Duel is staying busy! The Texan hard-rockers will play 30 dates across 9 countries later this year, which is already their fourth European tour. The band is further on supporting its fantastic latest effort, Witchbanger. They’ll kick off the run of 30 shows in Pisa on November 10 and wrap up in Rome on December 9. You can check out the dates and details below.

Heavy Psych Sounds Records is happy to announce the upcoming repress of DUEL's sold out debut "Fears of the Dead". Their newly released album "Witchbanger" is still available here.

Hailing from the sun-baked lands of Austin, TX, DUEL is a heavy metal four-piece who casts hard-rocking spells of doom, blistering licks and horror from behind a thick haze of smoke. Formed by two ex-members of Scorpion Child and hugely influenced by the darkness of late 60's and early 70’s metal, these purists cut it right to the bone with heavy, deep grooves and blistering tunes.

After they released their well-acclaimed debut "Fears Of The Dead" in February 2016 on Heavy Psych Sounds, DUEL are back with their even more raging full-length, cheekily entitled "Witchbanger", due out April 28th, 2017. The album was produced and engineered by lead guitarist Jeff Henson at his Red Nova Ranch studio in the wastelands of Texas, not far from the historic Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. ~ Purple Sage PR

Duel European Tour 2017

10.11 - Pisa (IT) Albatross
11.11 - Reggio Emilia (IT)
12.11 - Milan (IT)
13.11 - Chambery (FR) Le Brin De Zinc
14.11 - TBA
15.11 - Barcelona (SP) Rocksound
16.11 - Madrid (SP) TBA
17.11 - Bilbao (SP) TBA
18.11 - Eindhoven (NL) TBA
19.11 - France TBA
20.11 - Lyon (FR) Le Farmer
21.11 - Mannheim (DE) 7 er
22.11 - Lichtenfels (DE) Paunchy Cats
23.11 - Innsbruck (AT) PMK
24.11 - Bozen (IT) Sudwerk

25.11 - Siegen (DE) Vortex
26.11 - Osnabruck (DE) Dirty + Dancing
27.11 - Berlin (DE) Urban Spree
28.11 - Dresden (DE) Chemiefabrik
29.11 - Wien (AT) Viper Room
30.11 - Kreuzlingen (CH) Horst
01.12 - Blundenz (AT) Villa K
02.12 - Basel (CH) Hirschneck
03.12 - Castel D'ario (IT) Hostaria
04.12 - Zerobranco (IT) Altroquando
05.12 - Slovenia TBA
06.12 - Trieste (IT) Tetris
07.12 - Pescara (IT) Scumm
08.12 - Sofia (BG) TBA
09.12 - Roma (IT) Wishlist

Facebook | Bandcamp | Heavy Psych Sounds

R.I.P. Shares Two Tracks From Forthcoming Album 'Street Reaper'

Last year, R.I.P. took the doom metal scene by surprise with an excellent debut album, In The Wind, and now they're already back with a brand new record, called Street Reaper. Well, maybe not exactly now because the album is set for release on 13 October. As for now, to build up hype for the new album, you can listen to two songs from Street Reaper.


Listen below to the premiere of R.I.P.'s new song, Unmarked Grave

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

Demon Head: Hic Svnt Dracones Video & Tour Dates

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Demon Head planted a flag for Danish vintage doom when they released their critically acclaimed debut, ‘Ride The Wilderness’ in 2015. Now, the band will release their second album ‘Thunder On The Fields’. It's coming out on April 7 through The Sign Records. Before then, the band has released a music video for the song 'Hic Svnt Dracones'. It's a marvellous track. At times it sounds like something between Pentagram and Danzig. Watch the video above.

HIC SVNT DRACONES is a heavy anthem with a burning drive. The song is about throwing off the shackles that wear us down, daring to go were the maps have white spots. Follow the sinister leads and groove to a place between borderland and underworld...

Demon Head got the "Fenriz band of the week" approval in january 2017 with the release of the bands first single 'Gallows Omen" from the upcoming album 'Thunder On The Fields'. Demon Head will tour UK, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and mainland europe upon the release.

