CCQueen – Helen

 

CCQueen – Helen
Self-released – 2024
Rock, Prog, Stoner
Rated: ****

We’ve been lucky enough to have been aware of CCQueen’s existence for quite some time and have been listening to their Nancy EP and Scavenger album ever since they came out. But then the Bordeaux, France troupe served us with their damn fine Electric Kisses single and the cover for Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall. Two tracks that became household repeats. Especially since they promised to deliver more in the form of an EP called Helen. We needed to be ready for that one. Well, here it is, featuring those two tracks and two more called Helen and Preach. Released on December 1st, third track Preach has a pressurized and proggy build-up, turning it slowly into a steamy and spirited sermon. Delivering the holy riffs in fine whirling fashion, harrying becomes hypnotizing, and we can only hope it will continue even longer and become even wilder when performed live. Helen opens with a female voice telling us it was merely a dream and we should wake u. Folky for starters, a quirky transition, and then comes the rumble. All sections translating perfectly the craziness that resides within the man obsessed with a woman, driving him slowly insane. CCQueen never focuses on rifferama, instead opting to change compositions and expectations whenever the feel like it, giving you loads of exciting avenues to discover. And these two new tracks, and heck, the entire EP are proof of that once again…

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Volt Ritual – Return To Jupiter

 

 

Volt Ritual – Return To Jupiter
Self released – 2024
Rock, Stoner, Space, Doom
Rated: ****

As we inch closer to the deadline for YOUR lists for the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024. Namely, before Saturday December 14th, 8.00 CET. We decided to deep dive into that folder full of albums we desperately had wanted to mention this year. We wrote about something like 250 albums and EP’s this year. But in that folder, there are still some 400 more that we had wanted to bring into your peripheral vision. And we are saddened that we will never get to that… But well, besides trying to keep up with all the new ones coming out, we’re now trying to bring into the spotlight one from every month passed that we unfortunately did not mention during the month they were released. 

We mentioned Black Toaster and their Flying Rage Machine from January just yesterday. And this, Volt Ritual’s second EP called Return To Jupiter was released in February. They hail from Poland and where the trio sounded more like Sabbath and Fu Manchu on their first EP, this one takes more cues from the space rock side of heavy rock. There’s a bit of sloppiness on this recording, but it gives even more character to the four tracks that continue the tale of exploration that Volt Ritual started with their first release. Remember that one? With opening track Approaching Jupiter? This one features a line-up change and opens with instrumental, though ridden with samples, Heavy Metal Is Good For You. And that one track alone would bring enough sustenance to your heavy rocking core. Setting the scene perfectly for Ghostpolis to serve as a laidback groove, surveying the landscape from a far, from somewhere in orbit or flying high over the deserted planet. Gwiazdolot (starship in Polish) on the other hand sets in descent, skirting through the debris and uses the up-tempo delivery to paint a gritty picture of the surroundings. It also skirts a bit more back towards their first release. Final and title track Return To Jupiter delivers the space beauty once more, with darkened colors and a lot of flashes from Volt Ritual's expertise. Let’s see where the journey takes us next time…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Review for the debut by Volt Ritual

Iron Slug – Unrepentant Grin

 

 

Iron Slug – Unrepentant Grin
Self-released – 2024
Metal, Doom, Sludge
Rated: ****

They may already have captured and corrupted you ears back in May when they released their debut EP Debauched And Bored. And then a week and a bit ago, in November they released their Final Proposal single, the final track of the new EP Unrepentant Grin, which will come out December 6th. The good ol’ boys responsible for all this noise are called Iron Slug! A trio from Kent, UK that is slowly perfecting their take on sludge and doom metal. A touch of something Southern often transports you to the good ol’ days of Crowbar, Down and Corrosion of Conformity. But due to the limited induction of punk energies and a different approach to the vocal stylings, you hear Iron Slug and nothing but Iron Slug from shotgun blast to the pouch opening Depraved to the giant’s slam dance of Final Proposal. And as you lie there, bleeding from that initial shotgun in the gut, you hear the break down, the vocals sliding and slithering across the composition, bringing it all to life, while death grunts underneath it all show you the shadows and the blackened void. They do this whenever the track allows, and the usage of all these different layers of vocals make Unrepentant Grin an amazing EP from start to finish. Cause you can count on the riffs being there. And yes, the bass rumbles, roars and chugs as it should and the drum work is perfect in its choppiness. Nothing wrong here and everything right. Four tracks that will make you grin…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Linktree

