Lollipop Music Streams

All 11 songs of the debut from this Swedish band. Metallic stoner rock riffery meets heavy grunge soulful/sorrowful vocals (early Alice in Chains influence is easy to hear), Chris Cornell and John Garcia worship is plain when Daniel Nygren let's it soar, and there's enough Mastodian cosmic swirl and thrust (like tearing up the still, inky sky with Sabbath's "rocket engines burning fuel so fast") so it's not duh-metal. Sneaking in some Deep Purple keyboard magic helps keep it '70s real, and some drier production, like Dozer, keep the metal second to the fuzz.

All 11 tracks from Five Horse Johnson's first release since 2006. Southern/hard rock swagger abound, harmonica-drenched from end to end, dusty vocals of wide range and wide-legged stance, paces that shuffle like ZZ Top, pound like Clutch (no surprise, as Clutch's Jean Paul Gaster again rocks the kit), and kick up electrified cowboy grit like tequila-shooting Molly Hatchet in their prime. The gunslinger theme is a new addition, and it's a sun-drenched, leather-slapping success, not a misfire to be found. Slidin' and shakin', The Taking Of Blackheart has everything a classic rock fan longs for in this polished, processed alt.boy-band obsessed culture.

6 of 12 songs from this New Haven, CT foursome. Part classic rock, part space/cosmo rock, with a healthy dose of Kiss snuck into the vocals and chorus structures. Two releases in, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy namechecked, stoner rock wide-legged guitar riffery aplenty, there's plenty to sink your teeth into here. On a gem like "Dirty Driving," I'm not contemplating sounds-like hoo-ha, I have my foot to the floor, my lungs are raw from belting it out, and the fuckin' cops are on my tail...

Nine of 11 songs of swamp boogie, courtesy of German cover artist Alexander Von Wieding, who's done artwork for Monster Magnet, Karma to Burn, and a bunch of Small Stone's line-up. A one-man band, Von Wieding proves himself an accomplished yet filthy guitarist, sliding muck along those six strings, while gravelly whispering fierceness that'd give Tom Waits pause. From instrumental drone/groove (washboard and rattlesnake hiss included) to lo-fi Bob Log III thumpa-yahoo blues, while Larman Clamor has the radio (even classic-rock radio) potential of Zeppelin fart outtakes, anyone into ZZ Top's non-glam boogie, Waits' less Hallelujah output, and perhaps Down's less metal psych seethings will find something to black out on the porch rocker to.

The Purple EP has a buncha nice, dry drum fills courtesy of Jimmy Bower, one of the best beaters in the swamp, and paces that "range" from sludgy to dragged mid-tempo. Phil sings a handfulla notes (more than usual, congrats!), and the riffs are fun jams, but it's not like there are many drop-everything-and-grab-your-guitar riffs to learn. "Witchtripper" is solid and evil, the single, a thick-necked anthem, great for frowning and stomping around.

Skånska Mord

6 of 9 songs of dirty rock, Sweden-style, with guitar chunk and harmonica from the outset, and then the Soundgarden vocals kick in, swagger and might intact, and you're hooked. Riffs to jam on, vocal range to envy, howl and hold, the wah pedal squawking in reply.

Swedish hard rock revivalists Graveyard garnered a ton of praise (and no shortage of flattering Led Zeppelin comparisons) for last year's Hisingen Blues, their sophomore record. "Goliath," from their follow-up, Lights Out, keeps the ball rolling, offering up a tight retro blast.

Almost definitely only on Roadrunner UK, not US. This kinda bright'n'shiny, smiling rock outfit with perfect hair just doesn't fly 'round here, unless, like, you count Jonas Brothers and that kiddie shit. And you best not, at least within arm's length of me. From Sweden, really glossy and littered with lyrical cliches, the title track is catchy and hopeful and a little naughty, in an airbrushed boy band kinda way. The US audiences can just never seem to sink their teeth into stuff like The Wildhearts, Grand Theft Audio (had a couple sweet tunes in Dude, Where's My Car?), and early 2000 neo-glam/ScandRock like Backyard Babies.

Eight of 10 songs from Greece's answer to Monster Magnet. From biker rock umph to cosmic ponderings, these songs grab a groove here, tune low and mean for a riff fest there, solo your dick into the dirt given half a chance, and smooth croon like the best of 'em. Not a lot of wahoo howl, but no hardcore bark or metalcore roar, so that's a blessing. Six releases in, 20 years experience, yeah, they know their shit.

