#proto-metal — Public Fediverse posts

Woke up with Blue Cheer's cover of “Summertime Blues" stuck in my head.

Went down a rabbit hole of late 60s #psychedelia / #HeavyBlues / #ProtoMetal stuff.

Got reminded of a lot of bands I'd forgotten about.

- The Blues Magoos
- Blue Cheer
- Nazz
- MC5
- The Amboy Dukes
- Count Five
- Twentieth Century Zoo

Maybe I'll do a #MyMisspentYouth podcast playlist mix of this stuff at some point. I don't think I've done a specific episode dedicated to solely to 60s psychedelic #music just yet. (though looks like ep 14 was about 50/50 mix) 🤔

https://podcast.skullvalanche.com/

#special What's This Called? #radioshow for #FreeformPortland! To air when needed but you can listen now at the link below!

#ExpunkimentalMusic #protometal #heavypsych #classicmetal #dronemusic #SpaceRock #Noise #noiserock #heavyrock #experimentalmusic #postpunk #progrock #psychedelic #AvantGarage #postrock #stonerrock #doom #freeform

#listen #Anytime:

https://whatsthiscalled.net/2026/05/04/hot-heavy-evergreen/

HÄXAN – BURN THE WITCH
#Rock #doom #glam #protometal #psychedelicrock #stonerrock #Toronto
CC BY-NC-ND (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives) #ccmusic
https://haxanto.bandcamp.com/album/burn-the-witch

#monday 6-8 PM PDT on #FreeformPortland guest DJ Ricardo Wang sits in on Guitar Shop #Radio, covering for DJ Victrola.

#ExpunkimentalMusic #AvantGarage #guitarrock #hesh #noiserock #postpunk #psychedelic #postrock #spacerock #protometal #heavypsych #indierock #freeform

90.3 FM & 98.3 FM on #TerrestrialRadio or #Streaming #worldwide from http://listen.freeformportland.org:8000/stream

#ARCHIVED (#listen anytime): https://whatsthiscalled.net/2026/03/22/23-march-2026-guest-djing-guitar-shop-radio/

Hällas—Sweden’s self-styled administrators of ‘adventure rock’—has suffered a nearly decade-long absence from AMG. Back in 2017, El Cuervo (rightly) awarded Excerpts from a Future Past a 4.0, praising the debut for its transportive aesthetic and cohesive performances. Since this one-off review, Hällas has become a premier neo- proto-metal act, yet they haven’t reached the exceptionality of their entrance. Conundrum (2020) continued in the vein of Excerpts with a synth-heavy slow burn that (why not?) feels less adventurous than the debut.1 Redressing this safeness, Isle of Wisdom (2022) favors tighter, jauntier tunes that bleed into each other.2 On the heels of two very good albums is Panorama, the first to be released on Hällas’s own (aptly named) Äventry Records. This shift seems to signal the kind of confidence arising from a veteran band coming into their own. Accordingly, Panorama experiments more than any previous Hällas album, but experimentation alone does not guarantee Greatness.

Panorama deftly delivers Hällas’s now-familiar take on heavy, psychedelic prog rock. Indeed, these Swedes still sound like Uriah Heep counseling Iron Maiden. Pre-release single “The Emissary” and closer “At the Summit” best encapsulate classic Hällas. On these tracks, Rickard Swahn and Marcus Petersson bounce between wee-da-lee guitarmonies, Ren-faire acoustic plucks, and driving riffage. Nicklas Malmqvist supplies texture via sparkling synthesizers and percussive organ. It is the infectious guitar/key interplays, however, that define Hällas. Towards the end of “At the Summit,” Swahn, Petersson, and Malmqvist unite for delicious harmonized noodling, building drama before a serene denouement. Wrapped in warm, 70s-sounding production fans have come to expect, Panorama supplies some of the strongest Hällas tunes yet.

Panorama’s experimentations, however, make it Hällas’s most singular statement. Its boldest innovation is “Above the Continuum,” a 20-minute, 7-part suite akin to the eponymous openers of Rush’s 2112 and Yes’s Close to the Edge. On this cinematic saga, Hällas brings Gregorian chants, strings, and horns to their brand of synth-rock. Floydian voice-overs materialize Panorama’s somber narrative, in which a hermit laments encroaching dystopia atop his tower. An imperceptible escalation that finally burrowed under my skin after ten or so listens, “Above the Continuum” is an early Song o’ the Year candidate.3 How does one follow such a sprawling epic? With a trotting jam, of course. On “Face of an Angel,” another pre-release single, drummer Kasper Eriksson rides a sleazy Thin Lizzy groove with bassist/vocalist Tommy Alexandersson, who lays down a droningly hooky chorus. Hällas has dropped crowd pleasers before (“Star Rider,” “Carry On”), but “Face of an Angel” is their poppiest ditty yet and the perfect counterbalance to the opening beast. It is “Bestiaus,” though, that truly spotlights Alexandersson’s vocals. His smoky baritone and booming bellow sit center stage on this affecting piano ballad, standing alone in Hällas’s catalogue.

