Consisting of desert rock pioneers from the legendary acts Yawning Man and Fu Manchu, supergroup Yawning Balch releases an ever-prolific debut entitled Volume One via Heavy Psych Sounds. Just like the album title, Yawning Balch embarks the first volume of their musical career’s trajectory through this debut.
Stoner rock is often thought of in the same dim light as Doom, but this Italian band has dropped an album that serves as an example of how the two genres differ. While stoner rock and doom both share DNA with Black Sabbath, these guys ride on their riffs with a boogie that share a similar cactus patch as Clutch. They do pay homage to Sabbath, mainly in the singer’s piercing declarations that sound like Ozzy by way of nineties grunge. Their fuzz-laden riffs focus on grooving, rather than carrying the stark undercurrent of aggression that powered Sabbath’s darker guitar sound.
Norwegians Saint Karloff formed in 2015 and their debut full-length All Heed the Black God followed in 2018. The latest album Paleolithic War Crimes (Majestic Mountain Records) comes as something of a bittersweet release following the sad loss of bassist and founding member Ole ‘Karloff’ Sletner in 2021 (RIP). The writing for this record had started in 2019 with Ole very much on board and to quote the band ultimately, “reflects a band in transition and exploring new paths, but at the same time it retains that proper heavy Karloff-vibe.”
The trajectory of the Greek sludge/post-metal unit Allochiria’s career started pretty long ago in 2008. To this day, they have released a self-titled EP and three full-length LPs to note. While being strong on post-metal coded slow-paced progressions, they also incorporate a touch of hardcore nuance manifested by how vocalist Irene presents inclement blackened growls on their songs. And, so, they are back on releasing a full-length, which is also their third one, titled Commotion via Venerate Industries.
After a seven-year wait, psychedelic rockers Blood Ceremony are back with their new album The Old Ways Remain (Rise Above Records). This is their fifth record and it sees the Canadian quartet successfully add Folk, Pop, and Jazz elements to their already multifaceted, woozy psychedelic rock.
We caught up with Heavy Psych Sounds Records founder and The Black Rainbows frontman Gabriele Fiori to preview the upcoming Heavy Psych Sounds Festivals in Joshua Tree and San Francisco, California! We discussed the growth of the festivals worldwide, how he books the talent, how collaborates with partners, the expansion of the stoner doom metal genre over the last two decades, news about the new Black Rainbows album and other releases coming soon on the label, HPS festivals in Italy and Switzerland, and EXCLUSIVE news about more festivals coming later this year!
Beyond Vision (Blues Funeral Recordings) marks Acid King‘s fifth full-length album to date and its thirtieth anniversary as a band since their formation. It’s also the follow-up to 2015’s overlooked Middle of Nowhere, Centre of Everything album which Lori referred to in a recent interview on Conan Neutron‘s Protonic Reversal show with a hope of reissuing it at some point. Fingers crossed.
Bergen, which is located in the heart of southwestern Norway, is widely known for producing an army of all-around great bands in the extreme metal scene – Borknagar, Enslaved, and Immortal, to name a few. Being the home of the renowned Norse sonic warriors Wardruna as well, there are almost always exciting things to look forward to in the Bergen scene. One of them is definitely the newest self-titled release by the up-and-coming psychonauts Søstre!
Trove Of Oddities At The Devil’s Driveway (Heavy Psych Sounds) is the fourth full-length release from France’s Witchthroat Serpent. Recorded in single live takes to analog tape at Brittany’s Kerwax Studio, the record is described as being “slower…darker and more evil” that its predecessors, and “an invocation to Satan”.
Ghost Cult welcomes in guest contributor, podcaster and Pink Floyd expert Nik Cameron of The Glacially Musical Pouredcast to wax on about Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, which turned 50 years old today (March 1st, 2023).
The Dark Side of the Moon, 50 Years Later
As we sit here, author and reader, what could be arguably called the greatest prog rock album of all time, The Dark Side of the Moon, by Pink Floyd, has aged fifty years. At the time of this writing when I attempt some words about this massive achievement, I am 47 years old.Continue reading