Swan Valley Heights release third heavy stoner rock album, Terminal Forest

Posted on April 10, 2023 by thesonicsofa

Swan Valley Heights is back with their third offering, Terminal Forest, an engaging and powerful stoner rock album. The German four piece group came on to the scene in 2016 with their self titled release, followed by The Heavy Seed in 2019. With the release of Terminal Forest, SVH have completed a nearly perfect trilogy of their own style of heavy, riff driven, spaced out stoner rock.

*Dario Puggioni produced the surreal cover artwork*

The band has stayed true to their style over the years, but have only gotten tighter and more creative. Similar to bands like Weedpecker and Spaceslug, SVH produce walls of heavy riffs, bathed in a heavy psych atmosphere develops and breathes with each composition.

The songs range in length from the three minute instrumental, Space Bash III, up to the 12 minute closer, Star Fever. With six tracks totaling 46 minutes, buckle up for an intense, engaging musical experience, with layers of psychedelic complexity.

1. Microbe Galaxy 11:24
2. The Hunger 5:11
3. Space Bash III 3:08
4. Terminal Forest 10:00
5. Looking For Bird Pet 4:18
6. Star Fever 12:19

The rhythm section is an absolute behemoth, with rock solid drums perfectly synced with a beefed out bass tone. Tracks like Terminal Forest highlight the band’s deep groove, with the bass taking a cool lead at the beginning while the song turns into a huge driving riff. And those guitars… flowing seamlessly from heavy riffage, to blazing, wah-infused leads, to spaced out, exploratory psych patterns. The guitars contain some seriously catchy hooks, like on instrumental headbanger, Space Bash III. Looking for Bird Pet, probably the best track title on the album, up there with “My First Knife Fight” from The Heavy Seed, also unleashes an awesomely massive headbanger riff. Listen for some awesome drum work and a huge riff with some wah-pedal drenched leads on the sprawling Star Fever.

Like their past work, the album tends towards an instrumental approach and the musicians definitely have deepened their groove over the years. No less can be said for the diverse vocals, which continue to be engaging and perfectly placed in the album to evoke emotion. Opening track, Microbe Galaxy, showcases the vocals nicely, with some great harmonies at the end. The Hunger features vocals on the mellower side, but with the addition of some grungy harmonies. The lyrical content tends towards the musing, reflective side.

The album was mixed and mastered at Tonmeisterei Oldenburg in Oldenburg, Germany. Dario Puggioni produced the wildly surreal cover artwork. The album is available on Bandcamp through Fuzzorama Records, where you can find the album on CD, vinyl, and streaming. Go to the band’s website for the latest news and tour information. They’re also active on social media. If you’re into well produced heavy psych music, punctuated with sections of heavy riffs, Swan Valley Heights is worth checking out.

TOUR DATES

JUN 24 StoomFest – London, UK

JUL 14 Stoned From The Underground – Erfurt-Stotternhei, Germany

AUG 11 Hoflärm 2023 – Seelback, Germany

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New psychedelic doom album from Acid King

Posted on March 30, 2023 by thesonicsofa

Acid King has returned with their fifth studio album, Beyond Vision. It’s been five years since their last album, Middle of Nowhere Center of Everywhere, and it’s safe to say that the stoner rock community was drooling when the band teased the new singles, Mind’s Eye and Destination Psych, a few months back. Beyond Vision dropped in March, and it is a crusher. If you’re not familiar with Acid King, they fall in the smoky ranks of stoner doom bands like Sleep and Om, but with female vocals. It’s psychedelic stoner rock with a meditative quality. Basically, we’re talking about heavy music that you can either headbang with or gradually drift away to on the sofa.

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1. One Light Second Away 6:11
2. Mind’s Eye 7:11
3. 90 Seconds 4:49
4. Electro Magnetic 8:17
5. Destination Psych 1:36
6. Beyond Vision 6:06
7. Color Trails 7:57

One Light Second Way opens the album with a synthy intro, which was giving me vibes from The Thing, eventually evolving into a huge Sabbath-esque riff accentuated by a killer bassline. Mind’s Eye really showcases how good the drums sound in the mix, with some absolutely huge sounding cymbals and a full tom sound. Lori S. is in rare form with some trippy lyrics and one of the best guitar leads on the album. 90 Seconds is a spacy continuation of Mind’s Eye, with the riff slightly slower and heavier, hitting us one more time with Lori’s gritty vocals and more awesome drum work.

Video directed and edited by Dalan McNabola

At this point, the album has established itself as a slow burner, inducing psychedelic trance through repetition. Electro Magnetic solidifies that concept with a super spacy intro that meanders through cool bass and guitar expressions over the metronome of some fx’d drums. In Sleep fashion, the track launches into some massive, complex riffs, underscored by a full, rich bass tone, before transitioning back to the opening spacy section for the outro.

