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While you’re feeling bad, though, at least you can get some headbanging in. Sundowner pair blues-laced sludge with neck-snapping hardcore punk, delivering chunky emphatic riffs in a blissful dichotomy of both fast and slow. It’s loud, abrasive, and carries itself with no shortage of swing. No matter the state of the world and how terribly your day is going, Sundowner promises one thing: whenever the drummer starts laying into the ride bell, you’re in for a hell of a riff.

The band comments:

This album represents exactly what SUNDOWNER is, straight to the point sludge.

Heavy, bluesy, intoxicated riffs from slow and filthy to hardcore punk speeds.

Lyrically ranging from substance abuse and drugs to serial killings and cults, it’s all around the nastiest side of humanity which reflects the nature of the music perfectly.

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Lysergic Ritual releases April 20th independently and can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp.

Their newest project is a sort of meta-album, Evolution, that looks at humanity’s fate alongside the rise of androids. The first part of this work, the Extinction EP,  is set to release digitally this Tuesday but is streaming a day early.

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On Extinction, the melancholic chords and dismal growls of death/doom metal are not a constant, but instead a gut-punching eventuality that lurks within sweeping instrumental textures. The combination draws up an especially potent atmosphere where quiet, musing exploration often meets stark, uncomfortable truth in dramatic form. Alongside excellent pacing, Extinction outstrips much of its peers by daring to apply unusual, drastic vocal harmonies in combination with emphatic riffs. It’s extremely contemplative, despite its heaviness, and lends real weight to its thought-provoking concept.

The band comments:

The album is based on a musical and thematic concept in three parts. It speaks about the evolution of humanity, the expansion of androids, and their crossed future, around an atmospheric, melancholic and progressive doom metal, playing with influences, sometimes orchestral, sometimes electronic.

As the first part, EXTINCTION unveils a journey of atmospheric doom filled with symphonic and acoustic soundscapes, both epic and intimate. It will take you into the future, questioning how humanity will struggle with mortality in a world where android technology rises. EXTINCTION will be released tomorrow on all digital platforms. As a whole, the album will also be released physically later this fall.

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Extinction releases April 16th via Finisterian Dead End.

This superposition of grief and fury is one that the album art provokes as well, which is a 1903 painting by Käthe Kollwitz titled Woman with Dead Child. Like in the artwork, there’s an ambiguity to the despair on this record that prompts the listener to respond how they best see fit — does a new tragedy warrant sadness, rage, or both?

Walk Through Fire has no interest in explicitly answering this question for listeners, but they did share some interesting notes on each track of the album with us — read on below as you listen.

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Till Aska – Track-by-Track Rundown from Walk Through Fire

Track 1 — “Till Aska”

The title track “Till Aska” opens the album with a monotonous dirge. Its slow progression with very little variation in the first minutes sets the mood for the entire album. It demands total capitulation to the emotional force that’s ahead.

Track 2 — “Fall i Glömska”

The main theme of “Fall I Glömska” was originally written for piano back in 2006. It sprung from an idea for a film Juliusz had inspired by the car scene in The Silence Of The Lambs where Starling is travelling to meet Dr. Hannibal Lecter for the first time. 

Track 3 — “Genom Sår”

Like with most of our songs “Genom Sår” initially had a working title: “Funeral Sludge”. We simply wanted to make something of a crossover between funeral doom and sludge. And I think we achieved that pretty well.

Track 4 — “Självförintelse”

“Självförintelse” translates to “self annihilation” and is a song with a lot of emotional force. Its slow and twisted groove builds up to one of the highest climaxes of the album. It’s a truly cathartic piece of music.

Track 5 — “Rekviem”

The final piece “Rekviem” is the only entirely instrumental song of the album. It’s a tribute to the late Angelo Badalamenti. The starting point of writing the song was inspired by Badalamenti’s main title theme for the film Mulholland Drive by David Lynch, and was originally written on a pump organ we found up in the attic of our rehearsal space. We spent many drunken nights writing stuff on that organ.

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Till Aska is out today independently and can be purchased on Bandcamp.

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Billed by the band as “666% fuzz” — mathematically improbable, but from these dudes I believe it — Supersonic Megafauna Collision combines tasty, rather fuzzy riffs with intriguing lead playing that never outstays its welcome. It’s titanic doom metal, but laced with no small amount of hallucinogens — the layers to the album are liable to entrap and enspell listeners.  For one thing, there’s enough reverb on vocalist/guitarist Chris Babalis Jr ‘s far-flung delivery to sink into, forever. Beyond that, the underlying riffs rumble through the low-end without burying any details or getting too complex, but they’re still catchy and able to be amplified into something absolutely monolithic when combined with everything else going on. It’s not that other bands don’t do that, but Acid Mammoth is particularly skilled at using a limited toolset to freshen up even the most knuckle-dragging riffs out there — snappy bursts of double bass, bizarre lead harmonies, nothing is off limit as long as it rocks. Supersonic Megafauna Collision isn’t aiming to reinvent any facets of the genre, instead conquering the existing pillars of doom metal and gathering them all under one enormous hoof. 

