Hostal Handshake – Stone Oracle

 

 

Hostal Handshake – Stone Oracle
Self-released – 2026
Rock, Stoner, Grunge, Hardrock
Rated: ***

Right. I could have sworn this album was released earlier and I’m pretty sure I voted for the sophomore album Stone Oracle by Greek trio Hostal Handshake for the December Doom Charts. I mean, that touch of Masters Of Reality early on will immediately lure me in. Every time again. But I guess I got it wrong somewhere. Well, let’s set things right! It’s their sophomore release after their debut album Hellish back in 2007. Well, not counting the two demo’s  and promo from 2005 in that case. And well, Hostal Handshake was already around back in 2001. 

So, yes, their first album in eighteen years! And they deliver it with weight and a highly personal heaviness. For most of the album was written by during a period where the father of main songwriter George Markogiannakis struggled with severe illness, which resulted in his passing. Stone Oracle became a sixteen-track tribute to the man he regarded as his hero. 

The project required solitude, so forged in isolation by guitarist and drummer, they feed their riffs and rhythms into the furnace like two alchemists hoping something dangerous would crawl out. And a meaner, slower Hostal Handshake animal did emerge. Dragging grooves, grind and loom, smoke-soaked and filled with late-night paranoia. And there’s desert heat here, blues grit that mutates into more doom touched weight. And everything, everything moves and lurches forward on instinct. It feels raw and unpolished. A sword overhead and a need to have the music live on… 

Some moments you can almost feel the urge surging through the riffs, as if the band desperately wants to make up for nearly two decades of silence. There’s grunge there as well, but never the downtrodden one, it’s the kind that almost touches upon repetition, turning the riffs into something almost ceremonial. But as soon as you think you recognize where it’s going, the air thickens, the pace slows or quickens, and the song sink into entirely different places. Leaving you slightly disoriented, yet weirdly calm. It doesn’t feel like Hostal Handshake ever meant this to be a comeback. This was necessary. This was done because it needed to be done. And everything worth doing… Is worth doing right… 

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s 
Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

Truckfighters
Gjenferd
Haggard Cat
Yeast Machine
Barbears
Black Lung
Abrams
SlowRepeat
Stereoseat
Sweatmaster

Mornin y’all! Monday is once again upon us! And we can glance back at some damn fine concerts during the weekend. A magnificent Anna von Hausswolff and three bands that tore The Jack in Eindhoven a new one. The moody and atmospheric Nevels opened the night, followed by a pristine Der Mancha Red and the debut stage experience for the aggro post metal mixture of Even If We Lose. And damn, how Der Mancha Red have grown, incredibly tight and a sound that reaches every fiber of your being. But as those tones slowly pass away now, we look forward to the FULL ALBUM PREMIERE by Mount Palatine we’ll do this Wednesday. And look back to thank Tony Maim for his Gluecifer write-up and Ronny Dijksterhuis for Iron Head and a massive Quick Fire Friday. And personally we jotted down some word on Barbears… Let’s hope to do some more this week! And check out those albums on the Top 10. Even though many of them won’t come out for a month or more, some of them have their first singles out and they will surely entice you to get ready for more! Have a great week everyone! 

Stoner Hive’s Quick Fire Friday

Stoner Hive’s Quick Fire Friday

Another Quick Fire Friday casually delivered by our very own poet: Ronny Dijksterhuis... Who takes you with him down the rabbit hole from here! 

By now, Quick Fire Friday doesn't need an introduction anymore. It's your never-thought-I'd-hear-it-guide to the best hidden new stuff from the heavy underground, with an occasional well-known name thrown in for good measure. Start clicking those links and crank it up to 11...

 

Rad Payoff - Spilled Milk

A slightly funky, boogie swing modern post-punk style bass line, lots of noise rock aggression and an undeniable groove. Rad Payoff's first single in six years is catchy as fuck and the perfect appetizer for their new album that will be released later this year.

