Posted in Reviews on October 15th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
Songs to Moon is the second installment in a three-album cycle from Stoned Jesus, following on from 2025’s Songs to Sun (review here) with the third, Songs to Earth, slated to follow in 2027. And while the opening duo “Under the Skin” and “Velvet” or the later “Jackal” presents as some of the hardest-hitting material that the band has ever released, that’s not the entire story of the 40-minute procession either. With the eight-minute acoustic-led “Window in My Room” and even-quieter subsequent closer “One More Empty Day” paired at the finish, Songs to Moon is multifaceted, complex in its purposes, and seems to have been constructed with its specific inward movement in mind.
But Stoned Jesus were never going to entirely be one or the other, right? After debuting on Season of Mist with 2023’s Father Light (review here) — which itself was intended as a two-part cycle, with the follow-up subsequently abandoned — founding guitarist/vocalist Igor Sydorenko moved the band from war-ravaged Ukraine to Germany and assembled a new rhythm section, with bassist/backing vocalist Andrew Rodin and drummer/backing vocalist Yurii Ciel (the latter of whom seems to have since been replaced by Ihor Biriuchenko). Songs to Sun was a point of redirect, and indeed the new trio displayed a different kind of dynamic that continues to show itself here.
After a breath, “Under the Skin” is underway and immediately into its verse, with Rodin‘s harsher, metallic vocals pushing Sydorenko toward more aggressive grit as well. Certainly Songs to Sun had its metal stretches as well, veering into extremity on “Low” as it did, but in “Under the Skin” it comes across less as a diversion than integrated as a part of Stoned Jesus‘ expanding sound. Of course, Sydorenko is never entirely divorced from melodic singing — indeed, his voice is what ties a good deal of this record together — and despite the aggro start, the emergent melody in “Under the Skin” is what carries over to the downer-rocker “Velvet,” which would be shoegaze were it murkier but carries some of that vibe anyhow in its plodding hook, with Rodin shouting deeper in the mix.
Catchy craftsmanship is nothing new for Stoned Jesus seven full-lengths and 17 years into their arc, but the chorus in “Velvet” is pointedly memorable even after a first listen, and as melancholia begins its move to the fore with the introduction of acoustic guitar in the grows-heavier-as-it-goes “ZYX,” the structure has a grounding effect that makes the songs more accessible to the listener. “ZYX” is subtle in its push in a way that “Under the Skin” is not, and that change is indicative of the shift happening across the album as a whole, with the centerpiece “Syzygy” delving into keyboard minimalism and soft guitar resonance, slower than the proggier noodling of “ZYX,” but also a build with more lush growth later in its sub-five-minute instrumental flow.
What “ZYX” and “Sygyzy” share most of all is intricacy and the use of space in a different way than either “Under the Skin” or “Velvet.” That atmospheric shift feels new for Stoned Jesus, or at least more in-focus than it has been in the past, but in truth it feels more like something that’s to be taken as part of the overarching flow of the album than something they were specifically trying to highlight. That’s not to say the songs don’t each make their own impression, just that that impression is also part of something greater than itself. “Jackal,” which will make its way into a series of muted, weighted stop-starts, broods and croons in its first minutes, creeping in a way that brings the ambient backdrop to life, landing at about 2:15 on the repeated line “Go to sleep…” as the instruments build up behind Sydorenko and the hits start. A spoken part ensues, carrying through the song’s middle as a post-metallic strum picks up and they work their way back to stops and twists before the next build and comedown lets them finish with feedback that cuts cold into the acoustic-led beginning of “Window in My Room.”
The longest piece on Songs to Moon, and penultimate to the finale, one might think “Window in My Room” to be a massive build leading to some grand payoff given its length, but Stoned Jesus go in the other direction, dwelling in the semi-electric alt-rock arrangement for the duration, melancholic, but not unpeaceful for that. It swells more in presence than volume as it moves through its time, and keeps its intent on expression over bombast, feeling purposefully a world away from “Under the Skin” while essentially accomplishing the same goal in terms of pushing the boundaries of what Stoned Jesus have done before and defying expectation. “Window in My Room,” though its title conveys a personal point of view and intimacy, explores the space it creates like the band never have before, and they reinforce the notion as “One More Empty Day” arrives with what sounds like a field recording of a storm behind quiet nylon-string acoustic guitar.
