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Released: 2024 Genre: Post-rock, Progressive rock Sounds Like: Hum, God is an Astronaut, Caspian Homeland: Sweden What makes All Things Shining elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Oh Hiroshima has returned with an impressive masterpiece showcasing immense brilliance in the realm of Post-rock Jakob and Oskar, as a duo, exhibit remarkable chemistry and patience, resulting in a beautifully heavy yet peaceful album All Things Shining is an album that appears to improve with each listen. It is filled with subtle nuances and intricate arrangements that help maintain its freshness The production is extensive and flawlessly embodies their vision. Owning it on vinyl is essential to fully appreciate the artistry Track Listing: 1. Wild Iris 5:15 2. Holiness Movement 5:36 3. Swans In A Field 5:23 4. Secret Youth 4:25 5. Rite of Passage 7:18 6. Deluge 4:18 7. Leave Us Behind 4:16 8. Memorabilia 7:08 Dive deeper into All Things Shining with our Q&A with Oh Hiroshima. OHMs Peak: Congrats on your 5th album, All Things Shining ; it is a post-rock juggernaut. This album continues to showcase your expansive sound and break the mold in the genre. We find this album gets even more pensive and melancholy. How has pairing the band down to the brotherly duo of Jakob and Oskar changed your process and the new landscapes you paint? Oh Hiroshima: Thanks! As this is our second album with just me and my brother behind the wheel, things actually felt familiar. Our first three albums were created with different band constellations. This album was also a continuation of the sound we explored with our previous record, Myriad , but pushed further. Of course, it’s different to write music as a duo. You have to work more with demos from home to properly arrange the tracks. OHMs Peak: We'd love to hear more about the name 'Oh Hiroshima,' how it came about, and what it represents. Oh Hiroshima: Our former guitarist, Leif Eliasson, who started the band as his solo project before inviting me early on, named the band. I think he just wanted something that felt emotional and dramatic, something that would match the sound we were interested in. It’s not just a lament over the bombing of Hiroshima, but over all human technological “progress” and actions that lead to great suffering. OHMs Peak: We noticed that Kristian Karlsson and Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna were involved in some of the album production. Are you very close with the band, and have you toured together before? Oh Hiroshima: We’ve never toured with them, but as a big CoL fan, I got in touch with both for the recording and mixing/mastering of our previous record, Myriad , as they are both very familiar with our kind of music. They are both really great at what they do, and Myriad turned out very well, so it was an easy choice to ask them to be part of creating All Things Shining as well. OHMs Peak: The cover art is beautiful and fitting for this album. The orange and greyscale waves are striking. Who is the artist, and is there a story behind this artwork? Oh Hiroshima: It was made by a guy named Wilson Trouvé. We just stumbled upon the artwork while writing All Things Shining and felt that it would be a very fitting cover for the album. So, we got in touch with him and bought it. It was kind of nice to have the front cover before we’d finished all the writing. I think it helped us a bit with direction. OHMs Peak: 'Rite of Passage' is such a powerful song with such dark angles and beautiful patience. It's the track that took the album to elite status for us. Take us through the meaning behind this track. Oh Hiroshima: The lyrics are a retelling of the short story Father and I written by Swedish author Pär Lagerkvist. I was reading a collection of short stories by Lagerkvist during the writing process and was very struck by the imagery of it. It was very personal. It’s a story about growing up, losing your innocence, and perhaps realizing that you are in charge of your life and how to make sense of it, which can be a harsh but necessary experience. OHMs Peak: Oh Hiroshima is stranded on an island with only a solar-powered turntable and majestic solar-powered Bluetooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album would ultimately be selected? Oh Hiroshima: That would be a tough one. I don’t know if we’d be able to make a decision, but I’m going to go ahead and say By The Grace of God by The Hellacopters. Some great, catchy, pick-me-up rock 'n' roll tunes. I think that would be the best kind of record for a desert island. Oh Hiroshima are: Jakob Hemström: Guitar/Vocals Oskar Nilsson: Drums Follow Oh Hiroshima: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some Oh Hiroshima Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Post-hardcore, Math rock Sounds Like: The Jesus Lizard, These Arms Are Snakes, Pissed Jeans Homeland: Colorado What makes Terrain elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Almanac Man return with a brilliantly layered album that catapults them into one of