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Blucifer - Absinthe

The new single by Swedish doom and stoner rockers Blucifer lures you in with a nice, steady swamp groove before a doom meets stoner outburst gets things rolling for real. Just how we like it over here. And while I'm not a big fan of female vocals in this kind of music, Elsa U. has taken a few steps forward since their debut and sounds great, giving Blucifer's sound an added bit of mysticism that sets them apart from their peers. Oh yeah, the stunning artwork by Pretty Shitty Inc. is worth mentioning too.

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 LÁTÓ - Gospel of Past Reveries

LÁTÓ is a Hungarian band that mixes tons of different styles. You hear traditional metal, post metal, death metal, doom, stoner, alternative rock and even a glimpse of black metal. All over the place heaviness you could say, without losing sight of the one thing music is all about: writing good songs and executing them to a tee. Their new ep 'Gospel of Past Reveries' is all the proof you need.

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 Lost in the Sun - Six Months EP

If there's anything you can expect from a Quick Fire Friday, it's diversity. We're heading over to New York, famed for being the birthplace of NY hardcore. Lost in the Sun takes some of the influences from that genre (the vocal style and a certain oomph) to spice up their high-octane stoner rock. The result is a great, energetic three track debut ep that grabs you by the throat and will make you reach for the repeat button without hesitation.

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GROND - Death Rattle

Australian band GROND put you on the wrong foot at the start of their latest ep 'Death Rattle' by starting with some weird, cheap ass synth sounds. But that's just a one minute setup. From that moment on it's heavy hitting rock & roll all the way. Like Hellacopters on a testosterone diet of gasoline and stoner rock. I can see them on a bill with the earlier mentioned Rad Payoff. It would guarantee a massive pit and lots of sweat dripping from bare-chested bodies.

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 Grimsrud - Chelicerae

Grimsrud is a solo lofi doom project from the UK. Whereas the earlier ep's didn't have the sound to be memorable, the production on the new ep 'Chelicerae' is a huge step forward and makes the title track (a wonderful 12 minute composition) shine in a good lofi manner. It's doom all the way, but has enough changes in pace, chords, energy and patterns to stay interesting. The added mono mix doesn't do it for me, but closer 'One-Eyed Riot Dog (Version II)', a re-recording of an older song, is another great one and benefits hugely from the better production. It makes you wonder what they'll come up with next.

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Acid Leaves - Acid Leaves

Acid Leaves is a band from La Rochelle, France. Their first ep is packed to the brim with stoner rock goodness. Nothing groundbraking, but with good songs, a steady rhythm section, nice grooves and a capable singer, you can't go wrong.

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Borracho - A Heart without a Home

After a highly praised new studio album, released last August, which ended up on Number 11 of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2025, stoner rockers Borracho are set to release a new ep in February, titled 'Eternos'. It contains five covers in honour of friends in the music scene that sadly passed away too early. One song, a fantastic cover of Hellacopters' 'A Heart without a Home', is released in advance. Check it out.

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Barbears – Bearzerker Blues

 

 

Barbears – Bearzerker Blues
Self-released / Metal.Hu – 2025
Metal, Sludge, Doom, Stoner
Rated: ***

Psst. I’ve got a little secret to share with you all… I know that this little ditty came in at the Number 50 spot of the December Doom Charts. Out of a 198 albums that received votes. And yes, I was one of the Contributors that voted for it. Cause over here on Stoner HiVe we’ve been keeping tabs on the fourpiece Barbears ever since we first heard their 2012 release Doombar. But their new Bearzerker Blues is heavier on all fronts. This is sludge metal, with overtones of doom and stoner. And it leaves a mark… 

From the very first moments, the sound hits hard and confident. Those razor-sharp notes give the riffs real color and momentum. Beneath the dense sludge foundation, you can clearly hear a band that has grown together musically, and that chemistry elevates the record well above average. The songwriting thrives on surprise. Sudden shifts, unexpected textures, and well-placed twists that keep the listener alert. Even the clean vocal passages, used sparingly, land beautifully, adding contrast without breaking the spell.

