It's really amazing how easy it is to get lost in this album. The grooves are psychedelic right from the opening track, and the album sounds massive. Despite the sound, the music feels warm and comforting, pulling you in with a cozy hug. The vocal performance is also fantastic. This is some absolutely incredible stoner rock with an absurd amount of potential for relistens. Every repeat listen I find something new that I love about it. The highlights to me are Mammoth and Avalon, but I ... read more

Crushing distorted riffs, ethereal vocals, and an atmosphere that wraps around you like a weighted blanket, Not Here Not Gone is a powerful release from Blackwater Holylight. Feels extremely easy to get immersed in the wall of sound the band puts out through the 46 minute runtime. Heavy, Why? Bodies, and Poppyfields are my favorite tracks off this. Immensely enjoyable with cool grooves. Heavy, in a soulful way. Great release.

The boys in Restless Spirit came out swinging in big 2026. This album is packed front to back with catchy, delicious riffs, fantastic vocals, and grooves that leech into your brain.

Right from the start, The Burning Need takes you and throws you into what this album gives. Other high points are Hallowed, Red In Tooth and Claw, and Phantom Pain. The 40 minute run time is perfect. It's so easy to relisten to the record. It's a blast all the way through, and the bits when they get the ... read more

Monolord to me has always been a band with songs that I like, even love, yet never quite had a full album experience that’s captured me. Neverending changes that however.

More shortform songs fits the Swedes sound well. Lots of cool hooks and melodies on songs like Iodine, Oozing Wound, Invisible, and my favorite on the record, The Masque. Monolord has managed to create what is in my opinion their most cohesive album front to back in the discography. And while I don’t think ... read more

It feels early to give this rating to Through Zero but I just can’t deny what this album makes me feel. What was likely my most anticipated album of 2026 delivered more than I could have possibly hoped for.

There is not a dull moment on this record from start to finish, the grooves and riffs are completely immaculate and when it gets heavy it somehow gets even better. I thought Capture/Release was going to be the pinnacle of the album but Strata is a legitimate masterpiece. The ... read more

This album took a little bit to click for me, but when I finally got it, damn did I get it.

Imagine drifting off through space in a really cool spaceship and there's all these planets and galaxies and other various cosmic entities that I don't know the name of that are super colorful idk I'm not a space scientist

And as you float through space in your spacecraft the speaker system is just blasting these massive riffs that even though there's no sound in space, the riffs ... read more

Re-reviewing because this album has grown on me an indescribable amount.

Monstrous riffs of violence that sound like putting a warhammer through the skulls of your foes and grinding them bit to bit, bone fragment by bone fragment. Screeching vocals that sound like a child pissed off because his mom cut his sandwich into triangles instead of squares (triangles is better imo). Grooves that make you want to spin around with a battleaxe in close proximity to all those that oppose you.

Damn this ... read more

Ruby the Hatchet has this warm, fuzzy old school soul to their music, and Fear is a Cruel Master is their best work yet in my opinion. It’s extremely catchy with fun grooves. Jillian is absolutely fantastic on the vocals as well, and her unique voice really ties together the bands sound. It’s a little stoner rocky, a little doomy, with plenty of old school cool. Almost sounds nostalgic despite being a 2022 release.

Favorite songs:
The Change
1000 Years
Soothsayer

This is a lot of fun. It's got a bit of bluesy, a bit of rock, a bit of psychadelic and a bit of doom. The riffage is groovy, and Jillian has a slick voice that works well for their sound.

Favorite songs: The Unholy Behemoth, Demons, Tomorrow Never Comes

I love this record. So violent, so groovy, I wanna flail my arms around like a madman and spinkick a wall. Brody King is absolutely hilarious on vocals in the best way. So many memorable riffs and groovy breakdowns, and the lyricism is pretty fun. Big time banger imo

This album is so much fun. It’s got a freakin wizard on thr album cover and wizards are cool hell yeah. Doomy, fun vocals and big chonky riffs to move your booty. Above the Water and Hunted are my favorite tracks

Thanks to the homie Billie for showing me this!!

An absolutely beautiful and brilliant record. I'm not really sure how to put it into words - I think it's just something you need to listen to to understand. I don't think it's entirely perfect, Sonntag is sorta a weak point for me but I still like it.

Kinda proggy, psychedelic, stoner doomy delicious goodness.

Highlights: Sanctuary, Thousand Hands.

My dad showed me this album when I was pretty young and looking at how my current taste has really evolved - I think this album played a huge part in it. Absolute monster record, sludgy stoner riffs galore, hella grooves, super catchy. A classic. Thanks dad

Favorite songs: Asteroid, Gardenia, Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop

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Not inside my typical wheelhouse but this album is so damn soulful and touching. An absolute must listen.

Blind Guardian’s debut LP still holds up incredibly strong to this day, with the opener of Majesty still debatably their best song.

Insanely fun from start to finish, awesome guitar work, and you can never go wrong with Hansi.

Standouts: Majesty, Run for the Night, Wizard’s Crown

I have some gripes with The Bestiary, but the good outweighs the bad. The first half of the album is incredibly strong with songs like SIREN and WIZARD. While I think the second half meanders a bit and definitely slows down, there’s still strong tracks - DRAGON and SUN SONG being examples.

Huge fan of the old school cheesy dungeons and dragons vibe, and overall the record is just really fun to me.

Tribal Gaze truly understands how to write booty shaking music

Also the drums are gnarly dude

With my newfound obsession for this band and inhaling as much of Etemen Aekna and Voidkind as I could, I finally went to visist Asheran, Dvne's debut LP.

One thing this album has made click for me is their ability to make proggy sludge sound so damn epic, and I think a big part of that is Victor Vicart's vocals (Becoming one of my favorite in the scene right now.)

An album that makes you feel like you're going on a dangerous adventure, with insane riffs, and Dudley Tait has ... read more

When this came out in 2024, I was like "hey this is neat," and never thought much else of it

Cut to 2025. After diving into their 2021 record Etemen Aenka, the band finally clicked, and I revisited Voidking on multiple occasions.

There's a lot to love here. The sludgy prog mix is so disgusting, groovy and awesome. The drumming and riffs especially are killer.

The opening track Summa Blasphemia sets the tone so well for the record. Reaching for Telos and Abode of the Perfect ... read more