Last year, when the mighty Dozer plowed through North America, two bands joined them on tour: Abrams and MOON DESTROYS. Everyone was utterly convincing on stage, but Moon Destroys proved to be absolutely captivating, featuring current and ex-Torche, Royal Thunder, and Abrams. For fans of those bands (and there are many in the company of this readership), Moon Destroys will be a clear and absolute yes.

“Invasion” is an appropriate name for the opening track on their new album, ‘OMNI’ (2026), coming at you like an unfurling swarm of fuzzy, buzzing riff energy, along with big, sweeping bass and a motoric rhythmic groove. The trademark vocals, which are simply entrancing throughout the record, light up the night, drawing all ears heavenward with the spark of something otherworldly.

Moon Destroy’s new album comes out this Friday, September 4th, via Blues Funeral Recordings (get it here or here). At first, 11 tracks may seem like a big investment of your listening time, but once this ship takes off you are most definitely on board for this trip full of fireworks and wonder. Nothing short of mesmerizing, Omni is one of the year’s enduring best.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

An electrifying blend of post-grunge, riff-doom and driving psychedelia, OMNI encapsulates the expansive soundscapes of their previous album, 'She Walks by Moonlight,’ into more immediate cuts, delivering the breadth of their genre-pushing abilities in hook-driven, quickfire fashion.

Fresh off a breakout year that saw them tour with Elder, Dozer and The Sword, founding members Juan Montoya (ex-Torche) and Evan Diprima (Gold Pyramid, ex-Royal Thunder) ushered in 2026 by welcoming Zach Amster (Abrams) on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. Energized and hungry, the thunderous trio is now ready to enter their new chapter by unleashing their infectious brand of heaviness upon the world!

Formed by legendary guitarist Juan Montoya (a founding member of Torche) and drummer Evan Diprima (Gold Pyramid, Royal Thunder), MOON DESTROYS released their first EP Maiden Voyage in 2020. The 5-song debut featured contributions from Troy Sanders (Mastodon) and Bryan Richie (The Sword) and laid a foundation that would come fully into focus in April 2025, when the band was thrust into the limelight supporting Elder just as they were self-releasing their debut full-length, 'She Walks By Moonlight.’ This shimmering blend of post-rock, riff-doom and shoegazy psychedelia stood as a cinematic and otherworldly journey from a band who breeze into the environs of My Bloody Valentine, The Cult, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Ride.

Capping off 2025, MOON DESTROYS was invited to support Swedish icons Dozer on their long-awaited US tour, while Blues Funeral Recordings gave, 'She Walks By Moonlight’ a proper worldwide reissue in October, just in time for a coveted run of dates with The Sword. Their next full-length will be released in September 2026, with touring in the US and overseas to follow.

About the album and lead single, guitarist Juan Montoya states, “OMNI is a universe built upon constantly shifting sands, written by three souls who still believe heavy rock can save this damned world. The first taste, “Flowers”, introduces Zach on vocals, and it’s soothing lava to the ears. We are ecstatic to reveal the new album to all of you, come celebrate with us when we hit the road starting this fall!

Last year, Doomed & Stoned introduced readers to PEGZILLA, with the premiere of their irreverent music video, “Bootlicker”. Now signed to Ripple Music, the Los Angeles heavy rocking threesome are nearing their full-length debut, featuring the electric combustion of Olivia Saperstein (vox, guitar), Juan Barsse (bass), and Ryan Swain (drums).

‘Disobedience’ (2026) is a slice 'n’ dice good time, too, with opening track “Troll on Speed” delivering deadly doom riffing saddled to a breathtaking beat. Dark stare you down vocals steal the attention of the listening ear, joined by distorted soloing in homage to those fantastic Black Sabbath long sections.

“Pistola” is next, and a delight right from the start. The bass is deep, blustery, and resonant. Brilliantly captured. It’s right there with you. The band offers plosive attack following sultry introductory verses, and the effect is genuinely arresting. High energy to the very end, Pegzilla captures the core of '70s doom metal within their defiant brand of boisterous rock 'n’ roll.

Then comes the track we’re debuting today, in a brand new music video called “Chelsea.” It will no doubt be a thrilling introduction for many potential fans, an absolutely entrancing vibe that sits well on a playlist with the likes of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Blood Ceremony, Coven, and White Lung.

Four more tracks follow on Pegzilla’s new LP Disobedience, which releases October 9th on compact disc and digital formats (pre-order here).

The LA underground heavy scene is alive and well once again, and Pegzilla is definitely an act you’ll wanna get out and see (tour dates below).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

If Sabbath got hexed by a riot grrrl and dragged through the desert at midnight, you would get PEGZILLA. The heavy rock three-piece out of Los Angeles, California, features Olivia Saperstein on vocals and guitars, Juan Barsse on bass, and Ryan Swain on drums. With hints of doom metal, psych and even punk rock, it’s hard to fit this rowdy trio into a tidy box. Instead, label them one thing: LOUD.

The raucous trio has just inked a worldwide deal with Californian powerhouse Ripple Music for the impending release of their debut full-length Disobedience, due out this fall. With a new single set to drop in the summer, PEGZILLA is gearing up to prove that raw rock fury isn’t dead, as shown by their latest singles Virginia Werewolf and Bootlicker!

Pegzilla on Tour

9/2 - Portland, ME - Madrid’s
9/3 - Salem, MA - The Satanic Temple
9/4 - Montague, MA - RPM Fest
9/6 - St. Albans, VT - 14th Star
9/7 - Binghamton, NY - The Bundy Museum
9/8 - Buffalo, NY - The Mohawk
9/9 - Asbury Park, NJ - TBA
9/10 - Philly, PA - Funhouse Gallery
9/11 - Brooklyn, NY - Alphaville

As “Guayota” opens, it shakes the earth with dread as deep, reverberating bass fuzz sends shivers through the soil and massive downtuned guitar rattles the rocks. The brand new single from TERRA BLACK has the Gothenburg doomers exploring the mythos of the Canary Islands and the god of volcanic destruction.

It’s ferocity and sweeping doom grandeur (check out that ominous, sweeping riff two minutes in) is tempered by the sullen, mysterious vocal narration which speaks of creeping darkness. The song grows in power and expression, sprinkled with moments of unspeakable despair and Lovecraftian awe.

Formed in 2020, the four-piece band is gearing up to release their second full-length, ‘Mirage’ (2026). And trust me when I say the sound truly is gargantuan. The production is just stellar on this recording. The resonance of the low-end strumming on the “The Gathering,” in particular, grabbed me. So you’ve got that and much more to look forward to as more emerges from the record in months ahead.