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Supersonic Megafauna Collision releases April 5th via Heavy Psych Sounds.

The record is set to release June 7th, with a release show taking place that same day at Sleeping Village with Without Waves and Anatomy of Habit. Tickets go on sale for that on April 5th here.

Watch a teaser trailer for the new album below and follow the band here.

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More details on the record follow:

Speaking on the album announcement, Ray Bueno-Knipe (drums and vocals) comments: “We are incredibly grateful to announce the release of our third full length record with our Prosthetic Records family, The Dry Land. This album is about being stuck between two opposites, echoing the collective uncertainty and confusion we’ve all felt for the past few years, and that can be heard and felt in the metallic heft and delicate stillness throughout the record. We wrote this for us to vent our anger and frustrations, to heal our wounds, and grieve our losses. We hope this can help others to do the same.”

Of the release show, Marc Stranger-Najjar (bass and vocals) adds: “After a couple of years of writing and arranging, we are overwhelmed with excitement to finally share The Dry Land with the world on June 7, including a live performance of the record in its entirety at Sleeping Village. We look forward to the incredible supporting bands (our friends Without Waves and Anatomy Of Habit), as well as sharing the experience with our dearest friends in Chicago.”

Following the release of their sophomore full-length, Mandala of Fear, in 2020 and The Dying Pines EP in 2022 HUNTSMEN’s intervening years between studio albums were marked with devastatingly contrasting highs and lows. Whilst their body of studio work continued to garner acclaim from fans and critics alike, chronic illness would become a recurring uphill battle for the ensemble. As these jarring mixed fortunes reached their apex towards the end of 2022, the band reached towards each other outside of their craft as old friends. Taking stock of four years of tribulations and through the fire, HUNTSMEN find themselves reborn on The Dry Land.

There’s a little more metallic edge here than one might initially expect, but also a lot of sing-along catchiness. Saltpig is a different beast from what occult rock usually sounds like in large part due to the band’s chops. Alessandrini melds heavy rock groove with monstrous fills, and on top of crafting especially hypnotic riffs, Davis delivers a vocal performance that’s simply not often matched in the genre while still slotting in with a gritty, horror-obsessed atmosphere.

Having successfully self-released on digital and cassette earlier this year, the band has signed up with Heavy Psych Sounds for a full physical release in May. Ahead of that, we’re premiering a new music video for the opening track, “Satan’s War,” which provides a blood-red backdrop of vintage horror dread for the song. Watch below:

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Saltpig releases via Heavy Psych Sounds on May 31st and CD/LP can be pre-ordered here.

Out are vocalist Albert Witchfinder and guitarist Jondix, leaving drummer Tas Danazoglou and bassist Taneli Jarva to find new members. Luckily, replacing them are metal lifers Nifelheim frontman Hellbutcher, Mirror guitarist Sprits Moutafis, and Brazilian guitarist Beelzeebubth. When asked about the new record and personnel changes Danazoglou had this to say:

The second album is way superior to the first one. The songs are better, and the music is heavier and more evil! That was the plan from the beginning. The only surprise was that the line-up changed. Hellbutcher’s vocals are just devastating and Beelzeebubth and Sprits are just amazing guitarists! Most of the recording took place here in Cyprus with Sprits at the helm of production. This time things were easier [to complete] than the first album. We were more focused and willing to deliver a devastating blow to weak and fake metal music!

Our song themes are and always will remain the same. Satanism, witchcraft, horror and death! If the public loved the first album, the second one will blow their minds. It’s on another level. Another level downwards into the pits of hellfire! The one thing that that has really changed is that with this line-up, we will play live and bring mankind to its knees. We want to play and destroy stages. Other than that, we will then focus on the third album which will be the final nail in the coffin lid for mankind!

Today we’re premiering the video for “Bringer of Evil” showcasing all the band’s members, new and old. These dudes know how to doom better than most and one thing is for sure: we are heading into the eternal hellfire with smiles on our faces, head banging into Hades at Sabbathian speeds.

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God Damned You to Hell releases April 5th via Rise Above Records.

