I’m a real sucker for catchy music like this, tunes that will have your feet tapping and singing along to their infectious melodies. So when I received this album for review - I just had to do it.

In six songs and twenty-five and a half minutes, Midday Moonlight treats the listener to a brand of nearly perfectly executed blues rock. It has a great variety of sounds, electric blues, delta, americana and just good old rock and roll, and yet they all fit Blackbird Hill. As you listen to each track, you'll find it hard to pick a clear favourite. All of the songs are equally good. The guitar hooks are where it's at. There's a lot of really bouncy riffs that sound like they’d make for a big, sweaty blast of fun in concert. The drumming is simple, yet masterful and ripe with subtle technique.

The EP starts out fantastic with Trigger Law. A song that channels the spirit of Jimi Hendrix with its raucous riffs and an almost hip-hop sounding drum beat. It's hard to get this out of your head for the rest of the day. Next up is Horseback Sight. It's a mellow, moody song that hits all the right notes. The third number, Run Like Mad, is an energetic song that is very simple and straightforward, but also probably the catchiest number on the record. Stories From The Road shows that the band is able to stretch a song out to without losing any steam or having those listening lose interest, as even at eight minutes, it's as captivating at the end as it is at the beginning. Second to last is Hold Your Fire, which is a catchy, upbeat and sweet track. The very first few bars, the intro to this song, reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth's Cool Thing. Then comes the final track, Midday Moonlight. This gorgeous song begins with a slamming opening chord that is catchy and resonant. It has the most passionate vocal performance on the album. Also, the fuzz dial here is obviously set to '11'!

With so many bands trying so hard to do something new, it's nice to have a duo like Blackbird Hill to prove that good old-fashioned blues rock can still beat the socks off any trendy new style. Midday Moonlight has its flaws but it is certainly a great effort.

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Black Rainbows -​ The Red Sky Above Single (2017)

Black Rainbows is a tireless and dedicated band that has been making energetic stoner rock for more than 10 years. And in case you were busy on March 24th of this year, chances are you probably missed Black Rainbows’ new single entitled The Red Sky Above. It's a must have for anyone that enjoys good fuzzy stoner rock music.

This brand new song from BLACK RAINBOWS was recorded during their last tour in January 2017, in a cool studio surrounded by snowy mountains in the north of Italy. "The Red Sky Above" is six minutes of pure, fuzzy, groovy, stoner frenzy. With this new single, the trio shows a subtle shift toward a darker and heavier sound. "The Red Sky Above" is exclusively issued as part of the "Heavy Psych Sounds Sampler Vol. 2", available at this location.

Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Heavy Psych Sounds

Desertfest London 2017: Stage Times Announced For The Festival!

Anyone still pondering who to see and when over the upcoming Desertfest London festival can now take a look at the full line-up and set times. Just click here.

Get your notepads ready, as DESERTFEST LONDON have finally announced the stage times for their sixth edition, taking place April 28-30th in Camden!

It's finally that time of year; the last pit stop on the way to Desertfest 2017. We have those all important stage times at the ready. Were you worried about Steak clashing with Lowrider? Did you wonder if you'd be able to run to The Underworld for Samsara Blues Experiment after Sleep? Now you'll be able to answer all clash-based worries. To help planning your weekend, the festival put together a very helpful Clashfinder timetable.

The festival kicks off in 6 weeks time and tickets are selling at a rapid rate – under 200 weekend passes and only 50 Saturday tickets left! We also have limited spaces left on our hotel packages at Camden Lock Hotel and just 4 beds left at Smart Hostel Camden. Find out more about accommodations here. ~ Info from Purple Sage PR

- DESERTFEST LONDON 2017 -

28th to 30th April in Camden, London

Weekend & day tickets still available HERE

3-day pass - £100
Friday - £40
Saturday - £40
Sunday - £45

Get more infos on the Desertfest website

Follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Deepspacepilots - Nebulizer Video

Chicago drone rock 3-piece, Deepspacepilots, have released a music video for their single "Nebulizer" from their most recent album, Point of No Return (2016).

Deepspacepilots features singer/guitarist Ronald Strojny, bassist Andre Almaraz, and drummer Bill Shanklin.

