer are from Kingston, Ecstatic Vision from Philly, and while you’re there, Ruby the Hatchet only make any show they play better. Add Sun Voyager to make it a party, bring in someone from the West Coast, someone from Europe, snag Gozu from Boston and maybe even that Alabama Thunderpussy reunion up from Virginia if they’re available, and of course I’ll add Caustic Casanova here because they should be playing everything and are from D.C., maybe Cosmic Reaper, and you’re on your way. Or I’m on mine, I guess. To Brooklyn.

Of course that’s all speculation, and I’m sure more than a little wrong. The fest will be held Nov. 10-11, and as with the others in California, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, etc., the lineups will mostly swap per night — bands play New York or Baltimore first, then switch — and they’ll start doing lineup reveals in three weeks. So let’s see — three weeks from today is May 16. Calendar is marked for it.

Until then, then. The PR wire brought word:

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is coming for the first time to New York and Baltimore with their highly acclaimed mini festival-series, the HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST!

In cooperation with Saint Vitus and Savage Party, today Heavy Psych Sounds has announced the dates of the first HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST – NEW YORK & BALTIMORE.

The HPS Fest will be taking place 10th and 11th of November at the St. Vitus in New York and same days at Metro Gallery in Baltimore.

“We are super stoked to organize one of our HPS FESTs on the US East Coast for the very first time!!” Says Rajko Dolhar from Heavy Psych Sounds. “After conquering the West Coast in March we are ready to rock the East Coast too. First bands + tickets presale will be announced in three weeks.”

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST

NEW YORK & BALTIMORE

@ St. Vitus, New York

and

@ Metro Gallery, Baltimore

November 10th and 11th 2023

!!! FIRST ANNOUNCED BANDS + TICKETS PRESALE IN 3 WEEKS !!!

https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com