Tour Dates
4/3 Copenhagen, DK. Ungdomshuset 10 years
31/3 Gothenburg, SWE
1/4 Linköping, SWE - The Sign Fest
7/4 Malmö, SWE - Release show
8/4 Copenhagen, DK - Release show
13/4 - 17/4 England Tour - Tour Dates TBA
28/4 Copenhagen - Nothern discomfort festival
11/5 - 14/5 Finland Tour - Tour Dates TBA
26/5 Aarhus, TBA - Denmark
27/5 Aalborg, 1000fryd - Denmark
16/8 - 22/8 Europen Tour - Tour Dates TBA

Band's Facebook | The Sign Records Facebook

SPOTIFY | DEEZER | ITUNES | AMAZON
CD/LP North America | CD/LP Europe

Dunbarrow sign to RidingEasy Records

Dunbarrows' self-titled debut album was one of my favourite releases from 2016, just check out my Best of 2016 list. Now the Norwegian retro doomsters have signed to RidingEasy Records, which hopefully will give them further recognition. The Los Angeles-based label will reissue the band's self-titled album worldwide with a special die-cut sleeve and insert for the LP. Also, it will be on CD for the first time ever!

Dunbarrow will be available on CD on March 10th, 2017 and LP in May via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasyRecs.com.

Hear & share the single Lucifer's Child: Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

Follow Dunbarrow on: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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

Electric Citizen: Daytrotter Session and Tour with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Good news, Electric Citizen fans – the band just had a Daytrotter session posted two days ago. The Daytrotter Session includes the songs Light Years Beyond, Misery Keeper and Social Phobia. Check it out HERE. And, guitarist Ross Dolan sits down with PlayThisRiff to demonstrate how to play the band's Light Years Beyond guitar riffs HERE.

Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

Also, the band have announced a small, seven-date US Tour with the psych-rock veterans The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Dates for the mini tour run from February 10 through to February 23. See complete dates below.

ELECTRIC CITIZEN LIVE 2017:
02/10 Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Tavern
02/15 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent *
02/16 Las Vegas, NV @ Vinyl Las Vegas *
02/17 San Francisco, CA @ Slim's *
02/18 Portland, OR @ Star Theater *
02/21 Chicago, IL @ Reggie's *
02/23 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge *

* w/ The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Psychic Dose - Myrkviðr (2016)

Some of you might know these four freaks from Fort Myers, Florida from their great lo-fi retro doom debut from 2015. Psychic Dose just released their second full-length studio album, titled Myrkviðr. It's so fresh that it's still warm.

The band's sound has notably evolved since their debut album Satyrnalia. The lyrics are still influenced by paganism and fantasy, but the music is heavier, characterized by a more sinister and morbid sound; less 70's proto/traditional doom metal and more 80's doom metal/heavy metal. The production is much better and the vocals...Holy Smokes! The vocals are so fucking awesome. Singer Amanda Howell can touch your soul with her smoky powerhouse voice one minute, then completely melt your face off with passionate higher pitched vocals and harsh screams. Which reminds me of Dax Riggs's singing in the mighty Acid Bath. Enough with the vocals, because the music is equally awesome. Psychic Dose assaults you with thunderous guitar riffs, explosive bass lines, and pounding drums. There is a decent amount of variation between the songs with slower, doomy songs like Lycnthropic State, Phantoms and Fall of the Valkyrie, as well as more up-tempo stuff like Maenad and The Doom of Sarnath.

Anyway, I'd suggest this fantastic album to anyone who likes their metal with a special, more sinister edge. Although this album might feel dark, but it also provides a strange feeling of enjoyment and makes you want to get up to bang your head. Let's dance the electric Pagan Love Song!

Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

Roast - Roast EP (2016)

The Los Angeles-based band recently released their first, self-titled EP. It has an awesome modern retro, heavy psych / traditional doom sound that reminds one of 1/3 Jimi Hendrix, 1/3 Pentagram and 1/3 Led Zeppelin. Damn, count me in!