"The band wanted a video for their song 'Nebulizer' and suggested that it should have some kind of extraterrestrial storyline. So we thought up a narrative with an inverse alien abduction done by a group of manipulative scientists," said the video's director, Derek Quint. "Someone gets pregnant and there's a cover-up. The alien protagonist gets sucked into some people problems on Earth right from the get-go which, in my imagination, is probably what would happen anyway." ~ Addovolt Productions

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Hateure - Erase This EP (2017)

Hateure is a doom, sludge, post-metal influenced band that hails from the Philippines. Erase This is actually a single, ten minutes long, track. It's a re-recorded version of the track If you are searching for meaning, erase this now. I’m meaningless. Repeat, a special release to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary.

This is the heaviest record put out in a long time. Hateure plays hard, slow, and very uncompromising. The songwriting sucks you into a gaping black hole of integrity never letting you go, and always keeping it interesting. For the most part, the lyrics will disturb the average listener with some dark pieces.

Overall, Hateure has delivered a quite promising, gloomy EP. Erase This hits hard and deep. It's the real dark side of sludge doom, captured on a single track. A full-length release is coming up this year and I for one can't wait.

Bandcamp | Facebook

Album Sale (Digital)
You can still download it for free from their Bandcamp

Beerwolf: U.S. Winter Tour 2017

Beerwolf is also on tour right now. Check out if the band is playing near you and just go see these guys!

Tour Schedule:
02/04/17 - Fort Lauderdale at Kreepy Tiki Bar & Lounge
02/05/17 - Jacksonville at Shantytown
02/06/17 - Augusta, GA at The Soul Bar
02/07/17 - TBA at TBA
02/08/17 - Raleigh, North Carolina at Slim’s Downtown
02/09/17 - Richmond, Virginia at 25 Watt RVA
02/10/17 - Atlanta, GA at The Highlander
02/11/17 - Panama City, Florida at The Dungeon Tavern

Beerwolf - Oracle's Prophecy (2015)

They’re called Beerwolf and hail from the city of Tampa, the unofficial capital of American death metal. Although that doesn't mean they're a death metal group. Make no mistake, this is groovy stoner/doom metal with nice soaring clean vocals. Formed somewhere in the early days of 2015, Beerwolf released their debut album, Oracle's Prophecy, in October of the same year.

The album starts off with the instrumental song Sorcerer's Demise, a Kyuss-esque, bang-along stoner rock hymn. An awesome tune with a slow, trippy, and psychedelic guitar solo. Followed by Sea Tyrant, a nutty psychedelic thing. What we get here is a thick, groovy riff inspired by Down's Nola. The next two tracks, River Styx and Warlock's War, have a heavy blues vibe to it, and a lot of Sleep and Black Sabbath worship going on. With Poor Man, we're back in fuzzed-out Kyuss-esque stoner rock land again. And last but not least, Oracle's Prophecy is a great number, with plenty of fuzz, groove, funk and all around heaviness. The song has some supreme riffage and a brilliant, mind-bending solo.

Overall, this is a very solid debut for these guys from Florida. It's nothing groundbreaking or innovating, but it's a pleasure to listen to this. I guess that if this band was from Sweden instead of the United States, that they'd be loved by now.

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Dead Witches - Ouija (2017)

Dead Witches is the name of a new project from drummer Mark Greening, who is best known as one of the main members of Electric Wizard and Ramesses, who released a couple of legendary albums, and Psychedelic Witchcraft's vocalist Virginia Monti, with bassist Carl Geary and guitarist Greg Elk. Sadly, Greg passed away at the end of last year. Such a big loss, I corresponded with him a couple of times and he seemed like such a nice guy.

Ouija, recorded at the same studio in which Electric Wizard had recorded Dopethrone, only consists of five tracks plus an awesome, atmospheric introduction and it really leaves you wanting more, but at least all the songs are equally good. Yep, there is no bad song on Ouija! The first word that comes to mind after listening to this album is 'heavy'. It's a thrilling vintage-sounding production inspired by traditional doom metal, Electric Wizard-esque stoner doom and witchcraft. The band combines a monumental riffing attitude with psychedelic sounds.

Dead, the first track after the spooky intro, is a fantastic, groovy and psychedelic song with a hypnotic riff, trance-like drumming and a trippy solo at the end. The next track, Drawing Down The Moon, is true stoner insanity with a great riff and fantastic vocals. Virginia's voice and performance always appear to be great, but she surpassed herself with this one. The last three songs Ouija, Mind Funeral and A World Of Darkness are equally heavy and slow, with massive riffs to blow the pavement from the path you walk. Compared to them, Drawing Down The Moon almost sounds like some sort of pop-doom, even though it's still my favourite song from Ouija.

