New Yorkers Couch Slut have been active since 2012 and are comprised of Kevin Hall (bass), Theo Nobel (drums), Amy Mills (guitars), Megan Osztrosits (vocals) and newbie guitarist Dylan Dilella (Pyrrhon/Solo) who replaces original member Kevin Wunderlich. The band already have three full-length studio albums to their name, 2014’s My Life As A Woman, 2017’s Contempt and 2020’s Take A Chance On Rock ‘n’ Roll. Couch Slut ‘You Could Do It Tonight’ Artwork You Could Do It Tonight, their latest long-player continues the band’s penchant for darkly satirical album art that bring to mind Raymond Pettibo ..read more

Raw and abrasive are certainly two words that spring to mind when talking about the Norfolk flatlands guitar and drums sludgey doom and noise-rock duo Kulk, who, after the success of 2021s Here Lies Kulk are counting down the days until they unleash their new eight-track long-player, It Gets Worse, through Human Worth on the 17th May. Kulk Today, as a taster of the despondency to come, The Shaman is elated to bring the first single from their new album in the form of the anxiety-inducing video, which was directed and shot by Kris from Swing And A Miss, for the near three minute Beyond Kill, ab ..read more

Over the course of the last few decades, I’ve grown to trust the tastes of the good folks over at Ipecac Recordings, so upon seeing Thoughts & Prayers, the second full-length from CNTS, a Los Angeles noise-punk outfit comprised of scene veterans from bands like Dead Cross, Qui, Retox and Planet B, available for review, I knew at the minimum it would be an interesting listen, if not a total burner, so I went ahead and added it to the queue. CNTS ‘Thoughts & Prayers’ Artwork First, we need to provide some background. After releasing their debut in 2019, CNTS was hit with a devastating bl ..read more

I guess I should start this post off with yet another apology for the huge delay in getting these photos published from the Årabrot gig back in November last year as I just don’t know where my time goes these days. Anyway, enough excuses as I headed down to Satans Hollow slap bang in the middle of Manchester’s city centre to catch the cathartic Norwegians. Before I set off, I’d already clocked the Tapestry Promotions gig was an early start with it being a Friday night as the venue was playing host to an afterparty for the Cavalera Conspiracy gig that was happening down the road. Now whether t ..read more

I really don’t know where the time goes and how I got so far behind publishing these photos, and yes, there are more Through The Lens posts I still need to sort after this, but hey, we are where we are and hopefully I’ll get them live sooner rather than later, although I can’t promise. Anyway, enough of the excuses as last October I once again headed to The White Hotel in Salford for The Beauty Witch hosted night featuring Hey Colossus and Teeth Of The Sea who were touring the UK as a double headline outing. With the gig being on a Friday, the majority of live music venues in the area turn in ..read more

Thee Alcoholics, (not to be confused with Tha Alkaholiks the party obsessed LA Hardcore hip-hop trio), are a London outfit formed by Rhys Llewellyn formerly of Hey Colossus and currently of DRMCNT, Acidliner and many others. The band have a string of releases to their name, the majority of which have been put out by Wrong Speed Records. Thee Alcoholics ‘Feedback’ Artwork These are, 2020’s Thee Alcoholics, 2021’s Tape II, 2022’s Seven Inch, 2023’s Politicians, Kill Yourself 7” and the excellent Live At The Piper set which also came out in 2023 courtesy of Human Worth. Feedback, their first albu ..read more

If my internet searches are to be believed, the phrase ‘Island Apes’ originated in Germany, and was meant to be a derogatory term directed at English football supporters. I certainly didn’t know any of this as I was doing my homework on the band Island Apes, who are poised to drop their self-titled debut on God Unknown Records. Island Apes ‘Island Apes’ Artwork I thought the band’s name was cool, and after reading up on them, and the term, I found their choice in name to be all at once funny, ironic and self-deprecating. Island Apes evidently formed in 2018 and consist of some heavy hitters in ..read more

I knew absolutely nothing about the two musicians, Max Dameron (guitar/vocals) and Sam Ford (drums/vocals) who comprise the stoner/sludge/psychedelic/noise/punk duo Psychic Trash upon taking on their self-titled debut, that’s poised to be released on RidingEasy Records, choosing to take on the review based solely on their name, their label, and the description of their sound. Psychic Trash – S/T – Artwork Evidently, Dameron and Ford have some juice in the heavy rock underground, having played in various bands in and around Portland, Los Angeles and Brooklyn, including the amazingly named, how ..read more

Jason Stoll is a prolific musician and has featured in many bands including Mugstar, KLÄMP, Sex Swing, Twin Sister and now JAAW. He also runs the God Unknown Records label who have put out records by a diverse range of artists including Charles Hayward, Bushpilot, Cassels, Sneers, White Hills, Rainbow Grave, BLAHA, Henge and so on. Recently he teamed up with Therapy?’s Andy Cairns in the band JAAW whose debut album I reviewed recently and who I am looking forward to seeing in Salford later this year. Jason Stoll Welcome Jason, you’re something of a familiar face to Shaman regulars. How the dev ..read more

Heavy metal has always had a negative view among the general public. Start adding words like doom or funeral in front and people think even worse. I don’t have to explain how awesome the metal community truly is because if you’re reading this, you’re deep in it and already know. My point is, with record labels like Human Worth who make a strong effort to give back and help those in need, the focus of the general public should begin there. Modern Technology ‘Conditions Of Worth’ Artwork While Human Worth is going above and beyond by giving a percentage of the sales to charity, that’s only part ..read more