It's bluesy, heavy, catchy, and full of crunchy riffs with a great bassist and fantastic drummer rocking along. Roast harkens back to the hard psychedelic rock of the late 60s and early 70s, and even early progressive rock. You simply get it all on this release: Leave Me Free is a crazy Purple Haze-esque track, Serpent shows us the doomy side of Roast and Gypsy Trip and Heavy Toll have a slower, blues-heavy feel.

If you like classic doom/blues, then this is a no-brainer. So do yourself a favour and don't waste another second, hit the buy it button, put your headphones on and float away to the sounds of Roast. You will not be disappointed!

Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram

Dead Witches - Mind Funeral Video

Dead Witches is a brand new doom metal project, which features Psychedelic Witchcraft frontwoman Virginia Monti and Electric Wizard’s Mark Greening. Finally after some mysterious teasers, the band surprised us with a full song. Here is the Video for Mind Funeral, a track from Dead Witches upcoming debut album.

Mind Funeral is a slow plodding heavy as hell song. It has a good groove and powerful presence, from the ethereal and spacey vocals to the raw guitar riffs and bass line, not to mention the drums' ability to make you want to bang your head. Would love to hear more!

Facebook | Youtube

Heavy Traffic - Rule of Nines / Medicated Bed Single (2016)

The Brooklyn based vintage psychedelic doom rockers from Heavy Traffic just signed with Twin Earth Records (BTW check out the band Haunted from this label) and here's a preview of their next album. Is it a Single or EP? I don't know, call it whatever you like.

Heavy Traffic is a good combination of loud psychedelic rock and doomy rhythms, following in the footsteps of bands like Witch, Winters and Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. I can also hear small traces of the group’s influence on early ’90s British shoegazing bands like My Bloody Valentine (or it could be just my imagination). The guitar is overdriven and fuzzed-out, the bass and drums pound frantically and it's all captured in great lo-fi production. The singer has a fairly androgynous high-pitched voice, something eerie, yet very enjoyable. They definitely got my attention with this two song Single, now I really want to hear the whole thing.

Basically, some kick-ass psychedelic grooves on here, definitely worth checking out! If you have not been exposed to Heavy Traffic's earlier work, then this is the place to start. If you like those songs a lot then delve a little further back and get the rest of their records!

Bandcamp | Facebook | Website

Mindkult - Witch's Oath EP (2016)

Checking out some requests that flew under my radar last month, this one instantly amazed me. Witch's Oath, Mindkult's debut EP is the solo effort of a talented musician known as Fowst. Which makes it even more amazing. This is some heavy psyched out vintage doom, made somewhere in Virginia, USA. Where exactly? I don't know, there is some mystery behind Fowst.

Mindkult's debut is a seamless combination of the old and new. It combines heavy doom riffs with the mellower, atmospheric soundscapes of shoegaze; and surprisingly clean vocals. Melancholic yet energetic and melodic. Still, Fowst managed to create a different sound on every song. As I mentioned, the whole album is performed by one person: guitars, bass, drums, and vocals - all Fowst. The heavy guitars produce a thick wall of sound and the background music is also very good. The sound quality on the album is not particularly amazing for what it could have been. But I really like the raw, lo-fi sound. I think it gives some character to all of it. Its like it was recorded in a garage type atmosphere.

This is another great doom project from the underground that cannot be missed. As far as debuts go, this one is a good starting point. I'm curious what Fowst has in store for us in the future. Now let the music do the talking, just check this album out. You should not be disappointed.

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Electric Lady - Queen Of Electricity And Her Coming Kingdom (2016)

Another month, another review. Let me present you some bands from more exotic places. Of course exotic from my European point of view. So no offense please.

Electric Lady is a retro rock band from Beijing, China...Wait, what? From China? Yeah, from China! Did you think there is no retro rock in China, huh? There is and it's pretty fucking good. Queen Of Electricity And Her Coming Kingdom is their debut album and it was released in January this year.

The band salutes to the early 70's and groups like Sir Lord Baltimore (there is a nice SLB cover on the album), Blue Cheer, Cream, Atomic Rooster, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Black Sabbath etc. This is female-fronted retro at it's most vintage. Already the first song grabs you immediately and takes the listener on a colourful trip of fuzz, psychedelic and hard rock. Great vocal stylings that recall the era too. Overall, the album has a classic rock feel that can't be faulted. From the sound to the atmosphere and production; everything just fits.

