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Released: 2024 Genre: Progressive Metal, Sludge Sounds Like: Third Rail, Hypergiant, Mountainwolf Homeland: Vancouver What makes To Slow Death and Fast Riffs elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Members of Astrakhan unleash a new concept in Brugada, with contributions from Kevin Keegan of Dead Quiet and Jeff Radomsky of Neck of the Woods Speedy fretwork layered with thick sludge make for a unique and engaging album that heats up with each listen Exceptionally diverse vocals throughout with the perfect blend of echo and ferocity The closer ‘Superfish’ hits the pinnacle of beauty, just an epic onslaught of sonic bliss The album hits elite stature for its intricate riffs and absorbing melodic ways. From a Banger entrance to the wild vision of ‘Sniper’ and ‘Bossfight’ Track Listing: 1. Bangar 18 4:01 2. Return to Bangar 3:36 3. Bossfight 3:03 4. Spaceman 3:11 5. Sniper 4:28 6. Chuck 3:24 7. Skin and Blood 4:18 8. Over the Hill 2:01 9. A Nod to Process 2:58 10. Superfish 6:58 Dive deeper into To Slow Death and Fast Riffs with our Q&A with Brugada. OHMs Peak: Your debut album has absolutely floored us from start to finish. Just incredible from all aspects of fretwork to percussion and vocals. The chemistry you folks have is very apparent. Tell us a little bit about your history and prior bands. We reviewed Astrakhan back in 2018 and we’re big fans as well? Brugada: That's good to hear! Adam and I were founding members of Astrakhan. We started working on Brugada pretty much right after our the last show. Kevin, our drummer, is from an awesome tech death band called The Hallowed Catharsis. We had a shared jam space and figured we'd ask him to mess around on this project. Kael and I had spent years in a previous project that didn't do much as far as output beside some touring/gigging, and an obscure EP. OHMs Peak: 'The album title To Slow Death and Fast Riffs speaks volumes to the beauty of contrast. While the album is heavy and intense, there are so many different elements, change ups and variety throughout. What other bands do you get your influences from? Brugada: I was pretty influenced by 80's thrash, and more techy sort of punk stuff. Megadeth, Metallica were big ones. Propaghandi, NOFX, A Willhelm Scream some others. Then also mathy stuff like Battles, Redneck Manifesto, And So I watch you from Afar. Also sludgy stuff like Mastodon, High on Fire, Neurosis, Baroness, Isis. A blender of that. OHMs Peak: 'Superfish’ is an incredible track, and perhaps one of our favorites off the album. The first minute takes us back to the early 90s with one of our favorite bands, Last Crack, then morphs into absolute intense brilliance. We would love to hear more about the meaning and theme of this song. Brugada: My concept for this record was creating something cohesive based on lyrical lines lifted from Steven Speilberg films. I began the writing process of each song by choosing a line I liked from one of these films then contextualizing and seeing where that led. The line I used for Superfish was from Close Encounters of the Third Kind ("the sun came out at night, and sang to him" is the line specifically). The song concept examines the rift between Cain and Abel in the bible and places God's influence and meetings with them in terms of an alien presence like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It's also an allegory for the break up of Astrakhan, as well as just general conflict between people that evolves from a misalignment of integrity. OHMs Peak: The collaboration on 'Skin and Blood' with Dead Quiet frontman Kevin Keegan is a terrific addition. Can you tell us how this came about? Brugada: Keegs is one of my best buds. I love his voice, and writing, so just wanted him to do something on the record, cause why not. All the features on the records are friends, and singers I like in our scene! OHMs Peak: Your album cover is certainly eye-catching with its suggestive image. We would love to hear more about the creation of the cover? Brugada: I wanted to take something super not metal, and make it feel metal. Subvert the concept of a metal cover. Fruit doesn't seem metal, so that's what I went with. I guess it just looks like genitalia, but that wasn't intentional haha. OHMs Peak: Brugada is stranded on a remote island with only a solar powered record player and a boatload of fruit. You can only choose one album to play during your entire stay. What album would the band collectively choose? Brugada: Hopefully this Brugada album hahaha. I don't think we could decide on one mutual album that we all like. I think our tastes go in pretty diff directions. Brugada are: Rob Zawistowski Kevin Emms Adam Young Mikael Koltek Guest Vocals: Twitchy Claire Carreras on 'Return to Bangar' Devon Motz on 'Spaceman' Kevin Keegan on 'Skin and Blood' Jeff Radomsky on 'A Nod to Process' Follow Brugada: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Brugada Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Stoner rock, Heavy psych, Doom Sounds Like: Red Scalp, Pallbearer, Kataonia Homeland: Switzerland What makes Lucifer Giant elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The debut of Lucifer Giant is truly timeless. This exceptional piece of work will guide you on a soothing exploration of expansive heavy soundscapes The vocals have a soft and ethereal quality, reminiscent of the soothing tone of Katatonia's lead singer, Jonas Renkse Each song possesses a similar tone and vibe, creating a vast and immersive journey into doom The impressive album cover encapsulates the essence and complexity of the album, inviting you into their heavy psychedelic world Track Listing: 1. Lucifer 6:17 2. Monuments 10:22 3. Acid Dream 7:05 4. Miles Deep Well 9:14 5. Crimson Curtains 7:43 6. Ghost 8:33 Dive deeper into their debut album with our Q&A with Lucifer Giant. OHMs Peak: We can’t get this out of rotation, your debut is absolutely cathartic and healing. You hit majestic heights as this album encompasses the perfect blend of heavy and beauty. Sigrist and Flury deliver one of the best vocal performances of the year. We would love to hear more about the band’s background and how you started. Were you in other projects together? Any insights to your formation we would love to hear? Lucifer Giant: First, many thanks for all the words of praise. We are overwhelmed by the positive reactions we are getting, mostly from abroad, to our release. The mixture of heavy and beauty that you mentioned most likely stems from our diverse musical backgrounds. Although we've all known each other since we were teenagers, we've always been active in different bands, some of which couldn't be further apart in terms of genre. When we started writing music together five years ago, Sigrist and Remo had been in a band together since they were teenagers. Avi and Matt, who also had their first band together when they were 14, were jamming together again after a long break and Andy, who they have all known since they were teenagers, played bass in a local rock band. OHMs Peak: Your debut has a different feel than many of the psychedelic doom encounters we have. Your work is one that catapults the listener into this expansive heartfelt atmosphere of despair. It conjures so many beautiful images of mountainsides and open air. Take us through the writing process and setting in making this album? Lucifer Giant: Perhaps these images come from the fact that we all grew up in the idyllic Bernese Oberland, on Lake Thun, surrounded by mountains. The nature here is truly beautiful and certainly has a great influence on our creative work. Despite all this beautiful nature and idyll, we are no strangers to setbacks, losses, physical and mental illnesses. They are part of life and as far as Sigrist and Matt's songwriting is concerned, they both dive into the dark abysses of life again and again. The mixture of these probably led us to the sound we play now. Most of the time our songs start with a riff, an idea or a concept from Sigu or Matt, which the two of them then work out together and then play with the full line-up in the loop until the whole thing takes shape. Not to forget Remo Häberli from Hidden Stash Studio in Bern, who gave our sound the finishing touches with his production. OHMs Peak: What bands over the years have influenced your sound? We hear hints of Red Scalp and Katatonia, but only splashes. Lucifer Giant: Our songwriting is influenced by many bands from different genres. All of us like bands like Rezn, Elder, Elephant Tree or Masters Of Reality. But we try not to force ourselves into a frame and basically just play what is right for us. OHMs Peak: There is not a flaw in this album but if we had to pick a favourite (gun to our heads) it might be ‘Monuments’. It’s ten minutes of epic songwriting and solemn synth. The vocals and how you accentuate phrases is so powerful. Take us through the concept and making of this track. Lucifer Giant: When Matt started writing Monuments, his idea was to write something epic sounding with a driving melody that pulled straight forward. Initially the song consisted of three riffs that we jammed repeatedly, which was so much fun that the rest developed organically on its own. At one point the song was even over ten minutes long, so we cut it down again and only kept the essential parts. Our concept is not to co-curate the instruments with the vocals but to embed the vocals into the overall picture in a similar way to the instruments. That's why the lyrics are repeated like the riffs in the song. OHMs Peak: The album cover is so fitting to your sound. Who created and drove the artwork? Lucifer Giant: All our artworks so far are from our longtime good friend Philippe Jeanquartier. Shortly after he heard us for the first time, he had already illustrated and printed a shirt design for us on his own initiative, which we all really liked. From the very beginning we had the feeling that he absolutely understood how to capture the idea of our music visually. The reference to the cover artwork was created during a rainy hike in October and shows the black monk. A mountain that is in the bernese jungfrau massif. It quickly became clear to us that this image suited our music, and that Philippe was the right person to visualize it. OHMs Peak: How did your name come about? Any story behind the selection of Lucifer Giant? Licifer Giant: It may sound boring, but the name came with the music. We had some songs and recorded them in our own studio with an old tape machine. Under influence of some substances, we then decided to name the band Lucifer Giant. We chose Lucifer because it is a tragical figure, got banned from heaven and created his own