Heavystoned Albums · 13.03.2025
We discovered RYR during the 2024 edition of Stoned from the Underground and in fact, the small tent stage was not the right stage for this broad and wide spread kind of music. Not in 2024. I have to quote my article: "Ryr's music is somewhere between doom, shoegaze, post-rock and ambient black metal, spiced up with a pinch of noise. The initially delicate structures of melodies and single notes were destroyed over the course of the songs by brutal riffs and volume, only to be carefully put...
Daily Peaks · 21.02.2025
'In the Ashes' is the brilliant debut album from Swedish heavy rock and metal merchants TEMPLE OF DISCORD, led by Wytch guitarist Mattias Marklund. Dark and brooding, yet radiant with multifaceted appeal, 'In The Ashes' explores a wide range of genres including classic heavy metal, alternative rock and grunge, dark folk, and progressive rock. Marklund's vocals are intense and heartfelt, taking the instrumentation into uncharted emotional territories while constantly hovering on the brink of...
Heavystoned Albums · 10.02.2025
I have to admit that Berlin creates a lot of interesting bands. One of the latest are Icarus Burns, which I guess, I will hear and see them at Berlin´s Desertfest in 2025. Mintaur opens this sonic odyssey, flowing slowly with gentle psychedelic chords that take their time to reach their climax. The first two minutes give way to orthodox riffs that veer between stoner and heavy psychedelia. Following a path reminiscent of bands like Rotor, guitar solos bring us beautiful and exotic oriental...
Daily Peaks · 27.01.2025
When Scandinavian bands sing in their native language, whatever music they're playing takes on a slightly sinister, dark aftertaste. It was different with Abba, where the songs sung in Swedish sounded like children's songs, even though they were about heartbreak, separation and betrayal. "Pakten" is an irresistible banger in terms of style, but because the individual syllables of Swedish don't quite fit the beats, this song takes on a very individual direction. You feel like you're trapped in...
Daily Peaks · 12.12.2024
The Swedish band Gaupa was one of the best discoveries of the Berlin Desertfest 2023. For the band, musical boundaries only exist to be torn down, no musical style contradicts the other, but rather complements it. This energetic and anarchistic attitude can be heard in the underlying punk attitude in this song. The lyrics also seem to me to be more of a quite personal sound alphabet filled with existential feelings and expressions, a barely unknown combination in this genre. This compact...
Festivals · 10.12.2024
Planet Desert Rock Weekend, organized by John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution, has become a must-attend event for heavy rock fans. This unique Las Vegas festival offers an intimate atmosphere where fans can connect with like-minded rockers and musicians at top venues like Count’s Vamp’d. Shows are held at night, allowing attendees to explore the city during the day. The 2025 edition features eight international bands alongside acts like Fireball Ministry, Unida, and Mos Generator. Ripple...
Daily Peaks · 04.10.2024
Press releases are always interesting; if they are very long, then the music is usually not interesting and if the author of the text searches in vain for the right words, then the music is interesting. This is what happened with the Danish band "Dying Hydra" and their latest single "Grasping Stone". Sludge means in this case the slowness of the song and the growls. So much for melodic sludge which was mentioned in the press text; there are so many different styles in this song, be it doom, a...
Unknown Pleasures · 02.10.2024
The Australian band "Black Aleph" performs music that should be saved for special moments. It is not background music for everyday things, but for special feelings that intuitively call for this band. I look out of the window here in Munich and there is an autumnal gray veil over colorful leaves, the smell of the last apples and pears are in the air and all these different aspects of autumn are carried on the spheres that this band produces. Personally, I find the video too colorful for this...
Daily Peaks · 04.08.2024
The American heavy and dark rock band SPIRIT MOTHER has released their new single "Veins," from their upcoming second album "Trails," set for release on September 13 via HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records. Bassist and vocalist Armand Lance describes "Veins" as a minimalist nightmare, balanced with atonality, melodic violin lines, and vocals. The song features essential elements only, with no unnecessary additions. "Trails" captures the energy of Spirit Mother's visceral live performances while...
Heavystoned Albums · 17.07.2024
While its predecessor was long-awaited (seven years between their first and second album), this Pilgrims of the Sun only took three years to be conceived and reach our ears. As a reminder, Atomic Vulture is a Belgian instrumental stoner trio. Another surprise with this album: the group embarked on the adventure solo, self-produced, therefore without the support of a label. The musical style has not evolved too much and it is with pleasure that we dive into these seven compositions: the trio...