Stick with the new video for “Seed Your Mind” from Gothenburg psych rockers Græns, because as much as the first couple minutes might have you scratching your head and wondering where all this is going with the autotune-y effects and ultraweirdo whathaveyou, the place it winds up is a pretty satisfying crescendo in the traditional manner of a build. In that way, Græns — which you’ll note has former Graveyard drummer Axel Sjöberg as a member of their party — set their own context with “Seed Your Mind” such as to let the song live up to the title they’ve given it. I haven’t heard the whole of their impending album, Antitunes, or anything more from it than this track, but it begs further investigation at the very least. I read somewhere that the record is out in September. It doesn’t say it below. I swear I didn’t make it up.
If you hit up Græns‘ Bandcamp, there’s talk of a first album before the new one, but no actual full-length record streaming. Maybe they decided it didn’t represent the band and took it down? That happens sometimes. Instead, you’ll find the Feb. 2026 Groundscore two-songer — like dueling funkadelic freakouts, they are — which almost capture the current lineup of the band (can’t have everything). They may provide some clue to where the album goes, and they may not. They exist and they’re odd, so for sure that’s an appeal whether they made the LP or not.
Might be worth giving a follow, is all I’m saying. The video for “Seed Your Mind” is all trippy DIY charm. If you prefer just-audio, that’s near the bottom of the post. Have at it:
Gothenburg’s Terra Black will release their second album, Mirage, on Sept. 18 through Bonebag Records. A video for the first single “In Stone” premieres below. It is their second full-length following All Descend (review here), which was self-released in ’23 and picked up by Bonebag for broader distribution the next year, and it presents itself with an expanded take on stoner idolatry as opening track “The Gathering” goes from Sleep-style here’s-the-tone-go-live-in-it strum and slowed-down early-Tool chug while building into a march that grows broader and more righteous as it goes; the album itself operating not dissimilarly across its eight songs and 43 minutes. The subsequent “Guayota” builds on the opener, harnessing a Monolordian nod offset and complemented by the calm and melodic vocals, not quite soothing like ‘oh you just got run over by a very heavy riff are you okay?’ but brooding with a subtle grunge seethe, adding to the atmosphere ahead of the quiet stretch later in the second half of the song. If there’s a template — no, there isn’t.
At least it doesn’t feel that way, and that very much becomes a strength in their sound. Instead, Terra Black seem to be offering a fresh and exploratory take on modern-style capital-‘h’ Heavy, and ambience is part of it, as the obscure-spoken-word-topped “Thorn” soon shows in rounding out the presumed finish of side A, but is also palpable in “Pareidolia” just before, which is a build over the course of its first minute and comes to crush with due bassy flow, takes a quick breather, then returns like in the meme, vocals reaching out from deeper in the mix but cutting through effectively and hinting toward the more complex melodic take that surfaces in Mirage‘s back half in pieces like the aforementioned “In Stone” and “Ruins” ahead of “In Stars,” which closes. I know I’m jumping around a bit, and I know the record’s not out for two more months, but as side B works shortest-to-longest with opener “Maze” following “Thorn” as the most uptempo moment on offer — a hooky, garage-tinged swing, psychmaxxing with a swirl of guitar following its lumbering bridge, feeling lush in the vocals in a way that very much works, low end punching through behind; a preface — the palette expands accordingly.
Intersecting vocal, sometimes-duet lines top “In Stone” as the bass that “Maze” heralded comes forward early over steady hi-hat timekeeping, and there’s another build, but Terra Black‘s patience isn’t to be discounted. It’s not until after three minutes into the total 4:49 that they hit into full volume/tonality, and the sense of dwelling remains even as they roll out the crescendo soon enough to thud to its finish of residual guitar, but while it doesn’t take long in Earth minutes, they’re occupying a deeper plane. Both “Ruins” and “In Stars” top six minutes (the latter is the longest inclusion on the album at 6:46), and “Ruins” brings morose post-Electric Wizard plod while expanding the dual-vocal ideology of “In Stone” and subtly moving at a decent clip. The basic level of impact — looking at you, kickdrum — isn’t to be taken for granted, as when the drums drop out to leave the vocals and guitar at the end, the difference is stark, the breathy voices giving over to the guitar and maybe keys at the outset of “In Stars,” which feels more open than crushing and gives due reach in melody to top off what Terra Black have already accomplished in that regard.
