An act who’ve made steady progress since their arrival on the rock scene in 2022, The Fires Below aren’t shy of a huge riff. On their second EP (2024’s ‘Thorns’), the dual guitar attack from Sam and Smithy attacked with a real edge, and on ‘No Man’s Land’ in particular, a massive buzzsaw-like sound, underscored by Si’s throbbing bass work, made this still relatively new band sound like a force to be reckoned with. It’s no surprise, then, that the band are able to summon an even bigger sound on stage.
Tag Archives: metal
WITCHCRAFT – IDAG
Five years on from their lockdown release, ‘Black Metal’, which saw Witchcraft trading in their trademark stoner riffs for a bleak, stripped down occult folk sound, and almost a decade after the release of the brilliant ‘Nucleus’, the Swedes play things fairly safely on their 2025 long player ‘IDAG’. In this case, though, the feeling of safety has its own strength: founding member Magnus Pelande sounds more comfortable than ever working within a classic doomy metal format, and for the band’s fans, this return to a more “classic” Witchcraft sound will certainly present a welcome move, even if in some ways it feels like a step backwards.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #104
This visit to the Singles Bar marks the second anniversary of the popular column. Something that started as an experiment with a plan to share a few tracks every month immediately sprang into life as a weekly fixture, and it pretty quickly became an important part of Real Gone’s coverage. Helping us mark this occasion, we’ve got new tracks from a couple of familiar names; a smart piece of indie rock; a brilliant shoegaze influenced number, something with bluesy leanings, and more besides. This varied selection really captures the spirit of the Singles Bar at its best…and as always, we hope you find something new to enjoy. Thanks for your ongoing support over the past couple of years, everyone. There are many more SB’s to come!
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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #103
This visit to the Singles Bar ends with some of our noisier picks from recent times, taking in a love letter to 90s grunge, a crushing metallic riff with alternative leanings and even a slab of old school thrash, but that’s not to say we’ve overlooked other musical interests. With a disco/electronica infused workout, a quirky track from an up and coming Irish singer-songwriter and some pure pop from a now familiar voice, the usual musical detours that have helped our weekly column retain interest are still very much present. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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FVZZ POPVLI – Melting Pop
When it comes to stoner influenced sounds, Italian band Fvzz Popvli aren’t afraid of mixing things up a little. On their third album (the prosaically titled ‘III’, released in March 2023), their distorted, Orange Goblin-esque blueprint came with a few very welcome twists. ‘Post Shit’ took a layer of stoner fuzz and placed it across a high octane number that celebrated the spirit of garage punk; the percussive ‘Monnoratzo’ shared some fairly typical stoner rock guitar sounds and a busy Geezer Butler inspired bassline, but injected the usual tropes with more of a Latin American groove, sounding like an uneasy blend of Fu Manchu and Santana, and – perhaps best of all – ‘The Last Place of Shame’ worked a massive chorus to its advantage, with a melody that sounded more like a Britpop throwback from Shed Seven than the expected Sabbath and Corrosion of Conformity influences usually found at the heart of the genre’s usual fare.