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Interviews & Features

Stone Sea: ‘Ad Astra is quite stoic in the sense that it observes these struggles from a more distant perspective!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to Elvis of the amazing Stone Sea the other day, talking about their newest album, the Irish music scene and their plans moving forward. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

Groovy stoner blended with grunge grit and a hint of world music.  

What caused the relocation from Brazil to Ireland back in the early days of the band? 

It was a personal decision. Initially, I was only going to stay in Ireland for a year on an exchange program to learn English properly and experience new cultures. But I ended up loving it too much and stayed for ten years. I did miss the sun, though — so I eventually moved to Spain (laughs).

How would you compare the scene in Ireland compared to back home? 

Brazil is huge — you could probably fit Ireland inside the state of São Paulo. For being so big, filled with people and rich in cultural diversity, I feel the rock scene is quite scattered. Venues are often far from each other, especially considering there are only so many that welcome original music. That makes it hard to organise and to really feel like there’s a cohesive scene. Ireland, on the other hand, is small, and venues are much closer together. That makes it easier to organise shows and for bands to know each other. I think it was much easier to get yourself seen there compared to Brazil.

You’re finally back with a sophomore album at the start of the year. What’s it like having a decade between LPs? How would you compare your debut to Ad Astra? 

The difference is quite considerable! Origins was way rawer composition-wise. I think the experience of diving deeper into other cultures, being curious about harmony theory, and being open-minded about adding and experimenting with other elements made the songs more mature. I think the first songs were way more to the point, whereas now I like to really taste all the nuances of a feeling or a mental state, and you can clearly notice that in Ad Astra.

What is the writing process like for the band? 

It usually starts with a musical idea — a riff that comes to mind and starts to develop by itself. I record these ideas on my phone, then at some stage I develop them further by adding additional sections or vocal melodies, for example.

Then, when I have the song done — or at least a chunk of it — I bring it to rehearsal and they help me shape it further by developing other sections or adding their flavour and influences on their instruments. The end result is always something that everybody’s happy with, unless I’m very stubborn about something specific (laughs).

Is there a certain story or theme running though Ad Astra? Or is it more individual stories? 

They came about more as individual stories. Some songs date back to 2017, when the first ideas appeared — like Ad Astra itself. A few took a long time to fully develop, and they reflect different aches I dealt with over the years. Ad Astra is quite stoic in the sense that it observes these struggles from a more distant perspective, which is why I chose it as the album title. Also, because in a way we’re sending these experiences out into the universe.

Do you have a favourite track from Ad Astra, and why?

Pff… I don’t know. They’re all my babies — I can’t say I love one more than the others. But I can say that ‘Stain’ came out very punchy in the studio because Connor and I were very in sync. Musically, ‘Age of Tears’ is heavy as hell and super fun to play. I love how the production of ‘Alien’ turned out — it feels great to listen to. The solo in ‘Left to Be’ is probably one of my favourites I’ve written so far, and the lyrics of ‘Ad Astra’ are the ones I like the most. 

The only one that doesn’t stand out as much to me personally is ‘Time to Change’. Don’t get me wrong — I love playing it live. But weirdly enough, it’s the one getting more and more streams. I guess because it’s more easily digestible, whereas I tend to prefer the more complex ones.

Busy rest of the year planned?

We’re currently in a writing phase. We already have seven new songs that we plan to record at some point this year. There are also some international shows being discussed, but we can’t confirm anything yet.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring along?

I’d love to tour with Down — that’ll probably be my dream tour at the moment. Although that can change every time I think of it (laughs).

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be?

‘Wolf Moon’ from Type O Negative. I think Peter Steele was a genius to talk about the menstrual cycle in such a poetic way (honestly!)

Reviews

March of the Gods: Do King Kraken Top Their Debut?

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The Welsh hard/stoner/NWOCR band King Kraken are back with their sophomore album. I’ve been a big fan of them for a while and loved their debut, so am going into this thing pretty hyped. We’ve had a handful of singles so fans should know what to expect, but the band still feel like they have a trick up their sleeve somewhere here. Let’s dive right in!