Don’t mistake, the finale is plenty, plenty heavy, and broadly speaking, Mirage brings enough riffs for the whole class to chew on, but the way they capture a sense of spaciousness in “In Stars” also feels like a departure that “In Stone” and “Ruins” were pushing toward — a realization as much as a culmination. It gorgeous, heavy, complex, immersive, and given its due payoff, making Mirage feel all the more complete while giving a forward-looking impression at the finish as if to say the best is yet to come. And so it may be, but right now — or at least in September — Terra Black find nuance and expression in weighted atmospheres and thoughtfully crafted, slow-rolling churn. They are not easy to tag in terms of style, and that only makes me appreciate the record more.
You’ll find the clip for “In Stone” on the player below, followed by more info from the PR wire.
Following their acclaimed debut and recent signing to Bonebag Records, Gothenburg occult rock collective Terra Black return with their haunting new single, ‘In Stone’, the first offering from their forthcoming album, Mirage, due for release on 18th September.
Steeped in ancient mystery and crushing atmosphere, ‘In Stone’ explores the unsettling pull of forgotten worlds and the unseen forces that continue to shape the present. The song evokes the feeling of being trapped within something timeless – a world that should have ended long ago yet still refuses to release its grip.
“‘In Stone’ is about the ominous threat of the hidden and otherworldly,” explains the band. “It’s being stuck in something ancient, like you’re part of a world that already ended a long time ago, but it’s still not finished with you. Old worlds, old beliefs, and everything beneath the surface that refuses to disappear. Forever merged in stone.”
Written and recorded over the course of three years, Mirage is Terra Black’s most ambitious and immersive work to date. Travelling from roots buried deep beneath the earth, through the ruins of forgotten civilizations and into the silence of space, the album explores shifting states of existence where reality, memory and illusion become increasingly difficult to separate.
Recorded live by the band in Gothenburg, Mirage captures the raw immediacy of Terra Black’s performances. Rather than polishing away imperfections, the band embraced natural room ambience and microphone bleed, allowing the recording to retain an honest, organic character that mirrors the weight and intensity of the music itself.
Mirage, the brand-new album by Terra Black will be released via Bonebag Records on 18th September.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 13th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
The emotive melody comes forward on “Drifters on a Quiet Stream,” which is the second single from Besvärjelsen‘s out-next-month new album, Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem, and a classic-style heavy now-we’re-talking-about-feelings ballad. Messy as that can be — feelings, that is — the Swedish atmospheric heavy rockers bring clarity amid the slow roll and evocative piano. Drummer Erik Bäckwall cites Elton John as an influence in the PR wire info below, and yeah, fair enough, but there’s no question Besvärjelsen are working in their own context, and Lea Amling Alazam‘s contemplative vocal highlights the human element amid the lush arrangement.
If you never believed there could be more than one kind of ‘heavy,’ “Drifters on a Quiet Stream” argues effectively otherwise. It and the first single “Didn’t Come to Party” are down at the bottom of this post. Have at it:
BESVÄRJELSEN reveal lyric video power ballad ‘Drifters on a Quiet Stream’ taken from forthcoming new album “Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem”!
Swedish forest rockers BESVÄRJELSEN unveil the beautiful lyric video ‘Drifters on a Quiet Stream’. This power ballad comes in watercolour style with images bearing strange fruit as inspired by the album cover of their forthcoming third full-length “Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem” (Swedish and Latin for: “Into Oblivion”).
“Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem” is scheduled for release on August 28, 2026, via Magnetic Eye Records. The album is available for pre-order here: https://spkr.store/collections/besvarjelsen
BESVÄRJELSEN comment: “‘Drifters on a Quiet Stream’ had the working title ‘Elton’ as Elton John was one of the musical inspirations for this song”, drummer Erik Bäckwall reveals. “The intro and main riff was originally intended to be a part of another song. When I got our former bass player Johan to listen to the riff, he rather advised me to create a completely new song from this part. I am really glad now that I did that.”
Lea Amling Alazam adds: “This track explores the ever-present companion of the self – the voice that follows you through life, both to comfort and to critique”, the vocalist explains. “It is the quiet presence on your shoulder. When writing those lyrics, I revisited an old notebook and found a phrase I had once scribbled down: ‘…my ghost and I’. I’m not sure where I first came across this idea, but it stayed with me. It felt like a beautiful and honest way to describe living alongside your own anxiety, and I knew from the start that I wanted to build something around it.”
