And so we reach the penultimate day of this Quarterly Review; whichever quarter it is, I neither know nor particularly care, I’m just happy to be writing.

It’s been solid days so far. Yesterday was a little harried on timing, but that’s as close to an actual snag as I’ve gotten, which I’m happy to say. The music’s been good, the images and embeds have either been there already or have been easy to find, and there were only one or two things I had to replace along the way because they weren’t coming out for like another couple months. I’ve never been able to keep track of release dates.

I thought about putting a thing in the sidebar so people could list stuff and each week there would be a list, but I feel like I’d be the only one doing it and that’s not how I want to spend my limited time. I want to spend it writing, so I do. And no, it’s not even a little lost on me what a gift that is. It’s why I keep telling you my wife is so amazing. Part of why, anyhow.

We wrap tomorrow, so here’s today.

Quarterly Review #31-40:

Ruff Majik, Tan Halen

The central thesis of Ruff Majik‘s recent single “Tan Halen”, that “Sundays are for surfing,” becomes the hook and foundation of this four-song EP of the same name that’s the band’s most substantial offering since they ended a relatively brief hiatus at the start of this year. On the four-track outing, “Tan Halen” is accompanied by “Tvn Hvlen (Tvpe Mix),” which sounds more compressed and vocals-forward, the haggardly swaggering prior single “For the Life of Me,” here presented in an alternate mix that in its maddening chorus brings up the snare and feels more chaotic at the end, and lastly, “Tan Halen (Too Much Fuzz, Not Enough Drums),” which is true more on the second account than the first — how much fuzz is too much for Ruff Majik? is that a pinnacle that’s yet been reached? — but with the drums lower in the mix and the filthy tones surrounding has kind of a garage rock feel, which again, is fair enough for a song about surfing. Only missing here is their first 2026 single, “Can of Wyrms” (posted here), but you can’t have everything. I’m just glad they’re putting out new music.

Ruff Majik website

Sound of Liberation Records store

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Green Desert Water, Eerie Meadows

Releasing through Small Stone Records (US) and Kozmik Artifactz (EU), Spanish classic heavy rockers Green Desert Water bring warmth to boogie and once again distill decades of influence into a cohesive, movement-minded, dynamic package. Eerie Meadows is their third album and in pieces like “The Blacksmith” near the outset or the sweeping “Wolfhound” and shuffling “Bos Primigenius” ahead of the finale “Meteora” on side B, they make it all sound easy, natural, like it couldn’t be any other way. The way that happens is through command of craft, and Green Desert Water are there too in the push of fuzz that emerges at the end of soulful leadoff “Northern Lights,” the bluesier “Holy Ground” and the big crashes/softshoe of the title-track, the trio having constructed songs that can have been worked on but don’t feel like, that engage without cloying, and which thrill in their sundry twists and redirects. I’m not sure what more one could ask of them.

Green Desert Water website

Small Stone Records website

Kozmik Artifactz website

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Go Mahhh, Doppelgänger

No, I don’t think Berlin newcomers Go Mahhh are the first to posit themselves as being “as high as the mountain,” as they do on opener “High Mountain,” in the stonerly genres, but their tight and heavy psychedelic rock comes through as inherited, and songs like “Happy Satan’s Reign” and the proto-chugging “BBSBBQ,” the kraut-dancey “Anatoliosis” and the percussively shuffling “The Sun King” offer variety united by an underlying current of weirdness. Perhaps it’s all leading to the seven-minute finale “Mind Aussalt” (sic), with its drift and drone and ’60s guitar earlier on, but the band never rest too long in one place, be it the buzzing roll of “Blood Transfusion” or the interlude “MSAZ-20,” with intertwining lines of standalone guitar. Part of me wants to talk about the potential for growth here and the idea that Go Mahhh are debuting with significant range on Doppelgänger, but honestly, the spirit of the album is so much more about the joy of exploration that pulling myself out of the moment feels inappropriate. Some records, you just want to go where they take you.