The album opens with the powerhouse track ‘Scream’. The heavy riffing soon gains Mark’s powerful vocals over the top, immediately feeling stonery and heavy hard rock in all the best ways. It gives of vibes of everything from Black Label Society, The Sword and Fu Manchu in all the best ways. The energy and heaviness continues into the catchy chorus, everything being balls-to-the-wall and flowing together perfectly. It’s all pretty simple and at the same level so far, but it all works amazingly. I loved the short solo between the first chorus and second verse too, somehow upping the energy even more. I LOVE the little bridge bit after the second chorus too, the bass especially going hard. It also builds into more awesome heaviness, and more phenomenal, mind-blowing guitar soloing before a final chorus takes us home in style. We even get some great actual screams at the end. This is an excellent opener and the perfect way to introduce the listener to the album.

‘El Giganto’ continues the same energy and feel from the opener perfectly. The track also goes full Clutch, which I LOVE. It does t take itself too seriously, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. And, despite the rather rapid pace, it’s still pretty catchy, a testament to the band’s damn good songwriting. And my god, the sheer level and volume of riffs in this track is awesome. So too is the guitar solo tucked away in the middle, again blowing my mind a little bit. And damn, them slowing down that outro riff to half time… *chefs kiss*. It’s another fantastic, well crafted hard rock song filled with incredible playing all round. It’s impossible not to love!

A slower, more doomy start opens ‘Beserker’, yet it soon still explodes into a huge, ch0nky, stoner riff. It’s honestly one of my favourite riffs on the album too, it’s so damn good! It works surprisingly well as a verse, too. It’s another standard structure and a similar feel with their sound and tempo, but is another absolutely amazing song. I love it dropping down and building back up for the final chorus. All three songs have been pretty similar so far but all are so good. The band have very much refined and perfected their formula here and are rolling with it!

Check out our interview with them here!

The albums title track is another stomping, heavy track like only King Kraken can do. It’s one of the biggest, catchiest choruses on the album too, and between that, the riffing and the incredible soloing, it’s another easy highlight that makes it onto our playlist. Then the album finally changes pace as we reach the halfway mark with ‘Hero’. It came out of nowhere too, this groovy, almost vaguely funky slower track. I don’t know why, but it gives me ever so slight Faith No More vibes. Empire too. That certainly isn’t a bad thing, either! It’s a really interesting addition to the album, especially right slap-bang in the middle. It shows the incredible range of the band and still demonstrates their talents perfectly. It’s another massive highlight song of the album, and one I’d definitely recommend checking out!

‘Vigilante’ returns to the bands heaviness and pace for another excellent, riff-heavy song. The band’s effortless change between time signatures in the middle is an awesome part of the song, but everything about it is pretty excellent and done to a sound and standard that King Kraken are very much known for now. Then you have ‘Preacher’ which is a bit lower and darker for the most part, building to these big, arena-filling choruses and a massive, fast-paced bridge that is a lot of fun. ‘Magnum Opus’, while a little bold of a title, does very much pull in every element of the bands sound that they do so well and… well… does it so well. I don’t know why feel slightly rude grouping all these songs together, and it’s not at all a reflection on their incredible quality. They are simply vaguely similar sounding tracks and I don’t want to repeat my gushing over and over. I cannot recommend any of these tracks enough, and if you like one you’ll like them all!

Lead single of the album, ‘Chainsaw Saviour’, is awesome. We actually checked it out as a reaction video, so I don’t know quite how much more I can say here without coming across as too much of a crazed fangirl. And, listening through the album, it’s a surprisingly excellent choice for a single, too. It reflects the bands sound and style perfectly, and clearly lends itself amazingly to a video. It’s definitely one of my favourite songs from the band, and I’ve been listening to it a lot since its release.

The albums closer, ‘Under the Sun’ again continues the signature King Kraken sound. However, with the big slower riffs and dropped-back verses, it does have an epic feel to it, making it a rather perfect final song. It’s like the perfect blueprint for a stoner metal song, and is easily another massive highlight on an album honestly full of them! And, it’s another song I’d wholly recommend!

Overall: Another expectedly awesome album from King Kraken! As I said earlier, the band have really refined their sound with this second release, building on what they did so well on MCLXXX. There are plenty of amazing tracks that stand up there with their best, and there really isn’t a bad track on it. A real must for fans of the band or genre, and proof that the band aren’t only just here to stay, but conquer the scene, while they’re at it!

The Score: 9/10

Reviews

Dwelled, Goatslayer and Paradise Sins: EPs Galore!

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Even this close to the end of the year, we have some awesome EP releases, aren’t we lucky? Let’s check them out below!