the top new math rock/post-hardcore bands today Innovative and heavy melodies with richly driven angled rhythms keeps this album churning and fresh Almanac Man are incredibly tight and cohesive, further showcasing thier unusual vision and chemistry The captivating and highly contagious vocal battle between Dooley and Picco continues to impress. The bass-work from Sean Dove feels influenced by the great Jesus Lizard and really elevates the album Track Listing: 1. Lotusland 4:13 2. Terrain 4:06 3. Smoke Signals 4:06 4. Grief Pool 4:49 5. Arrakis 3:28 6. Blue Gold 4:15 7. Unnerving 5:13 8. Until our creatures last light 5:19 Dive deeper into Terrain with our Q&A with Brian, Sean and Scott from Almanac Man. OHMs Peak: What a tremendous sophomore release. Terrain travels on a diverse mix of surfaces and we experience the expansion of your sound.  Terrain branches out into more melodic tones and elaborate contrast. We see a little softer side along with some more exploratory angles of Almanac Man here. Take us through your process on this album if you could. Brian: Several things with the world and the band changed after our first record “for your cause”.  Both the external influence of exiting a pandemic and the internal influence of adding a new friend and musician to the group.  A lot of the melody balance in the music came from those influences and exploring new tones and tunings.  Vocally, Scott and I, as a part of writing the vocals to two of the more melodic songs in the studio for “for your cause” felt like we stumbled on something that really stood out.  With the writing of Terrain we knew we were going to approach it that way from the start and explore our dual vocal attack further.   Sean: I’ve primarily been a guitarist before this band so this album was my first real experience writing and performing on bass. It was a fun challenge to be developing a style that suited me while also figuring out how to blend into the band’s existing sound. A major benefit of being a three-piece is having space to stand out so I mostly wanted to focus on giving Brian and Scott a foundation to go to different places with their instruments and voices. I’m a huge fan of bands like Torche and mclusky who are able to balance their heavy/noisiness with catchy melodic parts so I think I helped drive things in that direction a bit - there aren’t a lot of bands in the space we operate in who are going for “hooks” so it’s free real estate. Scott: I couldn’t agree more with Sean and Brian’s comments here. I would add that in previous bands I’ve always written the lyrics and vocal melodies in full and had them practiced to the point where I could drum and sing live before recording. I made an effort to try a lot of different melodies and phrasing with demo recordings while not playing drums to allow for a more focused attention to the vocal melodies and phrasing. I also leaned into harmonies and backups. Roughly 2/3rds of Terrain was recorded in full before I ever attempted to learn playing and singing the vocal parts at the same time. For me at least this was a major departure to how I’d approached this in the past. Brian and I also discussed approaches more per song and leaned into the twin vocal approach even more with this record. OHMs Peak: ‘Blue Gold’ Is our favorite of the lot with its anthemic harmonies and innovative math rock angles. Take us through the meaning along with the ‘water’ references ? Scott: The writing of the song was all music first. This song became the perfect vehicle for something I’d always wanted to do with a heavy, mathy rock song: to sneak a traditional ¾ waltz beat into a song! Luckily the rest of the guys were on board with it and this kind of led to all the other unique time shifts in the song. To me it ended up being quite different but doesn’t sound forced jumping between the time signatures. When it comes to the vocals and lyrics I usually start out with a general topic and then build from there. Perhaps it was moving to Denver in 2019 from Chicago and just getting a different perspective of how critical water is but that awareness living in a high desert + climate change led to me extrapolating out in time imagining a world in which water is the most critical possession. It for sure has a dystopian slant but to me it's really not too far fetched. I also felt it was an interesting juxtaposition to have a relatively catchy song, with almost dancy rhythms at points with a pretty heavy, bleak topic . OHMs Peak: What band would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound ? Brian: We love to tour with all of our favorite bands we have the privilege of playing with each year.  