Witching Chronicles: Exploring PELEGRIN’s The Curse of Nephtar
There is a point with heavy psych records where you know within the first few minutes whether you’re going to spend the next forty minutes actually listening or simply letting a bunch of fuzz, reverb and tasteful guitar noodling happen somewhere in the background. Pelegrin fortunately belong to the first category. The French trio have […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring STONEBIRDS’ Perpetual Wasteland
Some albums hit a little harder when you know there won’t be another one after them. That’s pretty much how I felt listening to Perpetual Wasteland. Stonebirds called it a day after this record, and whether it was intentional or not, that sense of closure hangs over the whole thing. Not in a dramatic “final […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring WARCOE’s Upon Tall Thrones
I needed something proper heavy the other day, and this one did the job. Warcoe are three lads from Pesaro in Italy who’ve been at it since 2021, and Upon Tall Thrones is their third album, out late September 2025 on Ripple Music. I went in expecting standard retro doom, but it actually kept me […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring Appalooza’s The Emperor of Loss
Appalooza are a heavy rock band known for their fuzzy, riff-driven sound and straightforward approach. On their latest album, The Emperor of Loss, the band continues in that vein, refining the style they’ve been building over previous releases. This isn’t flashy or overproduced music, it’s raw, honest, and grounded, designed to grow on listeners over […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring Supernaughty’s Apocalypso
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: […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring BORRACHO’s Ouroboros
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 […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring the HEBI KATANA’s Imperfection
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 […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring the RAVINE’s Chaos and Catastrophes
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 […]
Witching Riffs: Behind the Sound of THUNDER HORSE
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 […]
Witching Chronicles: Exploring The HOLYROLLER’s Rat King
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 […]