NOISE FROM THE UNDERGROUND VOL. 6
AXE DRAGGER - AXE DRAGGER (2026) CD - MORGAN DAVID AND HID WINOS - SAVAGE YOUNG WINOS (1976) CD - GAME OVER - CRIMES AGAINST REALITY (2016) CD - PAGAN ALTAR - LORDS OF HYPOCRISY CD - KAL-EL - ASTRAL VOYAGER VOL. II CD (2026) - THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION VOL. 3 CD - STONUS - SPACE TO DIVE (2026) CD
Label: Ripple Music
Duration: 39:10
Axe Dragger Is the self-title debut of a new heavy metal outfit fronted by former Pantera Terry Glaze, alongside Dark Funeral/Therion bassist Fredrik Isaksson, ex-Pentagram drummer Pete Campbell, and Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch, it's quite an assembly of musicians and talent. The Glaze glam era of Pantera was not really my thing, but he sound terrific here, gruff and gritty but able to hit the higher notes, galloping riffs, melodic solos, and driving heavy metal rhythms, plus Glaze's vocal delivery are on point, offering 10-tracks of driving heavy metal in the Judas Priest/Riot vein
The CD arrives in a Digipack with clear tray holding the disc. It's another banger from Ripple Music, and a terrific first outing from this all-star international line-up, who I hope keep making music together, they have that magic when the combine their might, and this album crushes.
Track Listing:
1. Axe Dragger
2. Give You The Rope
3. Fight Another Day
4. Iron Rider
5. Eat Me From The Inside
6. Shock 'Em Dead
7. El Toro
8. The Damned Will Cry
9. Fire In The Madhouse
10. Death Is Calling My Name
Label: Liberation Hall
Duration: 56:16
David Mogan and His Winos - Savage Young Winos is a rock n' roll rarity from '73 that has been an underground secret for far too long, but no more, Liberation Hall have reissued the '73 album with a selection of rarities, and 2o-pages of detailed liner notes from band leader and founder of Rhino Records Harold Bronson. The band included Harold Bronson and Richard Foos (co-founders of Rhino Records), Paul Rappaport (future Columbia Records exec), and Mark Leviton (future Rhino/Warner Music Group exec), and future best-selling author Jonathan Kellerman! This 2026 release of Savage Young Winos omits four songs from the earlier release that Bronson felt hadn't stood the test of time, but they've added a pair of 1973 demo tracks ("I'm Just Kid from the Midwest", "Where Do I Go From Here"), additional live recordings from the period, including covers of Led Zepplin's "Communication Breakdown" and The Zombie's "She's Not There", and two tracks from a Winos' reunion session in 1993. The CD includes 19 tracks packaged with a 24-page booklet with extensive liner notes and rare photos. The mix of tunes will blow your hair back, we have rough garage rockers, notes of Brit pop, power pop ("Cover Girl"), surf instrumentals ("Have Nagila", "Savage Surf"), and some garage rock novelties like "Nose Job" and proto-punk "I'm An Adult Now" that brought to mind The Fugs, and a version of Love Potion Number Nine that stomps like The Troggs. This a must-own for fans of proto-punk garage rockers, especially if you're always listening to the Back from the Grave compilations of obscure garage rockers. The 19-track CD arrives in a jewel case with a 24-page booklet of liner notes.
Tracklist:
