Merry Christmas

 

Here's a bunch of good stuff I've been meaning to share:

MOTORPSYCHO

2025's self-titled album is one of Motorpsycho's very best, and that's no small claim.  Motorpsycho has been putting out innovative rock for over three decades, and has not lost its edge in the least.  Calling them Norway's answer to Yes helps describe their talent and creativity, but not their sound.  Here are a couple of my favorites, from one of the very best albums of the year:

This one is what it would sound like if Steppenwolf and Yes had a baby:

And this one shows the band's versatility, with all kinds of classic rock influences:

Motorpsycho's current lineup is two of the original members:

Bent Sæther – lead vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, drums 

Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan – lead guitars, vocals, keyboards, mandolin, violin, bass 

KADAVAR:  KIDS ABANDONING DESTINY AMONG VANITY AND RUIN

Kadavar's first album of the year, "I Just Want To Be A Sound", emphasized just how versatile these German rock legends are, and their second album puts a gratuitous quadruple exclamation point on that idea.  The range of musical ideas between these two albums is enormous, and just about every single one of the nineteen tracks will worm its way into your brain and get stuck there for days on end.  Try these two on for size:

The leadoff track says "You thought we went soft?  Think again!"

Track 3 says "You thought this was a heavy album?  This is all kinds of rock, swirled together and it's about to get stuck in your head for good!"

Kadavar are:

Christoph "Lupus" Lindemann – guitars, vocals 

Christoph "Tiger" Bartelt – drums 

Simon "Dragon" Bouteloup – bass 

Jascha Kreft – guitars, keyboards 

And now for two more traditional heavy rock albums:

WINDS OF NEPTUNE

Three veterans of multiple Detroit rock bands came together and produced this masterpiece.

Throwback rock and roll, masterfully executed.

The lead track sets the tone:

And here's another one of my favorites:

Winds of Neptune are:

Ross Westerbur: bass, vocals
Mike Alonso: drums
Kevin Roberts: guitar

WOLFTOOTH: WIZARD'S LIGHT

This Indiana band is not trying to do anything other than satisfy your need for kick-ass rock and roll.  Another winner of an album in late 2025.

This is the track they steer you to on Bandcamp:

And this is another one I love.  Reminds me of about a million tunes I used to rock out to in my teens:

Wolftooth are:

Terry McDaniel: Bass

Jeff Cole: Guitar

Chris Sullivan: Vocals, Guitar

Jeremy Lovins: Guitar

Shane Shook: Drums

Hope you had a great Christmas and got quality time with your family.  Now lull yourself to sleep with all this fine "stoner rock".

Peace!

Happy Thanksgiving

 

I really enjoyed this era of metal; what about you?

This is 25 years old now, but seems like yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 STONEBIRDS: PERPETUAL WASTELAND

This French band from Brittany has been around since 2008 but are new to me.  Thanks to Ripple Music, I have found them and will definitely be checking out their earlier releases next.  I find this album addictive, and more engaging with each listen.  I love all six tracks, but these are two of my favorites:

 

Stonebirds are:

Fañch Le Corre : Vocal / Guitars
Antoine Delhumeau: Drums
Sylvain Collas : Bass/vocal

Released Yesterday...New Brimstone Coven

 

BRIMSTONE COVEN:

THE LIGHT SHINES NOT FOR THEE

I've only had this for a day, but it's already one of my top few favorite albums of the year, and one of my favorites from this band.

Brimstone Coven are from West Virginia.  They are:

Corey Roth: Guitar, Vocals

Andrew D'Cagna: Bass, Vocals

Dave Trik: Drums, Vocals

You can find this stoner rock/stoner doom gem here on Bandcamp

-ULTRA

 

Sölicitör: Enemy In Mirrors

Seattle's Sölicitör is back with a full-length old-school heavy metal album, not sounding like, 

but clearly influenced by bands like Metal Church and Judas Priest

Sölicitör are (were):

Matthew Vogan - guitars
Patrick Fry - guitars
Damon Cleary-Erickson - bass
Johan Waymire - drums
Amy Lee Carlson - vocals

I say "were", because guitar player Patrick Fry has just left the band, and they are currently looking for a replacement.  If interested, see their Facebook page for requirements and how to apply for the job.

You can find this banger of an album on Bandcamp here.

Stoner Rock Playlist #61

 

My latest playlist;  Share with someone else if you like it.  

September Releases

 

STONED JESUS: SONGS TO SUN

A week ago today, Ukraine's Stoned Jesus released this gem of an album.

This opening track drew me in hard; lots of great stuff going on here:

These guys have been playing for quite a while, and it shows.  Excellent musicians and songwriters, these guys never disappoint.

Stoned Jesus are (l-r):

Yurii Ciel – drums, backing vocals

Igor Sydorenko – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Andrew Rodin – bass, backing vocals

You can check out the rest of the album, as well as a music video, here.

And released today, newly released tracks by Elder:

ELDER: LIMINALITY/DREAM STATE RETURN

The band describes these two tracks as fragments written between the Omens and Innate Passage albums, reworked last winter.  Both tracks are immense, but I'm posting the shorter, second track:

Elder are originally from Massachusetts, but now reside in Berlin.  The lineup here is:

Nicholas DiSalvo
Jack Donovan
Michael Risberg
Georg Edert

You can pick up these two tracks here.

If you enjoy these artists, you know what to do:  go forth and spread the word!