I’ve been trying to describe what this album feels like, not what it “is,” because what it “is” depends on the day. First spin, I thought it was their most straightforward thing yet. Second spin, nope, it’s actually looser than the debut. Third spin, I stopped trying to categorize it at all. Maybe that’s the […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring DUNE AURORA’s Ice Age Desert
Turin isn’t the first city you associate with shadowy, slow-burning heavy rock, but Dune Aurora have been sharpening their sound there for a while. Ginny, Roberta, and Serena first surfaced with a few singles and the 2022 Lonely Town EP, and even then it was clear they weren’t following anyone’s playbook. Their music felt like […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring GOATFATHER’s House of the Rising Smoke
I don’t know what’s in the water down there, but GOATFATHER sounds like they’ve been breathing exhaust fumes for breakfast again. Their third album, House of the Rising Smoke, comes out this October and, to be honest, it’s probably their most “them” record yet. If you’ve heard Monster Truck you’ll get the idea, but this […]
Witching Riffs: Behind the Sound of Deep River Acolytes
Deep River Acolytes interview answered by Ari Rajaniemi (gtr) and Timo Hiivala (gtr). The Origin & Identity: How did you all come together as a band, and when did it feel real? AR: – In 2010 I found myself in a situation that the previous band I was playing in (Sigil. Heavy rock / grunge) […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring SOLAR SONS’ Altitude
There’s a point where riffs stop sounding like you’re trying and start sounding like you just are. Solar Sons hit that somewhere along the line. You can hear it all over Altitude, their sixth record, tracked fast in some cold room called Nameless City Sound. Eight days. Probably smelled of coffee and warm valve amps. […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring Danakil Heat’s Doomsday Delight
Danakil Heat don’t really sound like a new band anymore. There’s too much dirt in the gears for that. Doomsday Delight comes on quick – three tracks, no time to stretch – and still manages to feel bigger than it is. The fuzz hits first, that thick Helsinki tone, half-garage, half-machine. It doesn’t wait around […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring BREATH’s Brahman
You can tell right away BREATH aren’t trying to make “songs”. Brahman sounds like they’re summoning something – slow, old, and not entirely friendly, but not evil either. It’s that big middle space between calm and collapse. Everything feels stretched out and deliberate, like they’re chasing the space inside the sound, not the sound itself. […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring Bentrees’ Silver Veins
It’s been four years since Two of Swords, and Bentrees finally drop Silver Veins. Six tracks, no filler, no showing off – just that thick, hypnotic low-end fuzz they’ve been hammering since the early days. Recorded at Sonusville Studio in Siliqua, it sounds like it – earthy, not overproduced, just real instruments in a room, […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC’s FACES
Stone Machine Electric don’t play songs so much as drop you inside them. Faces is six slabs of slow-burn hypnosis, the kind of record that doesn’t hurry to prove a damn thing. These Texans have been circling the underground for years, and you can hear the road miles baked into every stretch of feedback and […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring ZOMBIE EATER’s FACES
The first note hits, and the room smells of damp wood and a faint electric hum. Faces creeps in slowly, sticky in the air, settling into corners before you even notice. Zombie Eater have spent years in Helsinki basements and German backrooms, and you can hear the floors sagging under the weight, the lights flickering, […]