All of our lifelong music friends that influence and compliment our sound and lives ! OHMs Peak: We so love the simplicity of the album name and also the prehistoric album art. Who came up with the artwork and what was your process of evaluation ? Sean: Morgan Robles (@MxMorgan) is a Seattle-based artist who I've followed for a while. I saw a tattoo commission they did a while back and reached out to see if they had any interest in doing album art. Morgan happened to like our music and was totally on board with working with us so I told them we'd reach back out once we were further along in the process. A few months later we were in the studio and started looking through their portfolio for some existing art that might fit the vibe when they happened to post that smilodon as a new piece. We were already circling the title and lyrical themes at that point and it just fit so well - gloomy and evocative without being generically “metal.” Morgan was very cool about adapting it and extending it for the back cover. It's a great piece and we've already gotten a ton of compliments on it. We really lucked out. Credit also to Scott’s wife Carly for handling the layout and presentation of the cover/sleeve. Brian: The simplicity of the name expanded beyond what was the second song title on the record.  Terrain to me represented something vast and open representing the sonic approach and the lyrical themes of the record fit an overall idea that we all share this vast, complex, crumbling land, and the art as Sean stated showed up in their portfolio and it was just perfect. OHMs Peak: You have amazing chemistry. How did Almanac Man come to form and how has Sean Dove assimilated with the team ? B rian: Almanac man came to form, when my previous band Laurium, was on its last legs.  Scott had moved to Denver and I knew of him from attending a prf event in chicago.  I asked him to start jamming to see if I wanted to start something new.  It evolved from Laurium disbanding eventually and became something entirely different.  I think the chemistry with us started from two “band dads” states of mind where we had the right amount of experience to let something grow organically.  Then with covid occurring it sort of made it this thing that was allowed to evolve without added distractions of trying to play out fast, which was a positive to improve the song writing.   Sean: I met Brian and Scott through our mutual friend Cory, who is the drummer for the excellent Moon Pussy. I had recently picked up bass to fill in on another friend's project and inadvertently started to really enjoy it. Cory and I had jammed a few times and he threw my name out when these guys were looking for a replacement for (previous bassist) Nick, who relocated after recording the last album. They obviously had an existing songwriting dynamic that I was happy to take a backseat to but this really was one of the most egalitarian, ego-free collaborative experiences I've ever had. There was a lot of overlap in our tastes and reference points so it felt like we spoke the same language from the jump. Scott: I’ll add that within 1-2 practices I could feel that tangible connection with drums and bass which is more chemistry than skill. Sean fit right in and it was pretty effortless at least from my point of view . OHMs Peak: We would love any insight behind the selection of your name and its origin . B rian:  Man you won’t love this answer but I bet I'm not alone.  I hate naming bands and ive actually never been in a band that i actually named except maybe high school, i forget, shout out Profane.  The name was given to me by my label partner in Bobby Johnson (TGIC RECS).  He had it stored around a while and told me to make something with it.  Since I'm a man of science and theory I figured cool enough let's go.  It now has sort of a fun context since our current lineup was all born the same week of the same year.   Scott: I’ll add that I simply came from the point of view of “Oh it's not already taken and it sounds ok off the tongue and isn’t too long? Let’s do it”. OHMs Peak: Almanac Man is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turn table and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to? Scott: This is a near impossible question. I generally don’t love any band, album, or even musical style to make that selection the only thing I listen to forever.With that being said, we talked it over as a band and based on our tour listening rotation we would have to go with “My Dick’s Double Full Length” by the band My Dick based out of Ohio. Google it and enjoy the delectable ear worm that crawls into your brain oh so smoothly! OHMs Peak: Thank you for recommending My Dick... earworms galore! Almanac Man are: Sean Dove: Bass Scott Picco: Drums/Vox Brian Dooley: Guitars/Vox Follow Almanac Man: Bandcamp / Facebook Grab some Almanac Man Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Stoner rock, Heavy Psych Sounds Like: Kal-El, Psychlona, Sargeant Thunderhoof Homeland: Montreal, Quebec What makes Volume II elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Sons of Arrakis return with a euphoric album loaded with progressive riffs and scifi themes The production is precise and open, capturing their unique weight and creativity Frederic Couture's vocals lead the way with his clean and powerful hypnotic tone Volume II is filled with an abundance of technical stoner fuzz and features a variety of tempos that are constantly changing, providing a continuous stream of fresh heaviness Track