Five scenes spliced into one holistic picture, Panorama is a grand album, which might not register when glancing at the runtime. Like every Hällas record, Panorama clocks in at just under 45 minutes, yet its more limited track count (5, instead of 7–8) renders every song utterly distinct. There is zero filler here, only questionable moments. “Above the Continuum” has abrupt transitions in its opening minutes, but they don’t hinder the track as a whole. Additionally, the immediate fadeout on the punk ending of “The Emissary” always frustrates me. Frustration is surely the intended effect, but Hällas could have stretched the part a few measures and achieved the same. And “Bestiaus” itself feels a little like a moment, striving for songhood but not quite reaching it. Still, it’s an elegant setup for “At the Summit”—an epic but unprotracted finale.

With Panorama, Hällas has delivered (why not?) their most adventurous album, but it’s also their best work to date. Excerpts hinted at excellence—Panorama achieves it. Per its namesake, Panorama provides a virtually seamless showcase of all that Hällas has done while splendidly surveying new terrain. A fun yet serious record, Panorama puts an angelic synth-rock face on a devilish narrative circulatory system. It’s only January, but these Swedes may have already dropped the neo- proto-metal album of 2026 (and a list-topping contender for yours truly).



Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Äventyr Records
Websites: facebook.com/haellas | hallasband.com
Releases Worldwide: January 30th, 2026

Brown Acid series just had an unexpected addition in the form of a remix, which I quite liked.
Check it out here (not out on every platform as of yet): https://album.link/BrownAcidTheEssentialMix

If you want to know more specifics, I wrote a bit more about this all here: https://shrikefin.substack.com/p/take-the-brown-acid-umm-listen-i

#protometal #hardrock70s #remix #music

Being a non-native Bostonian in Beantown allows me to exercise a dispassionate objectivity towards the city’s musical culture. I vicariously experience the pride of housing The Pixies but don’t feel the shame of inhabiting Aerosmith Land.1 And yet, I’m always curious about local artists who can obliterate this objectivity, making me feel proud of Boston. Bygone, a heavy metal/hard rock sextet, may be able to liberate my revolutionary heart from its Tory shackles. Despite being Boston-based, Bygone have just dropped their debut album on Svart Records, an independent label based in Finland. Svart’s solid track record, coupled with that pulpy sci-fi cover, gives me more than a feeling that Bygone will deliver.

As per their name, Bygone is not really interested in revolution. These Bostonians serve a heavier-than-usual hard rock that had its heyday in the 1970s. But as the band itself so enticingly puts it, Bygone ’feels not so much of the historical past as it does the never-quite-was.’2 To this end, guitarists Noah Stormbringer and Chris Corry lay down driving riffs that feel like a chuggier Deep Purple (“Lightspeed Nights,” “City Living”). The powerful mid-range of vocalist James Kirn fronts a Uriah Heep with more heft than David Byron or John Lawton (“Shadow Rising,” “Take Me Home”). All the while, bassist Cecelia Hale and drummer Connor Donegan hover like a steadier UFO (“Fire in You Fire in Me”). With production wetter than the Charles River, Bygone sounds like the 70s proto-metal record that never was, but now is.

Bygone by Bygone

Bygone packs a tasty psychedelic flavor, largely stemming from its synths. Keyboardist Renato is a key fixture of Bygone, sonically fulfilling the spacey atmosphere suggested by the album cover. His tones span the cosmos, sounding like the stars, the interstellar spaceships traveling to them, and everything in between. “Lightspeed Nights” perfectly exemplifies Renato’s dual role in Bygone. Sometimes, he provides atmospheric background for the sparkling guitars; other times, he’s front and center, swirling like Saturnian rings around the band. But Bygone’s highlights, far and away, come from Renato’s interplays with guitarists Stormbringer and Corry. The bridge of “Shadow Rising,” for example, amplifies its time signature change with some nifty call-and-response triplets. Similarly, but more expansively, “Take Me Home” builds a progressive guitar/keyboard conversation into its DNA. On account of its psychedelic synths, Bygone becomes an album that pairs well with some Green Monster.