Black Toaster – Flying Rage Machine

 

 

Black Toaster – Flying Rage Machine
Self-released – 2024
Rock, Hard, Stoner, Punk
Rated: ****

As we inch closer to the deadline for YOUR lists for the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024. Namely, before Saturday December 14th, 8.00 CET. We decided to dive deep into that folder full of albums we desperately had wanted to mention this year. We wrote about something like 250 albums and EP’s this year. But in that folder, there are still some 400 more that we wanted to bring attention to. And we are saddened that we will never get to that… But well, besides trying to keep on top of all the new ones coming out, we’re now trying to bring into the spotlight one from every month passed that we unfortunately did not mention during that month. This brilliant one for instance, from January. They’re called Black Toaster and hail from Bern, Switzerland. And on this three track Flying Rage Machine EP they deliver some gritty and groovy rock ‘n roll. A bit of punk energy and a lot of stonerrock influence take their hardrock into the land of gigantic swagger and monstrous grooves. There are moments that remind more of Sweden’s finest and a few instances that bring to mind that lost brilliant band of Lausanne, Switzerland called Feuerzeug. Flying Rage Machine gives you ten minutes of wildness, a bit of rage and a lot of riff flying! And that bass work in final track Evil Eye! Wowzah!  

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Homepage

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

 

 

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

Warpstormer
Cosmic Fall
Odd Crew
Familiars
Mary Ann Hawkins
Oberón
Altareth
No Man’s Valley
Slift
Dozer

Mornin! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was still filled with a fever that came and went and coughing fits that had sea lions across the globe looking in my general direction and asking me to keep it down. But we did manage to do a bit of work last week. No less than three albums by No Man’s Valley got mentioned, including a few bandcamp codes. We wrote about the awesome new Warpstormer, the brilliant Cosmic Fall and went back to the final days of December 2023 to mention Engraver’s debut release called Rituals. And then there was the FULL ALBUM PREMIERE for Deep Valley Blues new album Sangue E Veleno. And our resident poet Ronny Dijksterhuis graced us with a few words about Bog Filth and an actual, wonderful poem about that album. And yesterday, before we crawled back in bed, we put up the first official announcement that this year’s Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024 will commence on Saturday 14th of December. And that you crazies can send your list to stonerhive@hotmail.com before 8.00 CET on that day… Well, we did do some work after all last week. Let’s hope for a few moments of clarity and a speedy recovery this week… And as usual, the Spotify playlist for the Top 10 Most Listened Last week can be heard below… Have a great week everyone! Stay healthy!

The Spotify Playlist for...

Stoner HiVe's Weekly Top 10 Most Listened

Week 49

The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024

 

 

The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024

This is it! The very first official announcement that the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024 is just around the corner again. We’ve been doing it since 2009 and above is the image featuring all the Number One albums according to all the votes that came in so far. Your votes! It’s your call! And this is the call to arms, voting arms… Get ready to make that list and send it to us.

We will commence with the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024 on Saturday December 14th. You will have time to send your list of favorite albums from this year right up until that morning 8.00 CET. We still don’t have a fancy poll system in place, so we continue to do it the old fashioned, manual labor and lots of sweat way. Please send your list via email to stonerhive@hotmail.com.

The rules, just like every year, are very simple. Send a list of your albums from 2024, or late December 2023, to our email: stonerhive@hotmail.com . It can contain as many as you want. But be advised, it’s a weighed count and all entries below your Number 20, will get the same amount of points as your Number 20.

Almost every year the amount of lists we receive keeps growing and we are thankful for each and every one of them. Whether you are able to list five favorite albums or fifty it is all good! You can send your list to our email and we will do all the computing and tallying… And then when the day is there, Saturday December 14th, we shall start the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024! Ending, as always, with this year’s Number One on January 1st…

Gonna listen to last year’s Number One album right now! Which was Dozer and their Drifting In The Endless Void album. I’m curious to see what you all vote for this year and what album will reach the Number One spot this year… Please help me out by sending your votes!

Send your list of favorite albums of 2024 HERE!

Deadline Saturday December 14th, 8.00 CET. 

 

Want to read up on past editions?
Visit the blog and see posts like: The Countdown So Far...
Or the Number One Posts...

