Reviews: Saturna, Hijss, Son Of Boar, Mushroom Beard (Spike & Matt Bladen)

Saturna – Light And Shadow (Spinda Records/Discos Macarras) [Spike]

I’ll be the first to admit that dropping a record tagged as "Heavy Rock" onto my desk usually means a bit of a recalibration. 

When you spend the bulk of your listening hours neck-deep in cavernous death metal, suffocating post-sludge, and abrasive hardcore, stepping into the realm of warm vintage valves, dual guitar harmonies, and classic 70s-infused swagger can feel like taking a completely different motorway. But good music is good music, regardless of how far it sits from your default corner of the underground. And across the forty-six minutes of Light And Shadow, Barcelona’s Saturna make a damn convincing case for stepping off the extreme-metal path.

Arriving as the Catalan quartet’s sixth studio full-length and backed by striking cover artwork courtesy of long-time collaborator Jondix (well known for his iconic visual work with Tool), Light And Shadow finds the four-piece operating with the seasoned confidence of a band that knows their craft inside and out. Rather than churning out an exercise in hollow retro-fetishism or tired nostalgia, Saturna understand that classic heavy rock only works when the songs have actual swing, genuine dynamics, and a beating human heart.

The record opens with the moody, acoustic-tinged setup of Unheard before rolling straight into Falling Apart, and the live-in-the-room feel hits you immediately. Frontman James Vieco brings a soulful, smoky grit to his vocal delivery that feels thoroughly authentic, channelling that golden era where vocalists actually pushed from the diaphragm without relying on modern pitch-correction crutches. Behind him, the guitar interplay between Vieco and Alexandre Eriksson crackles with warm analogue distortion, anchored by the heavy, fluid rhythm section of bassist Rod Tirado and drummer Enric Verdaguer.

The title track, Light And Shadow, is an absolute standout. It’s a driving, propulsive rocker that balances infectious blues-rock hooks with subtle flashes of proto-metal punch, capturing the push-pull lyrical tension between opposing forces, internal conflicts, and finding clarity amidst life’s fog. It bleeds seamlessly into Absence and About You, where the band demonstrates their greatest asset: sonic malleability. 

They can lock into a muscular, riff-heavy groove that nods respectfully to classic Thin Lizzy, UFO, or early Grand Funk, and then pivot effortlessly into breezy, melodic alternative rock and psych-tinged contemplation without missing a single beat. Across the second half, the record refuses to settle into a predictable groove. Cuts like So Long and lead single Self Told Lies pack infectious hooks and fiery guitar solos that beg to be heard through rolled-down car windows on a sunlit afternoon. 

Meanwhile, acoustic interludes like Opus One and the easy, soulful blues shuffle of Drifting provide brilliant atmospheric contrast, paving the way for the doomier, riff-thick rumble of Words Of Doom before closing out with the reflective, spoken-word-laced charm of A Strange Mix Of Humans.

Coming into this a little outside my usual sonic diet, Light And Shadow proved to be a thoroughly refreshing, deeply engaging surprise. It’s got warmth, killer guitar craft, exceptional songwriting, and zero pretension. 8/10

Hijss – Hijss (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Spike]

There is nothing quite like the feeling of going into an album completely blind. No baggage, no preconceptions, just dropping the needle and seeing what the hell comes out of the speakers. 

Hailing from the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol in Northern Italy (around the Bolzano and Laives valley), power trio hijss are a brand new name on my radar. After spending some quality time with their self-titled second offering, they’ve made such a massive impression that I’m already heading straight over to dig up their 2024 debut, Stuck On Common Ground. This is an absolute gem of a record.

Released via the ever-reliable Heavy Psych Sounds, hijss doesn't behave like a conventional, run-of-the-mill stoner or psych album. Instead of leaning into tired Sabbath worship or predictable retro fuzz jams, this three-piece, comprising Lois Lane (guitars, vocals, electronics), Pan (bass, synth), and Maurice (drums), takes the raw, physical collision of a noise-rock trio and launches it headfirst into cosmic, hypnotic "kosmo-kraut" territory. It’s got the unvarnished grit of 90s alternative rock and the biting attitude of post-punk, but wrapped around pulsating electronic textures, motorik krautrock rhythms, and deep space exploration.

The record opens with the seven-minute epic Drain Of Thoughts, and it pulls you straight into their orbit. Rather than battering you immediately with a wall of noise, they let the groove stretch out, breathe, and hypnotize you. Pan’s bassline carries a massive, physical presence that feels like it’s vibrating through the floor, while Maurice’s drumming provides an insistent, trance-like pulse. Over the top, Lane’s guitars grind and soar, weaving sharp, fuzzed-out distortion with eerie synthesizer tones that add a cold, mechanized edge to the warmth of the power trio format.