Look for the new record on 12" vinyl via Bone Back Records get it here and here), coming out September 18th. A clear standout in a crowded year of excellent releases.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

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.

Drawing from atmospheric doom, occult rock and stoner traditions, Terra Black combines towering riffs with haunting vocals, powerful choral arrangements and primal darkness. Inspired by nature, mythology, ancient beliefs and the mysterious corners of human imagination, the album moves effortlessly between the familiar and the unknowable. Like the illusion from which it takes its name, the album constantly shifts perspective, inviting listeners ever deeper into its enigmatic world.

Compared to their previous work, Mirage presents a heavier, darker and more visceral sonic landscape, where ancient forces, forgotten civilizations and cosmic vastness collide.

Since forming in 2020, Terra Black have steadily built a reputation for immersive songwriting and commanding live performances. With Mirage, the band expands both its sonic scope and artistic vision, delivering its most confident and fully realised work to date.

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Brazilians love their metal. I’ve been keeping an eye on happenings south of the equator for decades (including contributing to the short-lived zine Octobor Doom in the 2010s), witnessing band after heavy band emerge from across this incredible country.

I’ve always appreciated the honesty of the lyrics in Brazilian doom, confronting the ever expanding war on Nature, the despair of the creeping urban jungle, and the dreadful plight of being human in the 21st century – the loss of community, meaning, and hope that we all come face to face with sooner or later.

Before us is a response to the madness, the debut LP by TETRIC TONE. They’re a five-piece doom crew that has been playing Florianópolis, Santa Catarina since 2016. One gets the sense they’ve been crafting these songs with care for years and are now ready to share them with us in a single collection, ‘Tetric One’ (2026).

The groove taps into classic roots of Black Sabbath, Trouble, and Saint Vitus, with the influence the of Cathedral especially evident in songs like “Mask of Terror,” with it dark, bouncy swagger. Others have a Candlemass flair (“The Freak”) and a gritty energy that taps into the spirit of Prong (“Lethal Lady”).

A buoyant beat keeps us headbanging throughout the record, with sinister riffs (“Oniric Reality”), and clean singing often accented by defiant backing voice (“Mayday”). It’s an honest, exasperated window into powder keg earth, speaking of “hoy wars, profane peace, children with guns, no future,” the “haze of poison smoke,” and the “virus of gloom.”

Get your doom on with dark, churning groove as Tetric Tone presents Tetric One this Friday, August 21st (get it here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Hailing from the city of Florianópolis/Brazil the band Tetric Tone is the result of a reunion between longtime friends who had played in various bands together during different eras of the city’s underground metal scene. The singer Xande “Camisão,” the drummer Rafael “Grilo,” and bass player Claudio Regis originally played in the band Vastness (1988–1994) which was a fixture of the local scene and performed great shows, such as those at the *Rock no Bosque* Festival. Later, Xande and Claudio played in Agony (1992–1994) while Rafael Grilo, guitar player Gian Domingues, and guitar player David Victor were part of Morbus Inferno (1996–2002), a death/thrash band that also left its mark on the local scene.

In 2016, the band began rehearsing with the simple goal of playing and having fun, using a setlist based solely on songs by major metal icons like Black Sabbath. However, they already envisioned a distinct sound, characterized by heavier guitars and a prominent bass presence. Over time the band began working on original compositions and forging an identity that draws from various heavy metal subgenres—particularly classic heavy metal and doom metal—blending heavy, dense riffs with thrash influences. Their choruses are memorable, and their lyrics explore parallel realities, the complexities of human behavior and the dystopias of the modern world.

Tetric One by TETRIC TONE

Born from a blend of diverse influences—such as Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Trouble, Black Sabbath, and Metallica—*Tetric One* marks the group’s debut featuring artwork by Verme do Ralo (Desenhos Malditos). Featuring nine tracks the release arrives roughly a decade after the band’s formation, showcasing the quintet’s musical maturation and development; It is set for a streaming release on August 21st preceded by the release of the powerful single “Oniric Reality.” The material was recorded at bassist Claudio Regis’s home studio with producer Ricardo “Rhino” Rocha handling the recording of instruments and vocals, as well as the mixing and mastering.

Recording sessions began in December 2025 and concluded in March 2026. The track “Hypoxia” features an instrumental arrangement for viola, violin and cello performed by Claudio Regis, who also played the violas and violins on the track “The Freak.” The album was also produced by Rhino Rocha of Rhino Records.

Follow The Band

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There’s something cathartic about heavy music, especially music that confronts the darkest aspects of human existence, from pain and misery to addiction and the abuses of power. We can all identify with how twisted the world can be.

If it’s churning, caustic vibes you’re seeking, look no further than the frozen prairies of Canada for DESTROY MY BRAINS. Since 2014, founding members Jarret Beach (vocals, guitar) and Jadan Paluck (drums) have been punching out one roaring album after another, joined by second guitarist Chase Shorter and bassist Rob Hayman for yet another offering, ‘Wilt’ (2026).

The the feisty 7 tracker presents a stark view of human nature, confronting the visceral horror of flesh and blood (“Avulsion”), a messed up home life (“Spill,” “Wilt”), Satanic ambitions (“Burn the Virgin”), obsessive thinking patterns (“OCI”), and degeneration framed as social revolt (“Decontribute”).

Along the way, there are some arresting musical moments, such as the take charge opening chords of “Avulsion,” the ominous drumbeat in the middle of “Spill,” the doomy, surreal ending to “Downgrade,” the stompingly emphatic chorus of the album’s namesake track.

Lyrically, every song is a raw flow of emotion and once you know what’s being sung, you can really appreciate the delivery. The vocals are as strong as ever, gravelly tones guiding us to the smoldering pits of downtuned chords and smokey dissonance. Some songs give off a snarly tone that made me think ol’ Cobra Commander himself (especially on “Downgrade”). Jarret even achieves a hissing effect at times, as though spewing a mist of corrosive acid. The rest of the band releases powerful percussive charge to match the intensity. It’s really an all-hands-on-deck crew here, with everyone wreaking havoc.

You may not always be in the mood to rage, but when you are you’ll definitely want Destroy My Brains on deck to lead the charge. Look for the mosh on Friday, August 14th, when Wilt is unleashed upon the world (get it here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

From the frozen prairies of Lloydminster, Canada, corrosive doom/sludge quartet Destroy My Brains returns with “WILT”, their most vicious, emotionally ruinous, and musically sharpened album. Out as of August 14th, “WILT” marks the final chapter in the band’s long‑planned W.I.L.T. series (Worthless, InsignifiCan’t, Lifeless, Tormented), a five‑album descent into self‑destruction, trauma, and sonic decay.