Here as well, Sydorenko carries the track vocally, which at this point he’s well capable of doing. That same storm will come back at the finish to serve as the resolution of the album as that same sparse guitar line fades away, and in between, the song stays mostly subdued — no drums, no electrics so far as I can tell — but conveys a specific kind of loneliness before it’s gone. This too is Stoned Jesus, and Sydorenko as the creative principal thereof, bringing to life new ideas in a new way, and more importantly, in a different way than did Songs to Sun. This is unquestionably the most upfront emotionality they’ve ever featured on an outing, and more, if they didn’t have the heart behind them that they do, the record would fall flat. It’s not without its asks of the listener, and it might take a few listens to let the material settle in, but the way Songs to Moon carries its audience from front to back is masterful, and if you can go with it, you should.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 8th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
Dopelord released their debut album, Magick Rites (review here), in 2012, at the dawn of a generation of heavy whose impact is still panning out nearly 15 years later. The Polish worshipers of riff and leaf are on the road now in Europe alongside nodder kingpins Monolord en route to Desertfest Belgium, and signed to Season of Mist last year, following the success of their fourth LP, 2023’s glorious Songs for Satan (review here). Momentum is very much on their side for a band who grooves like molasses.
That’s not a coincidence. This is an outfit who’ve both put their work in and honed a songwriting approach and perspective that is their own. Especially in light of their first record, the growth they’ve undertaken in terms of aesthetic and intention in the years since stands them out from the bulk of bands who formed and came up around the same period, and they continue to evolve as they move forward. I continue to look forward to what they do next, but I’m happy to have the excuse to revisit Magick Rites in the meantime.
From the PR wire:
Dopelord Announce Reissue of Magick Rites
The wickedly catchy debut from cultishly worshiped stoner doom band now back in print
No band believes in the powers of the devil’s lettuce quite like Dopelord. Since budding out of Poland in 2010, the stoner doomers have led children of the haze down the left-hand path. Now, ahead of their European tour with Monolord, the band are dusting off the first entry in their wickedly catchy spell book.
Today, Dopelord are excited to announce that their new label home Season of Mist is reissuing their 2012 debut album, Magick Rites. Now back in print, with this reissue, fuzz worshipers everywhere can once again experience their first communion with the devilish masters of stoner doom.
“For most of us, Magick Rites was our first-ever recording session in a proper studio”, Dopelord bassist and vocalist Piotr Zin remembers. “The studio was located in Bialystok and belonged to some friends of ours, whose band we had previously played gigs with. We recorded these songs mainly for ourselves. We had no expectations whatsoever regarding how they would be received. Well, maybe with one exception – having a CD would make it easier for us to get gigs. But everything that happened afterwards was completely unplanned”.
Season of Mist will reissue Magick Rites on December 11, 2026.
Catch Dopelord on their 2026 European fall tour with Monolord.
October 6 – Hamburg, Germany @ Bahnhof Pauli October 7 – Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat October 8 – Eindhoven, Netherlands @ Effenaar October 9 – Sinkt-Niklaas, Belgium @ De Casino October 10 – Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie October 11 – Nantes, France @ Le ferrailleur October 12 – Toulouse, France @ Le Rex October 13 – Lyon, France @ Jack Jack October 14 – Aarau, Switzerland @ KIFF October 15 – Munich, Germany @ Backstage October 16 – Osnabrück, Germany @ Bastard Club October 17 – Cologne, Germany @ Gebaude 9 October 18 – Liege, Belgium @ Desertfest
Dopelord’s fourth album, Sign of the Devil, is also available on Season of Mist.
DOPELORD is Paweł Mioduchowski – Guitars and Vocals Piotr Ochociński – Drums Grzegorz Pawłowski – Guitars Piotr Zin – Bass, Vocals and Mellotron
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 4th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
With the new video for “Velvet” following on from the prior-posted “Under the Skin,” Stoned Jesus give a deeper glimpse of what’s in store on their upcoming LP Songs to Moon, the second installment in a three-album cycle that began with 2025’s Songs to Sun (review here). As foretold, mood is a factor. Songs to Moon is out Oct. 16 in continued cooperation with Season of Mist and though their summer round of festivals wraps up, more tour dates can only be around the corner. Notice the WeStill Fest in France on Oct. 30. A tour around that or starting around then and going into November doesn’t seem unlikely, but I don’t know anything concrete, so don’t quote me.
I have more to say about Stoned Jesus at this stage of the triptych, but I’m waiting to hear the full album before I let myself form any more concrete opinions than ‘band adventurous and good,’ so bear with me. In the meantime, both videos from Songs to Moon are down below waiting for you to dig in, which you should.