Dwelled: Suffering Heritage

The debut EP from the British contemporary metallers is heavy, melodic awesomeness! It definitely lays somewhere between metal and deathcore, and I love it! The riffs go hard, as do the drums and the screams, but there is also some cleaner vocals in there that add an almost catchy element to it all. ‘Spineless’ is the absolute perfect opener and introduction to the band; a two minute barrage of brutalness that shows off exactly what the band are about. Then you have massively standout tracks like ‘Echos’ and ‘Suffer’. However, every one of the six tracks on this thing is awesome, and it was over far too soon! This band have a MASSIVE future ahead of them, especially given that they’ve only had a solid lineup for a year and are putting stuff out this good. If you’re a fan of the likes of Loathe and Left to Suffer, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s an easy 9/10 from us!

Fireblood: Goatslayer

Switching gears a little to some sludgy swamp metal from North Carolina. This is the band’s sophomore EP, the first having been released back in April. We somehow missed it but I’m gonna have to go back and check it out because I loved this! It’s plodding, heavy greatness that feels the best combination of Black Label Society, Crowbar and Eyehategod, and it’s a damn enjoyable listen! It’s certainly not a release for everyone, but if you like this particular side of stoner/doom/sludge metal, this is very much the four tracks for you! ‘Death Comes Rolling’ is awesome, but the proggy closing track is my personal favourite, an epic doom track if there ever was one! It’s a great EP that I again so desperately want more of, and it gets a solid 8/10 from us!

Paradise Sins: Desires

Changing pace to some hard rock now, as this stadium-filling AOR release is again the band’s second of the year and overall. It’s a sleaze-dripping, stomping rock release, and if you’re into that sort of thing it’s a lot of fun! It’s full of soaring vocals, catchy, massive choruses and harmonies, and some great riffs throughout. I absolutely loved ‘Beautiful Disaster’ and the epic closing ballad ‘Sacrifice’, but all five tracks are well worth a listen. Honestly I’m shocked the band aren’t bigger in the UK scene as there is a massive scene for this sort of thing. However, with a quality release like this, there is no question they will be making waves soon! Any rock fans should check this out immediately, and it’s another easy 8/10 from me!

Reviews

Witchburner: Earthblood Return to Melt Faces with Their Sophomore EP!

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The Finnish Sludgy-doom metallers are set to release their brand new EP on Thursday. I’m not at all familiar with the band and they only appeared to burst onto the scene last year. However, I love the genre they play and am excited to hear this. And, at only three tracks long, I couldn’t not check it out!

The title track opens the EP perfecto with a sludgy, heavy wall of sound and an excellent riff. It speeds up heading into the verse, almost turning into a thrash/death metal track. The vocals very much reinforce that point too, it being a pretty gritty scream. It slows up into a pretty awesome, groovy bridge riff around the 1:30 mark, it almost having stoner metal vibes when it drops out to just guitar and bass a couple of times. We also get some cool little drum solo bits in the middle, everyone being given a chance to shine throughout. It continues to be heavy throughout, there being multiple awesome riffs in the last two plus minutes that honestly by the end of it my neck hurt from headbanging so much. And the screams in the breakdown at the end… *chefs kiss*. It’s a fantastic way to open the EP, and easily makes our playlist!

‘Sons of Heavy Rain’ opens on one hell of a doom riff or three, and I love it! The main riff through it kinda reminds me of Judas Priest from the 90s onwards too; that awesome technical style and a little lighter than the previous track. The solo over the top matches the feel and vibe perfectly, too. The heaviness of course comes back in with the harsh vocals, but it almost gives off Entombed-style death’n’roll more than anything else. Especially with all the guitar melody and soloing throughout. It has a pretty catchy chorus too with the backing vocals giving it a big hand in that direction. It all combined together perfectly to sound heavy, epic and catchy all at the same time. I honestly can’t get enough of this track, everything about it is awesome. From the vocals to the balls-to-the-wall drumming to the insane guitaring; riffs and pinch harmonics and soloing galor, it’s all amazing. So far the EP is two for two on playlisted tracks!

The final track on the far-too-short EP, ‘Swamp Hammer’ does the Batushka thing of having a slow, low, atmospherically distant riff go on for arguably too long. How very, very stoner-doom of them. As it picks up we get an AWESOME riff that keeps pretty stonery. Even with the harsh vocals giving it a death edge, it’s still undoubtedly sludgy and doomy. And again, multi-tracked vocals make for a pretty catchy chorus! Some of the low growls in the back at times too, damn. There’s a fantastic guitar solo tucked away in the middle, technically fantastic and fit the style of the song perfectly. And we even get an INSANE bass solo too, just as good as the guitar one. This song utterly blew me away and I don’t care, all three of these go on our playlist. Shit, that was awesome.