 

Cosmic Fall – Back Where The Fire Flows

 

 

Cosmic Fall – Back Where The Fire Flows
Clostridium Records / Self released – 2024
Rock, Space, Psych, Stoner, Kraut
Rated: *****

Have you ever just sat there, on a ledge or rock, in the middle of nature and watched the moon rise. And as it rose, did you ever feel like it picked out your little location like a spotlight? Well, the fourth track Chant Of The Lizards felt like exactly that for me. The leisurely flow, meandering like a brook, the nature sounds, the chimes, the blue hue of the guitar, it all seemed perfectly in synch with everything around me and it made me feel at home, connected and made me fall in love hard. Fall in love with Cosmic Fall all over again. Cause we were there back in 2016 for their First Fall release and even more when their 2018 In Search For Outer Space came out. But we kind of missed the intermediate Kick Out The Jams release (still set to private on bandcamp), Jams For Free and their Lackland single. Which was the last release from Cosmic Fall all the way back in 2019. But now the boys are back… Back Where The Fire Flows has five tracks that move confidently through the psychedelic and space rock genres, opting for a bit of stoner rock on occasion and some more krautrock approaches when needed. And the space, it’s soaring, but also very natural. Naturistic even, almost every composition feels like an ode to some natural force or geological beauty. Opening track entitled Lucid Skies Above Mars feels like the hot steamy vapors above some island born volcano, shimmering and rising, floating and gliding. And you glide along as the guitar takes you higher. Propelled by the drums to ascend and see it all. Picking up speed towards the end and perfectly transitioning into second track Magma Rising. With only four and half minutes, a short song for the Cosmic Fall three, that sees the magma rise instantaneously and flowing out in all directions. Highly direct, yet so groovy and steaming, with lovely bass work underpinning that wild drumming and ever freakier guitar sound. Another short one follows, Under The Influence Of Gravity, grooves hard, has a funkier touch and will have you smiling from ear to ear. A highly jam like middle section in combination with the laughter at the end will turn that smile even wider and will leave the impression that most or all of this was recorded in one majestic take. Whatever the case, you’ve just experienced three wonderful propelling tracks that will have made you dance, air drum and absolutely giddy with glee. Chant Of The Lizards follows and we already told you what it does to us, now go listen to all of it yourself and prepare for the powerful kraut rocking final track Drive The Kraut.Cosmic Fall is back! And on fire!

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Review for Cosmic Fall – In Search of Outer Space

Review for First Fall

Warpstormer – Warpstormer

 

 

Warpstormer – Warpstormer
London Doom Collective – 2024
Metal, Doom, Sludge, Thrash, Punk
Rated: *****

Here Comes Hell! No, here comes Warpstormer! Their debut self-titled full-sized album! And it comes out tomorrow! We were absolutely smitten with their first battering ram EP called Here Comes Hell back in 2022. And we’ve not been able to stop spinning their newest release. Out on London Doom Collective, tomorrow, Friday 29th of November, it’s a new calling card for the brand new full fledged line-up. Was that first EP recorded by vocalist Richard J Morgan formerly from OAK with aid from close friends Matt Folley (drums) and Green Lung guitarist, Scott Black. It has now turned into a solid four-piece consisting of bassist Simon Doggett, guitarist Adam Davies and drummer James Loh. Serious line-up, serious intent and seven tracks that make a serious bid for your list of favorite albums of 2024. Intro tune Black Herald is trumpet call over a lost battlefield, setting the scene for a sprawling sci-fi metal album of gargantuan proportions. And where one might expect that science fiction touch to take center stage, it does not. What comes next and thunders over us, is a seemingly endless barrage of intense metal riffs and sludge tones, thrash speeds and punk energy. Oracle, the second track, like a marauding and galloping boom, that becomes ever bigger and towering. Fast paced and constantly shifting gears, with a few sidewards glances Oracle becomes that homerun swing early on. Cursed, Cold, follows, slows down, turns the sound ominous and leering, still sludgy, the doom gets the heads a nodding. Monolithic sludge prog metal comes next, Beyonder opens subdued and atmospheric before exploding in Baroness like metal exuberance, opting to go everywhere and riff the hell out of everything. Intricate and relentless, the composition seems to tumble over itself and roll down into an abyss, from which we get treated to some gritty yet entirely winning harmonies and you get to hear a majestic solo rise from those depths. A Liar’s Crown Motörhead’s their doom metal sound and stoner edge home, like an iron beast, flat out through the eye of a beer can and up your daughter's leg with no quarter asked and non-given. Fester, churning and whirling, with a bit of that earlier sludge prog, some classic metal flourishes and ditto drums, opting for more wilder, technical yet very tasty approaches as the track transitions from one part to another. Extremely gnarly sounds and o’ so detailed, giving you every room to latch on to whatever instrument you wish to follow for your grand escape. The Edge Of Time closes the album in grandiose fashion, opting for a wide vista, a slowed doom opening march and tones to dwarf the horizon. A galloping classic metal session in the middle has you storming towards that distance. And as you know, lying in wait around the bend… A break down that becomes like a sinkhole of noise. Draining away all of that Warpstormer energy and yours with it. But luckily, Black Herald is here to reinvigorate you immediately…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Review for Warpstormer – Here Comes Hell

