The last time I entered through the doors of the wonderfully named The Bread Shed, was to see one of The post Author & Punisher / KEN mode / El Moono @ The Bread Shed, Manchester, 14th August 2024 appeared first on The Sleeping Shaman ..read more

Named after the Norns, three Norse goddesses of fate who rule the destiny of mortals and immortals, post-hardcore power trio The post Review: Norna ‘Norna’ appeared first on The Sleeping Shaman ..read more

SUMAC are a band that I’ve always heard good things about, but never managed to get around to listening to them properly. Considering they are made up of current and former members of bands like ISIS, Russian Circles, Baptists, Genghis Tron, Old Man Gloom and Botch to name a few, this qualifies as not only a supergroup but also one very much in my wheelhouse. But we all have blind spots, and we should strive to fix those if we can. The band’s new record is called The Healer and it is out now through Thrill Jockey Records. SUMAC ‘The Healer’ Artwork Cavernous atmospheric post-sludge is the orde ..read more

Italian doom sludge band State of Non Return gives a powerful opening statement with their debut White Ink that is out now through Trepanation Recordings. The minimalist cover invoking a dark sea, hints at the album’s focus: four lengthy tracks exploring the genre’s depths, with the shortest standing at just under nine minutes. State Of Non Return ‘White Ink’ Artwork Opener Catharsis dives in with psychedelic guitars before lurching into a slow, doomy groove. The sound of the album is very clean, and the drums in particular feel very raw and natura, the vocals on the other hand are often heavi ..read more

Chrome Waves, who have been pretty prolific over the past five or so years, deliver their first ever live album, recorded at the long-running Syracuse, New York venue Lost Horizon on 5th January 2024 when the band were embarking on a short Northeastern tour. The rationale for this is fairly simple as according to guitarist Jeff Wilson ‘I’ve been a fan of live albums since I was a kid, from the raw punk attitude of Nirvana’s early bootlegs to the enchanting atmosphere of Emperor’s Emperial Live Ceremony’. Chrome Waves ‘Lost Horizon – Live 1/5/2024’ Artwork The lineup at said show includes found ..read more

APF Records recently celebrated their seventh year of existence and with albums from the likes of Barbarian, Swamp Coffin and Torso on the slate for 2024, Andrew Field’s love letter to the extreme and dirty riff continues to rack up an impressive catalogue that can already boast Desert Storm, Under, The Hyena Kill and Wasted Death to name but a few. Urzah ‘The Scorching Gaze’ Artwork Joining this impressive list are relative newcomers, Bristol, UK’s sludge metal, post/progressive quartet Urzah (originating from Arabic meaning Power). Having formed just before 2020, the band endured a rocky sta ..read more

There is no ideal time to do what I am about to do, especially when it comes to bands that are from my hometown, because I love to support the French scene from afar (and UK-based bands when I talk to my friends back home), but when you get to the point when you start disliking an album the more you listen to it, I feel like you need to tell it like it is. Homecoming ‘Those We Knew’ Artwork It wasn’t easy to come to this conclusion, especially because I have heard nothing but great things about my fellow Parisians from Homecoming. Their first LP from late 2019 was actually pretty promising and ..read more

I first came across Ba’al, the moody, blackened post-metal crew from Sheffield via the APF Records sampler The First Four Years (2017-2022) which included the despairing One Under The Sun from their debut EP In Gallows By Mass (2017). This mournful and stark piece of music was a good introduction to the feral, raw power that bubbled up in the quartet as they mixed heart-wrenching melancholy and melody into brute energy accompanied by vocalist Joe Stamps’ screams that could strip paint from the walls. I fell instantly in love with it. Ba’al ‘Soft Eyes’ EP Artwork However, it was their criticall ..read more

Are you ready to immerse yourself with electrifying sonics that will transport you to realms unknown and rhythms untamed? Then you’ve come to the right place as The Shaman is thrilled to bring you the first single from Italian post-doom trio Ainu, who will unleash their self-titled debut on the 28th June through Subsound Records. Ainu The track is Khrono and throughout its epic eight and half minute runtime, you’ll be taken on a scintillating journey that traverses a post-metal, doom and psych landscape that’s aided and abetted by Francesco Bucci from Ottone Pesante on brass trombone and Giorg ..read more

The notion of liminal space is certainly a fitting metaphor for the disenfranchisement that rock music has tapped into as it has moved from the hopeful rebellion of its roots to the cultural critique of humanity’s increasing removal from the core of our nature. This acknowledgement of internal strife and our place in the world has fuelled Glassing, the power trio from Austin, Texas, as they approached the creation of their fourth full-length album. Glassing ‘From the Other Side Of The Mirror’ Artwork For nearly a decade, the band have carved a path that oscillates between the shimmering beauty ..read more