Nashville atmospheric heavy two-piece Materializer release their debut album, As the Body Flies, on Oct. 2. This week they’ll embark on a regional tour to herald the record’s coming, and to mark the occasion, they’re premiering a video for “Dopamine Ravine” from it. You’ll find it streaming below.

Siblings Conner Poole (guitar/vocals) and Chris Poole (drums/vocals) comprise the band, whose existence was announced late last year following the dissolution of the trio The Swell Fellas. That band’s last full-length, 2024’s Residuum Unknown (review here), demonstrated how much they had grown over the course of their near-decade together, to a point where the name didn’t really represent who they were musically anymore. I don’t know what was behind the decision not to employ another bassist, but with As the Body Flies, the Poole brothers create an atmospheric density that wants nothing for fullness, in the low end or any other. Contrasted by the acoustic “Gateway Grand” on side B, what surrounds is heavy immersion, tones and rhythmic structures deep and complex enough to give an impression of worldbuilding. “Falling Out of the Fold,” which opens, sets a bed of drone behind its chugging initial riff in its buildup, and that reveals part of the methodology, but Materializer know there’s more than one way to crush a cat, and congratulations, you’re the cat.

The leadoff opens to a rolling largesse and meets with a melody that in another production context might sound born of an Uncle Acid influence, the voice watery and somewhat obscured by the wash of cymbals and the riff they’re riding. But the point is to draw the listener in, to hypnotize as well as enact that instrumental hook, and as they bleed directly into “Walking Home” and the noise changes shape to begin the next procession, they make it clear they don’t want anything to take the listener out of the experience until they say so. Thus are they in command of their sound and the shaping of As the Body Flies. You can attribute that to the fact that they were in a band together before, but with brothers, it’s not unreasonable to think they’ve been playing music together since that meant banging on pans on the kitchen floor. Chemistry isn’t a question.

Where “Falling Out of the Fold” was immediate in its nod, “Walking Home” takes more time to get there, swirling Deftonesy conjurations of noise and unwavering melodic vocals gradually making their way to a crush even more about impact than the prior. This noisy feel remains overarching throughout the record, but there’s a stop before “Dopamine Ravine” starts with the guitar and a buildup of drums leading right into the verse — it’s the shortest song at 3:01; there’s no time to waste — and the spaciousness of the notes floating lends a post-metallic ambience as the notes float around and seem to hit walls in the space they’re creating. It comes apart in cymbal wash and drone, and stick clicks lead the way into “Swallowed in Rain,” which concludes side A with a resumption of purpose. Additional vocal layering underscores the arrangement potential there, but “Swallowed in Rain” is more aggressive as well, tighter and faster in its pummel, and massive as the verse continues following a muted beat, moving through an extended guitar solo into a second half that becomes more chaotic as it goes, twisting leads and crash lurching upward and slamming down, but ending quietly with a last lyric before giving over to the start of “Unwind” on side B.

There’s something of a shift in construction on the second half of As the Body Flies, which bookends with the longer “Unwind” and “Trial,” the latter of which tops eight minutes and is both closer and the longest inclusion, with the aforementioned “Gateway Grand” and the subsequent “Longest Drag” between them. Keeping Materializer from incongruity is just how broad the range across the first half of the album is — that is to say, they push outward from the very beginning, so by the time the drums start “Unwind,” there’s room enough for just about whatever they want to do. The drums are central to the build as the guitars and vocals start in on the verse, still melodic, brooding with tension soon unfolding into heavier tones and a darkly psychedelic splendour. The change in movement happens after the chorus, where the drums drop out and the vocals become whispers beneath a steady drone and the guitar floating overhead; a wash that seems like it’s making its way into a huge, lumbering plod but that turns instead from all that rumble at 4:51 back to the verse, sung sweetly but in a moment exploding into a twisting riff and early-Mastodonic gruntriff, coming to a stop at 6:35 before a second burst brings the layered solo frenzy.