Listing: 1. Scattering 3:47 2. High Handed Enemy 4:24 3. Beyond the Screen of Illusion 3:50 4. Interlude I 1:08 5. Retaliation 4:29 6. Metamorphosis 4:20 7. Blood for Blood 5:09 8. Interlude II :50 9. Burn Into Blaze 3:56 10. Caladan 1:30 Dive deeper into Volume II with our Q&A with Sons Of Arrakis. OHMs Peak: Volume II is an amazing follow-up to your debut and just keeps getting better each listen. What resonates with us most on this album is the anthemic sci-fi thickness. The melodies and depth are inspiring and never tire. Take us through some of the new approaches on the sophomore release and the tie-ins with Dune. Sons Of Arrakis: Thank you! For Volume II , we really wanted to take our sound further into that atmospheric sci-fi realm. Our debut laid the foundation with its heavy riffs and thematic nods to Dune, but with this album, we leaned more into world-building through sound. We incorporated more dynamic shifts, layered textures, and even introduced elements like slide guitar and synths to evoke a sense of space and vastness. Dune remains at the core of our concept—its themes of power, fear, and destiny resonate deeply. Tracks like "High Handed Enemy" and "Burn Into Blaze" explore the psychological aspects of those themes. We aimed to dive deeper into the themes, balancing both the epic and the personal aspects. We hope that this combination of scale and emotion gives Volume II its distinctive character . OHMs Peak: ‘High Handed Enemy’ has everything we want in a track. Brilliant contrast and heartfelt melancholy desperation layered with amazing fretwork. Take us through the meaning behind the track that touches upon mental anguish and near death . Sons Of Arrakis: "High Handed Enemy" is one of those tracks that came from a very introspective place. Lyrically, it delves into confronting deep fears and the struggle to push through dark mental states. The "enemy" in the title is really the internal one—the voice that amplifies doubt and despair. Musically, we wanted to mirror that emotional journey with mellow, haunting verses that build into explosive, harmonized choruses. The slide guitar, courtesy of Francis Duchesne, adds that haunting, almost otherworldly tone that really underscores the tension between melancholy and determination. It’s a song about finding reason amidst chaos and holding on to clarity when things feel overwhelming . OHMs Peak: What band would you love to tour with that would most complement your sound ? Sons Of Arrakis: There are a few bands we feel would really mesh with our vibe. A dream scenario would be touring with someone like Mastodon—there’s a similar love for combining storytelling with heavy riffs and intricate melodies. Elder would also be an amazing fit; they balance heaviness and atmosphere in a way that really aligns with what we’re doing. Of course, we’d never say no to sharing the stage with legends like Sleep, High on Fire or Gojira, who have been huge influences . OHMs Peak: We see the album art was created by Alexandre Goulet. The landscape is so fitting with your sound. How involved were you in the process, and did he listen to the album in advance ? Sons Of Arrakis: Alexandre Goulet is a master at capturing atmosphere through visual art, and we knew right away he’d be perfect for the task! We were involved in the process, discussing our vision and how we wanted the artwork to reflect the dark, imposing energy connected to the vibe of the album and the Dune universe. Alex is extremely knowledgeable about Dune—he’s read all the novels—so he understood the nuances we wanted to convey. I sent him the album before he started working on the artwork, and the result truly captures the mood of the music ! OHMs Peak: How did the name Sons of Arrakis come about? Would love to hear, and is it tied to the novel Dune? (apologies we are not rich in knowledge here) Sons Of Arrakis: Absolutely, the name is directly inspired by the Dune universe. "Sons of Arrakis" reflects our fascination with the grand scope of Frank Herbert’s work—the epic themes of power, survival, and the inevitability of change. Arrakis, the desert planet in Frank Herbert’s universe, is a symbol of harshness and resilience—a place where only the strong and resourceful can survive. We try to bring that spirit into our music. The name also carries a personal connection. My father was a huge fan of Dune and played a big role in helping me come up with the name when I started the project . Even if you’re not familiar with Dune, the name carries a sense of storytelling and struggle that we aim to reflect in our music OHMs Peak: Sons of Arrakis is stranded on an island with only a solar-powered turntable and majestic powered solar Bluetooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album would ultimately be selected ? Sons Of Arrakis: That’s a tough one! If we had to agree on just one, I think it would probably be Master of Reality by Black Sabbath. It’s a timeless record that still holds so much power and atmosphere, and it’s a foundational influence for us. The album's massive riffs and thick grooves perfectly