There’s a reason that Sons of Ra remains a staple in the heavier side of Chicago’s music scene, often sharing bills with doom metal — they’re heavy in a way nobody else here is. On the spectrum of jazz to metal, Sons of Ra skew heavily toward jazz, but they incorporate their heavier influences in a way that feels natural. Whereas a lot of “jazz metal” music is either primarily metal with jazz as a texture, or just sounds like someone tossing a bucket of nails down a staircase, the trio make heavy tones and distortion feel at home against tightly syncopated grooves and expressive, unusual tonalities. They fill post-metal’s airy soundscapes with tight, but complicated motifs that layer and build into fascinating superpositions. Oldman’s lead playing, stemming from his long-built mastery of his instrument and theory, threads a crucial course through the record that weaves together curiosity and apprehension.

Today, we’re premiering a video performance of Part 1 of Tropic of Cancer, which notably features the core trio digging heavily into a groove that Oldman renders transcendental. Amidst images of life, death, and warm weather (notably absent in Chicago right now), the rhythm section lays down a hypnotic cadence that serves as a fertile bed for exploratory leads, punctuated at points by sudden crescendos. It’s a great introduction to what Sons of Ra provides: a particularly beguiling musical fusion you can’t find anywhere else.

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Oldman comments:

The main themes of the suite were written during winter of 1998 when I moved back to Chicago from Austin. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy and radiation for nine months. I had to give up my musical studies and performance for some time. Much of the emotional content behind the music deals with the immediate loss of identity and relationships when completely uprooting an entire life to move across country.

This is the genesis of the entire suite. My personal life at the time was in turmoil after getting my diagnosis. At the time I was making music in Austin, studying jazz and Afro-Cuban music. I uprooted my life and came back to Chicago to stay with family while undergoing medical treatment. The Latin music references sort of stuck, but as the piece evolved and as I started to get back out into the music scene in Chicago, the heavier sound influences crept in.

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Sons of Ra will self-release Tropic Of Cancer on 12” vinyl, CD, and digitally on April 19th. Preorders for all formats and merch are now available HERE, and digital presaves can be found HERE. Also watch the video for “Tropic Of Cancer Part III” HERE.

Upcoming Sons of Ra Live Dates:

• 3/17/2024 Reggies – Chicago, IL w/ Lower Automation, Graphics, Life Of Yum Yum
• 3/21/2024 TBA
• 3/22/2024 ROK Bar – St. Paul, MN w/ Jojo Green, Lulu & The Shoe, Cannakiss
• 3/23/2024 301’s Spring Showcast @ Crucible Madison – Madison, WI w/ The Unnecessary Gunpoint Lecture, Knifeback, more
• 4/20/2024 Liars Club – Chicago, IL *EP release show w/ We Killed The Lion, Human Trials, Dead Languages
• 5/04/2024 WZRD’s 50th Anniversary Bash @ Martyrs – Chicago, IL
• 5/24/2024 Bantha Tea Bar – Pittsburgh, PA w/ John Hardin
• 5/25/2024 Mulligans – Grand Rapids, MI w/ Flood The Desert, Apostles

The Rat Queen had a few things to say about the song and music video:

’Fresh Fur’ is a rebirth. It is the ability to unearth the strength to rise above those seeking any opportunity to cut you down, control you, or bury you. It is becoming so self-assured and secure within yourself that the sheer magnitude of your own existence can ward off anyone’s attempt to take you down—without the need to brandish any weapon of your own.

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This is definitely our most DIY video to date. The music video was accomplished by commandeering the apartment of our friend and tour manager, Olivia. We nailed a bright-blue dollar store bedsheet to her living room wall and borrowed a tiny treadmill for walking in place in front of our makeshift green screen. We had our manager, Marty, crouched on the floor blasting me and Franco with a hair dryer through every take for that quintessential, glamorous, hair-in-the-breeze effect. There was also a lot of Johnson’s baby oil involved… 

We shot the whole thing on my iPhone, which is also what I used to edit the entire video, as I do not own a computer. I chose background imagery to elicit a sense of movement through a portal of time and space with glimpses of alternate realities and elements along the journey into another realm. There are also visual representations of each line of lyrics featured during each verse. 

I came down with the flu within an hour after shooting and harnessed all my fever-dream energy to greatly inform the imagery throughout the editing process while sick in bed across the next three days. Fortunately, no one else got sick during filming because Marty was continuously blasting my own germs back into my face using the hair dryer. All in all, this mission was a complete success from start to finish.

All together it makes for a perfect encapsulation of the band’s music and aesthetic, one that shouldn’t be missed. Make sure to check out the new record, Into The Realm, out April 12 on King Volume Records.