Torche Continue to Mine a Complex Brand of Metal With the Mesmerizing ‘Admission’
Admission isn't an enormous change in the sound of Torche, but rather an affirmation that this band insists on forging new paths and confounding expectations.
stoner rock
Faerie Ring Get Heavy, Psychedelic, and Fantastical With Debut LP, ‘The Clearing’ (album stream) (premiere)
Indiana fuzz merchants Faerie Ring take us back to the earliest sounds of underground heaviness while suggesting a brutal and bright future for this manner of sludge and spectacle.
Eclectic Metal’s Irata Prepare to Issue Latest Set, ‘Tower’ (album stream)
North Carolina quartet Irata owes as much to the classic era of grunge as it does to cannabis-infused sounds of contemporary stoner rock. Tower never offers up a dull moment.
Stoner Rock Godfather Brant Bjork Explores the Power of “Oui” (premiere + interview)
Brant Bjork's long-lost instrumental album Jacoozzi has its heart in the improvisational elements of funk, soul and jazz. Uncontrollable dancing may result.
Crypt Trip Looks to the Past to Discover What It Means “To Be Whole” (premiere)
Texas heavy rock trio, Crypt Trip release their new album 8 March and share the proggy song "To Be Whole".
Gypsy Chief Goliath Explores “Low Cost of Living High” (premiere)
Ontario-based stoner metal outfit Gypsy Chief Goliath presents the latest single from their upcoming fourth album, Masters of Space and Time.
Yob and Near-death Metal Experiences
Yob's Our Raw Heart topped PopMatters Best of Metal 2018 list. Here, Yob's Mike Scheidt meets with neurophilosopher Christopher James Stevens to discuss music and mystical experiences.
Dirty Streets Eschews Complications, Gets to the Heart With “Distractions” (premiere)
Memphis trio Dirty Streets highlight their gritty and heartfelt brand of rock 'n' roll on the new single "Distractions".
Clutch Revisit the Past on ‘Book of Bad Decisions’
Clutch can't escape the past on their newest release Book of Bad Decisions.
Progressive Hard Rockers Ape Machine Move Our Ears “Into the Shredder” (premiere)
Reminiscent of some of hard rock's finest first generation acts, Ape Machine unleash a new single from upcoming album, Darker Seas.
Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal Bring Rock Liberation to San Francisco
Queens of the Stone Age keeps the pedal to the metal with a high-energy set interrupted only by occasional interludes where Josh Homme muses with tidbits of hard-earned rock wisdom for a perilous world that's reached two minutes to midnight.
Buffalo Killers Chill Out With New Video, “Parachute” (premiere)
Cincinnati band Buffalo Killers nods to Fab Four in new video for "Parachute".