Occult Vibe Haven (OVH)
The first thing Apocalypso does is refuse to warm up. It just drops you in. “Poseidon” opens the record already moving, already heavy, like the band couldn’t be bothered with scene-setting. The riff lumbers forward with that stubborn, almost workmanlike confidence — not flashy, not clever, just thick and necessary. It sets the tone immediately: […]
There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a band strip away the frills and hit you square in the chest with nothing but raw muscle and intent. That’s what Washington’s Borracho have done on their sixth studio album, Ouroboros. Gone are the sprawling psychedelic detours of the last couple of records – this is a power […]
I came to Imperfection with a bit of caution, not because I doubted HEBI KATANA, but because after three albums of raw, sticky Tokyo doom, you start wondering how much more weight a trio can carry without spilling over into overkill. What hits first is how completely they don’t care about that question. The riffs […]
From the rainy, gray corners of Portland, Oregon, a new monster crawls out of the sludge. Chaos and Catastrophes, the first full-length from Ravine, doesn’t bother with pleasantries – it hits you fast and leaves your head ringing like you just got flattened by a truck. This record smells like bourbon, burnt rubber, and wet […]
Thunder Horse formed in San Antonio, Texas, in 2018 when Stephen Bishop (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Todd “The Bird” Connally (lead guitar) joined forces, later rounding out the lineup with Dave Crow (bass) and Johnny Lightning (drums). Their debut album on Ripple Music introduced a heavy, doom-laden sound that they pushed further on 2021’s Chosen […]
Nothing polite here. Nothing neat. HolyRoller don’t bother with tidy riffs or clean choruses – they deal in dirt, fuzz, and the kind of riffs that crawl under your skin and stay there. Rat King hits like a fuse lit in a basement; you don’t just listen, you get shoved into it. The record thrums […]
KIND formed in 2013 and released their debut album “Rocket Science” on Ripple Music in the waning days of 2015. That album garnered favorable reviews across the board, including from Metal Hammer who stated that it built up “an atmosphere that’ll sound awesome played live”. That was proven by a West Coast tour KIND undertook […]
Let’s be clear from the jump: Metanoia doesn’t ask for your attention – it drags you under by the collar of your patched-up denim vest and doesn’t let go until it’s rattled your teeth and rearranged something in your chest cavity. This is a record born from smoke and reverb, but sharpened by lived experience […]
There’s something deeply satisfying when a record rolls in and just refuses to sit neatly on your shelf. SHEEV’s Ate’s Alchemist is that kind of beast – the kind that claws at you in your sleep and smells faintly of burnt incense, crushed amps, and regret. You try to file it under stoner, prog, or […]
It took me a couple plays to even understand if this was a “band” in the usual sense. Because this thing doesn’t behave like a record put together in a jam space and tracked over a weekend. It’s not locked in like that. It moves more like a memory. Or like it was uncovered, not […]