HUMULUS is a Psych Stoner trio based in Brescia and Bergamo, Italy. They formed in 2009, and their sound was inspired by bands like Karma To Burn, Orange Goblin, and Kyuss.

Their first self titled album was released in december 2012. In 2015, after a line-up change, Humulus are ready to write new songs. The new LP “R.H.I.NO”,was out in 2017. In february 2020 the new was released the new Lp The Deep. In 2022 after another line up change, Thjomas Mascheroni Joined the band.

Bandcamp

King Buffalo is touring on a new album and hit Portland last night!

Opening band LA Witch put on an excellent show. An all-female trio, they reminded me at times of Acid King (but less doomy) and Hole (but less aggressive), with lo-fi surf punk reverb guitar effects. The ladies were on top of their game and all about their music ... which is fairly mellow, and ... well ... I'm not mellow. I liked their live act more than the recorded work. I'd gladly see them again.

The new King Buffalo album Doomsayer comes out in December, so it was unusual timing to kick off their tour a month prior to that date. I met two people at the show that already own it. A dude sitting behind me named Steven (Good to meet ya, bud!) collects 'pre-press' vinyl records, apparently mostly to hang them on the wall, so he very frequently gets early releases. He was a serious fan who was able to identify individual songs as they played them. The other guy sitting in front of me bought an (as of yet unreleased!) CD at the merch stand.

Between the sets, while I was discussing the new album with these gents, the roadies got the headline act ready. Oops!!! No. That was not a roadie. The unimpressively attired, baseball-capped, Sean Roa (vocal/guitar) did his own sound check. And that was nice, because that was by far the best look at him that we got all night.

This act, being a big-sound three piece, uses a fair amount of keyboards and programmed assistance. After sound check, the lights died down, a keyboard number played, and all you could see on stage was the lit up base drum. When the band actually came out, you could barely see more than that. The lights were mostly purple and blue with LOTS of stage fog rolling out, and half the time, those lights were projected out at the crowd.

I'd say King Buffalo definitely is going for psychedelic and definitely does NOT care about image, in that they were shadows with no detail. Sean does a lot of singing and a bit of keyboard manipulation, so he stayed close to his mic and gear. Dan Reynolds (bass) was far more active, wandering around the stage a fair amount, occasionally working with his own keyboard and gear. Every now and then I could see Scott Donaldson (drums), workin his ass off in the back.

The set opened with one of my favorite songs off of Dead Star, Echo of a Waning Star. The guys played a pretty full set, a good 90 minutes or so, lotta long songs. They only did a couple from the new (unreleased) album, playing the new single The Slick and the Dead 3rd song in.

I liked the classy way these guys closed out the show. They announced that they had 3 songs left. They played (I think) a new song, and then did Black Sabbath's Into The Void. My buddy Steven says that's the 3rd time they've done it on stage, and they killed it. And then ... they walked off stage without a word for a two minute break and came back for the 'encore' without a hint of pretense. Dude is like, "Sure, we'll do one more for you." The closing song was Eye of the Storm, an excellent choice that gave Sean a chance to make his guitar scream a bit.

A note for folks in Portland or bands booking shows in Portland ... Aladdin Theater is a gorgeous venue with full theater seats over the entire auditorium and a balcony. Immaculate sound, every fukin show I've seen here. I've no idea how they keep the place as beautiful as it is. There isn't a lot of room for mosh pits, and at no point did I see one starting. Aladdin doesn't do wands, pat-downs, or metal detectors. And that's nice. I don't want some bouncer feeling my nuts before I go through the door. Take my ticket and point me at the beer.

I've seen a lot of music lately. This event was a highlight of the year. I'd always heard King Buffalo puts on a good show. It's true. Check them out if you can.

There is a smoldering hotbed of Rock and Roll in the most unlikely of places; Ohio. Some time ago, the Devil came to sew his seed throughout the state leaving every city with it's own High Priests of Hellish Riffs. The congregation of Cincinnati's Church of Rock and Roll is watched over by Valley of the Sun, and a well tended flock they are. Riff after righteous riff is thrown from the pulpit with the fury of fire and brimstone, so come out to the Rock and Roll Revival, bring your offering and prepare to be anointed!

Bandcamo

Sorry for the short post.
I'm gonna see King Buffalo tomorrow night.
This is a concert they did in a cave. "Howe Caverns in April of 2021."

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it

Brand new work from The Machine!
This is a more languid and spacey album than the last couple. I liked it right away, but it took a few listens to process.
It's good. Deep, complex music with a lot of fuzz.