Go Mahh on Instagram

Noisolution store

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Heath, Murmurations

Heath‘s 2024 debut, Isaak’s Marble (review here) offered hints of progressivism to come, but Murmurations goes to another level, digging in across three tracks to recharacterize their sound from boogie traditionalism to something more expansive and their own. The two-minute mostly-vocals intro “Exordium in D Minor” leads into two 15-minutes-each cuts “Murmurations” and “Nosedive,” and while clearly jam-based, the two songs follow plotted, sometimes winding courses, still keeping a classic feel but lighting a fire under it by the time the title-track is through. Comprising what I assume is the entirety of side B, “Nosedive” unfolds patiently with Rhodes ambience and a gradual build of guitar, working its way to and through a build that hits into surprising heft before its done but makes its core impression in its burner midsection, because nothing tops a crescendo like another, slower, crashing crescendo. It’s like the chemistry here is slapping you in the face, and with the growth they show in this material, Heath‘s limits feel far off on the horizon.

Heath website

Suburban Records website

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The Crooked Skulls, Midnight Sun

There’s no obfuscation on The Crooked Skulls‘ debut full-length, Midnight Sun. The New Jersey crunch-riffers come right at you with it: thick tones, gravel-throated vocals, and an overarching groove somewhere between slower Orange Goblin and classic Corrosion of Conformity, leaving room for a bit of shove in “Skull Bong” and “Broken” while the mostly-instrumental “Slowsteal” cuts the pace and unfolds with an airier solo in its second half as part of a righteously nodding culmination. Elsewhere, the urgency of centerpiece “Let Me Out” reminds of The Obsessed riding the line between rock and doom, and the penultimate “Iron Smile” brings no less than Fu Manchu‘s Bob Balch in for an expectedly shredding guest guitar spot. Even there, The Crooked Skulls aren’t up to anything too fancy. They’re not looking to dizzy you with complexity so much as dizzy you with a fist upside the head, and that edge of East Coast confrontationalism becomes part of what makes their material feel so immediate in its execution right unto closer “Judgement Day,” which holds its burl through the finish. No tricks, but songs.

The Crooked Skulls website

Electric Desert Records website

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Broadslab, The Fifth Essence

A healthy dose of Pentagram-style doom boogie pervades Broadslab‘s The Fifth Essence, and reasonably so as the Mike Dean-produced, Raleigh, North Carolina-based four-piece make their way to the nine-minute organ-laced capper “Constellations” through the classic swing of “Animal Divinity” and “Leslie” at the outset, setting an energetic and stage-ready tone for what follows, the interlude “Alienation” ahead of the all-in shred and burl of side A closer/centerpiece “Shameful Reality,” a more aggressive take than either of the first two cuts, but the beginning rather than the end of their branching out therefrom. The seven-minute “Keep on Rollin'” (not a Samavayo cover) and “Constellations” comprise most of side B, with the longer interlude “Quintessence” between, duly subdued to lead the way from the dual-vocal-style shove of the song before into the immediate kick the band deliver on their way to the extended jamming that carries them out. This might be their first record in 12 years? All the more of an occasion, then.

Broadslab on Bandcamp

Electric Desert Records website

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Purple Skies, A Million Years

Bergen, Norway’s Purple Skies make their long-play debut with A Million Years, and thereby foster a sound that’s informed by retroism without actually sounding like it was recorded on vintage gear. That is, as “Haven” and “Too Worn to Tell” demonstrate, they aren’t beholden to a vintage aesthetic, despite influence by bands like Witchcraft (which you can hear in the vocals as well as the guitar progressions they follow) and whichever of their acolytes you’d prefer to namedrop. That doesn’t account for everything on the nine-song A Million Years — to wit, the harmonies on the title-track — but it’s a start and so is the record. They seem to find another layer of tonal depth for “Worthless Men,” and it’s perhaps telling that both of the closing duo of “Archaic Freeway” and “Red Road” are in some way about transportation, because movement is an important factor the whole way through. I wouldn’t say it’s all forward-thinking — having a song called “Bitchcraft” in 2026 is a downer — but they give themselves something to work from in these songs and one will be curious to hear how they refine over time what this material lays out so organically.

Purple Skies on Bandcamp

Apollon Records website

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Red Beard Wall, F.T.W.

