MARS ~ COSMIC SQUID ..... review

The French underground scene has over the years thrown up some absolutely stellar bands for our listening pleasure, bands like Witchthroat Serpent, Red Sun Atacama, The Necromancers and of course the mighty Mars Red Sky and today we bring you another to add to that list, a band who share part of their name with last of those bands mentioned and like that band are a trio. The band we are talking about go by the name MARS and consist of Clément Rousont (bass); Sylvian Leflond (guitar/vocals) and Florian Demerson (drums), a band whose blending of post-metal, space rock and stoner-doom creates a textured mix of languid spaciousness and blustering heaviness that can be as transcendental as it is crushing, something that can be witnessed when giving their debut release "Cosmic Squid" a spin.

MARS get the ball rolling with "Run", a song that starts off with a subterranean bass motif accompanied by subtle percussion with that percussion taking a turn for the thunderous when the guitar joins in. It is fairly evident at this point that we are deep in stoner-doom territory but with Leflond's phase heavy guitar textures combining with his clean vocal to tell a tale of "wisdom" and "judgement", it becomes pretty clear, pretty soon, that this is stoner-doom of a more cosmic nature. "Icarus" follows, now this is a song that flits between pummelling heaviness and pulsing post-metal languidity, crushing and crunchy one minute spacious and airy the next with vocals that posses a very pleasing lilting quality. "Fall of the Mantis Star" follows and is an instrumental piece with a revolving dynamic, if you wanted to place this piece in a visual context then we guess it would equate to that of neutron star/pulsar, its endless circular groove routinely interrupted by bursts of dank dark and dangerous energy. Up next is "Burning Sky" this is a song boasting a more traditional slow'n'heavy stoner-doom dynamic with Demerson and Rousont laying down a barrage of pounding percussion and growling bottom end for Leflond to decorate with crunching guitar refrains and swirling solos , the guitarist also finding time to melodically wax lyrical on the subjects of "solar battles" and "celestial realms". Low reverberating refrains and a mix of militaristic and tribal drumming support a low in the mix clean vocal melody for the excellent "Pray the Sun" while final track " Shalbatana Vallis" sees MARS combining elements of space rock, post metal and doom together to create a melting pot of groove that you really wont want to end but that weirdly does for a full seventeen seconds before suddenly exploding into life again to take things to the close.

MARS' "Cosmic Squid" is a damn fine debut from a damn fine band, it is an album that sits dynamically in the stoner-doom canon but just a little left of its centre thanks to its clever utilization of space rock and post metal. If MARS stay the course, and let's hope they do, and keep making music of this quality then these guys are going to be major players on not just the French scene bur worldwide.

Check 'em out ....  

© 2025 Frazer Jones

RAINBOWS ARE FREE ~ SILVER AND GOLD ... review

Rainbows Are Free have been bending ears backwards with their unique blend of heavy psych, stoner rock and spaced out proto-metal since forming in 2007. The band first burst onto the scene with their self-tiled EP "Rainbows Are Free" and have since gone on to release three well received full length albums, 2010's "Believers In Medicine", "Waves Ahead Of The Ocean" (2014), and "Head Pains" (2019), they have even managed to fit in the release of a live album with "Heavy Petal Music" (2023) which was recorded at the Summer Breeze Music Festival in their home town Norman, Oklahoma. The bands line up has chopped and changed over the years but not by much and not to the detriment of the music they make together under the Rainbows Are Free banner. The bands current line up of Brandon Kistler (vocals), Richie Tarver (lead guitar), Jason Smith (bass), Joey Powell (rhythm guitar), Bobby Onspaugh (drums) and Josh Elam (synths) have just put the finishing touches to their fourth full length studio release " Silver and Gold" (Ripple Music) and in our humble opinion it is their best yet.

