Released: 2026 Genre: Heavy psych rock Sounds Like: Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Domkraft, Ministry Homeland: UK What makes Death Songs & Lullabies elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Evil Blizzard has been a staple in our lineup since their debut album. They are among the most original metal bands today. Blending doom, stoner, and industrial elements, their intense music creates a genre all their own. Death Songs & Lullabies might be their most impressive release yet. They have truly surpassed themselves with this one. The production is flawless. This album features rich layers without being overly produced. This is a must purchase on vinyl.. Track Listing: Off With Their Heads 4:35 Down Down Down 3:40 Black Square 8:15 Wake The Dead In Bedlam 3:57 Questions // Answers 8:49 Four Letter Words 1:10 Hater Creator 4:43 Warpaint 6:37 Dive deeper into Death Songs & Lullabies with our Q&A with Evil Blizzard. OHMs Peak: We’ve been fans of Evil Blizzard since your first album in 2018, and it’s been amazing to follow the band’s evolution over the past eight years. Death Songs & Lullabies feels like another significant step forward, exploring new atmospheres while blending progressive doom, stoner rock, industrial elements, and heavy psych. It’s difficult to place Evil Blizzard into any traditional metal category; it feels like you’ve created a genre of your own. Could you give us a glimpse into your creative process and what went into bringing this album to life? Evil Blizzard: It's been a journey from our beginnings as a two piece with Side and Prowler playing a stripped down version of songs from our band Superthrill Temple. Originally it was just an experiment to see if it worked with heavy bass, drums and voice. It did and Evil Blizzard were formed Jump forward to the latest album and what we wanted out of it as a band. Our previous releases were more written around riffs and somewhat developed in the studio but for this album we actually decided to bring our influences to the table and create something honouring them but with the twist of Blizzard. The band is made up of people who are all into different music and equally the same and your list is pretty much it. Normally when writing songs it's comes out of a jam , a riff, a drum beat or even unsconscious or conscious theft! With these songs we wanted to add more elements of electronic music (Massive Attack) and tribal feels (Adam and The Ants, Killing Joke, Janes Addiction and Southern Death Cult) and blend them with our trademark bass psychedelic hypnotic loops. For the most we feel we did that and only allowed ourselves to have a thrash out on one track. The Discharge inspired Four Letter Words. We believe this album is our most adventurous and complete set of songs. Taking the listener on a journey of sound and moods that even though not chosen for the Mercury Music Award we feel stands alone in it's genre of Evil Blizzard. OHMs Peak: As musicians, what influences does each band member bring to the table? The craftsmanship throughout this album is flawless, how do those individual influences come together to create your sound? Evil Blizzard: As I have already said the members have their influences and we are not shy to try to bring those somewhere into the mix. Filthy is a mad Discharge fan but equally happy listening to Abba or classical music Myself (Side) has always been into prog and longer pieces. Be that old school or new prog with Filthy trying to eliminate my love of early Genesis, VDGG or newer stuff like Porcupine Tree. Prowler is the Sabbath, Priest, NWOBHM head, Stomper has a wide pallet from Ska to Dance and Rap to Prog, Blizzpig is a lover of The Clash, Stone Roses and newer bands such as Idles and Fontains DC and last but not least Fleshcrawl who loves his Space Rock and his hometown heroes Joy Division. Himself being in Hawkwind for many years he has a good understanding of the sounds that Brainstorm the crowd. Tbh we all like a huge varied amount of music old and new. Mix this in the cauldron of Doom, and you get the madness of Blizzard. A band that is as happy playing to ravers as punks and rockers. OHMs Peak: It’s nearly impossible to choose standout tracks from this album, but for the sake of the interview, we found ourselves especially drawn to Black Square and Questions // Answers. Both songs showcase Evil Blizzard’s signature sound while taking us on an expansive journey through psychedelic textures, heavy riffs, and unexpected twists. They have a way of pulling the listener deeper into your world with each listen. Can you take us behind the creation of these two magnificent tracks and tell us how they came together? Evil Blizzard: These two songs being the longest were developed over time. Black Square was formed out of a riff by Filthy and the lyrics I had lying around. The idea of people seeing the squares on walls and wondering what it meant. A sort of sci fi idea that throws back to the classic films of the 50s and 60s. For myself it is probably my favourite song of ours. We wanted a tribal loop that was hypnotic like being transfixed by staring at the squares and a repetition of the loop. The middle to ending was a way to break the trance and give the listener a little break before going back into the song until it's crescendo outro.Whst does it mean? Who knows but I'm sure someone knows. For Q/A this was developed out of a Prowler riff. Again a hypnotic piece. It sort of wrote itself and was a quick song to develop. The trance like feel makes this song I feel very seductive and vocally I wanted the style of Metal Box with it's repetitive lyric. The heavy section is pure Janes Addiction and even though it is a longer track my prog mind thinks it could have easily been longer with huge strings and more chants, but that's probably wishful thinking. In good old Blizz tradition it has become the song with the quiet Massive Attack whisper from Filthy and the PIL like refrains. A song that needs to be heard loud through a big PA in an arena near you! OHMs Peak: If you could tour with any band outside of your genre, who would you choose as the perfect complement to your sound? Evil Blizzard: We have been lucky to have supported some of our influences such as Hawkwind, Killing Joke, The Ruts and PIL. Even playing some shows with Embrace ( a fantastic set of guys by the way) who's audience either loved us or hated us in equal measure. Members of the said band donning masks to join us on more than one occasion. If we could support a band not in our genre I would think different members would have different views but if up to me it would be some one like Sigor Ros. Surely their fans would find that most entertaining?! OHMs Peak: The album artwork is in classic Evil Blizzard form. Who is the artist behind the artwork, and is there a connection between the imagery and the music or themes of Death Songs & Lullabies? Evil Blizzard: Usually the art work is created by Filthy himself. A few album covers we have been honoured to use Mothmeister's work. This latest cover which is the 2 heads of a doll seem to sum up the two sides of the music. It is a 3 headed doll, but we choose the two faces that we felt made the impact. The photo taken by myself from an old doll gifted my a friend of the band. It just felt like a powerful and iconic image and a change from the previous few. OHMs Peak: Evil Blizzard is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? Evil Blizzard: I am answering these on my own and I doubt we wound ever agree on the one album that we could all sit and enjoy in equal measure. If it was up to Filthy it would be something unlistenable. So for a band we all like and would enjoy dancing around a fire sunburnt. I'll just say "Never Mind The Bollocks". I could be right or I could be wrong on that, but you know I don't care. Follow Evil Blizzard: Instagram / Facebook Grab some Evil Blizzard Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Stoner rock Sounds Like: King Buffalo, Elder, Swan Valley Heights Homeland: Germany What makes Gestalt elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Plaindrifter have released an outstanding new album loaded with psychedelic fuzz, trippy vocals, and imaginative storytelling, positioning it as one of the top heavy psych albums for 2026. Gestalt demonstrates the band's ongoing development. While maintaining the same formula as Echo Therapy, they manage to reinvent their heavy psychedelic vibe. The production is flawless. This album features rich layers without being overly produced. This is a must purchase on vinyl.. Track Listing: Moth Murmuration 7:03 Eternal Season 7:03 Hyborian Age 6:56 Respite 1:53 In Anima (feat. Ryan Garney) 7:26 Debaser 9:32 Dive deeper into Gestalt with our Q&A with Plaindrifter. OHMs Peak: Gestalt is a comforting album with an uplifting heaviness and psychedelic vibe. Could you give us a brief glimpse into your creative process and what went into bringing this album to life? Plaindrifter: Gestalt came together very organically for us, but it took some time due to various events in our private lives. Since our last album, Echo Therapy, we met in the rehearsal room as regularly as possible and worked on new ideas. These usually start with riffs by Nils and are then developed collectively. Everyone brings their individual strengths to the process. We absolutely did not want to repeat ourselves, which is why we experimented with new elements such as keys and guest vocalists. We deliberately challenged ourselves with new approaches to songwriting while at the same time trying to remain true to our sound. OHMs Peak: As musicians, what influences does each band member bring to the table? Plaindrifter: The craftsmanship throughout this album is flawless, how do those individual influences come together to create your sound? To answer this question, we should mention that we have grown musically together as a band. We have known each other as friends since school and have been making music together for a very long time. Along the way, we have also shared two decades of going to concerts together. All three of us were musically raised on metal, above all the classic thrash metal of the Ruhr Area, with bands like Sodom and Kreator. Over the years, this evolved through the Gothenburg-style melodic death metal of the ’90s towards more technical and progressive influences, such as Opeth. When it comes to stoner, we are all big fans of bands like Elder, King Buffalo, Khan, Weedpecker and many others today. That interest grew out of our fascination with the genre, which started years ago with bands like Truckfighters, Down and Kyuss. OHMs Peak: It’s nearly impossible to choose a standout track, but “Eternal Season” has it all. We love how the song transitions between stoner rock, progressive elements, and even touches of shoegaze. Can you take us behind the creation of this magnificent song? Plaindrifter: As is often the case, the song started with a riff by Nils that he eventually brought into the rehearsal room. It is the riff from the very beginning of the song. We like contrasts and strive to break the listener’s expectations. That’s why we decided to follow the opening with the extended, drawn-out section and then move into the staccato-style riffing. The climax of the song comes at the very end, where we completely open everything up and give the song plenty of space to fully unfold. As with all of our songs, we want to invite the listener to completely lose themselves in the music. OHMs Peak: If you could tour with any band outside of the stoner rock genre, who would you choose as the perfect complement to your sound? Plaindrifter: As mentioned, we are particularly shaped by metal influences. Since we also like contrasts, a band with a really heavy sound would be a great fit. Our quieter passages and more dreamy sections could provide a fitting counterpoint. I’ll just throw out the name Nevermore, as the band has been a long-standing favorite of all three of us. RIP Warrel Dane! Of course, we’re very much aware that they are playing in a few leagues above us, haha. OHMs Peak: The album artwork is amazing and looks even better on vinyl. Who is the artist behind the artwork, and is there a connection between the imagery and the music or themes of Gestalt? Plaindrifter: Artwork: The artwork was designed by our bassist André, just as he did for Echo Therapy. For the sake of full transparency, we should also mention that, alongside many hours of hands-on work, we deliberately used AI as part of the process. While we are aware that this aspect understandably rubs some people the wrong way, we would make the same decision for Gestalt again. Here’s why: Gestalt is very deliberately a product of its time. It is a patchwork, a golem, a mosaic. It symbolizes the union of opposing elements, from which something greater emerges than the sum of its individual parts. For us, a touch of machine-generated chaos fits this theme alongside our own drawings, brushstrokes, photographic source material and human editing. Explaining your own art is pretty lame, so we’ll leave it at that. Suffice it to say: anyone willing to take the time to read the lyrics will find the motif described above running through them as a common thread. We should also mention that we fundamentally share the skepticism surrounding AI in art. In the end, André found the process of working with it quite frustrating. While we are happy with the result because we were able to realize our own vision, we had already decided during the process that we would exclude the use of AI from future projects. Naturally, everything you can hear, the songwriting, the lyrics, and, by the way, our merch are 100% handmade. OHMs Peak: Plaindrifter is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? Plaindrifter: Elder – Reflections of a Floating World Plaindrifter are: Marcel "Uwe" Kloß: Vocals and Drums Nils Stecker: Guitar André Tinibel: Bass Follow Plaindrifter: Instagram / Facebook Grab some Plaindrifter Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Sludge, Hardcore Sounds Like: Made Out Of Babies, Jucifer, Crisis Homeland: Nottingham, UK What makes Shadowvale elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Shadowvale's newest album blends sludge and 90s hardcore, featuring intense vocals that both pay tribute to the past and challenge genre limits. Lara Kelly's vocals are exceptional, demonstrating an impressive range and emotional depth. Her angst and the softer tones will pull you in. These gentle parts perfectly contrast with the more intense sections of the songs. The production is flawless. This album isn't overproduced and maintains a raw, hardcore feel. Track Listing: The Eastern Gate 5:11 Bloodbound 3:46 Endless Chain 5:47 Zopiclone Black 2:52 Barghest 4:15 In the Heather 6:44 Orbital Collapse 4:25 The Spectre 6:06 Dive deeper into Shadowvale with our Q&A with drummer Ryan Slater. OHMs Peak: Shadowvale’s debut sounds remarkably mature for a first release — atmospheric, confident, and fully realized. How did the band come together in Nottingham, and what led to creating one of