Phantom Spell: Heather & Hearth (2025)

How many times have I said that some albums seem tailor-made just for me? More than a few, by my addled-brain estimation. And yet that’s where we find ourselves with Heather & Hearth, the second album from Spain’s Phantom Spell, which is essentially one guy. But that guy, Kyle McNeill, seems to have offered up his soul to be the perfect vessel for 70s analog progressive rock (emphasis on the rock) blended with NWOBHM and a keen ear for songwriting. Like I said, tailor-made just for me. Due to…well, everything, it took a while to secure a copy on vinyl. But now it’s landed and I can finally talk about why I was so persistent in grabbing a physical copy.

ChrisNovember 3, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Kal-El: Astral Voyager Vol. 1 (2025)

The Norwegians have practically cornered the market when it comes to modern progressive rock, so why not desert/stoner rock as well? Kal-El has in just over a decade carved out a very nice discography of hard, anthemic rock that straddles stoner metal, doom, desert rock, and even some subtle shades of psychedelia. Full length number six Astral Voyager Vol. 1 wraps the band’s vibe in a grand science fiction concept as well as some killer album art, with Vol. 2 promised for later in the year. This is my second release from Blues Funeral Recording’s PostWax Unlimited series, and a welcome surprise that has me eager to dig deeper into the band.

ChrisMay 21, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Sykofant: Sykofant (2024)

I hesitate to call it burgeoning (it’s been going on for well over 15 years) but the Norwegian explosion of incredible progressive rock feels like what the UK scene might have been like in the 70s. And despite all the praise I’ve already showered this year on bands like Tusmørke, Kosmodome, and others (my 9C stoner rock list is filled with Norwegian bands) Sykofant is be the best of the bunch. Their self-titled debut is a massive achievement, self-produced and embracing just about every prefix you can attach to the -rock tag: progressive, stoner, jazz, space, classic, psychedelic…it’s all there woven together in a rock solid tapestry of epic songs. If someone asked me to give them one album that captured everything I love about rock, Sykofant might just be the album I give them.

ChrisDecember 27, 2024December 27, 20242 Comments

Playlists

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 29: Best of 2024: Stoner and Psych Rock/Metal

It begins. End of Year season is officially in motion, and over at Nine Circles I posted my first list, focusing on stoner and psych hard rock/metal. I still reach for the more extreme stuff, but more often than not when I’m in the mood for hard rock and I DON’T cave into my natural instincts with classic 70s rock and prog I go to the next best thing: those bands keeping that vibe alight in the modern era. Over the next few weeks the (Un)Focused Definition playlists are going to highlight songs from my many (too many, if we’re being honest) Best Of lists, but it starts here, on the Solstice…in the desert.

ChrisDecember 21, 2024December 21, 2024Leave a comment

Vinyl

Kosmodome: Ad Undas (2024)

Here’s a short surprise: out of nowhere I found out about Kosmodome, a Norwegian duo who traffics in an amalgam of stoner, psych, and progressive rock that reaches back to the experimentation of the late 60s and early 70s while maintaining firm footing in more modern rock in the vein of bands like Elder and King Buffalo. Sophomore release Ad Undas only came out about two months ago, but since discovering it and this band I’ve had it on constantly. Is the duo the new trio for me? Unknown, but I’ll say that the sense of space and the way the band weaves in a vintage aesthetic with their tunes immediately made this a Best of 2024 selection.

ChrisDecember 5, 2024December 4, 20242 Comments

Playlists

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 22: Getting My PostWax On

Had some unexpected travel that took me up and down the East coast this week, which is why we were a little lighter on reviews than I wanted to be. When I got home, I found a large package awaiting me: the final volume of Blues Funeral Recordings’s second PostWax series, along with a handy collector’s sleeve to store them. The label focuses on stoner rock that leans in a myriad of directions, including sludge, prog, doom, and psychedelia. In other words, they’re pretty much right up my alley.

ChrisNovember 2, 2024November 2, 2024Leave a comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: stoner rock

Phantom Spell: Heather & Hearth (2025)

Kal-El: Astral Voyager Vol. 1 (2025)

Sykofant: Sykofant (2024)

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 29: Best of 2024: Stoner and Psych Rock/Metal

Kosmodome: Ad Undas (2024)

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 22: Getting My PostWax On