Formed when vocalist Jarret and drummer Jadan decided to turn daily basement jams and a massive bong hit from the Green Spiritual Bastard into a real band, Destroy My Brains have spent years refining their brand of corrosive, melting, abhorrent, Crowbar‑worshipping sludge. Their music has always been a celebration of self‑destruction, a philosophy embedded in the band name itself, and “WILT” pushes that ethos to its bleakest extreme.

Recorded at Doom Tomb Recording Studio, “WILT” is the band’s most accomplished production yet. Every element has been pushed further with its pounding grooves and heavy‑as‑sin chugs. It unleashes soul‑removing drums from Jadan, thick, thunderous bass from Rob, fuzz‑soaked riffs from Chase, and ear‑scorching vocals from Jarret. Destroy My Brains didn’t reinvent their sound; they perfected it. “WILT” is the culmination of everything they’ve ever done, turned louder, darker, and more devastating.

Each track on “WILT” drags the listener deeper into Destroy My Brains’ signature world of ruin, trauma, and corrosive sludge. “OCI” erupts in a frantic OCD‑driven implosion, while “Burn the Virgin” descends into ritual sacrifice and infernal doom. “Decontribute” rejects societal expectations entirely, serving as a manifesto of degeneracy, and “Avulsion” uses the tearing of flesh as a metaphor for lifelong psychological torment.

“Downgrade” blends punk and sludge into a tale of manipulation, overdose, and Satanic delusion, captured visually in a chilling ShadowScape Pictures video. “Spill” confronts childhood violence and emotional shutdown, while the 11‑minute title track “Wilt” stands as the tragic, devastating finale, tackling child abuse with some of the darkest sonic moments in the band’s history.

“As a whole, the album is an ode to pain, trauma, and hate so thick you can touch it. It’s riffs on top of riffs, and songs about ruin and degradation. This album is not for the average listener lyrically, but the music is going to pull people in without knowing what the songs are about. I can’t wait to subliminally fuck with people’s minds,” adds Jarret.

Recommended for fans of Eyehategod, Crowbar, Buzzov*en, Acid Bath, and Electric Wizard, Destroy My Brains’ “WILT” is available on all digital platforms as of August 14th, 2026.

Here’s a band whose motto is “we take our time.” I like that. It’s an implicit nod to the slow ‘n’ low style of music we’ve covered in these pages since 2013. MARGARITA hail from Paris, France, a trio of Karen Verdier-Désérable (guitar, vox), Julie Appéré (bass, synth, vox), and Julie Picard (drums, SPD) who conjure Burning Witch, Blackwater Holylight, and Messa vibes, with bare bones instrumentation that eschews overproduced atmosphere for something much more primal and visceral.

You feel it immediately on opening track “Blood Incantation” with its ominous strumming. “Melting Days” is a fuzzy firestorm of blackened riffage, featuring haunting rhythmic vocal accents. “Swamp Lullaby” slings the kind of bass you can feel right in your gut. You may be at a loss to describe precisely what it is you’re feeling, but perhaps will relate it as I did to grief, loss, shock, and frustration. This deserves big speakers for full effect, and a strangely beautiful choir of voices converges in the moonlight to end the song. “Not A Mother” is an expansive 10 minute meditation of solemnity and rage, while album closer “Better Off Alone” is a calming balm of contented resignation.

There are six tracks in all, and today Doomed & Stoned is bringing you the fifth, “Abyssal Pain” which presents a punkish face to Margarita’s music, with dank motorific rhythms, distortion galore, lumbering heavy riffs, and witchy vocals.

Look for Margarita’s upcoming album Abysses of Melancholia, coming out on Electric Valley Records in vinyl and digital formats on October 9th (pre-orders begin July 15th right here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Electric Valley Records presents French prog/stoner quartet Margarita’s upcoming debut full-length, Abysses of Melancholia, scheduled for October 09th on vinyl and across digital/streaming platforms.

Margarita is a Paris-based trio, formed in 2022 by Julie, Julie, and Karen — the first band project for some of its members. They play heavy doom steeped in distortion and deep melancholy. Their songs talk about inconsolable loss, disenchantment, unreachable redemption, and a visceral rejection of toxic masculinity. After releasing their self-titled EP in 2023, they played across France, Belgium, and Switzerland.

At its core, Margarita shares the impulse to expose inner chaos, to embrace going off track, and to turn vulnerability into something loud, raw, and unapologetic. Driven by a relentless need to follow darkness, the trio follows one rule: to Black Sabbath themselves into oblivion.

Margarita’s debut album, Abysses of Melancholia, follows a slow descent shaped by memory, anger, and loss. Throughout the record, the trio explores aching bodies, fractured identities, and a past that never really goes away. The record drifts through disappearing selves, lingering absences, and the emotional aftermath of loss, examining how pain can both imprison and redefine those left to carry it.

Blending doom, sludge, heavy psych, and shoegaze, Margarita builds dense, slow-burning tracks where brute force and fragility coexist. Heavy riffs meet layers of reverb and texture, creating a sound that is both crushing and introspective. For this album, the band added synth layers and electronic percussion to their usual guitar, bass, and drums setup, bringing more depth and a strong sense of melancholy to the songs.

Sometimes bands are named ironically, but not FIREBREATHER. The Gothenburg trio, now rounding out year ten as a band, absolutely lives up to their name. Diehard followers know well the thundering low-end drums and bass melded to powerful guitars and roaring vocals from Mattias Nööjd. It’s a sound that envelops and overwhelms, rapturously so.

And you’ll be delighted to know Firebreather are as mighty as ever, with a fourth full-length album on the way – seven tracks intriguingly titled ‘Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire’ (2026).

Says the band:

With the writing and recording of 'Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire,’ the aim was to keep it raw, heavy and groovy. Expanding our musical trajectory. Adding a lil more melody to vocals as well. We recorded with Joona in Studio Underjord and we told him right away that we want to keep it raw and dirty.

For this record we brought in Tommy Hanning on drums, he was in Firebreather at the time of the recording of our first album so we knew he was capable. We were in between drummers when it was time to hit the studio for our fourth album and he was kind enough to learn the songs from his home, he lives way up north in Sweden.

He flew down to jam with us for one weekend and after that we hit the studio. All in all we think we came out with a raw, heavy and to us, moving record. We hope it’ll move other people too.