1. Street Baby
2. Party Games
3. Nose Job
4. The Big War
5. I'm An Adult Now
6. Cover Girl
7. Hava Nagila
8. Beauty Queen
9. Love Potion Number Nine
10. All the Wrong Girls Like Me
11. Savage Surf
12. I'm Just A Kid From the Midwest
13. Where Do I Go From Here?
14. Glad All Over (Live July 15, 1972)
15. Communication Breakdown (Live July 15, 1972)
16. She's Not There (Live May 31, 1973)
17. Down the Road Apiece (Live May 31, 1973)
18. Street Baby (Live May 31, 1973)
19. The Berkowitz Blues
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Label: Scarlet Records
Duration: 44:37 mins
Italian thrashers Game Over are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their third studio album "Crimes Against Reality" with a reissue, that includes a bonus live version of "Neon Maniocs". The album holds up well, a rapid-fire thrash album with some tasty Bay Area thrash influences, razor sharp riffs and some tasty soloing, and a might rhythm section, with vocalist/bassist Renato “Reno” Chiccoli vocals having a Dave Mustaine quality to them, less nasal and snotty that I like quite a bit. The production on the album is clean and precise, the ballad "With All That's Left" offers a welcome temp change, a surprisingly solid thrash ballad, with Reno's vocals adopting a slightly more Hetfield affectation. Lyrically there are social-political themes, nods to 80s horror ("Neon Maniacs") and dystopian visions, it's the usual thrash metal stuff, but it's great stuff. The CD arrives in a clear jewel case with a 12-Page Booklet with lyrics and credits, love the retro Mario López (Skeletal Remains, Toxik, Vulture) artwork as well, total vintage thrash album artwork. If you're a fan of Bay Area thrash and have not yet checked out Game Over this reissues is a perfect place to jump in.
Tracklist:
1. What Lies Within...
2. 33 Park Street
3. Neon Maniacs
4. With All That Is Left
5. Astral Matter
6. Fugue In D Minor (Allegro Ma Non Troppo)
7. Just A Little Victory
8. Gates Of Ishtar
9. Crimes Against Reality
10. Fix Your Brain
11: Neon Maniacs – Live At Tolminator 2025
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Label: Dying Victims Productions
Duration: 50:19
Pagan Altar's "Lords of Hypocrisy" (2004), is the second studio album from the doomy folk rockers featuring songs originally written between 1976 and 1983, but not properly put down on tape until 2004. It's an album chock full of macabre Heavy/Doom Metal, the band were a part of the NWOBHM era but their music is sort of timeless, the reedy voice of the late founding singer Terry Jones, which have an ethereal quality to them, giving every song and mythical epicenes, like they are being sung by a wizened old wizard about to reveal life's mysteries. Aside from the vocals it's the fluid and spiraling guitar Alan Jones that drives these with a vintage riffs and searing leads, channeling the pyrotechnic chops of Ritchie Blackmore and Toni Iommi, and with a driving rhythm section comprised of Trevor Portch on bass and drums from Mark Elliot. The doomy/folk metal fantasy these tracks evoke are pretty fantastic. Tracks like "Satan's Henchmen" are charging, while slow-burners like "Sentinels of Hate" start of with delicate strains and build to a fine crescendo indeed. The guitar textures and tones on this album are stunning, as a fan of old school doom and NWOBHM this is just old school super-crack. Praise be to Dying Victims Productions for doing the metal-lord's work reissuing and remastering these classic Pagan Altar albums, because for a log while these albums were quite difficult and very pricey to purchase. This re-issue arrives in a jewel case, and includes a 2o-page illustrated booklet with not only lyrics for the songs but detailed notes for each song by guitarist Alan Jones. This release also includes a removable obi-strip and a sticker with the album artwork on it. Dying Victims will also be re-issuing the band third album "Mythical & Magical" on May 1, 2026, so keep your ears peeled!
Tracklist:
1. The Lords of Hypocrisy 5:38
2. Satan's Henchmen 03:11
3. Sentinels of Hate 07:14
4. Armageddon 10:42
5. The Interlude 04:14
6. The Aftermath 05:56
7. The Masquerade 06:54
8. The Devil Came Down to Brockley 01:10
9. March of the Dead 05:29
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Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Duration: 42:52
Astral Voyager Vol. 2 picks up with interstellar bounty hunter Mica evading pursuit by The Nine as she traverses time and space to bring in her marks... well shit, I walked into this sequel concept album from Kal-El having not hear Vol. 1, but fear not, these six tracks of cosmic stoner rock still pack a wallop, and stand up just fine on their own, but I will most certainly be seeking out the first volume, and more from the band, because this intergalactic tundra-thunder from Norway is freakin' awesome. We get 42-minutes of heavy fuzzed-out grooves and tectonic riffs, thunderous drums, and Ozzy-ish vocals highlights this sci-fi concept album, a muscular beast of an album that has oodles of atmosphere and textures, heavy but cosmic and otherworldly as well. This was my first time giving Kal-El a listen, and I am floored, and I need from them in my ears ASAP. The CD arrives in a Digipack with a clear plastic tray, we get lyrics reprinted on the inner sleeve, and the album artwork by Steven Yoyada is primo, I just stared into it stoned out of my mind while listening to the album, and I was on another world, man.