capture the essence of heavy music, and there’s a primal, earthy vibe to it that would resonate perfectly in an isolated, raw environment like a deserted island. Master of Reality keeps us connected to the roots of everything we love about heavy music . Sons Of Arrakis are: Frederic Couture - Rhythm guitar & Vocals Francis Duchesne - Lead guitar & Keys Vick Trigger - Bass Mathieu Racine - Drums Follow Sons Of Arrakis: Bandcamp / Facebook / Sons Of Arrakis Grab some Sons Of Arrakis Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Hard rock, Stoner rock Sounds Like: 1000Mods, Howling Giant Homeland: Denver, Colorado What makes Blue City elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? Hailing from Colorado, Abrams return with a euphoric blend of heavy technical riffs and shoegaze rock The production is precise and clear, perfectly capturing their vision and unique heaviness The harmonies between guitarist Zach Amster and bassist Taylor Iversen's vocals remain flawless, bringing their brand of heaviness to new heights From beginning to end, Blue City captivates and maintains its momentum. Its quality improves with each listen, almost becoming addictive. Before long, you'll discover yourself delving into their previous albums. Track Listing: 1.Tomorrow 4:20 2. Fire Waltz 4:14 3. Etherol 3:22 4. Lungfish 4:03 5. Wasting Time 4:38 6. Death Om 4:31 7. Turn It Off 3:18 8. Narc 4:40 9. Crack Aunt 5:06 10. Blue City 4:22 Dive deeper into Blue City with our Q&A with Abrams. OHMs Peak: We must say we didn’t think you could top In The Dark , yet Blue City turns into this absolute fucking masterpiece that we cannot get out of rotation. You play with such sincerity and every track has so much depth and comfort. It’s truly a therapeutic work of art. Can you take us through the making of this album and your psyche in putting such a beautiful piece together ? Abrams: Thanks for the kind words. With every record, our goal is to not repeat ourselves. We want to create something different while still keeping our natural "Abrams sound". It all happened pretty organically as we don't force ourselves to write a specific sound. Another way we changed it up was by going to a different producer/engineer. For Blue City we were lucky enough to record with Kurt Ballou and Zach Weeks at Godcity Studios . OHMs Peak: The OHMs Peak team is excited to see you play Desertfest New York in September. As a performer, how do you compare playing in collaborative festivals versus your own intimate venue? Which band are you most excited to see while you’re not playing at the 3 day gala ? Abrams: Festivals are a great way to play in front of potential fans who aren't familiar with us. So we always love the challenge. Also, just the guaranteed size of the crowd is comforting. Our headline shows across the country are hit or miss, naturally. While its fun to play in front of 30 people in a tiny dive bar, we like the big stages! I am most excited to see High on Fire. I am bummed to miss True Widow and Acid King since they are the next day but we have another show elsewhere . OHMs Peak: While every track delivers in a big way, there’s something within 'Lungfish' that really hits home. It is such an emotional and melancholy track builds to inspiration. We would love to hear more about the meaning behind the track and how it came about . Abrams: Lungfish just missed the cut for In The Dark as it was written right before we hit the studio for those sessions. I think it was kind of a blessing since we got to develop it a little bit more and we really love how it turned out from the Godcity sessions. I am a sucker for slow burn songs that just build and build. I think this song does a great job of that. The title was selected because the initial guitar riff reminded me of the DC Kraut Punk band Lungfish would play. It provides a really cool imagery that captures the vibe of the music . OHMs Peak: The simplistic title in ‘Blue City’ and equally peaceful album cover are so fitting. Is it a Colorado based photo? How did this peaceful aesthetic come together ? Abrams: We have worked with artist Samantha Muljat for a couple of records and she absolutely nails it. I would send her the album with the lyrics accompanied with a short description of the theme and she just comes back with perfection. She lives in the PNW and took the shot at an abandoned army base ! OHMs Peak: How did the name Abrams come about and what does it represent ? Abrams: Nothing honestly. It was the only thing we could agree on . OHMs Peak: Abrams is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turn table and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album do you ultimately agree to ? Abrams: Love this question. Bubblegum by Mark Lanegan gets played a lot in the van. BUT if it were one song, it'd be the greatest song of all time In 'The Fade' by QOTSA off of Rated R. Abrams are: Zach Amster - Guitars and Vox Taylor Iversen - Bass and Vox Ryan DeWitt - Drums Graham Zander - Guitar Follow Abrams: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some Abrams Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