the most impressive debut albums we’ve heard this year? Ryan Slater: The origins really came from the original trio of Richard Eadie (Guitar), Jonathan Wright (Bass), and Ryan Slater (Drums) running sessions together and drawing from a wide-cast net of influences, with just the idea of writing something we enjoyed. Over a few months, we got to a point where we had a few tracks and foundations ready to go but couldn't really explore any further without a vocalist to add their flavour. We met with Lara Kelly prospectively and near enough immediately locked in what turned out to be our sludgy quartet. We mixed establishing our roots in the local alternative scene through live shows, with releasing and recording our debut EP "Austere". Shortly after, Jonathan stepped away and in came Lee Chrimes to drive the new chapter of our low end sounds. Over the next 2 years or so we spent time playing shows and festival slots all over the UK to continue to refine our sound, build our presence, and test some of the ideas we had on real crowds, all whilst meticulously crafting and curating the 8 tracks that ended up on the self titled debut album. The reviews and feedback we've had from the release have been incredibly positive, far exceeding what we hoped for, honestly. A lot of the sound you get from "Shadowvale" is driven by our original goal of writing music that we love, drawing from our own unique and arguably mismatched influences, and not intending to sound-alike anything else specifically. The result is a blend of our own take on a smorgasbord of alternative sub-genres that we feel worked really well, and the album ended up a real refinement and next-step from "Austere", exploring a few more experimental sounds around our regular heavy presence. OHMs Peak: “In The Heather” introduces a sludgier, softer, dream‑drenched side of the band. What was the meaning and creation process behind this track? Ryan Slater: This was a really tough one for Lara to write, and it contains a lot of graphic content and it's writhing in dark subtext.. Everything we've done is closely infused with personal experiences, but we really encourage listeners to draw their own take on what tracks might mean to them. There are a few hints as to the theme and inspiration sprinkled into the lyrics you can find if you look for them, but we also genuinely love the idea that people can make it their own, and draw their own connections to music however they see fit. OHMs Peak: Who created the album artwork for Shadowvale, and how did the band decide this was the visual identity that best represented the debut? Ryan Slater: The original Ghost was drawn by Dirtpen Artwork, who we've worked with a few times over the years for merch artwork and original designs. We really like the scratchy and distorted style he puts into his work and it's ultimately a great representation of how we wanted to present the visual style of the album. The album itself is a semi-concept album about a nameless protagonist’s journey through an arcane portal and the personal truths they learn beyond. We wanted to reflect the mood of the album, and the cover serves as a very simple way to represent the gloomy, sludgy, dark content of the listening and lyrical experience. The full composition, and all of our creative media content is made by Ryan Slater (Drums), and the teaser video work also served the release really well by providing a vague and dramatic sense of what was to come. OHMs Peak: Each member of Shadowvale has roots in other bands and projects. What specifically has each of you worked on previously, and how did those past experiences shape the sound you’re creating now? Ryan Slater: I won't be able to go into too much depth here as a lot of what we wrote was personally infused, but each one of us have experienced & survived traumatic events, and have in the past struggled with our own mental health. I can say the band and the creative input through writing and performing Shadowvale serves is a big part of the healing process, and the output is both a musical & visual experience that represents it well. Previous bands and other projects didn't necessarily have influence directly on this one beyond learning lessons on things to avoid from our younger, more naïve selves. Most recently, Ryan and Rich announced they're working on a new project focused on a more post-hardcore and punk energy sound drawing inspiration from bands like Cancer Bats, Alexisonfire, Teen Mortgage, etc. This will absolutely be something again, very different from what folks know us for. OHMs Peak: If Shadowvale could perform anywhere in the world, at any venue, what stage would the band choose and why? Ryan Slater: I'm sure we'd all have different answers here, but I'm gonna take the executive decision and say Red Rocks in Denver. That place is absolutely stunning and iconic. There's literally nowhere else like it and some of the videos you can find online from different artists playing there look incredible. The rock faces are dramatic and the atmosphere looks phenomenal. Truly a unique venue. OHMs Peak: Outside your genre, what band do you feel would most complement your sound in a live setting — a group whose atmosphere or emotional weight would pair powerfully with Shadowvale on a shared bill? Ryan Slater: This is a real difficult one given the varied sounds we bring ourselves. One of the things we've found over the years is that we actually suit a lot of rosters and lineups, and even ones you wouldn't expect, as track by track our sound varies enough to land well with lots of different sub-communities in the alternative scene. We've found ourselves playing on all sorts of odd lineups, and we've headlined some incredible shows supported by bands of all sorts without it being a jarring crowd experience. I think the bands that we'd love to play with would range from doom / sludge icons like Electric Wizard, Windhand and Conan, right the way through to early Mastodon, Lamb of God, etc. OHMs Peak: Shadowvale is stranded on an island with only a solar‑powered record player. As a band , collectively, what single album are you bringing with you? Ryan Slater: Almost impossible for us to agree on, honestly. We've taken great pride in all bringing our own sonic flavours to the project and what we actively listen to outside of the project varies so much to the point it actually became an inside joke that we'd share albums from particular artists, and every single damn time we'd all have very different rankings of which is best. I'll die on the hill that Watershed is the best Opeth album (shortly followed by Ghost Reveries), not that anyone else would agree. If you asked each of us, I'm sure you'd get something along the lines of: Wrath by Lamb of God - Lara Leviathan by Mastodon - Rich Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree - Ryan Ocean Machine - Devin Townsend Shadowvale are: Lara Kelly Richard Eadie Ryan Slater Lee Chrimes Jonathan Wright Follow Shadowvale: Instagram / Facebook Grab some Shadowvale Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Progressive rock Sounds Like: Tool, Soen Homeland: California What makes Yūgen elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Yūgen delivers a beautifully balanced progressive‑metal sound complex, tightly constructed, yet incredibly smooth and immersive. Certain rhythmic choices and textural layers hint at the kind of meditative heaviness fans might associate with Tool. Vocalist Giorg Yela's vocals shows incredible restraint and has such a distinct presence, which really elevates the album. The production is flawless. This album showcases a rich, clean, and precise sound. Choosing a favorite song from this album is nearly impossible, but "Symbiosis" is a track we find ourselves drawn to repeatedly. It encompasses everything: dark, atmospheric landscapes and heavier structures, yet it maintains a calm, almost comforting vibe throughout. Track Listing: Mycelia 8:49 Olēka 7:20 Signal﹕Becoming 1:29 The Reach 7:54 Symbiosis 10:01 Ex Nihilo 6:37 Dés Vu 7:42 The Passing 3:12 Yūgen 11:20 Kolm are: Giorg Yela – vocals, guitars, electronics Mikal Baker – drums, electronics Ben Taylor – bass Follow Kolm: Kolmband / Facebook Grab some Kolm Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Post-metal Sounds Like: The Ocean, Forming the Void, KLPS Homeland: Glasgow, UK What makes Estuary elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Estuary is 10 tracks of beautifully heavy Post-metal. The contrast and raw emotion these guys put forward keeps this album in heavy rotation. The vocals are perfect, delivering both angst and clear tones to convey a range of emotions. The production is spot on. This album features a rich sound without being overly produced, maintaining a raw and progressive quality at the same time. Track Listing: Shimmer :37 Estuary 7:47 Fountain of Blood 4:55 His Will 7:06 The Master's Garden 5:56 Spiderweb 3:28 Choke Leper 7:46 Dysmorph 2:15 Phantom Limb Amputee 4:58 In Bestia 5:23 Dive deeper into Estuary with our Q&A with Joe and Pete from Electric Sun Defence. OHMs Peak: Rising from your previous band project The Massacre Cave into this new chapter as a duo, can you give us some insight behind the name and its meaning Electric Sun Defence. Also, how did your history together shape the vision for ‘Estuary’, and what creative freedoms did this new project open up for you? Joe: Electric Sun Defence started with songs that were originally intended for a new The Massacre Cave record. One of the first songs I wrote for that project was called 'The Master's Garden'. I was quite nervous about presenting it as it was quite different and very 'me'. To my surprise Pete was blown away by that song which really changed things in terms of what I thought was possible - but it became obvious it wouldn't fit within the framework of The Massacre Cave. We were both excited by what we had done up to that point so I kept pushing those ideas further and eventually wrote a whole new batch of material specifically with this project in mind. So songs like His Will, Choke Leper, Phantom Limb Amputee and Estuary were all written in this period. I know the kind of approach Pete has to the drums, and he's always been honest about what he feels is working or not when it comes to my writing. The process was very collaborative in that sense. I would write the music, send over demos, and we'd develop the arrangements together, jamming them out to make sure everything felt right in the room. The biggest creative freedom was the lack of boundaries. There were no expectations about what the project should sound like, which made it incredibly liberating. It gave us space to explore ideas without feeling tied to any particular style or identity. As for the name, we wanted something that felt as far removed from a traditional metal band name as possible. After years of playing in a band called The Massacre Cave, we were keen to go in the opposite direction. Pete was particularly interested in it having a slightly comedic edge - I don't want to give too much away but if you're a Tim Heidecker fan, you know... or maybe it means something else entirely… Pete: I think I was ready to to go in a different direction and try something new. When Joe wrote the bare-bones demo for what eventually became Masters Garden and brought it to me, I loved it straight away because it felt like we were exploring new territory. It was exciting to step into something different and see where it could take us. Joe and I have been playing music together and making music together for over 20 years now. Over that time your tastes change, your influences change, and what excites you creatively changes as well. For me, I didn't just want to make another album that sounded like the previous one. I was always open to doing something different and embracing a new challenge. I think it's more exciting when you mix things up and push yourself into unfamiliar territory. When we got to the point where it became clear that this was going to be something entirely new, I was also keen that the name didn't immediately signpost us as a heavy band. Joe and I spend a lot of time quoting lines from The Simpsons, Peep Show and Alan Partridge, so I liked the idea of finding something that had a little bit of that spirit in it. A lot of the obvious comedy references have already been mined for band names, though, so when Joe came up with Electric Sun Defence it felt like a good fit. OHMs Peak: ‘Estuary’ carries this sense of motion, erosion, and inevitability….almost like the music is shaped by real physical landscapes. When you were writing the album, what environments, imagery, or natural spaces influenced the direction of the songs, and how did those surroundings shape your writing process? Joe: I am obsessed with religious themes and iconography, not because I'm religious or even spiritual, but because I've found that religious phrases and vocabulary can be a useful vessel for carrying reverence and grandeur into lyrical themes. Most of the music I write is funnelled through that same sense of awe that I might feel in a cathedral or a place of intense natural beauty - the feeling that in a moment, you're just as capable of bursting into tears as you are of screaming at the sky. That sounds pompous... because it is, haha! I'm from a remote Hebridean island called Eigg (pronounced “Egg”), so water and dramatic landscapes have always been part of my experience. My identity and sense of self are so tied up with that place that I think it's the backdrop for a lot of what I write. But I think a lot of Scottish people would agree that winter here carries a certain melancholy that's in all of us. Pete: Yeah, I think where I live has probably had more of an influence on the record than I realised at the time. I live in a pretty remote area just outside Lanark, on a farm with no neighbours, and I'm only a stone's throw from the River Clyde. The front of the house has this wonderful view looking out across the river, local hills and countryside. It's interesting looking back now, because the project really started to take shape during the COVID pandemic. During that period, when everything was shut down and we couldn't play live, Joe was writing and we were sending ideas back and forward to each other. I spent a lot of time walking up and down the farm road as it was the only place to go, looking out over the river and the landscape around me. The environment I found myself in during that period must have had an impact. There was a beauty to the surroundings but there was also a sadness that came with the isolation. Almost every day felt inevitably the same, with the same walks, the same views and the same routines. Those surroundings were incredibly peaceful, but they also served as a constant reminder of how disconnected everything had become. Looking back, I think that mix of beauty, melancholy and inevitability seeped into the atmosphere of the record in ways I didn't appreciate at the time. OHMs Peak: The album artwork photographed and designed by Somhairle Macdonald, feels stark, textural, and deeply tied to the record’s