Reviews
Album Review: Mastiff – Plague
Furious Northern metal crew Mastiff unleash a Plague on devastating full-length.
Sugar Horse, Mastiff and more will be bringing the heaviness to Southampton in September for Abyssal Festival.
Looking for loads of riffs, heaviness and the odd bit of weirdness? Want something to look forward to as summer departs once more and autumn starts leading us into winter?
To Southampton, where Abyssal Festival returns for its second year at its new home in the city's Papillon venue. Already with a growing reputation as one of the finest stoner/doom fests in the UK, they've just announced a second wave of band's for 2025's edition on September 27.
Adding to the fun will be Bristol sludge terrors Sugar Horse, Hull's champions of misery Mastiff, and Durham doom-deathsters Uncoffined. They join previously-announced headliners Slomatics, Hundred Year Old Man, Under, Praetorian and Vnder A Crvmbling Moon, with plenty more to be announced.
"Abyssal is now in its fifth edition, and we're thrilled to showcase some of the nation's best slow'n'heavy in Southampton once more," say the organisers. "Each year we aim to run the full gauntlet of doom and doom-ish genres, contrasting pensive psychedelic soundscapes with gnashing, jarring sludge and titanic doom riffs. We're delighted to welcome Slomatics back as our headliner: one of the hardest rockin' bands in the scene, thunderous music and enthralling showmanship. We're also bringing some pet favourites such as queasy sludgers Under, and we've booked some fresh new talent – but you'll have to wait for the next announcement on that one."
For more info, visit the Abyssal Festival website.
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