FULL ALBUM PREMIERE - Deep Valley Blues – Sangue e Veleno

 

 

FULL ALBUM PREMIERE 

Deep Valley Blues – Sangue e Veleno

In our enthusiasm for the album, we almost jumped the gun! We were almost a week early last week, but a tug at our shirt made us realize that we had agreed to premiere that magnificent diesel blues record Sangue e Veleno by Italian fourpiece Deep Valley Blues today! So, here we are, with the FULL ALBUM PREMIERE for the new Deep Valley Blues album. An album that gives you all that gritty hardrock, that salty stoner and that blues that rumbles. Out on Argonauta Records, the seven tracks hit hard and will push you forward. Towards a filthy drinking hole or a way to deal with your anger and frustration in a positive way…

Thank you to Deep Valley Blues, Argonauta Records and Grand Sounds PR for the opportunity to premiere this album…

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Argonauta Records

Grand Sounds PR

Full review for Deep Valley Blues – Sangue e Veleno

Engraver – Rituals

 

 

Engraver – Rituals
Self released – 2023
Metal, Doom
Rated: ***

We’re on the verge of announcing the fact that the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024 will commence in the middle of December and that you can send your votes in now. Cause the Countdown is made up out of all the votes of you crazies that take the time to send that list of favorite 2024 albums. But since that time is almost here, we looked at the massive ‘To Mention’ folder of amazing albums we would have loved to have mentioned throughout the year. It contains some 550 albums, that we never got around to mentioning on the HiVe… And as we glanced back towards January, we also noticed those albums that came out in the final week of December. Cause as you know, once the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown, we do nothing else but that. And albums during that final week, will have to be voted for THIS year.

And here’s one of them, released on December 29th, straight out of Gdansk, Poland, Engraver and their debut full-sized album Rituals. An eight track record that sees them use minor thrash and speed influences to spice up their metal, their doom and their stoner. Stabs of aggression and thunderous energy, bring their classic styled metal and doom even more to life. A so do the break downs and the build-ups. Diverse vocal treatments change the songs coloring from grunge to occult and gives you growling and incantated melodies. Rituals indeed. It’s good. And it might also serve as a warning to never release an album at the very end of the year…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

No Man’s Valley - Chrononaut Cocktailbar / Flight of the Sloths

 

 

No Man’s Valley - Chrononaut Cocktailbar / Flight of the Sloths
Tonzonen Records – 2024
Rock, Psych, Blues
Rated: *****

Chrononaut Cocktailbar / Flight of the Sloths is the third No Man’s Valley album and also the third album we have some Free Bandcamp Codes for. A double edge sword, two sides of an awesome vinyl coin. One side filled with short, quirky, rock noir and highly atmospheric songs. While the other side is filled with one long psychedelic, ever flowing, ever floating adventure… And all of it is brilliant! Two mini albums in one, said Jasper Hesselink, the incredibly talented vocalist of No Man’s Valley. Those shorter songs, all with a desperate groov and swing, have the ability to rock you with this estranged dark and noir atmosphere. And then there’s Flight Of The Sloths, a no holds barred adventure and exploration of the space and psych rock realm. Almost twenty minutes long they crawl and float through sky, that slowly transforms from peaceful blue into a tempestuous squall. Beautiful! (Just like that awesome video for it!) But personally I’m so much in love with those shorter songs with their eccentric experiences and goosebump shivers. Those first three songs for instance, they change color and style with no reserve, yet through an overarching atmosphere, all feel like one beautiful circus tent ring. An ouroboros of crazy images, funny ideas and scary characters.

