Stillbirth have never been short on power, but The Survival Protocol pushes that energy into far more structured, deliberate territory. The band’s technical command is obvious from the first seconds of Existence Erased, where sharp riffing, shifting tempos and unexpected percussive details – yes, including a well-placed cowbell – set the tone for an album that constantly toys with expectation.
The production is impressively clean without losing heft. The bass is thick, audible, and integral to the songwriting rather than buried under the guitars. Every transition feels considered: the way Trapped In Darkness slides from a groove-heavy stomp into a tight mid-tempo run, or the sudden textural breaks in Throne Of Bones, show a band with both control and imagination.
Where Stillbirth really excel here is in pacing. There’s space between the chaos; the title track The Survival Protocol builds tension through small rhythmic shifts before erupting again, and Cult Of The Green adds moments of almost psychedelic dissonance that keep it from feeling predictable. The drum sound remains mechanical in places, but the precision works in context – it amplifies the sharp edges of the music rather than flattening them.
Vocally, it’s still very much within the modern death-metal template: powerful but somewhat uniform transitions from deep vocal fry to pig squeals. Yet that consistency gives the guitars, bass, and interludes room to breathe, and the band use that space well. The result is an album that rewards close listening, full of clever layering, unexpected breaks, and a genuine sense of craft.
The Survival Protocol isn’t just another blast of brutality – it’s a thoughtful, tightly engineered record that shows Stillbirth evolving beyond shock value into something more refined. Heavy, inventive, and meticulously produced, it’s one of their strongest and most cohesive releases to date. 8/10
Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Twenty First Trip (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]
I am going to start this review like I did the last seven additions to this collection; I love the Brown Acid series that has been curated by the great RidingEasy Records. If you are not familiar with the set the basic concept is that Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records, searches the far corners of the US in dusty record store bins, garages, attics, and confirms musical urban myths to bring us lost and the most underground of underground songs from long forgotten bands that in some cases may have only release one song on a promo single.
The production is impressively clean without losing heft. The bass is thick, audible, and integral to the songwriting rather than buried under the guitars. Every transition feels considered: the way Trapped In Darkness slides from a groove-heavy stomp into a tight mid-tempo run, or the sudden textural breaks in Throne Of Bones, show a band with both control and imagination.
Where Stillbirth really excel here is in pacing. There’s space between the chaos; the title track The Survival Protocol builds tension through small rhythmic shifts before erupting again, and Cult Of The Green adds moments of almost psychedelic dissonance that keep it from feeling predictable. The drum sound remains mechanical in places, but the precision works in context – it amplifies the sharp edges of the music rather than flattening them.
Vocally, it’s still very much within the modern death-metal template: powerful but somewhat uniform transitions from deep vocal fry to pig squeals. Yet that consistency gives the guitars, bass, and interludes room to breathe, and the band use that space well. The result is an album that rewards close listening, full of clever layering, unexpected breaks, and a genuine sense of craft.
The Survival Protocol isn’t just another blast of brutality – it’s a thoughtful, tightly engineered record that shows Stillbirth evolving beyond shock value into something more refined. Heavy, inventive, and meticulously produced, it’s one of their strongest and most cohesive releases to date. 8/10
Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Twenty First Trip (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]
I am going to start this review like I did the last seven additions to this collection; I love the Brown Acid series that has been curated by the great RidingEasy Records. If you are not familiar with the set the basic concept is that Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records, searches the far corners of the US in dusty record store bins, garages, attics, and confirms musical urban myths to bring us lost and the most underground of underground songs from long forgotten bands that in some cases may have only release one song on a promo single.
These songs come together to populate the now twenty-one. Yes, twenty-one volumes of some of the best 60s and 70s proto metal and psych rock that you have never heard before. Never ever do these comps disappoint. This one is no different, with another ten lost treasures for your listening enjoyment.
Highlights of the latest volume include the opener 90 second proto punk ripper Maggie Johnsons from Belgian trio OPUS EST. The freaky weird male/female psych of Losing You from Freedom North which seemingly bleeds into freakier psych from Accents out of Rhode Island, in the form of Friendly Stranger, originally release in 1969 that adds some killer organ. Newark, Delaware’s Pump gets all fuzzy and hooky on Kinda Like while Lazy River Blues by L.A.’s Peacepipe is a bluesy Doors type thing, but weirder.
I am still amazed at volume twenty-one we are getting sets of songs that are as solid and enjoyable as we have here. Twenty-one volumes take up a lot of room in my vinyl collection, but boy does RidingEasy make the Brown Acid series sets so worth it, with this one being no exception. 8/10
Dwelling Below – Wearisome Guardians (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Martin Brown]
Wearisome Guardians is the sound of descent. Dwelling Below take the slow-motion gravity of death-doom and strip it of comfort, leaving only the weight and texture of decay. The thirteen-minute title track sets the tone — an immense, unhurried sprawl of dissonant chords and suffocating atmosphere, anchored by a bass that feels more like a seismic pulse than an instrument. It moves in layers rather than sections, each riff dragging the listener deeper while the vocals drift in and out like distant echoes.
The production is deceptively clear beneath the murk. Every tone has room to breathe, the reverb used as architecture rather than effect. Unfolding Universe opens the space slightly, introducing fragile melody under the same oppressive tempo, while Termination Experiments pulls it all back into claustrophobic density. The short Interlude feels less like relief and more like the eye of a storm, and by the time The Altar and Sacraments arrive, the record has become ritualistic — slow, deliberate, and consuming.
There’s a precision behind the gloom. The transitions between riffs are thoughtful, the bass placement immaculate, and the production balances rawness with clarity. The vocals remain buried, almost abstract, but that decision serves the mood rather than diminishing it. Wearisome Guardians isn’t an album built for hooks or immediacy; it’s a sustained act of atmosphere that rewards immersion.