Tribalistic drumming and low grizzled bass introduce opening number "Your Girl" followed by shimmering guitar textures fleshed out with synthesised effects that add an almost orchestral underbelly to the proceedings,  Kistler then enters front and centre telling a tale of temptation and guilt with a vocal that possesses a grungy creakiness in its lower register and a manic angst in its upper reaches, the groove surrounding those vocals switching to a heavy onslaught of prog like metal underscored with strong eastern flavours, this is only track one and already we at The Psychlist are grinning like Cheshire cats. Next track "Running With A Friend of the Devil" kicks off with guitars chugging, bass galloping and drums rolling leaving Elam free to fill in the gaps with 80's flavoured synthesised swirls and whirls and Kistler to decorate with a clipped, almost goth like vocal. "Solar Flare" begins in a trippy style reminiscent of Black Sabbath's "Laguna Sunrise" then explodes into a heavy prog meets proto-doom type groove expertly anchored down by Powell's rhythm guitar, Smith's bass and Onspaugh's drums, Tarver's lead work and Elam's synth/keyboard adding extra colour and texture beneath a soaring Kistler vocal. "Sleep", a masterclass in quiet/loud/quiet dynamics sporting a superb vocal is next and is followed by "Hide" a song that could well be in line for the title of heaviest torch song/lament ever recorded, Kistler manfully crooning heartfelt lyrics while all around him the band are making enough noise to wake the dead. There is post-punk, goth rock feel to next track "The Light", thanks in most part to Elam once again mining the eighties for his synthesised keyboard flourishes while "Dirty" comes over like British prog punk rockers Magazine jamming with Joy Division after a heavy night on amphetamines. RAF tone down the heaviness for the swooning but still intense "Fade Away" before finally saying farewell with "The Gift", the band managing to make what is a just over three minute song sound sprawling thanks to how much they pack in to it... and believe us when we say.. its a lot!

Trying to describe the different shades, colours and textures that go into each and every one of the songs contained within Rainbows Are Free's "Silver and Gold" is no easy feat and that is because the bands music draws from so many different musical wells. Elements of post-punk, British goth, stoner/hard rock and metals of both alternative and traditional flavours can be found making their presence felt on this delightfully diverse album. "Silver and Gold" will be an absolute nightmare for those who like to group their music collections based on genre, simply because it refuses adhere to one, but for those of us who only see music as either GOOD or BAD the choice is a simple one, file under G!

Check it out .... 

 

© 2025 Frazer Jones

CONTRAPESO ~ MAMBA TRIP .... review

We at Desert Psychlist like to think we have played a small part in bringing rock music from the South America's to the attention of a much wider international audience but whether that is actually the case we can never be quite sure however whether this is be the case or not we fully intend to carry on flying the flag for the continent and reviewing albums from those South American bands that we think are worthy of our readers attention and so, without further ado, let us introduce you to Chile's Contrapeso and their new release "Mamba Trip". 

"Mamba Trip" opens with "León" a song that features desert rock flavoured circular guitar motifs revolving around fuzzed out chunky riffage, low bouncing bass lines and punchy drumming, it is a sound somewhat reminiscent of that which once filled the night skies of those generator parties held in the Californian desert only with with a little Latin spiciness and vocals sang in Spanish. Next song "232" kicks off with a delicious rolling bass riff that is then joined by the rest of the band in a throbbing stoner/desert groove that frames a bouncy clean vocal melody, it is followed by "Espiral" a delicious mix of stoner metal and acidic psych that along it journey also gets a little funky, the track also features some face melting lead guitar work that goes nicely "out there" without going overboard.. "Salvador" eases things up a little and boasts a slightly more accessible sound both musically and vocally, its not quite what you would call a radio-friendly sound but it is one  heading in that direction with its Santana like guitar tones and its mixture of Northern and Southern hemisphere rhythms. For their final song "Romper" Contrapeso add a little bit of menace to their vocals and a touch of proto-doomic gnarliness to their musical attack, the overall groove still sitting in the canon of desert rock but with an added air of dank grittiness, this song also boasts some fine dual guitar trade offs before its last note announces the songs close and that of this release. 

