Listen: Sun Below share new epic track ‘Mammoth’s Tundra’

‘Mammoth’s Tundra’, the current single from Sun Below, first began life in 2023, before going through “significant changes” to wind up being the massive behemoth that kicks off the band’s 2025. The opening riff shares a slow, classic doom sound, instantly advertising the band’s heavy feel. After several bars, maybe at the point you’d expect a vocal to appear or the riff to do something dramatically different, Sun Below merely choose to heavy everything, whilst simultaneously slowing down to a sludgy crawl. The appearance of a vocal lends something Melvins-esque, before the doomy vibes slide into a slightly more melodic blues-doom sound, by which time, you’re either completely behind the band, or not. Working a Sabbath-on-steroids groove, the combo of drums and guitar latch onto an even deeper brand of doom, before the sludge comes back for a second assault.

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THE GAMBLERS – Boom! Boom! / Sufferer

The debut 7” from The Gamblers gave listeners a very accessible and direct insight into the new band’s key musical interests. The self-penned ‘Tonight’ introduced them with a tight arrangement, underscored by a great bass sound, and an attitude that suggested that frontman Mark – also of punk band Booze & Glory – had a deeper love of Jamaican sounds than many of his peers. For any doubters, the flip-side’s pin-sharp cover of The Pioneers’ ‘Let Your Yeah Be Yeah’ should have been solid enough to allay any fears that this was, in any way, a half-arsed musical diversion.

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Watch: Detroit Run return with new video for ‘Invincible’

Having formed in 2022, Liverpool’s Detroit Run have only been a presence on the alternative/melodic metal scene for a relatively short time, but over the past couple of years, the band have really made an impression. Past singles ‘Prototype’ (2024) and ‘Maniac’ (2023) were both flawless showcases for their sound – a driving, riff based approach, augmented with darkwave synths – but their current track ‘Invincible’ raises the bar.

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Listen: Vendetta Love share new track ‘Traced Out’

Vendetta Love have been gradually carving out a place within the rock underground since 2021. The Irish band have released a string of impressive digital singles over the course of four years – not least of all 2024’s ‘Soothe’, an energetic number absolutely loaded with wah-wah guitar work – and a pair of enjoyable EPs, but their first offering for ’25 could just be one of their strongest tracks to date.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Middle Earth: The Soundtrack of London’s Legendary Psychedelic Club 1967-1969

Whenever psychedelic and swinging London appears in documentary footage, there’s always a tendency to suggest, to those of later generations, that Joe Boyd’s short-lived UFO club was where everybody hung out. This is largely to do with an easily available and well circulated clip of Syd Barrett and The Pink Floyd hammering through ‘Astronomy Domine’ against a home made light show. The late 60s saw lots of other underground activity, not least of all at UFO’s successor, Middle Earth.

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