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The New World Samurai Tour with Clutch, Blacktop Mojo, and The Native Howl slipped into the Castle Theatre and the bands worked their magic. Clutch Clutch, the hardest working band in the land, is prosecuting the New World Samurai Tour right now. Among the countless characteristics that are great about Clutch is that they take a variety of supporting acts with them on the road. This time, it is Blacktop Mojo and The Native Howl. The evening began with The Native Howl, a thrash grass band from Detroit. “Thrash grass” is how they refer to their own music, describing it as a combination of blue g ..read more

The Melvins latest album is a wild one: Tarantula Heart. Who woulda thought? I might be living in a bubble, but I believe everybody knows about (the) Melvins. They came together initially in 1985, and their music has been described in nearly every possible way – sludge, noise, experimental, alternative … pick your favorite word. Their discography is overwhelming. The new album is their 27th (if I counted right), and they have an extraordinary number of EPs, splits, live albums, and compilations in their history. Where to start? If you have never heard (the) Melvins before, I suggest you liste ..read more

Doom fans in Chicago celebrated the coming of spring with a rare concert by the legendary doom band Candlemass at Reggies Rock Club. Candlemass It was the Vernal Equinox, and during a Leap Year, no less, that created the perfect alignment of elements, known and unknown, in the universe necessary for Candlemass to perform in the US. They are not here very often. It seems they have crossed the Atlantic primarily for the Hell’s Heroes festival in Texas, and they are doing a couple of other dates while they are here. According to the band’s website, apart from the festival, Candlemass is only play ..read more

Psychedelic rock instrumentalists Pyramid return with more mind alluring constructions on Beyond Borders Of Time. Pyramid is an instrumental prog rock band from Germany. They released their debut album in 2019, Mind Maze. After a lineup shuffle, they are bringing forth new music in their emergent trio form that is an expanding universe of its own. The band is Michael Kümpflein (bass, synth), Lukas Schomann (drums), and Shane Saban (guitar). The music on this album is progressive rock, heavily laden with bluesy sensibilities and stoner intimations, conjuring psychedelic discernments. The openi ..read more

Boogie metal maestros Leather Lung release their first long-player, Graveside Grin. Leather Lung specialized in EPs for the last ten years or so, ripping out four of them: Reap What You Sow (2014), Lost in Temptation (2016), Lonesome, On’ry and Evil (2019), and Dive Bar Devil (2022). The music is stoner goodness with the heaviness of sludge infused when needed, and plenty of bouncy hooks. Boogie metal, some people call it. It is infectious, I can tell you that. It gets in your blood. The band is Mike (vocals), Zach (guitar, vocals), Ben (drums), Jesse (bass, vocals), and Greg (guitar). “Spit ..read more

San Francisco heavy psych band Disastroid stokes a moody mist on their new album, Garden Creatures. Bay Area fuzz masters Disastroid have been plying their trade for decade or so. Over the course of a couple of EPs and three previous full-length albums, Disastroid has laid down a trail of smoke thick enough for anyone to follow. Their music is a grungy kind of stoner rock that sometimes takes a crooked walk but always ends up somewhere agreeable. The band is Enver Koneya (vocals, guitar), Travis Williams (bass, guitar), and Braden McGraw (drums). The title track starts the set rolling. “Garde ..read more

Progressive heavy psych band Mr. Bison deliver stories of destiny on their latest album, Echoes From The Universe. Formed in Toscana, Italy in 2009, Mr. Bison is a heavy rock band that integrates progressive sounds and psychedelic treatments into their music. They have released four earlier albums – most recently 2020’s well-received Seaward – and a split with Spacetrucker. The new record is a concept album that “is the attempt, as human and temporal beings, to escape the idea of an alleged destiny predetermination by managing to build one’s own individual life path trough will power.” The ba ..read more

Three-piece desert rock band Sundrifter bring forth their third album, An Earlier Time. Sundrfiter is a band from Boston that started off in 2012. Having made waves with their earlier albums, 2016’s Not Coming Back and the even more impressive Visitations from 2019, the stoner threesome returns now with their best work yet. The band is Craig Peura (vocals, guitar), Paul Gaughran (bass), and Patrick Queenan (drums). The album takes off with “Limitless.” The beginning bars are full of energy and press forward, while the settled riff that beds the vocals has a doom feel to it. This is a great co ..read more

Trieste rockers TSO have a new album: Hellcare. TSO is a duo that formed in Italy in 2013. They have released two previous albums, In-Sanity (2016) and Hearth (2019). Their music keeps grunge alive and expands its shadowy borders. The band is Andrea and Marco Abbrescia, both of whom are credited with drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. The new set consists of eleven tracks, starting with “Already Knew.” The music is filled with sorrow and laid out in a thick grunge lane. Slow, almost mournful, the tone is set for the album at the beginning. “Miss Comprehension” follows, and it is more angular wh ..read more