hell. He made his choices and had to live with the consequences, like we did in our lives. The Giant we chose, because we loved the vision of a big and slow giant living in the mountains, listening to our sound. OHMs Peak: Lucifer Giant is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turn table and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? Licifer Giant: That’s a tough one to answer, because we have such different influences in music. There are so many great records that changed music for us and for everyone. But Lucifer Giant was born while listening to Sleep, so maybe that’s a sign. Lucifer Giant are: Simu Sigrist - Guitar, Vocals Matt Flury - Guitar, Vocals Remo - Synth, Backing Vocals Avi Moser - Drums Ändu Feuz - Bass Follow Lucifer Giant: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Lucifer Giant Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Punk, Hardcore Sounds Like: Terror, Sick Of It All Homeland: Birmingham, UK What makes We Need You To Bleed elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Flesh Creep deliver the perfect dose of punk hardcore in just under 20 minutes with this latest release The 10 tracks blend perfectly as the UK natives infuse a wild flurry of varying tempos and creative melodies Further we get a pleasant surprise as 'Insect Politics' treats us to a collaborative performance with short straw and Evie Thresher Do not let this dark album cover fool you, It actually drew us into the band. For anyone who fancies bands like early Norma Jean, Terror or Sick of it All, this is right up your alley Track Listing: 1. Gold 2:02 2. Heads Will Roll 2:06 3. Like Dogs 1:50 4. Bleed Out 1:59 5. False Flag 1:58 6. Insect Politics 1:33 7. Turf War 1:40 8. Yellow Tape 1:06 9. Video Nasty 2:00 10. Wetwork 2:16 Dive deeper into We Need You To Bleed with our Q&A with Vocalist Tom Bienkowski of Flesh Creep. OHMs Peak: We Need You To Bleed is 18 minutes and 37 seconds of punk brilliance coated with pure adrenaline and doses of classic hardcore angles. Would love to hear more about your recording process and vision for the creation of this album? Tom: The record was recorded over the course of a month or so at KK’s Steel Mill with our long time collaborator and good friend Thom (of the excellent band The Big Hell). People who are more interested in marketing than actual music will often tell you that it’s a ‘singles market’ right now and that albums are irrelevant, but quite frankly: creating something long form was what we wanted to do at the time and I think I speak for everyone when I say we value satisfying ourselves creatively than any kind of ‘strategy’. OHMs Peak: Tell us about the history of the band. How did you form and would love to hear more about your background in other bands prior to Flesh Creep? Tom: I used to play guitar in a band called Dutch, Our bass player Jack was in a rock band called Dead Slow, and our guitarist Sam (and now our new drummer Jim) played in hardcore punk act Golden Deathmask. We used to play shows together and once they was a gap in all of our schedules we decided to join forces on something raw and dramatic. Matt and Dan (guitarist and drummer, respectively) both joined without us having heard them play but the chemistry was undeniable from the first practice. OHMs Peak: What bands over the years have influenced this rhythmical fueled punk train that is Flesh Creep. Tom: This is an answer that could and would differ greatly depending on who in the band you’d asked. In light of this I’ll answer only for myself. My biggest lyrical influences in the hardcore sphere are Sam McPheeters of Born Against and Chris Colohan of Left for Dead/Cursed/Sect etc. Both manage to present nuanced arguments that are at the same time hard hitting and poetic. Outside of that, I consider REM’s ‘document one’ to be one of the most incisive political records of the 80’s without trying to be ‘brutal’ like more typical punks of the era. OHMs Peak: ‘Insect Politics' stands out with the collaboration with shortstraw and Evie Thresher. It's an amazing tune that has us yearning for more. Can you provide a glimpse into how this song came about. Tom: We first met Evie and Erin when we opened for The Chisel in 2021 and since then I’m proud to say they’ve become some of my closest friends. I’m constantly amazed and inspired by both of them and when it came to making this record, it wouldn’t have felt complete without ‘em. OHMs Peak: The album cover portrays an almost uncomfortable feel. Not sure what is going on in the photo? Can you elaborate on the creation of album art? Tom: Again, The cover is a collaboration between our friends Niamh and Kayleigh, both of whom were super proud to know, let alone be in a position to work with. The band photo on the back of the sleeve was taken by our pal Tom also, so the whole layout feels like a celebration of the amazing talent we are surrounded by in our circle. OHMs Peak: Flesh Creep is stranded on a desert island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic solar powered speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album… what album would it be? Tom: This is very much easier said then done so I’ll be diplomatic… one of our fondest band memories was getting a call to open for Terror with a few hours notice (and I myself was coming home from holiday so had to taxi straight from the airport to the venue) but we still managed to pull off a set we were all very proud of. So I’ll choose their debut ‘lowest of the low’ as a reminder of some good times. Flesh Creep are: Tom: Vocals Matt: Guitar Sam: Guitar Jack: Bass Dan: Drums Follow Flesh Creep: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Flesh Creep Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Heavy rock, Stoner rock, Progressive Sounds Like: Baroness, Heavy Temple, Familiars Homeland: Dortmund, Germany What makes Perception elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The latest offering from Germany's heavy psych trio is one of the more original albums to bless our speakers this year Perception is a complex and tight album. The music transitions effortlessly from borderline doom to stoner and progressive rock. It's a whirlwind of different genres that come together perfectly. The chemistry between all three members is flawless The duet compositions between guitarist Ben and bassist Linda is incredible. It's something you do not hear very much or at all in heavy music Scorched Oak are progressing with each release. Their brand of heaviness is very unique as we look forward to where they are heading Track Listing: 1. Delusion 8:21 2. Mirrors 7:28 3. Relief 4:50 4. Echoes 5:52 5. Reflection 5:13 6. Oracle 8:00 7. Wizard (Bonus track) 5:50 Dive deeper into Perception with our Q&A with Guitarist / Vocalist Ben from Scorched Oak. OHMs Peak: Your prowess in delivering some of the best duet compositions heavy music has ever seen is enthralling. We find it comforting and the back and forth banter rivals any Kenny Loggins or Kenny Rogers duet. Tell us about how you construct such great harmonies and unique chemistry within your song structure? Ben: We put a lot of time into fine tuning. So while we are writing we record all the ideas and try different variations until everyone is satisfied. This is kind of a golden rule too, if some of us is not satisfied with any part it will be reworked. For now in the end it was always worth the effort. So it‘s quite a lot trial and which takes some time. OHMs Peak: The album seems to touch upon dark, fantasy dream-like sequences. Where do you get your creative influences from? Ben: We love to keep our songs very dynamic, therefore you find a lot of up and downs in our songs in several variants. Like one instrument pauses, the tempo or the volume varies or both. In our opinion this keeps the quite lengthy songs still interesting. Fun fact, we are not able to write just simple straight forward songs. We tried it several times but always ended up with longer, more complex songs. So this was kinda the prologue for your question… For the creative influences though I can mainly speak for myself though we write most of the songs together, where everyone puts his ideas in. For me, I listen to music all the time, in the car, at home or at work and I love and need variety. When I‘m at work I prefer to listen to instrumental music which helps me to focus. Often this will be a movie soundtrack which I think has often an influence on the stuff I‘m writing and the ideas I get since soundtrack music is composed quite different compared to rock music. The other thing that gets me going is hiking. I don‘t know exactly what it is but it works almost every time getting some ideas out there. OHMs Peak: What's behind the bonus track 'Wizard?' We noticed it has a more playful and different vibe than rest of the album. It definitely is an earworm. Ben: The reason that Wizard sounds different is, that is was written in a time when we were a 4 piece with two guitars. The song was part of our first EP which was released in 2018, so I think we wrote it around 2016/2017. The whole EP sounds quite different compared to our full length Albums. So I think the main factors here are the early stage of the band and the two guitars. Adrian had to leave the band at some point because of health issues (don’t worry he is fine). Though we wanted to keep this song and had to rearrange it slightly. And here we are. OHMs Peak: Can you provide a glimpse into the name of your band (Scorched Oak)? It's unusual and a cool name? Ben: Even if the answer might be a bit disappointing or boring, but there is absolutely no fancy story behind it. We needed a name and tried to avoid the super cliché ones in the scene. OHMs Peak: The album cover is very unique. Would love to get more insight behind the creation? Ben: As you may have noticed this is a bit of a concept album. It works best for us to have a golden thread while working so we can build everything around this. Not to tight so, since we still want to flexible especially for the musical part. So since every song is more or less a part of Perception we wanted to have this shown in the artwork as well. So we asked our designer Maciej Kamuda to add some optical illusions and referenced the Maurits Cornelius Escher Stairs to him and that‘s the result. But we are lovers of much detail so we wanted the back different but still fitting to the front. You might see some similarities to Howl‘s Moving Castle here. OHMs Peak: Scorched Oak is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Ben: I think we all agree that this would be the self titled album of Red Fang. This thing is just one of the greatest ever. Scorched Oak are: Linda-Bass, Vocals Ben-Guitar, Vocals Freed-Drums Written and arranged by Scorched Oak Produced by Scorched Oak and Robin Stirnberg Engineered by Ben Plochowietz and Robin Stirnberg Mixed by Robin Stirnberg Mastered by Esben Willems at Studio Berserk Cover artwork and layout design by Maciej Kamuda Follow Scorched Oak: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some Scorched Oak Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Heavy rock, Stoner rock, Metal Sounds Like: Witchskull, Saint Vitus Homeland: Australia What makes House of Solomon elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? We will follow Marcus De Pasquale to our graves. His vocal style is brilliantly distinct and entrancing and has pioneered two of our favorite bands in Looking Glass and Witchskull Pasquale continues his winning workaholic ways with Hekate, another Australian gem. The band’s second release House of Solomon is a warhorse of an album loaded with anthemic power-chords but also containing a rich heartfelt underpinning of warmth and texture This release amps up the production from start to finish. ‘Cold’ pulls us in with its despair and slurred angst, but we are floored by the crisp bass-work the song delivers.