From there, Vicious Cycle and Parasite tighten the screws with nervous, punk-derived momentum. It’s heavy, but never clumsy; there's a constant, bubbling tension in how they circle around their riffs, making it feel like the music is perpetually gathering itself for a massive detonation.

The centrepiece of the album brings pure dynamic brilliance. Underwater is a gorgeous, melancholic curveball, a fragile, spacey ballad dripping with genuine atmosphere and heartache that completely disarms you before the driving, intoxicating electro-fuzz pulse of Dopamine takes over. Then you hit the seven-minute sprawl of S.W.A.N., which pushes into the shadowy, translucent edges of their sound, hovering beautifully between raw physical noise and ethereal drift.

Closing out with the jagged punch of Fatal Attraction and a moody, atmospheric Outro, you realize hijss have pulled off something exceptionally rare: they’ve made an album that works as a seamless, immersive journey from the first note to the last. They haven't abandoned the raw abrasion of noise-rock; they’ve simply discovered that noise hits with twice the impact when you give it room to travel and breathe.

Coming into this fresh, hijss has been one of the most thoroughly enjoyable surprises to cross my listening desk recently. If you love heavy music that dares to be hypnotic, adventurous, and gloriously unclassifiable, do not sleep on this band. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got their debut album waiting to be spun. 9/10

Son Of Boar - The Hand That Reigns (Pale Wizard Records) [Matt Bladen]

Another recent Pale Wizard Records release, who are on fire with signing bands at the moment. The Hand That Reigns is the second album from Bradford stoner/doom band Son Of Boar, a band who have spent the last few years forging a formidable reputation on the UK live scene.

It's seen them support Conjurer, Desert Storm and Sergeant Thunderhoof which explains them joining Pale Wizard for this record. Their debut in 2021 was an example of their idea of 'Grim North', harsh, heavy and drawn from the the vista of Ilkley Moor to harsh concrete of their city's textile and steam industries.

Their music is a result of where it comes from, similarly to the NOLA scene in the USA, it's a reflection of their surroundings, through crushing sludge stomps, desert rock expansion and Sabbath worship, they honed their heaviness but with second album they take it further, in as many directions as they can be that getting louder, more atmospheric or harsher than on their debut.

Stepping into Corner House Studios with Kurt Wood, The Hand That Reigns saw the band members navigating hard times, which bleeds into their music, making for a four tracker that is full of gruelling sludge grooves, punctuated visceral hardcore screams, it's an aggressive record which channels dark times through the sound they have defined but far grimmer and murkier.

The frustration can be felt on first single In The Eyes Of Hatred, which reminds me of the mighty fuzz of Crowbar, or Down then they're at their steamrolling best, while Lord Dope is full of low end boom and an incredible slow burn, that builds with guitar solo driven Sky Valley psychedelia, though it struggles to match the glacial pace, emotional power and sense of catharsis that comes through on Warning Of The Witch.

The Hand That Reigns brings more sonic demolition from Son Of Boar, charged with emotion, armed with huge riffs, it's one hell of a monolithic record. 9/10

Mushroom Beard - Mushroom Beard (Pale Wizard Records) [Matt Bladen]

Stoke-On-Trent stoners Mushroom Beard have grown out of the desert blues rock of Quiet The Thief, three members of that band blooming into a psychedelic, stoner doom band that plays music that is slower, heavier, fuzzier, like audio treacle that is there to consume you.

The trio also seem to have an affinity with prog rock as their self- titled debut album is a concept record that tells a story across six colossal tracks through "cosmic journeys, woodland spirits, and strange encounters" the story unveils itself though chugging, thunderous riffs, spatial atmospheres and inventive storytelling.

It's all very deliberate as Stig Chell (guitar/vocals), Gareth Harding (bass) and Norbert Hussey (drums) wanted to explore the louder, heavier and an all together more sweeping style of music than in their other band, it's a hypnotic ride through their collective creative mindset that draws from Sleep, High On Fire and Cathedral.

The trampling riffs of March Of The Shroom Elephant begins this odyssey with some serious heaviness, all based on the grooven and propulsion, it's a fine way to begin this before Elden Beard, builds from an Al Cisneros-like bass throb into some blissed out voyaging across this ten minute ride.

Recorded at Paladin's Studio, the mix and master comes from the wizards Josh Gallop and this record is being released by Pale Wizard, who's co-founder and vocalist of Sergeant Thunderhoof, Dan Filcroft gives his voice to the chunky swirling psych of Speech Of The Leaf And Beard.

By appearing on the record and signing them to his label it not only adds another element to this band, but shows that they are making waves in the stone doom scene and Mushroom Beard is an impressive debut album from this band of the same name, huge riffs, woozy ambience and reverbed vocals.

It's a triumph of psychedelic stoner doom and as Fungal Haze unfurls into Khala-Shai, you want to relive this story all over again. Sublime heaviness from these hairy fun guys. 9/10