Stoner Hive’s Quick Fire Friday
We've arrived on yet another final Friday of the month and we are treated once again to a Quick Fire Friday all done in famous Ronny Dijksterhuis style! Which means, this will get hot and heavy from here on in! You ready?
For old time's sake I'm listening to AC/DC's 'The Razor's Edge' for the first time in years. Cool riffage, memorable tunes, just the right amount of grit and best listened to when the volume is turned up to 11, decibel meters living in the red constantly, the risk of sound distortion and blown-up speakers lurking around the corner. Exactly what we aim for with Quick Fire Friday: destroying your sound system, your ears and your reputation as the perfect neighbour in one go, smashing your thirst (or what's left of it) for doing everything within the confinements of society's strive for political correctness to smithereens. Yes, this is another one of those moments to start the weekend the right way with a bunch of new, (un)known songs and forgotten gems. So, to speak with that AC/DC classic that's about to start right now while writing these very words: "Are you ready for a good time?". A rhetorical question of course, because I bet you are and I know you'll be as blown away as us by the goodies listed below.
Trance Bill - Violent Impulsive Primitive
Trance Bill (Rodolphe of Mud Spencer) unleashed a surprising debut album last year and is already back with a follow up. The EP, titled 'Violent Impulsive Primitive' is exactly that and brings his stonerized, surfed-up psych rock garage punk to another level, drenched in some of the nastiest fuzz you've ever heard. Another great release rising from the Indonesian soil.
Freedom Run - Soul Eater
Also from Indonesia comes another solo project called Freedom Run, a name more likely than not taken from the Kyuss song with the same name. Some shoes to fill, but Ghifari Hakim delivers ear-shattering, groove-driven stoner metal with a doom undercurrent that hands out punch after punch without giving you any room to breathe for the entire running time of the four track debut EP 'Soul Eater'. Great stuff and maybe there's a possibility to see Freedom Run live at some point, given the fact there are two full band rehearsal video's on Hakim's YouTube page. As the slogan goes: to be continued...
Mauled - When Your Eyes Are Shut
We get into even heavier territory with Mauled's low-tuned blackened sludge that leapfrogs the act of throwing punches and aims straight for your throat with a spiked belt, choking you to submission while violently belting in your face, spit drooling from the mouth of death. Even though what's being said gets drowned in an overdose of indecipherable screams and growls, you will exactly know what to do: drop to your knees and bow to the lords of aggression before you get mauled even more.
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Okay You Win – Smoke
'Smoke' is the lead single from 'End of Days', the upcoming debut album by London rockers Okay You Win. It's an organic blend of British metal from the eighties, nineties grunge and dusty desert rock, but above all a great song played to perfection as it flows smoothly from section to section, from head-nodding up-tempo grooves to moments of restraint and back again with a singer who can deliver the goods in every way. A stunning preview for what promises to be an incredible album if the other songs can match the quality of 'Smoke'.
High Fade – Swamp
High Fade isn't a band that makes a lot of music fit for Stoner HiVe and on their new single 'Swamp' they start out as the funky rockband they are. But during the guitar solo it veers into heavy psych territory before ending with a damp, sweaty stoner groove. And all of that in less than three and a half minutes. I personally love this song and expect you might too.
Pussy Miel - Don't Know
On their Bandcamp page these French ladies proclaim that Pussy Miel stands for the brute energy of punk, the heavy drowsiness of stoner and the sweet taste of honey. That more or less fits the bill, although the only real stoner song on their new ep 'Bee Raged' is the opening track titled 'Don't Know' - a very good song that shows they're at their best when laying down those catchy stoner grooves with a bit of female flair. Hopefully there'll be more of that in the future. But, to be fair and give them the credit they deserve, the other five songs aren't bad either (pretty good actually). If you like punk noise with a ragged edge from time to time, we highly recommend checking out the entire ep.
Creek Devil - Boot Scootin' in Blood
Fuck, how could we at Stoner HiVe have missed out on Creek Devil's 'Boot Scootin' in Blood' EP way back in October 2025? Because this is some heavy southern stoner metal in the vein of Borgo Pass, Down and Corrosion of Conformity, coming at you like a supercharged bulldozer flattening the Appalachian Mountains in their home state of Tennessee while wielding bottles of illegal liquor and shooting at the hats of innocent bystanders with a Colt .45. Oh yeah, their take on ZZ Top's 'Tush' is damn fine too.
BLKE – Heat
Last year Berlin-based British band BLKE surprised us with their debut EP 'Living Without Expectations' consisting of five noise and psych rock songs skirting the borders of kraut. It's no surprise they got picked up by the famed Tonzonen Records where you can find the best of the best in the German music scene. 'Heat' is a repetitive, hypnotic, mind-bending psychedelic krautrock masterpiece and the second single from their upcoming full length album, simply titled BLKE, set for release in May 2026.
The Heavy Eyes - Troublesome Priest
The Heavy Eyes from Memphis, Tennessee have always been kind of an up and down affair. Sometimes playing heavy, fuzzed-out bluesy stoner that bursts with energy, but ever so often missing the mark when the spark isn't quite there. Therefore we were over the moon hearing their brand new single 'Troublesome Priest'. One of their grittiest tunes where the blues growls, the desert fuzz stings and the muddy swamp sucks you in. A burning hot appetiser for their new album 'Focus' (street date: June 12th 2026).
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Phantom Logic – Glyphwave
And to round things off, here's something you've all been waiting for without knowing it. Just a few days ago Glory or Death Records announced the debut album from Phantom Logic by releasing the single 'Glyphwave'. Heavy psychedelic rock with a hint of stoner and a freedom that brings to mind the greatest jam bands in the history of mankind. Not strange considering Isaiah Mitchel from Earthless is one of the band members. And to arguably give an even more accurate description of what's on offer here, let's cite the promo poster for the album: this is "beauty and chaos, held together by guitars". We couldn't have said it any better.