‘Trip Wire’ takes things to a whole new level with its grinding anthemic riffs, Pasquale is angelic on this track What ensues is unwavering excellence in every track up through the chilling closer in ‘Arctic Tern’ painting a powerful landscape of sonic bewilderment House of Solomon is a mighty impressive piece of work making our quest to get Marcus De Pasquale performing within the United States in any form all the more essential. As Desertfest New York City continues to round out its lineup in the coming months we implore you to please give this album a listen and all that Marcus De Pasquale has done. These folks need a direct flight to share their brilliance with the United States of America. Track Listing: 1. Intro 0:14 2. Cold 3:46 3. To the River 2:36 4. Trip Wire 3:10 5. Goat of the Sabbath 5:03 6. Cordelia 4:46 7. For All Your Sins 4:14 8. House of Solomon 2:53 9. Arctic Tern 6:07 Dive deeper into House Of Solomon with our Q&A with Guitarist / Vocalist Marcus De Pasquale from Hekate. OHMs Peak: Would love some additional insight behind the innerworkings behind your name ‘Hekate’. Our understanding is that ‘Hecate’ spelled a bit differently connotates the goddess of witchcraft. Was this intentional as an extension of Witchskull? Where does all the intrigue behind the occult and witchcraft stem? Marcus: The name is used by a few different artists, we don't care though, it's a name I've had in my mind for a long time. I like it with the K. because the word Heka is Ancient Egytian , God of Magick, primordial God from the Old Dynasty. So I like that little fusion. Hekate is such a cool Goddess. I have a theory that The Statue Of Liberty is actually Hekate, or something very close to her in representation. Apparently the guy actually got the design from a necropolis in southern Eygpyt, Nubia. And Hekate is the Goddess of Necropolis'. But this all speculative. OHMs Peak: House of Solomon is a tremendous follow-up to Sermons to the Black Owl both are beloved by our team here and constantly in heavy rotation. We noticed this release pulls in more vivid production and more biblical references. Take us through the concept and creation.? Marcus: The concept as always was to deliver a well rounded, full palette various textures and dynamics and approach only what the song requires devoid of any superfluous baggage. It's hard to please everyone. We're massive Sabbath and Vitus fans, but what is required in high art is the bypassing of conscious thoughts, and to get close to the psychic reactor where instincts and reflexes originate. Sabbath is in our DNA so that aesthetic is always going to be prevalent. Music that grooves and flows, with a high emphasis on vocal melodies and strong choruses. Being aware of when and when not to play, and what volume were playing at in any given moment, allowing it be breath and become buoyant. I kept thinking I want lush purple tinged grooved based sounds, really intense. I thought the guys absolutely did exceptional jobs recording it. Ash and I live in Canberra and Nathan and Jay live in Sydney,  so we have to travel a lot, which shows a good commitment,  we all live to play music. We used to bring full demo songs in. But lately we've just let the song slowly grow through jamming and trying to be minimal and fully focus on the groove aspect. The overall vocals with melodies come  pretty quickly, for me I need a good melody first and then try and smooth it out and bring a strong dream like narrative. We don't rush the process. We just let the song slowly appear. I had the title for a while in my mind. OHMs Peak: ‘Trip Wire’ is one of our favorite tracks. Tremendous grinding riffs and 70s Sabbath reflection. What is the meaning behind this track? Such despair, we were wondering the connectivity with “when the trip wire’s calling its color blue” in particular. Marcus: Man thank you all so much!. Trip Wire is a lot different from anything we've done before. The dynamic from the tension,  release, is a strong fundamental of it. The vocalist needs to be vulnerable and real. And i like that aspect of it. I kept thinking, it's about people saying goodbye to each other. Or it's like the Trip wire is connected to an explosion and it's one of those landmine situations. I like things vague and have the option of being interpretated in different ways, which are personal to each listener. OHMs Peak: Any plans to tour the United States? How far out has Hekate branched? We would love to get you in some venues within the Boston/New England area. Marcus: Yes would love to come over sometime!! That would be a dream come true. Hopefully in the future we can map something out. OHMs Peak: Loving the artwork on both of your albums. Who created? Would love to hear more about the selection and temptress profile? Marcus: It's our good friend Lisa Engeman. She's done both album lay outs. She is extremely gifted with her Art and approach to Life. Amazingly beautiful and inventive person. and she is a real practising Witch. Who is deeply involved in the work. OHMs Peak: Hekate is stranded on a desert island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic solar powered speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album… what album would it be? Marcus: It's not a hard choice.. it's Paranoid!. Hekate are: Marcus De Pasquale: Vox, Guitar, Keys Ashley Byron: Guitar Mal Lloyd: Bass Nathan Millett: Drums Follow Hekate: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Hekate Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Psychedelic doom Sounds Like: UFOMAMMUT, Russian Circles, Domkraft Homeland: Berlin, Germany What makes Hush elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The return of Germany's heavy psych duo hits with 16 mind numbing tracks of trippy industrial doom The production on Hush is unique. It has this overlaying echoed industrial feel, almost as if it were recorded live in a well or dungeon. The bass and drums have this grand spacious sound The sludge fueled vocals blend in beautifully to the music, almost sounding like another instrument Sabine and Jan have such amazing chemistry. Listening to previous albums and this new masterpiece, GRIN seem to progress and explore new boundaries for the doom genre Track Listing: 1. Hush 3:33 2. Calice 3:03 3. Gatekeeper 2:54 4. Midnight Blue Sorrow 1:20 5. Talons 1:37 6. Portal 3:45 7. Neon Skies 2:57 8. Vortex 1:45 9. Silver 3:05 10. Pyramid 1:38 11. Deathbringers 2:18 12. Nothingness 2:19 13. Venom 2:16 14. Eyes Like Daggers 3:31 15. The Tempest of Time 2:11 16. Torre del Serpe 2:17 Dive deeper into Hush with our Q&A with Guitarist / Vocalist Jan Oberg from GRIN. OHMs Peak: Your past albums have been an onslaught of psychedelic sludge. With Hush, it seems you injected industrial and black metal influences into the mix. It's a refreshing direction and impressive range for the band. Can you provide a glimpse into the writing process and recording behind Hush? Jan: We actually always write the bass lines first and don't really think about the direction in which the songs should develop beforehand. On "HUSH" we also have 6 songs from the "BLACK NOTHINGNESS" EP, which at the time had no guitars, just drums, bass and vocals. And it's really interesting how the mood of these reworked songs changes instantly just by adding some spacey guitars. In the end, we simply look at what goes well with the songs or what is still missing, that's how we do it every time. This industrial influence wasn't that obvious to us, but in retrospect we notice it a little too. OHMs Peak: 'Venom' is otherworldly. The tribal rhythm offers a unique landscape. Where did the inspiration to create this song come from? Jan: VENOM was written last and with the track we wanted to break out of the typical pattern in the doom/sludge genre, just like with the title track HUSH. Plus, the drums were actually already finished for all the tracks and I was too lazy to mike everything again, haha. So we came up with this beat on the congas and thought it could work and now it's one of our favorite songs on the album and it also works great live.. OHMs Peak: 'Neon Skies' and ‘Vortex’ are perhaps our favorite tracks. 'Neon Skies' with its warm melodies and Type-O-Negative vibe. Vortex pulls us into post-rock territory. While these two tracks are on the shorter side, we encourage you to bleed them together live. Take us through the creation of these gems. Jan: Type-O-Negative was definitely one of my favorite bands back then and that probably still shines through sometimes. On our last album that was mentioned a few times, but it's not really intentional on our part. Merging these two tracks live is definitely an interesting idea. OHMs Peak: The album cover is very unique. Would love to get more insight behind the creation? Jan: Mirkow Gastow, an artist from Berlin, is responsible for the artwork. He had several suggestions for us and that was the design that actually visually perfectly reflected what our album sounds like. He did it incredibly well. The design, the choice of colors, the oversized logo, that really makes it an eye-catcher. Good job again Mirkow! OHMs Peak: Grin is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Jan: That's a very difficult question, but we would take Tom Petty - Wildflowers with us. A fantastic album from start to finish and it suits the desert island very well, if also a few bottles of Pina Colada washed up on the beach we could stay there for a while. GRIN are: Sabine Oberg – Bass Guitar Jan Oberg – Drums, Vocals, Guitars, Soundscapes Guitar solo on PORTAL performed by Caspar Orfgen (DAEVAR) Produced, mixed and mastered by Jan Oberg at HIDDEN PLANET STUDIO / Berlin Artwork & Layout by Mirkow Gastow Follow GRIN: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some GRIN Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Hard rock, Grunge, Sounds Like: Melvins, Gruntruck, Paw Homeland: San Francisco, California What makes Garden Creatures elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Disastroid's latest graces our speakers with an unusual blend of heavy rock and raw grunge Garden Creatures takes us back to the early 90s when bands like Jesus Lizard, Paw and Gruntruck were on the scene. While Disastroid may have these influences, they provide their own brand of refreshing off-beat heaviness Musically, Garden Creatures is masterful. Check out the bass work from Travis on 'Hold Me Wrong,' it is so fucking absorbing The vocals from Enver possess a raw energy that complements the music perfectly The last track 'Jack Londonin'' throws some punk fury into the mix, what a brilliant way to end an album Track Listing: 1. Garden Creatures 5:57 2. Stucco Nowhere 5:07 3. Figurative Object 6:56 4. Backwards Sleeping 4:10 5. 