LEAFDRINKER drops their new concept album "Nausea" on August 24. This is the band's best album to date, and they turn the fuzzed-out heavy psych energy way up on this one. Great music with a dark, industrial theme to tie the songs together? Dig it! 

Fuzzy loves concept albums. So when LEAFDRINKER sent me "Nausea" to preview, I wasted no time in playing it. A concept album puts an extra burden on the musicians, because the songs have to work together. Both to tell the story and explore the themes, but also musically because without a cohesive approach to the entire album, the whole point of the concept falls apart. 

I really dig the opening. It's long, slow, and ominous, and sets the tone for the album. Like a heavy overture. But also each song on a concept album needs to stand on its own. That's why we don't see a lot of concept albums being released; they ain't easy! And "Landsickness" definitely stands on its own. Heavy with some great guitar work.

"Father Inire's Mirrors" is a short instrumental interlude. Lots of ripping guitar work to bridge us into the next track. Dig it!

"Bad Faith" opens so fast and heavy it's almost a surprise, and considering the previous track "Scylla" was also a door-buster, there's no way to deny the amount of energy on this album.

"1,000 Plateaus" is another high-energy interlude, quickly followed by "Weirding Way" which keeps the fuzz and heavy psych in full force, but also shows the variety Leafdrinker is capable of. This song really plays into the overlap between heavy psych and grunge and experimental rock. 

"Charybdis" is the longest and slowest song on the album, but Leafdrinker delivers the heavy fuzz and trippy guitar work. The solo in the middle is especially good. And the lyrics are especially good: 

Our law is disorder

Our progress bids blood

All actions required

Lumped in with the sum 

"Mereology" really shows off Leafdrinker's grunge roots. Great song.

"Endless, Nameless, Formless" continue the dark theme and heavy riffs, and "Phage" ends the album with a satisfying conclusion with a huge variety of sounds and vocal styles. Epic! 

The lyrics are dark and full of despair and desperation. "Nausea" doesn't tell a story from start to finish, but the songs share a common theme which explores the world we are living in at the moment. The music ties them all together. "Nausea" is a totally badass concept album. Check it out!

Fuzzy's favorite song: "Charybdis" but really, the way to listen to this album is as a single musical story. 

From the band:

"Nausea" is a concept album whose 10 songs are tied together by themes of industrial capitalism, environmental degradation, social (in)justice and general ennui, with added spices of mysticism, science fiction and ancient mythology for flavor. 

Follow Leafdrinker on Bandcamp to find out when the album drops on August 24. 

Leafdrinker band is from New Orleans with members: 

• E Cole: bass
• L Condes: drums
• J Romagosa: guitar & vocals

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CD OF THE MONTH MAILERS!! Fuzzy mails out over 75 CDs to super fans in the USA every month. They love to hear about new bands and new music, so send Fuzzy your stickers, printed album codes, promo CDs, whatever you want. Any number is good. Fuzzy is already paying the postage, and The Swamp Krewe loves swag and frequently posts to Instagram, so contact fuzzycracklins@gmail.com to make it happen! Bands, labels, podcasters, radio show DJs, bloggers, reviewers, get at me! It's FREE! 

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A massive hour-long doped-out heavy stash of riffs with ghoulish vocals meant to haunt your smoke-out and have you running for safety. But you can't escape the pull of the doom and the sludge as they create a black hole of heaviness from which there is no return. Pack your bowls and give yourself into "Bong Rites" from EARTHBONG:

"Goddamn High" is so heavy it's almost exhausting, and when it's done after 15 minutes, you try to pull yourself out of the dank hole it's sucked you into, but this album is only getting started. You still have 45 more minutes of heavy music. 

"Weedcult Today" opens with a reminder to re-pack your bowl and re-charge your mind before continuing on this journey into madness and heaviness. It starts off much slower than the opening track, and plods along with a foreboding riff that makes me worry what is in store me. The answer arrives about half way in as the ghoulish growls return, and brain pounding cranks into high gear. 

"Monks Blood" is the final song, and it's as long as both of the previous songs combined. This one wastes no time with a slow build-up, but instead fires an opening salvo of riffs meant to subdue your will before your mind can offer any resistance. Earthbong confidently sails this 30-minute mindfuck across the dirty waters of dread, leaving you stranded somewhere in the bogs of sludge and doom with the only option being to hit the replay button and experience "Bong Rites" all over again. 