Recorded by Andreas Baier & Marcus Lindqvist at Glashuset, Ludvika (SE) Mix & mastering by Karl Daniel Lidén at Tri-Lamb Audio Studios, Solna (SE) Cover art by Björn Olars Layout by Erik Bäckwall
Guest musicians Fred Burman (SATAN TAKES A HOLIDAY) – lead & backing vocals on ‘Accelerating Hearts’ & backing vocals on ‘Didn’t Come to Party’ Pelle Andersson (LOWRIDER) – organ on ‘Black Wave’
Line-up Lea Amling Alazam – vocals Staffan Vinrot – guitars, vocals (& accordion, violin, keys, keyed fiddle) Andreas Bajer – guitars, vocals Erik Bäckwall – drums Marcus Lindqvist – bass
It was a surprise to dig back and find it’s been a decade since Swedish fuzzy, jammy, bluesy heavy psych rockers Asteroid released 2016’s III (review here), but there’s no arguing with the math. The seven-song/36-minute long-player was issued Fuzzorama — the label run by Truckfighters which had also stood behind their 2006 split with Blowback (discussed here), their 2007 self-titled debut (discussed here) and its follow-up, 2010’s II (discussed here, review here) — and six years after the LP before it, III felt like a gift, not the least because the band returned from a hiatus to make it.
The Örebro-based trio — guitarist/vocalist Robin Hirse, bassist/vocalist Johannes Nilsson at the core, with drummer Elvis Campbell on the recording, but in and out of the band over their time; he was replaced by Jimmi Kolscheen shortly after III was made — had always had vibe on their side. Sweetly, organically melodic, warm in tone and mellow but not staid of groove, they had evolved from the more straight-ahead songs of their debut by the time they got around to the third album, but always kept the spirit of not overdoing it, of mellow-hangs and letting the depth in their approach speak for itself. III could be a fuzzy shuffle as in “Til’ Dawn,” or a swinging shove as in “Them Calling,” and it boasts what might be the outright heaviest moment the band ever had in centerpiece “Wolf and Snake,” but everywhere they went in sound, they brought a sense of casual (stoned) class and of live performance that couldn’t help but draw the songs together. Across all three records, but especially as the material got more complex over time, the latter would be one of their greatest assets as a group.
But it’s not like they were keeping secrets in terms of methodology. Tone, melody and songwriting were the foundations of the magic, brought together with a marked chemistry that, listening back to III now, can’t help but bring a smile to my face, whether it’s the chill in the pulled lead notes of opener “Pale Moon,” which comes in so smoothly around its fading-in drums, or the more direct, organ-y sound wrought in the subsequent “Last Days,” which I still think might be a waltz in its start-stop verse, but moves fluidly into a fuller-fuzzed crescendo without giving up its easy pace to do it.
Among Asteroid‘s releases, III was the most atmospheric and the most engaging on a level of mood, and even something as simple-seeming as an upward-strummed accent in “Til’ Dawn” proved effective in making a standout moment. That is to say, they could grab you with an overarching nod or with a minute detail, sprawl out a jam or dig into the procession of a verse, but there was always going to be something to both distinguish each track from its surroundings and add to the front-to-back flow of the record. And as they grew, III was arguably (to wit, here’s me arguing it) the most vibrant demonstration of character they would manifest, though that’s not to take away from either of the LPs preceding it.
“Wolf and Snake,” in addition to being the heaviest here on balance, is also the longest inclusion at six and a half minutes. With a bluesier vocal, a shredder of a fuzz solo and a vibrant, jammy sensibility, it’s an obvious highlight, but as much for the feeling of reach in terms of the band’s overall progression and their blend of psychedelia and more esoteric elements. 10 years later, it’s a sentimental listen — which is true of the album across the span, admittedly — but from the mellow outset through the shove and into the aforementioned apex and comedown, it’s also a masterpiece, perhaps in part because the band never built on it on another release.