Now Contrapeso describe "Mamba Trip" as a "demo", which would suggest that it is a release that contains  songs that may one day reappear on another release given some studio polish. We at The Psychlist would suggest they leave things as they are and just change the description of this excellent, and pleasingly ragged, blend of desert rock and heavy psych from that of "demo" to "debut EP". Granted their are a few tweaks that could be made, like dropping the vocals a little deeper in the mix and ramping up the volume on some of the guitar solos, but on the whole "Mambo Trip" is a damn fine listen that is as good if not better than some bands "official" releases.

Check it out ....

© 2025 Frazer Jones

WOOD WITCH ~ SYNNA MODOR ..... review

 

If you like doom metal that tips its hat to the genres pioneers and past masters yet still manages to maintain a semblance of originality then you are probably a fan of bands like Green Lung, SpellBook and Sleepwulf, bands who have firmly nailed down that old-school/new school balance. One band who should also be mentioned when discussing bands whose grooves walk a tightrope between vintage and "of today" are Virginian trio Wood Witch, Daniel Perry (vocals/guitar); Wade "Wigz" Johnson (bass) and Ryan Mardre (drums), a band who make a noise that is deeply rooted in the past but yet still manages to sound as current and as relevant as todays morning papers and if you think that is just us gilding the lily then maybe checking out their latest album,"Synna Modor" might change your mind.

Our journey starts with "Solitude Is My Name" a song that boasts a riff that must have been used countless times by countless bands but no matter because it is one of those riffs that you can hear a thousand times in a thousand different contexts and it will still send quivers of delight running down the spine and it is especially effective here twinned with a powerful and superbly pitched vocal melody beneath which growling bass and thunderous drums lay the foundations for bluesy technical guitar virtuosity. For next track "Stones of Scorn" Wood Witch elect to go down the chugging heavy metal route and its a route that sees them trudging down paths not too dissimilar to those walked by Sweden's Grand Magus whereas its follow up "Under Satan's Shadow" finds them mixing proto-metal with a little NWOBHM swagger and panache behind a vocal that tells a forceful and vibrant tale of witchery and wrongdoing. Title track "Synna Modor" is a lyrical cross examination of a woman accused of  witchcraft delivered against a backdrop of dank cloying and atmospheric doom that sees Perry vocally taking on the roles of prosecuting counsel, witness and judge, Perry finally getting the answer to his question of "how do you plead" with the barely audible word "guilty" in the songs dying moments. "Black Dahlia" mixes elements of present day occult rock with its older cousin hard rock for a track that has future live favourite written all over it while its follow up "Suspiriorum", a mostly instrumental piece, finds Johnson and Mardre laying down a thundering doomic groove for Perry to decorate with the sort of searing lead work that these days is a rarity to hear outside of  albums from the early days of 70's proto-metal and doom. Up next is "Nocturnal Rites" another throbbing doom meets hard rock meets heavy metal song buoyed by a great vocal melody, only this one featuring a quite unexpected but totally welcome passage of fusion like psychedelic jazziness. We mentioned Green Lung in our introduction to this review and next song "Darkness Within" is a song that has a very Green Lung-ish feel to it in that it has that same swinging gait and carries many of those same Uriah Heep meets Pagan Altar characteristics, again this is a song that highlights the bands growing skill for writing killer vocal melodies. For their last but one track "The Sabbath" Wood Witch throw all their influences into one cauldron to come up with an instrumental that pays tribute to all the bands that have inspired them, even going so far as signing off with the riff from Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf". Final number "Raise The Dead" boasts a fist pumping doom/proto- metal groove anchored by steady but thunderous drumming and subterranean growling bass over which Perry serves up fuzzy distorted crunchy guitar work as well as delivering clean forceful vocals, the song serving as a punchy and powerful curtain closer on an album that has been punchy and powerful throughout.