Follow Earthbong on Bandcamp at https://earthbong.bandcamp.com

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SATURN'S HUSK is back with a new album "The Conduit" and it delivers a hour of epic instrumental music. The band blends psych, stoner, and doom into a sonic space flight that easily sends this album to the stars and onto Fuzzy's list of top albums of 2020. Check out "The Conduit" by Saturn's Husk on Bandcamp: 

First off, this is an absolutely massive album, clocking in at an hour. Which gives the music time to do a slow burn and develop. The first 2 songs are slow and spaced-out, and it's not until "The Heavenly Ape" that we get a guitar solo that is, well, heavenly and blasts the album off into the stars. 

And once the album is in orbit, it simply does not let up. "The Ritual" and "Spectral Haze" are both so good, the album could end there and I'd be raving about it. But it doesn't end there. "Mycelium Messiah" hits you with its fast tempo, ultra heavy bass line, and at this point I'm just completely blown away with how good this album is. 

"City of the Djinn" offers a short respite to let you catch your breath before we head into the last 2 songs of the album. Are we going to return to earth after our amazing sonic space ride? Or will be just keep blasting out of the solar system on an unending cosmic voyage? 

Well, at first you suspect you are on a return voyage back to the confines of our condemned planet, because "Sand Barrows" is a much slower and dreamier tune than the mid section of the album. Well, that's how it starts off anyway. By the end of the song, you realize Saturn's Husk isn't dropping you back to ground but instead is firing the afterburners on a course straight to the center of the galaxy. The guitars rip so hard on top of the slamming drums and heavy bass that there is no doubt we are traveling faster than light on a one-way trip into another dimension. 

The final song, "A Shattered Voyage," proves the point that you've ended this voyage in deep space, with heavenly tones and a reading from the Poem "Ozymandias" written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. A great ending to a great album, and proves this band brings psych and space rock to their music just as easily as they bring the stoner and doom. 

Again, this is a solid hour of music, which gives Saturn's Husk plenty of room to spread out their sonic talents, and give the album the ebb and flow to create a true experience. The riffs speed up, slow down, get heavy, go into space, and deliver a true journey of music that you simply can't appreciate on a shorter album. 

You might think (and you'd be correct) that one possible downside to a long album is that it might contain some lesser or weaker material. You have nothing to worry about on "The Conduit." Every track holds its own, and more importantly, weaves itself into the overall sonic story that Saturn's Husk weaves. 

TLDR; "The Conduit" by Saturn's Husk is easily one of the best instrumental albums of 2020.  

Fuzzy's favorite: "Mycelium Messiah" or "Spectral Haze" but really, I could have picked any of the songs on "The Conduit" because every song stands out in its own way. 

Saturn's Husk is from Rīga, Latvia with members:

• Lead & rhythm guitar - Jurijs Kaštanovs
• Bass & rhythm guitar - Regnārs Breikšs
• Drums & keyboards - Armands Baranovskis

From the band:

Instrumental Doom / Sludge / Psychedelic three-piece from Riga, Latvia, conjuring hypnotic riffs and psychedelic soundscapes since 2014.

Follow Saturn's Husk on Bandcamp at https://saturnshusk.bandcamp.com/ 

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One of the highlights on Fuzzy's mega-comp BRASIL IN FUZZ is "Felix" by Mábura. On August 21 on Bandcamp, the instrumental trio from Rio de Janeiro is back with their new EP, and it's called "Heni". The band blends doom with heavy psych to deliver 3 tracks that are absolutely killer. There are 3 tracks with about 20 minutes of music:

Anhangá is a space rock blast-off with a very slow burn that takes a few minutes to build up into a Falcon Heavy trans-orbital injection. That's "Heavy" with a capital "H". This one is definitely more heavy psych than the other 2 tracks. It's also got some low-end chants that kick in towards the end.

III/IV is more doom then gets into heavy psych sounds around 2:00 at which point, this goes from being a really good song and transforms into a fucking great one!