Overall: As you can probably tell, I loved this! It’s of course a rather niche genre, but I’m big into the style and these guys did all of it to perfection. All three tracks are as good as each other, and all are incredible. I HAVE to see ‘Swamp Hammer’ live, my god I hope they tour near me soon. It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of metal at all check it out, it may definitely surprise you. It’s not often I give this out for EPs, but it can’t be anything else…

The Score: 10/10

Reviews

The Hex of Penns Woods: Almost Honest Come Out of the Gate Swinging!

The awesome stoner/doom rock newcomers Almost Honest are set to release their debut album this coming Friday. We’ve already chatted to the band about it (find that here) and now we’re finally gonna check it out!

A very stoner riff opens ‘Alien Spiders’, the instruments building in pretty perfectly into a crescendo. Even as it explodes in with the full track, all three instruments remain right at the forefront, all a highlight in their own way. I have to say, it might have been nice to have another guitar to fill out the sound a little, but it still sounded awesome. The backing vocals add so much to the catchiness and overall sound, too. The chorus is awesome and the whole track just as a bouncy, fun aspect to it. It’s like the perfect blend of Red Fang and old-school Queens of the Stone Age. The bridge/solo is of course more awesome playing from the incredibly talented band, and the song ends with a big final chorus. What a fantastic way to open the album and a great introduction to the band!

Single ‘Amish Hex’ the grungy, stonery riff vibes perfectly. I get pretty awesome The Sword energy from it all, too. The rest of the band explode in and fill out the song perfectly, like I was expecting them to do in the previous track. It’s a HUGE sound. The vocals sound fantastic over the top of the steady verse and awesome drumbeat. Also, the harmonies are again a huge highlight. it makes the chorus pretty damn catchy. The guitar solo is also awesome, fitting in with the vibe of the track perfectly. It’s an amazing track, and one that easily makes our playlist!

‘Ballad of a Mayfly’ opens straight into some really interesting double-tracked vocals over a great chord progression. I wasn’t expecting this more pop-punk approach to songwriting, but it worked perfectly with the band’s style. The riff soon explodes in, bringing back the stoner/doom rock in the best way possible. The harmonies and vocals in the verse almost remind me of Alice in Chains, which I fucking LOVED. And then the band add in one of my favourite things in rock music that is far too underutilised: whistling. The bass and whistle harmonising is phenomenal and something I never thought would be as good as it is. Everything about the solo/bridge is also awesome, from the riffing to the drum fill. This is another incredible song and the second in a row to make our playlist!

There’s an awesome chaotic energy that runs through ‘Colony of Fire’, mainly from some of the best drumming I’ve heard this year. The way it plays off the simple, single-guitar riffing is insanely impressive. It’s another good, catchy chorus, but honestly the instrumentation is the highlight of this track. Everything from the 2:30 minute mark is amazing and highlights just how incredible the band are as musicians. It almost gives off early Tool vibes with the slightly proggy nature and the guitar tone. I love it. And more Alice In Chains vibes from the harmonies, too. It’s the third straight track to make our playlist, and I’m not even mad in the slightest.

Tracks like ‘Eyeless Herd’, ‘Goliaeths Lamp’, ‘Haunted Hunter’ and ‘Where the Quakers Dwell’ are more awesome tracks. However, they are pretty similar to the others I’ve spoken about already. That isn’t a complaint by any means, I just don’t want to repeat myself over and over in my gushing!

‘Laughter of the Deer Owl’ is an awesome track and features the amazing Brandon Yeagley of Crowbot. Again the riffing is top notch, and Brandon brings a lot of greatness to the track. His distinctive voice gave it a very Crowbot feel in the best way. And it’s a great radio-friendly stoner track that still has plenty of heaviness and awesome instrumentation. Hats off to Brandon and Almost Honest for coming together to create something that somehow feels distinctly like both parties!

‘Mortician Magician’ is a lot of fun. From the ringmaster-like intro to the slower, heavy choruses filled with call-and-response vocals, this is a blast to listen to. I love all the dynamics, too. Whether it’s dropping out just to a guitar or the awesome bridge/breakdown riff, all of it is awesome. It constantly keeps you guessing. And THAT solo towards the end is awesome!