These bears have turned into one of Hungary’s most uncompromising doom and stoner soaked sludge outliers. And this seven track bruiser called Bearzerker Blues is built on bass heavy grooves and punishing drum work. Riffs that grind with the fierce intention to leave a mark. Ten years after their Enter The Bear album they now have Zoltán Molnár as vocalist, one time member of Gholgoth, Sunstroke, Sin of God and Helioride. His lyrics can go from humoristic insights to modern nihilism encoded in soot-covered tones, never shying away from personal observations or off shoots on universal scale. Drawing from inner turmoil and the quiet violence of a world losing its sense of humanity, the album feels shaped by exhaustion, disillusionment, and the strange duality of life. It is a record that sounds honest on every level.

More strength comes from its restraint. Rage simmers beneath the surface instead of constantly erupting uncontrollably, giving the music a constant, pressing tension. Thick basslines, deliberate grooves, and crushing riffs rooted in sludge, doom, and blues establish the foundation, while the vocals move responsively within the arrangements, acting as another textural layer instead of a focal point. Each member occupies equal ground, creating a dense and carefully balanced whole. The album is unified by tone, mood, and an almost ritualistic cohesion and unfolds slowly, leaving a lasting imprint rather than instant gratification. Transitions and instrumental passages melt seamlessly into full compositions, echoing the album’s visual symbolism of metamorphosis. Barbears have changed from four furry drunks into a barbaric rock horde!

(Written by JK)

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Iron Head - Fundamental

 

 

Iron Head - Fundamental
Skullism Records - 2026
Stoner, Doom, Psychedelic Rock
Rated: ****¾

Iron Head are a stoner/doom band from Indonesia. They open their first full length album 'Fundamental' with the largely instrumental, 11+ minute title track that has one of the most exciting intro's I've heard in quite a while, slowly building an eerie atmosphere of stretched noise, samples, sound effects and mystical chants. Around the three minute mark the interstellar gates swing open and off they go with psychedelic fuzz sizzling like sausages on a hellish BBQ in outer space, as if they've taken Church of Misery's darkness, attached it to a ragged old rocket and blasted it into an orbit around the sun with a fireball in its wake, metal shields shuddering in sync with the vibrations. This is raw, dirty, nasty and drags you by the hairs through gutters filled with mold-covered feces, used needles and dried-up piss while dealers are lurking in the shadows of abandoned buildings. Different emotions glued together to construct a new entity - one of balled-up anger on a restless day. 

With larger than life grooves, gushing from the belly of the beast, these five guys are an all-out riff monster, breathing fire, burning skulls, leaving you all scared and blistered - and not only on the ultra heavy mid-paced opener, where doom reigns and space rock accents are the frills around the edges. No, they wield their blunt chainsaw all the way through, threatening to separate the limbs from your body while filming the whole scene to proudly show at a nice and cozy family gathering. 'Nafas' for example is a short, Kyuss-influenced speedster that roars past like a horde of murderous motorcycles, while 'War Has Begun' gives a nod to Sleep and Bongzilla, its doom riffs cutting through thick air before a scorching finale. And now we're not even halfway through the album. Smack bang in the middle there's 'Ballad of the Thrills', an exciting, tension-laden doom track with well-placed guitar leads and psychedelic cuts, like a slowed-down version of 'Spine of God'-era Monster Magnet. 

"Yeah right", you might think by know, "it's cool searching for analogies and metaphors all the time and spitting them over us, trying to describe the feel of this album, but what about the execution?" Well, I can tell you the guitars are low tuned, crunchy, distorted, fuzz-driven excellence, the bass chops & chugs along nicely, almost casually throwing around small parts of humanity and melody, while the drums provide a steady, slightly frantic foundation and the sound effects (courtesy of the singer) bring some nuances to the game. It all works perfectly and you can feel the chemistry at work here. That goes for the vocals as well. They are rough, raunchy and often growling from the nether regions of a freshly desecrated grave. The lyrics are more or less split even between English and their native Indonesian language, although it's sometimes hard to notice which of the two is at the forefront. 