From the PR wire:
Stoned Jesus Announce New Album Songs to Moon
Heavy prog rockers leap into the darkness on their trilogy’s daring second album
Watch the ‘90s-style music video for grungy, ‘gazy lead single “Velvet”
After 15 years of trailblazing across doom metal, grunge, psychedelic and art rock, no height is too steep a climb for Stoned Jesus. The heavy progressive rockers are reaching a new creative peak with their forthcoming album trilogy. Its opening chapter, Songs to Sun, rose atop best of 2025 lists at critical institutions. Now, frontman Igor Sydorenko and his two bandmates are cycling into the darkest, most daring and deeply moving territory of their career with Songs to Moon.
“We started The Songs trilogy last year with Songs to Sun, which is a loud and heavy album that’s big on choruses and meaty riffs” Sydorenko says. “While still heavy and catchy, Songs to Moon follows a similar trajectory to Led Zeppelin III, Opeth’s Damnation or Jar of Flies by Alice In Chains. The songs are recognizably Stoned Jesus, but they are bolder, more haunting and introspective than anything we’ve done before”.
Today, Stoned Jesus are announcing Songs to Moon with a ‘90s-style music video for the album’s lead single. While floating endlessly amidst uncertainty, the doomgaze of “Velvet” hits hard with one of the band’s biggest hooks.
“This song answers the question: What if Nirvana was shoegaze?”, Sydorenko teases.
Songs to Moon comes out October 16, 2026 on Season of Mist.
The Songs trilogy spans all phases of Stoned Jesus. Like dusk, Songs to Moon opens in the shadow of Songs to Sun. Previously released single “Under the Skin” plunged the band into a dark night of the soul with loud and heavy slabs of post-metal.
Songs to Moon discovers a more introspective side to Stoned Jesus, “I’ve noticed that in a lot of our songs, the narrator is either falling or starting to lose the ground under their feet”, Sydorenko says. “When writing ‘Velvet’, I asked myself, what’s next? What do I want to find once I reach the bottom? Or do I just want the fall to go on forever”.
Even on their most melancholic album, Stoned Jesus can’t be confined to just one shade of blue. With its grungy riffs and grainy video treatment, “Velvet” would slide into heavy rotation on MTV’s 120 Minutes. “Where will I end up / I never know”, Sydorenko sings with cool remove. As steadily pounding drums, harsh backing vocals from bassist Andrew Rodin and Sydorenko’s howling guitar solo push the song to the brink, it’s loud and clear that the band are only going up from here.
Tracklist 1. Under the Skin (5:29) 2. Velvet (5:11) 3. ZYX (5:30) 4. Syzgy (4:50) 5. Jackal (6:48) 6. Window in My Room (8:22) 7. One More Empty Day (4:41)
The video for “Velvet” was created by Mykyta Donets.
Catch Stoned Jesus this summer on the European festival circuit.
Stoned Jesus 2026 European Festival Dates August 8 – Rome, Italy @ Roma Stone Fest August 20 – La Maroutière, France @ V and B Fest August 29 – Teramo, Italy @ Suburbiae Festival October 30 – Vallet, France @ WeStill Fest
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 15th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
What’s that you say? Weedeater touring? Madness! Unheard of! Who could’ve seen it coming?
True, the North Carolinian sludge mainstays have been on the road consistently for, I don’t know, at least the last 20 years, but the Fall tour listed out below — I didn’t even have to type the dates; pro-shop — includes a notable headlining stop through the reinvigorated Emissions From the Monolith Festival in Youngstown, Ohio, on Oct. 11, as well as a string of dates in September in the company of Gwar, so, you know, it’s a familiar-enough situation but with some extra flourish. That’s not to take away from dates with Royal Thunder, speed rock heroes Zeke and/or Yes Ma’am either, mind you.
But yes, Weedeater tour a lot. We know this. But someday they won’t, and if you’ve never seen them, or if you have and you just take them for granted as I so obviously do, I’ll remind you that nothing lasts forever and if you haven’t seen them, they’re one of their generation’s most crucial live acts, whether or not they spend their days creating engaging short-form video content for the algorithm — which, much to their credit, they don’t.
The PR wire has dates and particulars:
Weedeater Announce 2026 U.S. Fall Tour
Cape Fear’s Legendary Weed Metal Cultivators Hitting Both Coasts with Buds in Zeke, Royal Thunder & Yes Ma’am + dates supporting GWAR
After lighting up the ol’ dusty trail with Conan and Telekinetic Yeti, Weedeater are re-upping with a fresh supply of U.S. tour dates. This fall, the Cape Fear Legends will smoke stages from coast to coast with their buds in Zeke, Royal Thunder and Yes Ma’am.