24 5:36 6. Hold Me Wrong 4:32 7. Light 'Em Up 6:19 8. Jack Londonin' 2:03 Dive deeper into Garden Creatures with our Q&A with Enver and Travis from Disastroid. OHMs Peak: Your sound evokes a harkening back to the early 90s for us. A comforting time where vocals were unfettered and energy, pure, and raw. Where did you get your inspiration for Garden Creatures and who would you say are your biggest influences? Enver: I always loved the 90’s for that reason and made a point to lean into the vocals more on this album.  If I grabbed one influential band in this era that encompasses this approach I would say Soundgarden. Beyond their big hits, they had a lot of variety of songs and sounds – and of course unreal singing. Travis: It’s funny how your influences just kind of emerge whether you want them to or not! I’m not sure there was ever a deliberate decision to say, “hey, let’s sound like a band from the 90s!” but we all have a deep love for many of the bands of that era, so when we write and play together I guess some of that just comes out naturally. I think all three of us gravitate towards the noisier, more experimental 90s bands like Melvins, Drive Like Jehu, Unsane, Jesus Lizard. And that carries through in our listening today, we like heavy bands that are unconventional in terms of songwriting, or are exploring unusual sounds and tones. Braden and I also both have a deep love of prog and experimental metal, and we're always trying to play really complicated stuff (Voivod is one of my all-time favorite bands), so between the three of us a lot of strange time signatures often show up in Disastroid songs. OHMs Peak: You guys have such tight chemistry and your sound keeps evolving while you stick to your signature heavy style. Can you provide a glimpse into the band's creative process? Enver: I’ll bring in some riffs or part of a song and we all collaborate on it and try it a million different ways until it becomes something we like. On this particular album we tried to focus on the best riff and trim a lot of the extra. Some of these riffs have hung around the space for years before we were finally able to make something of them. Travis: Enver is a riff machine, he’s constantly generating great guitar parts on the spot while the rhythm section follows along, so most of the hard work is trying to shape the raw ideas into fully finished songs. We have a backlog of recordings from our practice space of all these riffs and textures that we haven't used yet, so raw material has never been a limiting factor! I think we’ve become better at polishing, and that's the tougher part – refining a song’s structure, trimming the fat, and adding all the little details. Eventually we’ll pull out the whiteboard and sketch out the song with weird little symbols and letters, so we have a map. We also have a habit of adding small complications to different parts, to keep things interesting and keep the listener off-balance a bit; like adding an extra unexpected note, dropping a beat or two in certain phrases, or shifting a riff to an odd meter. Some of those little details get added late in the process. The very last thing is usually locking down the vocals and harmonies... Enver is an amazing improvisational singer and he experiments with different melodic shapes and different lyrics for a long time, right up until we finally set it in stone for the actual recording. OHMs Peak: 'Figurative Object’ has such a dark story to tell we would love to hear more about the meaning and background behind this track. Enver: Ultimately it’s about a man who is in love with a mannequin, or his perfect idea of one, and he puts one together from different scavenged parts. But he’s also haunted by his own obsession. It’s meant to be a reflection of a deeper, unhealthy lurking obsession society has with bodies and the perfect match. OHMs Peak: ‘Backwards Sleeping’ features an onslaught of blissful tempos and unique angles. We get the feeling this track may have close ties to your everyday lives we would love to hear more about its meaning and influence? Enver: The endless churning of monotony and daily anxiety! Brought to you in a lovely little number about the futility of sleeping when you just toss and turn all night. I wish I could say it was about putting your feet on the pillow and your head under the sheets. Travis: I’m really glad that Enver doesn’t write songs with conventional, cliche rock-and-roll lyrics. It’s all existential dread. So much more fun! OHMs Peak: The album cover is so unique, like nothing we have seen. Would love to get more insight behind the creation? Travis: I’m usually responsible for the art that goes on our albums, and over the years I’ve done a lot of show posters and t-shirt designs and whatnot too. I work entirely digitally but I love trying to give things sort of a screenprinted look so I keep it as graphic as possible and limit my color palette, try to think about it as if I was actually overprinting inks. I often create collages of various things, but in this case the album cover is just an illustration. For the subject matter I usually try to avoid being overly literal, and rather create some kind of an image that feels like it vibes with the album title, or one of the song titles. With “Garden Creatures” – for whatever reason – my brain went to the image of eyes growing on plants, like the plants in your yard are watching you. OHMs Peak: Disastroid is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Enver: I would choose Mahavishnu Orchestra “Inner Mounting Flame.” We might all be able to agree on McGruff the Crime Dog’s “Smart Kids” album. Travis: Mahavishnu Orchestra rules! We all tend to put on slightly different things in the van, but we all vibe with each other’s choices, which has been great for long drives. Braden usually goes for some obscure old prog album, or possibly some yacht rock if we’re really lucky. I’m usually putting on a newer stoner metal album by Red Fang or Anciients or something like that, or some soothing tropicalia. If we could only bring a single record to the island? I don’t know if we’d ever be able to decide… but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being a thrash metal classic, maybe Slayer or Anthrax. I guess I haven’t actually answered the question but I’m not sure there’s any single record we could listen to indefinitely (unless we were blasting it really loud to try and get help from passing ships.) Disastroid are: Enver Koneya Vocals - Guitar Travis Williams Bass - Guitar Braden McGraw - Drums Follow Disastroid: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Disastroid Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Garage rock, Psychedelic rock Sounds Like: Osees, Slift, The Steams Homeland: Vevey, Switzerland What makes Ominous Prominence elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Fomies hailing from Switzerland, deliver their best album to date with 10 fantastically raw cuts of sonic bliss The album is loaded with everything a garage rock enthusiast would desire. Fuzz-static brilliance, across-the-board as the album meanders through coves of experimental punk to inclines of beautiful Shoegaze and under dwellings of psychedelic fretwork Our favorite track ‘See’ is filled with swirling fretwork and uptempo keyboards that delight. The track is addicting to the core thanks to its inviting melodic guitar/keyboard accompaniments blending down jazz inspired percussion Inner Light’ features crisp and vibrant guitar melodies that pop into quirky off-kilter tones delivering a beautiful awkward Fomies are blessed with tremendous range, chemistry and diversity. Much akin to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard it feels like their flow of music abilities could have infinite boundaries Track Listing: 1. Glass Pyramid 4:24 2. Lakeside Fever 4:40 3. See 7:55 4. The Seeker 4:03 5. Time Trial 3:15 6. Inner Light 3:18 7. Barren Mind 3:34 8. Confusion 4:20 9. The Eyewall 1:54 10. Chernabog 2:17 Dive deeper into Ominous Prominence with our Q&A with Fomies. OHMs Peak: Your sound is so engrossing with that old school punk and 70s psychedelic influenced vibe yet layered with heavy chaos. Can you take us through the creation, vision and setting where Ominous Prominence was created? Fomies: The creation starts with a lot of jamming, recording whatever sounds cool and deleting whatever sucks. Little by little, songs start to emerge and then we do our best to turn that into something we believe is cool. Everyone gets his own vision of what this album means, but the setting was in Leysin with our good friend and sound engineer Benoît Erard, which worked with nice people such as Allah Las, L'Éclair or the Mauskovic Dance Band. OHMs Peak: Fomies is a unique name for a band. Can you provide a glimpse into the meaning behind this name? Fomies: It's a play on words between a foamie (surfboard) and homies, which represents how bad we are at surfing but good at just being together. OHMs Peak: How did you guys form the band and what were your prior musical endeavors. Fomies: We formed the band in 2017 as a bunch of friends wanting to play music together. Patrick our synth player has a also a project called Tremingo, our drummer Laurent plays for a project called Eckhart and our bass player has a band called Jean l'Asticot and plays for another band called Chacho. OHMs Peak: Loving the wide array of creepy yet intriguing album art you have. Who put together the vivid arms raised piece for Ominous Prominence? Fomies: This is the work of Jesse Fillingham. You might know