 The beauty of Wood Witch's "Synna Modor" is in the brevity of its songs, you will not find any songs here overstaying their welcome and getting overly indulgent, each song is a lesson in how less can often equate to more. Most of the songs here exist within a four minute time frame, with only two stretching past the five minute mark, its a case of get in there, give the listener everything they could possibly want in a rock song, and then get out of there quick, the band utilizing what some once called the Ramones effect but within the contexts of  doom and heavy metal

Check it out ... 

© 2025 Frazer Jones

ACID MAGUS ~ SCATTERLING EMPIRE .... review

South Africa's Acid Magus, Keenan Kinnear (guitars); Roelof Van Tonder (bass); Jethro Vlag (drums); Anrico Jeske (vocals) and Brendon Bezuidenhout (guitars/backing vocals), have to date only released a handful of single releases and three full albums (this one included) but already they are being spoken of in the same breaths as some of our scenes biggest hitters. On paper it would seem like Acid Magus' ascendancy has been somewhat meteoric but a lot of hard work has gone into getting them to the point where an Acid Magus release has become something to pre-order long before its release date, the band are of course consummate musicians, writers and arrangers but they also have a great team behind them which has allowed them the freedom to concentrate on what is important to both them and us as consumers...their music. The bands latest album, their third, "Scatterling Empire" (Mongrel Records) is now out in the world, it is a conceptual piece, "detailing the conquest of culture and the resilience of nature", and finds the band adding a blackened edginess to their already quite edgy mix of doom, prog and psych, it is a sound that fits them like a velvet glove and makes "Scatterling Empire" not just a good listen but a totally essential one.  

Opener "War" enters with an off kilter droning effect then explodes into an  onslaught of thundering riffs and rhythms, this is everything that you could possibly want from an opening number, its heavy furious, intense and features a well balanced mixture of soaring clean and gutturally harsh vocals, even the songs slightly off-piste and vaguely psychedelic middle section feels crushing! Next song "Incantations" begins with, yes you guessed it, an incantation which is then followed by Jeske reverting to a clean powerful croon to tell us of  "rituals" and "rites" against musical backdrops that are constantly shifting between luscious and lilting, its a well balanced tome that although slightly anthemic in places does not ever feel overblown. "Wytch" opens with Jeske soulfully wailing of " sirens" and "vultures" over what sounds like an organ or synth accompaniment, things feel pretty civilised up to this point but then as Jeske reaches the last line of the first verse he is joined by the rest of the band in an explosive and intense prog-metal groove that although not quite carrying the forceful impact of opening number "War" nonetheless still packs a wallop, a wallop that is driven by Van Tonder's growling bass and Vlag's busy industrious drumming, these two really are becoming a force to be reckoned with. "Ascendancy" follows and is a one minute plus wave like interlude consisting of  richly ringing guitar textures and is quickly followed by "Emperor" a song that sees Acid Magus doing what they do best and that is layering killer vocal melodies over swathes of of lysergic laced doom'n'roll, big shout out here has to go to Kinnear and Bezuidenhout they really nail that two guitar attack thing with crunching chord work, circular guitar motifs and spiralling lead work adding colour and texture to all that they touch. The word "citadel" translates to a castle or fortress that overlooks/guards a city and so it seems fitting that a song called "Citadel" should possess a a similarly imposing feel and this one does, here we find Acid Magus at probably their most progressive utilizing numerous shifts in tempo, dynamics and volume to create a feeling of largess and vastness that at times feels too big to be contained in something as small as a set of speakers or a pair of headphones, and the vocals, oh man the vocals are some of the most emotive and passionate Desert Psychlist has heard gracing a rock album in an absolute age. Penultimate track "Absolution" is another lilting guitar drenched interlude and leads us into "Haven", now if you thought Acid Magus had taken things to a peak with "Citadel" then this song with its moments of undulating languidity, occasional blackened bluster, unbelievably powerful lead vocals and choir like harmonies will change your mind, this is the sound of other level musicians playing other level music.