Bygone doesn’t go by without flaws. As mentioned, Kirn is a powerful vocalist, harboring a flexible mid-range that can satisfyingly hit higher notes. His verses and choruses, however, often need stronger hooks to differentiate themselves from the infectious guitar and keyboard melodies (“Lightspeed Nights”). Bygone also has some pacing issues. Despite being a fairly consistent 43 minutes, it lacks show-stopping highs (though “Take Me Home” comes close). Some midpoint lag (“Into the Gleam,” “The Last Horses of Avalon”) makes the album feel longer than it is. “City Living,” however, picks things back up before the closer. “Fire in You Fire in Me” stands as the most unique track on Bygone, with gentler, warmer tones recalling Procol Harum. Bygone would do well to make way for more variety of this kind.

Bygone is a good (though not wicked good) debut from a promising band. These Bostonians demonstrate keen awareness of what makes modern retro rock/metal work. Tone is tantamount but not totalizing; you need riffs, and Bygone holds plenty. Fans of the band’s 70s influences and other such contemporaries dealing in musical antiques will love the galactically vintage tones on display here. With a bit more songwriting variety and vocal hooks, Bygone should make Boston (and its iconoclastic transplants) more than proud.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Svart Records
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: December 12th, 2025

https://whatsthiscalled.net/2025/12/13/heavy-evergreen/

#RadioShow for #FreeformPortland

#heavyrock #heavypsych #stonerrock #protometal #doommetal #nwobhm

Witnessing and recording Black Sabbath's first live recording in 1969, freshly formed Iron Claw became their first tribute band, and based their sound upon their idols.

So much so that Sabbath's management addressed a veiled threat of litigation if their music would be released.

Experimenting with flute and harmonica, as well as twin harmony guitars, did not come into fruition though.

After recording their last studio song in 1973, they split the next year.

15. Winter

#IronClaw #ProtoMetal

Pale Horse Ritual – Diabolic Formation Review

By Creeping Ivy

2025 must have been a challenging year to occupy the Sabbath-worship lane. Ozzy’s passing on July 22nd—seventeen days after the Back to the Beginning concert—hit metaldom hard, but it surely hit harder for bands that treat Master of Reality as a sacred text. Videos from the concert, especially of a throned Ozzy performing one last time with the original Sabbath lineup, provide solace, as do covers from legends like Metallica and Slayer.1 Tragically, 2025 has revitalized Sabbath; Sabbath-inspired bands walk a tightrope of honoring the original and wilting under its renascence. Merging into the Sabbath lane late in the year is Pale Horse Ritual, a Canadian quartet. After releasing a slew of singles and an EP in 2024, this Hamilton, Ontario band has dropped their debut full-length, Diabolic Formation.2 While it doesn’t need to break much new ground, the album does need to aid the grieving process.

Pale Horse Ritual offers a bit more than straight Sabbath worship. While Diabolic Formation primarily deals in stoner/doom metal, much of its instrumentation hearkens to 70s psychedelic rock. Lead guitarist James Matheson, for example, lays down some total psych freakout solos (“Deflowered,” “Bloody Demon”). Spooky organ chords also contribute to the album’s vintage atmosphere (“D.E.D,” “A Beautiful End”). Together, these elements evoke Iron Butterfly and other such proto-metal acts. Nevertheless, Pale Horse Ritual ground their sound in pure Iommian goodness. Instrumental opener “Deflowered” announces Diabolic Formation’s riff-forward orientation, built around modulations of a simple yet satisfying flat-2 line. The descending chromatic figure of closer “A Beautiful End” is an album highlight, dragging listeners down to a warm, fuzzy hell. Similar to a contemporary band like Monolord, Pale Horse Ritual unabashedly revels in the undeniable power of a familiar riff.

Alas, Diabolic Formation feels familiar to the point where one-to-one comparisons can frequently be made. “Wickedness,” the first real ‘song’ on the album, provides the earliest instance of Sabbath aping. Its verse riff and accompanying vocal melody exactly replicate the first half of the “Iron Man” hook. The lyrics are also imitative; though not a direct lift, the narrator imploring his audience to ‘Call [him] Lucifer’ echoes “N.I.B.” Less overtly mimetic is “Bloody Demon.” Its main riff brings “Electric Funeral” to mind, and lyrics about the ‘prince of darkness’ and watchful ‘snake eyes’ summon Ozzy and Lemmy. Beyond Sabbath, Pale Horse Ritual comes close to sampling Iron Butterfly in “D.E.D.,” which recalls the iconic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” phrase. Unfortunately, Diabolic Formation invites listeners to hunt for references.