They do return to the riff briefly before the feedback ends it, but “Unwind” is pointedly vivid in its atmosphere, and part of what the departure into “Gateway Grand” does is allow the listener time to process the journey they’ve just been on. Stripped of all that widescreen distortion, “Gateway Grand” highlights the human aspect, the later vocal harmony and an accompanying strum set to its own rhythm, and like “Dopamine Ravine” complements the start of “Swallowed in Rain,” so too does “Longest Drag” seem to pick up from “Gateway Grand” sounding richer for the contrast in volume. Taken as a whole, I’m not sure you would call As the Body Flies a patient album — it’s not trying to make you wait around to be flattened, is what I mean — but neither is “Longest Drag” rushed, steadily moving forward in its first two minutes before the drums signal the change coming and the tonality gets huge once again. They let it go back into the verse, but cycle through again, and the going is more satisfying the second time for knowing what’s about to hit. All the while, the vocals remain willfully melodic. To a degree that it feels like part of the mission of the band, which maybe it is, I don’t know.

“Longest Drag” caps with a familiar distorted rumble that cuts off to the quiet guitar intro of “Trial,” in which nod becomes paramount. A midtempo rolling chug lends a progressive feel to the early verse, but it’s a march and thus bound to lead somewhere, and by then, the shift to crush is telegraphed. There are harsher vocals, mixed lower than the cleans, and that’s part of what makes “Trial” feel like such a culmination, but as it moves into its second half, the truth is it feels that way anyhow. Jabbing skronk and stops give a mathier feel, but it’s not the mosh part of a modern metal song so much as the setup for the noisy, brief solo. Tighter, faster churn takes hold after five minutes in, and they carry that breakdown riff as the ending for the song, bringing in a sample over the last residual feedback to add extra finality, and when it’s over, the silence feels heavier for their having done so.

I know it’s not out for a while yet, but the work Materializer do here results in both one of 2026’s most cohesive and purposeful debut albums, but a showcase of where their forward growth could continue to lead, in the melody and the tonal force alike. And as grim as moments throughout As the Body Flies may feel, the Pooles never lose sight of what they want the songs to do, the spaces they want to explore and in which they want to immerse the listener.

“Dopamine Ravine” doesn’t represent the entirety of As the Body Flies, and I’m not sure any single track would, but it’s fortunate in that case that down near the bottom of the post you’ll find the Bandcamp player, where as of this writing, “Falling Out of the Fold,” “Swallowed in Rain” and “Longest Drag” are also streaming. That’s four out of eight tracks altogether, so should be enough to catch an impression. I’d advise taking a breath and digging in.

Please enjoy:

Materializer, “Dopamine Ravine” video premiere

Nashville’s Stoner Metal/Doom Duo Materializer To Release Debut LP, As The Body Flies, Out October 2

Preorder: https://materializer.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-body-flies

On their first record as a duo, the Poole brothers double down on unpredictable songwriting, arrangements swinging from crushing and chaotic to serene, carrying an uncanny devotion to the sound first forged in their previous project, The Swell Fellas.

Materializer, the new project formed by brothers Conner and Chris Poole, will release their debut full-length, As The Body Flies, on October 2. Alongside the announcement, the band has shared a new single and accompanying video, “Dopamine Ravine,” a swirling, psychedelic three-minute atmosphere that highlights the consequences of pleasure and forces you to sit with a decision made.

On the new single, the band shares: “As The Body Flies is a cathartic release for us. The first record of a new project and a vulnerable look inside the years leading up to the beginning of Materializer. Putting this together has been an exciting and often puzzling experience figuring out a new writing process as a duo, and letting the songs lead the way. That process has led us to new song structures, new gear, and new sounds. We wanted to create the heaviest record we’ve been a part of while also leaning into our roots of melodic vocals, emphasizing on compression and release, chaos and serenity, and balancing the light and dark in a way that feels in harmony with the world around us.”

The album was written, produced, performed, co-recorded, and co-engineered by Materializer: Conner Poole on guitar and vocals, Chris Poole on drums and vocals. The album was recorded by Dave “Squirrel” Covell and Materializer, mixed by Ben McLeod (All Them Witches), and mastered by Mikey Allred at Dark Art Audio. The record arrives on Friday, October 2, pre-orders are available now through the artist’s bandcamp: https://materializer.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-body-flies

Tracklisting:
1. Falling Out of the Void (5:55)
2. Walking Home (6:16)
3. Dopamine Ravine (3:01)
4. Swallowed in Rain (5:49)
5. Unwind (7:50)
6. Gateway Grand (4:01)
7. Longest Drag (4:59)
8. Trial (8:04)