him for his great artworks for the L.A. band Hooveriii. We reached out to him and he accepted to create this mysterious and cool piece. OHMs Peak: Fomies is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Fomies: Sleep - Dopesmoker Ominous Prominence credits: Artwork: Jesse Fillingham Visuals: Loris Briguet Recording, mixing: Benoît Erard @ Ritmo Studio Label: Taxi Gauche Records All songs by Fomies Follow Fomies: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Fomies Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Psychedelic rock, Progressive, Jazz Sounds Like: The Budos Band, Pink Floyd, All Them Witches Homeland: Moncton, New Brunswick What makes Elephant Wizard elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Elephant Wizard is by far one of the more creative albums to hit our rotation in quite some time. It's impossible to connect them to one particular genre as they flawlessly blend progressive rock, heavy psych and even jazz/lounge into this masterpiece Les Moontunes display tremendous vision on this album. One moment your in a chill state of mind with songs like 'Fallen For You' and 'Midnight Magic' than they hit you with the psych weirdness of 'Gallop in the Jungle' and 'Beyond the Mountain' This album is very refreshing and puts us in a totally different frame of mind when exploring new heavy music Do not sleep on their 2021 debut release, it may not have the heavier tilt this album has, but it's well worth your time Track Listing: 1. Elephant Wizard 3:13 2. Syntherlude 1 0:36 3. Enchanted Tusks 04:11 4. Fallen for You 4:48 5. Syntherlude 2 0:43 6. Midnight Magic 4:07 7. Gallop in the Jungle 3:18 8. Syntherlude 3 0:27 9. Wizard Universe 5:05 10. Beyond the Mountain 4:46 11. Syntherlude 4 1:02 12. Planet Metal 4:36 13. Syntherlude 5 0:52 14. Dorian Sunrise 3:57 Dive deeper into Elephant Wizard with our Q&A with Les Moontunes OHMs Peak: Elephant Wizard is one of this year's most exploratory albums to hit our collection. It's a psychedelic trip of proggy jazz, heavy psych and lounge. Can you give us a glimpse into the creative writing process that went into this album given seven band members? Les Moontunes: The Elephant Wizard album came about during the thick of the pandemic – our singer/pianist Miguel thought the idea of a character that was an elephant wizard could be cool, and it took off from there as far as the album’s concept goes. As far as the music goes, we had a few songs that were already written, we knew we wanted to move towards a heavier direction, so we kept that in mind while writing the songs. We had a few riffs or ideas that we really built on and developed into songs together during a residency in rural NB in the summer of 2021. OHMs Peak: This album displays a heavier feel from your debut. Is this a direction the band is heading towards? Would love to get into the band’s psyche here? Les Moontunes: For this album, for sure, it was a conscious decision, where all members have been influenced by heavier bands in the past, and we thought it would be cool to dive into tones and sounds that reflected that. Especially having 2 drummers, we really wanted to take advantage of that, and then add on the more soul/jazzy elements of our sound, it was really fun to explore that territory together. As far as what’s next for us, we will have to wait and see, but we definitely have been enjoying headbanging during our shows lately! OHMs Peak: There is such a wide variety of genres you touch upon and flawlessly make it work. Where does Les Moontunes draw inspiration from and how did you all come together? Les Moontunes: We all met growing up, we attended the same school in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Everyone eventually connected through their love of music, and we started jamming from there which led to us being a band. We draw inspiration from a bunch of different genres, we’re all quite open to listening to a wide variety of sounds so that plays into how we create our own. For this album, we drew inspiration from old school bands that were heavy such as Black Sabbath, as well as King Crimson for their experimental flair. We also really like bands who play with horn sounds such as the Budos Band, so you can expect some of that in our latest album. OHMs Peak: The album cover so unique, like nothing we have seen. It appears Miguel created the concept? Would love to get more insight behind the creation? Les Moontunes: At first, Miguel drew a draft for what we would like the concept album to look like – we wanted something that would reflect the stoner metal/doom band aesthetics, and we really liked what he ended up doing for the draft so he built on that. We wanted the Elephant Wizard to be undeniably epic-looking, so Miguel drew the character on its native land, Planet Metal, a place that we invented and developed with the album, surrounded by thunder and mountains which we thought looked badass. We were all very happy with the result. OHMs Peak: Take us through how you came about the name Les Moontunes and what does it represent? Les Moontunes: That’s a bit of a funny story – we had booked a gig before having a name, and so during the very last rehearsal before our gig, we were really in a rush to settle on a name. We literally wrote down just a bunch of ideas on a board and chose Les Moontunes from there, since we liked the fact that it’s in chiac (the Acadian dialect we speak), and that it reflected the space-y sound we were making at that time. It ended up being really fun to play around with space-related concepts from there on, so that worked out! OHMs Peak: Les Moontunes is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Les Moontunes: Everyone in the band agreed that if we were limited to one album, it would have to be The Dark Side of the Moon! Les Moontunes: Miguel Dumaine: Vocals, Pianos, Organ, Synthesizers, Vocoder Patrick Gaudet: Electric Guitar Samuel Frenette: Electric Guitar Jeremie Poitras: Alto Saxophone and Synthesizers Monica Ouellette: Bass, Trumpet, String Synthesizer Martin Daigle: Drums and Percussion Marc-Andre Richard: Drums Producer: Mike Trask Recording Engineers: Thomas Stajcer at Fang Recording (drums, bass, piano & organ) Mike Trask at Vallée Recording (guitars, vocals, synths, horns, percussion) Assistant Engineer: Sam Mallais at Vallée Recording Mixing: Thomas Stajcer assisted by Mike Trask Mastering: Jay Lapointe at Archive Mastering Artwork: Miguel Dumaine Follow Les Moontunes: Bandcamp / Facebook / LesMoontunes.com Grab some Les Moontunes Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Stoner rock, Heavy psych, Sludge Sounds Like: Dopelord, Acid Mammoth, Sun Crow Homeland: Switzerland What makes Kala Azar elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The trio from Switzerland enlighten us with 28 minutes of rhythmic sludge in their self-titled sophomore release. The album is rich with dismal intensity The vocals have a toned down Matt Pike feel; gutteral and trippy The bass work flows steady and low, forming a cryptic foundation that shapes the backbone of the album This album is not an all out doomy sludge affair. There are short moments of relaxed stoner fuzz and psychedelic riffs. Overall the album is infectious and very pointed. It has become a mainstay in our 2024 rotation prompting us also to dive deeper into their debut EP Dethroned Forever Track Listing: 1. Nothingness 6:59 2.Kala Azar 8:26 3. Flies 6:01 4. Stone Fragments 6:59 Dive deeper into IIII with our Q&A with Kala Azar. OHMs Peak: We were fired up for the January 2024 release of your self-titled, first full length in follow-up to 2022’s EP Dethroned Forever. This album is incredibly intense and flawless albeit just shy of 30 minutes. Would love to know a bit more about how your trio got started and the thinking behind these two releases? Kala Azar: Hello and Thanks! Our band was formed in 2020 during the covid lockdown on a counter of the last not closed bar. We talked about music and our mutual interest in the doom/stoner/sludge genre and then decided spontaneously to form a band that would focus on this style. First practice was a week later. Each member has a slightly different musical background. Aron has plays Hardcore-punk for half of his life, Dörig was mainly a Crust punk and Powerviolence guitarist, and Phil shreds in Deathmetal Bands. Which turned out to be great as we all brought our unique influences and experiences to this project. We recorded the tracks for both releases during the same session at our friend's studio in France during a pleasant summer week. Our goal with the EP, our first and non-physical release, which came out right after the mastering process, was to give a glimpse of what people can expect from us. Then the LP, released after the pressing was done, which demonstrates our growth as a band because all these songs were written after those on the EP. Another reason for doing so was to maintain the full audio quality during the cutting process. Four songs on 45 rpm with hi-gain, just sounds much better than if we had squeezed all six songs onto one 12-inch record. OHMs Peak: Tell us a how the name also known as ‘black fever’ came about? Kala Azar: Well, the beginning of this story is pretty boring. In our search for a name, we had various ideas. Phil went through medical diagnosis sheets online and got stuck on “Kala Azar”. It sounded round and good, its Hindi and and translates to “Black Fever”. Perfect. We thought more deeply about the name and the disease and concluded that it matched many of the dimensions (politically, artistically, etc.) that we are interested in and want to express. Black Fever is caused by a parasite that infects its host, much like how humans are infecting and destroying our planet every day. Furthermore, 'Kala Azar' is not found in the Western Hemisphere; it is mostly prevalent in poor, third-world countries. This provides an opportunity to discuss colonial topics and how we exploit other countries (which is specifically what the song 'Kala Azar' is about). 
