Y’all. This is not a drill. New NEUROSIS album just dropped.
Neurosis – An Undying Love for a Burning World (Neurot Recordings, 20 March 2026)
Category Archives: Shows
SoftSun – Daylight in the Dark (2024), Eternal Sunrise (2025)
Hello, Dear Readers! Hope you are all having a splendid Thursday.
Yesterday I told you about this weekend’s Mojave Experience festival taking place Friday and Saturday in the California desert.
Well today, I’d like to call your attention to another group who will be making an appearance in the Yucca Valley this Friday night (20 March): SoftSun, a collaboration between Norwegian bassist/vocalist Pia Isaksen (also known for her solo act Pia Isa as well as being a member of Superlynx (reviewed here) and Californian guitarist Gary Arce (whose other band Yawning Man will ALSO be at the Mojave Experience on Saturday) with the trio rounded out by a different drummer on each of their first two albums.
SoftSun – Daylight in the Dark (Ripple Music, 08 November 2024)
SoftSun – Eternal Sunrise (Heavy Psych Sounds, 07 November 2025)
Borracho – Ouroboros (2025) || Mojave Experience (Yucca Valley / Joshua Tree, March 2026)
Following up this post from last week, we here at Valley of Steel HQ are pleased to present to you ANOTHER article about ANOTHER new (well, it was new last year) album from a band we’ve written about a bunch of times, who ALSO will be playing at a festival at the end of the week (in addition to a few stops through southern California leading up to it). It’s like déjà vu all over again.
Borracho – Ouroboros (Ripple Music, 08 August 2025)
Stone Machine Electric – Faces (2025) || Stoner Jam (Austin TX, March 2026)
Greetings, friends! I come bearing good news for those who live in or within driving distance of central Texas, and for those who just enjoy good music no matter where in the world they are…
Stone Machine Electric – Faces (Argonauta Records, 26 September 2025)
1994 Called…
The Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen (RIYL: Soul Asylum, Dig)
Corrosion of Conformity – Deliverance (RIYL: a rendering of Master of Reality dripping with southern-fried sludge)
Sugar – File Under: Easy Listening (RIYL: Matthew Sweet, Urge Overkill)
I know all of you are looking at the title of this article, then looking at those three album covers I posted up there, and immediately you’re saying “Hey wait a minute, wasn’t Gentlemen released in 1993 though?” And you’re absolutely correct, it did hit stores in the fall of that year, on the heels of the title track’s music video hitting the airwaves, but my recollection was that this Queen City band really started getting attention around the time this (their fourth album)’s second single dropped in early ’94.
In any case, the point of this article is to draw attention to a trio of bands who are embarking on major 2026 tours, each including a stop in Pittsburgh, any which would have been a huge deal to my ninth-grade self. And my BMG Music Service membership.
See below for full lists of dates, along with some relevant links. Enjoy!
Daevar – Amber Eyes (2024), Sub Rosa (2025)
Hey y’all. Remember the other day when I told you about The Lasting Dose Fest? If you’re planning on hitting the Hamburg gig tonight, you should probably already be on your way there! Since it’s around noon here in the eastern U.S., it’s probably getting close to showtime in Germany, if my understanding of time zones is correct (which is rarely the case).
But if you were sleeping on the event or weren’t already excited about it, what if I told you one of the performers put out one of my favorite albums of the year — in each of the past two years? Interested now?
Daevar – Amber Eyes (The Lasting Dose Records, 22 March 2024)
Daevar – Sub Rosa (The Lasting Dose Records, 28 March 2025)
GRIN – Acid Gods (2025) || The Lasting Dose Fest 2026
The Lasting Dose Fest 2026
The Lasting Dose Records has announced a showcase festival for several bands involved with the label, to be held later this week in Hamburg and Berlin.
The Hamburg show will be taking place at MS Stubnitz on Friday the 16th (tickets and more information here), and will feature performances by Daevar, GRIN, Ultrablut, and Earthbong.