Upcoming Tour Dates
8/26 — Chattanooga, TN at Red Bud
8/27 — Asheville, NC at The Odd
8/28 — Richmond, VA DIY show under a bridge in Oregon Hill Park
8/29 — Lynchburg, VA at Super Rad Arcade Bar
8/30 — Philadelphia, PA at Kung Fu Necktie
8/31 — Norfolk, VA at Norfolk Taphouse (w/ Earth Tongue)
9/4 — Nashville, TN at Eastside Bowl (w/ Moon Destroys and The Well)

Tix/info here 👇
https://Materializerband.com/shows

Materializer, As the Body Flies (2026)

Materializer website

Materializer Linktr.ee

Materializer on Bandcamp

Materializer on Instagram

Materializer on Facebook

Materializer is the two-piece of guitarist/vocalist Conner Poole and drummer Chris Poole, brothers who up until last year were bandmates in the trio The Swell Fellas. If you caught wind of that band’s 2024 swansong LP, Residuum Unknown (review here), you probably already know that the moniker didn’t really suit the album’s heavy and post-metallic atmospheres, or the crush of the tonality on which they rested. So, you know, sometimes one band turns into another.

Their debut as Materializer is titled As the Body Flies, and it’s set to release Oct. 2. I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but there are three songs from the impending record streaming right now, opener “Falling Out the Fold,” “Swallowed in Rain” and “Longest Drag,” and whether you knew their prior outfit or not, I would suggest you take the time to at least give a cursory check-out here. I know it’s like the hardest thing to do to get people to stop what they’re doing in their busy day and listen to a thing on spec, but from one human being to another, I’ll tell you there’s space in these songs that I think might be enough to find yourself in, to engage with what they’re doing and, ultimately, make your day better.

If you dig what they’re doing, you’ll be glad to know that the tour starts next week on the East Coast. I don’t know what their plans are for after the album comes out in terms either of geography or time, but there’s a poster and I’m glad to have the excuse to post the singles ahead of the album’s release, so here you go:

AUG/SEPT 2026
Where we seeing you? 👀

8/26 – Chattanooga, TN at @redbudvenue w/ @dopeskum and @tempusplays

8/27 – Asheville, NC at @theoddavl w/ @thecultofsmoke @iguanahead @fleeting_forms_band @graspingairbooking

8/28 – Richmond, VA – Details 🔜

8/29 – Lynchburg, VA at @superradarcade w/ @iguanahead and @thecultofsmoke

8/30 – Philadelphia, PA at @kungfunecktie_bar w/ @reapersgong @_paleshade @sarinasounds

8/31 – Norfolk, VA at @taphousenorfolk w/ @earthtongue

9/4 – Nashville, TN at @the58sound w/ @thewellband and @moondestroys

Tix/info here 👇
Https://Materializerband.com/shows

https://www.materializerband.com/
https://linktr.ee/materializer
https://materializer.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/materializerofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/materializerhq

Materializer, As the Body Flies (2026)

Hi and welcome to the Summer 2026 Quarterly Review. Every day this week I’ll be posting a round of 10 reviews to total 50 by Friday, rounding up recent releases, stuff I’ve missed, etc. There are a few things in the mix that aren’t out yet that I’m going to sneak in (shh…), but it’s entirely possible I’ll be doing this again next month or in October, so, you know, sit tight. My hope is that you find something to hear you haven’t heard before, or at very least have your opinions validated on whatever it might be.

Without further ado, we roll.

Quarterly Review #1-10:

Goddess, Ritual of the Cloven Hoof

Based in Sweden and signed to Majestic Mountain Records, Goddess are an offshoot of 2010s-era doomers Goatess and feature guitarist/vocalist Karl-Martin Buhre and drummer Kenta Karlbom from that band alongside guitarist Anders Martinsgård (Black Solstice) and bassist John Jansson in the revamped, renamed four-piece on their six-track/37-minute doom-chugging debut album, Ritual of the Cloven Hoof. Sort-of-debut album? I don’t know how you want to classify it, but either way the point is doom, and Goddess inherit a penchant for massive riffs and forlorn spaces as songs like “To Be King” and the eight-and-a-half-minute “Born Again Heathen” begin to define a character that is their own within the genre, the latter leaning a bit into doomedelic jamming ahead of the closer “Devil’s Reef,” which returns to ground in reliable fashion with deceptive vitality in its push. It’s no coincidence they sound like they know what they’re doing, because they do, but their Ritual is also the beginning of a new exploration, and holds all the more potential for that.