On the record, it’s followed by “Silver and Gold,” which redirects from the relative heft and centers vocal harmonies from Hirse and Nilsson over quiet guitar, and even in its volume swell, it maintains a folkish presence, likewise gorgeous and functional to give listeners a breath between “Wolf and Snake” and “Them Calling,” which is a sweeping sing-along hook surrounding by choice vibe, darker in tone but no less fluid or engrossing. The lyrics, “Now I stand at the gates of hell/Waiting for you to arrive/I hear them calling, calling for me/And I want you here by my side,” stand among the most memorable on III, which is saying something in itself, and the instrumental push that accompanies is low enough to stand up to “Wolf and Snake” without trying to do the same thing; an airier solo in the back half is more psych-tinged and thus makes the turnaround to the final chorus all the more satisfying.
That turn and arrival-at-peak leaves “Mr. Strange” somewhat hanging on its own at the end of the album, but a clear strum and ’70s groove topped with a duly soulful vocal make themselves welcome. It’s reminiscent of the first two records as well in its jammy takeoff and “Whoa-oh-oh” hook, though the way they again brought the song back from its headed-out bridge is one more confirmation of the growth in their project. They finished riding that groove out with a last cymbal wash and then it was over, short at 36 minutes but wanting nothing in terms of how the band used that time.
I was lucky enough to see Asteroid on a couple occasions, the last of which was at Høstsabbat 2018 (review here) in Oslo, which was also a reemergence from a hiatus. So far as I know they played Truckfighters Fuzz Festival in 2021, and were slated to tour with Truckfighters and Greenleaf in early 2022, though I’m honestly not sure if that happened, given both pandemic and the instability of the band by then. It’s kind of sad that in the 10 years since this record came out, Asteroid weren’t there to ascend to headliner status as they seemed primed to do, and that they didn’t get to continue to evolve from this point to whatever might have come next, but I’ve also learned to never say never. Speaking as a fan, a return at any point would be welcome.
As always, I hope you enjoy.
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Another week. We still don’t know where The Pecan is going to go to school in the Fall. We had a district-needs-to-cover-its-ass meeting with a place I wouldn’t send her to if they paid me to do it yesterday, and that was more needless bullshit, and in the meantime, the school I actually want to send her to has gone AWOL in getting back to us. No doubt everybody’s busy, no doubt everybody has real-life stuff in addition to their job, no doubt everybody involved is ADHD AF, I’m just sick of jumping through hoops and want to get something, anything, ever, settled once and for all. Not this week, apparently.
We had big storms last weekend. The Patient Mrs., The Pecan and I were in Connecticut last weekend for the 4th of July at her mom’s place on the shoreline, and it was just too hot. There’s no insulation there, no A/C, and it became a question of survival, so we split. But we were on the way home, coming across the (still new in my mind) Tappan Zee Bridge with the Colgera theme from Tears of the Kingdom playing at high volume and streaks of lightning shooting from cloud to cloud — friggin’ epic, in other words — and when we got back, there was no power. Neighbors lost trees, and there’s still debris around, but we went to a local hotel for the night and came back the next morning after checkout to find the lights back on. A miracle. We’re headed back north today, complete with my mother-in-law’s dog, who is staying with us again for like two weeks and remains a pain in the ass.
I’m complaining, in complainy spirits I guess. Big change. But I’m getting through the day, thinking about starting to go swimming on the regular, like, for exercise, again, which when I can find a place to do it I always enjoy. The gym down the way is all cops, but there’s a couple hotels that do memberships, and honestly what I’m looking for is a place I can go do laps without other people. If that’s a local hotel at 6AM, that suits me pretty well, actually.
We head north again in like an hour from when I’m writing, need to pack clothes, food, the Switch, etc. I haven’t done a Zelda update in a bit and I haven’t had time to play much, so there you go, but I’m sporadically enjoying The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales when The Pecan isn’t on the Switch 2 and I have an opportunity to play. It’s oldschool and fun and light and the characters say nice things to each other. Cozy and feels like a kids game for middle-aged weirdos. Again, suits me pretty well.
I’m getting the side-eye from The Patient Mrs., so am going to leave it there and do what I need to to get out before traffic starts to build. Have a great and safe weekend. We’re into summer now. Don’t forget to hydrate.
I still think of this as a debut. Which is only funny because it was Greenleaf‘s fifth record. Also kind of a debut.