The first single is straight up damning, a striking frontispiece that showcases solid riffian architecture. The main theme is a current of searing inferno spit out in pummeling triplets and swirling in doom-laden atmosphere. Instant. Headbanging. Stuff. The chorus is wings out, taking us high in the sky for a dragon’s eye view of scorched earth below. The song ends on an unexpectedly regal note, which I found refreshing.

Look for Firebreather’s Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire on October 16th in the usual stunning array of vinyl options on Heavy Psych Sounds (pre-order here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Firebreather formed in Gothenburg in 2016, rooted in crushing, sludge-doused doom from the very beginning. Never wavering from that commitment across all three of their incendiary full-length releases, the trio has pursued weight with purpose, not as spectacle, nor as an exercise in excess, but as the only language broad enough to hold the emotional reach and sonic heft of their sound.

The music arrives in a way that writes itself with no distance between the words and the sound; they rise from the same cursed ground, and that honesty has become the band’s defining force. 

Firebreather is a band that never postures or asks to be admired for their heaviness- and to see them live is to experience exactly why. Their weight takes on another life entirely.

The band’s towering tone and consuming grit don’t fill a room so much as alter it. Volume presses against the body before the first lyric lands and riffs arrive like shifting earth. The drums don’t drive the songs forward; they anchor them while the line between sound and physical force begins to disappear.

Years spent crossing Europe and North America have only sharpened that purpose, and a decade on with a fourth album on the way via the notorious Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Firebreather remains exactly where it belongs. Head down. Volume up.

Reports are sparse, but there appears to be growing underground backlash to the utopian technocracy that has been thrust upon all of us, making constant demands on our time, attention, security, and sanity. It feels like everything is accelerating, with a constant stream of cortisol-inducing stressors that authorities assure are just part and parcel of life in 2026 and beyond. It’s the new normal, so get used to it (they say). It’s just something our stupid evolution didn’t prepare us for, but we can always cope with more drugs (we’re told).

A growing number of people are getting fed up with the new normal and questioning everything, including the loss of essential humanity in this soulless zoo of concrete, asphalt, plastic, noise, and polluted air. The cork is about to pop and release some pressure, with the backlash manifesting in some noise of our own – using the very electricity powering the Metropolis.

Punk rock has long been an outlet for that instinctive, primal urge to rage against the machine. Far from a passing fad, the medium has had surprising longevity. Without the backing of the corporate machine that brought us so much watered-down and faux-punk at the turn of the century, lovers of raucous noise are banding together, plugging in and plugging away with defiance and resolve.

Enter SLOVENIANS, dotted with outrageous tats and spilling over with excitability, irony, and rage, the four-piece powerhouse from Brussels have been dissing since 2012. The band has several releases to their name already, but a new record coming which dons a loving mash-up of punk, stoner, and blues (dig the fulsome harmonica on “Le Flues” and the boisterous guitars on “Creep Inside”). Of course, rock ‘n’ roll in all its stripes has always been just a step away from punk (from the early days of Jerry Lee Lewis to metal bands like Metallica), and Slovenians blend their ingredients smoothly, yet with no less bite.

While tracks like “Don’t Wanna Wake,” “Somebody Help,” and “That Shit Off” may seem nihilistic on the face, Slovenians stay rooted in a deeper message: “No matter how damaged, defeated or lost someone becomes, there is always a path forward.” Sometimes we just need to hear someone shout it with guts to believe it.

Punk rock as a message of hope? You decide as Mottow Soundz issues Slovenians’ first new record since the pandemic: Birds of Disgrace. Coming to shake the world above ground on September 4th, today Doomed & Stoned is airing out the new single: “Zwarte Kat.”

The vibe feels unmistakably dangerous, full of black cat energy that knows how to really rattle those gilded cages of ours. Laurent’s furious drumbeats and Guillaume’s basswork are matched by Logan’s throaty vox and frantic riffing from guitarist Félix. It all gives me the urge to pick up a bar stool and fling it (disclaimer: do not do this at one of their shows).

Stick it on a playlist with Motorhead, some rowdier High on Fire and Melvins cuts, and of course classic punk from yesteryear. Available soon for pre-order here and here.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

A blistering mix of raw punk-rock energy, melodic tension, hardcore urgency and hardened life experience, Birds of Disgrace is Slovenians’ most ambitious and emotionally charged release to date.

Formed in Brussels in 2012, Slovenians have spent more than a decade carving out a distinct place in the European underground. Blending explosive punk rock with gritty stoner and blues influences, the band quickly built a reputation for high-intensity performances and uncompromising songwriting, earning a loyal following across Belgium and beyond.

Across fourteen tracks, Birds of Disgrace confronts addiction, grief, shame, social hypocrisy, loneliness and survival, delivering songs that are as brutally honest as they are cathartic. From the psychological turmoil of new single ‘Somebody Help’ to tracks such as ‘Creep Inside’, ‘Don’t Wanna Wake Up’ and ‘Doctor Doctor’, the album explores both private collapse and public failure, capturing the emotional fractures of modern life.

At its core, the record is also about endurance. Songs like ‘Start Again’ and ‘Le Flues’ reflect the album’s central message: no matter how damaged, defeated or lost someone becomes, there is always a path forward.

Lyrically and musically, Birds of Disgrace balances punk sarcasm, dark humour and emotional depth without losing the raw urgency that has defined Slovenians since their earliest days on the Brussels underground circuit.

The band’s journey has not been without tragedy. In 2017, Slovenians lost founding guitarist Sinkesh Krištofik in a sudden accident, an event that deeply affected the group and cast uncertainty over their future. Choosing to continue in his honour, the band returned with renewed purpose, later dedicating their 2020 EP Sinners to his memory and channeling that resilience into their evolving sound.

That spirit of persistence continues to define Slovenians today. Over the years, they have shared stages with punk legends such as The Exploited and performed at major events including Rat Rock Festival, solidifying their reputation as a powerful live force driven by intensity, honesty and connection with their audience.

With confirmed appearances throughout 2026, including a performance at Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia, Birds of Disgrace by Slovenians is released on 4th September 2026 via Mottow Soundz.

We live in strange times, and it’s about to get a whole lot stranger. I love how this weird streak is being reflected in eclectic music all across the spectrum right now. Here’s a band for those tired of the same ol’, same ‘ol: TYCOON MACHETTE from Salt Lake City, Utah. Infectious electronic beats meet swirling psychedelic possibilities. What attracted me to this particular album, besides its pulsating vibe, is the way it captured my curiosity.