mood. What was the visual concept behind the cover, and how did you collaborate to ensure the imagery reflected the album’s emotional landscape? Joe: I would like to say publicly that Somhairle (pronounced “Sor-lee”) is a creative one-off. He did photos for The Massacre Cave album Godlust and I found him so creative and understanding of what we were after that it was a no-brainer to use him again. He’s also a Highlander living in Glasgow, so we have a natural affinity for one another. Pete and I both agreed that we wanted a photographic cover for this album. I told Somhairle the kind of thing we were after - I think I sent him the unmixed album and the lyrics for the song Estuary so he knew what he was dealing with emotionally. I was originally thinking of a lone figure at the water’s edge, but he sent over a few images and that one immediately caught my eye - it just looked really iconic to me. He told me he’d left the film in a damp house, which is what gives it those subtle water damage streaks. I wanted the three solar flares on there so he added them, and there you have it! Pete: Yeah, again, because this was now a completely new project from our previous band, I was keen that if the music was different and the name was different, then the visual identity should be different as well. Given the themes and the sound of the album, which can be quite bleak, melancholic and, it felt right that the artwork should mirror that. I was quite keen for everything to be stripped back, with no colour and a palette of blacks, whites and greys. I wanted something stark and understated. When Somhairle sent the images through, Joe and I both agreed pretty quickly on the one we ended up using. What I like about it is its simplicity and the fact that it's not obvious what you're looking at. I think that gives it a bit of mystery and intrigue. OHMs Peak: One thing that really stands out on ‘Estuary’ is just how full and immersive the sound is—it’s hard to believe it’s coming from only two musicians. How do you achieve that level of depth and weight? Is it rooted more in studio technique, layering, or something else in your creative approach? Joe: I think the answer is probably all three. I always play down any talent I may or may not have and credit it all to having very few other interests. Once I'm thinking about a song I can't stop thinking about it until I'm completely happy with it. I think a lot of songwriters are the same. Though when I see that written down it does read like a description of some sort of mental illness ha! I certainly felt untethered to the idea of it being a strict “band” set up. Absolutely anything can be added in my opinion. Most of the time I'm thinking about what the vocal could do while I'm writing the music, so it's a constantly evolving thing. The music could be great, but if a vocal part is the thing that gives me “that” feeling then the music can get changed to serve that - or vice versa. I think a lot of musicians, particularly guitar players, can fall into the trap of obsessing over their individual parts or being overly precious with them. With this, I always tried to listen to the thing as a whole. So even now when I listen back I only really hear a mood rather than 'parts'. Pete: Even though the album was created by just Joe and me, we always knew it wasn't going to be something that could realistically be replicated on stage by only two musicians. Hence why Matt (Clark) and Atif (Azim) have recently joined us for performing live. I think a lot of what made the record possible was the technology that's now available for recording at home and working on music remotely but collectively. Joe would usually start by writing the initial demos, often with a rough approximation of the drum parts already programmed in. That gave me a sense of where he was hearing things going rhythmically, and then I'd come in and reinterpret those ideas into something that felt more natural to my playing style and what I thought would best serve the song. Because we don't live particularly close to each other—Joe's near Glasgow and I'm in Lanark—we spent a lot of time sending ideas back and forward. During lockdown I bought a Yamaha EAD10, which made it incredibly easy to record drum ideas quickly at home and send them to Joe. By the time we eventually got into a rehearsal room together, a lot of the songs already had a pretty solid framework in place. When we rehearsed, Joe would bring the recorded bass and rhythm guitar parts into the room and run them through the PA and my headphones while he played live over the top. Even though there were only two of us physically in the room, it felt much more like rehearsing with a full band. There were also plenty of additional layers and textures added as the songs developed. Things like the trumpet at the start of Estuary and some of the more atmospheric elements helped broaden the sound even further. But I think a huge amount of credit has to go to Graeme Young. We discovered his work through DVNE's Etemen Ænka, which absolutely blew me away from both a musical and a production standpoint. As soon as we found out Graeme had worked on that record, we knew he was someone we'd love to work with if we could. The great thing was that Graeme immediately understood what we were trying to achieve. He knew how to make the music feel huge without losing the detail or atmosphere. When people talk about how full and immersive the album sounds, a lot of that comes down to the work he did in helping bring those ideas to life. OHMs Peak: “Choke Leper” carries a vivid atmosphere and a striking title. It’s such a tremendous track. Can you provide us to more insight behind the making of the track and its meaning? Joe: Thank you! This one took a long time to write. I think Pete could tell there was something there, but he kept telling me to change stuff in the intro section - I think I was probably trying to be clever and he just kept saying no until I got it right. The intro is about an anxiety dream I used to get a lot where I completely lost it in public or with people I loved and they would look at me like, “what the fuck are you doing?” The feeling that you've been cast out as the leper of the group. It tied into the feeling I'd constructed in my head around the end of The Massacre Cave. My brother was part of that band and it meant a lot to both of us - the lyrics are about wanting to apologise to him for pushing things too hard in my direction within that band. The feeling of things ending and me being the driving force behind that end made me feel like I'd choked things to death in a way. At the end of the song I'm recognising that this is all a form of self-flagellation on my part. It's like I'm longing to be the leper of the scenario to try and make everyone happy... or satisfy my own ego... who knows? And if you don't give a fuck about lyrics, it's got a great riff at the end. Pete: Ha! I didn't actually know that until this interview. Are any of the songs on the album about me? I'm starting to wonder now... Seriously though, musically, this was one of the songs that sat in the "maybe" pile for quite a while. It's funny because it's probably the track that's surprised us most in terms of how positively it's been received by people listening to the album. The reason it took so long is that the first third of the song just wasn't working. I remember Joe going back and forth with multiple ideas, and I kept pushing him to revisit it because they just didn’t fit the rest of the song. Eventually that opening section was basically rewritten from scratch. The middle and final sections, though, always felt strong to me, so I never wanted to abandon the song completely. What I like about it now is that it almost feels like three songs stitched together into a single journey. The opening section is one of the lighter moments on the album, then it takes a much darker and heavier turn in the middle, before becoming almost uplifting again towards the end. There's a real sense of movement through it. That final section is probably my favourite part. It's got that driving, galloping rhythm and the dual guitar melodies Joe wrote always reminded me a little bit of Thin Lizzy. There's something really triumphant about it. So yeah, I'm delighted it's connected with people because it's probably the song we wrestled with the most. Looking back now, all that time spent reworking it was absolutely worth it. OHMs Peak: If Electric Sun Defence were stranded on a desert island with only a solar‑powered record player and could collectively choose one album to bring, which album would you pick and why does it feel like the band’s shared lifeline? Joe: Pete, I'm going to defer to you here as I've rambled on like a drugged horse for most of this. I would suggest that we'd probably both be happy with Pelagial by The Ocean. Pete has an amazingly wide ranging taste in music but he raved about this album years ago and I was fully onboard after a few listens. I think we both find this album inspiring to this day. Unless you've got a better one for us Pete? Pete: Yeah, I think this is a great shout, Joe. Pelagial is just an absolute masterpiece of post-metal and progressive metal. What I love about it is the concept behind the album. It's built around descending through the different depths of the ocean, and the music reflects that journey perfectly. It starts off with these beautiful, uplifting and relatively clean passages, alongside some incredible string arrangements. Then, as the album progresses, it gradually becomes darker, heavier and more oppressive, mirroring the diminishing light, increasing pressure and sense of claustrophobia that comes with travelling deeper and deeper beneath the surface. It's also one of those rare albums that is a single piece of music rather than a collection of songs. It’s split up into 11 tracks, but it's not an album where you can dip in and listen to one song in isolation. It really has to be experienced from start to finish. The tracks flow seamlessly into one another, and every section feels important to the overall journey. I suppose it's also quite a fitting choice given the aquatic themes that connect Pelagial with our own album, Estuary. If we're stranded on a desert island surrounded by water, then an album entirely centred around a journey through the ocean feels pretty appropriate. Electric Sun Defence are: Peter Colquhoun: Drums Joe Cormack: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards Follow Electric Sun Defence: Instagram / Facebook. Grab some Electric Sun Defence Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Punk, Hardcore Sounds Like: Made Out Of Babies, Crisis Homeland: Denver, Colorado What makes At the Pace of Outrage elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Moon Pussy has released an outstanding raw hardcore/punk album, establishing themselves as one of the leading noise rock bands to watch. Crissy's vocals are relentless and filled with heartfelt angst, defining the band's distinctive sound. This album goes beyond the typical noise rock genre, incorporating distinctive dark themes and imagery with engaging lyrics. Track Listing: Click Bait 4:27 Nails 1:49 Birthday Party 2:28 Lurk 2:41 Trinkets 3:55 Traffick 4:46 Mall Knife 3:29 Leech 2:50 The Grind 2:35 Radium 3:23 Diet of Dirt 2:55 Dive deeper into At the Pace of Outrage with our Q&A with the members of Moon Pussy. OHMs Peak: At The Pace of Outrage is such a tremendous raw piece of work. The album houses punk angst, 90s hardcore and classic math/noise rock. What influences shaped the writing and recording of this album? Cory: the three of us have evolved into our current sound over the past ten years. Can’t really pinpoint any specific thing in particular other than we enjoy doing what we do, and strive to write better more complex songs. Maybe we slowed down a bit allowing for more space to grow and incorporate some more experimental ideas. Ethan: I don't know if there are any specific or direct influences that shaped this album. Most of my personal influences come from all kinds of music. I grew up on 'classical' but love everything from grind core to 1960s African psych to deconstructional to traditional singer songwriter. There is something good in everything. Crissy: If anything, an amalgamation of the music we grew up with, the music we encounter in the present, the location we chose to record at, and the sociopolitical climate we exist in has certainly played a factor in the development of this album. A huge component of this output I would attribute to where we recorded. Flat Black Studios is in a beautiful, isolated location in Iowa captained by a fantastic sound engineer, Luke Tweedy, who was able to capture what we imagine ourselves to sound like live. We also approached this album a bit differently, giving ourselves the time and space to put our lives on hold for a bit to fully engage with this process. I'd say this could be influenced from watching videos of US Maple's recording Live at Pachyderm. OHMs Peak: “Trinkets” is one of the album’s many highlights. We find it tense, dark and ominous with intriguing lyrics. Can you take us through how that track came together and what sparked its emotional and sonic direction along with the unique title. Crissy: My dad was the kind of catholic that buried deities in our backyard, went to curanderos (shaman-type folks?) regularly, and had all sort of "trinkets" he kept on him to help him through life. He was also a brilliant mathematician with a wandering eye. Ultimately, the song is a form of catharsis, untangling the hypocrisy of the deeply devout following some grand notion of salvation while actively throwing kerosene on their lives and lighting a match. Ethan: (my take on this song is probably not actually relevant to the specific question being asked, which I feel is more directed towards the lyrics and topic content but as the guitarist...) I was trying to create a guitar part was complex and busy without being overbearing or showboating while accentuating the strong pulse and lyrics of the song. Cory: Crissy will have better insight here. I just bang drums and do my best to compliment the sounds being pushed through the air by my counterparts. OHMs Peak: The album art is striking — we love the whimsical direction. Who created the artwork, and what was the concept behind this cover? Ethan: The cover was created by Ethan A Hahn (Guitar). Cristina is of Mexican descent which we champion in many ways. The flower design was inspired by a common table cloth pattern used by many Mexican restaurants and taco shops. I have always liked poor / industrial printing and found the image pleasing. Having spent a lot of time in taco shops the design and use of color has always caught my eye. It seemed to fit the ideas and feelings and title of the album in many ways. Cory: Fuck, now I want some tacos. Crissy: This is all Ethan's baby. Although, Cory came up with the idea of lugging all our gear to the top of a mountain and taking photos for the back cover. I wanted the back to look something like the back of a 1970s album. Now, for