Goddess on Instagram

Majestic Mountain Records store

—

Irata, Human

A new Irata album isn’t something that happens all the time, and fair enough. Some bands need to live before they write songs about it, and that’s not sarcasm or criticism for how much heart the North Carolinian trio put into their music. Human, while only their fourth LP since 2007, comes seven years after 2019’s Tower (review here) and starts out duly moody to suit the times in “Altar” and the bassy “Confessions,” but the swaying highlight “Seeds” finds a way to inject more energy into the delivery without sacrificing atmosphere, and though they hit into speedier fare in “Mirrors” or the penultimate “Goodside,” they do so while maintaining a patient progressivism, which leads to the masterful unfolding of capper “Daystar” across two linear builds, the latter of which ends the Human on a fading rumble. While maintaining a current of raw expression, Irata are able to conjure expanses in their sound. A J. Robbins mix doesn’t hurt in that effort, but it wouldn’t work if the songs didn’t run as deep as they do.

Irata website

Small Stone Records website

—

Gutward, I

Oh hell yes. Indonesian stoner doomers Gutward bring about a lumber that’s a sure reminder of what dragged me onto this wretched lifepath to start with. Huge, immersive grooves, airy but discernible vocals — that actually have something to say about the world around them; bonus — and a sense of space and outreach that is at once free and encompassing. I is their first release following the 2024 single “Mauna Vedanā,” and its five-track/35-minute course is less about innovation than celebration, reveling in the largesse of march at the end of “What’s With the Rush?” or the addled vastness in “Mass Delusion” and hopefully-foretelling-of-things-to-come melodic showcase “Rot Alone” ahead of 12-minute capper “The Messages,” which is heavy enough for whatever you need flattened but holds firm to its tempo gruel and the melody established by the song prior. My only problem with the record is I can’t figure out which label I want them to sign to most, but either way, I is easily among the best debut albums I’ve heard this year. I look forward to hearing where they go from here.

Gutward Linktr.ee

Gutward on Instagram

—

Smokemaster, In the Temple

A six-years-later follow-up for the potential wrought in their 2020 self-titled debut (review here), Smokemaster‘s In the Temple is in coversation with the breadth of modern psychedelia and the friendly melodies of ’60s pop-psych alike, and the Cologne outfit manage to make even a mover like “Do it Again” feel like a quiet, intimate moment, while pieces like the title-track and “Electromagnetic” feel less concerned with heft than float, and “Down in the Salt Mines” hones a wash that turns the extended solo in its back half to an utter triumph brought to heel in favor of a quiet last verse. Acoustic guitar, organ, effects, breathy vocals, clever layering — all of these elements serve the needs of the songs, and the songs have more range for them, but the underlying structures are a strength as the harmonies in “Citrus Leaves” demonstrate before they bring the album to an effectively stirring resolution. It’s the kind of record that might make your day better.

Smokemaster website

Tonzonen website

—

Bantoriak, Vol. II

At the core of Bantoriak is Izio Orsini from Rancho Bizzarro, who in 2015 debuted the project with Weedoism (review here) and all its attendant weirdness. Vol. II follows suit 11 years later — what is time? — but finds Orsini working with a range of guests, from Sergio Chotsourian (ex-Los Natas, etc.) on the lumbering post-intro plunge “Blu Bus,” to members of Vesta, Supernaughty and Zen Circus, resulting in a could-go-anywhere vision of meditative heavy psychedelia. There’s throat singing on “La Muerte del Sitar,” while “Ritualism” finds the sitar very much alive and droning, “Kairot” lets the guitar scorch a bit, and “Liquid Brain” feels like a lost jam from The Heads. The last four minutes are dedicated to the ethereal noise of “Karpura,” with the later reaches lost to distant shouts and a consuming sound that might be running water. A lesson in how to be in-genre and still totally on your own wavelength.

Bantoriak on Instagram

Argonauta Records store

—

Troy the Band, (Des)

While I don’t envy any band the task of distinguishing themselves in London’s underground scene, which is arguably the most packed-with-riffs of anywhere the world over and has been at this point for some time, the manner in which Troy the Band meet the challenge head on with their second album (Des), following on from 2024’s debut, Cataclysm (review here), with a collection that finds the trio of guitarist Sean Burn, bassist Sean Durbin and drummer Jack Revans answering the departure of vocalist Craig Newman by including a breadth of guest appearances. The penultimate “Adoration of Ill Luck” features Ana-Maria Terr Bordei, whom they’ve since welcomed as their new permanent singer, and her command over the massive groove there honed is enough reason why, but only one among a slew of highlights that include the immediately preceding “Memory Glowing,” with Peter Holland (Elephant Tree, etc.) and Kay Elizabeth (Black Orchids), and the screaming volatility of “Nothing” or “Choke.” There’s a lot happening in any individual cut, but the root instrumentals tie it all together and make (Des) an engrossing journey of a listen.