The Machine is a great band with an inconvenient name.
To start with, there's a Pink Floyd cover band with the same name, and they get a lot more press than this old space sludge band. And then there's the fact that google fukin sux now and looking up some words like "the machine" gets you a bunch of ticktok vids.

To make their publicity even worse, yt search won't turn up The Machine's channel. Took me a while to find that. Their label uploads vids and yt generated a channel. (I've linked to Rob Hammer's channel for this post.)

The Machine do have a decent single-page website where you can listen to and purchase all their music.
https://themachineweb.com/

These guys have been recording for quite a while, first release 2007. Their 2009 release Solar Corona is one of my favorite albums, previously featured here.

Although David Eering (guitar vocals) says he thinks this album is an unintentional return to an older sound ... I think this album sounds a great deal more like their old band buddies Sungrazer. (Sungrazer has been broken up many years now, and the surviving members did not join this band.)

The additional sound influences on this recording were new(-ish) drummer Klaas Dijkstra and the fact that it was recorded in Eering's (still under construction at the time) Evolver Studio in Dordrecht.
They produced a nice video about recording. (I made a joke about Dutch here and annoyed a couple people, now deleted.) The video is cool, I've watched it a couple times. Very drum heavy, as the guitar amps are down the hall, and it sounds groovy.

THE MACHINE - Creation of Another Sun (Official Documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fae6Oixn9Dc

No tour yet. The Machine's website says:
"There are no upcoming events right now."

King Buffalo has a new single out and they are going on tour!
The bandcap says Doomsayer album releases in December ... well after the start of the tour. Apparently we are going to hear some really, really new, as in unreleased, music.

This is the first cut, "The Slick and the Dead". (I will probably update the URL after the full album releases.)

You know how bands get more 'mature' and start doing proggy shit you don't really like all that much? (Hello Elder!)
Well, King Buffalo is NOT FUKING DOING THAT.
This is a great cut. It very much reminds me of Dead Star and Regenerator material.

You can pre-purchase the Doomsayer album on their bandcamp.
https://kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com/album/doomsayer

Their tour is posted on their site.
https://kingbuffalo.com/#tour-section They've got a nice feature that lets you know if the tickets are selling out.

I notice they will be in Portland for me at Aladdin Theater Nov 2.
LA Witch opens. I will check them out shortly!
If can get a ticket, I'll purchase it today!

I did get a ticket. $25 to the band. $10 in fuk u fees.
So, $35.
I had to click out of 5 fuking advertisements in order to get through it. That's fukin Etix. Bastards.

GWAR's Sexicutioner has passed on, following a battle with cancer. I'm guessing he sprayed pink goop on me at some point or another.

I'm gonna see GWAR in November with Mac Sabbath opening. It's been some time since Sexicutioner played with the band, and I don't expect any tour interruptions.

https://www.officialmacsabbath.com/tour

Unfortunately, it looks like I caught the last date of the current Elder tour. -dt

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING OUR REMAINING TOUR DATES
With a heavy heart, we’re forced to postpone our remaining shows on this tour with Blackwater Holylight.

Jack’s struggle with a serious case of pneumonia is ongoing and he remains hospitalized in Portland. Although he’s getting the care he needs, his treatment is likely to continue for a number of days to weeks. As long as the situation remains critical, the thought of performing without him in any capacity is impossible.

We hate to disappoint and know that you’ve been looking forward to these shows as much as we have, but we’re also lucky to have the coolest fans in the world who doubtless understand the gravity of the situation. We promise we’ll come back stronger and make it up to you.

All ticketholders will be notified of rescheduled shows moving forward. This might take a bit so we appreciate your patience. If you prefer a refund, they can be issued by the point of sale.

Thank you to our friends, family and fans for your positive thoughts and to BWHL for being awesome and supporting Jack and us through this chaotic situation.

(Taken from their fb
https://www.facebook.com/elderofficial/)

The Blackwater Holy Light dates end in early October.
The next scheduled dates are in Europe.
Feb 03, 2027 Oberhausen - Germany
https://beholdtheelder.com/tour/

I saw Elder play last night. I'm gonna sort through some pics and re-do this post later, but I'm posting now to share some pretty crappy news.
Chas Mitchell Jack Donovan (bassist) is sick with pneumonia in both lungs.

The band learned how serious the medical situation was about an hour before the show. They did not do their regular set, but they played for at least an hour. They did several of their newer songs.

At the end of the show, Elder did a couple older songs that they don't normally play anymore. We were treated (I think) to Gemini and Spires Burn. It was an amazing set all around. The guys were obviously winging it. Great time.