Founded by two Salt Lake City musicians, J. P. Whipple and James Perry, Tycoon Machete was created to explore the frontiers where flesh meets the machine. They are joined by synth master, Sean McCarthy, and local artist Erin Stout on bass and singing saw.

Avoiding conventional rock band format, the band features an eclectic mixture of instruments including a 1942 lap steel, 1890’s plectrum banjo, musical saw, synthesizers, and samplers. Live performances include psychedelic visuals from SLC artist, Murray Resinski.

Clearly they are having fun with the eclectic songwriting and instrumentation, which draws the listener in with a sense of wonder at times, and at others bemusement. This is peppy, quirky stuff (captured helpful under the label of Art Rock), for fans of Osees, Primus, and others we’ve featured in these pages and on the podcast, like Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Mystic Tape Deck.

There is a concept behind this album that unifies the tracks, but taken at face value this is like a flowing dream filled with intrigue, sensuality, danger, and randomness. A typical night’s sleep for many of us, and now you’ve got a soundtrack for the journey.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

In 1902, an impoverished seventeen-year-old boy, appeared before the Dean of the medical department at John Hopkin’s University to ask for admittance. The Dean furrowed his brow as he surveyed the barefoot boy. He told him that doctors were not made from boys of his ilk.

The boy was not discouraged. Thirty years later, he would become one of the most distinguished doctors in the country. He owned two yachts and a luxury airplane. He lived in a vast estate in Texas. He won two elections for governor but was denied office because the vote was rigged. He operated the most powerful radio station in the world.

His journey began offering Patent Medicines to the appreciative folk of Greenville South Carolina. He was the first doctor in the country to offer revolutionary Electro-Medicine imported from Germany. The practice was short-lived as certain unappreciative locals claimed the medicine he peddled was no more than water with color dye in it. After others falsely accused him of passing bad checks, he decided to leave town.

On this journey, he met the love of his life, the beautiful Minerva “Minnie” Jones. She would become more than a wife to the good doctor. She was his Partner in Crime.

The couple started a clinic in the small town of Milford Kansas. One day, a sad sack farmer named Stittsworth came into his office complaining of a “flat-tire”. A common ailment of the time, many farmers had trouble performing with their severe looking wives. Given the likelihood that most of their unvaccinated children would be swept away by various diseases before they matured, many elderly farmers were left with no one strong enough to tend the land.

The farmer looked out Brinkley’s office window and noted how the billy goat in the nearby corral seemed to be having no trouble. “If only I had what he has!” he mused.

The good doctor heard and promptly declared, “And so you shall!” Nine months after receiving the first goat gland xenotransplantation, Mr. and Mrs. Stittsworth announced the birth of their new Bundle of Joy: Billy Stittsworth.

The good doctor became a global sensation and people traveled from all over the country to have the revolutionary procedure. It is said that even President Woodrow Wilson called on him to help him cope with the stresses of being the leader of the free world.

Dr. Brinkley was a generous man and funded many improvements to the town including a zoo for the children. The zoo was a great success except for The Bear, who, sadly, needed to be put down.

Ever the polymath, Dr. Brinkley became interested in radio and built a station in Milford. Unfortunately, many people are jealous of great men and live to tear them down. These men demanded the radio station be shut down. They claimed he was only using it to hawk his fake cures. In response, he ran for governor. He won the election, but the jealous men conspired to rig the vote against him.

Not to be deterred, he relocated to Texas and built a radio station across the border. XER became the most powerful radio station in the world. Powered by a million watts, the station was dubbed a Border Blaster. Dr. Brinkley’s voice could be heard across the continent and even as far as Iceland. The most talented musicians in the country traveled to his station to perform. The station introduced the world to the Carter Family and, later, to Rock n’ Roll thanks to a DJ named Wolfman Jack.

The haters said he was living on Borrowed Money. There were certain patients who claimed they had been sold a Bill of Goods. Some were bitter about infections that grew between their legs. Others spent a fortune on Brinkley’s formulas and claimed no benefit from it. These naysayers aligned themselves with the medical deep state and moved to shut him down. Although his many happy patients and supporters gathered to speak on his behalf, they were not allowed in the court. Just like Jesus before him, the courts were rigged against him. Brinkley was ruined.

Brokenhearted and rejected by his peers, Brinkley’s health began to fail. It is probably just as well he died when he did. He didn’t live to see his beloved Nazis fall just short of world domination.

You would think they would let him rest in peace but this was not so. They would continue to torment him even in the grave. Many years later, somebody stole the wings of Angel Over His Grave. Probably some woke liberals trying to erase white history, as they do.

But they can’t erase John R. Brinkley. In 2025, the ultra-popular rock band, Tycoon Machete, released a concept album dedicated to his memory. It is, some are saying, the greatest album ever recorded: XENOBLASTER

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

It’s all about riffs and atmosphere on the latest album from Chicagoland players SHADOW OF JUPITER. Their last, Porta Coeli charted #20 on the Doom Charts in 2023, and their upcoming ‘BONES’ (2026) is sure to be positively received by fans and critics alike. Seven tracks, well apportioned in terms of mood and tempo, making this a balanced feast indeed.

The title track brings Soundgardenesque flair, as in tracks like “Black Rain” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed,” where the dynamics start from barely audible and gradually crescendo into something explosive. In SOJ’s “Bones,” the world is just shutting down for the night and taking its time to stretch into dreamy slumber. Horizon smothers the last remains of the sun. Before dawn you navigate the pain alone. At 1:50 a strong riff swells, contrasted with melting vocals and accented by mysterious arid touches on the strings, and this leads to a short, but heartfelt chorus of a racing mind. And the stones you’re takin’, for the sins that aren’t your own. If King Buffalo’s “Sun Shivers” starts the day on your playlist, “Bones” will surely finish it.

The pace quickens following this on “Whatever God You Fear,” which is just a chestful of brooding intensity. Know that I’m not sorry. I have no regrets. Done with twisted words, I’ve had my fill of passive threats. It’s a song, it seems, about impending confrontation and the toll of unresolved grievances.

The band has always excelled with slower, doomier, blues-based slow-burners (such as “Fate of Nations” on the previous LP) and there are several on the present record to keep acolytes satiated, including “Ugly on the Inside.” Here the gem is sixth track “Riot Dogs,” which I will single out as my favorite of this spin. There’s something bittersweet and languishing about it, yet with a powerful flow that keeps you constantly grounded to its center of gravity.

