Daily Peaks · 08.08.2025
Howling Giant from Nashville, Tennessee, presents a somewhat different kind of music here. There are catchy vocal lines over pure heavy metal guitars, without fuzz and without them being tuned three to five semitones lower; there are dynamic tempo changes and various moods within one song. Wow, and then this complex song is also catchy. US metal bands managed something like this in the 80s, be it Savatage, Culprit, or Heir Apparent, and since then, things have been pretty quiet in this...
Concerts & Tours · 01.08.2025
Until this concert, we thought we knew all the venues near our beloved Backstage in Munich. The fact that behind the actual Backstage lies the Arena Süd, the size of a Bavarian beer tent with a capacity of around 3,000 spectators, was new to us. The arena is also equipped with a 10,000-watt PA and a similarly large and flexible lighting system. The perfect conditions for a great concert. The Innsbruck band "Mother's Cake" provided support, gleaning their stylistic range and diversity from the...
Concerts & Tours · 28.07.2025
The Free and Easy-Festival started. That means: almost 3 weeks of free concerts, 20 minutes away from home. Yes.
Daily Peaks · 10.07.2025
The 45-minute length alone made me wonder whether I should even listen to this song. Hey, I said to myself, you've already listened to Dopesmoker several times, just let yourself be taken on this trip through "Peace of Chaos." It's actually several songs played one after the other without a break; there's doom, stoner, psychedelic, basically everything you'd expect to play in a live jam. But that also requires a good understanding within the band to play something like that in one go. For me,...
Daily Peaks · 22.06.2025
The next surprise from Italy: not only are the two biggest and best labels, Go Down Records and Heavy Psych Sounds Records, based in Italy, but interesting new records are released on Bandcamp almost daily. Ride Over Mars hailing from Rome and manages to release this killer record without any filler. I love songs with short, crisp timing; the songs start after 15 seconds, then get straight to the point and rock so hard you can let your hair blow. In short: machine guns in action.
Heavystoned Albums · 20.06.2025
You can listen to both albums in one sitting without skipping a single song. I don't know how most Swedish bands manage to find just the right balance between brutal rock, a dirty, distorted fuzz sound, the right timing, and catchy melodies. It's a joy to welcome this band back to the international stage and hopefully see them again. The package with Greeleaf and 10,000 Years would be absolutely amazing.
Daily Peaks · 10.06.2025
This band was suggested to me by my search settings on Bandcamp, and after just 20 seconds, it was clear to me that this band, and especially the song "Shipwrecker," was the daily peak. Everything is just right: the tempo, the groove, the riffing, the voice that conjures up an incredible vocal line. It's bad enough that we have to wait until September 5th for this gem to ship. Until then, I guess I'll have to listen to one of my new favorite songs every day. The heaviness combined with...
Heavystoned Albums · 05.05.2025
La France sait faire du vin, du fromage, et apparemment, du stoner punk à plein régime aussi. Avec Bronca, le groupe de La Fare Les Oliviers nous livre un album serré de dix titres qui sonne comme un road trip endiablé à travers fuzz, feu et pur esprit DIY. Si vous les avez vus en concert, comme au Rising Dead Boys Festival en septembre 2024, vous le savez : ces gars-là ne font pas de concerts, ils balancent des coups de poing musicaux avec le sourire. L'album démarre avec « Broken Nose...
Daily Peaks · 08.04.2025
Quintana is the solo project of Dusty Donley – guitarist of Mississippi Bones – and Eternity is his second full-length release under this name. It’s one of those albums that doesn’t scream for attention but earns it, track by track. From the start, Eternity brings thick riffs, heavy grooves, and a grunge feeling that stays throughout the whole record. The first track, “Timeless”, opens with a strong guitar and drums combo – direct, punchy, and without any extra fluff. You know...
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...