Bong of God (besides having a fantastic title) is the grooviest track of the triad. It starts off with a swagger, and keeps the groovy riff going for 5 minutes. I especially dig the slow, clean guitar solo that plays over the pounding drums and fuzzed-out heavy tones. At about the 4 minute mark, the song simply explodes with the solo blasting off into space, and the fuzz diving into a volcano. 

Mábura's new EP "Heni" is 20 minutes of heavy doom psych and it's well worth checking out on Friday. Fuzzy is digging it a lot and plans to give it plenty of replays. 

Fuzzy's favorite: "Bong of God" with its perfect blend of heavy psych, doom, and effects.  

Mábura is from Rio de Janeiro with members:

• Lucas Ferraro (drums)
• Francisco Patetucci (guitar/synth)
• Glauber Nogueira Pontes (bass)

Conceived between the interaction of heavy psych, blues, stoner/doom, heavy rock elements, Mábura is a Brazillian instrumental power trio who exposes from ritualistic and psychedelic imersive atmospheres, to loud purged riffs loaded with fuzz and intensity.

Follow Mábura on Bandcamp to get "Heni" when it is released on August 21. 

Mábura is also on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/3WXc6BBAtD0dpM3uMnNtEl

BANDS!! LABELS!! Fuzzy loves to review new music! Get at fuzzycracklins@gmail.com with your Bandcamp music. 

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It's a challenge to keep a positive attitude during the misery of the pandemic, and sometimes I don't even try. I just give into the sense of dread and hopelessness, and let the feelings of sadness wash over me. And the perfect soundtrack for this mood is the debut EP from WEEDREEK. This is 30-minute collection of songs from a one-man industrial sludge drone machine. The songs were recorded over the past several years, but they sound as if they were written during the pandemic. Check out Weedreek on Bandcamp: 

There is singing (chants? haunted ramblings?) on first track, then pure instrumental with samples, and a treat for all Blade Runner fans in the last track.

Drone with atmospheric effects, with a few samples, and some very good clean guitar work. I dig the long slow non-stop pounding that receives extended periods of tortured guitar work. The extended drone combined with the guitar layers builds up a dark sense of torture and anxiety. This is not music to relax with, but it is the soundtrack for dark moods and thoughts. 

When your brain needs half an hour of heavy pounding and despair, check out the riffs and growls of Weedreek. 

30 minutes of atmospheric doom is available at NYP at https://weedreek.bandcamp.com/album/weedreek

Fuzzy's favorite track: "Humanoid DUB"

Weedreek is Miguel Krieg from Mexico City. From the band: 

Weedreek is my solo sludge doom experimental project. Here is the first EP, recorded some years ago and released in June 2020.

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Fuzzy just reviewed the occult doom band COVEN SPELL, and today we have the occult rock TMPL from Tucson in the desert of the American Southwest. The debut EP "Initiation of the Fool" from TMPL sounds like a dream from the 70s. Heavy rock with angelic vocals? Yes, please! Check out TMPL: 

There's a reason the vocals have an operatic, occult quality to them. And it's because the singer has a background in church choir and vocal training. She brings her talents to full bear and are the perfect complement to the heavy occult rock sound on this EP. 

I heard about this band's debut EP from their interview on DOOM TOMB PODCAST (which is great, so go check it out) and I'm really glad to have heard this short EP. Doom Tomb called it when he said this is a band to keep an eye on. 

Fuzzy's favorite: "Witch Moon"

I hope TMPL band has a full album in the works. I'm looking forward to it!

And check out their interview with Doom Tomb Podcast!

TMPL is from Tucson, Arizona with members:

• Abigail Codru: Vocals
• A. Kruger: Guitar
• Tyler Major: Bass/Effects
• Zachary White: Drums/Organ

Follow TMPL on Bandcamp at http://doomtombpodcast.com/2020/07/28/tmpl-ep-121/

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Cover art by Steven Yoyada

GRIM EARTH is back with their new EP "Stash of the Damned" and once again, this doom metal 4-piece from the PNW delivers the goods. There are more than enough heavy riffs and nasty vocals stashed into these 3 tracks to satisfy both sludge and doom metal fans. Check out "Stash of the Damned" from Grim Earth:

"Stash of the Damned" starts this 15-minute riff rollercoaster with "Haunted" and the energy never lets up. There's a swagger to the fuzz and an edge to the vocals that gets your head banging and your lungs toking. This is really great shit. 

