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#heavyrock — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #heavyrock, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Mastodon – Marrow Deep Review By Saunders

    Anchored by a somber weight and deep emotional pain impacting the connective tissue binding Mastodon over the decades, Marrow Deep signals a new era for the Atlanta heavyweights. Ninth album, and first since 2021’s bloated and occasionally brilliant double opus, Hushed and Grim arrives on the back of turbulent and traumatic times. Enigmatic founding member, uber-talented axeman/vocalist, and all-round wild man Brent Hinds parted ways in tense circumstances in March twenty-twenty-five, before tragically passing away in a motorcycle accident in August of the same year. The tragedy surrounding Hinds’ premature death hangs heavily over Marrow Deep’s conception. The remaining core trio of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor, and guitarist Bill Kelliher composed the album, fleshing out the material with fresh members, guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist/synth player João Nogueira. Marrow Deep exorcises tense emotional grief, and like its predecessor, pulls on the heartstrings.

    Listeners who tapped out following Crack the Skye will find little here to bring them back into the fold. Following the exhaustive length of Hushed and Grim, cut down to size, Marrow Deep still sports a hefty 65-minute runtime. Peppering their progressive metal and sludge rock core with heady psych and stoner influences, alongside mellower rock and prog fare, Marrow Deep is also frequently direct and punchy. “Your Ghost Again” signals a fitting tribute to their fallen brother, anchored by urgent, driving verses, blossoming into haunting melodies, playful prog and a crushing climax. Fellow singles also fare well, such as the keyboard freakout and effective, minimalist cameo from Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) on “Snakes for Dinner,” or the impressively raw, gut-wrenching Sanders vocal performance on the doomy ” Ruins,” inspired by the personal events of Hurricane Helene.

    Dailor’s smooth, though divisive, melodic vocals, alongside the deceptively dynamic bellows and rough vox of Sanders, sound confident, impassioned, and familiar, while the increased integration of keys and synths enlivens the Mastodon formula, adding texture and swirling psychedelia into the sludge rock and progressive metal populating infectious, riff-driven songcraft. Heavier and more energetic than its predecessor Marrow Deep often hits with impact. Featuring a bending, genuinely heavy swagger, opener “Barbarians Blood” eventually unleashes a turbo-charged, thrashy, punk-metal groove that goes hard. Equally potent, “Poisonous Weapons” demonstrates Mastodon can still crush and destroy through dense, riffy sludge with a bitter edge. Upping the aggressive ante, Nate Newton (Converge/Cave In) and Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) lend their vocal talents to the fiery blast of “A Vampire’s Demeanor.” Elsewhere, the legendary Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath) supplies signature, tasty bass licks on the intro to the trippy, psych-leaning odyssey of “The Vanishing,” while Clutch’s Neil Fallon showcases his gruff preaching on jam-infested finale, ‘The Three Fates.” Gears shift on “Golden Spires,” sweetly balancing the album’s melodic sways and heavier surges through towering riffs and striking dynamics.

    Loaded with technical and progressive flair listeners have come to expect, performances are super tight. Johnston fills the Hinds void admirably, without simply replicating his admired predecessor. A hugely competent shredder, Johnston puts his own stamp on Marrow Deep, getting a particular opportunity to exhibit his classy soloing on Marrow Deep’s more exploratory, psych and stoner heavy tunes (“The Vanishing,” “Moth and Bone,” and monolithic closer “The Three Fates”). Dailor’s drumming is as intricate and creative as ever, without overplaying his hand, and the Dailor/Sanders vocal combo sounds confident and assured. Unfortunately, Marrow Deep is saddled with a crunchy but overly clean production and compressed mastering job sapping some of the album’s sonic power. Concerning self-editing issues also surface, and while most the material lands, there are occasional lulls and plods suggesting some shrewder editing may have been required.