From an artistic standpoint, we aim to create music and a live experience that infects the listeners with haunting riffs that they cannot shake off. OHMs Peak: Love the opening chilling line from psycho, ”you mean an institution… a madhouse,“ along with the quotes throughout. What is the other UFO son of god quote from on ‘Stone Fragments’? Would love to hear more about the band’s affinity towards horror in general and integration of the clips as it is a powerful addition to the flow of the album. Kala Azar: Thank you for shedding light on our well-considered samples! The second quote is from the movie 'Play It To The Bone' by Ron Shelton. We are not particularly drawn to horror films per se. We chose the samples based on the subject of the songs and the meaning of the passage itself. For example, we selected the clip in 'Nothingness' where they talk about the mentally ill mother of Anthony Perkins' character, because the song's subject is about mental health. First, he expresses a positive attitude towards mental illnesses by saying, “I don’t hate her, I hate the illness.” However, he later reveals a stigma towards mental health institutions, which creates a contrasting viewpoint. OHMs Peak: We see that you you do your own album artwork? We love it, who in the band created and how did the skeletal vision come about? Kala Azar: Dörig, the drummer, did all the artwork and illustrations for the record, as he mostly does band-related graphic art in addition to festival and concert posters. The initial inspiration actually came from a limited 'Fall of Efrafa' silkscreen poster drawn by their vocalist Alex. The dot-work style and the skull story are self-explanatory when you look at our musical career and its influences. This could also be where the D.I.Y. spirit of doing things yourself - with effort - comes from, which we feel is especially important as an independent band. OHMs Peak: Kala Azar is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Kala Azar: Nas - Illmatic (1994)
. But if its a sunny beachy island with palms and surfing spots we’d go for:
 Youth Avoiders from Paris their s/t album from 2013. Follow Kala Azar: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Kala Azar Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Post-Metal, Doom Sounds Like: The Ocean, Cult of Luna, Cavity Homeland: Oslo, Norway What makes From Embers and Rust elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The trio from Oslo, Norway have delivered one of this years most textured Post-metal albums to grace our speakers in some time From Embers to Rust is a dark journey through heavy psychedelics, sludge and spiraling sci-fi doom The album art is unique and triguing, leaving us guessing what lies behind the cover SÂVER shows tremendous patietince on this album, allowing each song to breathe and create majestic soundscapes. The bass work stunning and provides a dark undercurrent. Track Listing: 1. Formless 6:21 2. I, Evaporate 5:11 3. Eliminate Distance 5:02 4. Ember & Rust 5:08 5. Primal One 7:01 6. The Object 8:12 7. All in Disarray 6:29 Dive deeper into From Embers and Rust with our Q&A with Ole Ulvik Rokseth of SÂVER OHMs Peak: From Ember and Rust is an absolutely amazing follow-up to your 2019 release They Came With Sunlight. The landscape is now much more elaborate and textured filled with dynamic angles and contrast. What has fueled the progression in sound? SÂVER: Thank you!! It has been a pretty natural evolvement. Ole Ulvik Rokseth uses a lot of synths and cinematic textures in his own music and we have always wanted to use that in our sound. Following the split with Frøkedal it was more a question of “what is too much”, because we want to do these dynamic textures as much as possible live, so we tried to confine ourself with that in mind. OHMs Peak: This album’s artwork is very unique and alluring. Can you provide any insights to the creation of the cover art as this image is very unique particularly for the doom/hardcore genre? SÂVER: The idea was to do something around the “Object” which is a big part of the “sci fi story” that goes through all the songs and lyrical concept. We knew we wanted to do something unique and “ eye catching”. In the story, the object is at first beautiful and given to help us heal, but evolves into a deceiving, destructive force. I remember when Markus Støle was gonna show us what the designers Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss had been working on and he kept saying “its a classic”. And we really feel it is. They knocked it out of the park with the design and they brought in Christoph Gromer to make the object you see on the cover. OHMs Peak: “The Object” is 8 minutes of grinding majestic bliss. Take us through the meaning behind this tremendous track? SÂVER: This song was actually written around the riff we called “the sexy riff” haha. The song is about the contrasts between the light and the dark and how we perceived the Object at first. It then evolves into something that tries to break us! OHMs Peak: The SÂVER trio is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? SÂVER: First of all, thank you very much for the questions! Okey; let’s say we are rescued after a weekend. And I’m guessing this island is filled with cold beverages, magic stuff growing and jawdropping sunsets. "Crosby, Stills and Nash" by Crosby Stills and Nash. SÂVER: Markus Støle - Drums / Percussion. Ole Helstad - Bass / Vocals. Ole Ulvik Rokseth - Guitars / Vocals / Synthesizers Produced by Ole Ulvik Rokseth. Co-produced by Kim Lillestøl. Recorded at Caliban Storsjøen and Amper Tone by Kim Lillestøl. Mixed by Kim Lillestøl. Mastered by George Tanderø. Cover design by Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss. Artwork by Christoph Gromer Follow SÂVER: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some SÂVER Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Stoner metal, Space rock Sounds Like: Sgt. Sunshine, Fu Manchu, Transition Homeland: San Diego, California What makes Western Death elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Western Death by the San Diego California trio Nebula Drag is the band's fourth release after taking a four-year hiatus. The time off was apparently very well spent as the new release hits a stratosphere we rarely encounter. This is what makes all those hours of combing through new releases well worth the time. Western Death hits all marks on the heavy radar delivering an infectious chemistry rarely captured these days. The album is just 32 minutes in length but loaded with thick fuzz and melodic texture. Western Death reminds us of some of the great old school punk psychedelic stoner bands like Transition and Sgt. Sunshine, where you can listen over and over and still hear brilliant nuances and subtleties. ‘Side By Side’ may be one of the most anthemic and intelligently written tracks we have heard this decade. The angst coupled with all-consuming rhythms is second to none. 'Failure' absolutely floors us with its spaced-out orbital jams. So brilliantly calming and infectious an 8 minute journey floating oxygen-filled energy. The vocal prowess of Corey Quintana is distinct and warm. It's the type of voice that will have you following every release hereafter. His easy nonchalant voice Nebula Drag have come back with a clear vision and vibrant formula that sets itself apart from the masses. The trio have captured something very special here makingWestern Death our favorite release of 2023. Track Listing: 1. Crosses 4:49 2. Sleazy Tapestry 3:45 3. Failure 8:46 4. Kneecap 3:48 5. Side By Side 3:37 6. Tell No One 4:59 7. Western Death 4:18 Nebula Drag are: Corey Quintana -Guitar/Vocals Stephen Varns -Drums Garrett Gallagher-Bass Follow Nebula Drag: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Nebula Drag Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Post-metal, Drone-metal Sounds Like: The Ocean, Tool, Occult Hand Order Homeland: Belgium What makes IIII elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? If you have not dived into the world of BRIQUEVILLE yet, you are about to be immersed into some cathartic Post-drone metal Briqueville has this brilliant minimalist Post-doom aura that is totally original. After hearing this beauty you will want to dive further into their library, and you'll be glad you did IIII progresses a bit further from their previous release, Quelle, there are so many subtle nuances and textures to be discovered within each rotation The track 'AKTEXVIII' is a Post-metal wonderment. This is right up there with anything Tool or The Ocean have released BRIQUEVILLE's latest is the perfect companion for a cold hike, or just crank it as it will fill the room with beautiful Post-metal Track Listing: 1. AKTE XVI - 6:57 2. AKTE XVII - 6:43 3. AKTE XVIII - 8:15 4. AKTE XIX - 4:16 5. AKTE XX - 12:15 Dive deeper into IIII with our Q&A with BRIQUEVILLE. OHMs Peak: IIII picks up beautifully from your previous album Quelle. The minimalist doom landscape feels more elaborate and texture filled with brooding angles and dark nuances. What has fueled the progression to keep your signature sound evolving? BRIQUEVILLE: We looked back to our previous records and tried to incorporate all of the different elements presented on them but with more finesse. That resulted automatically in a wider sound thanks to the more prominent role of synths and vocals. The progression on this album came naturally to us. We are never really looking to sound different it’s just the way we write our music as we are all listening to totally different styles/genres. OHMs Peak: This album’s artwork is very unique and alluring. Can you provide any insights to the creation of the cover art as this image is very unique particularly for the doom genre? BRIQUEVILLE: Thanks for the compliment! We have the tendency to do a lot of the artwork, clips, visuals ourselves. So this album cover came to one of us that is involved in photography. He had this idea of a four fingered hand covered in clay. (Our 4th album) It looks burned and out of shape…. as so many global things currently are…. He made this image with his own hand as a model. OHMs Peak: Can you provide a glimpse into the writing process of IIII? What influences guide your passion to create such ominous minimal doom? BRIQUEVILLE: Conversations with people, nature, philosophy, relationships, music, art etc. can all be a source of inspiration. I don't think there are themes that can't inspire us. Talking about inspiration music-wise, we post playlists with artists that inspire us on our Spotify account. The next one ‘VOL. III’ will be out real soon. OHMs Peak: Briqueville is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? BRIQUEVILLE: We talked about this question and came to realise that it is quite impossible for us to choose 1 record that we all agree about. What became clear is that it would be a soundtrack. They behold so many different emotions that it would be suitable for the hardships and the good times on that island, hehe. For example Interstellar by Hans Zimmer would be one, Paris Texas by Ry Cooder another one.. Follow BRIQUEVILLE: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Briqueville Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Stoner rock Sounds Like: Nebula, Truckfighters, Black Rainbows Homeland: Italy What makes Captured Live elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Italy's stoner-psych trio THAT'S ALL FOLKS! were active during the 90s eruption of the stoner rock scene. From 1990-2001, THAT'S ALL FOLKS! blessed us with a few stoner rock classics, then went on hiatus. Until recently we've been seeing an influx of their albums re-released and remastered Whatever is going on in the world of That's All Folks!, it lead to a reunion show in September 2023. The result is this beast of a live album entitled 'Captured Live' Normally we do not review live albums, but this one just grabbed a hold of our crew. Loaded with classics from their early works and a couple hidden fuzzed gems, this album hits all the right notes and more. With tremendous production, each instrument is clear, distinct and packs quite a punch Classics like 'Seed' slams with crunchy stoner riffs and thumping Jesus Lizard-like bass. 