Black Helium - UM (2023)

Black Helium is a trio from London, UM is their third album, released by Riot Season Records. They play heavy and psychedelic rock and manage to be as good when they go in a heavier psych doom direction as when they take a trip into a more frankly psychedelic and lighter direction, going from Black Sabbath / Electric Wiard to Hawkwind or even The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This new album brilliantly confirms that they are among the bands that matters in the heavy psych scene. Recommended!

The BC page.

Mienakunaru - Strato Arcology (2022)

Mienakunaru is a trio with two leading musician of the psych underground, from Japan the guitarist Suzuki Junzo (who sadly is recovering from a very serious accident), and from England the bassist Mike Vest, joined by David Sneddon on drums. If you're familiar with Mike Vest other bands you'll find yourself at home listening to Mienakunaru third albumm Strato Arcology (released by the excellent Riot Seanson Records), otherwise expect two long tracks of heavy psychelic rock, where trippy space rock combine with punk savagery. Powerful stuff! 

The Bandcamp page.

 

USA/MEXICO - Del Rio (2021)

Warning : The music of USA/MEXICO on Del Rio (their third album, released by the excellent Riot Seasons Records) is absolutely not warm or feel good. It is bleak and sinister. Del Rio takes you to a journey deep into industrial/noise doom territory. It is funeral slow, noisy, crushing heavy and the few melodies buried in the background are acid and nightmarish. And don't expect relief when it stops, you'll find yourself in shock and begging for more. A truly special and awesome album.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Dope Purple - Grateful End (2021)

 

Dope Purple is a new psych rock band from Taiwan and their first album Grateful End is released by two interesting labels, Riot Seasons and VW Sorcerer Productions. It's combining more trippy moments, including some heavy blues riffing that could remind Led Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused, and more rocking wild and noisy parts that reminds Acid Mothers Temple. Strong stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

 

 

Mainliner - Dual Myths (2021)

Mainliner is a Japanese psychedelic/free rock trio with Kawabata Makoto on guitar (he's Acid Mothers Temple leader) and two other experienced musicians from the Japanese psych scene (Taigen Kawabe on bass and Shimura Koji on the drums) eight years after the previous one Dual Myth is their new album, released by the awesome Riot Season Records. The four long tracks are on the most rocking, heavier, noisy and abrasive side of psych rock, for a very convincing result. Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Ozo - Saturn (2020)

When you're in the mood for some crazy hazy music Mike Vest is always here for you. Ozo is is more recent project, with a first album called Saturn, released with Riot Season Records. This sax, bass, guitar, drums quartet is probably his more "jazzy" band, with its spiritual/free jazz feel and sax/drums parts, but it's also still psych rock as well, and Saturn will sit in good place in the Mike Vest discography. Real cool trippy stuff.

The Bandcamp page. 

Shit and Shine - Doing Drugs Selling Drugs (2019)

Doing Drugs Selling Drugs is heavy, repetitive, and dirty and I love it. This Shit and Shine album sounds very sick and filthy,  sludge noise sounding a bit like a crossbreed of Ramsses, Black Flag and Brainbombs, but worse. Highly addictive shit.

The Bandcamp page.