    For all of Marrow Deep’s strengths and fresh designs, the absence of Hinds is strongly felt. Whether through his songwriting contributions or unique guitar style, which cleverly incorporated outside influences, such as bluegrass and southern rock twang, into Mastodon’s progressive sludge formula. Meanwhile, his hugely expressive, soulful soloing and unmistakable vocals feel odd to be missing; moments occur where you half expect a Hinds vocal to pop up. Gripes aside, Marrow Deep is a better album than expected considering the massive hole left by Hinds’. Credit to the remaining members and new blood for forging ahead with optimism, crafting an entertaining opus. Time will tell where Marrow Deep fits in the greater Mastodon canon. As it stands, Marrow Deep marks a rejuvenated, cathartic, nerve-poking transitional turn from Mastodon.

    Rating: 3.5/5.0
    DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Lousy Stream
    Label: Lorna Vista Recordings
    Websites: mastodonrocks.com | Bandcamp
    Releases Worldwide: August 28th, 2026

    #2026 #35 #AmericanMetal #BlackSabbath #CaveIn #Clutch #Converge #HeavyRock #LornaVistaRecordings #MarrowDeep #Mastodon #ProgressiveMetal #QueensOfTheStoneAge #Review #Reviews #Sludge
  2. Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea Review

    By Saunders

    Kiwi stalwarts specializing in thick, atmospheric sludge-doom goodness, Beastwars boast a strong track record, remaining a dependable force within their field. Sharing loose stylistic similarities with acts such as early Leviathan-era Mastodon, High on Fire, Crowbar, and Boss Keloid, Beastwars continue blazing their own battered trail. Displaying resilience and determination to navigate various personal and career challenges, Beastwars march onwards with sixth album, The Ship // The Sea. Despite being a fan of their past work, especially Blood Becomes Fire and The Death of All Things, I missed their 2023 covers album, Tyranny of Distance, and on reflection, I was surprised I had awarded their 2019 album IV with a coveted 4.0 rating, as I haven’t revisited it often when a Beastwars fix has spiked. Nevertheless, Beastwars is never less than solid, often operating a rung or two above that level across a consistently engaging, if underappreciated career. Now over half a decade removed from their last LP of original material, can these Wellington heavyweights muster something special?

    The striking cover art, a beautifully rendered oil painting from artist Nick Keller, illustrates the stormy, heaving turbulence pulsing through the belly of this mighty beast. The Ship // The Sea packs the raw, burly punch and requisite emotional power to simultaneously wrench hearts and bang heads. “We Don’t Say Fear” warmly welcomes listeners back into the comforting grip of the Beastwars experience. Its signature stomp of infectious, hard-rocking, and oh so chunky sludge-doom finds the four-piece in fine form. Beastwars deliver top-notch performances and heart-on-sleeve passion through a decidedly dark, melancholy collection, reflective of personal hardships and current global concerns inspiring the album’s conception and lyrical themes. Beastwars pack power and emotion into concise timeframes, stripping back to their heavy, more straightforward roots without abandoning their sense of progressive adventure.

    Amidst bleaker tones, shuffling between the raw, gloomy misery of the ominous, soul-jabbing doom of standout cuts, “Guardian of Fire” and “Rust,” to slightly more uplifting closer “Light Leads the Way,” Beastwars also bring the rocking, sludgy thunder to the equation. More urgent, traditionally infectious songs create welcome structural and pacing variety on such hooky delights as “Levitate,” bustling, psych-stoner surge of “The Storm,” and heady, aggressive throes of “Blood Will Flow.” Listeners from the band’s early days will no doubt enjoy the album’s raw, swaggering edge, amped aggression and immense heaviness. Although The Ship // The Sea boasts many standout songs and a satisfyingly deep, resonant emotional punch, not everything comes together smoothly. While never exactly losing steam, the second half of the album experiences some pacing issues and lulls, not quite matching the hookier rockers and doom-laden highlights of the front-loaded first half. That is not to say the album’s second half is lacking in potency, attested by the bruising grooves and hypnotic flow of “The Howling,” and grinding riffs, catchy groove, and anguished howls on the slow-burning intensity of “You Know They’re Burning the Land.”

    Thick doomy rhythms and beefy down-tuned grooves are laid down by the imposing rhythm section of James Woods (bass) and Nathan Hickey (drums), while guitarist Christian Pearce unleashes proggy flourishes and gloomy melodies through a dense filter of sludgy riffcraft, tasty stoner grooves, and punishing, morose doom. Meanwhile, Matt Hyde’s distinctive, gruff roars and anguished bellows remain a key focal point and feature of the Beastwars formula. From overcoming a serious health battle and dealing with life’s inevitable tough times and obstacles, Hyde also uses troubled world events as fuel for an intensely emotive, standout performance. The passion and intensity behind Hyde’s vocals and raw, unvarnished sonic makeup lend the album its gritty, thumping edge.