To pour more Evan Williams onto the fire, along the way, for three special dates, the Weed metal trio will join forces with the mighty GWAR before headlining Day 4 of Emissions from the Monolith.
Weedeater 2026 U.S. Fall Tour Dates with Zeke, Royal Thunder & Yes Ma’am + dates supporting GWAR September 17 – Lexington, KY @ Green Lantern % September 18 – St. Louis, MO @ Golden Record # September 19 – Davenport, IA @ Capitol Theatre $ September 20 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection $ September 22 – Memphis, TN @ Satellite Music $ September 23 – Austin, TX @ Far Out Lounge # September 24 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace # September 25 – Tuscon, AZ @ 191 Toole # September 26 – Jacumba Springs, CA @ Jacumba Hotel # September 28 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah # September 29 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Wayfarer # September 30 – Fresno, CA @ Mario’s # October 1 – San Jose CA @ The Ritz* October 2 – Sacramento, CA @ Colonial Theatre * October 4 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon * October 5 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Ballroom * October 7 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep * October 8 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck * October 10 – Chicago, IL @ WC Social Club * October 11 – Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl ^ October 13 – Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall * October 14 – Reading, PA @ Reverb * October 15 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat * October 17 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Boneyard * % with Royal Thunder $ supporting GWAR # with Royal Thunder & Yes Ma’am * with Zeke, Royal Thunder & Yes Ma’am ^ Weedeater only at Emissions from the Monolith
Weedeater’s full discography is available now on Season of Mist
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 11th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
I was lucky enough to be in the crowd last weekend at Freak Valley Festival (review here) to see the first time Stoned Jesus played their new single “Under the Skin” live. I even confirmed with guitarist/vocalist Igor Sydorenko afterward that it was ‘the’ skin in the title rather than yours, mine, his/hers/theirs, etc. But the song itself was striking in its aggression and post-metal churn from the stage, and bassist Andrew Riordan has a killer scream. You can see him doing room shouts in the video for “Under the Skin,” and he’s also up on the mic. I think he’s layered into the early verses as well, but there’s a lot going on there, where the call and response later is more stark.
American heavy-heads don’t know what they’re missing with this band.
If you caught last year’s Songs to Sun (review here) — to be followed later this year by Songs to Moon, from which the single comes — it might be fair to think of “Under the Skin” as an expansion on the foray into metal of “Shadowland” from that record. The two cuts certainly worked well back-to-back in that Freak Valley set, anyhow. I’ll hope to have more on Songs to Moon as we get closer to the release. For now, this is fresh off the PR wire:
Stoned Jesus Go Deeper and Darker on New Single “Under the Skin”
Heavy prog trailblazers begin next phase of album trilogy
Stoned Jesus are true trailblazers. While often associated with the stoner crowd, the heavy progressive rockers have experimented with folk, prog, pop and alternative rock amidst familiar doses of doom. Last year, the band entered the first phase of an expansive album trilogy that promises to take them from the sun to the moon and back. Songs to Sun was named one of the best albums of 2025. Now, as frontman Igor Sydorenko and his bandmates prepare to blaze through the European summer festival circuit, they’re cycling into the next phase of their evolution.
Today, Stoned Jesus are releasing a new single. Though packed with the band’s reliable dose of heaviness, the progressive post-metal contained within “Under the Skin” shows them entering the darkest, most daring and deeply moving territory of their 17-year career.
“Our upcoming album trilogy started last year with Songs to Sun, which is a loud and heavy album that’s big on choruses and meaty riffs”, Sydorenko says before turning to Stoned Jesus’ latest single. “‘Under the Skin’ begins our next phase in a somewhat similar fashion, but with a sinister twist. The fans of the very first SJ demo will recognize the influence of post-metal, which resurfaced after our tour last summer with the legendary Cult of Luna. But “Under the Skin” is not a step back. It’s darker, bolder and more introspective than anything the band has done before”.
Watch the music video for “Under the Skin” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
On the surface, “Under the Skin” picks up right where Stoned Jesus left off. The sinking anxiety that swallowed Songs to Sun gives way here to heavy breathing. And while catchy as ever, the song’s weighty riff isn’t the only dark force that’s rattling inside Sydorenko’s head. “I feel it, it’s creeping in”, he strains, backed by bassist Andrew Rodin, who adds some of the harshest vocals the band have ever pressed to wax.