Pale Horse Ritual do break from their Sabbathy mould in intriguing ways. Vocalist/bassist Paco is not Ozzy; he possesses more of a chill, mid-range croon. Paco effortlessly delivers catchy choruses, heightened by harmonies from rhythm guitarist Will Adams (“Wickedness,” “D.E.D.”). But he very much is Geezer; Paco’s fills and wah-wah stomps naturally play off Jonah Santa-Barbara’s drumming, putting these grooves into the Butler-Ward pocket (“Deflowered,” “Wickedness”). The biggest curveball on Diabolic Formation, however, is “Save You,” the mid-album acoustic break. Its delicate fingerpicking, ghostly whispers, and dreamy synths conjure a surprising artist from the 70s: Nick Drake. The on-the-nose, anti-religion lyrics draw attention away from the suppleness of Paco’s voice and Adams’s guitarwork. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful track showcasing a side of their sound I wish Pale Horse Ritual explored further.

Diabolic Formation flourishes and flounders due to its familiarity. Even in a subgenre rooted in remembrance, there are too many direct echoes of Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, and the like here. Listeners might feel paranoid that every riff and chorus is plagiarized. And yet, Diabolic Formation is a good sounding record, with cozy tones and comforting atmosphere. If 2025 left you reeling from the loss of Ozzy, then Diabolic Formation is worth 39 minutes of your time. As a new purveyor of an old sound, Pale Horse Ritual can help you adjust to a new normal.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Black Throne Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 28th, 2025

#25 #2025 #blackSabbath #blackThroneProductions #canadianMetal #diabolicFormation #doomMetal #ironButterfly #metallica #monolord #nickDrake #nov25 #paleHorseRitual #protoMetal #psychedelicRock #review #reviews #slayer #stonerMetal #thePaleHorses

8. Nov. Album-Release-Show in Die Funzel in Worms!
Secial Guests: DÜBEL
.
#WoolfMountain #OozeRock #Worms #WormsRockCity #Ludwigshafen #Luyork
#StonerRock #Stoner #ProtoMetal #heavymetal #heavyrock #Fuzz #BigMuff
#diefunzel #albumrelease #albumreleaseshow
#albumreleaseparty

If Spider Gawds latest album is as good as the cover, we're in for a treat 😅

#Music #SpiderGawd #StonerRock #PsychedelicRock #HeavyRock #ProtoMetal #RiffRock

Sometimes, you just need to watch with hands and touch with eyes 🤷‍♂️

🎵 To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes by Coltre
💿 To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes, 2024
▶️ https://song.link/y/YODknOJIAeY

#TomsMusic #NowPlaying #Coltre #ProtoMetal

Dax Riggs – 7 Songs for Spiders Review

By Grymm

It’s a weird fact of life to experience this, but ask anyone with creative tendencies, whether dabbling or full-on submersion, what their biggest fear is, and many (if not all) will tell you that hating the very thing that gives you life and joy will be at the top. Burnout murders the love one has for everything they enjoy making,1 and sometimes the elixir one needs is time and distance away. That time and distance could be days, or it could stretch to months or years. Dax Riggs, the influential voice of his eponymous band as well as the frontman for the recently-reactivated legendary Louisiana sludge beast Acid Bath, took 15 years away from the music world shortly after the release of 2010’s Say Goodnight to the World, and seemingly lived up to that album’s title by disappearing off the face of the world. His recent resurfacing to announce the resurrection of Acid Bath and the release of 7 Songs for Spiders was a massive surprise to everyone that absolutely nobody predicted in late 2024.

