A couple weeks ago I got the chance to talk with the band Heavy Halo. Their album, Damaged Dream, came out earlier in 2025 and has not left my rotation. I’ve been really intrigued by this band. Their mix of industrial/electronic music along with 90’s alternative is infectious and gets your blood pumping. Heavy Halo will be on tour next year with My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult. Definitely go check them out!
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists end with the list for Best Album. As always the stipulation for this is that the Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
Please Note: 1-15 Are In Order!
01) Idle Heirs- Life Is Violence 02) AFI- Silver Bleeds The Black Sun 03) Heavy Halo- Damaged Dream 04) Black Magnet- Megamantra 05) Blood Vulture- Die Close 06) Nine Inch Nails- Tron: Ares 07) Guiltless- Teeth To Sky 08) SOM- Let The Light In 09) Blackwater Holylight- If You Only Knew 10) Deftones- Private Music 11) Coheed And Cambria- The Father Of Make Believe 12) The Owling- You Don’t Bow, You Will Learn 13) Machinekit- Goddamn Vanity 14) Reba Meyers- Clouded World 15) The Smashing Pumpkins- Machina: The Complete Album 16) Bush- I Beat Loneliness 17) Chevelle- Bright As Blasphemy 18) Deadguy- Near Death Travel Services 19) The Anti-Groupies- Pretty Vicious 20) H09909- Tomorrow We Escape 21) The Halo Effect- March Of The Unheard 22) The Haunted- Songs Of Last Resort 23) Nine Necks- Ritual/Demise 24) Jinjer- Duel 25) Greyhaven- Keep It Quiet
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Producer. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Josh Barber- Idle Heirs 02) Jade Puget- AFI 03) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross- Nine Inch Nails 04) Sanford Parker and James Hammontree- Black Magnet 05) John Rojas- Machinekit 06) Steve Evetts- Deadguy 07) Jordan Olds- Blood Vulture 08) McKeever and GOSTEFFECTS- Heavy Halo 09) Sonny DiPerri- Blackwater Holylight 10) Pete/Sam Loeffler and Kemble Walters- Chevelle
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Vocalist. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Will Benoit- SOM 02) Cassidy Fleeman- The Anti Groupies 03) Josh Graham- Guiltless 04) Davey Havok- AFI 05) Jordan Olds- Blood Vulture 06) Sunny Faris- Blackwater Holylight 07) Trent Reznor- Nine Inch Nails 08) Sean Ingram- Idle Heirs 09) Mike McKeever- Heavy Halo 10) Kal Michael- The Owling
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Guitar Duo. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Will Benoit/Mike Repasch-Nieves- SOM 02) Cassidy Fleeman/Isabella Broersma- The Anti Groupies 03) Josh Graham/Dan Hawkins- Guiltless 04) Chris Traynor/Gavin Rossdale- Bush 05) Chino Moreno/Stephen Carpenter- Deftones 06) Claudio Sanchez/Travis Stever- Coheed and Cambria 07) Chris Corvino/Keith Huckins- Deadguy 08) James Hammontree/Ryne Bratcher- Black Magnet 09) Patrick Jensen/Ola Englund- The Haunted 10) Jesper Stromblad/Niclas Engelin- The Halo Effect
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Guitarist. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Jade Puget- AFI 02) Joe Hunt- Nine Necks 03) Jordan Olds- Blood Vulture 04) Mikayla Mayhew- Blackwater Holylight 05) Mike McKeever- Heavy Halo 06) Josh Barber- Idle Heirs 07) Kal Michael- The Owling 08) Reba Meyers- Reba Meyers 09) Pete Loeffler- Chevelle 10) Roman Ibramkhalilvov- Jinjer
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Drummer. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Adam Carson- AFI 02) Patrick Bellinger- Nine Necks 03) Dave Rosenberg- Deadguy 04) Eliese Dorsay- Blackwater Holylight 05) Billy Graves- Guiltless 06) Justin Forrest- SOM 07) Kyla Foster- The Anti Groupies 08) Moe Watson- Blood Vulture 09) Sam Loeffler- Chevelle 10) Art Quanstrom- The Owling
What a great year 2025 has been for music. So many great albums, tours, songs, you name it. And now the time has come for…
The 2025 Audioeclectica End Of The Year Lists begin with the list for Best Bassist. As always the stipulation for this is that an Album or EP had to be released in 2025.
Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.
This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!
01) Hunter Burgan- AFI 02) Matt Bellinger- Nine Necks 03) Jim Baglino- Deadguy 04) Sunny Faris- Blackwater Holylight 05) Sacha Dunable- Guiltless 06) Justin Forrest- SOM 07) Sydney Moore- The Anti Groupies 08) Jordan Olds- Blood Vulture 09) Kemble Walters- Chevelle 10) Zach Cooper- Coheed And Cambria
There’s something about the feeling that comes over you when you hear a band that strikes at the right time. It’s not that I haven’t listened to this band before but, the way their new music sparked a sense of “Yes! This is what I’m looking for and I wasn’t even looking.” With that in mind, Blackwater Holylight is the band I’m talking about and if you haven’t heard this fantastic band, you’ve been missing out. In 2026, January 30th to be exact, Blackwater Holylight will be releasing their new album, Not Here Not Gone (via Suicide Squeeze Records). Packed with a sound that is as much intoxicating as it is hypnotic is quite the treat. The elements of shoegaze, doom and metal mixed with the atmospheric/cinematic synths, underlying pulsing rhythms that feel like waves and vocals that soar and swoon, are exactly what I hear in Blackwater Holylight. The two songs released so far, “Heavy, Why?” and “Involuntary Haze” are whimsical and the perfect way to introduce what’s to come. A full US tour will be happening next year with two bands that have been featured on Audioeclectica, Glassing and SOM. The idea of SOM and Blackwater Holylight on the same bill is actually blowing my mind as I think and write this. Truly, I can’t wait for this new album to hit right out of 2026. Now, go check out Blackwater Holylight!
Heavy, Why?:
Involuntary Haze:
Pre-Order NOT HERE NOT GONE:
TOUR DATES:
Glassing supports 2/13-2/27. SOM supports 2/27-3/14.
Fri 2/13 – San Diego, CA – Casbah Sat 2/14 – Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit Sun 2/15 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister Tue 2/17 – Austin, TX – Radio/East Wed 2/18 – Houston, TX – White Oak Thu 2/19 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia Fri 2/20 – Pensacola, FL – Handlebar Sat 2/21 – Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn Sun 2/22 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy Tue 2/24 – Charlottesville, VA – Southern Cafe Wed 2/25 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Thu 2/26 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s Fri 2/27 – Brooklyn, NY – Meadows Sat 2/28 – Braintree, MA – Widowmaker Brewing Mon 3/02 – Youngstown, OH – Westside Bowl Tue 3/03 – Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle Wed 3/04 – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village Fri 3/06 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive Sat 3/07 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive Sun 3/08 – Salt Lake City, UT – Aces High Tue 3/10 – Seattle, WA – Neumos Wed 3/11 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater Thu 3/12 – Sacramento, CA – Starlet Fri 3/13 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel Sat 3/14 – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley Sat 3/21 – Los Angeles, CA – Pacific Electric
I love albums that you can put on and let them just take you on a ride. Then there is that feeling you get when that right chord, melody or rhythm strikes. Also, it’s really refreshing to hear a band make an actual “album” and not just a collection of songs! Let me introduce you to, The Owling! This two piece Los Angeles based band is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Their sound is the perfect mix of 90’s Rock, Doom and Sludge with a very cinematic/poetic approach. The Owling’s debut album, You Don’t Bow You Will Learn, is a of righteous slab of riffs, and driving rhythms with vocals that soar. Think about driving down an open desert highway at sunset or sunrise with the windows down and this album blasting. Are you there yet? That’s exactly how this album feels. With each listen you find a different song to be your favorite. One other aspect about You Don’t Bow You Will Learn that I really enjoy is the use of space/ambience. When you listen, at certain moments, it’s almost like the fog machine is on and you get lost in the epic nature of the song. I very much look forward to what 2026 will bring for The Owling! Check out this band and be sure to buy a copy of their debut album and see them live! Also, quick shout out to Dean Karr for his badassery of great photo’s of the band and album cover. Talk about nailing an essence in a photo!