The verses are a little more opaque in their biting, harsh-throated sludgecore screams — Ken-E Bones of Negative Reaction comes to mind — but there’s no mistaking the point of view in the hook of “F.T.W.”: “Fuck the world/Fuck AI/Realize the billionaires want us all to die,” and so on. Kudos to Texas’ Red Beard Wall for having a not-shitty opinion. “F.T.W.,” which indeed is restored to its pre-Millennial acronymic purpose (this is not “For the Win,” it’s “Fuck the World”), is joined by the likewise structured “W.A.N.T.S.” (“We Are Not the Same”), and in neither case is Red Beard Wall mainman Aaron “He of the Red Beard” Wall fucking around. “W.A.N.T.S.” uses meme culture to convey no less disaffection than the song before it, and is accordingly castigating as it shifts into a chug worthy of Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol before its sub-four-minutes are up. The above-noted hook of “F.T.W.” is the frame for the short offering and maybe the most fitting summary of Wall‘s lyrical point of view, but shit, it’s not like he’s wrong, politically or in the riffs. It might not change the world, but it’s a well earned lashing out thereupon.

Red Beard Wall on Bandcamp

Red Beard Wall on Instagram

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White Tundra, Stories From the Dark

Trondheim’s White Tundra debuted in 2023 with their self-titled LP (review here) on Apollon Records before aligning with Argonauta imprint Octopus Rising for the six-song/37-minute follow-up full-length, Stories From the Dark. The second offering demonstrates more than a handful of positive lessons from the first, including the uptempo swing at the start of “Healer” and the symmetry across the album’s two sides, each of which works from its shortest to its longest inclusion. Fortunately, to coincide with this, their niche feels even more dug out as their own here, with deep fuzz and gravelly vocals as mainstay elements uniting the material, be it the spacious, eponymous closer “White Tundra” or the extra-dense-seeming nod of “The Lake” just before it. There’s more to discover in their songwriting — that is, I don’t think they’re done growing — but their ideas are surpassing their influences now in a way they weren’t three years ago, and for sure it’ll be a third record I’m going to watch for. Incremental, natural growth underway.

White Tundra on Bandcamp

Argonauta Records store

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Past the Light, EP

Titled simply EP, this three-song/15-minute pummeler draws together aspects of war/death metal and sets them in a context led by riffs, so that the battle-themed horrors of “Trench Division” and the roll of “Bog Bodies” and the lurch early in “Venomous Trait” balance extremity and accessibility in a way that feels like someone should probably send it to Fenriz. Has Fenriz heard this yet? It’s the band’s first release — the lineup includes Jason Brackin, Chad Remains (Ghorot, ex-Uzala), Jacob Depolitte and Marco Gonzalez, or so I’m told — and somewhat indistinguishable from a demo for that, but the fact is that while they might be outwardly basking in a kind of metallic primitivism, knuckle-dragging their and your way to oblivion with only gutturalisms for comfort, there’s no time wasted on EP in informing the listener who Past the Light are and what are their intentions in grim bludgeonry. Telling of things to come? I know better than to predict, but there’s intricacy amid the slaughter if you’re willing to hear it. The test is on you as the listener, whether and for how long you can hang in.

Past the Light on Bandcamp

Past the Light on Instagram

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Hail hail rock and roll on a Saturday night, and all concordant rituals. After a busy week of building steam, to be sure I was ready to blow some off, and a four-act night at Factory Records — two Jersey homegrowns, two imports — would be just enough volume to do the trick. The record store is located in Dover, just a couple exits on I-80 West from where they had all the sinkholes that were big news in NJ and nowhere else earlier this year.

Tennessee doom rockers WyndRider and Ohio fuzz-riffing stalwarts Valley of the Sun were at the top of the bill, while The Crooked Skulls and the recently-seen Heavy Flow opened. It had been a minute since I was last at Factory Records, but the room with the stage and P.A. was much the same: cozy, intimate, loud. Old rugs and couches and treasure chests and the odd bit of well-lived-in antiquity. So yes, familiar from last time.

I rolled in circa doors and found a couch spot to sit and write that I guessed would be homebase for the evening. There have been at least three heavy shows in Northern New Jersey this year, in the county where I live, and this was one of them. I’ve yet to hit one that was packed to the rafters, but I’m not kidding when I say that not traveling to a show, having gigs somewhere I can just go and then go home — my house, also pretty close to Rt. 80 — and having that level of convenience, is a new experience for me. I like it. I finally understand why people feel compelled to complain when tours are skipping their town. It’s way easier when bands come to you.