The video for “Under the Skin” was filmed while Stoned Jesus were recording in Cologne, Germany at Goblin Sound Studio with sound engineer Andy Rosczyk (ex-Ultha). Despite the song’s bleary state of mind (“Promises to keep / I will never sleep”), the band never lose their glow. As drummer Yurii Ciel guides them through a proggy middle passage that leads deeper into the shadows, we catch a glimpse not only into their psyche but the shape of what’s to come. “Sky glider, gone wilder / With the setting sun”.
The video for “Under the Skin” was edited by Marco Menestrina.
Catch Stoned Jesus this summer on the European festival circuit.
Stoned Jesus 2026 European Festival Dates June 4 – Nepthen, Germany @ Freak Valley June 19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest June 27 – Betanzos, Spain @ Fumega Fest July 3 – Gisors, France @ Kave Fest July 11 – Trieste, Italy @ StonerKras Fest August 8 – Rome, Italy @ Roma Stone Fest August 29 – Teramo, Italy @ Suburbiae Festival September 25 – London, UK @ StoomFest
Well, this was a markedly joyous Quarterly Review. I know it’s been a good year already for music and there’s more coming, but it’s always something of a relief when I get to Wednesday or Thursday of one of these things and don’t want to bash my head into a wall until I lose consciousness. The horrors persist but so do the riffs. I am fortunate for that.
If we’re being honest, I do these for myself. I do it as a way to keep up with things that are coming out or are already out (sometimes for a while; I think there were two 2025 outings in here this week), but it’s also a different kind of challenge to get through so much, and I enjoy that probably more than I generally say. This week I added a bunch of stuff to my best-of-2026 lists, and that includes today as well.
But while it may be me being self-serving in terms of musical exposure, I always hope you’ve been able to find something in this mix that you hadn’t heard before that speaks to you. Or maybe you agree with something I said, or disagree, or whatever. Maybe some piece of cover art made you feel something. Maybe your day got a little better just for that. Whatever it is. Please know that if you’re taking part in this at all, on any level, it’s appreciated.
Back in Sept., maybe? I’ll see if I can make it through the summer. Depends in part on how much comes in, which is almost always a flood these days. Not mad about that, by the way.
Alright, here we go. Thanks again for reading.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Restless Spirit, Restless Spirit
Fullness of push, vitality in delivery, a distinctive take on craft drawing from a range of intangible influences — if Restless Spirit‘s self-titled fourth album is the band declaring themselves, then they picked the right record to share their name. The Long Island-based Magnetic Eye Records trio have fostered a next-generational take on riff metal able to sound massive and to move, not necessarily drawing from Sleep, but rather tipping that foundational balance more toward metal’s traditionalism. But they’re not an overly aggressive band, and even in the faster stretches of “Desire Lines” or the subsequent galloper “Desolation’s Wake,” or the penultimate “Time and Distance” with its more angular groove, they avoid a dudely trap into which many others have fallen. Ultimately, that balance is the place where Restless Spirit dwell in terms of sound, and it’s become more their own over time. This album would seem to be not only them acknowledging that, but embracing it and owning it outright. It’s a strong statement for any band to make at any point in their career, and the material here makes it feel all the more earned.
If you saw Brant Bjork in any incarnation between 2015-2024, whether it was solo, with Stöner, the beginnings of Brant Bjork Trio or with Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers, chances are it was Ryan Güt holding down the crucial groove on drums. His first solo album, The Shastafarian, finds him stepping forward as a multi-instrumentalist and producer, and across 37 minutes from the Funkadelic-style talk-over-it startoff in “Beggars and Choosers” to the Blue Öyster Cult cover “Veterans of the Psychic Wars” that closes, Güt offers a spread of classic influence manifest in individualized songs. “Basically Dead (This Town)” feels like Thin Lizzy revelry, “Song for G” keeps its singer-songwritery acoustic foundation despite a full arrangement, and the self-jam in “On the Up and Up” digs in with surprising aplomb for only being one person. There’s a synthier wash in “Sand to Snow,” and that’s telling for a more experimental second half with the dirty fuzz of “Crig Lord Archduke Earl of Montague (The Monkey)” and the dub instrumental “DHS (12th St. Remixes)” entrances ahead of the grounded finish with the already-noted cover. It will be a tragedy if Güt and Zack Oakley (ex-Joy, etc.) never work together, as they seem to share so much in basic intent and both are fully capable of building an album solo, but on his own Güt sets up a broad progression here and one hopes the exploration continues.