Some of these tracks tap right into grinding mid-90’s grunge, but excel it at the same time, such as “Echo Chamber,” which has that deadly Core era STP feel. Other tracks, like “Rumblestrip,” shift into desert groove mode, with a Sabbath meets COC feel in the axe-handling and mighty clashing chords. The lower end riffing between Scott Brakebill’s bass and Colin Peterson’s guitar on “For Heaven Above” perfectly scratches that ear-worm itch as the record closes. All the while, John Piotrowski’s cool crooning keeps us anchored to the experience, buttressed by Adam Kazragys’s workman drum show.

Drenched in desert, doom, grunge, and psychedelic vibes, Shadow of Jupiter’s Bones emerges on Ripple Music in vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats on Friday, July 10th (get it here). Stick it on a playlist with Soundgarden, King Buffalo, Sasquatch, Goatess, and Bronco Forte.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Shadow of Jupiter is a Chicago/NW Indiana-based outfit whose roots run deep in the heavy underground. From proto-doom to the heavy, stoner sounds of the 70’s, their unique combination of soulful vocals complements their heavy, riff-driven scores. Author of Sonic Seducer and heavy underground music critic Sunil Singh dubbed their music “Fury Blues”, perfectly acknowledging their blend of Robin Trower’s tasty tones mated with the bleak melancholy of Sabbath and the anger of Corrosion of Conformity.

Their 2023 self-released album, Porta Coeli, placed at #20 on the monthly Doom Charts and #19 on Desert Psychlist’s Best of 2023. These accolades propelled Shadow of Jupiter into the sonic jetstream with incredible shows as the supporting act for many highly acclaimed national and international heavy underground bands touring through Chicago. Shadow of Jupiter also performed at Ripplefest Texas, Rhune Mountain Festival, Grand Rapids Doomfest and HUFR Fest.

With punishing riffs and a fiery energy that leave you staggered yet always drawn back for more, their sophomore album Bones weaves together the depth of doom metal, lumbering heavy blues grooves, a searing touch of psychedelia and Middle Eastern magic into a journey that’s as immersive as it is brutal. Icing on the doom cake and already a trademark of the SOJ sound: a mind-bendingly soulful performance from vocalist John Piotrowski that ties the whole album story together. Fans of everything from Trouble to Corrosion of Conformity and Wo Fat should love this!

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Electric Valley Records continues to expand its stylistic profile with a vicious new split from German doom-sludgers ØLGOD and the post-hardcore noise rock outfit Love.Love.Love.

Born out of a long-standing friendship and a shared passion for uncompromising sonics, this split release is a clash of two distinct heavy styles. Together, LØVEGOD is a dual-force assault of raw energy, shifting dynamics, and absolute volume.

Named for either a small railway town in Denmark, or more likely for the same idea that town had (it roughly translates to “beer god”), Ølgod is a frothy dark brew of pummeling low-end rhythms that lumber ‘cross the hall, never stumble, never fall. Like Dopethrone meets Sleep good, but with that certain something that only German heaviness can bring. This is where I wish I had command of their native tongue, because I know how it has words for everything, and I suspect there is a specific term for the kind of heft you’re hearing here (and if not, one will surely be forged!)

A Kiel three-piece formed in 2020, these guys have an eponymous full-length to their name and they are fairly upfront in letting you know what you’re in for: “If you looking for fancy guitar solos or complex songwriting you are won’t be in good hands here. Ølgod is just riffin’ your ass off!”

Fans of all things dank will love Ølgod’s larger-than-life sound, especially if you dig your sludge tethered to doomy atmosphere and ground-sharking pacing. Their 2022 establishes a distinct mark in the genre (that’s understating it; it’s ferocious) and the upcoming split, out September 25th, promises dual-force assault of raw energy, shifting dynamics, and absolute volume.

Says the band:

‘Paradise’ unfolds as a slow, suffocating descent into murky sludge, dragging itfself forward with dissonant, black metal-tinged chords that grind uneasily against each other. The atmosphere is bleak and oppressive, tension building through its crawling pace and jagged harmonies. In its final stretch, the song collapses into a crushing, monolithic doom passage, overwhelming and heavy, before erupting into a storm of black metal fury that tears everything apart in its wake.

And it is monstrously heavy, folks, with frightful vocals that echo across the span of the night sky. Check out “Paradise,” the first taste of the Ølgod side of the split, and look for 'LØVEGOD’ (2026) on vinyl with Electric Valley Records and on cassette with Evil Noise Records.

Give ear…

I love an album I can really sink my teeth into, viscerally and intellectually. UMBERSOUND have big aspirations on this latest offering, ‘Tracks From The Slither’ (2026), crafting deep strains of mournful doom that stir feelings of sorrow and tragedy over ten thematically interlocking tracks.

“My God, It’s Coming From The Ocean!” The title alone of the latest single grips the heart. Lyrically, some of the language strikes Pauline motifs of Christianity (“Lord of the cosmos,” “I live for your truth,” “You won’t forsake me when I rise,” “Even death may die”) – though this is in fact a sendback to H.P. Lovecraft’s beloved Cthulhu lore. “The follower seeks connection, but what answers back is not comfort,” says Umbersound, “it’s exposure to something beyond that the human mind can’t handle.”

The album is going old school and tactile in every way, complete with recording on magnetic tape (imagine!). I get proud chills at that, with definite flashbacks to my Memorex mixtape days. And, as a side note, I am thrilled by the backlash I am seeing to AI among the youth of today, as well, but I digress. It’s time for a mass movement of getting Back To Human again.

The video appears to be of the “old fashioned” editing sort, too (you know, art that takes time, patience, concentration, and joyful sweat). It’s murky, unsettling, and very, very wet. There are moments that were appropriately indescribable, because, as old H.P. understood well, words fail when contemplating the Great Old Ones (and one in particular who homes in terrifying black depths).

Brainchild and passion project of New York’s Joe D’Angelo (whose band Grey Skies Fallen we have featured in these pages before), it is entirely evident to me that this man knows his doom. The tracks drew me in because they had something definite to say, ethereal places to take the imagination, and didn’t overstate their case. This is why concept albums rule, because they tend to take the musician to risky and rewarding artist realms.

The riffs are just killer, from the sick groove of the opening title track to the churning slow grind of “Foundations of Strife,” finishing with heart-stopping dread in “The Loop Closes.” This man knows his doom and is capable of bringing it to life with subtlety as well as bravura. And you should definitely get to know it, too, oh lovers of doom metal.

Brimming with fire and fury, Umbersound’s Tracks From The Slither emerge to dominate your speakers on vinyl, cassette, and CD via Red Book Records on July 17th (pre-order here).