When originally announced, this show was supposed to happen at Stanhope House, but apparently not so much. They may have closed? I only know what I’m told and am too lazy to find out for myself. In any case, Factory Records is a decent spot, and I had the feeling the bands would sound huge in that room, all exposed concrete on the walls and such. By the time The Crooked Skulls were done line checking, I knew I was right.

And we all know there’s nothing I enjoy more than agreeing with myself, so all the better. Here’s how the night went:

The Crooked Skulls

It was my first time seeing the Garden State’s own The Crooked Skulls, who hit the stage fresh from releasing their new single “Iron Smile,” on which Fu Manchu’s Bob Balch sits in on guitar. They played that song last, and fair enough, but it wasn’t the only highlight of their set, along with “Buried” just before. Their sound is a reasonably straightforward proposition — guitar, bass, drums, with vocals shared between guitarist Pete Koretzky (lead) and bassist Dave Van Auken (backing mostly, some lead), drummer Chuck Snyder bashing away behind — following riffs with metal at their foundation and a burl in the tone that carries extra impact for the chug, which at this stage is a big part of the structure of their riffs. That hint of aggro comes tempered by the pacing, which is in it purely for the groove. If shows in this area are going to be a thing — and golly that would be nice, even at such a pace as I’ve seen them this year — I suspect it won’t be the last time I see them. So much the better for the path of growth on which they’ve set themselves. I had been wondering what their plan was for a first release and was fortunate enough to get clarity on that after they played.

Heavy Flow

My second time seeing Rahway’s Heavy Flow, the two-piece who reminded me rather quickly of why I thought they were such a blast last time. Because they are (remember what I said about agreeing with myself?). Gravelly vovals with a bluesy tinge meld to suit riffs that are classic in a variety of ’90s-based senses, plus hooks and hooks and hooks and personality to back it, whether you’re watching somewhat-introverted-but-still-engaged-like-when-the-slackers-roamed-the-earth guitarist/vocalist James Matheson and more-outwardly-all-in-on-the-notion-of-play-as-playing drummer/vocalist Matt Weisser, or, better, both, since it’s how well they work together that makes it work. Granted it hasn’t been that long, but I took remembering songs from last time as a good sign. It almost always is. But the grunge, some shoegaze fuzz, the jangly strut, “hands in pockets,” as they put it. Cool band, man.

Valley of the Sun

I have a concern for Valley of the Sun being underappreciated that I can only describe as “oddly motherly.” Don’t tell them. Just you and me talking. But the truth of the matter is they’ve been kicking ass for a good while now and I guess I think of them as not hyped enough. Seriously, for all the Bandcamp-flavor-of-until-this-riff-ends bands that have come and gone in the time Valley of the Sun have made themselves into one of the most reliably killer heavy rock live acts this country has to offer, I feel like there’s more respect due. That’s all. They played a short set — guitarist/vocalist Ryan Ferrier said they were “in the neighborhood,” recording a new album to follow-up 2024’s Quintessence (review here), which is an enticing thought — but nothing new was aired. Still, I’ll take a run through a few classics alongside new burners, the last of which was the title-track of Quintessence, written somewhat differently on bassist Chris Sweeney’s setlist, a highlight well worthy of the greatest hits set out it rounded out. This was my second time watching Valley of the Sun this year after Planet Desert Rock Weekend V (review here), and when I shouted out for them to play a new one — followed by a “c’mon” that I issued as a gift on behalf of the state of New Jersey for them to take with them — Ferrier said to go to Brooklyn tomorrow for soundcheck. Tempting proposition.