There's no mention of any tour changes on the website. I assume they are going to carry on.

https://beholdtheelder.com/tour/

Blackwater Holy Light was really good. Mikela has an amazing voice. The girls can jam. They are from Portland and were clearly happy to be home for the night.

Welcome to Sky Valley is probably the most famous and popular desert rock album in existence. I have literally listened to this several thousand times. It's that timeless.

Kyuss is a great band. They put out truly excellent albums. They founded an entire scene.
A good chunk of the reason they called it desert rock was that they got their start at desert parties.
Generators, kegs, and speaker stacks. Drunks stumbling into the cholla bushes and cactus.
Josh Homme said of the scene, "You have to be good out there, because people will come up and tell you if you aren't."

While this band is well known in our circles, the shards of this band were famous as well. Unida, Mondo Generator, Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age.
They have tie-ins to the Seattle grunge scene. Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Screaming Trees, Sunny Day Real Estate.

Last year I made the mistake of traveling to California while the Cochella show was letting out. The freeway was backed up for many, many miles.
To avoid it, I left the freeway and used the desert back roads.
I drove right past the Welcome to Sky Valley sign on the cover of this album.
Yes, I stopped. No, I did not take pictures. Yes, I did play Whitewater.

I could not provide a higher recommendation to any album. I know every note. Every random sound.
It's in my brain. Its in my cells. I will listen to this in the grave.

Oh, and ... Lick Doo!!!

I'm the drummer for Inner Marshland, a three piece hailing from Bruges, BE.
Full album dropping October 21. Lots of heavy riffage!

Elder is a fantastic stoner rock band. Through Zero is their 2026 release, seventh full length album.

While this band started out in the stoner-doom area, this particular work has extended their progressive trend. It's long songs that explore melodic ideas. There are moments that remind me of Yes.

I don't hear much anger here. Some of its quite pretty.
I don't want to diss on it, so I'll let them explain...

From the BeholdTheElder website:
"On their new album Through Zero, Elder takes these years of experience and forms possibly their most immediate and engaging record to date, while allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework. Listeners will find familiar elements of new textures, sequences, and sounds alongside Elder’s iconic take on heavy rock."

TBH, this is not my favorite Elder work. Why am I reviewing it? Because we have already covered their two best albums Dead Roots Stirring and Lore.

And ... Elder is on tour!
https://beholdtheelder.com/tour/

Elder will be in Portland (with Blackwater Holylight) for me next week. $38 general admission.
They play the day before the Sleep concert, at the same venue, Roseland Theater.

Honestly, I'm gonna be in awful shape after two shows back to back. My knees are gonna be killing me, and I'm not sure if I can actually eat that many mushrooms.

This is a rock documentary about the Truckfighters.
I've seen Truckfighters play a number of times. I was workin security for Ash Street Saloon (RIP) one time they came to town, got to meet them. Not that they are hard to meet. Normal dudes. Scrungy, out of shape rock stars. They do get up and move tho. Dude really does play in just his shorts, bouncing around, covered with sweat. Super nice guys.

This film features a number of other bands and covers the yearly drummer saga. Its funny, somewhat engaging, and occasionally boring, sorta like waiting in the green room to go onstage. Hope you like it.

This is a classic stoner sludge album from a classic band.
Truly foundational work. Plus, I like it.
See, its an hour-long song.
This shit drones on and on for a fukin hour with no break.

Take the time to listen to this. Its slow.
Oh ... The band says this music is definitely about and created under the influence of marijuana.
So if you felt the need to partake for your listen, I think they would approve.

Dopesmoker had one of the crappiest label fight histories ever. The label did not know what to do with an hour-long river of sludge, so they cut it up into 6 tracks. And you know, that changed nothing except it really pissed off the band. They seem to still be pissed off about it all these years later.

Wikipedia has a nice writeup of the dirty details, worth reading. Seriously, this is a complex story, and they step through it well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_and_Dopesmoker

The first, 6-cut 1999 release of this work was called Jerusalem, and the band did not like it. They released Dopesmoker as a single long song in 2003 on a new label. There's a lot of different versions out there, some of them from different source tapes. There have been widely available bootlegs, and 2 more official re-releases.

The version I've linked to here is the 2022 remaster of Dopesmoker. I note yt account is actually the label. "Provided to YouTube by BWSCD Inc"
Heh. It's just one long song, so that's the full album and the single.

This should almost be a separate post, but whatever ..