Let me just tell you that this record is tremendous. Maybe not original, but without a doubt a must to check out. Ouija is basically the 'groovy Electric Wizard album' I wish Electric Wizard had actually made instead of Time to Die. I promise you that as soon as you start playing Ouija, you don't wanna stop!

Ouija will be released on February 10 through Heavy Psych Sounds Records and it's now available for Pre-Order.

P.S. Dear Purple Sage PR, I would like to thank you once again for sending me all the great promos.

Facebook | Youtube | Heavy Psych Sounds' website

zhOra - Live at Wacken Open Air 2016

Some good news but more bad news from zhOra, a four-piece progressive metal band from Clonmel, Ireland. Well, the good news first. On January 20, they have released footage of their live performance at Wacken 2016. zhOra played three songs from their upcoming album. They band delivered a great performance and it seems like they had an awesome experience at the festival. Watch the show in the video above.

Live at Wacken 2016 tracklist:

The Breach

Sin Eater

Jettatura

The bad news is their bassist, Richie McCormack, has decided to retire from the band due to health reasons. Read below the press release from zhOra.

// YOU CAN’T KILL A BAD THING \\

Achieving your dreams is a cliché. It doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t happen. After only five years as a group, we walked onto a stage at Wacken Open Air. Being able to put a bit of cynicism aside for 22 minutes was good. Being stopped by Belgian police and having to explain what we were doing with five of the finest Tipp hurleys in a Transit Van was also pretty good.

Unfortunately, since August of 2015 Richie has been living with a Brain Tumour which has been causing him severe Epileptic Fits. Since the day we found out we knew we were running on borrowed time. Being onstage playing to a crowd of literal thousands was the best time for our boy to call it a day, so Richie’s leaving the band to look after his health.

Seeing as we’ve had time with the situation, there are no more sad feelings about anything, so with that we say Goodbye to our Part-time Musician, Professional Codologist; Richie McCormack and welcome his replacement: Alan Hanlon (Nautilus). The fact people call him “Batman” did not influence our decision making process too much. - zhOra

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P.S. Best wishes Richie. I hope that you’re back in the swing very soon!

Desertfest London 2017 - Day Splits & Tickets Are Now Up!

The DESERTFEST LONDON 2017 day and stage splits are here, along with individual day tickets! Discover the highlights, venue details and the full list of bands that will grace Camden with their heavy riffs on April 28-30th.

Last things first, let's get straight to that insane Sunday main-stage. To celebrate The Roundhouse venue joining the Desertfest family, we made their debut appearance something special. Not only will stoner doom icons SLEEP be topping the bill, but the Roundhouse hosts a full bill of huge acts. CANDLEMASS, with over three decades of underground acclaim to their name, bring the epic doom metal. USA's WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM bring the atmospheric black metal. Traditional doom metal stalwarts SAINT VITUS bring the classic riffs. And how about this for a 'curtain jerker'? BONGZILLA bring the raw weed metal for their second show of the weekend; more on the first later.

It's not just about the Sunday though. Friday's stage at the Electric Ballroom is headlined by returning heroes SLO BURN whose short run in the mid 90s furthered the then fledgling stoner rock scene. One band they surely had an impact on is LOWRIDER, who play Europe's finest stoner rock alongside them. Ukraine's STONED JESUS celebrate their resonant album Seven Thunders Roar, and 1000MODS and PONTIAK round up the main stage on the Friday.

The Electric Ballroom on Saturday will be swarming with Turbojugends as death-punk grandmasters TURBONEGRO turn Camden into party central. JOHN GARCIA sticks around for a solo show, sure to feature classics from his years of nonstop mastery in the stoner rock scene. Sheffield's rock and roll five piece BLACK SPIDERS visit London for one last time on their farewell tour, with SATAN'S SATYRS and AVON rounding up the main stage.

As ever though, it doesn't stop at the main stages. Our regular partners have delivered three stages with diverse lineups. Human Disease Promo and When Planets Collide take over The Underworld on Saturday in a bill headlined by BONGZILLA with a special set celebrating the band's early work. The Quietus stage is led by synth wavers ZOMBI, and Nightshift Promotions bring an eclectic mix led by Hungary's APEY & THE PEA.

TICKET PRICES are as follows:

Full weekend - £100

Friday - £40

Saturday - £40

Sunday - £45

A 'smart package' including festival pass + hotel room at Camden Lock Hotel can be purchased for the weekend from £245.