Troy the Band website

Troy the Band Linktr.ee

—

Burning Sister, Plunge b/w Fadeout (Live)

I know the focus on the new Burning Sister two-songer, Plunge b/w Fadeout (Live), is supposed to be the A-side, the new studio track and the ‘gaze vibes therefrom, the steady roll brought to bear for just under six minutes, hypnotic and full in its unrolling, hinting toward psych but staying true to the band’s stated intention of being ‘Mile High Downer Rock,’ bassist/vocalist Steve Miller and drummer Alison Salutz exploring and finding a plane between atmosphere and impact, but don’t sleep on the B-side either. This live interpretation of “Fadeout,” which opened the band’s 2023 Get Your Head Right EP (review here) when they were a trio but here becomes a showcase of fuzz density, nod and ’90s druggery. I suppose there’s no wrong answer between the two cuts, but “Fadeout (Live)” makes an easy comparison point for the Denver two-piece’s continuing excursion into the outer bounds of heavy weirdness, and even better, I suspect that’s why it’s included in the first place. For more, see their 2025 LP Ghosts (review here), and yeah, I really mean that you should.

Burning Sister on Bandcamp

Burning Sister on Instagram

—

The Heavy Eyes, Focus

Focus is an aptly-titled six-years-later return and fifth album overall from Memphis heavy rockers The Heavy Eyes. Issued through Magnetic Eye and Kozmik Artifactz — the latter of long association — the 11-song collection swings and reaches out and puts its focus on the songs themselves, which are taut, well composed, and able to make a four-minute slab like “It’s All Simone” feel like an epic reach even as it takes its place in the overarching flow of the material. That might be experience or maturity coming through — they hit 15 years since their debut in 2026 — but with shades of All Them Witches in the vocals, a gleeful tonal swamp in “Corporal Upham” ahead of the fuzz-bluesy “That Cold Goliath (Might Return),” and hooks to spare throughout, The Heavy Eyes remind that so much of the appeal in the first place was their ability to cohesively take on a range of elements and fuse them into a single stylistic statement. The self-awareness with which Focus would seem to have been made hinders this not in the slightest. Heads up, rockers.

The Heavy Eyes on Bandcamp

Magnetic Eye Records store

Kozmik Artifactz website

—

For Eons, Collide

Atmospheric heavy psychedelia presented across five duly broad tracks comprises this impressive debut full-length from Vienna-based trio For Eons, and Collide both has intricacy in the now and speaks promises of things to come in its sprawling sound, patient in centerpiece “Depths of Time,” excitingly prog-fuzzed in opener “Old Friend,” and righteous in the payoff of the eight-and-half-minute “Echoes of the Past,” the vocal melody in the latter putting the band in league with the likes of The Machine or the still-missed Sungrazer while the clearheaded tones in the start-stops of “Million Voices” and the will to drift in closer “From the Jungles to the Cities” (which has its own start-stops toward the finish) harness a sense of progressivism without feeling overly indulgent so much as engaging the listener on more than one level. The title speaks of smashing things together, and maybe that’s how the band experiences their music, I don’t know, but from the listener’s standpoint their songs are more fluid than they might at first seem.

For Eons on Instagram

StoneFree Records store

—

Rödtjut, Framtiden var bättre förr

Classic Swedish hard/heavy rock from the second Rödtjut full-length, Framtiden var bättre förr, with a songwriting that pushes toward the proto-metallic in “Rödögd blåtira” (and elsewhere) but balances that out with, say, the flute in “Vår tid” or the organ-inclusive mellowprog fluidity of eight-minute instrumental closer “Efter stormen.” It’s in Swedish, obviously, and I’m ignorant of the language, but the chug of “VMA” transcends gerunds, and as they demonstrate with the leadoff title-track, a hook is a hook regardless of what the syllables actually mean. The lead guitar in “En plats som vi inte förstår” has a bit of fuzzy stank on it, but by and large the intention is toward straight-up hard rock of the later-’70s variety, though somebody in this band likes Judas Priest, and that’s reasonable. This is my first exposure to Rödtjut, who have apparently been through some lineup changes since their debut in 2023, but the straightforward approach suits them and the songs hit a stylistic sweetspot, so you won’t hear me complain.