the insert, we collaborated with someone we met early on in our career who had been wanting to work with us, Sara Culler, who did some great stuff with the few phone images we took while recording. I know the question is about the cover, not about the goodies inside, but wanted to throw that out there. OHMs Peak: How did your band name originate? It's very different. Cory: Ethan and Crissy had been performing under the Moon Pussy moniker long before I joined the band. They will have better insight to answer this question. I just joined the band and and gave the two of them some much needed structure (classic drummer ego here) Ethan: The term is actually an old 60/70s term for a butt hole. Do with that what you will. Once we heard it, Crissy mused that it would be a good band name and we jumped on it due to its audacity and silliness. We are doing what we love with people we love. The focus and driving force of the band has always been friends first and having a good time. A lot of the ideas in the band came about from an inside joke that we just run with. The name is no exception. Crissy: I didn't know it was slang for butthole when we started the band. I think a random door person mentioned it after our 10th show or something. I was quasi-listening to a podcast with Ethan whilst traveling on a bus and they said, "something something moon pussy" and I loved the idea of moon cats. OHMs Peak: What bands NOT in your genre would you love to tour with that compliments your sound? Crissy: Locally, Don Chicharron or Pink Hawks. Non-locally, Man or Astroman, Budos Band, Massicot Cory: Wu Tang Clan, Herb Alpert, Osees Ethan: Red Krayola / Mayo Thompson, Harry Nilsson, A classic high energy mariachi, Budos Band, The list could go on forever. OHMs Peak: Moon Pussy were stranded on a desert island with only a solar‑powered record player and could collectively choose just one album to bring, which album would you agree on? Ethan: This is nearly impossible to answer but thinking about the longevity and repeatable listening, I would probably something like the collected works for Liszt or Chopin. Cory: Harry Nilsson Greatest Hits Crissy: I would take an album that would generate a satellite signal with my location and a "HAAAALP!" message. Or, an album that could generate fresh water. Or, an album that could be broken and turned into a knife. Oh, wait. We all failed at the instruction. This is a collective answer. Two out of three of us would probably be ok with Harry Nilsson if only for the irony in playing that Coconut song on repeat until we die. Moon Pussy are: Crissy, Ethan, and Cory Follow Moon Pussy: Facebook Grab some Moon Pussy Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Sludge, Post-doom Sounds Like: YOB, ISIS, Neurosis Homeland: Slovenia What makes AYD elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? AYD is a monumental album filled with Post-metal, sludge, and doom. It might be one of the most diverse sludge albums to enrich our rotation in quite a while. The four songs are deeply engaging and draw you into their spiraling sludge world. For a debut album, AYD shows impressive patience, skillfully balancing the contrast between the most intense moments and the quietest sections. Track Listing: The Giant 11:56 God Flesh 9:11 Somniferum 15:56 Al' Araf 22:07 Dive deeper into AYD with our Q&A with the band. OHMs Peak: AYD is a relatively new name, but the three of you sound like a band with years of shared instincts. How did this trio come together, and what shaped the early identity of AYD? AYD: Yes, with AYD we only recently released our first full length, but we've been making music together since 2020. When we first started out, our intention was to make nasty, slow and heavy music, which we're all huge fans of. Jan and Tarik talked about making this kind of band since they were in college, because they both played in different bands before, with different musical backgrounds (Tarik played in a few punk bands and Jan is still playing in a dm/deathcore band) and saw doom metal as a golden middle ground. We met Gabrijel in 2020 and we quickly came to a conclusion that we all want to make this kind of music. Soon after we started jamming at Gabrijel's home and the rest just came together naturally. The shared instinct was there from the beginning, which really surprised and motivated us. OHMs Peak: “Somniferum” is the album’s towering centerpiece — a slow‑burning, suffocating, almost ritualistic track. What were the inner workings behind how this song came about? AYD: As a doom metal band, we felt it was appropriate to pay homage to the godfathers, Black Sabbath, with one of our songs. The first idea of a song started with the main riff of the song, and then slowly started taking shape into what is the final version. In making of this song we also applied the philosophy of Matt Pyke, which goes something in the lines of: ' If the riff is good, you can play it as long as you want'...or something like that. OHMs Peak: The album art for AYD is stark and ominous — a monochrome, high‑contrast image that feels like a relic pulled from a forgotten industrial archive. Who created the image and what atmosphere were you aiming for with this visual identity? AYD: So the image is actually a real natural shape that resembles a face in a mountain slope of Prisojnik near the Vrsic pass in the Triglav national park. The face is called Ajdovska deklica (roughly translated Pagan/Giant Maiden), who is part of Slovenian mythology/folklore. The image was taken by Nusa (Tarik's girlfriend) while they were on a holiday trip. We then slightly altered the image to our liking. OHMs Peak: Outside your genre, what band do you feel would most complement your sound in a live setting? AYD: Hmm, this is a bit tough. If we go outside our genre, it would be bands like Pink Floyd, Korn and Bohren & der Club of Gore. The picks are from each member, respectively. OHMs Peak: Each of you has a history in other bands and projects before AYD. Can you tell us more about your prior projects and how did those past experiences shape what you’re doing now? AYD: Tarik started playing in a punk band with his brothers at age 13. In 12 years the band split into two bands, and in the end just one stayed together. In the end he felt that the band was not creative enough for his needs, also the fast paced, linear music and lifestyle didn't suit him anymore. He felt that he can express his creativity much more with AYD. Gabrijel also has a history of playing in different bands, different genres, different instruments and was also a DJ for a while. In the end, he simply found out that this kind of music suits him the most. Jan first started playing in a dm/deathcore band Dethrone the Corrupted but eventually wanted to have a project that is slower and less technically demanding. So you could say that we each had our share of experience of playing in a band and how a band functions in general and so on, AYD is simply a common point of our musical interests, an awesome stress reliever and fun creative outlet. OHMs Peak: AYD is stranded on an island with only a solar‑powered record player. As a band, collectively, what single album are you bringing with you? AYD: Hali Gali Halid – Hajde Da Se Drogiramo! Follow AYD: Instagram / Facebook Grab some AYD Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Stoner rock Sounds Like: Los Natas, Demonauta, Mermaid Homeland: Spain What makes MLAD elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? MLAD is a beautifully crafted stoner rock album loaded with plenty of jams and heavy psych. The music transitions smoothly through different stoner blues phases, featuring authentic deep fuzz that holds our attention. The production is flawless without being overly polished, presenting an impressive and rich sound that is best experienced on vinyl. Track Listing: Huellas y rumores 08:41 Cruz de Benalfil 01:30 Los hijos perdidos de Umrica 07:54 Cruz del Tajo 01:54 El camino silencioso 08:01 La ley del cuarto ¿Quién es el 67? 11:46 Cruz de la Viñuela 03:03 Dive deeper into MLAD with our Q&A with Mientras las abejas duermen. OHMs Peak: MLAD is the perfect combination of heavy psych and stoner. You sound like a band that’s been together for 20 years; with relaxed vocals and plenty of jamming, you guys have come up with a refreshing sound for the genre. What musical or non‑musical influences guided the band’s creative direction during the making of this record? MLAD: The truth is, this project didn't start with any deep intentions, quite the opposite. It all came about organically and naturally, without any expectations of ourselves or what might emerge. We're three friends who have been playing in different projects of varying styles for many years, and a couple of years ago we wanted to do something of our own, but as we've already mentioned, without any grand ambitions. So we decided to hold some jam sessions in our rehearsal space and record them, just to see what would come out. From those long sessions emerged the backbone of the project, both its approach and its sound: a blend of all our influences and interests, from the most mellow psychedelia to the heaviest touches of sludge/doom. OHMs Peak: The track "El camino silencioso" has such great rhythm, we love the heavy buildup at the end, it makes us want more. Can you provide some insight to the writing of this song. MLAD: "El camino silencioso" was born almost entirely during the sessions we mentioned earlier. If you listen closely, it's just a couple of riffs. The song's punch and catchiness come more from the dynamics. We wanted to differentiate two clear parts: the first, full of questions and unknowns, and the second, more chaotic, full of unresolved issues. Nothing could be closer to life itself: the flow of living without certainties. OHMs Peak: The production on this album is spot on. It never feels overproduced and still carries that raw DIY spirit. Who handled the production, mixing, and mastering for the album, and what was the vision behind achieving that balance? MLAD: The recording and production of the album was handled by our great friend and colleague Rafael Camisón of El Bisonte Estudio. We entrusted him with every decision made in the studio: from the choice of microphones, amplifiers, and effects, to the most subtle production touches, as we had complete confidence in him and his judgment. We are more than happy to have worked with him and to have followed his guidance and advice. As for the mastering, the great Mario G. Alberni of Kadifornia Mastering was in charge. When he heard the LP, he knew exactly how to take Rafael's mix to the next level. He managed to give it more power and bring order to all the chaos we were trying to capture. OHMs Peak: What band NOT in the heavy psych/stoner genre would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound? MLAD: If we're dreaming big, it would be incredible to share the stage with the Hermanos Gutiérrez. Their way of creating atmospheres and emotional landscapes has influenced us greatly, and I think our styles would mesh well. OHMs Peak: The album art is very intriguing and reflects the music very well. Who is the artist and is there any meaning behind the artwork? MLAD: The artwork was done by our friend Alberto Oliva (aov.es), a great artist from our hometown of Ubrique. We've known each other for years, and one day when we were starting the project, he overheard us talking and decided to capture what we were doing in a drawing—it was that simple. There were no guidelines or recommendations. He perfectly understood the essence of it. OHMs Peak: MLAD is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? MLAD: We'd probably choose Pink Floyd's Animals. A magnificent concept with infinite depth. We've probably listened to it a million times, and yet there's always something new to discover with each listen. I definitely think it would be an excellent choice. Follow Mientras las abejas duermen: Instagram / Facebook Grab some Mientras las abejas duermen Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Noise rock, Punk Sounds Like: Chat Pile, Jesus Lizard, Pissed Jeans Homeland: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania What makes Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Bitter Branches returns with one of this year's leading noise rock/punk albums to hit our speakers. The album is heavily influenced by 90s noise rock, yet it distinctly bears their unique mark on the genre. The music flows effortlessly through various impeccable transitions, with genuine angst that keeps us captivated. The production is flawless without being overdone, perfectly suited to the rock style. This album features an impressive and deep sound that is a must-hear on vinyl. Track Listing: Rat Poison 2:30 Cave Dwellers 3:01 Pity Party 2:26 Basic Karate 2:52 Posture Contest 3:31 Everything Must Go 3:58 High Street 2:24 7-11 3:19 Fine Powder 4:00 Here Comes The Chisel 5:20 Dive deeper into Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals with our Q&A with Bitter Branches. OHMs Peak: Bitter Branches has roots in some of the most influential 90s hardcore, math-rock and noise rock bands. The BB team has years of amazing different projects. How did this lineup come together, and what made the chemistry feel right for a new project? Bitter Branches: Philadelphia is home to so many musicians that it was only a matter of time that we bump into each other. As "veterans" of 90s hardcore scene, I think we all share a musical shorthand and an itch to explore certain lanes and see what happens when it’s the five of us attacking that kind of songwriting. OHMs Peak: “Everything Must Go” stands out as one of the album’s most psychologically revealing tracks. What were the inner workings behind how this song came about? Bitter Branches: That’s basically me talking to myself and trying to muster the strength and will to march on as the world seems to be headed for that iceberg and we’ve been failing to turn the ship. It’s a bit of a self-critique of myself and people in general. We clearly aren’t making the world a better place. Every smile seems fake to me. Meanwhile, enjoy your capitalism and get back to work. OHMs Peak: The album art for ‘Let’s Give the Land Back to the Animals’ is striking …a dark, surreal scene with a giant hand lowering a tiny tricycle‑riding figure by a string. What was the visual concept behind this artwork and who created it? Bitter Branches: That would be me. There are a few meanings there I suppose. I like to leave it open to interpretation, but it’s definitely about large forces pulling the strings while we are entertained and sometimes blissfully ignorant. It’s also about childhood and innocence and trust being ripped away and taken advantage of. OHMs Peak: Many songs on the album feel like character studies or emotional autopsies. Do you have a preferred setting as you create and formulate the tracks? Would love to hear more about your process. Bitter Branches: I spend way too much time inside my head and wonder how people seem oblivious to the smoke and fire that surround us. We are