The final release of the Swedish outfit’s Small Stone Records era, the nine-song/42-minute Trails and Passes (review here) came out in May 2014, and it was a big change. For 14 years at that point, Greenleaf had existed as a side-project for Dozer guitarist Tommi Holappa, who, working with bassist/producer Bengt Bäcke, had previously worked with an assemblage of players more than a lineup. Peder Bergstrand from Lowrider and Dozer‘s Fredrik Nordin handled vocals early on, and Karl Daniel Lidén of Demon Cleaner handled drums on the first two records before Erik Bäckwall took over for 2007’s Agents of Ahriman (reissue review here) and then-Dozer‘s Olle Mårthans took over for 2012’s Nest of Vipers (review here).
Those last two records were also fronted by Oskar Cedermalm, best known as bassist/vocalist for Truckfighters from Örebro. Greenleaf was a side-project for him as well. But with the dissolution of Dozer after the release of 2008’s Beyond Colossal (featured here), suddenly Holappa didn’t have a ‘main’ project, and more and more, Greenleaf seemed to be filling that role. They did live shows, some touring, but it didn’t and couldn’t work with that lineup, fun daydream though it was.
So Holappa revamped the lineup, and even then, it felt like he was doing so with the express intent to tour, to make Greenleaf — we’re talking like 13 years after their first EP (discussed here) — a real band for the first time. Mårthans was out in favor of Sebastian Olsson (who would also eventually join Dozer) on drums, and Arvid Jonsson took over on vocals, bringing an immediately bluesy affect to “Our Mother Ash” and “Ocean Deep” at the start of Trails and Passes. Bäcke still handled engineering and bass but would soon enough leave the band for being unable to tour, and apart from an anniverary reissue of that aforementioned EP, they haven’t looked back.
But the thing that made it feel like such a beginning was the context of the progression of the prior incarnation of the band. Agents of Ahriman — which, on a personal level, I consider one of the best heavy rock records ever made — seemed to manifest the classic-heavy intent Greenleaf had always said were at their foundation. It was something distinct from Dozer in sound and purpose, but benefitted from the ever-ace songwriting of Holappa and an emotionality from Cedermalm‘s voice that at that point had only just begun to show through in Truckfighters and now is something of a given. And then Nest of Vipers followed and was more elaborate, with more complex arrangements, guest appearances (once a regular feature for Greenleaf LPs) and a marked breadth in the recording and mix by Lidén.
Trails and Passes, in making the trade to realize Greenleaf as an actual, sustainable working band, stripped a lot of that away. Not all of it, mind you, but the dug-in shuffle of “Equators” and the shove of the penultimate “Bound to be Machines” — powered, it should be noted, by Olsson‘s drumming and an energy that’s become a signature of Greenleaf since — stepped aside from the stately melody-craft of Nest of Vipers. The songs were alive, but in a different way. Pieces like “Depth of the Sun” and the eight-minute “With Eyes Wide Open” had space in their sound, but even this felt like the band going to ground, realigning, and the inevitable story of the album was the difference from what Greenleaf had been doing just two years earlier.
What listeners couldn’t have known at the time and I certainly didn’t, was that Trails and Passes would become the model Greenleaf would go on to follow for the next decade — which, it should also be noted, was the most productive decade of the band’s existence; 2014-2024. From Trails and Passes, Greenleaf would sign to Napalm Records and put out three albums, 2016’s Rise Above the Meadow (review here), 2018’s Hear the Rivers (review here) and 2021’s Echoes From a Mass (review here) — then shift to Magnetic Eye Records for 2024’s The Head and the Habit (review here), which remains their latest offering as of now. The patterns of riff and melody, the hooks and bluesy strut, Jonsson‘s growth into embracing the frontman role — all of these are documented across this 10-year span as Greenleaf went from being a side-project to one of the finest European heavy rock acts of their generation.
Listening to Trails and Passes now, it’s hard to separate it from that context, from the band Greenleaf have become, but this also only makes it feel more like a first album, and in hindsight, it’s an even bolder forward step for the band than it seemed at the time. Imagine doing a thing for the better part of a decade and a half and completely revamping the whole thing. But Greenleaf‘s ability to hold most of its lineup together — as noted, Bäcke stepped away after this album, and Dozer‘s Johan Rockner played bass on Rise Above the Meadow, but Hans Fröhlich joined ahead of Hear the Rivers and has been with the band since — with Holappa, Jonsson and Olsson has led to a continuity they’d never had in their earlier days, and though fans will argue in the way of fans, the tradeoff was more than worth it.