As opening cut “Alienation” drifts into its second half, the drums just barely holding onto ground to hint at the swing-around that’s coming, Dutch trio Bismut reaffirm their progressive purposes. Since their inception, the Nijmegen instrumentalist trio have been more about flow than structure, and Matsutake as their fourth full-length, continues the journey. Each piece has its own intention, be it the headspinning “Assemblage” or the tense-until-it-blows-out “Neugier” just before, or the two-and-a-half-minute kissoff “Salvage,” but no question they hit an apex of heft in the pairing of “Contamination” and “(Potentially) Immortal,” which are the two longest and most dug-in tracks, Bismut carrying a spirit of urgency as much as aftermath, with the latter hinting at techno before hitting into a payoff righteous enough to count for the whole record’s procession. The vibe is restless, which is to say Bismut aren’t sitting still, aren’t resting too long in a single part, but it’s the fluidity born out of their sheer chemistry that makes it all work.
Sceaduhelm might be the outright heaviest I’ve heard Crippled Black Phoenix sound in their 20-plus years — at least in parts; they’re never quite only doing one thing at a time — but that’s still only half the story when it comes to the atmosphere and the palpably gothy mood spread across the 66-minute 2LP. I know, it’s another brilliant CBP album? Ho-hum, business as usual. Maybe it’s true that the band will be more appreciated 40 years on than they are now, but as samples draw together the various sections/sides, vocalists swap out between “No Epitaph – The Precipice” and “Hollows End,” etc., the band remain unthethered to genre and unto themselves in the world they create. “Vampire Grave” is so ’90s goth kitsch you can smell its clove cigarettes, but neither “Colder and Colder” nor “Under the Eye,” which follow, want for resonance, and the penultimate “Tired to the Bone” provides a gorgeous comedown before they cap with the yes-it-was-all-real-you-weren’t-dreaming “Beautiful Destroyer,” rolling with marked largesse into a suitably beautiful finish. I guess it’s hard for a band who don’t tour super-often or hock records on social media like mini-infomercials to get hype in this age of horrors, but damn. Even if you’ve never heard Crippled Black Phoenix before — maybe especially? — Sceaduhelm is a clarion to be heeded.
It’s been a productive half-decade for Néstor Ayala Cortés, whose solo-project Some Pills for Ayala began following the dissolution of his prior outfit, At Devil Dirt. Handling multiple instruments and samples, vocals and production, Some Pills for Ayala have been consistent in regards to exploring various facets of rolling heavy tonality, and the fuzz runs unsurprisingly strong in Incarnate as well, though the rawness of noise amid the stonerly swing of “I Can’t Lie” and the upped level of crush in “Until You Die” demonstrate some of the nuance Cortés has grown into as the band has moved forward. Grunge and aughts-era heavy melodymaking are still part of it, but Incarnate is a product of nothing so much as the artist who made it, and listening brings to light just how much Some Pills for Ayala stands willfully apart from the microgenred norm.
Admirably adventurous and consistently antifascist UK psychedelic rockers Gnod begin a stated trilogy with Chronicles of Gnowt Vol. 1, and obviously I haven’t heard the other two parts yet, but this six-track/42-minute outing taken on its own could hardly be said to feel incomplete. Side A is bookended by “Three Trees (Part 1)” and “Three Trees (Part 2),” comprised of drifting acoustics manipulated in the second installment by effects, and between them, “Shadow Mirror” heavy-ambles through a lysergic slog and “Neptune” indeed offers planetary distance in its far off rumble. That turns out to be prescient as “All Tunnel No Light” (9:56) and “Ekstasis” (10:32) comprise the entirety of side B, the former growing into a massive, slow lurch and the latter less structured-feeling in its makeup despite the drums holding on to the central groove as it makes its way toward the relatively quick comedown with residual effects churning thereafter. This entire triptych might just be a blip in the larger breadth of Gnod‘s catalog, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t significant either there or in the larger scope of heavy psych rock.
Mothertruck is the conceptualist debut album from Athenian trio Fuzzing Nation, who rally listeners to their tale with heaped-on hairy riffery and a fervent heavy rock execution. They’re not over-the-top fast, or making-a-point-of-it slow, but they find and inhabit a comfortable range in the middle, and in the dancey “The Elder’s Code” and the Kyussian shover “The Core Machine,” they present themselves as kin to desert-heavy, but have an underlying core of trad/classic metal, which can be heard in “Turn the Key” more than careening opener “Burning Roads,” which is a rocker through and through. Maybe it’s a fine line Fuzzing Nation gleefully tread. Fine. The narrative — pretty sure it involves a big truck; just a guess — settles into its own aftermath with “I Don’t Care at All,” capping with a last push a record that never compromises in its love of heavy rock and roll or the band’s narrative vision conveyed through it. I don’t know if they’ll keep telling the story, that happens sometimes, but if you can call your record Mothertruck and actually pull it off, you’re already on your way.