WyndRider

“These songs are about satan, sluts and speed,” informed guitarist Robbie Willis right before WyndRider kicked into their set. Willis didn’t share vocals with singer Chloe Gould, but the mic was there mostly for shit-talking purposes, and that was reason enough. This was my first time seeing WyndRider, and they simultaneously, inevitably reminded me of the heyday of Southern sludge in some of their riffing, and had that air of Electric Wizardly cult nod as well. They were on tour through much of August and had just picked back up the night before in Richmond, but if they were rusty after like a week of not playing I wouldn’t be the one to know it. Their set — Willis and bassist Joshuwah Herald had their setlists written on porno-mag tearouts; I remember seeing Lo-Pan do that like 17 years ago and tee-heeing — did bring a new song, or one that, as Willis noted, wasn’t really new but wasn’t on an album yet, called “Crawlspace,” and along with “Motorcycle Witches,” their debut single “Electrophilia” and their encore of “Remember the Sabbath” made for highlights as they capped the evening. The latter they said they wrote after somebody called them “Sabbath worship” in a review as a pejorative. It wasn’t me. I think I’ve only ever used that phrase as a compliment. But anyhow, “Remember the Sabbath” underscored the point, with drummer Chase Karczewski (Ponddigger) doing the “Black Sabbath” toms in the quiet parts and everything. I was tired by then because I’m an old man and I wake up early, but that one last lurching groove — the product of a couple “one more song!” shouts from the crowd — was a welcome way to close it out. As a personal ethic, I rarely wear a shirt for a band I haven’t seen live, but I’ve had a WyndRider shirt in regular rotation for a while. Not a purchase I regret in the slightest.

Then I went home and did the dishes. True, except for the fact that I’m out of Cascade. But you know what? That’s Tomorrow-Me’s problem and I’ll leave it in his woefully incapable hands to deal with on my behalf. Thanks in advance, jerk.

And thanks to you for reading. You’re not a jerk.

More pics after the jump.

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You don’t have to stretch to hear the aggression coinciding with the riffing of The Crooked Skulls‘ new single “Iron Smile.” The three-minute banger is NYP on Bandcamp now, and it’s the only thing the New Jersey outfit have up, so yes, you would call it a focus. They have other tracks — I’ve heard a few — and no doubt part of the reason why “Iron Smile” was chosen as the first single from whatever release they’re working toward, whether that’s an EP, LP, whatever. A guest spot from Bob Balch of Fu Manchu, Big Scenic Nowhere, etc., doesn’t hurt either, of course. They released it Sunday night, assumingly because they wanted to keep it secret.

Electric Desert Records is standing behind the release of the single and presumably the eventual offering it will represent. The band will support Wyndrider and Valley of the Sun on a four-band bill with Heavy Flow happening Sept. 13 at Factory Records in Dover, NJ. I’m planning on being there.

From the PR wire:

The Crooked Skulls Drop New Single “Iron Smile” Featuring Bob Balch of Fu Manchu

A crushing anthem of resilience, out now on Bandcamp

Heavy rock upstarts The Crooked Skulls have unleashed their latest single, “Iron Smile” , a searing cut of stoner-soaked doom riffage featuring none other than Bob Balch of Fu Manchu on lead guitar.

Written as a rallying cry for standing tall against deception and staying true to yourself, “Iron Smile” channels everything the Skulls stand for: raw honesty, thick riffs, and grooves that hit like a hammer.

“This song’s for the ones who thought they could play you, but you’ve been around too long to fall for that. Stand tall, trust your gut, and never back down from who you are.” – The Crooked Skulls

Formed in New Jersey, The Crooked Skulls – Pete Koretzky (guitars/vocals), Dave Van Auken (bass/vocals), and Chuck Snyder (drums) – blend the heavy haze of stoner rock with the grit of doom and southern metal. Their sound pulls from legends like Black Label Society, Kyuss, and Crowbar, yet remains unapologetically their own.

The track was recorded at Nada Recording , with mixing and mastering handled by John Naclerio .

“Iron Smile” is available now on Bandcamp , with high-quality streaming and downloads in MP3, FLAC, and more.

https://thecrookedskulls1.bandcamp.com/track/iron-smile-feat-bob-balch

This release follows Koretzky’s previous collaboration with Valley of the Sun (“Where’s This Place?” – 2023), and further cements The Crooked Skulls as a band to watch in the heavy underground.

“Electric Desert Records is proud to unleash The Crooked Skulls onto our roster. Their sound is vicious, uncompromising, and carved straight from the bone of heavy music’s darkest traditions. We’re here to amplify their chaos and let the world hear every crushing riff.” – Electric Desert Records

The Crooked Skulls are:
Pete Koretzky – Guitar/Vocals
Dave Van Auken – Bass guitar
Chuck Snyder Drums
Featuring Bob Balch of Fu Manchu, Lead Guitar

https://thecrookedskulls1.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/the_crooked_skulls
https://www.facebook.com/thecrookedskulls

The Crooked Skulls, “Iron Smile” (feat. Bob Balch)