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Instagram

Facebook

Bandcamp



Free Bandcamp Codes for Chrononaut Cocktailbar / Flight of the Sloths by No Man’s Valley

qlm3-52c6
9c8m-7c4y
yhnf-vh5r
yqdv-g52d
3846-uuwh
dkc2-5ql5
syjw-7tpr
p2gc-vn7d
vmhq-gjsj
7gef-36cy
5asp-ymsj
a3rw-w6lr
kjlm-ge3d
fdyc-gajh
h6ma-wl8q
zcnf-vxar
skjw-7ter
v37x-ckxr
n78p-5rkc
cnf9-hebz
7xcy-h2ng
vcj3-vdvu
5nfd-w9xr

Redeem HERE

No Man’s Valley – Outside The Dream

 

 

No Man’s Valley – Outside The Dream
Tonzonen Records – 2019
Rock, Psych, Blues
Rated: *****

And yes, we also have Free Bandcamp Codes for the No Man’s Valley sophomore album Outside The Dream. An album released through Tonzonen Records back in 2019 and which we reviewed back then and you can read it in full HERE. But to save you the trouble of clicking on that link, here’s the gist of it! “We’ve been spinning the shit out of it for the past months, slowly getting more immersed in the dream. Slowly losing all sense of the outside world. ‘Psychedelic blues infused organ wave rock’, quite a lovely description by the band itself. But it has so much more! It aims for the stratosphere with certain elements without ever becoming too spacey and it surges through all kinds of nooks and crannies to serve up an entirely own universe. A heavy and thick universe with depth and width. The atmosphere is so compelling, it transports you to ringside seats at a twisted carnival or will have you trapped inside a tin can that might be floating around in outer space or deep beneath the ocean. Who knows? It might just all be a dream. It is without a doubt based on the blues rock of yore and the psychedelic transformation that happened in the seventies.” And Outside The Dream still manages to do just that listening now, five years later. In fact, it reminds us we should listen to it on a regular basis…

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Instagram

Facebook

Bandcamp



Free Bandcamp Codes for Outside The Dream by No Man’s Valley

tjk7-cdhz
t93v-wcpg
tyd8-hcb3
hxlt-k3m4
h4py-6xka
hsfn-6qt7
qhdl-k93v
fc4j-6zh9
mss7-y6qt
gqhd-b66b
jttp-65dw
fnzg-gfss
shpk-khka
sc72-6vt7
kl6e-wrb9
keyf-cd4z
zzw6-hcr3
rut9-gnss
dwzz-3mhd
sptk-h6pc
kf4h-x66x
yxgq-w2b9
47ny-v8fw
bscp-6k49
kzez-5dd4
f2z8-yucs
sllk-62v4
scpk-khza
wttd-vxdb


Redeem HERE

No Man’s Valley – Time Travel

 

 

No Man’s Valley – Time Travel
Nasoni Records / Self-released – 2016
Rock, Alternative, Blues, Psych
Rated: ****

An album from 2016? Yes, and why not! After all we’re here to promote all that good stuff that’s floating around the Heavy Underground. And what better way to promote those albums then by handing out some FREE BANDCAMP CODES. Yes! For Jasper Hesselink, founder of the Weirdo Shrine, one-time member of the Doom Charts and more importantly vocalist for No Man’s Valley graced us with a handful of codes to distribute for their debut full-sized album Time Travel! The vinyl was released through Nasoni Records; everything else they handled themselves. Roots, blues and noir rock are soon complimented by all sorts of psych and alternative rock. Mesmerizing and conjuring up mystical whisperings, the eight tracks on this album take you on an adventure that always feels like a risky venture. A bit of a gamble. Danger lurking around every corner. Wild organ touches, luscious guitar work and brilliant drums all add to this slightly sinister and dark alley atmosphere. And of course them vocals from Hesselink himself, highly varied, opting for a Morrison approach here, Danzig there or even a bit of Cave. A stunning debut: and one that will surely stand the test of time… And will probably even get better with age…

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Instagram

Facebook

Bandcamp



Free Bandcamp Codes for Time Travel by No Man’s Valley

bfp8-yusw
x9qh-3bp8
7s4e-u3hk
mhsf-54m8
9e4x-bpy2
zrsh-xn2h
3mhs-eaxv
wges-3be8
pk7c-cxf2
8n5c-w5eh
2d6q-wrr5
xxbu-bqxs

Redeem HERE