Sleep is doing stuff! Like right now, and shit.
I just bought my ticket to see Sleep 2 weeks from now at Roseland Theater downtown Portland. ($48 after fees. Pink Mountaintops opening.)
Their new album just dropped 3 days ago. Heh. Hempispheres. :]
I've only heard one song so far. Dale Crover (Melvins) plays on it! And Matt Pike is out.

Al Cisneros - Bass, Vocals
Dale Crover - Drums
Bubba Dupree - Guitars

SLEEP - Hempispheres (2026)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPEgsYzucB8

Hempispheres site and tour dates.
https://hempispheres.com/

Bongzilla filmed a pre-tour dress rehearsal before the release of their Weedsconsin album in 2021.
It's their club setup, lights and all, just for the cameras, no crowd.

This very well produced set is the cleanest you are ever going to hear the sludgemasters play.
I've seen them live and could not understand a thing. That scratchy excuse for a voice on Mike "Muleboy" Makela is almost comprehensible here.

This is another product of the Heavy Psych Sounds label doing good shit to promote their bands. Looks like they partnered with an outfit called TheSpaceship.TV. Excellent work, all around.

• Bongzilla's website tour page: https://bongzilla666.com/tour/
• Tour announcements on fb: https://www.facebook.com/Bongzilla/

These guys have a complicated past. Wikipedia and Metal-Archives have info.

Born Again is my favorite Black Sabbath album.
It is the single album where Ian Gillian (Deep Purple vocalist) fronted the band.
It is also many people's, possibly even Ian Gillian's, least favorite Black Sabbath album.

This album was recorded ... um ... between vocalists. The 'band' did not intend to release a Black Sabbath album. They rented a manor and did too much drinking and driving for a few weeks (Trashed), blasted music till dawn (Disturbing the Priest), and had some high society guests (Digital Bitch). The record company told them in no uncertain terms that they must release the output as Black Sabbath. Contractual obligation and all.

Ian was famously unhappy with the way his vocals were mixed on the final release of Born Again. The recording I've linked to here "Manor Tapes" shows why. You can actually hear him, far less muddy. This recording is a bit raw in parts, but I like it a lot more than the album version.

One of the funniest parodies in the history of rock was inspired by this album and the cockups on the tour.
It is well worth your time to watch this short clip of Ian discussing the recording and tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppR838nSNX8
And then watch Spinal Tap's take on the whole thing. (I just noticed for the first time that the trilith is dancing too.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5Ovdu6bOE
Art imitates life, and vice versa.

Electric Wizard isn't just doom metal. Electric Wizard founded doom metal. Slow, trippy, druggie, universally evil, rivers of sludge, with satanic tattooed nearly pornographic chicks on the cover. Their (final) name comes from 2 Black Sabbath songs.

There were earlier doom bands (Cirith Ungol formed in the 1970s and played for years before recording an album in 1981), but these guys (and Liz since 2003) defined the field.

When Electric Wizard (aka Lord of Putrefaction/Thy Grief Eternal) first started releasing music, I didn't even like it. I was into screamin' guitars and cocaine back then, and there was none of that going on with Electric Wizard. Times change. My glam metal bands are deservedly forgotten. This album, Dopethrone, is timeless and holds up in production and style against anything released today.

Electric Wizard is still in action! Their awesome domain name is https://electricfuckinwizard.com/. They talked about a new album coming out this year, but I don't see it yet.

• Their news/gigs link goes to facebook. https://www.facebook.com/electricwizarddorsetdoom
• Their youtube is well done. Full list of releases there. (I linked to a full album for this post because I hate yt playlists, but check out their channel.) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoSGomu96gqH9vPx5fGiVmA
• Electric Wizard is on Rise Above Records. Buy it.
  https://riseaboverecords.com/product/dopethrone-2/

This is a concept album about ... well, the end of civilization.
I have a weakness for depressing concept albums. This one fits the bill.

Empire's fate to crumble.
Empire's fate to fall.
The world that will be left behind.
Turns its back and forgets time.

The Late Great Planet Earth takes you from On The Eve, to Six Billion People Dead, to the Closed Casket, on to Exit the Atomic Age, and the World Set Free. The album starts and finishes with vinyl record crackles, and if you have it on repeat, you can't quite tell when it ends and starts over.

I saw Tony Reed (now of Pentagram) and the boys on this tour at Stoner Hands of Doom in Mesa, AZ two years in a row. The first time, I honestly wasn't interested and went outside to smoke.
The second time, was after I had discovered this album and played it until it was written into my DNA.
I loved the show.