I guess I’ve got Greenleaf on the brain as the band will travel to the US for the first time this Fall, appearing at …In the Key of Doom in New York City and Ripplefest Texas in Austin (reverse order) with club shows between them (tour dates here), possibly with new material in tow as they move inexorably forward from The Head and the Habit. It’s one more milestone for them that probably would never have come to pass had Holappa not restructured the band 12-13 years ago, and the lesson to be learned is that sometimes it’s worth trusting the artist to know what needs to happen to make the art the way they want. It was a big risk and the rewards are still paying out. Listening now, Trails and Passes sounds classic sure enough, but as much for being a landmark itself for how it speaks to the history of heavy rock and roll.
As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.
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Too hot this week. Not the first time or the last time. We’re in Connecticut at The Patient Mrs.’ mother’s place on the shoreline. Got here yesterday. I’m not sure proximity to water mitigates the heat or not; frankly it’s too hot to get up and measure. There were town fireworks last night for July 4 out over the beach down the way. A bunch of people came. It was a lot. The Pecan stayed up too late and was a mess. Blah blah blah same as ever.
More bullshit with the school, back and forth. Still haven’t heard from the hopeful new one. Exhausting. Consuming.
The Pecan watched a video about how heat makes human brains lose cognitive ability. Sitting here with the fans going, I believe it. I feel dumber.
I think The Pecan’s aunt and cousins are coming to swim later. They’re older; the cousin who’s her age (my wife’s brother’s son, turning 10, I think) we don’t see as often because they live in Baltimore. But she loves them, so it’s nice anyway. I don’t really like salt water on a sensory level, so I threw out yesterday that maybe while everyone was swimming I’d go record shopping. There’s a store a few exits south on I-95 that I like and that has a ‘Metal’ section. That’s usually enough to get me to peruse, and it’s been a while. Would be cool to pick up the Monolord CD, other odds and ends. I could use the time.
The meme I saw yesterday was “of course I don’t have Fourth of July plans, what am I a fucking republican?” and that was cute. As this country has abandoned even the previously-lip-serviced principles to which it once allegedly aspired, I find I’m even less inclined to be patriotic. War, capitalism, colonialism, genocide. The United States of America: it was a decent idea that never really panned out. Could’ve been a cool project until they decided to keep slavery.
Again, blah blah blah. No one gives a fuck. “Keep your politics outta my white privilege,” and so on.
Whatever you’re up to this weekend, I hope it’s air conditioned, even if that air conditioning contributes to global warming getting even worse than it already is. Sorry, but it’s really about maintenance by now, isn’t it? Haven’t we all collectively decided to run out the thread until we boil off the planet’s surface like the 97-percent water we are? Can they use that water for data centers? Stick around long enough and maybe we’ll find out.
Speaking of, I’m ready to go back in the Matrix, thanks. You know the ’90s was peak-humanity because Type O Negative put out October Rust.
Enough. Great and safe weekend. Fuck fascism harder than your grandparents thought fuck fascism.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 30th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
As the band make ready to release their seventh album, Fever, on Oct. 9 through Nuclear Blast, Sweden’s Graveyard are saying goodbye to guitarist Jonatan Ramm. No word on if or how this might affect the Fall tour lined up in the company of Skraeckoedlan and Blues Pills, but there’s little question Ramm‘s departure — which seems amicable — will result in a shift in Graveyard‘s dynamic. The band have had comings and goings before, but unless I’m mistaken, this change leaves guitarist/vocalist Joakim Nilsson as the lone remaining founding member who’s been in the band the whole time, with now-bassist Truls Mörck having started out on guitar, left, and come back to handle low end. If I’ve got that wrong, someone please leave a (gentle) comment and let me know.
In any case, the band will move forward. Their statement was short and respectful, and Ramm notes that he’ll continue in music. You might recall Heavy Psych Sounds in 2021 released Universal Trial (review here), the 2006 outing from Ramm‘s prior unit, Solarius. Obviously it’s too soon to know what he’ll do next — he wasn’t like “I’m out btw here’s a solo album yo cool thx” or anything — but almost certainly whatever he does will find an audience when the time comes.
Click to enlarge the image of what he had to say, as was posted through Graveyard‘s socials:
Hey everyone, we have some news to share.
