Asteroid - III (2016)

"Much of Asteroid‘s aptly-titled third album, III, is unassuming. It arrives via Fuzzorama Records with a photo of the band’s gear — artfully shot, but a gear photo — on the front cover, and at seven tracks/36 minutes, it’s quick, almost humble listen. That’s precisely the point. It’s been six years since the Örebro, Sweden, three-piece released II , and while they would’ve been well within their rights to turn III into some grandiose, probably hyper-produced excursion given the occasion, it also would’ve been completely out of character. Asteroid went a much more fitting way, and III benefits from that choice. 

Natural vibe, on every level. That’s what the gear shot represents.

Nightstalker - As Above So Below (2016)

"Greece’s premiere kings of all that is Stoner Rock and Psychedelia, the spectacular Nightstalker, are back with a brand new full-length album “As Above, So Below” just released via Oak Island Records. The latest album from these hard rockin’ mofos finds vocalist Argy, guitarist Tolis Motsios, bassist Andreas Lagios, and drummer Dinos Roulos doing what it is that they do best: Rocking! Their style of hard-hitting acid rock keeps one foot in the retro world while planting the other firmly in the modern age and thus the guys are standing tall in their unwavering pursuit of all that is heavy. Now well over twenty years into their legacy of fantastic vintage-vibed Rock ‘N Roll, Nightstalker have once again outdone

1000mods - Repeated Exposure To... (2016)

"With their third full-length, Repeated Exposure To…, Greece’s 1000mods affirm their place at the head of the pack of European heavy rock and roll. I mean that without qualification. Not just Greek heavy, but Europe as a whole. They were already leaders in their home country after their 2014 offering, Vultures (review here), which followed their 2012 Valley of Sand EP (discussed here), their 2011 debut LP, Super Van Vacation (review here), 2009’s Liquid Sleep EP (review here), and their first short release, Blank Reality, which came out in 2006, but a full decade later, the Chiliomodi four-piece have become bona fide masters of the form.

Released through their own Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug

Truckfighters - V (2016)

"Truckfighters are one of the more immediate desert/stoner rock bands in a genre very well known for forgetting to get to the point (maybe lay off the weed a little, guys?). The Swedish band has a sound propelled equally from the desert and 70s smoke-filled arenas, but there’s a decided Soundgarden and Tool influence that makes Truckfighters’ music (even the more sparse and barren soundscapes) feel more propulsive than their peers. It helps that their music is certainly at the more melodic and accessible end of the stoner spectrum. These guys are much more focused than many of their peers, and the songs have reflected that over the years. Truckfighters have been known for a riff-fueled good time.

Wight - Love Is Not Only What You Know (2016)

Sometimes, things today are better than they used to be. But that’s not always the case. WIGHT know exactly when to take queues from the modern world and when to go back to the roots. Combining a powerful groove with complexity and extraordinary musicianship, they celebrate their musical journey throughout times past and present. Presenting doom-based psychedelic rock at the beginning of their career, WIGHT these days are Miles (Davis) ahead of that. Their carefully crafted fusion rock sound incorporates influences from artists as diverse as the Beatles, Parliament/Funkadelic and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Throw in some African rhythms and sounds along the lines of Osibisa, and the sun

SVVAMP - s/t (2016)

Swedish trio Svvamp is the real deal. Countless bands today strive to sound genuine — whether faking their way through a ProTools pastiche of carefully assembled takes, painstakingly tarnishing tracks to give them a “live feel” or simply copying the style of their favorite band. And, usually, their posturing is entirely transparent.

Every once in a while though, you find a band without self-conscious pretense that truly echoes the mood and vibe of an era when the rulebooks were burned with the draft cards and the act of playing rock’n’roll was simultaneously defiant and inherently casual. Svvamp is just that type of primordial beauty captured on a perfect 11-song debut.

Kaleidobolt - The Zenith Cracks (2016)

"It would be tempting to say that Kaleidobolt were born 45 years too late, indeed had this album been released in the early seventies it would now be held up as a classic. But they are of the here and now....the ambitious song structures and the sheer heaviness in places make it a contemporary release, but a classic nonetheless. These guys exude class from every pore..."

(Dayz Of Purple And Orange)

 Kaleidobolt‘s The Zenith Cracks provides a play-it-louder response to the potential Kaleidobolt exhibited their first time out. Perhaps most telling is that even as the band’s ambition has grown in terms of aesthetic, they’ve drawn closer together as players as well, and

Salem's Pot - Pronounce This! (2016)

“Don’t try to fight it,” the band’s motto implores, “Salem’s Pot has come to destroy your mind.” It’s the same kind of winking tease employed by low budget horror films of the 70s-80s that essentially dared audiences to experience what they knew they wanted, but couldn’t possibly expect.

Likewise, the new album by mysterious Swedish quintet Salem’s Pot delivers truly gritty and captivating heavy rock in high contrast technicolor: a sonic equivalent of The Last House On The Left, El Topo and Blood Feast. Similar to the way such films made up for their lack of flashy, expensive effects with dim lighting and implied violence, a hallucinogenic sense of true evil lurks in the dark corners

The Judge - s/t (2016)

Many bands aim for that magic Sabbath sound, but very few are this good. The songs are tight, well written, even dark at times, with a touch of doomy psychedelia that’s like the mushroom on the cake!

The new album from The Judge is a crushing display of heavy riffs, retro-70’s driving grooves, heady lyrics and vocals that sear straight into your soul. A great set of tunes from this un-and-comer of the stoner scene.

“The Jury is out on this one. The Judge kicks ass. It kicks ass in a 70’s hard rock way. This is like the lost classic that has just resurfaced today. This shit rocks!”– http://www.theevilengineer.com

Blues Pills - Lady In Gold (2016)

Using the mystic sounds of the late 60’s and early 70’s as their base, the Blue Pills continue to blend a sweet concoction of blues-rock on ‘Lady In Gold’.The title track gets things off with a fist in the air rock anthem. The droning keyboards form the backdrop for the electric vocals of Elin Larsson as the song builds up to the chorus. Dorian Sorriaux’s guitar is soaked in overdriven furry fuzz and bleeds reverb and swooshing phaser giving off a strong psychedelic vibe.

While there is no denying that the Blue Pills have a love affair for the glory days of psychedelic rock and soul, they make this genre all their own with inventive melodies and hungry rhythms that seek to nest within the essence of your being. This is hammered home on