Okay, so much for the formal intermezzo. Back to the music when 'Pitam' hits the speakers with its fiery stoner attitude, cruising through a newly discovered landscape called the desert swamp, cacti growing from muddy waters, broadleaf sand trees guarding the path to infinity that's popping up somewhere in the distance. But first we got to wade through something called 'Raga', that feels like it's pushing you forward and holding you back at the exact same time, like you're running with supermassive super glue under your shoes, trying to speed things up but getting stuck with every step. It's exciting and the rhythm section in the end exemplifies this feeling, fading out before album closer 'Rock Stoned' opens in true Sons of Otis fashion - slow, haunting doom, a bass line that summons Lilith and the devil for a massive bacchanal on planet earth and spoken (movie?) samples that lure you into a weird encounter. And that's only the first half. The second half brings things back down to earth with a bunch of  skeletons speeding down the highway on the motorcycles that passed us by earlier and which they managed to grab a hold of and domesticate before riding off into the sunset, closing the portal gates behind them and leaving us here, all ravaged and beat-up, roaming the earth like the so-called humans we are. 

(Written by Ronny Dijksterhuis)

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Stoner.Blog.Hu interviews Stoner HiVe - Part 2

 

 

Stoner.Blog.Hu interviews Stoner HiVe

Part 2...  

Well… We warned you… The man behind the very cool Stoner.Blog.Hu decided to cut the interview in two and let me clog up his brilliant blog some more... Want to read more of my silly thoughts and words... Go check it out... And be sure to keep checking it out, cause it's a damn cool site! 
 

This Hungarian blog has been around since 2008 and has provided Hungary with every bit of heavy news and reviews since they started. And yes, Nikodém István, the man behind it, will also be featured on Stoner HiVe soon, where he can tell more about the other sites he's involved with and his love for the Heavy Underground... The other sites you ask? The Fémforgács site and Stonerforgács vlog! 

Thank you again Nikodém, for bestowing these honors upon little old me! 

Part II

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Gluecifer - Same Drug New High

 

Gluecifer - Same Drug New High
Steamhammer  - 2026
Hard Rock, Stoner, Garage Rock
Rated: 

Remember when music was about energy, singalong choruses, dazzling guitar breaks, sweat and passion? These guys do. Gluecifer play a hugely addictive mix of garage punk rock'n'roll. Like a shot of adrenaline mainlined into the brain, machine gun solos are fired out from fuzz pedals set to kill over insanely catchy but primitive riffs. Hey droogies, bang your heads up and down to these killer tunes which make you want to break things, drink heavily or just shout in strangers faces about this album you are listening to! Get hip to the high priests of boogie, smell the stench of amps turned up to 11 and worship at the altar of "fuck you!" ... This is the good shit!

(Written by Tony Maim)

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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s 
Top 10 Most Listened Artists Last Week…

Hermano
Gjenferd
Capacopter
Sweatmaster
Stargo
Mount Palatine
Witchcraft
Electric Hydra
Kaleidobolt
Ritual Arcana

Well, as you perhaps read… We returned yesterday. But, we had to grab our repaired car, so the above post is a bit late. Shit, it is so late, it even refers to the week before little holiday. But we wanted to do it anyway, before we get down to the real action! Please browse the list and check out all that you can, cause they are all there for a reason. Soon, February 5th,  we will do the Full Album Premiere for the Mount Palatine album and we will definitely revisit that Hermano live album and the Accabadora release. Both stunning releases! And for those travelling to Planet Desert Rock Weekend, enjoy the trip! Getting there and all those amazing bands! And I think the crazy Stoner.Blog.Hu bestowed even more honor upon little old me, by uploading the second part of the interview. Will be reading through my own silly answers soon! Thanks for your time and energy if you do too… On with the show I guess… 