Jonatan has decided to leave Graveyard.
We’ve shared so many years, experiences and memories together, and while we’re saddened by his decision, we fully respect it and wish him nothing but the very best in whatever comes next for him.
As one chapter comes to a close, another begins. Our new album is on its way and we’re looking forward to getting back on the road and seeing you all again soon!
Graveyard will keep moving forward and we’re incredibly grateful for your continued love and support. We’ll see you out there!
Read Jonatan’s statement in the image above.
GRAVEYARD LIVE: w/ BLUES PILLS & SKRAECKÖDLAN 31.10. SE Eskilstuna, Lokomotivet * 06.11. SE Mejeriet, Lund * 07.11. DK Århus, Voxhall * 13.11. SE Örebro, Club 700 * 14.11. SE Karlstad, Nöjesfabriken * 20.11. SE Falun, Magasinet * 21.11. SE Norrköping Arbis * 27.11. SE Göteborg, Gothenburg Film Studios ** 28.11. SE Stockholm, Fållan ** * with Skraecködlan ** with Blues Pills
This week, Majestic Mountain Records, like Atlas holding up the world, will oversee the release of Four Altars of Sin, a two-sided four-way split between Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt and Kaiser. The four bands, appearing in that order, each present one track, and the breakdown is one shorter and one longer piece per side, with Doomherre and Hexjakt around six and a half/seven minutes and Ordos and Kaiser on either side of 11. Any way you go, doom is had.
Doomherre (Stockholm), Ordos (Uppsala) and Hexjakt (Westmanland) are all Swedish, while Kaiser hail from Helsinki, Finland, and that’s not the only way in which the bombastic riffers stand out here, being something of a shift away from the brooding of the prior three bands as they are. The procession begins with a slow bassline as “Blood Relics of Old” harkens to an underlying Type O Negative influence in Doomherre‘s sound, evident in the later call-and-response vocals as well as the tone of the guitar throughout. It’s a downer, it’s supposed to be a downer, and for a sentence that uses the word ‘down’ now three times, it sets a deceptively high bar in terms of quality and purposeful songcraft.
In the side B mirror position, Hexjakt are more aggressive and post-metallic, but their later instrumental etherealism doesn’t feel so far removed as to be out of place — neither does anything else, for that matter. Before reaching that particular altar (of sin), Ordos‘ “Inferno” unfurls a build across the first half of its 10:50 runtime and spends the rest of it dwelling magisterialy over its tempered, full-toned nod. By the time they’re four minutes in and the pace picks up a bit, they’ve unveiled most of the tricks up their sleeve, but the reverby reach in the crescendo of “Inferno” is a satisfying moment that doubles as a fitting bridge into Hexjakt‘s “Svartkonst,” simultaneously shoutier and more morose in its atmosphere.
Doomherre
Ordos
Hexjakt
Kaiser
That combination of mood and roll seems to be the heart of what Four Altars of Sin has to offer — as Crowbar once put it: ‘lifesblood for the downtrodden’ — but Kaiser complicate that narrative while at the same time their 11:14 “Sonic Satan” offers the blowout the release didn’t know it needed. A sample and feedback build tension — something something Satan something something — over the first couple minutes, but when they hit into the riff at about 2:20, the sweep is undeniable. They slow it down to be sure, and there’s a bonus-radness stop in the comedown after the solo where the drums bring it back (see 7:42) for a noisy and distorted finish. Death comes for us all, so why not make it a party before you go?
And if that’s the central question being proposed by “Sonic Satan” and the still-manageable-at-35-minutes LP overall, I don’t have a counterargument. Each of these four acts is dug into a niche within the niche under the umbrella of doom, even with Kaiser taking more of a rocker’s angle to get there. The complexities and the diversity of influence will resonate with the converted — everybody brings something nuanced to the table, in other words — while those who don’t or can’t get their heads to it simply won’t. Sometimes as a thought experiment I pretend I’ve never heard anything like this before and what does someone like that think? Inevitably this just leads to me exercising my disdain for normal humans as unthinking philistines. But this is doom celebrating doom, you understand. If it was for everybody, it wouldn’t be what it is.
Such is the nature of extremity, of daring to take a position, of refusing milquetoast generalities in favor of the individual. I could go on here, but I don’t actually want the review to be longer than it takes to listen to the release. If you’d worship, Majestic Mountain‘s got the altars built and ready. You’ll find the LP streaming in its entirety below, followed by more from the PR wire.
