Drone metal "Excavation" debut EP from BRONTOSAURUS

The Swamp has its share of drone metal (our newest band is COUNT SZAR) and ambient psych (founding brother OPIUM WARLOCK). So when I got the word about the debut album from BRONTOSAURS, I was right on it. And I was not disappointed! This is drone of the heaviest sort, and delivered with an unending barrage of unique ambient touches. This album is as fantastic as it is original, so have a listen to "Excavation" on Bandcamp --


Beyond the complete brutality of this heaviness on the first track and "Junkhead", there are some masterful flourishes to the music. The intentional skips, the drum work, the straining guitars, samples, the effects .... simply incredible stuff going on here. Despite the sheer weight of the music, there is so much variety to the music and sounds that you will simply not be able to pull your ears away from any of it. You are rewarded for catching the details as they travel past you.

Fuzzy's favorite song? Not an easy choice. I will say that the middle of "Junkhead" sent tingles up my spine, and the sheer originality of "Dinocracy" makes it stand out despite its short length. Drone purists might complain about the drift into ambient on a few of these songs, but to me, that is the appeal of this album. Ambient is the heavy half-brother of drone, and Brontosaurus is the father of them both.


I pity the demise of the dinosaurs, and I pity you if you miss out on this drone metal marvel with an ambient flair.

Brontosaurus is the drone metal project from Jan Chojnowski of The Howling Eye.

Follow Brontosaurus on Bandcamp to keep up with their news:

The Gathering Winds by Balthazar And The Boys

I have always enjoyed ambient music for the right occasion, and usually it is mostly or entirely electronic. And of course I also love fuzzy heavy stoner riffs. The Gathering Winds by Balthazar And The Boys is the perfect blend of both sounds. It is ambient stoner metal. You get the heavy guitar and bass tones of stoner music, but at a more leisurely and relaxing pace along the lines of more traditional ambient music.

"Balthazar And The Boys" is a one man band from Connecticut, consisting only of Gavin Miller. Primarily a bassist and guitarist.

Ad Nauseam by Lay Down and Rot

Deliver me from the claims of the ageing, cautious, nagging and frightened flesh.

It's no secret Fuzzy loves a good sample. And heavy fuzzed-out guitars & bass and synths. So when Lay Down and Rot showed up with their new LP Ad Nauseam that has all this going on in every track, you know I was going to dig it. Take a listen:


Nausea gets right into things with the atmospheric effects and guitar work, and a sample that matches the mood of the music perfectly. Disturbing, dark, and yet you are hanging on every word. The lead single 'Nausea' features samples of William S. Burroughs reading the last few paragraphs of his 1953 novel 'Junky.'

As the band describes their sound:

While the sound is primarily dominated by doomy post-metal, there are streaks of post-rock, psychedelic jams, synth passages and hints of jazz strewn throughout 'Ad Nauseam'. As a whole, 'Ad Nauseam' is an ode to confusion, angst and despair.

Demons Run Amok continues with a sample of Bill Hicks delivering his most famous bit:

'... it's just a ride, but we always kill those good guys that try to tell us that. D'ya ever notice that? And let the demons run amok.' William Melvin Hicks

According to the band Sally Was a Strange Kind of Woman is dedicated to sex workers around the world, whilst the last track on the album, 'Bourke Street Blues', is a commemoration of the chaos and rampage that ensued in Melbourne, Australia during the 2017 and 2018 terrorist attacks on Bourke Street.

Lay Down and Rot are a duo based in Melbourne, Australia. Formed for some purpose, somewhere, sometime in late 2016. The LP is released on their own label, Everything Hertz Recordings.

Alex - guitars, bass, synth, samples, percussion
Matty - drums, keyboard, percussion, production, mixing

Fans in Melbourne need to keep track of Lay Down and Rot as they are rehearsing as a 4-piece in preparation for their live debut.

Check out Lay Down and Rot at:


Fans of heavy music like this with great samples the way Lay Down and Rot lays it down need to also check out Dr. Sludgelove and Brundle Haze.

You know I dig a song when it ends up on my comp so check out Nausea on Earth Day: