Dozer

DOZER Formed in the mid-’90s in the sleepy town of Borlänge, Swedish foursome DOZER led the first wave of European- style stoner/desert rock, an impactful fusion of proto-metal, riff-rock and punk that blasted forth in response to the tectonic heft and sun-baked fuzz of American bands Kyuss and Fu Manchu. On their preternaturally confident earliest releases, which included albums In the Tail of the Comet and Madre De Dios on the legendary Man’s Ruin label and a split LP with John Garcia’s bright-burning though post-Kyuss outfit Unida, the fuzz-rock hypnosis was at cosmic levels, thanks to guitarist Tommi Holappa’s rolling riffs and fried psychedelics and singer/guitarist Fredrik Nordin’s blistering vocal power. Third album Call it Conspiracy was a milestone in perfectly crafted high-energy anthems, as the lockdown grooves of rhythm section Johan Rockner (bass) and Erik Bäckwall (drums) along with heaping helpings of hard rock heroics saw the band established as a live force, leveling audiences on tour across the UK, Europe and Australia with their white-hot eruptions supporting the likes of Clutch, Spiritual Beggars and Mastodon. An inflection point came with fourth album Through the Eyes of Heathens, which saw DOZER drive the intensity into the red and push the tempos to match. Their fuzz-groove attack now infused with heightened aggression and crush, the shift was consecrated by the appearance of Mastodon’s Troy Saunders lending vocals to the song “Until Man Exists No More.” DOZER continued in this vein with 2008’s Beyond Colossal, which All Music called, “arguably their heaviest and darkest song cycle yet,” and which included a career watermark in the form of mini-epic “Empire’s End” featuring guest vocals from Neil Fallon of Clutch. The album, widely regarded as a triumph in channeling the various tributaries of the members’ decade-plus growth and influences, would also be their last for quite some time. Nordin returned to school for his Master’s degree, Holappa turned his informal side-project Greenleaf into a full-time band, and DOZER went on indefinite hiatus. In 2023, DOZER reawakened with a vengeance. With the reactivation of live activities, they returned with Drifting in the Endless Void, an impassioned, amp-splitting rumble of a record that undeniably affirmed their status not just as forefathers of a movement, but as champions of volcanic energy and pure riff worship. Drifting in the Endless Void is packed to the rafters with dense instrumentation and arena-ready melodies. DOZER still bring the tumultuous churn that longtime fans expect, but their sound has become a gravitational mass that also pulls in massive sludge, fuzzed-out doom, space-tripping grooves, red-eyed psychedelics, and whatever else they find floating in the vast cosmic expanse. Although mined from the same bedrock as Beyond Colossal, Drifting in the Endless Void is awash in new dynamics. When Holappa and Nordin lock into a tandem riff, they whip up unstoppable, pummeling storms of perfect rock and roll. Nordin’s vocals wail, whisper and roar, leaping from haunting falsettos to guttural rage to panoscopic hooks. With the addition of drummer Sebastian Olsson (also of Greenleaf), the moody and atmospheric elements crackle with taut electricity, and the breakdowns thunder with renewed ferocity. Rockner’s bass carves massive grooves for the band to swing through, and Holappa’s leads are as supple, melodic and infectious as ever. Across the record’s seven songs, DOZER move seamlessly from furious whirlwinds to spaced- out dirge, from deceptive simplicity to polyrhythmic complexity, and from pastoral prog to immense yet catchy modern metal. DOZER’s return to the musical landscape they helped shape is cause enough for celebration, but the explosive playing and fiery purpose is what makes Drifting in the Endless Void a truly unmissable experience. With age and time come wisdom and pain, and you can hear both screaming through in the grit and determination of every rough-hewn riff and tumbling fill. DOZER continue to sketch a desert that is entirely their own, and we are lucky to walk in their wake. ABRAMS Fusing melody and dissonance, ABRAMS blast forth a cathartic mix of catchy, driving rhythms, soaring vocals and ethereal ambiance. Wielding elements of heavy rock, shoegaze, grunge and post- metal with ease and fluency, they create a crystalline heaviness that’s bittersweet and nostalgic yet also gazes forward. ABRAMS started in 2013 in Denver, Colorado, with guitarist/vocalist Zach Amster and bassist/vocalist Taylor Iversen at the helm. Later joined by drummer Ryan DeWitt and guitarist Graham Zander, the four-piece crafts relentlessly compelling melodies driven by blistering energy. From the full-blown progressive sludge and post-hardcore aggression of debut album Lust. Love. Loss. (2015) and follow- up Morning (2017), the band honed their approach and revealed their magnetism with 2020’s Modern Ways and especially on the moody and mountain-heavy rock venture of fourth full-length In The Dark (2022). Produced by Dave Otero (Khemmis, Cattle Decapitation), In The Dark showcased an expansive collection of AmpRep-worthy post-grunge tunes to trigger a range of emotions through luscious guitar hooks and outstanding vocals. The album landed in numerous end-of-year lists and was unanimously acclaimed by international critics who described it as an “in-your-face sludge/post- metal package that just goes the moment you hit play” (Metalsucks) and the “most explosive, bombastic, and convincing version of Abrams” (Heavy Blog Is Heavy). A spearhead of the Denver rock scene, ABRAMS has shared stages with Unsane, KEN mode, King Buffalo, Khemmis, Jaye Jayle and Emma Ruth Rundle, and always strive to deliver memorably live. In 2024, the foursome joined the ranks of tastemaker label Blues Funeral Recordings for a spring release of their fifth album Blue City. Recorded and produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire, Torche, Chelsea Wolfe) at his legendary GodCity Studio, Blue City is where genre-defying heaviness and perfect melodic songcraft converge. A sojourn through lush, cinematic passages and contemplative psychedelia, the album made numerous best-of list appearances in 2025, and earned an outpouring of glowing press response: A generational record that will be tough to top in 2024. – Musipedia of Metal One of the most musically diverse and emotionally impactful bands in the scene. Blue City is an absolute triumph and stays with you long after the final riff. – Distorted Sound Magazine (10/10) Blue City effortlessly combines monstrous riff dissonance with anthemic hooks to create an upswell of positivity in the face of frustration that’s sure to shake you from your existential slumber. – Metal Hammer Magazine Full of catchy riffs, sublime guitar solos, pulsating rhythms and wonderful vocals, Blue City is one of the standout records of the year. – Doom Charts Downright electrifying. – Headbanger Reviews