Released: 2024 Genre: Stoner rock, Psychedelic rock Sounds Like: Slomosa, Mammoth Volume, Howling Giant Homeland: Germany What makes Tempest elite and sit atop OHMs Peak? The trio from Germany delivers a cutting-edge album that transports us to the stoner rock era of the 90s, while incorporating a modern psychedelic vibe The production of Tempest is not overdone and has somewhat of a live studio sound The vocals are mostly clean and gritty with terrific harmonies, complementing the music beautifully The last two songs 'Burst' and 'Xanadu' bring a more stoner punk vibe to the album. Reminiscent of the late 90s stoner band Chrome Locust, it's a great subtle shift in direction Track Listing: 1. The Path 5:04 2. Hypnosis 4:54 3. Wait 6:37 4. Confined 5:16 5. Tempest 7:35 6. Glow 5:56 7. Burst 2:34 8. Xanadu 6:09 Dive deeper into Tempest with our Q&A with Guitarist / Vocalist Mateusz Pietrzela from Juke Cove. OHMs Peak: Tempest delivers in a big way. You guys infuse so much detail and diverse angles that you appeal to punk and stoner/doom fans across the board. Take us through your process on this album and how it branches from the brilliance of Remedy ? Mateusz: Thanks, that’s cool to hear! True, we all have different musical backgrounds and influences. Maxim likes garage rock, surf rock and sludgy doom, Dima more psych and 70s rock and I (Mateusz) am into hardcore/punk and grunge so all those influences come out and try to get into the music during our writing process. So we’re not aiming at imitating any band, just bringing our ideas, jamming on them and trying to make the best out of them together. In comparison to Remedy , we put more effort into finalizing the songs and the recording process. Whereas previous albums we recorded DIY, this time our friend Arvid (who’s playing guitar and singing in an awesome band called “War") helped us out with recording and production . OHMs Peak: The title track ‘Tempest’ is an absolutely impeccable track. The soothing intro and built up fury and punk hardcore influences really resonate. Take us through the meaning behind the track and it being the central theme . Mateusz: Imagine that you’re on a small ship on an open sea when everything gets silent, air pressure drops and you see majestic dark clouds approaching. What do you do? What do you do in the middle of the storm? What happens when things start getting out of control? So, on the metaphorical level this song deals with the role of chance and random or chaotic events in our lives and how we can deal with it. In the context of the whole album we decided that “Tempest” fits also well with the chaotic and energetic character of our songs. So, there are clouds approaching, rain, wind, lightnings, clear-ups and all the related feelings throughout our album and Tempest as the album title encapsulates it all. It’s also probably the most outstanding song . OHMs Peak: What band would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound . Mateusz: It’s different for each of us. If we talk about bigger names, Maxim would like to tour with Belzebong or Weedeter, Dima Weedpecker or Motorpsycho, for me it would be probably Fu Manchu or Lowrider. We can all agree though that Red Mess, War, Aptera and Tønda are a couple of awesome bands based in Germany that would be a great fit for us for a common tour . OHMs Peak: We see the album art was created by Groppler and Van Rein of Doomed Creations. The intricacies and detailed beautiful color scheme so fit with your bands aura. How involved were you in the process and selection ? Mateusz: In 2022 we played a show in Rostock in North Germany. It was a really awesome crowd and atmosphere. After our show a couple approached us to chat a bit and buy some merch and it turned out they were the poster designers for the show. We all loved the poster so we asked right away if they wanted to design our next album cover and they agreed. So working with Doomed Creations was an awesome process in which we were involved from the beginning. We are really satisfied with the result and of course recommend Doomed Creations to all the bands seeking help with artwork for their next album or merch ! OHMs Peak: How did the name Juke Cove come to form and what’s the meaning/background ? Mateusz: It was by chance! We were sick of coming up with names so we just drew two words at random and it turned out to be juke and cove. We liked how it looks and sounds and thought that it actually fits pretty well with the vibe of our music . OHMs Peak: Juke Cove is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turn table and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to ? Mateusz: Toke - Orange Juke Cove are: Mateusz Pietrzela - Guitar/Vocals Dima Ogorodnov - Bass/Vocals Maxim Balobin - Drums Guitar solos on "Confined" & "Xanadu" by Phil Follow Juke Cove: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram Grab some Juke Cove Merch Music (vinyl, CDs, digital, shirts, etc.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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