The SHoD festivals were held at small clubs, over half the attendees were the bands themselves, and you got plenty of chances to interact with them. I was writing for a stoner rock forum at the time, and spent about an hour interviewing Tony afterwards. Nice guy. That was 21 years ago, and all I can remember was telling him how much I liked the album and the fact that it played so well on repeat.

Mos Generator re-released this album and you can buy it on Bandcamp. https://mosgenerator.bandcamp.com/album/the-late-great-planet-earth-20th-anniversary-2025-remix-taken-from-the-3lp-box-set
(Sorry about the yt playlist link. Maybe try the bandcamp instead.)

This is a gloomy album without a hint of cheer. I hope you are in the mood ...

Would have been great to have this on an album but I'll take it!

I heard this song (Be Nothing) on a Weedian mix.
It drove me nuts and I played it over and over.
This is the perfect summation of the Zen ideal.
Abandon the illusion of self. Just be.

Don't be cool. Don't be strong.
Be nothing. At all.
Don't be you. Don't be whole.
Be nothing. At all.
Don't be real. Don't be right.
Be nothing. At all.

This group took a while to grow on me.
They have a couple of albums, but I mostly listen to this one.
I've linked directly to the song that grabbed my interest, but give the whole thing a listen.

These guys are yet another European (Greece) stoner rock group on Heavy Psych Sounds records.
They have a Bandcamp where you can buy this album.
https://10code.bandcamp.com/album/ride

I don't know a damn thing about these guys. They turned up in my feed a couple years ago, and I loved their sound. These dudes are young. Its clean and edgy shit. Loud at any volume.

Their Bandcamp is dead, but you can listen and buy the music there.
https://certaindeathofficial.bandcamp.com/album/strange-garden
It says they are from Brooklyn NY.

They are on facebook, and that says "!!! HOMETOWN SHOW !!
Alright you lovely mother-lovers...our next gig in KDY is Saturday 5th September at the Kings Theatre"
https://www.facebook.com/CertainDeathOfficial/

Well ... that's King's Kirkcaldy KY1 1HR, UK.
And that's nowhere close to Brooklyn, NY.
So, I still don't know a damn thing (that makes any sense) about them, but they are opening for a band called Permacrisis next week, and its £10 online // £12 OTD.
www.kingstheatrekirkcaldy.com/event-details/permacrisis-matinee-metal-madness

I know, I know. I say the 'drugs have nothing to do with the music'.
Monster Magnet's Nod Scene makes that statement a total lie.
This song is absolutely about drugs.

Bought another copy of ZOSO.
Seeds were bustin up the spine.
Think I wet my pants doing Whippets
Not too many, buzz just fine.

Monster Magnet went through a very dark period early on.
I think Dave ... well he was doing a lot of drugs. His band had yet to really hit or even record anything that truly showed their promise. He was broke and high as fuck, all the time, carrying out really bad ideas like buying acid for the crowd and then watching them trash the venue.

This particular album, Spine of God, is where Dave finally found his voice.
Later Monster Magnet is highly produced and leans heavily on anthemic finishes, but they were just learning those tricks here. Everything was new and fresh and weird and even a little evil.

Monster Magnet founded stoner rock imho. It took a whole scene to make it happen, but these guys lead the charge. I've seen Dave and the boys play a couple times, but my favorite show was at a small club called The Mason Jar in downtown Phoenix. Yes. I was on a lot of drugs. Center pole on the fence. Crazed. Soaked. Its a hell of a memory. The first time I heard the term 'stoner rock' was a couple years later.

I could go on about Dave's influence on me. This is incredible music. Give it spin.

Che is one of the solo projects of the mighty Brant Bjork of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and Queens of the Stone Age fame.
This is stoner rock of an older style and mood. Think 70's vibe. Glorious fat riffs. Freedom rock.

I feel free. Got no clue.
You think I'm all fuked up.
That's why I feel for you.

Brant, known as a drummer, plays guitar on this album. He is a multi-instrumentalist who can record every damn thing on the record by himself and then produce it all too. That said, Che is a three-piece with Alfredo Hernandez (drums) from Queens and Dave Dinsmore (bass) from Unida.

This is the only thing they released. These are busy guys. They said what they needed to and moved on.
It's perfect as is. Immaculate rock and roll. No followup needed.

I like everything Brant has ever released, but this is probably my favorite from him. The only work he's done that more fully expresses who he is and what he offers is his movie, Sabbia. And you should check that out too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5482LMawRNg

Buy the album here.
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ch-sounds-of-liberation-remastered-reissue

Brant Bjork Trio tour page
https://www.dunarecords.net/tour