Once upon a time there was a band way out west with the unfortunate moniker Master Musicians of Bukkake. Ak’Chamel, an apparent duo, costumed and anonymous, maybe/maybe not from Austin, Texas, feel similarly fascinated with transgressing the barriers between folk musics and psychedelic arrangements, such that Spiritually Unemployed, their second album, is as intimate as it is expansive. It speaks to places that probably don’t exist — at least not in the way they’re offered as realities in the songs — and keeps a thread of irreverence in songs like “The Cosmic Vulva vs. The Post-Enlightened Tongue” and the closing “My Little Pony Apocalypse Diorama Playset.” You’ll be hard pressed to find a collection of weirder sounds, and for sure experimentation is part of the point, but Spiritually Unemployed doesn’t come across as haphazard or disconnected so much as drawn together over its 10 relatively brief inclusions and soundtracky in ethereal occasionally ways. Get weirder. No, weirder than that. Keep going. You’re almost there…
To be honest, I kind of think Sonic Secrets, as the name for the instrumental solo-project of North Carolina’s Kevin Clark (ex-Black Skies), is emblematic of the intention for the music. Diversions Vol. 1, a 10-song/20-minute offering one might otherwise consider a debut album, doesn’t come across like it was made for press, or a response, or something like that. Starting with drum parts and building around them, Clark over the course of three days went from zero to has-a-record, and listening through, the sense I get is that the process was as much the reason behind it as the need for a creative splurge. Only “The Descent,” with Western-sprawl guitar over an keyboard beat, tops four minutes long, and it and everything that surrounds portrays itself as both proof-of-concept — i.e. demonstrating that Clark can function as a band on his own, which yes, it would seem so — and the result of a craft that’s insular despite drawing from an array of stylistic influences. And it does a little bit come across like something just made to be itself, a sonic secret. One wonders how long Clark will be able to keep it that way.
The key word is “rehearsal” with Rehearsal 11.19.21, limited to 100 LP copies and released independently by West Coast supergroup Big Scenic Nowhere. Offered as two full sides, the vinyl captures the band — Tony Reed (Mos Generator, etc.) on vocals/keys/bass, guitarists Gary Arce (Yawning Man, etc.) and Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, etc.) and drummer Bill Stinson (Yawning Man) — preparing for their first-ever live show. The difference is they’re playing songs they’d already written — “LeDu,” “Lavender Blues,” “Towards the Sun,” and so on — rather than jamming out the bones of what would become their next record. They still haven’t played live a ton, so hearing this material, with chatter among the members and a casual dipping into and out of the songs, brings a new dimension to their studio work up to this point, and presents listeners with another side than even a regular live album could provide. Maybe most of all, it argues in favor of them doing more with the band. Nobody involved is short on other things happening musically, but Big Scenic Nowhere‘s proggy desert heavy found a trajectory all its own. A platter such as this in raw celebration of that is most certainly welcome.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 4th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Yeah, I know it’s the opening slot on a four-band bill, but for the rest of their lives, the dudes in Dopelord get to say they went on tour with Napalm Death‘s ‘Campaign for Musical Destruction,’ and that’s pretty god damn cool from where I sit. The gleefully blasphemous, Sabbath-worshipping Polish stoner doomers signed to Season of Mist earlier this year after releasing the catchy powerhouse Songs for Satan (review here) in 2023, and one imagines if you needed an occasion to pound out a follow-up to that hook-filled riff-fest, this tour makes a good one, though even if they’re not supporting a new record at that point, Songs for Satan very much remains a flag worth flying. It’s not like it’s gotten stale, is what I’m saying.
Hear that for yourself on the player at the bottom of this post. The poster was put on socials and I typed out the dates because I’m a nerd and I think it’s important to keep a record of these things. Dopelord are out now celebrating their 15th anniversary as a band, even as they continue to reach new heights and new audiences.
Here you go:
Holy shit! We’re far beyond stoked to be joining this monster of a tour. Sharing the stage with absolute legends is a great honor. Our set won’t be too long so be sure to show up early to check us out! See you very soon!
“There isn´t any tour that survived for decades and remain just as interesting as 36 years before , like the Campaign for Musical Destruction Tour 2026. This successful and extraordinary tour has been running , with Napalm Death leading for decades now. The tour consistently impresses with its blend of creative and extreme underground music.”