Rödtjut on Bandcamp

Sound Effect Records website

—

I got to see Memphis heavy blues rockers The Heavy Eyes at the end of January at Planet Desert Rock Weekend (review here), and accordingly I think their new single “Troublesome Priest” heralds a record that there’s a good chance you’ll want to hear. The first streaming track from their upcoming fifth LP, Focus, pairs a bluesy vocal with chorus stretches of hard-hitting fuzz, tightly crafted into a three-minute package likewise hooky and atmospheric. You probably won’t have to ask yourself how Kozmik Artifactz and Magnetic Eye got behind it after you listen, is what I’m saying.

The PR wire has it like this:

Memphis heavy rockers THE HEAVY EYES to release new album “Focus” on June 12th; debut single “Troublesome Priest” available now!

Memphis, Tennessee’s heavy blues and rock powerhouse THE HEAVY EYES are set to return with their anticipated fifth studio album “Focus” in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records and Kozmik Artifactz this June 12th, and present the debut single “Troublesome Priest” today!

Stream new single “Troublesome Priest” at this location (https://lnkfi.re/troublesomepriest)

Six years after their last offering, The Heavy Eyes return with their most electrifying work yet. Their forthcoming new album Focus is 11 tracks brimming with new energy, cementing the band’s stomp-inducing riff-rock and transcending into heavier sonic realms. Sprawling guitar solos caress gargantuan grooves while languid, soulful vocals preach the gospel of a band reborn — ready to lead heavy rock lovers into the promised land with what can already be described as an instant classic.

About the album, guitarist and vocalist Tripp Shumake comments: “This album is The Heavy Eyes taking everything that has inspired us in the musical landscape and not giving a damn if it fits our particular genre. We want to use those impressions to bend our sound into new and exciting ideas for the listener and us, while still remaining true to our Memphis rock and roll roots. To focus on the thrill of creating something that wasn’t there before.”

Focus will be available on June 12th, 2026 on vinyl, CD and digital in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records and Kozmik Artifactz, with preorders available from Bandcamp (https://theheavyeyes.bandcamp.com/album/focus) and MER’s official store (https://spkr.store/search?q=the+heavy+eyes).

New album “Focus”
Out June 12th in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records
& Kozmik Artifactz (LP/CD/digital)

TRACKLIST:
1. That Cold Goliath
2. Concrete Halloween
3. It’s All Simone
4. Sarissa
5. Corporal Upham
6. Troublesome Priest
7. Focus
8. Greener
9. Words
10. That Cold Goliath (Might Return)
11. Holy Envy

The Heavy Eyes is
Tripp Shumake – guitar/vocals
Matthew Qualls – guitar
Wally Anderson – bass
Eric Garcia – drums

http://theheavyeyesmemphis.bandcamp.com
http://www.instagram.com/theheavyeyes
http://www.facebook.com/TheHeavyEyes

http://store.merhq.com
http://magneticeyerecords.com/
https://www.instagram.com/magneticeyerecords/
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords

http://kozmik-artifactz.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kozmikartifactz

The Heavy Eyes, Focus (2026)

Time for All Them Witches to release the album they’ve been heralding on tour since last year. Out May 29 I think as a self-release, House of Mirrors will be the Nashville four-piece’s first full-length since 2020’s Nothing as the Ideal (review here), and that’s probably long enough even with the Baker’s Dozen (discussed here) singles project they spent 2022 dug into. The new single “Starting Line” — as though to mark the beginning of the album cycle that, again, has already started — has a video filmed on tour that you’ll find near the bottom of this post.

It’s not actually the first single, though, as the prior-posted visualizer for the blues traditional “Red Rocking Chair” that they put out last month will lead off the record. Curious if “Culling Line” and “Starting Line” will have any interaction, and how the crunch in this current single and the prior will play out across the entirety of House of Mirrors, what shape the psychedelic lean of their sound might take this time around. I guess I just want to hear the record, is the bottom line. It’s nice to feel excited about a thing.

They did a whole thing with tarot cards on their socials and at shows, but when I try to put a gallery in it screws up the post, so I might add it later. Putting a note to myself here to remember, which I probably won’t anyhow because I suck at this.

