April Is A Fool for Bandcamp Friday!

Springtime weather is here and so’s Bandcamp Friday! If you’ve been to the Harbinger’s Domain before, then you know the drill: Bandcamp waives its revenue share and all the money goes directly to the artists and labels for a full 24 hours. So, without further ado, here are my five picks to help you find some great songs and albums for April.

First off, Denver, Colorado stoner metal band Hashtronaut released its first album, No Return, two weeks ago. If you missed it, here’s a chance to make amends and pick up this awesome first outing from a band that shows a lot of promise. If you enjoyed the singles, you’ll really dig the whole record. Fans of Sleep will no doubt love this trippy offering. Go grab it here.

Second, those of you who love the blues will find a lot to like in Little Albert’s The Road Not Taken, the solo blues rock project of Italian guitarist Alberto Piccolo from well-known doom band Messa. It’s a nice change of pace from his regular duties and mixes blues and jazz for an exquisite blend of music. Released last week, you can take The Road Not Taken right here.

Third, the debut LP from Tonnerre (Thunder in English)—a newly-minted hard rock band from my neck of the woods, led by Cauchemar’s Annick Giroux and featuring some of that band’s members—is out today. One of my most anticipated releases of the season, if you fancy Blue Oyster Cult and ‘70s classic rock, songs sung in French, and are a fan of Cauchemar, you owe it to yourself to pick up La nuit sauvage (The Wild Night in English) over here. A review from yours truly will follow shortly.

Fourth, Castle Rat, a band that I love more and more with every new single/video they put out, will be unleashing their much-anticipated debut record, Into the Realm, on April 12^th. Fronted by the charismatic Riley Pinkerton, Castle Rat blends medieval fantasy with doom rock, and are a feast for the ears as well as the eyes. They put on phenomenal shows that hearken back to the glory days of KISS and Alice Cooper in terms of stage theatrics. You can pre-order their LP here and I’ll have a review of the album soon for you.

Fifth and final for today, Philly’s Heavy Temple returns with a follow-up to 2021’s Lupi Amoris titled Garden of Heathens. If the three singles released so far are any indication, it’ll be a stellar record. If you’re not familiar with this female-fronted band and you dig doom metal, then give them a spin, you won’t regret it. Garden of Heathens will be out on April 12^th and you can pre-order it right here.

There you have it, folks! Show some love to all those hard-working bands and labels. We are having a hell of a year for music thus far and I’m sure we’ll be in for many more surprises before 2024 is through. So, swing by Bandcamp, pick up some music, and enjoy the tunes!