Tracklist:
1. Juno
2. The Nine
3. The Prophecy
4. Juggernaut
5. Pan
6. Asteroid
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THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION VOL. 3 (1953-1955)
CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON (1953) ROBOT MONSTER (1954)
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS (1954)
Label: Dragon's Domain
Duration: 56:52
Dragon's Domain present the third volume in their Golden Age series with three more classic original scores by musical masters of the genre, for films that were not exactly world-class cinema, far from it. We get Elmer Berstein (Ghostbusters) scores for Cat-Women from the Moon (1953) and Robot Monster (1953), plus the score for Devil Girl from mars (1954) by Edwin Astley (The Saint). The 21 track CD from Dragon's Domain arrives in a jewel case, and includes features a six-panel fold-out booklet with liner notes by David Hirsch that explore the cheeseball sci-fi films more so than the actual scores, but he does write a bit about Bernstein ending up on the "graylist" during the McCarthy era, after writing music review for a commie rag, which temporarily derailed a promising start-up career, that saw shunned by the studios, but still plenty of work scoring b-movie cheapies for a number of years.
Tracklist:
1. Elmer Bernstein - Main Title
2. Elmer Bernstein - Kip Saves The Ship
3. Elmer Bernstein - Moonwalk To The Caves
4. Elmer Bernstein - Spider Attack / The Lost City
5. Elmer Bernstein - Welcoming Dance Of Seduction
6. Elmer Bernstein - Escape / End Title
7. Cat-Women Of The Moon (1953) Theatrical Trailer
8. Elmer Bernstein - Introduction and Main Title
9. Elmer Bernstein - Playtime After The Apocalypse
10. Elmer Bernstein - Ro-Man Chases The Hu-Mans
11. Elmer Bernstein - Wedding / Abduction / Finale
12. Robot Monster (1953) Theatrical Trailer
13. Edwin Astley - Main Title
14. Edwin Astley - Arrival At The Inn
15. Edwin Astley - Weird Craft Lands
16. Edwin Astley - Strong Emotions
17. Edwin Astley - Robot At Full Power
18. Edwin Astley - Inside The Saucer
19. Edwin Astley - A Last Bargain
20. Edwin Astley - Free Will / End Titles
21. Devil Girl From Mars (1964) Theatrical Trailer
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STONUS - SPACE TO DIVE (2026) CD
Label: Ripple Music
Duration: 47:09
Cypriotic stoner rockers second album, and first for riff-curators Ripple Music hits hard, a heady blend of stoner, psychedelic, desert and a bit of doomy metal, offering chugging riffs, an undercurrent of gloomy psychedelia, the lead track "Berlin" is charging, but dynamic and multilayered, slowing the groove down a bit with some tasty noodling, then back into overdrive. The stoner riffs are heavy and familiar at first, but this is a band looking to offer something more than just weed-drenched riffage, the music is quite dynamic and hard to pigeonhole, a track like "Colours" with it psyche soloing and walloping rhythms keeps things edgy and unexpected, I like that. "Psychoactive Baby" has a Monster Magnet-esque stomp to it that hits just right. Fans of cosmic stoner action looking for some take a will most certainly want to take a hit of this one.
Tracklist:
1. Berlin
2. Space To Dive
3. Follow Me
4. Colours
5. Psychoactive Baby
6. Hope Dose
7. In Loop
8. Tangerine
9. The Hermit
10. Steiermark
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