Best New Releases April 2025

 

April was an interesting month for me (to put it in a nice way). I spent the first half of the month sick with COVID and dealing with some unexpected problems. Once I'd begun to recover, I was just so happy to be feeling like myself again that I completely immersed myself in other hobbies and enjoying the springtime weather. As far as music goes, I relied very heavily on other genres and some old favorites this month to get me through, so I'd be lying if I said my heart was truly into the new releases in stoner/doom land this month. However, I don't come before you empty-handed; I managed to find seven new releases that tickled my fancy. 

Here they are, exactly what I submitted to the Doom Charts for April, in descending order: 

7.) Komatsu - A Breakfast for Champions 

Komatsu's fifth album shows the band holding fast to their trademark sludgy stoner metal sound, but it also features "some kind of sensitivity you haven't heard before from these bearded blokes." This softer side is apparent right from the beginning of A Breakfast for Champions as Komatsu cuts through the mire of sludge by layering in bright stoner and alternative rock, fluid psychedelia, and the wails and bite associated with heavy metal. The result is a ton of variety packed into a prismatic and energetic sound that's never boring, sure to appeal to fans of all sides of the heavy music spectrum. 

Favorite Track: Savage 

You can read my quick review here.

6.) Håndgemeng - Satanic Panic Attack 

Håndgemeng has been cranking out the most brutal of heavy metal assaults since 2018. Getting their start with a "pit-breaking, beer-soaked maelstrom of riffs", the band fit quite naturally in the hardcore, "motorcycle death cult" side of the stoner metal scene. With their most recent album, Satanic Panic Attack, the band stays true to their rebellious roots while successfully incorporating some more melody-driven stylings into their wildly energetic sound. The result is an entire album's worth of anthem-like tracks and tongue-in-cheek attitude that's sure to awaken the party-loving demon within you. In a nutshell, Satanic Panic Attack is pure, devilish fun. 

Favorite Track: The Cauldron Born 

5.) Swamplord - Witchland

On their third album Witchland, aptly named sludgy stoner rockers Swamplord combine the density of their debut with the dimension found on their sophomore release to create a hazy, swampy sound that's muddled with their fuzziest tone yet. The vocals remain mostly clean, but a newfound edginess at thier core and their intermingling with the murky instrumentals aids in giving Witchland a grungy quality at times. Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that this album is also Swamplord's most varied, delivering strongly on stoner/doom, sludge, and metal to create a collection of nine tracks sure to resonate with a wide variety of heavy music fans.

Favorite Track: We Sow the Darkness 

4.) Temple Fang - Lifted from the Wind 

Ever masters of the expansive and perpetually evolving heavy psych jam, Temple Fang is back with what they consider to be their "true debut studio album", Lifted from the Wind. Temple Fang is one of those bands whose creative process is irrefutably organic, each song blooming reliably but at its own natural pace. Sometimes, this occurs in a nimble manner, but in other seasons, it takes its time, the resulting blossom always worth the care and feeding. Lifted from the Wind, like other Temple Fang releases before it, demonstrates this natural unfurling as well, but overall, there appear to be more clear-cut stages to each track: a discernible and cinematic exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Also true to form, each song has an atmospheric backbone but illustrates the more momentous acts with heightened intensity - never overly heavy or coarse, but always with an authentic sense of apprehension or passion, whichever the situation calls for. I also noticed that Lifted from the Wind tends to have more of a futuristic, spacey prog rock tone when compared to the band's previous releases, adding both a refreshing new vibe and even more intricacies, twists, and turns to Temple Fang's sophisticated labyrinth of sound. 

Favorite Track: The Radiant 

3.) Fomies - Liminality 

Liminality is an ever-evolving roulette of sounds both familiar and strange, nostalgic and futuristic, soothing and eerie, groovy and grating. In fact, it plays out much like how I'd imagine its cover art would if it were a live experience, emanating the echoes of all the strange and often ugly things rattling around in our heads, along with fond memories and soft places to fall. No matter which direction it's jetting off to next, Liminality is always delivered with that over-the-top garage rock energy, making this album that much more intense, even in its pockets of soothing daydream reveries. This is one of those mind flights that's best listened to loudly, from start to finish, with no distractions. 

Favorite Track: Reflections 

2.) Grey Czar - Euarthropodia 

Grey Czar delivers a refreshingly intense take on progressive rock. While all the typical elements of the genre are firmly in place here - captivating and concept-driven storytelling, analog tones, retro heavy rock roots, and smartly placed style and tempo changeups - everything about Grey Czar just seems bigger. I'm sure the goosebump-inducing three-part vocal harmonies have something to do with it. Maybe it's the fact that their particular brand of yarn-spinning is exceptionally vivid (in the case of their thrilling new album Euarthropodia, the dystopian tale of the queendom of the same name: an insect society that arises upon the downfall of man). Whatever the magic is, the nine tracks here are sure to entrance you, both with their thought-provoking verses and accompanying epic groove. Put another way, this is an album that you can listen to more for the story, more because it's undeniably high caliber heavy rock music, or a bit of both depending on your mood. Euarthropodia scratches all those itches, just in a very sophisticated manner. 

Favorite Track: Eschaton 

 

 1.) The Elven - Solstice 

The Elven is a supergroup of sorts, composed of members of legendary Spanish heavy rock band Saturna as well as guitarist Issiah Mitchell from beloved Californian heavy psych outfit Earthless. Needless to say, this coming together creates something magical, but the most important thing to know about the band's scintillating debut album Solstice is it forges its own path. While you'll definitely hear some amazing heavy rock a la Saturna and psychedelic influences in the vein of Earthless, there are just as many pleasant surprises such as infusions of blues and heartland rock. The trail blazed here isn't the one of least resistance by any means; each song on Solstice has a very distinct personality, a clear message, and a heart and soul, all of which are crafted with utmost care and attention to detail. This album is deeply poignant, sophisticated but universal, and is certainly one of the most beautiful things that will grace your life this year. 

You can read my quick review here.

Favorite Track: Shine

 

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That's it for April! I hope you enjoy these albums as much as I did. Don't forget to check out this month's Doom Chart where there are 40 albums waiting for you to discover, and as always, be sure to show your favorite heavy underground artists some much-deserved love!