Preorder links, the album tracklisting and announcement, and dates for the European tour that will follow the release in June are below. Dig it:

ALL THEM WITCHES – House of Mirrors

Starting Line is out now and we’re stoked to announce that our new album House of Mirrors will be coming out May 29th! Pre-save / pre-order now.

Pre-save: https://on.allthemwitches.org/tb_app/542821

Pre-order: https://store.allthemwitches.org

Tracklist:
1) Red Rocking Chair
2) Culling Line
3) Aethernet
4) Hold Up, Say What?
5) Go-getter
6) Starting Line
7) Turn On The Light
8) Angel On The Wayside
9) The Welterweight
10) Saturn Song

ALL THEM WITCHES – House of Mirrors European Tour
14.06 Nickeldorf AT Nova Rock 
17.06 Edinburgh UK La Belle Angele
18.06 Notthingham UK The Palais
19.06 Birmingham UK 02 Institute
20.06 Bristol UK 02 Academy
21.06 Brighton UK Chalk
23.06 Hamburg DE Markthalle
25.06 Stockholm SE Nalen
26.06 Copenhagen DK Copenhell
27.06 St. Gallen CH Openair St. Gallen
28.06 Lausanne CH Docks
29.06 Paris FR Olympia
30.06 Stuttgart DE LKA Longhorn
02.07 Werchter BE Rock Werchter
03.07 Leipzig DE Parkbühne
04.07 Beuningen NL Down the Rabbit Hole

All Them Witches are:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr. – bass/vocals
Allan Van Cleave – Rhodes/violin
Ben McLeod – guitar
Christian Powers – drums

http://www.allthemwitches.org/
http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches

All Them Witches, “Starting Line” official video

All Them Witches, “Red Rocking Chair” visualizer

Having caught All Them Witches on their ‘House of Mirrors’ tour this past December in Brooklyn with King Buffalo supporting (review here), I will kindly and in the interest of friendship urge you to see them if they’re happening through where you live. They’re currently on the West Coast, also with King Buffalo, and by all accounts I’ve seen it’s going swimmingly. King Buffalo won’t be making the trip to Europe with the Nashville four-piece, however, but Slift, Steak (did I see something about a new album coming?), Slomosa and Rezn will in turn step in to support.

All Them Witches stand among the foremost headlining heavy rock acts of their generation. Their selection of openers here speaks some to that — any one of the bands listed above could be headlining their own tour — and while I’m dying to hear new music from them, I can’t and won’t take away from the impact they make onstage. It’s been six years and half a lineup since their last proper studio record, but it’s not like they’re not keeping busy in the interim. Their recently-released-as-a-single take on the traditional “Red Rocking Chair” is streaming below, in case you’d like more of a reason to potentially leave your house some evening in June or early July.

From social media:

EUROPE/UK – we’re heading your way this summer! Stoked to have @steakband, @sliftrock, @slomosa, and @rezzzn joining us. Pre-sale starts February 25 at 10am local. Sign up for early access: https://www.allthemwitches.org/tour All tickets on sale this Friday, February 27 at 10am local. See you there.

ALL THEM WITCHES – House of Mirrors European Tour
14.06 Nickeldorf AT Nova Rock 
17.06 Edinburgh UK La Belle Angele
18.06 Notthingham UK The Palais
19.06 Birmingham UK 02 Institute
20.06 Bristol UK 02 Academy
21.06 Brighton UK Chalk
23.06 Hamburg DE Markthalle
25.06 Stockholm SE Nalen
26.06 Copenhagen DK Copenhell
27.06 St. Gallen CH Openair St. Gallen
28.06 Lausanne CH Docks
29.06 Paris FR Olympia
30.06 Stuttgart DE LKA Longhorn
02.07 Werchter BE Rock Werchter
03.07 Leipzig DE Parkbühne
04.07 Beuningen NL Down the Rabbit Hole

All Them Witches are:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr. – bass/vocals
Allan Van Cleave – Rhodes/violin
Ben McLeod – guitar
Christian Powers – drums

http://www.allthemwitches.org/
http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches

All Them Witches, “Red Rocking Chair” visualizer

I had never seen Memphis heavy rockers The Heavy Eyes until a couple weeks ago at Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI (review here) in Las Vegas. They were killer, I guess, is the key insight. So much the better that they’re taking the show on the road in Europe, playing Wasted! Open Air, Blackdoor Music Festival and SOL Sonic Ride, the latter put on by Sound of Liberation, whereas Total Volume is presenting the tour.