Stick it on a playlist with My Dying Bride, Celtic Frost, Tiamat, Cathedral, Amorphis, Opeth, Paradise Lost, and Katatonia.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Umbersound is a NYC-based doom metal project created by Joe D’Angelo (Grey Skies Fallen). The music centers on slow, heavy compositions that blend crushing riffs with melancholic, atmospheric textures.

At its core, Umbersound is about introspection—musically and psychologically. The songs move at a steady pace allowing weight and emotion to unfold over time rather than a full assault. Drawing from themes of internal struggle, avoidance, and consequence, the music reflects the parts of life people tend to ignore until they can’t anymore.

Rather than offering escape, Umbersound creates an immersive space where listeners are pulled into dense soundscapes shaped by analog warmth and stark melodic contrast. Each song builds on this approach, pushing deeper into a sound that is both oppressive and reflective.

With Tracks From The Slither, Umbersound continues to evolve—focusing on the slow emergence of buried thought, anxiety, and identity. The album will be available digitally via Bandcamp, with physical editions—including vinyl, cassette, and CD—released through Red Book Records.

Umbersound‘s upcoming album “Tracks From The Slither” expands further into psychological terrain, exploring avoidance, internal decay, and the consequences of neglecting one’s inner self. Much of the album was captured in single takes, prioritizing instinct over precision and allowing each moment to exist as it happened.

“Tracks From The Slither” continues UMBERSOUND’s yearly release cycle - each record evolving in process while remaining rooted in the project’s core doom atmosphere.

This time, the approach shifts toward a raw, analog-driven methodology. Nearly the entire album was recorded through tape, pushing saturation to the limit. The result is loud, dirty, and heavily textured—an intentional departure from a cleaner digital production in favor of something more raw this time around. The record leans into a heavier sonic weight than previous releases, with more screaming vocals as opposed to clean. The tape machine itself becomes part of the album…the harmonic saturation that shapes the album’s character.

The sound evokes the feeling of discovering a lost late reel buried in a vault - something unstable, and almost cursed. That sense of an unearthed presence runs throughout the album. Performance-wise, “Tracks From The Slither” strips away the extra bells and whistles. Much of the material was captured in single takes, prioritizing instinct over precision. The goal was not perfection, but directness - committing fully to each moment as it happened.

Tracklist:

1. Tracks From The Slither
2. The Hands That Built Beauty
3. Foundations Of Strife
4. My God, It’s Coming From The Ocean
5. It Still Breathes
6. The Loop
7. Shifting Tides
8. The Gnawing
9. Highway Of The Fever Dream
10. The Loop Closes

Recorded and mixed by Joe D’Angelo. Mastered by Acle Kahney at 4Dsounds. Album Cover by James Hutton.

Everything about this production bleeds real to me. The tone struck by the opening tremolo of the guitar is stark and alarming, as though referencing something troubling we all sense in the backdrop, the terrifying hum of our age. With wondrous skill, a whole soundscape is created about it, buttressed by deep bass picking, brave drumming, and a second guitar that really brings the doom.

This is France’s DDENT, and if you’re not familiar with them, the team of four are far from newcomers to the scene. Drawing roots from 2013, the band’s fruits include three prior full-length records and three EPs added to that, a deft stylistic blend of doom and post-metal.

‘Feeding the Void’s Luster’ (2026) is their latest five-track juggernaut, and today Doomed & Stoned is bringing you the official premiere of the intriguingly titled single, “Dis à la lune qu’elle vienne,” which translates to English as “Tell the moon to come.” You don’t really need to worry about the language barrier (should one exist) to feel the full weight of its sentiment. The line is sourced from a poem by Frederico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936), which mourns the death of a dear friend gored to death in the bullfighting arena. In this moment of terrifying tragedy, the poet shouts for the moon to appear to wash out the blood-soaked sand with its pale light.

As you can tell, this music is utterly human and its emotion becomes even more apparent as one breaks into the lyrical underpinnings. Out in the heat of mid-summer, DDENT’s new record promises something “heavier, louder, more towering, more cathartic” to top their existing opus. A seventh record at the cusp of a strange new era that feels as foggy as the stage they play on. The sound is wide awake, terrifying, surreal, poetic, and ultimately transcendant. Look for the release on July 24th on the Chien Noir label (get it here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

DDENT formed in the early 2010s as the instrumental brainchild of guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Louis Lambert and drummer Marc Le Saux. First EP Chien Noir was released in 2014, which quickly led to the addition of live musicians to the project. This milestone laid the foundations for a dark post-rock sound that induces a gripping spiritual and sensory journey. While 2017 debut LP آكتئاب narrated the introspective journey of a poet, their sophomore album TORO (2018) dealt with the search for truth through creation. It is safe to say that literature and philosophy have always been a centerpiece of DDENT’s music.

In 2019, DDENT performed at Europe’s largest metal festival Hellfest, tantalizing both the audience and critics with their bewitching performance. As a result, Louis Lambert started working on the follow-up album Couvre-sang — a massive and poetic post-metal 11-track awash with dark, elegant atmospheres and intriguing thematics, described as “pure instrumental industrial bliss, a living breathing beast, crafted superbly, with real emotional levels” by The Sleeping Shaman. In 2021, Lambert kept working as a solo act and released a cinematic single and video entitled “VOLEMOI”. 2023 saw the talented songwriter’s return with the Ex Auditu 2xEP on Chien Noir, then entering hiatus… until now.

DDENT returns this summer with a new lineup and a new album: “Feeding the Void’s Luster”. Captured in two takes, with no metronome or samples, this volcanic five-tracker finds the quartet pulling from older material, twisting and rearranging it until they become a completely different beast. Heavier, louder, more towering, more cathartic.

To embody this renewal, DDENT welcomes new drummer Alain Minot (ex-20 Seconds Falling Man), whose hardcore and punk style infuses the tracks with some new tension. Blackened vocals from bassist Nicolas Zivkovich (Les Tigres du Futur, Fiend, Krv) also make an appearance on most tracks for the first time, without ever overshadowing the instrumental part — the cornerstone of their hypnotic post-metal.

Whereas band founder Louis Lambert used to write the bulk of the material, DDENT now operates as a full-blown collective. This record marks the first step in a new process, a way to reunite the band through playing together. Next up: an album consisting entirely of new material, work on which will begin in the fall.

The best thing about ENDLESS FLOODS is the fantastic journey, epic in every way. Hailing from Bordeaux, France, this attentive collective of musicians brings incredible artistry to every album produced, with a backdrop of honest reflection and mystery.