Back from the mountains…

 

 

Back from the mountains…

We have returned from Austria… And after some initial problems getting there and a detour to grab our repaired car from a garage in Germany, we are back in one piece and recharged by all the fun we had. Great times on the amazing mountains once again. Even though the snow conditions could have been better, the sun made up for everything and so did the hotel we had. It was glorious! It will take another day or two to get through those over 200 emails for Stoner HiVe and an equal amount of Doom Charts email. But soon, we will be moving forward in proper Stoner HiVe fashion! And we might just have a review from Ronny Dijksterhuis and Madman Tony Maim waiting in line to get out to you very soon! Thanks for all the wishes and tips when we left and thank you for following along with this thing we do… 

Listening to the new Weedpecker, Truckfighers, Abrams and Black Lung today… So yes, it is good again to be back… What shall we listen to afterwards? Any tips?

 

Part of the problem was our broken drive shaft... 

Which looks like this when it's all to shit apparently... 

 

Off to ride a mountain…

 

Off to ride a mountain…

It's time for a break... We're off to Austria to find a mountain or two to snowboard down from. Let's hope for some decent snow. The weather predictions are good. But the quality of snow might be limited. Even so, it will be grand... Cause we're also celebrating the fact that my princess and me will be married ten years. Ten years. How time flies... Still can't believe she said yes... 

No updates for a week... But hey... There's still that Doom Charts Top 100 to scour through, the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown and all those massive Personal lists from the Stoner HiVe Team. And otherwise I  am sure you will get your fix for all those new releases popping up from all those other blogs and sites! 

And as we make our way over to Austria, we will surely be listening to the live Hermano album, the new Weedpecker, Stargo, Capacopter, Gran Moreno, Oreyeon, New Mexican Doom Cult, Beelzebong, Stonus, Hypnotic Pattern, Mount Palatine and Astral Voyager Vol.2... You know... The follow-up to last years Doom Charts Number 1 album by Kal-El... Hope to review them all when I return... 

You got any more tips for the road?

Thanks for following along..  

 Seeya’ll in a week! 

 

Hermano – Clisson, France (Live album)

 

 

Hermano – Clisson, France (Live album)
Ripple Music – 2026 
Rock, Stoner, Desert 
Rated: ****

Legendary Hermano. Back on the road. I always counted myself lucky to have been there for their first incarnation. The W2 gig that was recorded and later on when they returned to my hometown Eindhoven, where they had the very cool but short-lived Repomen (which thankfully gave us Komatsu) open up for them. And this year… I’m gonna be freaking lucky once again. I will definitely see them twice once more. And can’t wait for May to arrive. I wasn’t there in France though. Not last year. And not back in 2016 when they recorded the live album that has been spinning a lot over here. Hellfest, they sure got something special going on. And so does Hermano…

They obviously need no introduction. And to be perfectly frank, the live album needs no review. This stands as a testament for those who were there at Hellfest, for those who’ve seen them live somewhere and for those who desperately want to see them live. And will be able to at any of the nine dates currently lined-up in Europe. Quality wise the sound is there, visceral, engaging and seducing. It will make you lust for more Hermano… 

And if When The Moon Was High mini album had not been released back in 2024, this new live album would have been so much more. Remember that one? With Breathe? And Never Boulevard? But three of the tracks were also used for that release. One of them being Love. That one ‘new’ track. Which hold such a savory groove and tempo you can have it on repeat for the entire afternoon. But that would probably dismiss a bit too much of the rest of the live album, for the setlist was pristine and the band on fire. 

No Sugarhill Gang at all, this is the Hermano you hope to hear. Always. So… If you were there. At this Hermano live gig, some other one or desperately want to be there, this is for you. This is a release for you. They’ve played that gig and recorded it, just for you. 