Of course the fests are an occasion unto themselves — they’re bookending the tour; this is how it’s done these days; fortunately there is a festival somewhere every weekend — and it’s not like the band needs a record to tour on, but it’s been six years since The Heavy Eyes released Love Like Machines (review here), for which they also toured in Europe in 2022, so if there’s an announcement coming, you might say they’re due for a new record. Some simple math also reveals that 2026 is the 15th anniversary of the band’s 2011 self-titled debut, and what would also be a thing to celebrate if they’re so inclined.

Could pause here to reflect on flying time, but will spare you. While you sigh with relief at having dodged that one, by all means peruse the dates below. Their announcement was crisp and straightforward and came from the social medias. Here’s to requesting cheese:

Europe, we’re crossing the pond this summer. Prepare for our arrival with exotic cheeses and wine please. See y’all out there.

13.06 DE Wasted! Open Air
14.06 NL Arnheim Cafe Bosch
17.06 NL Amsterdam De Tanker
18.06 NL Dordrecht Bibelot
19.06 UK London Oslo
20.06 FR Paris Supersonic Records
21.06 FR Lille La Bulle Cafe
23.06 DE Lichtenfels Paunchy Cats
24.06 DE Munster Rare Guitar
25.06 DE Jena Kuba
26.06 DE Blackdoor Music Festival
27.06 DE Wiesbaden SOL Sonic Ride

http://theheavyeyesmemphis.bandcamp.com
http://www.instagram.com/theheavyeyes
http://www.facebook.com/TheHeavyEyes

http://kozmik-artifactz.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kozmikartifactz

The Heavy Eyes, Love Like Machines (2020)

I know what you’re thinking. At very least, I know what I was thinking, but actually no, I don’t think “Red Rocking Chair” is heralding a new All Them Witches album. The anticipation of such a thing is understandable as we approach six years since 2020’s Nothing as the Ideal (review here), not that they haven’t had new music to offer since — they spent all of 2022 unfurling singles in a project called ‘Baker’s Dozen’ (discussed here) — and anyway, “Red Rocking Chair” is an American folk traditional, born out of “Sugar Baby,” recordings of which date back about a century. One imagines if the Nashville four-piece — guitarist Ben McLeod, bassist/vocalist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., the returned-in-’21 Allan Van Cleave on keys and violin, and drummer Christian Powers — were starting the cycle for the full-length they said they finished just over a year ago, they’d do so with an original. Or maybe not. They’ve always had a softspot for breaking that kind of rule.

The earliest live showcasing of their take on “Red Rocking Chair” I can find is from late 2024, but it was part of the encore when I was lucky enough to see them this past December in Brooklyn (review here) as well, and while they’re not talking album at this point — one imagines there are some things to sort on the business end, label-wise, and so on — it’s still possible the unveiling of this track and visualizer is a precursor to more. Mind you, it’s also possible it’s a genuine standalone, as All Them Witches have definitely done that before as well — anyone remember “George Dubya Kush?” — but they’ve also recently signed on with new, UK-based PR, and the ‘House of Mirrors Tour’ they undertook last Fall with King Buffalo is picking up again this week, so they’re active across multiple levels regardless of when the awaited next LP actually shows up, and certainly they’ve been touring all the while, sometimes playing full albums, in the years since Nothing as the Ideal, while also welcoming back Van Cleave as noted and bringing Powers into the band and rebuilding the chemistry so crucial to their approach. I’m just saying; they’ve been around.

This is a long way to go — shocking, I know — for me to tell you that maybe a new All Them Witches record happens this year and maybe it doesn’t. Sadly, it’s not up to me. But as these guys are one of the best heavy-anything rock bands of their generation, I’ll take what I can get, and if that’s a ready-for-repeat-listens studio version of “Red Rocking Chair,” I’m perfectly happy to dig in and bask in the inimitable low-key bluesy groove and the massive roll that offsets; elements that make “Red Rocking Chair” signature All Them Witches regardless of the song’s actual origins. Whatever follows will follow.

Enjoy:

All Them Witches, “Red Rocking Chair” visualizer

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Just a few weeks until we’re back on the road in the US! Tickets are moving fast so grab yours while you can. See you guys soon. https://www.allthemwitches.org/tour

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