‘Passages’ (2026) is their sixth full-length tapestry, and it builds thematically upon their last album 'Rites futurs’ (2024) – which also premiered in these pages. The multi-dimensional architecture of these four tracks is a wonder to behold.

“Visions” dips into long forsaken neglected practices of the sacred, a trip into places both visceral and unutterable, prophetic and apocalyptic. “Deuxième monde” is a veritable thunderstorm, complete with the reassuring glow of silver-lined clouds, exalted hills, and rapturous birds. Meanwhile, “Liminal” reaches symphonic heights of ecstasy, with lilting female/male vocal harmonies. Finale “Primordial” is simply a glorious finish. I felt like I really experienced something cinematic by the end of it all.

Endless Floods have gifted us an album to really get lost in. Each song has a character all its own, refreshingly distinct from the one before or after, yet quite complementary in terms of mood and tempo. I can see this record appealing to heavy music fans (all the hallmarks of metal are here: foreboding drumming, crushing guitar chords, etc.), yet crossing over to listeners who are simply ready for something different: a thoughtfully crafted aural experience that touches soulful depths.

Passages by Endless Floods comes out May 22nd (get it here). Stick it on a playlist with Kylesa, Monarch, Russian Circles, Ethereal Riffian, and They Watch Us From The Moon. And now, get ready to be swept away in blissful, watery surrender.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

Spanning post-rock, progressive doom and dark folk, 'Passages’ balances crushing metallic weight with soaring atmospherics where ethereal male-female vocal harmonies and epic riff crescendos are enhanced by gripping synths and sax flourishes. 'Passages’ is a haunting journey through liminal spaces, weaving collective memory and personal ghosts into a sonic bridge between past sacrifices and a common future.

Bordeaux, France’s heavy alchemists Endless Floods formed in 2015 in Bordeaux around Stéphane Miollan (ex-Monarch, Bombardement, Faucheuse), Benjamin Sablon (ex-Monarch, Bombardement, Shock, Mégot) and Simon Bédy. Their first outings raised a prodigiously dense wall of sound by blending drone and doom metal aesthetics with mind-expanding ambient structures, like a sorrowful procession arising from the limbo.

The trio released their self-titled debut in 2015, followed by their sophomore album II in the winter of 2017. This drone-sounding assault saw the band sinking deeper into bleakness and minimalism, immersing the listener in a monolithic and feedback-laden sonic experience described by the press as “a vast, never-ending room of heavy” (Cvlt Nation), “a juggernaut of sonic grandeur” (Metal Nexus) or simply “sublime” by Pure Grain Audio. Their third album 'Circle The Gold’ epitomized a fresh start in their creative process: between chaos and light, the Bordeaux trio transcended genre boundaries while unveiling a more melodic and cathartic aspect of their music.

After a five-year hiatus, Endless Floods returned with a new lineup and their fourth record 'Rites Futurs’ in the summer of 2024, revealing in a prodigious blaze of post-metal, doom and shoegaze for an overall gripping aural experience.

While 'Rites Futurs’ introduced the theme of transformation through rites of passage, their upcoming new album 'Passages’ plunges into it and suffocates. The four songs alternately evoke the in-between worlds, the present and the distant past, the sacrifices of a bygone era (“Visions”), moving from the collective wandering of a landscape of constrained structures (“Deuxième monde”) to the individual narrative haunted by our own ghosts (“Liminal”), finally surrendering to “Primordial”. 'Passages’ is a transitional object between two states of mind, a tool for drawing a common future.

'Passages’ was recorded by Thibault Laisney and Stéphane Miollan, mixed by Stéphane Miollan in Bordeaux, with mastering by Ben Jones. Endless Floods is a shifting structure whose members, at the time of recording this album, are: Louise Dehaye, Benjamin Sablon, Stéphane Miollan, and Xavier Godart.

Stormy and brooding, Steps into Shadow is the latest offering from Swedish progressive death-doom five-piece GOLD SPIRE. Active since 2019, the band has one full-length record to its repuation, with a second shortly to follow. Today, Doomed & Stoned gives you an exclusive first listen to the title track.

Following in the shadowy tradition of bands like Enslaved and Paradise Lost, the song gives the impression of being in the midst a surreal nightmare. The addition of the saxophone charges the atmosphere with wild instability. Lyrics speak of this “ruinous path where we fallow, wandering in disrepair…burdened until our last steps.” Gutteral vocals cry out for “rain to deluge this unbearable world.”

Says the band:

The album ‘Steps into Shadow’ is dedicated to the Swedish working class and to the struggle for emancipation in times of eroding democracy and the resurgence of fascism. The title track reflects on the societal and personal decay inflicted on the downtrodden as the ruling class tries to make unity and solidarity an impossible option. It also has personal sentiments embedded, exploring our complicated love for our childhood hometown in northern Sweden.

Look for 'Steps into Shadow’ (2026) by Gold Spire on Awakening Records, releasing June 19th (pre-order here).

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

GOLD SPIRE’s second full-length album Steps into Shadow will be released on June 19, 2026 via Awakening Records. The album will be available on CD and digital formats.

Formed in 2019 in Uppsala, Sweden, GOLD SPIRE was created by brothers Erik Sundström and Påhl Sundström following the end of Usurpress. What began as an outlet for ideas developed during the recording sessions for Usurpress’ final album Interregnum gradually evolved into a project drawing from progressive death metal, doom, progressive rock, and jazz-influenced arrangements.

Together with saxophonist Magnus Kjellstrand and bassist Petter Broman, the band developed a sound focused more on atmosphere, contrast, and dynamics than strict genre boundaries. Heavy sections sit alongside slower melodic passages, while saxophone, flute, and layered arrangements play a consistent role throughout the material.

On Steps into Shadow, GOLD SPIRE moves toward a darker and more direct approach while keeping the progressive and death metal foundation central to the album. The material balances heavier riffs and dense arrangements with more restrained passages, allowing the album’s atmosphere to build gradually across its runtime.

The album also marks the first release with vocalist Arvid Sjödin (FLOATING), who joined the band following the departure of former vocalist Heval Bozarslan. His vocal approach brings a different presence to the material while fitting naturally into the band’s evolving sound.

Steps into Shadow was recorded between 2023 and 2026 at Studio Siborator by Erik Sundström, with mixing and mastering handled by Lawrence Mackrory. The artwork was created by Påhl Sundström.

Rather than moving further toward technical excess, GOLD SPIRE continues to focus on mood, pacing, and atmosphere, combining progressive structures with death metal weight and darker melodic elements without losing cohesion.