    Recorded in a studio by the ocean, Beastwars fully embrace the album’s spiritual and symbolic themes and connections to the ocean’s unpredictable, turbulent, and unforgiving nature. The production lends the songs a rough, organic crunch and weightiness, perfectly syncing to the band’s tough and gritty delivery, muscular rhythms, and piledriving riffing of the sludge, doom, and stoner varieties. Beastwars consistently write quality songs that fit snuggly in the sludge and doom domains, featuring rich depth, compositional subtletie,s and bleeding heart emotion. While perhaps not the band’s most consistent or instantly hooky album, The Ship // The Sea is a grower that packs a hefty wallop, largely maintaining Beastwars stellar track record of pumping out high octane, harrowing, and sonically booming tunes.

    Score: 3.5/5.0
    DR: 7| Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Destroy Records
    Websites: beastwars.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/beastwars666
    Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

    #2025 #35 #Beastwars #BossKeloid #DestroyRecords #DoomMetal #HeavyRock #Mastodon #NewZealandMetal #Review #Reviews #Sludge #TheShipTheSea

  3. και σπάζοντας το σπίτι ακούγοντας ετούτο εδώ το άσμα αμφιταλαντεύομαι για το αν θα βγω να πάω να βρω κάτι φίλους που έχουν έρθει στην πόλη για καφέ και μετά θα πάνε για τσίπουρα ή αν θα πάω να τους βρω στα τσίπουρα κατευθείαν 🙃
    https://valleyofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/theia

    #valleyofthesun #music #heavyrock #μουσική #ERisNowPlaying #βαράτε_βιολιτζήδες #nowplaying

  4. και σπάζοντας το σπίτι ακούγοντας ετούτο εδώ το άσμα αμφιταλαντεύομαι για το αν θα βγω να πάω να βρω κάτι φίλους που έχουν έρθει στην πόλη για καφέ και μετά θα πάνε για τσίπουρα ή αν θα πάω να τους βρω στα τσίπουρα κατευθείαν 🙃
    https://valleyofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/theia

    #valleyofthesun #music #heavyrock #μουσική #ERisNowPlaying #βαράτε_βιολιτζήδες #nowplaying

  5. και σπάζοντας το σπίτι ακούγοντας ετούτο εδώ το άσμα αμφιταλαντεύομαι για το αν θα βγω να πάω να βρω κάτι φίλους που έχουν έρθει στην πόλη για καφέ και μετά θα πάνε για τσίπουρα ή αν θα πάω να τους βρω στα τσίπουρα κατευθείαν 🙃
    https://valleyofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/theia

    #valleyofthesun #music #heavyrock #μουσική #ERisNowPlaying #βαράτε_βιολιτζήδες #nowplaying

  6. και σπάζοντας το σπίτι ακούγοντας ετούτο εδώ το άσμα αμφιταλαντεύομαι για το αν θα βγω να πάω να βρω κάτι φίλους που έχουν έρθει στην πόλη για καφέ και μετά θα πάνε για τσίπουρα ή αν θα πάω να τους βρω στα τσίπουρα κατευθείαν 🙃
    https://valleyofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/theia

    #valleyofthesun #music #heavyrock #μουσική #ERisNowPlaying #βαράτε_βιολιτζήδες #nowplaying

  7. #TheMetalDogArticleList
    #BLABBERMOUTH
    Angus McSix and the Sword of Power
    Once upon a time, a dead Scottish prince decided to rise from the grave. He travelled back through the depths of hell, drew the mighty sword "Sixcalibur" from its stony prison and then roared back into existence with an album full of giant, fantasy-via-videogame-influenced power metal anthems.

    blabbermouth.net/reviews/angus

    #AngusMcSix #SwordOfPower #PowerfulMusic #ThrashMetal #HeavyRock #HeavyMetal #MetalReview #Blabbermouth