That surprise is welcome, however, as 7SfS not only acts as a familiar, cozy blanket of bluesy folk-rock goodness but is a tremendous welcome back from one of Louisiana’s most talented voices. Within seconds of “Deceiver” and its fuzzed-out opening riff, Riggs and company teleport your happy ass back to the swamps of their neighborhood, sounding simultaneously familiar and fresh. While Riggs remains comfortable in his lyrical wheelhouse, combining stream-of-consciousness wordplay with storytelling that’s both autobiographical and metaphorical, his voice has shown a greater warmth (if that was possible) from his previous albums, howling “Ain’t no great deceiver/Ain’t no bride of Jesus either” with infectious intent.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s got an incredible backing band. The way Scott Domingue lays down a hypnotic trance-like percussive groove on closer “Graveyard Soul” should be studied in a master class for building up tension and heft. Kane Cormier’s bass, while not flashy, does a tremendous job of keeping to pockets of groove, poking his head out every now and then to elevate moments of songs like towards the ending of “Blues for You Know Who”. Guitarist Lucas Broussard’s melodies and synth work complement Riggs’ voice and riffs, not being too flashy or subdued, but rather playing up to the strength and aura of the song. But once again, Riggs’ smokey, warm howl leads the fray, singing tales of the dead, the mysteries of the night, and the darker side of life in a captivating and enthralling way from beginning to end.

What hurts the aforementioned aura a bit, though, is the production. While the warmth is present, the mix feels a little bit squashed, especially in some of Domingue’s drums and Cormier’s basslines. The only other beef I have with 7SfS lies in its length. I will be the first (and loudest) to complain when an album needs some serious trimming. In this case, at a scant, brisk 28 minutes, it flies right by. Granted, that’s not so much a bad thing, but when an artist is away for 15 years, that brevity will leave the listener wanting more, especially when the music being offered is this good.

And I don’t know if “good” is a strong enough descriptor of what’s on offer on 7 Songs for Spiders. To quote a popular modern saying in regards to the music of Dax Riggs, if you know, you know. This is a tremendous welcome back from one of the most unsung modern voices of rock and metal, and you would do yourself a disservice if you pass this one by. Crank this for your jumping spider, tarantula, cat, dog, parakeet, neighbor, roommate, friends, family, and yourself. Y’all deserve a nice, happy treat every now and then.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: v1 mp3
Label: Fat Possum Records
Websites: daxriggs.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/@officialdaxriggs
Releases Worldwide: January 24th, 2025

Show 1 footnote

1. Ask me sometime. ↩

#2025 #40 #7SongsForSpiders #AcidBath #AmericanMetal #BluesRock #DaxRiggs #FatPossumRecords #Jan25 #NotMetal #ProtoMetal #Review #Reviews

Ich weiß, alles ist beschissen. Aber hört euch mal Riders of Rohan an.

https://tidal.com/browse/album/257849786?u

Die geilste Tolkien-Verneigung seit Led Zeppelin. ✊🏻

#ridersofrohan #rock #metal #protometal #tolkien #lordoftherings

Greek #doomrock children BUS return with their third and most mature album to date! Having established themselves through the years as a must-see live band, they offer a masterpiece in "We Are the Night", where they explore even further their vintage and #protometal roots. With great riffing and substantial compositions and orchestration, the album transcends the doom restrictions and can be enjoyed by all fans of good melodic heavy music.

#music #μουσική #ERisNowPlaying #newreleases2024

https://invidious.materialio.us/watch?v=SzenBRDJMXo
https://bustheunknownsecretary.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-the-night-4

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalSucks
Carmine Appice Says Heavy Metal Started With Metallica and Everything Earlier is “Hard Rock”
Apparently Black Sabbath weren't heavy metal.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/06/04/carmine-appice-says-heavy-metal-started-with-metallica-and-everything-earlier-is-hard-rock/

#CarmineAppice #Metallica #HeavyMetal #BlackSabbath #LedZeppelin #Slayer #VanillaFudge #HardRock #ProtoMetal

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#UltimateGuitar
Top 10 Legendary Rock and Metal Albums Turning 50 in 2024
Bluesy masterpieces and proto-metal classics complete half a century this year.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/top_10_legendary_rock_and_metal_albums_turning_50_in_2024-164070

#RockAndMetalClassics
#ProtoMetal
#BluesyMasterpieces

Thought of one for @Kitty's #TuneTuesday theme this week, #SongBaton - one song that goes into another.

These are next to each other on the album. When radio plays them, they ALWAYS play them both, they go together so well.

Zep - Heartbreaker into Living Loving Maid. Vinyl pops, crackles and all! The TOO HOT version with too much bass!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdAER03OGA0

#Zep #LedZeppelin #60sMusic #60sRock #60sBands #EnglishBands #BritishBands #LedZeppelinII #ProtoMetal #ClassicRock

My ART-Fully Oriented Rock Playlist For This Week, Program 272: https://www.tumblr.com/santmat/738723181832044544/my-art-fully-oriented-rock-playlist-for-this?source=share

#psych
#progressiverock
#prog #progrock
#progmetal
#protometal
(and whatever else I feel like playing)