- DESERTFEST LONDON 2017 -

From 28th to 30th April in Camden, London (UK)

Friday and Saturday tickets on sale AT THIS LOCATION
Sunday tickets on sale AT THIS LOCATION

Get more infos on the Desertfest website

Follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

P.S. Info from Purple Sage PR

Mad John the Wise - Mad John the Wise EP (2014)

And we are leaving Athens with this one, so I'm presenting you something a bit different. It's an old request that I finally managed to post. In case you were wondering, the request is of course not as old as the EP.

Mad John the Wise is a boiling pot of stoner, hard rock, heavy metal, alternative rock and elements of prog metal, like soft-hard dynamics, changing time signatures and tempos. The band uses heavy influences of folk and I would say even some sea shanties. All that gives them a quite interesting sound - intense and fragile at the same time.

I'm not a prog expert and am far removed from the scene, but to me these guys have it. Whatever 'it' is. Perhaps no one will be breaking down any doors to get it, but it's still a pretty good listen. Songs like The Hunt and Gatti Di Strada certainly makes Mad John the Wise worth downloading, especially it's a free name-your-price download.

Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandpage

Baetyl - Jangala EP (2016)

Apparently the beautiful Greek landscapes are inspiring enough to write and record great stoner/desert albums, because Greece gave us another fine release. After five years away, the stoner rockers from Athens jump back into the game rocking hard, with their second EP called Jangala, which was released December 4, 2016.

Jangala features the same laid-back groovy sound as on their debut EP Meteorite, which create a perfect low desert vibe, but this record seems generally faster. The sound can be loosely compared to Elvis Deluxe's and 1000mods' early work, so expect a really fuzzy and warm guitar tone, like a desert full of cactuses on the hottest day. The highlight of the record, of course in my opinion, is Last Song For A Migrating Bird. It has equal amount of psychedilic, slow-to-midpaced groove in addition to some faster and heavier moments. The vocals are not always spot on, but the singing is very catchy and enjoyable.

Maybe it's not an essential stoner rock album, but it's surely one that must be heard. My only complaint is the number of the songs. Four tracks are definitely not enough. I want more!

Bandcamp | Facebook

The Grim Gang - Introducing​.​.​.​The Grim Gang EP (2016)

The Grim Gang is a four-piece grunge / hard rock hailing from Richmond, Virginia. Although The Grim Gang's career is very new - they just released their first, three-song demo EP Introducing​.​.​.​The Grim Gang - it looks quite promising.

The highlight of the EP is certainly the first track, Troublemaker. With its heavy and raw 90's sound and fast, catchy rhythm, it's a powerful song which will make your muscles move without you noticing. Exactly what a grunge song should be. The second track, Willow Branch, is a slower, ballad-esque rocker in the vein of Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. The last song is a pretty straight forward cover of Nirvana's Pennyroyal Tea.

I really enjoyed the first demo EP of The Grim Gang. They caught my interest and can't wait to see a full album. If you like what you hear, then head over to their bandcamp and grab a digital copy for more listening pleasure. Also be sure to support them by checking out their Facebook, Soundcloud and Twitter.

Bandcamp | Website| Soundcloud
Facebook | Twitter

Telekinetic Yeti - Stoned and Feathered Video

Epic stoner metal/stoner doom is at the core of the duo Telekinetic Yeti, whose first full-length album is coming out march 2017, through Sump Pump Records. Check out the video for Stoned and Feathered, a track from their upcoming album, Abominable. It's a great presentation card for this band which creates a groovy, massive sound. Pre-orders for the album has started, links below.

Facebook | Big Cartel

Album Sale (Vinyl)

Pre-order Now

Voodoo Idol - Sense (2016)

The second band from Russia is Voodoo Idol, a refreshing alternative/stoner rock trio from Moscow. Sense is Voodoo Idol's first full-length album, released in September, the record consists of nine stunning tracks, in which the band manage to combine experimentation with various genres.

Voodoo Idol take inspiration from alternative rock, psychedelic, pop rock and of course, stoner rock, that gives us a perfect balance of heavy grooviness and an almost poppy catchiness. Alina Goldobina, the woman behind Voodoo Idol, has a knack for drifting melodies and soft, soothing singing. The rhythm section is tight, with a rolling bass and precise drumming. Songs like (Welcome to the) Vault, Ghost and Hell On Wheels are a great example of psychedelia and powerful rock, while songs like Those Signs Led, Hero and Tango show the band's softer, danceable side. I especially like the rolling bass, the stuttering drum beat.

Overall, Sense is full of shiny hooks and standout moments. It's a catchy album that you will love immediately and put on repeat for some time. Now let the music do the talking. Recommended!