Then we sadly reach closer, ‘William Penn’. However, it is a damn good way to close the album, and a really interesting track overall. It’s more of an interlude track than anything, being sub-three minutes, but the more clean sound of the guitar as it fades in is beautiful. Even when the distortion comes in over the top, it has an almost calming feeling to it all. It’s epic too, and definitely a fitting finale.

Overall: This was fucking awesome! There isn’t a bad track on the whole album and there is so much to love throughout. There are multiple standout tracks, too. This band have gone from strength to strength recently and I honestly think that with this release it will strap a rocket to their back. I’ll be listening to this a lot in the coming weeks and months, and anyone who is a stoner or doom or grungy rock fan should check this out immediately!

The Score: 9/10

Reviews

Wavelengths: Have Syncolima Topped Where the End Meets the Beginning?

Syncolima have been around a few years now, putting out their debut album in 2021 to much acclaim. Now, the band are back with their followup, Wavelengths, which is set for release in April. How does it measure up to their debut? Find out below!

‘Beautifully Unsaid’ opens the album strongly with not one, but two powerful riffs. It’s sludgy, heavy and awesome. The vocals fit in well over the top of the riffing, especially with the interesting effect and mixing on them. It’s got some reverb to it and honestly sounds further back in the mix than most vocals too. It was a nice touch, making it sound more of an instrument, part of the band instead of the focal point. Having said that, it still builds to a huge, pretty catchy chorus.

We get an awesome little solo bass bit from Stoff to introduce yet another sick riff after the second chorus. We also get an awesome, if brief, lead guitar solo. It sounds awesome and it’s so refreshing to hear a band not add a second guitar when there is only one guitarist, it just being the lead line and bass. Very Pantera of them. Then a final chorus takes us home in style, the first track being awesome!

The following track is titled perfectly. ‘Riff’ is so incredibly stacked with awesome playing from the guitars from start to finish. I also loved it dropping down through the spoken-word verses. It felt Suicidal Tendencies in the best possible way. Also, another fantastic chorus is tucked between the spoken word and riffs, a punky, catchy slab of arena-filling singalong. The lyrics, while silly, got some laughs out of me as well as being rather apt and true to most metalheads, including myself. Everything about this was awesome, especially packed into just over three minutes in length. Easily playlisted!

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‘Communicide’ opens on a slightly more grungy riff, sounding like something Soundgarden would come out with. Especially when it drops back down for the verses, Stoff working overtime again on the bass and sounding great behind the awesome vocals. It stays steady and plodding through the choruses, too, but the harmonies made it sound massive. We end up heading into a pretty jazzy breakdown after the second chorus, Stoff again being a highlight on the bass, but the lead guitar work over the top is also incredible. Said section was the highlight of the track, clearly showing off the band’s versatility. However, overall it was another great song!

The heaviness returns with ‘New Beginnings’, as does a healthy dose of anger. It’s a breakup song, be that for a relationship or friendship, and definitely feels darker than the other tracks so far. While having a similar structure and writing style to the others, it feels completely different which was a really nice touch, keeping the album fresh.

The album’s title track is a slower track, the closest thing to a ballad on the album. The main riff is awesome. It all gave me Pantera’s ‘Cemetery Gates’ vibes, both in the structure and the guitar tones. The chorus is another catchy one too, maybe my favourite on the album due to the attitude and delivery of the vocals. Also, the heavy outro is sick. Another easily playlisted track!

‘Death of an Enemy’ again picks the pace back up, being pretty similar to the opening couple of tracks. That, ‘Dead and Gone’, ‘The Dregs’ and even epic closer ‘Pound of Flesh’ all channel a similar sound and energy. All were fantastic tracks, but didn’t offer anything new in terms of sound so, therefore, I’d struggle to write about them without repeating myself!

‘Down in the Muck Again’ is another favourite track on the album for me, however. It’s more of a straight-up stomping rock track than the rest of the album, having a faster pace and less time to breathe. Also, the outro is frankly insane; balls-to-the-wall and a lot of fun. It’s definitely a standout track and makes the playlist!

Overall: I loved this. I’ve always been a fan of the sludgier, stoner side of metal and this did it just as good as the greats of the genres. The band are all insanely talented players and have stepped up their game massively from a songwriting standpoint. They’re definitely ones to watch this year with this new album, it’s going to take them far!

The Score: 8/10