What hit me immediately about the second song, "Sick Fuck," was how completely different it sounds from the opening track. A hallmark of many doom albums is the consistent riffage and tone across the entire album, but Grim Earth don't take that approach. And I really dig the variety. 

"Sick Fuck" in particular has me hearing Grim Earth's PNW roots. This song has me hearing just a bit of the grunge the region is famous for. As someone who made the jihad to Seattle many times in early 90s, it is great to hear a band with an original sound while at the same time, giving a nod to its roots.

"Ruins" wraps it up. There is something about the slow, drawn-out misery of this song before it accelerates into a brick wall at its conclusion, that makes me wish it was longer than its 4:27 run time. My guess is that Grim Earth plays this one a lot longer on stage. 

"Stash of the Damned" might have only 3 songs, but this Grim Earth packs enough sonic mayhem in its stash that you will be giving it plenty of replays. 

Fuzzy's favorite track: "Sick Fuck" 

FFO: Doomsday Rejects and Merlock.

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Last year, Fuzzy reviewed the excellent Russian doom metal band MEGALITH LEVITATION, and they're back with a split with Russian brothers DEKONSTRUKTOR. Spoiler alert -- this is easily one of the most cohesive and badass splits that I've heard in a long time, and by that I mean, these 4 tracks sound like the two bands worked it out in advance so that their songs blended together to make one awesome album. Check out their new split on Bandcamp: 

Megalith Levitation delivers an excellent opening track, but then really kills it with "Despair" which piles such a great guitar solo over the top of the doom trip (about half way through) that it's time to find a word that heavier than "heavy."

One difference between the two bands, is that while Megalith Levitation has the chants and screams, Dekonstruktor delivers vocals that are more in the psych or spaced-out variety. Dekonstruktor also brings a bit more psych or maybe even a bit more experimentation to their music. Check out the start of "Beheaded Horizon."

Both of these bands deliver slow, pounding, acid metal and sludge with hints of psych and drone, and with a combined length of nearly 40 minutes, your brain will be pummeled into the kind of mush that will make you hit that repeat button. This is really good. 

These two bands go together really well. A split is not a sampler or a compilation. A split should be two bands that complement each other, and ideally the entire album plays with a cohesive sound and sonic order. This one does for sure.

Both bands also deliver a hint of drone on these tracks, or more so if the songs were played a little slower. The heavy repetitiveness of the sludge really hammers the riffs into your brain. Fuzzy digs it!

This is an excellent split and it's a great way to find 1 or 2 new Russian sludge bands if these bands are new to you.

Fuzzy's favorites: All the tracks are excellent, but I'll lean towards each of the band's longer songs. I guess because I'm a glutton for punishment.

Follow the bands (and definitely check out the liner notes) at: 

• Meagalith Levitation at https://megalithlevitation.bandcamp.com
• Dekonstruktor at https://dekonstruktor.bandcamp.com

Check out the CD from Aesthetic Death at https://www.aestheticdeath.com

Listen to DOOM TOMB PODCAST to find out how to get a free CD from TheSwampRecords.com.

BANDS!! LABELS!! Fuzzy loves to review new music! Get at fuzzycracklins@gmail.com with your Bandcamp music. 

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SWAMP KREWE PROMOTION PACKAGE!!  Fuzzy has over 100 super fans in The Swamp Krewe subscription on Bandcamp. Send album codes to fuzzycracklins@gmail.com and if your music is KILLER then I'll share them with The Swamp Krewe. They have a lot of their own followers, so your album will get into the collections & feeds of many Bandcampers very quickly. It's FREE! Contact fuzzycracklins@gmail.com

CD OF THE MONTH MAILERS!! Fuzzy mails out over 50 CDs to super fans in the USA every month. They love to hear about new bands and new music, so send me your stickers, album codes, promo CDs, whatever you want. Any number is good. Fuzzy is already paying the postage, and The Swamp Krewe loves swag and frequently posts to Instagram, so contact fuzzycracklins@gmail.com to make it happen! Bands, labels, podcasters, radio show DJs, bloggers, reviewers, get at me!

The Swamp Krewe CD of the Month

Exclusive limited Swamp editions every month

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Music Submissions and Contact The Swamp Records™

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