(Written by JK)

Out February 6th on Ripple Music 



Bandcamp Clisson, France

Bandcamp When The Moon Was High


Hermano European 2026 Live Dates

May 7 - Paris (FR) La Maroquinerie
May 8 - Utrecht (NL) Tivoli Vredenburg
May 9 - Cologne (DE) Luxor
May 11 - Vienna (AT) Arena
May 12 - Munich (DE) Backstage Halle
May 14 - Berlin (DE) Desertfest Berlin
May 15 - London (UK) Desertfest London
May 16 - Nijmegen (NL) Sonic Whip
May 17 - Brussels (BE) Obsidian Dust

Accabadora – Mazzolu

 

 

Accabadora – Mazzolu
Self-released – 2026
Metal, Doom, Black
Rated: ***

After a quiet knock heard at dusk in an old and dusty village, one will know the end has come. A new three-piece dragged from the depths of a twisted night and the brink of demise. They’re called Accabadora and hail from the Netherlands. Fronted by Maurice de Jong, the man behind the experimental project Gnaw Their Tongues. Their first EP Mazzolu will be out on February 1st and will undoubtedly move all Conan and Amenra heads. This is doom metal not played but administered. As if summoned from a shadowed dimension where time slows and every breath is heavy.

As are the vocals, suffocating benediction that crushes the ear and leaves silences trembling in its wake. There is a ritual here, pitiless and steady like a funeral march. Those riffs, rough and jagged one moment and then almost calming, for an instance, as if mercy briefly flickers like moonlight across a blade. Doom is here the last sacrament, and the drums hit with the weight of finality, each blow echoing that final heartbeat heard in that ancient house in that old and dusty village… 

(Written by JK)

Out on Bandcamp February 1st... 

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Gnaw Their Tongues

 

HUFR FEST - Mile High Riffs

 

 

HUFR FEST - Mile High Riffs

April 24–26, 2026 - Bar 404, Denver, CO

He's our man on the beat. No, he's the man lurking in the weeds! Ready to pounch of every riff that comes floating by! It's S. Patrick Brooks from the one and only Heavy Underground Farm Report! And guess what... He's organizing, hosting and doing the magnificent thing of hosting his very own festival! Downtown Dencer, Bar 404, from April 24th  to April 26st! It's HUFR FEST - Mile High Riffs! A three day celebration of Colorado's premier rock outfits! Straight out of the heavy underground to bring you the dirtiest sound... And awaiting you at that Denver door... It's S. Patrick Brooks, the guy to get you high! On Riffs, Life and more... 

LINEUP

Friday, April 24

Vashon Seed
Hibernaut
Violet Rising
Lord Velvet
Sonolith
Lost Relics

Saturday, April 25

Psalm
Momovudu
Godzillionaire
Luna Sol
Blue Heron
Cobranoid

Sunday, April 26

Nomestomper
Black Sunrise
Messiahvore
Shadow of Jupiter
Peach Street Revival

PR Wire: 

HUFR FEST – Mile High Riffs

Denver, Colorado is about to get heavier. Created by Sean Brooks, Andrea Thomas-Brooks, and Zeth Pedulla, HUFR FEST – Mile High Riffs is a three-day celebration of stoner, doom, and riff-driven rock, happening April 24–26, 2026 at Bar 404 in the heart of Denver.

With 17 bands across the weekend, HUFR FEST brings the crushing weight of doom, the fuzzed-out haze of stoner rock, and the psychedelic grooves of heavy underground music to the Mile High City. More than just a festival, it’s a gathering for the heavy music community—fans, bands, artists, and riff worshippers alike.

Prepare for walls of sound, swirling smoke, and the kind of communal energy that only heavy music can create. Welcome to HUFR FEST – Mile High Riffs.

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Don’t miss your chance to experience three days of pure, riff-driven energy in the heart of Denver’s underground scene.

Venue: Bar 404, Denver, CO
Dates: April 24–26, 2026

Tickets: Available now through official HUFR FEST channels