Dopelord: Remaining 15th Anniversary Dates 04 December: Prague, CZ @ Subzero 05 December: Dresden, DE @ Chemiefabrik 06 December: Vienna, AT @ Escape 07 December: Innsbruck, AT @ PMK 08 December: Ljubljana, SI @ Menza pri Koritu 09 December: Zagreb, HR @ Vintage Industrial Bar 10 December: Belgrade, RS @ Zappa Baza 11 December: Budapest, HU @ Instant 12 December: Bratislava, SK @ Zalar 13 December: Brno, CZ @ Kabinet Múz
Dopelord: Campaign for Musical Destruction Tour Dates 30.01 Koln DE Essigfabrik 31.01 Paris FR Mondial du Tatouage 01.02 Antwerp BE Trix 03.02 Rennes FR Lantipode 04.02 Pamplona SP Sala Totem Aretoa 05.02 Madrid SP Mon 06.02 Toulouse FR Interference 07.02 Vitry-le-Francois FR L’Orange Bleue 09.02 Grenoble FR La Belle Electrique 10.02 Paderno Dugnano (MI) IT Slaughter Club 11.02 Munchen DE Kulturzentrum Backstage 12.02 Wien AT Arena Wien 13.02 Berlin DE Astra Kulturhaus 12.02 Hamburg DE Grunspan 15.02 Malmo SE Plan B 17.02 Warsaw PL Progresja 18.02 Leipzig DE Felsenkeller 19.02 Herford DE Kulturwerk 20.02 Leer DE Zollhaus Leer 21.02 Drachten NL Iduna 22.02 Lille FR Le Splendid – Salle de Concert 24.02 London UK Electric Ballroom 25.02 Glasgow UK Clyde Room 26.02 Dublin 1 IR The Academy 27.02 Liverpool UK 02 Academy Liverpool 28.02 Torquay UK Arena Torquay 01.03 Birmingham UK 02 Academy Birmingham
DOPELORD is Paweł Mioduchowski – Guitars and Vocals Piotr Ochociński – Drums Grzegorz Pawłowski – Guitars Piotr Zin – Bass, Vocals and Mellotron
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 27th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Not content to let this most wretched of years end without giving it one last kick in the ass — and all the more admirable for that — North Carolinian sludge institution Weedeater will be back on the road in December, touring around a sold-out Chicago date that also includes High on Fire and the well-managed return of Acid Bath and a date alongside Eyehategod, keeping company with next-gen NC sludgers Bronco, born out of Toke, and The Goddamn Gallows. My big question is whether they’ll play the reignited Emissions From the Monolith next year, but I suppose we’ve got time before finding out.
Oh, and Weedeater‘s still-most-recent LP, Goliathan (review here), turned 10 this year. Happy birthday and such. Strange to think of 2015 as “simpler times,” but yeah.
The PR wire has the latest:
Weedeater Announce Final Tour Dates for 2025
Cape Fear Legends Ending Year on Headlining Run + Dates with Acid Bath, High on Fire and Eyehategod
Fresh off grinding the ol’ dusty trail with Melvins, Napalm Death and Baroness, Weedeater are sending 2025 up in smokes with a December headline tour. The Cape Fear Legends will sling their heavy and colorful strand of weed metal all the way from Belgium to Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the American Midwest before heading back down south. Joining the band for this fresh stash of dates are Rust Belt psychobilly cowpunks The Goddamn Gallows and doomy fellow Cape Fear natives Bronco.
Along the way, Weedeater will join the recently reunited Acid Bath and Grammy winners High on Fire for a sold-out show at Chicago’s Salt Shed, followed by a night in South Carolina with the mighty Eyehategod.
Weedeater December 2025 Tour Dates with The Goddamn Gallows and Bronco
December 6 – Eeklo, Belgium @ Empire of Groove* December 9 – Harrisburg, PA @ Capitol City Music Hall December 10 – Toledo, OH @ Frankies December 11 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s December 12 – Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed w/ Acid Bath + High on Fire [SOLD OUT] December 13 – Murfreesboro, TN @ Hop Springs December 14 – Little Rock, AR @ Whitewater December 16 – Austin, TX @ Lost Well December 17 – New Orleans, LA @ Southport Music Hall December 18 – Panama City Beach, FL @ Moseys December 19 – Piedmont, SC @ Tribbles w/ Eyehategod December 20 – Raleigh, NC @ Chapel of Bones *only Weedeater
Weedeater’s full discography is available now on Season of Mist