easily distracted by shiny objects and we seem to have very little collective will to do the right thing. We live in an age where we have the means and intelligence to solve the world’s problems, but we create billionaires and divisive labels instead. Empathy is in short supply — for people and animals. OHMs Peak: How did the name Bitter Branches come about? Bitter Branches: It’s the title of a PJ Harvey song. Just sounds cool. No deep meaning. OHMs Peak: If you could play with any band NOT in your genre who would it be and why would it complement your live performances? Bitter Branches: Hmmm. I would play with just about anyone. I love bills that mix it up. OHMs Peak: Bitter Branches is stranded on an island with only a solar‑powered record player. As a band — collectively — what single album are you bringing with you? Bitter Branches: Tough one. Maybe The Clash’s London Calling or Radiohead’s Kid A. Bitter Branches are: Jeff Tirabassi, Dan Yemin Matt Ryan Kevin Sommerville Tim Singer Follow Bitter Branches: Instagram / Facebook Grab some Desert Collider Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Heavy psych, Stoner rock Sounds Like: All Them Witches, Ecstatic Vision, King Buffalo Homeland: Australia What makes Inexorable Opposites elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows have released an outstanding new album filled with psychedelic fuzz, trippy vocals, and imaginative storytelling, positioning it as one of the top heavy psych albums for 2026. Inexorable Opposites demonstrates the band's ongoing development. While maintaining the same formula as previous albums, they manage to reinvent their heavy psychedelic vibe. The production is flawless. This album features a rich sound without being overly produced, maintaining a raw quality. Track Listing: Moss 6:11 Venomous 4:13 Mt. Macedon 5:57 Dave Is Done 5:03 Junior Fiction 6:18 Seer 4:36 On The Overwhelm 5:50 To Die 5:20 Dive deeper into Inexorable Opposites with our Q&A with vocalist/guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith. OHMs Peak: Inexorable Opposites is a massive psychedelic fuzz journey — equal parts stoner rock, psychedelia, and mind-bending heaviness. The album feels both rooted in the classics and completely forward-thinking. What influences — musical or otherwise — shaped the band’s sonic direction while creating this record? Tim Coutts-Smith: There were definitely some new and unexpected influences on this album. I was listening to a lot of 'Show Me The Body' when I wrote 'Dave Is Done'. I wanted to write a song with that same feeling as 'Arcanum' by that band. It just has this emotion of boiling frustration and anger that increases through the song. I wanted to make my own version of that. 'Dave Is Done' ended up sounding nothing like SMTB in the end, but the same amount of emotion is there. I also discovered Oranssi Pazuzu during this album process, hence some faster beats with wild time signatures. A lot of our post-rock influences are making their way into our sound these days too - Some Protomartyr. There's actually some Big Thief in there too if you listen closely. OHMs Peak: Australia is becoming a fertile ground for heavy, psychedelic, and fuzz‑driven bands. What other Australian bands have inspired your work that you have seen or played with? Tim Coutts-Smith: I'm glad you asked this question - I'm sick of people thinking that Australia's only exports are Amyl & The Sniffers, King Gizz and Tame Impala. They are all so separated from the current Australian underground scenes that you see now. Some unreal bands you should check out are: Goat Shaman, Cannabyss, AGAM (A Gazillion Angry Mexicans), DOGWATCH and Astrofuzz. OHMs Peak: Of all the heaviness on the album, the last track "To Die" is a beautiful tune with thought provoking lyrics. Can you provide what inspired you to write this classic? Tim Coutts-Smith: I actually wrote that back in 2021 when I was freestyling hymn-like songs over a drone machine. I wanted to write a song for any soul that is passing on, and for the people that are saying goodbye. It's essentially a eulogy song. The song's setting is a group of loved ones at a funeral, and the sounds aim to paint a picture of the process that a spirit goes through on it's way to the 'otherside'. I'm pretty Godless/agnostic at this time in my life. Writing that song just made me feel more settled with everything. OHMs Peak: What is the story or meaning behind the band name Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows? We’ve done a bit of research ourselves, but we’d love to hear the true origin and inspiration behind it. Tim Coutts-Smith: This band actually started out as a side project that most of the original band members were in. Since I never intended JHATDC to be a long-term thing, I wanted to make the most convoluted storyline. I could and hide the true identities of the band members. Jack Harlon is the main character of a lot of the symbolic stories of the band and my alter-ego on stage. I tried to pick a name that doesn't exist to make the project easier to remember. So the surname 'Harlon' doesn't actually exist. I never thought that in the future I'd be frequently mixed up with the hip-hop artist 'Jack Harlow', but here we are. My name is made up, and his is his true birth name, so I'm the imposter! OHMs Peak: The album artwork is very unique and captures your sound perfectly. Who is the artist and is there any meaning behind this drawing? Tim Coutts-Smith: The original artist is named 'Baroquegothik'. This artwork already existed, and I licensed its use from the artist. The image almost perfectly summed up all of my drafted notes; I wanted an aggressive drawing involving teeth, wolves, eyes and hands and this fit my mind's eye perfectly. At one point the album was going to be called 'The Kind Hand and The Teeth'. OHMs Peak: Jack Harlen and the Dead Crows is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? Tim Coutts-Smith: If it's the band collectively choosing, I'd say we'd have to go with any album by Meshuggah... maybe Koloss. That is a band that we all love dearly. Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows are: Tim Coutts-Smith – Vocals, guitar Jordan Richardson – Guitar Brayden Becher – Drums Liam Barry – Bass Follow Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows: Instagram / Facebook. Grab some Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Stoner rock Sounds Like: Kal-El, Black Rainbows, Monster Magnet Homeland: Italy What makes Generational Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Desert Collider has unveiled an impressive debut album filled with ethereal space riffs and psychedelic fuzz, emerging as one of the leading stoner rock albums for 2026. If you enjoy the psychedelic landscapes of Monster Magent or the pure fuzz from Black Rainbows, we have no doubt this is right up your alley.. The production is flawless. This album boasts a monumental sound, and kudos to Small Stone Records for adding them to their already impressive catalog. Track Listing: Orphans of the Sky Part I: Generation Ship 7:48 Floating Space Hand 5:55 Sonic Carver 5:28 Orphans of the Sky Part II: Disembark 10:54 ThumpeRRR 6:16 Nomads of the Red Sun 4:50 Far Centaurus: Drifting without Guidance through Interstellar Space 13:40 Nebuchadnezzar 6:27 Dive deeper into Generational Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity with our Q&A with vocalist/guitarist Federico Costanzo. OHMs Peak: As a debut, ‘Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity’ lands with a fully realized identity, old‑school stoner rock laced with a boatload of fuzz and a clear sense of direction. What were each of you doing musically before Desert Collider, and how did those earlier projects and creative fires shape the vision behind this first full‑length? Federico Costanzo: That’s a great question! It is true that we as individuals were part of different projects. I (Federico Costanzo), apart from playing in underground stoner rock realities in France, was part of an Italian pagan/black metal band in the early 2000s named Legion of Darkness. Manuel has a solid rock blues background, and he published an album very much 70s rock oriented named Moon Circle. Federico Gianfanti is still making vocals in a punk band named So Long, active in Cesena.. Andrea has a variegated background ranging from funk to the most Sabbath-oriented sounds. We are happy to hear that there is a perception of the album as a fully realized identity, as you said. Definitely, you can hear in the album influences coming from all our backgrounds, fused as a band. Our will is to stand on the foundations of stoner rock to push towards more personal directions by embracing our different histories in a way that feels natural and unconstrained. Composition-wise, you can hear the attitude in switching tempos and alternating with atmospheric moments, acoustic interludes, and the extensive use of synthesizers, which are definitely coming from either metal imprinting and a shared passion for prog rock and psychedelia. Whether in some more sped-up songs, you can perceive the punk attitude. It is true that this pot allows us to range from more immediate to more immersive songs. OHMs Peak: Italy has become a fertile ground for heavy, psychedelic, and fuzz‑driven bands. What other Italian bands have inspired your work that you have seen or played with? Federico Costanzo: It is true, Italy has a growing and growing scene in that regard. We have been influenced somehow by bands such as Mr Bison (late albums such as Seaward) or for example L’Ira del Baccano from Rome in the use of synths and progressive melodies. Also somewhat by a band from Marche called Zippo and their album Ode to Maximum, But you know, it is plenty of great album out there in Italy that of course left a footprint on our sound…think about Lee Van Cleef - Holy Smoke or certain parts engaged by Fvzz Popvli. OHMs Peak: “ThumpeRRR” is one of the album’s most addictive moments — a massive, rolling slab of fuzz with that classic desert‑rock stomp baked right in. Can you walk us through how that track came together and what sparked its tone, groove, and attitude? Federico Costanzo: Thanks a lot for the feedback! The basis of the riff in ThumpeRRR has been composed by Manuel. Often, Manuel and I exchange riffs by phone when something comes into our minds. Hence, Manuel built the foundation of the riff with bass and then constructing the first part of the song was quite straightforward and developed as a Jam in the first place. Andrea also did an excellent job with the drums. With Federico (Gianfanti) we started to work on the idea of alternating my voice and his, which felt the best choice to be made at that stage. Let’s say that the tricky part of the song composition has been the second half. I had that guitar arpeggio in stock since a long time, and we knew that we wanted to build tension in the song's coda. After the guitar interlude representing a quite desertic vibe (the calm before the storm), we started to build this coda with the idea of creating a recall of something that was yet to come. With this in mind, we used that arpeggio to create a climax of tension, then we added synthesizer and the vocal choirs (Rhythm, sand, quakes) to create the release. In other words, what had to be recalled has been summoned. That’s the atmosphere we wanted to recreate in the song. OHMs Peak: The album leans unapologetically into vintage stoner‑rock DNA — thick riffs, warm analog grit, and that unmistakable low‑and‑slow propulsion. The album feels like a galactic concept album. Take us through the themes and messages throughout. Federico Costanzo: Well, you are right. Even though the album contains songs that are our first creations (Sonic Carver for example) and that lean towards classic stoner rock, we then made an effort to recreate a cosmic or galactic atmosphere throughout the record, as a result of the evolution of the band that took place meanwhile the album was being composed. At the same time, we aimed to create a dynamic balance within the album, alternating moments of tension and high energy with more relaxed, psychedelic passages, so that everything flows into a cohesive and harmonized, otherworldly experience. We love sci-fi novels and movies so it was inevitable for us to go through this exploration. Concept-wise, with the exception of the two “Orphans of the Sky” songs (Pt1 and Pt2) and “Far Centaurus: drifting without guidance through interstellar space”, the other tracks are not related to the work of Robert A. Heinlein. However it is true that the characters and stories told in these songs propose a manifestation of the same concepts, that is the cost of breaching preconceived notions in order to find one’s true self. This is symbolized in Floating Space Hand for example, and is the same path that the main character in Orphans of the Sky is undertaking, the inner realization as an objective that comes at the cost of inner sacrifices. However, some of the songs are purely and intentionally cosmic and desert-rock oriented, without following this common thread (see “Nomads of the Red Sun”). OHMs Peak: With such a massive, fuzz‑driven sound, we imagine these songs would be amazing live. Do you have any aspirations to tour the U.S., and what’s your favorite venue to play in Italy — the one that feels most like “home base” for Desert Collider? Federico Costanzo: Ah! We would love to tour in the U.S.! It is something that we envision to do, and that we will work hard to reach! About the Italian venues, we love “Tu.Mi.Turbi” in Varese. The venue is great and the people there are making a great effort to make the bands sound at best. Moreover, after they give you risotto with radicchio and gorgonzola, how can a place not become one of your favourite? Cesena too, is full of great realities for underground bands! For example, Magazzino Parallelo is an incredible venue to play in. OHMs Peak: If Desert Collider were stranded on a desert planet with only a solar‑powered record player and could collectively choose just one album to bring, which album would you agree on? Federico Costanzo: Well it depends on the nycthemeral cycle or if there is any on this planet! I think that on common grounds we would bring In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson. We never get tired of it and it has so many nuances in it that allow the record to flow undisturbed while somehow engaging in active listening. We can listen to 21st Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph in a loop. But I hope that this solar-powered record player is good in terms of autonomy and the gravity isn’t different from Earth’s, to avoid stylus crushing the vinyl or, on the contrary, floating space vinyls!! Desert Collider are: Federico Costanzo: guitars, vocals, percussio, synthesizers Federico Gianfanti: vocals, synthesizers Manuel Colucci: bass Andrea Casagranda: drums, percussion Follow Desert Collider: Instagram / Facebook. Grab some Desert Collider Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Post-metal Sounds Like: The Ocean, Somali Yacht Club Homeland: Brighton, UK What makes Above, Below and So elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Matador has unveiled a classic post-metal album, seamlessly navigating through sludgy post-metal valleys and clean stoner sounds, providing an excellent fusion of metal styles. The vocals transition smoothly between angst and clean tones, crafting a distinct and original balance that enhances their sound.. The production highlights each band member's unique style: intricate bass work, steady drumming, and intense rhythmic riffs. Track Listing: The House Always Wins 7:48 Glitter Skin 6:48 The Flood 6:41 O Suna 2:31 A Virus 10:17 Hooks 7:24 Dive deeper into Above, Below and So with our Q&A with Matador. OHMs Peak: ‘Above, Below and So’ is such a tremendous continuation to as your third release. We loved ‘The Surge’ and ‘They Were Here Before Us’ but this just takes things to another level. We find it even more expansive and enthralling. As your third release, what creative breakthroughs or lessons from your earlier records shaped the writing and recording of this album? Matador: On the last release we actually worked remotely. For various reasons the three of us ended up living on different continents, so the whole process was a lot of back and forth. But in a strange way that worked in our favour, because there wasn’t any pressure to write something that had to be performed live straight away. There were no real time constraints — we could just take our time with it. I think having that space changed things creatively. Vocals started to appear, which hadn’t really been part of the band before. I was feeling inspired by things going on in my life and in the world at the time, and that started to translate into lyrics. Generally my feeling is that if I don’t have something important to say, I’d rather not say anything at all — which is probably why the first two releases ended up being instrumental. But this time it felt like there was actually something to say, and that ended up shifting the whole musical landscape of the record. OHMs Peak: “Glitter Skin” is one of the album’s most arresting moments. We find it tense, and cathartic all at once. Can you take us through how that track came together and what sparked its emotional and sonic direction along with the unique title. Matador: “Glitter Skin” was actually almost bolted onto the album at the end. We’d written everything — I think it was even recorded and mixed — and once that was done there was suddenly a bit of space to do something else. And weirdly, that track came together really quickly. We'd even agreed to sign the record to Church Road before writing Glitter Skin but as they had a release backlog it gave us the time to write and record this one. Lyrically and emotionally it comes from the shock of suddenly becoming a father — not to one kid, but two at the same time. We had twins. And that all happened while we were living in a country that wasn’t our home country, in the middle of a global pandemic, when we couldn’t travel to see family. So it brought up a lot of pretty intense feelings. The verse sections are really about that initial period — the stress, the overwhelm, the lack of sleep, trying to figure everything out. Then later on, when the music gets heavier and more aggressive, the lyrics are actually much more positive. They’re about adjusting to this new life and realising that you’ve got these two amazing kids. So even though it sounds more aggressive musically, it’s actually the point where things feel more hopeful. The title itself came from when we were in the hospital after they were born. They arrived early and were tiny, so we were there for four nights while they were being monitored. We basically didn’t sleep the whole time. At one point my wife started hallucinating toy soldiers marching across the end of the hospital bed. I didn’t get hallucinations, but I remember thinking everyone’s skin looked like it had glitter all over it. And then fast-forward four years, and the kids are coming home from nursery literally covered in glitter most days. So in a weird way the title ended up tying the whole thing together. OHMs Peak: The album art is striking — those lonesome swans feel haunting, elegant, and strangely comforting. Who created the artwork, and what was the concept behind choosing such a minimal, evocative image for this record? Matador: Yeah, the artwork is amazing — we’re really happy with how it turned out. It’s maybe a bit different from what you’d normally expect within this genre, which we liked. A good friend of mine, Spike Johnson, created it. We’ve collaborated quite a few times before — he’s done artwork for other projects I’ve been involved in and various bits and pieces over the years. So I asked if he’d be up for doing something for this record and he was keen. We basically went through his Instagram feed and pulled out a few images that we liked and the final piece actually ended up being a combination of two photographs. The bottom image — the one with the swans — is a river scene somewhere in the UK countryside. The top image is actually inverted, and that’s the reedy banks of a lake somewhere in Texas. Conceptually we liked the idea of that kind of above-and-below relationship. The top layer feels darker and more ominous, and the bottom image is brighter and calmer, with these swans just totally content, going about their day without really worrying about anything. I guess that’s where the meaning comes in — whether things feel like heaven or hell, good times or bad times, positive or negative… life kind of keeps moving. The swans are just there, carrying on regardless. After a bit of back and forth we landed on this final image, and yeah, we’re super stoked with it. OHMs Peak: Brighton has a deep and eclectic music scene. Which local band outside your genre do you feel would complement your sound most powerfully in a live setting, and what makes that pairing feel so natural to you? Matador: Yeah, Brighton definitely has a great scene. There are loads of cool bands on the south coast at the moment. But Matador actually started in Vancouver, Canada. Over time we’ve ended up based between Hastings and Brighton in the UK now with a line-up change. So we’re only just starting to properly reconnect with the UK scene and the Brighton scene in particular. In terms of bands around here that we’d love to share a bill with, there are a few — not all strictly Brighton. Bands like Believe in Nothing and IAN. Like us they don’t seem too interested in sticking to any particular formula. There's no verse–chorus–verse kind of structure — the songs just go where they go. It feels quite similar to how we approach writing, where you just follow the idea and see where it leads. And dynamically they’re great as well — really quiet, delicate passages that suddenly open up into something massive. Particularly with Believe in Nothing, some of the heavy sections are just absolutely crushing. So yeah, I think it’s that non-standard approach to songwriting that really stands out and resonates. OHMs Peak: The album moves between post‑metal weight, post‑rock expansiveness, and moments of raw vulnerability without ever losing cohesion. We find the album title fits the sonic journey but also curious as to the story behind the title? Matador: Yeah, I think it comes from life experience. Having been around a bit longer now, and you start to realise that life kind of moves in waves. There are good times, there are bad times, sometimes really bad times, and sometimes really great ones. But whatever’s happening, time keeps moving forward. That’s reality. So I think a lot of it is about accepting that — understanding that life has both light and dark or Above and Below moments. And the “and so” part of it is really about that acceptance. Things happen, things change, but you just keep going. You carry on. OHMs Peak: If Matador were stranded on a desert island with only a solar‑powered record player and could collectively choose just one album to bring, which album would you agree on? Matador: That’s a super hard question. We all come from different musical backgrounds, which is a good thing. If you drew a Venn diagram of it, it’d probably be something like punk, jazz, and metal all overlapping somewhere in the middle. If we had to pick something though… we might have to cheat a little bit. On one side of the record it’d probably be some older Tool — maybe Lateralus or 10,000 Days. And then on the other side… I’m not totally sure. Probably something totally different. Let's say Rumors, Fleetwood Mac?! But yeah, that kind of contrast probably sums up the band quite well — darker, heavier stuff on one side and then something a little more open or melodic on the other. Matador are: Mark Ainsworth - Bass James Kirk - Guitar Scott Stronach - Drums Follow Matador: Instagram / Facebook. /. Linktree Grab some Matador Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Post-punk Sounds Like: Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols Homeland: Rhode Island, USA What makes Mirror Men elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Mirror Men have unveiled one of the most authentically raw Post-punk albums to grace our speakers this year. Mirror Men have a talent for showcasing the impact of early punk rock while infusing their unique style. Each instrument is distinct and precise. Sharp guitars, pounding bass, and precise drumming, combined with resonant vocals, make this essential for all fans who celebrate punk rock. Track Listing: Mirror Intro :44 Ride The Brain 2:46 Latest Lie 2:19 Off 1:32 Nobody 2:58 Surgery 2:08 Two Left Hands 2:08 Sit Right Down 2:46 Translucent Leather 3:45 Spanish Bridges 3:05 Move 2:52 Five Head 2:03 Too Late For Later 2:40 Push 2:35 Mirror Outro 1:01 Dive deeper into Mirror Men with our Q&A with Dare Matheson of Mirror Men. OHMs Peak: Your self‑titled debut is filthy, raunchy, and wildly fun, a record that feels fully committed to its own twisted vision. What headspace were you in while writing it, and how deliberate was that raw, unfiltered energy that runs through the whole album? Dare Matheson: We rehearse in an unheated auto garage in rural Rhode Island. In winter it can drop to ten degrees, sometimes with a car on the lift between us. New England’s unforgiving climate is in our blood, and we have a single-minded, DIY approach with no room for over-thinking. Our process is simple – record everything, listen back, and chase down bombastic, rhythmic hypnosis to ease our frayed nerves. OHMs Peak: The album art has this retro, comforting, almost bowling‑alley warmth to it …simple, striking, and instantly memorable. Who helped shape the visual concept, and what were you aiming to evoke with that aesthetic? Dare Matheson: We are drawn to bold shapes, limited colors, and stark contrast - the same kind of reduction we aim for in the music. Providence has a rich history of screen-printed posters and album art that feel outside of any specific time period, and that was definitely an influence. The idea was simple: The words “MIRROR MEN” casting long, colorful shadows. Something that could sit in 1978 or 2028. Dare hand-cut the shapes, and it immediately fit what we felt was the record’s almost primitive simplicity and physicality. OHMs Peak: “Translucent Leather” is one of the album’s standout moments ….both swaggering, and weirdly hypnotic. Can you walk us through how that track came together and what you were trying to capture with it? Dare Matheson: “Translucent Leather” began as a jam built around this steady rhythm we just didn’t want to stop playing. All three of us are drummers, so we tend to treat every instrument as part of the rhythm section. We hammer away at a rhythm until it feels trance-like, and only then start to shape it. To keep it raw, we avoided forcing an arrangement. We just kept playing it until certain patterns emerged naturally. Drum accents landing in the same spot, bass lines forming in the pocket, and vocals settling into place. The arrangement grew organically out of that repetition. OHMs Peak: This is your debut, but it doesn’t sound like a first step — it sounds like a band with history. What were each of you doing musically before Mirror Men, and how did those prior projects feed into the sound you’ve landed on here? Dare Matheson: We’ve all been part of the Providence underground for decades. Rick was the drummer in Sub Pop’s seminal ‘90s noise rock band, Six Finger Satellite. John played drums in early Arab On Radar. Dare was drummer for Skin Graft’s Made In Mexico. We’ve played in La Machine, Olneyville Sound System, The Chinese Stars… and many more. That minimal, rhythm-focused backdrop has carried through. With Mirror Men, it’s more direct and personal. There’s a stronger psychedelic current running through it now. We’re drawing from a wider range of references, but we treat every idea the same way — strip it down to the essence and let repetition do the work. OHMs Peak: The album moves between sleaze, groove, noise, punk, and pure theatrical chaos without ever losing momentum. How do you balance the humor, the grime, and the musicianship so it never tips into parody or self‑seriousness? Dare Matheson: There’s an unspoken, shared taste between the three of us - we’re drawn to primitive, groove-based music from any time and place. Our working method is based on intuition, without calculation. We record and listen back to everything, rely on each other’s ideas, and trust our shared judgment. When working on a song, we know when it's wrong and when it’s finally right. In this way, the music is very simply the sound of our three sensibilities intersecting... nothing gets through that isn't. https://mirrormen-pvd.bandcamp.com/album/mirror-men OHMs Peak: If Mirror Men were stranded on a desert island with only a solar‑powered record player and could collectively choose just one album to bring, which album would you agree on and why? Dare Matheson: We’d probably bring Ege Bamyasi by Can. Little excess or decoration, just strong ideas played with conviction. That kind of economy makes sense to us. Mirror Men are: Rick Pelletier — vocals, guitar Dare Matheson — bass John Ryan — drums Follow Mirror Men: Instagram / Bandcamp Grab some Mirror Men Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2025 Genre: Psychedelic rock, Sounds Like: Acid Mothers Temple, Sun Ra, Goat Homeland: UK What makes Mother, Give Your Children Sanity elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Codex Serafini has released one of this year's most exciting psychedelic albums to grace our speakers in a long time. The vocals possess a distinctive and psychedelic operatic style that truly sets them apart. The production showcases the distinctive style of each band member: complex bass lines, ethereal saxophone, consistent drumming, and celestial riffs elevate this album to new heights. Track Listing: Pitying Them For Giving Life 3:25 Cause And Effect 6:59 Keep The Mask That Fits 9:07 Alpha Sista With The Heel To The Mouth First 6:17 Mother, Give Your Children Sanity 6:11 Marching Like A Toad 8:36 Dive deeper into Mother, Give