Acid Magus describe their music as "garage doom on shrooms", which of course is their prerogative, however we at Desert Psychlist have always tended to think of any music carrying the tag "garage" as being somewhat a little raw around the edges, maybe a touch unkempt and intentionally messy and to our ears that is something Acid Magus' music is a million light years away from being. Ok the adding of "on shrooms" to their description does allow for those occasional moments of looseness that find their way into the bands music but to describe the intricacies and complexities, which are an integral component of new album "Scatterling Empire", as anything even approaching "garage" is doing their music a disservice, "garage doom", no way, this is doom of the stately home variety.

Check it out ... 

© 2025 Frazer Jones

MAGIC CHICKEN FUDGETOE ~ BOOK OF URANIUM-235 AND OTHER HYMNS...AND OTHER HYMNS ...,review

When searching for new grooves to lend an ear to we, at Desert Psychlist, tend to gravitate towards music that carries an air of familiarity yet at the same time is able to challenge us as a listener. Of course there is plenty of music we absolutely adore that adheres firmly to the borders of the genres its purported to represent but there is also something about music that disregards all the rules that really sets our spider senses tingling and Magic Chicken Fudgetoe, Joshua McGuire (vocals,/bass); Andrew Watchirs (guitar) and Reece Fleming (drums), are a band who make music that breaks rules. Now we at Desert Psychlist are not going to try and pull the wool over our readers eyes by trying to pretend we have been long term fans of Magic Chicken Fudgetoe, in fact pressing play on the bands latest release "Book Of Uranium-235 And Other Hymns.. And Other Hymns" is our first experience of hearing this band, but after  just one listen to the albums diverse and twisted mix of alternative metal, doom, thrash and heavy psych we knew this was an album we were going to have to review..

"Book Of Uranium-235 And Other Hymns...And Other Hymns" begins with "Season From Beyond" a mostly instrumental number boasting thick doomic riffage and powerful rhythms supporting sampled narration, President John F. Kennedy's 1961 address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the emphasis here on the prophetic observation that "every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable". Next comes "Wilbur", again the feel is doomic and sludgy but there is also an air of underlying grunginess to be found here, lyrics on this tome are kept to a minimum and consist of just the words "war", freeze" and "now" and are incanted in an angsty howl, a great example of  how just a few words can say so much. "Children of Atom" cleverly transposes Adam for "atom" in its title to tell a tale of a generation brought up under the threatening shadow of a nuclear apocalypse, a musical mish mash of stoner-like refrains and alt-metal dynamics the song utilizes a mixture of clean melody and throaty forcefulness to get its lyrical points across. "Dying Mind" follows, its deliciously rumbling bass line and simple but totally effective drumming working as a platform for some seriously impressive Wah pedal fuelled guitar work, the song boasts quiet/loud/quiet dynamics and those dynamic are reflected in the vocals which switch from  clean homely crooning in the songs quieter parts to impassioned throaty screams in its more intense sections. Magic Chicken Fudgetoe have no fear of taking paths less travelled and that becomes evident on the quirky and off-piste "Patron of the Misborn" a song that boasts a detailed and disturbing lyrical breakdown of the effects of radiation poisoning delivered in slightly detached vocal tones over an off-centred semi-acoustic musical backdrop. Whispered vocal tones evolve into manic eyed screaming and slowly revolving guitar motifs morph into manically spinning heavy psych refrains for the mind-blowing "Anchorite" while "Mictlan" mixes Nirvana-esque structuring with elements of punk and hardcore furiosity. There is a playful swinging vibe about next song "Heretic" that is sonically somewhat reminiscent (to these ears) of Brit-pop/indie pioneers Blur, Desert Psychlist is not quite sure how this lyrical tale of trying not to be a square peg in a round hole works with the albums post-apocalyptic theme but then we guess that is something that would become a survival strategy in dystopian society. Lastly comes "Virgin AfterBirth", this song starts light airy and relatively psychedelic but then explodes into a feral onslaught when the first verse appears, the songs lyrics spat out with an angsty venom, occasionally interrupted by smooth clean crooning, over angular rhythms and jagged guitar textures, the song only returning to its initial psych leaning groove in its final moments. 