Destination Psych and Beyond Vision are basically one track. It’s good to hear Lori’s ethereal vocals again on the title track, which also features slow riffs and a nice guitar lead. Color Trails finishes out the album in a strong way: after a spacy intro, we’re treated to some slow, stoner rock grooves and an energetic finish with some awesome drum work. A great end to a solid album.

Beyond Vision is available on Bandcamp for streaming and in multiple formats. It features mind-bending artwork by the acclaimed Maarten Donders, who has also created work for Dead Meadow. The album was released through doom label, Blues Funeral Recordings. Check out Acid King’s merch page for t-shirts and copies of back albums. Go to their official website for the latest updates. The band is active on social media.

The Sonic Sofa’s New Music Payload for March 2023: Featuring Temptress, Bog Monkey, Skull Servant, and more…

Posted on March 17, 2023 by thesonicsofa

We’re introducing the new “Payload” series, where once a month, The Sonic Sofa jettisons some of the heaviest and coolest releases from the past month straight to your ear holes. The reviews are quick so we can pack in even more jams. Click on links to support the musicians and use the built in song players to check out the bands while you read! Follow us on social media, let us know what you think of the The Sonic Sofa, and scroll to the end of the article for a free sticker!

Temptress release riffy debut album, See

Dallas stoner rock band, Temptress, released their debut album, See, on March 3rd. The Texas trio produces a grungy mix of stoner rock with plenty of chuggy riffs. The album features vocals provided by all band members, making for a diverse male and female mix, as well as some nice harmonies. See is available through Metal Assault Records and on Bandcamp. Check out Temptress if you’re into bands like Wo Fat.

New stoner metal from Bog Monkey

Bog Monkey are back with Hollow, their first full length record following their self-titled EP. Hollow is a riffy blend of stoner metal with aggressive vocals, tons of fuzzy guitar tones, and some awesome extended jams. The Atlanta, GA trio recorded their album at the Jam Room in South Carolina. It’s available on CD and streaming on Bandcamp. Check these guys out if you’re into bands like 10,000 Years.

Abanamat release trippy self titled debut

Abanamat is a Berlin-based four piece heavy-psych band. Their self-titled debut is mostly instrumental, but some tasteful, melodic vocals do come into play on a few of the tracks. Listen for lots of heavy blues jams, detailed heavy-psych audioscapes, and some awesome Middle Eastern influence, especially in the guitar leads. Check this out if you’re a fan of bands like Earthless. The album is on Bandcamp and pre-orders for CD and Vinyl are through Interstellar Smoke Records.

High and Low, groovy new stoner rock album by Eta Lux

Blending elements of stoner rock, doom, and psych, Germany’s Eta Lux produce music cram-packed with huge riffs and groovy stoner rock turnarounds. They’ve got a bluesy swagger, in-your-face vocals, and a cool overall sci-fi vibe. Fans of sci-fi rock like Droids Attack will appreciate these guys. Eta Lux’s new album, High and Low, is available on Bandcamp, on vinyl and streaming.

New music video from Poor Little Things

Poor Little Things has released a music video for their new single, One for the Road. The Australian band is a collaboration of Tina Jackson and Rollerball/The Marlboro Men guitarist, Dave Talon. The track has some brutal, 70’s-style metal riffs and some attitude filled female vocals. Check the music video, which has an awesomely retro Road Rash feel to it, and then go to their Bandcamp page to check out the rest of their releases.

Full-blooded, psychedelic doom from Hail the Void

Hail the Void is a psychedelic doom band from British Columbia, Canada. On their new album, Memento Mori, the band delivers a full-blooded onslaught of huge, slow riffs and tortured vocal melodies. Think Monolord level heaviness with the attitude of 1001 Mods and you’ll get the idea of the level of awesomeness of Memento Mori. The album is availabe on CD and vinyl on Bandcamp through Ripple Music.

Black Helium’s immersive new psych album, Um

London’s Black Helium have pushed the psychedelic boundary once again with the release of their beefy, 46 min EP, UM. The release has five impressively orchestrated compositions, transcending genres by blending space rock, doom, and heavy psych. It has an experimental sound with immersive psych textures. Black Helium is almost like if Black Sabbath and Tame Impala had a baby, and the baby was Elder, but from a different dimension. UM is available on CD and streaming on Bandcamp.

Skull Servant release Astral Apothecary

Psychedelic doom metal trio, Skull Servant, released their three song EP, Astral Apothecary, in March. The Chapel Hill, NC trio pack a witch’s cauldron of raw riffs, fuzzy bass, and occult lyrics into the release, and with track names like “Incantaion, Witch Fight, and Lucifer’s Reefer,” you know you’re in for a fun, wild ride. Check out Skull Servant on Bandcamp.

Anima, the new single by Sueños

Sueños is a psych rock group from Cape Town, South Africa. Anima is the first of a series of tracks that the four piece group have planned for release in 2023. On it, the band delivers a chill blend of flowing psych rock with a retro sound, enhanced by the fact that it was recorded live in the studio. Check this out if you’re into bands like Lewis & the Strange Magics. The group is active on social media.