Another hidden gem in the world of retro rock. It may not be anything life-altering, mind-blowing, or Earth-shattering, but regardless, it is a very, thoroughly solid and enjoyable record from a promising young group. But if you've got an appreciation for old school heaviness or just dig good, solid heavy rock n' roll, Electric Lady is a must-have. I look forward to future release from this band.

Bandcamp | Facebook | Youtube

Dead Witches - Album teaser/preview

Check out the teaser for Dead Witches debut album. Clear, psychedelic, retro rock vibes with highly enjoyable vocals, made by old school veterans. Sounds really promising, can't wait for the release!

The new heavily occult, retro psyche fuzz project Dead Witches, which features Psychedelic Witchcraft frontwoman Virginia Monti and Electric Wizard’s Mark Greening (Ramesses, With The Dead, etc.), has issued some teaser video clips. The snippets are an intriguing preview that allows us aural glimpses of what we can expect when Dead Witches, who are rounded out by Carl Geary and Greg Elk, make their official public debut. The audio aspect of these teasers is an alluring, somewhat hypnotic style of music steeped in vintage aesthetics and mystique.

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Tropical Doom - Mangue (2016)

Tropical Doom's latest EP, released in March. This is certainly some very promising stuff, but I don't like it as much as the debut album.

With the release of Mangue, the sound of Tropical Doom is changing and evolving. It's still a lot of the same stuff here, but with a slightly heavier edge and minus the rock 'n' roll. You can definitely feel a Corrosion of Conformity vibe here. Basically, it's more doom than stoner on this album. Anyhow, this is worth checking out! Give Tropical Doom's Bandcamp page a visit!

P.S. Both awesome artworks are made by Thaís Burmeister Tirelli.

Bandcamp | Facebook | Youtube

Tropical Doom - Tropical Doom (2015)

And back to old requests. This is such a killer album, I should write about it a long time ago!

Tropical Doom is a fresh psychedelic stoner/doom rock band from Curitiba, Brazil. I'm not very familiar with the Brazilian stoner scene. So please let me know in the comments, if you guys knows more amazing bands from the land of coffee.

The self-titled album is the band's debut full-length. Their sound is traditional doom (think of bands like The Obsessed, Saint Vitus etc.) mixed with awesome stoner grooves (like Los Natas and Kyuss), sexy riffs and just fuckin' rock 'n' roll. A distinct hybrid of familiar genres. It's damn catchy, colourful and highly energetic. Another fantastic newcomer in the world of stoner rock. Should be a no-brainer for fans of warm, fuzzy, psychedelic desert rock. You will rape the repeat button, that's for sure!

P.S. You can find them also on Spotify and Deezer.

Bandcamp | Facebook | Youtube

Vinum Sabbatum - Songs From The Convent (2010)

The self-released debut E.P. by Finnish retro rockers. The name "Vinum Sabbatum" can be a little bit misleading, because this is more Atomic Rooster than Black Sabath. But still, Vinum Sabbatum is a bloody great traditional doom metal act.

Winters - Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies (2007)

Here's the full-length, also released by Rise Above Records. Killer album! Read the review.

Winters - Winters (2006)

Winters debut four track E.P. (also know as "High As Satellites") released by Rise Above Records. Great British power trio, sounds kinda like Pentagram meets Nirvana / Melvins.

Paul Fyfe - guitars / vox
Nigel Ingram - bass
Andy Prestidge - drums

Blue Explosion: Tribute To Blue Cheer (2000)

An excellent tribute to a great band, the mighty Blue Cheer.

Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues-rock style, and is also credited as being pioneers of heavy metal (their cover of "Summertime Blues" is sometimes cited as the first in the genre), punk rock, stoner rock, doom metal, experimental rock, and grunge. According to Tim Hills in his book, The Many Lives of the Crystal Ballroom, "Blue Cheer was the epitome of San Francisco psychedelia." Jim Morrison of The Doors called the group "The single most powerful band I've ever seen. - wikipedia