As always, I genuinely hope you enjoy:
Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt & Kaiser, Four Altars of Sin Split LP premiere
Majestic Mountain Records will release Four Altars of Sin, a special split release bringing together four of the most exciting names in the contemporary Scandinavian doom, stoner, and heavy underground. Featuring previously unreleased tracks from Doomherre, Ordos, Hexjakt, and Kaiser, the release showcases four distinct voices united by a shared devotion to volume, atmosphere, and the transformative power of heavy music.
Across four exclusive songs, the participating bands explore different corners of the heavy spectrum, from classic doom and psychedelic stoner rock to blackened atmospheres and crushing fuzz-laden riffs. The result is a release united by a shared sense of power, atmosphere, and authenticity.
Released on vinyl and digital formats, Four Altars of Sin serves as both a celebration of friendship and a showcase for a new generation of Scandinavian heavy music. While each band brings its own distinct identity, together they create a cohesive journey through the darker, heavier, and more atmospheric corners of the underground.
Four Altars of Sin will be released on June 26 via Majestic Mountain Records.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 15th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
I don’t know what else you have going on this Fall, but holy mackerel. Greenleaf are not only coming to the US for the first time 26 years on from their first release, they’re teaming up with two of the best live heavy rock bands the country has to offer in High Desert Queen and Howling Giant. How good are these shows going to be? Well they’re going to be quite good. You should go. Maybe to all of them.
The tour will take the blues/heavy rock masters from Ripplefest Texas in Austin to Brooklyn for …In the Key of Doom, and while it’s not the most extensive foray — that is to say, if you’re on the West Coast, you’re out of luck this time unless you want to travel (and you do) — once you’ve paid the extortionate charge for a US visa, my understanding is the inclination is to make the most of it. Multiple tours. Look for West Coast next year, hopefully.
And what’s the status of Greenleaf‘s next record? I don’t know, but I sure hope to have some idea before I see them in NYC at The Meadows. Here are all the dates off the PR wire:
GREENLEAF announce North American Fall Tour 2026
More than twenty-five years since their inception, Scandinavian heavy rock legends GREENLEAF will be coming to North America for their first-ever live shows in the USA and Canada. This exciting road trip will be kicked off with a headline show at the inaugural Magnetic Eye Records label showcase at this year’s Ripplefest Texas. This will be followed by nearly two weeks across the continent with the support of their label mates HOWLING GIANT and HIGH DESERT QUEEN. The Nordic foursome are ready to give longtime fans their own take on desert grooves and stoner riffs, and everything they’ve been waiting for from this legendary live outfit.
GREENLEAF comment: “It’s been a long time but finally the wait is over”, guitarist and band founder Tommi Holappa declares. “We are beyond excited to go on tour in the very country that gave us our childhood heroes: Snake Plissken, John Rambo, Paul Kersey, Major Alan Schaefer, and many more. Come out and join us on our first ever tour in the USA and Canada!”
GREENLEAF will be touring North America in support of the latest album “The Head & The Habit”, which hit stores first on June 21, 2024.
Please see below for album details and all currently confirmed shows.
GREENLEAF North American Fall Tour 2026: 20 SEP 2026 Austin, TX (US) Ripplefest Texas 21 SEP 2026 Houston, TX (US) The End 22 SEP 2026 New Orleans, LA (US) Broadside 23 SEP 2026 Atlanta, GA (US) The Earl 24 SEP 2026 Asheville, NC (US) Eulogy 25 SEP 2026 Lexington, KY (US) Al’s Bar 26 SEP 2026 Chicago, IL (US) Reggies 27 SEP 2026 Milwaukee, WI (US) X-Ray Arcade 29 SEP 2026 Detroit, MI (US) Sanctuary 30 SEP 2026 Toronto, ON (CA) Monarch Tavern 01 OCT 2026 Montreal, QC (CA) Piranha Bar 02 OCT 2026 Braintree, MA (US) Widowmaker Brewing 03 OCT 2026 Brooklyn, NY (US) The Meadows (…In the Key of Doom)
GREENLEAF is: Arvid Hällagård – vocals Tommi Holappa – guitars Sebastian Olsson – drums Hans Fröhlich – bass