6 of 7 tracks of self-produced sludge. If Mastodon is shaggy, lumbering, and mighty, Sons of Otis are plodding dinosaurs with a delay pedal. Feedback loops about, skins are beaten, riffs are dragged along, and distorted vocals bellow like a troll with a toothache, and then repeat, repeat, repeat... This distinct Toronto outfit had releases on Man's Ruin and The Music Cartel before they went under, and now have a home on Small Stone, who keep the spirit alive, year after year.

All nine songs of Greenleaf's latest and greatest. Greenleaf is a "supergroup" of underground stoner rock veterans. Members may rotate, the music may shift slightly as The Muse tickles them here and there, but the '70s rock template is pretty solidly in place. From the opening riff of "Jack Staff" to the closing eight-minute opus, "Nest of Vipers (a Multiple of Sins)," you get live-sounding guitar and bashing, like Mastodon without the need to throw the horns and show they've still got a pair, and plenty of manly "whoas" that don't need a Misfits hook to hang its trucker hat on.

My Sleeping Karma is four records in, first on Napalm (others on Germany's Elektrohasch), and the seven minute "Ephedra" is a fine example of their instrumental prowess. Room to breathe, subtle and singable leads, impressive (but not showoff) rhythm and bass and drumming (numerous fills to make Mastodon fans nod appreciatively), and by-album themes and concepts to make most bong-hitters bow their heads in smoke-filled shame.

11 songs of twin guitar mayhem awaits. Simplest description is a raspy Alice Cooper in a fowl mood with a range-limiting head cold leading Thin Lizzy's guitarists through a hardcore punk (early '80s-style, like Black Flag = limited vocal range, but lots of heart, and more duh-rock guitar than glam metal or speed metal offered at the time) danger zone, coming out hoarse and beer soaked, longing for a shower and some Chuck Berry or George Thorogood to unwind.

Second release for these Frenchies, and while Glowsun doesn't bring anything new to the mostly-instrumental stoner/drone world, seriously, sometimes you just want a shot of good'n'familiar. Most of the four and a half minutes of "Reverse" is a mid-paced Clutch jam, with every change-up and effect in the exact place you'd expect it. Check off obvious lifts from Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Pelican, and so on, then lose interest and just let it burn.

Expecting retro rock/doom or maybe a bit more mid-'80s metal injection, Witchcraft surprise with their fourth album, first for Nuclear Blast. The Swedes craft some fine rock tunes, playable in any decade, with strong vocals (manly, but with a bit of humility to keep it honest), and duel guitars that don't wank, but tastefully letcha know they know their way around a fretboard. "It's Not Because Of You" smells like a single.

Hopewell's five-song EP opens with a spot-on cover of Brian Eno's "Needle In The Camel's Eye," which features singer Mark Gardener of Ride. Odd to open with the cover instead of close with it. Production and pacing are just right, though it's not what you'd expect from either Hopewell or Ride, so again, a questionable opening choice. The other tracks get kinda funky here, kiss The Flaming Lips there, and leave room to breathe everywhere.

Orchid are becoming one of the most name-dropped bands in the doom revival (try not to snicker at that oxymoron), and for good reason. Bold visuals, manly vocals, tasty riffs, songs with room to breathe, classy keyboards, and lyrics as cosmic and timeless as any on Masters of Reality. No mindless tribute or filler genre band here, this San Francisco love and live the dark vibe. Dig "Heretic" off their four-song EP.

Second release from these Swedish doomsters, and it doesn't take long into "Evil Deeds" to note the solid riffing, the dry production, and the odd timbre of the vocals. Like a real young Ozzy reaching for the high notes and the bottle simultaneously, destined to only hit one of them. While many sludge rockers go gruff or deathy to cover the fact they just ain't no Dio, The Graviators stand by the near-sobbing anguished plea.

Couple releases in, Thin Lizzy worship on the sleeve, twin-guitar attack firing on all cylinders, workable vocals doing their thing. "Hedgeking" has nice doubled leads (Lizzy is obvious, hot rockin' '70s Priest might pass), but riffs with more of a snarlin' guitar sound than the '70s afforded.