'Aquasphere' is a steady and trippy psychedelic stoned affair while 'Echos and Dust' graces us with an enthusiastic stoner bounce We are hoping this album gains momentum within the stoner rock community and we hear new material and a possible tour from the band in 2024 Track Listing: 1.Real Last Night 5:27 2. Jumboo 5:22 3. Ghosts & Echoes 3:13 4. March of Chameleons 4:26 5. The Seed 4:07 6. Aquasphere 11:14 7. Buio Omega 4:01 8. Motormouse & Autocat 3:56 9. Marigold (Bonus Track) 6:04 10. Sweet Leaf (Bonus Track) 5:53 Dive deeper into Captured Live with our Q&A with THAT'S ALL FOLKS! OHMs Peak: We are big fans of your entire library and love that you have re-released your catalog. The release of this live reunion album is a brilliant idea. The clarity and production is absolutely stunning. Would love to hear more about the making of Captured Live. THAT'S ALL FOLKS!: The 30 yrs celebration was the purpose of Captured Live, to recreate our career and challenge ourselves in hearing how TAF would sound today. Maybe it's not so bad ahahah. OHMs Peak: Does this mean we may get a new album out of you and the band is back together for the foreseeable future?… or is THAT'S ALL FOLKS? THAT'S ALL FOLKS!: For a new album, we are at the moment very busy with our bands (Anuseye and Moon's Mallow and with their new albums recently released), but never say never... now we are Happy to have some shows and get fun, and were very surprised for the echo that our band gained for this kind of reunion. OHMs Peak: Tell us about the venue? Is it your favorite? THAT'S ALL FOLKS!: We were invited to play in Matera by the Indian Bikers in their stunning clubhouse where there is a very good acoustic. So we decided to record the gig with Angelo Pantaleo who made the live recordings and the mixing. It's quite a brilliant result, isn't It?" OHMs Peak: Who does your album artwork? It’s genius and particularly love the Captured Live piece. THAT'S ALL FOLKS!: The artwork is from an Italian artist, Paolo Polli. It's a huge oil on canvas painting. OHMs Peak: That's All Folks! is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? THAT'S ALL FOLKS!: For Michele... Arthur Lee & Love, Forever Changes, for Claudio is a cruel challenge!!! Let's say Sam Gopal's Escalator. THAT'S ALL FOLKS! are: Bass, Michele Rossiello Guitar and voice, Claudio Colaianni Drums, Cosimo Armenio Solo guitar, Stefano Pomponio Follow THAT'S ALL FOLKS!: Bandcamp Grab some THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Hard rock Sounds Like: Far, Rival Schools Homeland: Minnesota What makes The Biggest Shove in Space elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? After a 20 year hiatus, Houston return with a comforting 90's inspired hard rock album for fans of Far or Rival Schools Infectious rhythms coupled with often muffled vocals lead the way on this album. The production is clear as each instrument stands out and played to perfection The whimsical album art is unique and triguing, leaving us guessing what lies behind the cover The Biggest Shove in Space shows Houston's strong formula for writing catchy tunes as their chemistry is tremendous. This is a sleeper album and once you get into their style of rock, it will be hard to keep out of your rotation Track Listing: 1.San Diego 4:52 2. DntUWry 2:27 3. ThsNvrHpnd 3:39 4. 50 Years Of Revenge 3:22 5. WkUpStrpdDwn 2:45 6. Static And Cicadas 3:51 7. AKThndrFk 2:50 8. Wag The Dog 2:07 9. Dscpln 3:18 10. North 3:16 11. Five0judgeNjury 3:56 12. Elton Bezus 4:04 Dive deeper into The Greatest Shove in Space with our Q&A with Houston OHMs Peak: What’s behind the album title The Biggest Shove in Space? How did that come about? Houston: That’s a lyric taken from the 3rd track on the album 'ThsNvrHpnd'. OHMs Peak: Your sound captures a unique 90s independent feel. Can you provide a glimpse into your writing process & influences? Houston: Sure, well we all have pretty varied tastes and we all contribute ideas. On this record each of us threw in songs we had written on our own and then had each other put their stamp on it. Jeff really made everything come together with his vocals and production. OHMs Peak: What was the impetus that brought you back together after 20 years? Houston: We had some unrecorded songs that we wanted to put down for posterity sake. That turned into the EP we put out earlier this year with Init Records called Every Branch On It’s Way Down. OHMs Peak: We love the album art. Quirky majestic feel. Who was the creator and what’s the story behind it? Houston: 100% Jeff Halland OHMs Peak: ‘San Diego’ and ‘Dscpln’ are two of the most catchy and anthemic tracks of the year for us. Guaranteed radio hits back in the day. How has the evolution within the music industry and ‘streaming’ era changed your view or approach? Wow thanks. Actually San Diego is the one song we came up with entirely as a band in the practice space. And you know, I wouldn’t say the music industry has had any effect on how we write but technology definitely has. OHMs Peak: Houston is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay… what album is it? Impossible! There’s zero chance we’d agree without a brawl but if I had to guess it’d probably be a Cure record or Van Halen. Houston are: Jeff Halland - Vocals/Guitar Lane Soderberg - Bass/Vocals Ian Prince - Drums Follow Houston: Bandcamp Grab some Houston Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Black Metal, Western Metal Sounds Like: Red Scalp, Cactus Black, Firelink Homeland: Denver, Colorado What makes American Gothic elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? American Gothic engulfs the listener into this dark yet picturesque mid-western world that appears to cover the turn of the century. All 8 tracks are contained within a dark western atmosphere unfolding like a classic novel much akin to Ed Kurtz’s ‘A Wind of Knives’ or Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’ 'Cattle Thief’ is an all consuming standout track. Featuring brilliant heaviness with spiraling fretwork. It has sparked our revisiting of the whole 'Cattle Kate' tragedy from midwestern history. Can’t remember the last time a black metal anlbum inspired us to revisit researching an historical event American Gothic delivers in a big way. Since their 2011 commencement this is Wayfarer’s most impressive piece of work. A brilliantly told journey that keeps to its dark western imagery and does not sway. The consistency and beauty make for one hell of a unique lens that sets Wayfarer on a new plain The foursome from Colorado are a permanent mainstay in our heavy rotation. ‘ American Gothic’ is elite in stature featuring some of the best acoustic and slide guitar work and vocal contrasts to hit the metal scene The closer ‘False Constellation’ could be one of the best closing tracks in the last decade accompanied by hair raising saloon piano and wild contrast. You feel the distant sun setting and raw smell of desolate despair Track Listing: 1. The Thousand Tombs Of Western Promise 7:11 2. The Cattle Thief 9:06 3. Reaper On The Oilfields 4:14 4. To Enter My House Justified 5:12 5. A High Plains Eulogy 3:54 6. 1934 1:25 7. Black Plumes Over God's Country 5:46 8. False Constellation 6:59 Follow Wayfarer: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Wayfarer Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Thrash, Metal Sounds Like: Tool, Wellwater Conspiracy, Osees Homeland: Melbourne, Australia What makes PetroDragonic Apocalypse elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? How does perhaps the most prolific band of the century keep things so fresh and layered within each release? The only answer to this we can think of is that they are just fucking genius musicians with insane chemistry The Australian juggernaut, as we write this perspective today, have released 25 studio albums, 16 live albums, 7 compilation/remix/extended albums, 59 singles and 60+ music videos PetroDragonic Apocalypse is perhaps the bands most consistently heavy album with a core progressive metal tilt. What distinguishes this album from the many others is the fact that the percussion arrangements hit euphoric heights. Our minds wander into homage for Danny Carey territory as each track contains jaw-dropping angles. Michael Cavanagh has a percussive technique that feels flawless all while maintaining the intensity and complexity of the elite drummers of our time While the album has tremendous consistency, it is ‘Flamethrower’ that becomes the most engrossing track of this elite album. The song features some of the most comfortingly aggressive moments and should be earmarked as a test track when looking to upgrade your speakers. Do they pass sonic capture of what is 'Flamethrower'? 