For a debut of this depth and patience, it’s impressive. Dwelling Below have crafted something that stands apart from the current doom landscape — heavy, deliberate, and strangely elegant in its restraint. An excellent record that deserves to be experienced whole, preferably in darkness and suffocating heat, with a light at the end of the tunnel that looks suspiciously like a flamethrower. 8/10
Various Artists - Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss (Witching Buzz) [Rich Piva]
At this point I do not need to sell anyone of the awesomeness and important of Kyuss on the desert/stoner rock genre. So, I am not going to. If you don’t know, then Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss, which is 20 tracks of some of the best and some newer bands of the desert/stoner genre covering some of the best tracks from the legendary band, is not for you. This compilation may not be for you if you love Kyuss and don’t want to hear covers of already perfect songs. So, what I am going to focus on for this review are the tracks that stood out to me as ones to start with out of the 20 given to us here.
Sonic Wolves covers of Thumb is killer. The band sounds amazing and just does just enough to make it their own. Apothecaries’ Weight is a perfect match for Rainbow Bridge, and they nail it. ISAAK’s version of Odyssey kicks all sorts of ass, like pretty much everything else ISAAK does. Doctor Doom’s stripped-down version of Space Cadet rules. My favourite track is from Arizona’s Fuzz Evil, who absolutely destroy Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop and is the true standout of the 20 tracks for me.
This is fun, but am I going to sit and listen to all 20 in a row again? Probably not. Are the ones I mentioned worth your time? Absolutely. Make yourself a little mix tape of your favourites and keep it on rotation. Then add a couple more, change a few out. This is great, but mostly is small doses, but all the bands do a great job. Kyuss rules, the bands on this album are great and they all do a great job, but it can be a lot, but overall Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss is worth your time. 7/10
Highlights of the latest volume include the opener 90 second proto punk ripper Maggie Johnsons from Belgian trio OPUS EST. The freaky weird male/female psych of Losing You from Freedom North which seemingly bleeds into freakier psych from Accents out of Rhode Island, in the form of Friendly Stranger, originally release in 1969 that adds some killer organ. Newark, Delaware’s Pump gets all fuzzy and hooky on Kinda Like while Lazy River Blues by L.A.’s Peacepipe is a bluesy Doors type thing, but weirder.
I am still amazed at volume twenty-one we are getting sets of songs that are as solid and enjoyable as we have here. Twenty-one volumes take up a lot of room in my vinyl collection, but boy does RidingEasy make the Brown Acid series sets so worth it, with this one being no exception. 8/10
Dwelling Below – Wearisome Guardians (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Martin Brown]
Wearisome Guardians is the sound of descent. Dwelling Below take the slow-motion gravity of death-doom and strip it of comfort, leaving only the weight and texture of decay. The thirteen-minute title track sets the tone — an immense, unhurried sprawl of dissonant chords and suffocating atmosphere, anchored by a bass that feels more like a seismic pulse than an instrument. It moves in layers rather than sections, each riff dragging the listener deeper while the vocals drift in and out like distant echoes.
The production is deceptively clear beneath the murk. Every tone has room to breathe, the reverb used as architecture rather than effect. Unfolding Universe opens the space slightly, introducing fragile melody under the same oppressive tempo, while Termination Experiments pulls it all back into claustrophobic density. The short Interlude feels less like relief and more like the eye of a storm, and by the time The Altar and Sacraments arrive, the record has become ritualistic — slow, deliberate, and consuming.
There’s a precision behind the gloom. The transitions between riffs are thoughtful, the bass placement immaculate, and the production balances rawness with clarity. The vocals remain buried, almost abstract, but that decision serves the mood rather than diminishing it. Wearisome Guardians isn’t an album built for hooks or immediacy; it’s a sustained act of atmosphere that rewards immersion.
For a debut of this depth and patience, it’s impressive. Dwelling Below have crafted something that stands apart from the current doom landscape — heavy, deliberate, and strangely elegant in its restraint. An excellent record that deserves to be experienced whole, preferably in darkness and suffocating heat, with a light at the end of the tunnel that looks suspiciously like a flamethrower. 8/10
Various Artists - Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss (Witching Buzz) [Rich Piva]
At this point I do not need to sell anyone of the awesomeness and important of Kyuss on the desert/stoner rock genre. So, I am not going to. If you don’t know, then Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss, which is 20 tracks of some of the best and some newer bands of the desert/stoner genre covering some of the best tracks from the legendary band, is not for you. This compilation may not be for you if you love Kyuss and don’t want to hear covers of already perfect songs. So, what I am going to focus on for this review are the tracks that stood out to me as ones to start with out of the 20 given to us here.
Sonic Wolves covers of Thumb is killer. The band sounds amazing and just does just enough to make it their own. Apothecaries’ Weight is a perfect match for Rainbow Bridge, and they nail it. ISAAK’s version of Odyssey kicks all sorts of ass, like pretty much everything else ISAAK does. Doctor Doom’s stripped-down version of Space Cadet rules. My favourite track is from Arizona’s Fuzz Evil, who absolutely destroy Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop and is the true standout of the 20 tracks for me.
This is fun, but am I going to sit and listen to all 20 in a row again? Probably not. Are the ones I mentioned worth your time? Absolutely. Make yourself a little mix tape of your favourites and keep it on rotation. Then add a couple more, change a few out. This is great, but mostly is small doses, but all the bands do a great job. Kyuss rules, the bands on this album are great and they all do a great job, but it can be a lot, but overall Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss is worth your time. 7/10
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