Then, in Berlin at Neue Zukunft on Saturday the 17th (tickets/info here), with GRIN, Ultrablut, Earthbong, Sarkh, and Blacksmoker.
So if you find yourself in northern Germany on those dates, or if you’re anywhere within driving/train/whatever distance of the country’s two largest cities and feeling adventurous, it’s highly recommended that you go check out what TLD has to offer.
But if you need a bit more encouragement — or for those of us who find ourselves on the wrong side of the planet, but who would like a little something to listen to at home in order to live vicariously — let’s check out Acid Gods which was released last year by one of the bands who’ll be gracing both nights of the fest with their presence: GRIN.
Xoth “Exogalactic Actuality” Tour || ABA Community Weekend
Hey there! I’ve got two (completely unrelated) things to bring to your attention today, both of which might interest you if you live in or around the Pittsburgh area, and one of which might still interest you if you are in any of several other areas throughout the eastern or central United States.
First up:
ABA‘s Pittsburgh Community Weekend
20 & 21 September, 2025
Join the American Birding Association for a fun weekend of birding in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!
On Sat. morning, Sept. 20, we will bird together at Hartwood Acres Park where we will explore the trails around the estate buildings, meadows, and mature woodland areas. In the afternoon, we head over to Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve for two presentations, one by Brian Shema and the other by Nick Stahlman, hosted by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. In the evening, come down into the city and join us at East End Brewing for a little urban birding and socializing over pizza and local drinks on their outdoor patio.
On Sun. morning, Sept. 21, we will visit Frick Park, one of the area’s top birding locations, to look for fall migrants. Later we will gather at the Frick Environmental Center for a fun presentation by Mike Fialkovich, president of the Three Rivers Birding Club.
All bird walks, talks, and workshops are free and open to the public (with cash bar/food during the evening social), but registration is mandatory. The ABA’s bird-friendly SongBird Coffee will be served before and after each bird walk and presentation.
We are grateful for the support of Vortex Optics, who are providing a variety of excellent Vortex binoculars for participants to use during our field trips. There are limited binoculars available for loan, and we will distribute them on a first come first served basis, so sharing might be needed and appreciated.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow bird enthusiasts and enhance your birding skills. Sign up now and join us for an unforgettable weekend!
All of the locations listed here are local hotspots for bird activity — especially Frick which has been buzzing with reports of migrating warblers and flycatchers over the past few weeks. As stated above, all of this weekend’s events are FREE, you just have to sign up here. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since the ABA first announced it early this year, and I hope to run into some friendly faces over the two-day gathering!
* * * * *
and next:
Xoth – “Exogalactic Actuality” Tour 2025
Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest 2023
Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest
Friday 28 July – Saturday 29 July 2023
at Westside Bowl – 2617 Mahoning Ave, Youngstown Ohio
Friday Only $25 advance / $30 day of; Saturday Only $35 advance / $40 day of; or just $50 for two day passes (tickets available here)
After a lengthy break due to… well, you know… the Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest returns next weekend! This time it will be at Westside Bowl in Youngstown — so you can go rent some ugly shoes and enjoy some ugly riffs for two whole days.
The line-up includes several great bands we’ve discussed on this website in the past: Michigan’s Bog Wizard, Massachusetts’ Problem with Dragons, West Virginia’s Horseburner, and Ohio’s own Brujas del Sol and Rebreather. Plus a bunch more mainstays of the local and regional scenes, many of whom I can personally attest put on a fantastic show. An almost ludicrous total of 39 bands altogether.
High Fighter – Champain (2019), Live at WDR Rockpalast (2021)
Hey, how’s everyone feeling on this delightful February afternoon? Continuing to work my way through some of last year’s (or earlier) releases I didn’t get a chance to write about last year (or earlier)…
Hamburg-based High Fighter has been around for quite a few years now — some of you may recall that I had written about their 2014 debut EP and 2016 debut LP here; now let’s check out their second full-length and first-ever live album!
High Fighter – Champain (Argonauta Records, 26 July 2019)
High Fighter – Live at WDR Rockpalast (Argonauta Records, 26 November 2021)
Valley of Steel 