'Jambi' used to be our test track until now Track Listing: 1. Motor Spirit 8:32 2. Supercell 5:05 3. Converge 6:16 4. Witchcraft 5:03 5. Gila Monster 4:35 6. Dragon 9:44 7. Flamethrower 9:21 King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are: Stu Mackenzie: Guitar / Bass / Vocals / Recording / Mixing / Lyrics / Synthesiser Ambrose Kenny-Smith: Vocals / Lyrics / Synthesiser Joey Walker: Guitar / Bass / Vocals / Recording / Mixing / Lyrics / Synthesiser Michael Cavanagh: Drums / Percussion / Vocals / Electronic Drum Kit Cook Craig: Bass / Vocals / Lyrics / Synthesiser Lucas Harwood: Lyrics / Synthesiser Follow King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Stoner rock Sounds Like: The Steams, King Buffalo, Swan Valley Heights Homeland: Manchester, UK What makes The Infinite Mirror elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Hailing from Manchester, UK, Ritual King are thrust to the forefront of notable stoner bands to watch in 2023 and beyond. Their latest release is full of bluesy haze and fuzzy jams. Ritual King have developed their sound into more intricate song structure that will consume you One of our favorite tracks is 'Worlds Divide’. An anthemic calling to the masses containing a unique communal sonic rallying cry Ryan Hancock’s album art seems to fit so well with the mood invoked by this album The vocals from Jordan Leppitt have a distinct clean sound with a bit of muffle effect, adding a psychedelic layer. Check out 'Tethered,' it's so fucking original The dual vocals between Jordan and Gareth are a nice addition, adding more depth to this wonderful stoner gem The Infinite Mirror is so rich with layers you'll discover new melodies and atmospheres with each listen. The album will easily become a mainstay in your rotation Track Listing: 1. Flow State 9:29 2. Worlds Divide 7:28 3. Landmass 7:14 4. Tethered 11:50 5. The Infinite Mirror 9:32 Ritual King are: Jordan Leppitt – Lead Vocals & Guitar Dan Godwin – Bass Gareth Hodges – Drums & Backing Vocals Follow Ritual King: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Ritual King Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Stoner rock, Heavy psych Sounds Like: Dead Meadow, .Arenna, King Buffalo Homeland: France What makes Dawn of the Dusk elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The trio hailing from France have been at the forefront of heavy psych space-infused doom since 2007. Dawn of the Dusk takes some well calculated turns not yet explored within their library, further expanding their sound yet keeping to their all-absorbing thick cosmic landscape Bassist Jimmy Kinast does a phenomenal job on 'The Final Round'. The upbeat tempo sounds like a completely different band at the onset, but thick layers of the signature sound creep back in so elegantly. We absolutely love the consistent unique album artwork Mars Red Sky continues to produce over the years, makes you want to purchase the vinyl Among the trio's vast library of heavy psych, 'Maps of Inferno' is one of their top songs to grace our speakers . The vocals from Julien Pras are so unique coupled with the meandering space fuzz is absolutely stellar Track Listing: 1. Break Even 6:10 2. Maps Of Inferno 7:17 3. The Final Round 6:22 4. A Choir Of Ghosts 3:22 5. Carnival Man 7:42 6. Trap Door :46 7. Slow Attack 4:50 8. Heavenly Bodies 3:22 Mars Red Sky are: Julien Pras: vocals, guitars, harmonica, broken piano. Jimmy Kinast: bass, drones, sound effects, lead vocals on The Final Round. Mathieu Gazeau: drums, percussions, rhodes. Helen Ferguson : vocals, backing vocals and autoharpe on Heavenly Bodies Follow Mars Red Sky: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Mars Red Sky Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2023 Genre: Heavy Psych, Post-Metal Sounds Like: Elder, ASG, Torche Homeland: Ohio What makes Falling Fathoms elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The foursome from Ohio have delivered one of the most cathartic and melodic Post-stoner rock albums to bless our ears this year Deeply rooted hooks and virtuosic fretwork will accompany you throughout your hike and love of the beautiful outdoors The album cover compliments the music to a tee with waves of heavy psych and touches of ominous post-doom The harmonizing vocals between Dan and Jeff is superb. They bring a calming feel to the album. It's a hard task to pull off in metal, only a few bands come to mind who accomplish this (Alice In Chains, King's X to name a couple) Track Listing: 1. In Waves 11:19 2. Falling Fathoms 8:10 3. Controlled Burn 10:33 4. Relief 7:12 5. Black Stars 12:32 Dive deeper into Falling Fathoms with our Q&A with Slow Wake OHMs Peak: Can you provide us some insight behind the Falling Fathoms album name? Slow Wake: Dan (Vocals, Guitar, Synth): That came from the song “Falling Fathoms”. I’m pretty sure that was the first song I finished, lyrically. When we were writing the songs that became the album, we were very much still trying to figure out our identity as a band. For myself, beyond just the riffs it was also ‘what am I going to sing about?’. I was in a pretty dark place, but I didn’t want to just vomit my anger and fear, etc at our potential listeners. I wanted something artful, evocative, poetic even. As they emerged, all of the lyrics are pretty dark. Lots of anger and death in there. But lots of beauty and even triumph is present in the music. We discussed naming the album “Controlled Burn”, we knew we wanted it as a single and had started concepting a video, but I really felt that really only spoke of heat and anger and destruction. Falling through fathoms of water, perhaps even to your own death, there’s a feeling of peace, even beauty. Drifting slowly through crystal blue waters, edging more and more towards quiet, black oblivion. OHMs Peak: Your music delivers such an uplifting heavy psych and outdoor feel. Are there certain locations or settings that inspire your creation? Slow Wake: Joe (Bass, Synth): There is a definite feeling around growing up and living near Lake Erie here in Ohio. I wouldn’t say all the music we make is directly influenced by this location - it’s really just kind of ingrained in someone who lives near it and visits its shores often. There are a lot of great stories about shipwrecks and events that happened there. The most famous song about the power of the Great Lakes (of which Erie is a part of) is Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Dan: For “In Waves” I stand on a vast windy, alien plane before a Silver Door with a lush jungle piling beyond it. “Falling Fathoms” I’m sinking into a deep blue ocean that is raging above me. “Controlled Burn” I am in a burning house, as it starts to collapse around me and the smoke closes in it shrinks and gets claustrophobic. “Relief” I stand on a strip of silver sandy beach in front of a massive craggy cliff studded with twisted evergreens while yellow clouds streak a blue-white sky. “Black Stars” I stand on a vast and ruddy plain. In the far, far distance a huge and unevenly serrated stone wall stretches across the entire horizon, The sky above is shimmering white pierced by jet black stars that shine with an oily radiance. That’s exactly the imagery I had in mind when writing the lyrics and it’s really stuck with me. OHMs Peak: The dual vocals emanate with clean and inviting tones with natural harmonies. Can you provide how this came about? Slow Wake: Joe: I don’t remember if this came about during the recording of the album, or if it happened at a rehearsal, but Jeff(Drums) tried out some harmonies and backing vox to a few parts of the songs - and it just fit and worked just as you hear it. I personally feel proud that those two also do this live without using pre-recorded audio tracks. Dan: We started it during rehearsals. As I was developing the rhythms and melodies of the lyrics I knew there were going to be parts where I wanted more voices involved. “Controlled Burn” and “Falling Fathoms” were the first songs I had finished and to me there were obvious points where a second voice was going to give the perfect amount of additional heft. Matt and Joe both claim to not be able to sing (we’ll see about that in the long run..) but Jeff volunteered that he could so we gave it a whirl. Spoiler alert: he can in fact sing, on key, while drumming. Also, during the recording of the album he took the reins on a few parts and added his own harmonies - beyond what we were already doing. Jeff (Drums, Vocals, Samples): When thinking of the harmonies for the vocal lines, I tried to live somewhere between the guitar riffs and Dan’s vocals. I tried some diatonic thirds and the typical stuff but it didn’t seem to sit with the music the way that either a static note or a melody that followed the riff did. It also came down to what I was able to sing while I was playing! OHMs Peak: The album art portrays the music perfectly. Can you give us a glimpse into how it was created? Slow Wake: Joe: I created the album art from photographs of stormy seas. We felt that the ominous power of nature captured the feel of the music. The twin sun imagery comes from the song “Black Stars”, featuring elements of “The King in Yellow” by Robert Chambers. The cursed city of Carcosa sits on Lake Hali, either on another planet or in another dimension. In the sky overhead are twin suns. We take that imagery as prophetic and ominous, and the thought that something is not quite right or unnatural. OHMs Peak: Falling Fathoms is a terrific debut album. You guys have raised the bar early in your career. Any insights to future plans of the band? Slow Wake: Joe: First of all, we really appreciate that sentiment - we always want to know how people are reacting to the album. As of right now, we are working on several new songs, written since the release of “Falling Fathoms” in June. The idea is to have another group of songs ready to record this spring (2024) as a follow up album. Beyond that, we are playing live alongside other up-and-coming bands, and stage-testing new songs when we have them. Our main goal right now is the continued development of our “sound” and a continued progression from “Falling Fathoms”. Dan: As we’re writing these new songs, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we create a consistency that we can call ‘our sound’ without repeating ourselves. The first batch of songs, which became “Falling Fathoms” was created almost instinctively, very much a ‘well, let’s do that and see what happens’ kind of mentality. Now that we’re getting such positive responses we’re all being much more intentional in what we’re writing. It definitely makes it harder, but it is fun discussing how we’re gonna Slow Wake-ify certain riffs. Jeff: I think that we write music that we would want to hear. For the first album, we had countless moments where we would play a song or section of a song for the first time and know that we had just raised the bar from where it previously was. As we write the next batch, we’re chasing that feeling of creating something that pushes us as musicians, but also appeals to what we call the “cave man” mentality of just writing something that rocks and figuring out the pretty stuff later. OHMs Peak: Slow Wake is stranded on an island with only a solar powered record player. The entire band must agree to only 1 album to have during your stay... what album is it? Slow Wake: Joe: My vote is YOB, Clearing the Path to Ascend. Perfection from start to finish, ending on “Marrow”, one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Dan: Joe, I’d stay on that island with you as long as you don't mind me ugly crying during “Marrow”. Slow Wake are: Jeff Larch - Drums, Backing Vocals Matthew Merchant - Guitar, Guitar Synth Dan Simone - Vocals, Guitar, Guitar Synth Joe Fortunato - Bass, Bass Synth Follow Slow Wake: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some Slow Wake Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)