Stonerized alternative metallic psych with aspects of hardcore, post-punk and thrash running through its veins is probably the best way to describe the music contained within "Book Of Uranium-235 And Other Hymns...And Other Hymns" but in truth the music Magic Chicken Fudgetoe make together is much a reflection of the name they have chosen for themselves, a collection of things put together with each other that on the face of it make no sense at all but then ultimately somehow does. 

Check 'em out ....

© 2025 Frazer Jones

IRONRAT ~ BENEATH IT ALL ... review

It has taken ten years for Bradford, UK's Ironrat to finally get around to releasing the follow up to their debut release "Monument" (2015), but let's not be too hard on these Yorkshiremen as Ironrat is only one of the musical projects the musicians who currently make up the band have been or are still involved with. Guitarist/vocalist Martin Wiseman has made his presence felt on the scene with Psychlona and Lazarus Blackstar, Wolves In Winter is a band you can also find guitarist Wayne Hustler's name gracing the line up of while drummer Gordon Wilkinson might be a name well recognisable to those who have ever lent an ear to Hollow Earth, as well as the aforementioned Lazarus Blackstar, which leaves bassist Stuart Hillman a man who prior to Ironrat had shared stage space with Martin Wiseman in bands going by the names Silverburn and Supercollider. Let us also remember that in those ten years Ironrat also saw the departure of two members and the recruitment of two more so given all the circumstances it comes as no real surprise that there has been a ten year gap between albums, but hey the new album, "Beneath It All" (Argonauta Records), is now amongst us and believe us when we say it has been well worth the wait.

A distorted circular guitar motif rolls out of the left hand speaker and is quickly joined by the rest of the band in ferocious and thrusting metallic stonerized groove over which vocals are delivered with clean angsty gusto, the song is called "Liar" and its a full on and furious assault on the senses that is constantly shifting its tempos and dynamics, imagine being hit by a truck then getting up only to see that truck turn and come back at you, that's what this song feels like! Next up is "Tip Of My Tongue" granted this song, with its bluesy undercurrent and languid and laid back middle-section, is not quite as ferocious as it predecessor but don't be fooled into letting your guard down this song still wields a hefty punch. For "Lost" Ironrat combine a soaring vocal melody with crunching refrains and thunderous rolling rhythms while still finding time to shoehorn in some lilting countrified harmonies and palm muted guitar chunkiness, these guys have no fear.. if  they think something fits then in it goes. "Burn" is up now, here we have a song that has the feel and dynamics of a torch song, both vocally and musically, and we say has the FEEL of a torch song and not IS a torch song because whereas most songs of a torch-like nature build to an emotion drenched swirling finale this one instead goes down a dank, dark and doomic rabbit hole in its last quarter. Penultimate number "Wasted" finds Ironrat  utilizing the whole stoner spectrum by blending their stoner rock with their stoner metal and liberally scattering elements of stoner blues and stoner doom over the top, a great tune! The in your face furiosity brought to bear on opening track "Liar" raises its ahead again on final track "Obscene", the song boasting great vocal melodies, low thrumming bass lines, crunching refrains, searing lead work and some really incredible drumming, its an absolute barnburner of a track that serves as a fitting close to an utterly barn burning album.

 Some bands disappear for a period of time and when they finally return with new material are not quite the force they once were, there are also bands that can come back from a long hiatus and pick up right where they left off, there are also those rare bands that come back from a long break stronger, more determined and sounding better than they have in years and Ironrat, with "Beneath It All", have more than proved themselves worthy of their place in the latter of  those categories.   

Check 'em out ...... 

© 2025 Frazer Jones