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | VK

Temnee - Dialectics (2016)

I'm still doing some old requests. So let me take you to trip to Russia to meet these two bands, Voodoo Idol and Temnee. Let's start with the second one.

Temnee is a massive heavy psych instrumental, stoner rock band from Tver (it's located about 160 kilometers north west of Moscow).

Dialectics, Temnee's full-length debut album is a wild psych-stoner ride. The whole album is crammed full of ideas and the breadth of genres covered results in some intriguing music. It's a generally great and always entertaining mash of psychodelia, stoner rock, 70s space rock, krautrock, sweet fuzzy riffage, catchy hooks and even some hard blues based rock and roll. It's filled with tsunamis of chunky riffs, ear-splitting solos, low-end bass and groovy jams — like the soundtrack to a psychedelic drug film.

Sometimes the best releases never receive as much credit as they deserve, and this is one of them. It's an awesome fuzzy, heavy psych instrumental gem you cannot miss!

Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud | VK

Padres del Yermo - Demo (2016)

Ok, Christmass is over. Now back to business!

Padres del Yermo is a young, psychedelic/space/desert rock four-piece from Buenos Aires, that brings us some stunning cosmic soul-soothing jams. Their Demo was released on October 17.

The demo is the band's debut and it offers six long songs of tight, riff-fueled fuzziness filled with that wonderful Argentinian vibe of space, stoner and psychedelic rock. The cosmic and warm sound is key with this promising band. They may sing in Spanish but I'm sure their songs will speak to you anyway. Listen to La Importancia del Mito to get the perfect feel of a song you never want to stop, even though it's almost 8 minutes long. Then the heavy, drilling Fuego fatuo, which creates a heavy, somber mood that is sometimes dark and deep and then warm and relaxing. Then, the groovy, upbeat El mandato, with a dirty bassline, monotonal hypnotised vocals...

Haven't you heard enough? Just go and get a copy of their demo. It's definitely worth downloading it. Pay what you want through the Bandcamp link below.

Bandcamp | Facebook

Baron Crâne - Electric Shades EP (2016)

Baron Crane is an instrumental band from Paris, France which alternates its style skilfully between jazz, noise and stoner rock to create beautiful soundscapes. They have released a new six-song EP that can be downloaded for free on Bandcamp. Make sure to check out their fantastic self-titled debut EP.

Baron Crane's music is very thoughtful, quite challenging but highly rewarding. It lurches cleverly between incredibly energetic yet memorable melodies, ambition and experimentation. Their well-received previous release proved they are one of the most creative and compelling acts in the stoner rock underground. Once again the band blends progressive rock, jazz rock, noise and stoner rock elements, casting all music boundaries aside, to create epic rhythms and nasty grooves.

Swirling with different time signatures, musical styles and rapturous energy, Baron Crane prove that genres are for the common man and that genius lies in the outliers. It might turn off some conventional rock lovers, but for those who would like to listen to creativity being tested, they will love Electric Shades. It is truly a work of art!

Bandcamp | Facebook

De Marvells - Dark Love Single / Video

De Marvells is a four-piece project from southern Norway inspired by Tarantino's film scores, Hawkwind, The Savage Rose, The Allman Brothers, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey. When those worlds collide and become one, magic happens. The young quartet mixes bluesy guitar shredders with a heavy amount of grit evocative of alternative rock’s golden era in the ’90s and great vocals, with amazing and highly addictive results.

Dark Love is the first single off their forthcoming debut album and it is definitely a marker of good things to come from this band.

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Dead Witches Announce Release Date and Artwork for Debut Album, ‘Ouija’

Dead Witches have just announced that they’ll be releasing their long-awaited debut album, Ouija, on February. 10, 2017. The album will be available on Black vinyl, LTD Purple vinyl, CD and digital. With that news also comes a really cool cover art for the album, which can be viewed above.

Drummer Mark Greening (former Electric Wizard, also of Ramesses and With The Dead) and vocalist Virginia Monti (Psychedelic Witchcraft) joined forces to found the heaviest occult psych superbeast to see the light this year: DEAD WITCHES. Coming as a nice surprise for fans of the aforementioned bands and more generally, of crushing psychotropic doom, the formation of this supergroup led to the high anticipation of their debut album, which details were just revealed today. - PURPLE SAGE PR

Pre-sales start January 13th on Heavy Psych Sounds Records

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Dead Witches, ‘Ouija’ Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Dead
3. Drawing Down The Moon
4. Ouija
5. Mind Funeral
6. A World of Darkness