Your Childern Sanity with our Q&A with Codex Serafini. OHMs Peak: Our site features a Q&A format and we have a few questions are below: The integration of saxophone harkens us back to the days of Blodwyn Pig and King Crimson yesteryears. It adds a unique dark edge. We would love a glimpse into your biggest influences of sound from days past. Codex Serafini: Of course the first King Crimson record is a touch stone in progressive music utilising sax, Blood Quartet, Five the Hierophant, and Zu are great examples of that continuation of bands taking that and pushing it in a darker direction. OHMs Peak: While the entire album bleeds a majestic tribal atmosphere, ‘Cause and Effect’ has one of the most infectious melodic chants. Take us through the meaning and making of this track. Codex Serafini: As with most of our output this track was born out of extended jam sessions that grew quite organically into what you hear on the record, having the time to experiment and then taking the most interesting parts into the finished compositions. Keeping the bass simple and leaving room for the sax and vocals to weave themselves around it. A lot of the melodies from each of those elements inform each other, like a conversation. The lyrics explore the cycle of habitual addiction and the constant struggle between giving in and trying to stop. The lyrics reflect on how destructive patterns repeat themselves, even when we recognise their consequences. They also touch on the dynamic of couples who share the same addictions, sometimes reinforcing each other’s habits while finding it difficult to break the cycle. OHMs Peak: What was Codex Serafini's most memorable live performance? Where was it held and why was the night so special? Codex Serafini: There have been a few that have felt very special, getting invited to play at ArcTanGent in 2024 was amazing as it’s a festival very close to our hearts, and playing under Slift who we love and the same day as Mogwai was incredible. Next to that, playing at the Legendary 100 club last year with sonic psych heroes Acid Mothers Temple was a real honour, they have been doing what they love for so long and the atmosphere was electric. OHMs Peak: What band NOT in the psychedelic rock genre would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound? Codex Serafini: We have a real affinity with The Mars Volta, they are a band we all agree is amazing and they span lots of genres and have crafted out their own sound which is something we aspire to. Their energy is outstanding and if we can exert just half of that we will be very proud. Another band would be Fire! - a Nordic experimental supergroup formed in 2009 by the core trio of Mats Gustafsson (sax), Johan Berthling (bass guitar) and Andreas Werlin (drums) who joined together to develop a fresh approach to improvised music drawing on influences from free jazz, psychedelic rock, and noise. As well as those groups, we would love to play with Terri Gender Bender’s band La Butcherettes . She is an incredible artist! OHMs Peak: The album cover is wildly intriguing and elaborate. landscape. We see Ana-Maria Bordei Terr championed this. How did the concept come about to tie into the album? Codex Serafini: The album cover reflects the chaos and insanity of the world through intense colours and sprawling tentacle-like forms that surround the central figure. In the middle, the mother figure is trapped inside a box-like structure, unable to move, while two protectors stand on either side. The image represents a world where chaos grows when sanity is absent, and the struggle to regain clarity within that confusion. OHMs Peak: Codex Serafini is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? Codex Serafini: I don’t think we could ever agree to listen to just one album, each of us devour music and it’s a constant soundtrack to our lives and an inspiration for our output, just the process of choosing just one could spell the end of Codex Serafini. Codex Serafini are: Matt, Ana, Weez, Oli Follow Codex Serafini: Facebook Grab some Codex Serafini Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Punk, Grunge Sounds Like: Unwound, Polvo, Cherubs Homeland: Illinois What makes Foreplay elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? *Brain Sex* has created an incredible album packed with raw, 90s-inspired post-punk grunge. The dual vocals exhibit a traditional, intense punk attitude filled with desperation and emotion. The production has a DIY feel that suits this style of punk rock perfectly. It's not overly polished and seems like it will translate well in a live performance. Track Listing: BPD 03:13 Tilly 05:43 Scotty's a Bitch 02:34 Delta G Double Dagger 04:34 Whiff 05:54 Dive deeper into Foreplay with our Q&A with Brain Sex. OHMs Peak: On ‘Foreplay’, the dual‑vocal dynamic is one of the most striking elements of your sound. How intentional was the contrast between Madison’s calming, dark, almost ethereal delivery and Max’s feral post‑hardcore energy? How do you balance the chaos with the more atmospheric, introspective moments that appear throughout the EP? Brain Sex: The choice wasn’t too intentional, we choose the best of our newer material and it just so happened to have an interesting dynamic between the vocals. We did however curate the style of each song to create a wider dynamic range within the EP. We wanted to capture the energy of seeing us live, with a raw sound and a even split of both of our vocalists. OHMs Peak: “Tilly” is our favorite track on the EP — it hits with a really distinct emotional weight. Can you walk us through its meaning, how it came together, and what sparked the creative direction behind it? Brain Sex: “I had just watched the movie Bound from ‘96 and was buzzing off of this euphoria of what it’s like to be in lust with another woman. I wanted to capture how that felt and really paint the picture of my own experiences—almost obsession. There’s a lot of depth and complexity in relationships like that, the intimacy can be exciting. I wanted the lyrics to be dark but relatable, I guess it’s written about women but I left it open to interpretation. It’s a horny song, it’s got a lot of sexual undertones. In the second verse I get into some historical images too with Sappho and the porch of the king (which was originally porch of the queen but I changed it). I’ve always associated that ancient Mediterranean vibe with romance and mystery and intimacy. It felt fitting. The last verse ends with one of my favorite lines I’ve ever written about heaven and poison and vomiting to taste it all over again. I don’t know it’s obsessive, it’s addictive, it’s threatening almost. I like to think I did an alright job conveying that.” - Madi OHMs Peak: Take us through the album cover art. Who created the caricature and risqué art. How did the concept align with ‘Foreplay’. Brain Sex: We did an art contest with our fans, top prize was the album cover! The winner was Corvin, @rabid.designs on Instagram. The cover art features a portrait by Egon Schiele, title “Standing Nude with Orange Drapery”, presented in a collage. The piece is on a ripped piece of paper, with a splattering of paint over top and the title at the top. We all instantly connected with this one. There’s a duality to the art: the black and white sections; a provocative pose covered with tape; it captures difficulty in wanted to express yourself to the fullest, but feeling like you have to hold yourself back. It’s phenomenal art, but it’s also intentionally messy, rough around the edges, and highlights imperfections. I think the reason we all connected with it is that these traits are all common in our music and the themes of our songs. In that way, it was perfect. OHMs Peak: Brain Sex has been described as grunge‑inspired punk with grinding riffs and breakneck drums. Take us back to the beginning …how did Brain Sex form? What were each of you … Max, Ratt, and Madison doing musically before this project, and what made this lineup click in a way your previous projects didn’t? Brain Sex: Rat started brain sex because they were in a band called Crazy Low that wasn’t going anywhere. They eventually started writing music with an old member of the band, eventually they were making music they liked a lot more. They’ve been in the band since the start and it’s been over 3 years of figuring out what sticks. Madi was the second to join of this lineup, and she had been living in Champaign a few months and Rat started seeing Madi’s roommate. Upon learning they both did music, they invited Madi to jam and she stuck with the band since then. Reyansh was the third to join, and came along a few years after the start of the band. He saw brain sex at a show and told them that he loved their music and plays the drums. Rat told him he could jam with the band and invited him to Madi’s place, without letting Madi know. Madi had no idea who he was and basically told him to leave her house. When he explained they rescheduled and he was a perfect fit for the band. Addie was the most recent addition, and he answered an Instagram request for a new guitarist when the old one quit. Madi and Rat invited him to jam with a few of the songs and he made the cut, and it’s been  this group since. The group on paper aren’t good fits for one another; we all have extremely different tastes in music, ranging from classic rock to prog metal, hardcore to folk. However, these differences in tastes have led us all to get used to adapting our own capabilities to best fit the song, which has succeeded in creating a really unique sound. OHMs Peak: Champaign‑Urbana has a reputation for nurturing talented, high‑energy DIY acts. How has the local scene shaped your identity as a band? Brain Sex: The scene in Urbana is incredible. It feels like a gem and to be thrown straight in the middle of it from the start has been so good for us. In a way the high energy that each show has can kind of cloud your judgement. It can be a bit jarring to have the crowd experience be so different from the performers experience; having fans come tell you how insane your show was when you didn’t really feel that good about it has made us doubt if we’re any good at all at times. As confusing as that can be, I think it made all of us reevaluate our standards. Now I feel like we’re all writing music from a place of trying to impress ourselves, rather than trying to make crowd pleaser music. OHMs Peak: If Brain Sex were stranded on a desert island with only a solar‑powered record player and could collectively choose just one album to bring, which album would you agree on — and why? Brain Sex: We can’t choose one, so would rather let the surf take us than pick one album. Follow Brain Sex: Instagram Grab some Brain Sex Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Sludge Sounds Like: Crowbar, Bongzilla, Church of Misery Homeland: Austria What makes Axis Mundi elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Axis Mundi is another outstanding chapter in the TarLung saga. The album is packed with raw sludge, and they may have surpassed themselves with this release. The vocals remain in classic TarLung style—guttural and sludgy—but they occasionally incorporate clean vocal styles. This welcome contrast broadens their sound. The production highlights each band member's unique style: intricate bass work, steady drumming, and intense rhythmic riffs. Track Listing: Static Noise 4:25 The Valley Of Nowhere 4:42 Burning Out 6:10 Sea Of Drowned Souls 4:20 Swans 4:11 Full Circle 4:17 Between Earth And Moon 5:17 Axis Mundi 5:21 Dive deeper into Axis Mundi with our Q&A with TarLung. OHMs Peak: As you may already know, we have been fans since your debut album, and your music continues to expand all while keeping to your signature style. Would love for a brief glimpse into your process and time commitment in making the album. TarLung: Many thanks for giving us a chance to talk about our music! OHMs Peak (and before that Rotation11) have been great supporters of our band from day one. We really do appreciate that passion in underground music! In general, we have a rather unregular rehearsal schedule. Mostly because everyone has their own busy schedule and life, but we try to find as much time to play and do rehearsals together as possible. We mostly go in with a general concept for a song based on an idea one of us had. We then work together over multiple rehearsals to fine-tune, add and subtract elements to finally get something we all are comfortable to play and stand behind. In the case of ‘Axis Mundi’ it took us roughly 3 years. But the first song ideas started to form even before we released our 2021 album ‘Architect’. We recorded ‘Axis Mundi’ at DDP studios the week before Christmas 2024. Finding the right partner and planning the release took up the better half of a year until everything was ready. Now, we are very happy to have the support of Argonauta Records for this release – it’s a great label with really cool bands on it, and we are very pleased that it has worked out this way! OHMs Peak: The music is so addictive with your distinctive raw sludge that only TarLung can produce. What influences does each band member bring to the table to create such an engaging heavy music? TarLung: Thank you for saying that! We have quite diverse influences. Naturally, there’s classic Doom, Stoner and Sludge bands, but there’s also a healthy dose of old school Death Metal and some influences like Death, Entombed or Dismember. Two of our band – Marian and Philipp - are also founding members of BLACK AIR, which sounds somewhat like (Dylan Carson’s) Earth, so that might have had some influences of that kind of music trickling down to TARLUNG as well. On top of that our drummer plays in TORPEDO TORPEDO, Vienna’s greatest Heavy Psych outfit, in our humble opinion. (Thanks Clemens ;) – Marian) OHMs Peak: It's nearly impossible to think of a standout track on Axis Mundi, but tunes like "Burning Out," "Sea of Drowned Souls" and "Full Circle" seem to shine with the expanded vocals; we love the contrast. How did this vocal style come to formation? TarLung: It was cool to do the growling distorted vocals for a total of 5 releases. But after doing that for over a decade, we thought of changing our approach a bit. Might be that we grew older and had more exposure to heavy music that doesn’t rely only on a screaming or growling kind of vocal style. Furthermore, we like to also push ourselves for each new release, learn new stuff, expand our horizon – and that includes trying different things with vocals as well as the instruments. OHMs Peak: What band NOT in the sludge genre would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound? TarLung: Oh man that is a tough question. I guess bands like Blood Incantation, Amenra, Arabrot, Russian Circles, Cave In … come to mind. We are generally open to play and tour with any kind of band, as long as the members are easy going and don’t have a ‘rockstar’ attitude. Life is too short for dealing with difficult characters, and we prefer to hang out with chill people. Best example are our tour buddies and now friends Mares Of Thrace from Canada. Trez and Casey are two of the most awesome people we had the pleasure to share the stage with. OHMs Peak: We absolutely love the album cover as it ties in well to your music. Is there any meaning behind the artwork and who is the artist? TarLung: Thank you, we love how the cover turned out! We wanted a representation of the world on the brink of destruction, revealing mechanical contraptions and a skull within. It’s like an allegory of the everyday struggle in an uncaring cold world that tries to grind you down. We all have to face this in one way or another. In the end, it turned out to look very Warhammer 40k-ish, and we loved that! There are also some Warhammer 40k references in the lyrics, so the cover fits the album like a glove. The artist is Alex Eckmann-Lawn. He is a fantastic artist from the US. He did amazing work for the Smashing Pumpkins, Inter Arma, Imperial Triumphant, Abbath and many more. Alex also designed all our full- length album covers since 2017, so Alex is also responsible for giving ‘Beyond the Black Pyramid’ and ‘Architect’ the amazing cover art we hold so dear. OHMs Peak: TarLung is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? TarLung: That is a very tough question. After long and hard thinking we might go with Hegy – ‘We Won’t Make It Home’ – a Hungarian band we played with on our 2023 tour in Budapest. They are from that beautiful city and truly blew us away. What awesome music, great live performance and awesome humble people! After that show their album was on heavy rotation on our bus for the rest of the tour. Also, the album title seemed quite fitting to us. TarLung are: Rotten – Guitars Philipp Seiler – Guitars & Vocals Marian Waibl – Drums. Additional bass guitar by Lukas Haidinger. Additional vocals on ‘Sea of Drowned Souls’ by Thérèse Lanz and Casey Rogers Follow TarLung: Instagram / Facebook Grab some TarLung Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Stoner rock, Psychedelic, Heavy psych, Doom Sounds Like: Various Artists Homeland: USA OHMs Peak Unveils ‘The Mindful Collective’: A Charity Compilation Supporting Music & Memory. A Purpose‑Driven Collaboration Across the Heavy‑Music Landscape ‘The Mindful Collective’ brings together 21 remarkable bands who generously donated tracks handpicked by OHMs Peak’s editorial team. Known for its rigorous curation and its mission to elevate albums that “reach new heights,” OHMs Peak selected artists whose work embodies emotional depth, atmospheric power, and genre‑defining creativity. Supporting Music & Memory’s Transformative Mission Music & Memory helps individuals living with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other cognitive or physical challenges reconnect with their identity through personalized music playlists. These playlists — built from the songs that shaped a person’s life — can unlock memories, reduce anxiety, and restore a sense of self. For more information about Music & Memory, visit: musicandmemory.org A huuuuge thank you to all the bands who donated a song. This is not possible without you. Lower Slaughter, Torpedo Torpedo, Domkraft, CHEEKS, KLPS, KNUB, Spiralpark, Beneath a Steel Sky, Fomies, Blessings, Pothamus, Cosmic Reaper, Apex Ten, Doble Sesion Nocturna, Froglord, All is Violent, Sheev, coastlands, Kal-El, Sunbreather and Bask Track Listing: Lower Slaughter - Take A Seat 04:02 Torpedo Torpedo - Fade 05:22 Domkraft - Spiral Noises 05:16 KNUB - Wet Lung 05:34 Spiralpark - Slumber 04:47 Kal-El - Cloud Walker 06:55 Beneath a Steel Sky - Everyone you've ever known 04:35 Fomies - Neon Gloom 03:35 Blessings - No Good Things 03:44 CHEEKS - hi list 2 die list 03:21 Pothamus - Zhikarta 07:26 Cosmic Reaper - Bloodfeather 06:03 Apex Ten - Ruthless 06:26 Froglord - Follow the Star 04:00 All is Violent - Born Of Kalahari 04:47 Sheev - Tüdelüt 05:01 coastlands - hollowing 05:51 Bask - In the Heat of the Dying Sun 04:57 Sunbreather - WINE 06:07 Doble Sesión Nocturna - Acto III: Que No Quede Ninguno 05:44 K L P S - TRIBULATION 08:06 Grab the OHMs Peak Comp Here Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Stoner rock, Psychedelic, Heavy psych Sounds Like: Bonehawk, Iota, Black Elephant Homeland: UK What makes Universal Heat Death elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Universal Heat Death is an energizing blend of raw stoner rock and melodic psychedelic fuzz, highlighted by a wealth of jamming. The vocals have a classic muffled tone that blends perfectly with the music. The production possesses a raw and authentic sound that captures the essence of a live performance. This unique ambiance enhances the overall experience. Track Listing: Universal Heat Death 3:36 The Raven 4:35 Bloodsands pt.1 5:13 The Slow Descent into Hell 2:29 Debt Ridden Blues 7:42 Bloodsands pt.2 7:29 So Low 6:06 Dive deeper into Univeral Heat Death with our Q&A with Tom Pilsworth, Singer/Guitarist. OHMs Peak: Universal Heat Death is a massive, echo‑laden journey—equal parts classic stoner rock, cosmic doom, and melodic psychedelia. Your sound feels both familiar and forward‑thinking. What influenced the band’s sonic direction leading into this album? Tom Pilsworth: I should start by saying that we recorded this album in 2024. Four years after the previous album, We Are Doomed. In that time longstanding guitarist John Slaymaker left to re-join Caravan of Whores (great band check them out) and Lewis Batten joined us. So that was a period of change and must have influenced the sound. We allowed ourselves to be a bit more experimental, which you can hear in the “Bloodsands” tracks, and also Debt Ridden Blues, which Lewis wrote the music for and is about as close to real blues as we’ve ever come! I’ve always been quite influenced by the first Queens of the Stone Age record - the clean simplicity of those tracks. So that’s probably where the ironically titled “Slow Descent into Hell” came from. But really we have so many different influences in this band, everything from Killing Joke and Kyuss to Pink Floyd and The Who. Stoner rock and doom is where our playing styles converge when we jam in the studio, but it's nice to pull it in different directions sometimes. OHMs Peak: “Bloodsands Pt. 2” absolutely floored us. The way it erupts with that percussive surge, the swirling echo, and the sense of momentum—it’s such a unique and powerful moment on the record. Can you walk us through the creation of this track and how it evolved into the album’s standout centerpiece? Tom Pilsworth: Andy, our bassist, wrote the music for this one and when I asked him he said “It just sounded cool at the time… A faint groove to propel it along with enough breathing space in the verses for some all important silence.” It was quite a difficult one to put together as I remember so I’m glad it came off. Andy was mucking around with this “Phrygian dominate” scale and his noodlings first produced the “Bloodsands PT.1” track, which I think we put together basically by jamming it out in the studio. Then he came up with this different set of riffs using the same scale and it produced another great jam, but we weren’t sure what to do with it. So later on he came up with the other parts like that chunky chorus riff, and put it into a rough structure. At that point I usually try to come up with a theme and lyrics… I knew I wanted to write something about Boudica, a British tribal Queen, as it's such a cool topic for a doom band - her rebellion against the Romans which took them by surprise. I bought some old historical fiction book off eBay about her life and raided that for inspiration. Then we started putting it together in the practice studio. It was a struggle at first, especially getting the vocals right, in that unusual scale. But the end result was a really immersive track, so it was worth the effort. Now we are in the process of re-learning it to play live! OHMs Peak: Indica Blues has built a reputation for immersive, high‑energy live shows. What has been your most memorable performance to date, and what made that night particularly special for the band? Tom Pilsworth: If there’s high energy I think it’s mostly coming from Rich who is a whirlwind behind the kit at our shows! Our most memorable gig by a long way has to be playing Desertfest London. It was always a bucket list thing for us - the band was basically founded to be a part of that scene but it took a really long time to get in there. The venue was packed like no other gig we’ve played and the backline was unbelievably loud. And nothing broke! Which is unusual for us. Unforgettable experience. OHMs Peak: Your sound is rooted in stoner rock, doom, and heavy psych, but it also stretches into melodic and atmospheric territory. What band outside of those genres would you love to tour with—one whose audience or energy you feel would complement your own? Tom Pilsworth: Personally I’d love to support Amyl and the Sniffers. I think the energy they bring to live shows is just unreal. We’re more of a close your eyes and listen kind of band. But we could certainly make a great warm up act. OHMs Peak: The album artwork for Universal Heat Death is striking and cosmic, perfectly matching the scale of the music. Who developed the concept, and what meaning or story does the imagery hold for you? Tom Pilsworth: It was Rich who first mentioned the concept of the heat death of the universe (in which the universe will expand to the point at which there is no energy left - and no life) in band practice. He works on nuclear fusion projects so actually knows about this stuff! As soon as he started talking about it, I thought that sounded a great title for an album. And it makes sense - the last album was partly about nuclear war. So where do you go after the end of humanity? You have to talk about the end of the universe itself. It wasn’t easy to find an appropriate artist but we found Reza Afshar, a great sci fi illustrator - check his stuff out on instagram. OHMs Peak: Indica Blues is stranded on an island with only a solar‑powered turntable and a pair of majestic solar Bluetooth speakers. The band can collectively choose only one album to bring. Which album do you all agree on? Tom Pilsworth: You’ll be pleased to know we took this question very seriously, and after a lengthy and bitter debate, during which Black Sabbath Vol.4 was cast into the sea because “I’m not listening to ‘Changes’ on repeat on a desert island!”, we finally settled on Earthless - Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky . Indica Blues are: Tom Pilsworth – Guitar, Vocals Lewis Batten – Guitar Andrew Haines-Villalta – Bass Rich Walker – Drums Released on Majestic Mountain Records Follow Indica Blues: Facebook Grab some Indica Blues Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2026 Genre: Stoner rock, Space rock Sounds Like: My Sleeping Karma, Glowsun, Homeland: Spain What makes Fuzz Transmissions elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Wild Fuzz Trip is precisely what their latest release delivers. The gentlemen from Spain continue to expand their impressive catalog of heavy, psychedelic instrumental fuzz. The synthesizers truly elevate the experience and add a layer of comfort, propelling the album to another stratosphere. The bass and drums form the foundation that holds everything together, while the guitars soar melodically. And let's not forget about the saxophone, particularly on the final track, "Nebula Groove," which adds extra flavor to the mix. Track Listing: Echoes from the Fuzz Garden 9:41 Big Grey 9:43 Galactican Twilight 6:29 Old Kraken 7:48 Nebula Groove 6:18 Wild Fuzz Trip are: Guitars - Miguel A. Marañón & Diego López Keyboards - Diego López Bass Guitar - Andy Shardlow Drums - Suso Valcárcel Sax - Martin Ludl Follow Wild Fuzz Trip: Instagram Grab some Wild Fuzz Trip Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2025 Genre: Post - punk Sounds Like: Fugazi, Girls Against Boys, Rival Schools Homeland: North Carolina What makes Cheeks elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Cheeks brings a refreshing vibe to the punk rock scene. Their fusion of punk and math rock evokes a nostalgic 90s atmosphere. Occasionally, a touch of psychedelic heaviness emerges; take a listen to the track Dream Boat. The vocals have an ideal tone for this music style. Neither overpowering nor underwhelming, they have a homegrown feel. The production is excellent and not overly polished; we believe it would translate perfectly on tour. Track Listing: Sound Of The Devil 4:33 transmission interrupted 3:36 Danger Squeeze 4:21 Dream Boat 4:26 Butchery Summer 5:12 hi list 2 die list 3:21 Flap Jackets 5:04 Dive deeper into Cheeks with our Q&A with the CHEEKS. OHMs Peak: Your sound is mature beyond years with a myriad of rock, post-punk, noise rock, and hardcore. Tell us how you formed and provide us some background on your previous endeavors. CHEEKS: Our sound is 5 people living in a pre-dystopian society, moving through the crushing pressures of our lives mixed with drugs. We all feel that our lives and previous endeavors have been leading up to our present-day band. Fate formed us. OHMs Peak: All 7 tracks resonate and only get better with each listen. The closer, ‘Flap Jackets,’ is a whirlwind of great contrast. How did the darker track come about, and what is the track about? CHEEKS: Lyrically, I would say the song is a day in the life of my brain. One foot in front of the other, trying not to blow it, that sort of thing. And of course the fact that we're all here together doing just that, simultaneously, but ultimately in this one brain and body of ours. All by ourselves yet surrounded by one another, just floating out in space. It all spins on the head of a pin. That said, if someone connects to it and finds some meaning in it for themselves, then all the better. Musically, I believe Alex came in with a great idea, and everyone else expanded upon it and dusted it with their unique and personal majick, and wala! A new Cheeks song was ushered into the world. OHMs Peak: How did the band name ‘Cheeks’ come about, and what does it signify? Our record release was definitely the most memorable performance to date. We played at Fleetwood’s Rocknroll Chapel in Asheville, NC. Among other things, it was special because it signified the end of an era with the 5 of us and the birth of a new chapter for CHEEKS. Cheeks was made up randomly one night lol. Spread the word!! OHMs Peak: What bands most influenced your sound, and which band NOT in your genre would you want to play live with that would most complement your sound? CHEEKS: Some of the bands' influences would be Jesus Lizard, Drive Like Jehu, and the Cramps. Playing with someone like Brian Jones Massacre would be cool. OHMs Peak: Cheeks is stranded on an island with only a solar-powered turntable and majestically powered solar Bluetooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album do you agree to? CHEEKS: We agreed that if we had to choose one record, it would be the first Stooges album. CHEEKS are: Alex, Tony, Cheryl, Luke, and Chadwick Follow CHEEKS: Instagram Grab some CHEEKS Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)