From the lands of Brisbane emerge Holystone, a trio that has rapidly established itself as one of the most distinctive forces in the Australian Heavy underground. Made up of Madison Morris (bass and vocals), Wolfe Peterson (guitar and vocals) and Jonny Pickvance (drums), the band returns with its second studio effort, “Accepting Omega,” out July 17, 2026. Compared to their 2024 debut, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” centered on more solar Psychedelic sounds and imagery tied to celestial cult themes, this new chapter marks a clear creative shift: Holystone shed part of that brightness to venture into darker, heavier and more existential territory, drawing on Melvins-style Alt-Metal, the visceral grunge of Nirvana‘s Bleach era, and the complex architectures of Tool. The production itself reflects this geographic and sonic duality: the album was recorded partly in rainy Seattle with the legendary Jack Endino, and partly in the Joshua Tree desert at the celebrated Rancho de la Luna with Dave Catching. The concept album opens with “The Prophecy (Jaws of Victory),” immediately establishing the band’s new direction: a nervy, restless sound draws the listener into an atmosphere of apocalyptic anticipation, underpinned by Heavy riffs and a monolithic rhythm section. The wall of sound built by the trio envelops and overwhelms the listener, before giving way, in the second half, to a crescendo that pushes even further into darker territory, aided by the entrance of a strikingly evocative vocal. The band fuses Melodic Doom with hypnotic Desert-Rock sounds, preserving the ritualistic feel that has always characterized their live shows, on “Brave Design.” The track is a genuine burst of energy, direct and concise: the vocal parts carry us into the desert, but at a frantic rhythmic pace that blends Doom Metal traits with a tight groove and a particularly driven double-kick. More than a journey through the desert, it’s a full-on sprint. Towering riffs open “Guided by Stones,” where the Desert/Stoner component comes through more clearly and becomes the track’s defining trait. Notable is the interplay between rawer, dustier passages and the rougher edge of grittier Heavy Rock/Psych, enriched by fine vocal interweaving that recalls the band’s unmistakable style. The extended runtime allows the band to develop a hypnotic rhythm section, with tempo changes, technical flourishes and driving basslines: well-built riffs that, together with the vocals, shape more expansive atmospheres, pushing the track past the five-minute mark. “Sleepwalker” digs into the album’s core themes – anxiety, depression, existentialism. It opens with a granite-hard rhythm section and distorted guitar riffs that interlock perfectly with the groove, over which the vocal delivers one of the record’s most eclectic and technical performances. The constant tempo changes highlight the band’s compositional and performative skill, as do the vocal interplays, which shift from a more enveloping, higher-pitched delivery to a rougher, more incisive one. A track that, through its oppressive riffs and passages, emphasizes the band’s heavier, darker side, blending Doom and Heavy Psych/Stoner. Continuing on darker tones, “Procession” – as the title suggests – takes on a ceremonial, visceral character, almost mirroring the band’s live performances, where they play blindfolded and dressed in black. The ritualistic drumming and distorted riffs build the perfect backdrop for the evocative vocal, as the track evolves through sounds increasingly steeped in darkness, offering a refined, personally-stamped Doom Metal rich with continuous tempo shifts. Notable are the choral work that dismantles and reassembles the track through its first part, with guitar taking the spotlight in acid-tinged solo passages. As the track evolves, the sounds grow more ethereal, expansive and lysergic, carried by fine vocal chants, in a crescendo that culminates in powerful Doom Metal, where distortion and drumming build a ceremonial Heavy wall pierced by the vocal entries. “Cavitation” is a moment of crushing heaviness, where the Alt-Metal influences come through more strongly, pulling the listener toward the collapse of the modern world. An enveloping heaviness, in this case, with a sound that showcases hypnotic riffs and a vocal enriched with effects that add further atmosphere to the track. In the finale the riffs grow more oppressive and down-tuned, and before you know it, the descent into the abyss becomes inevitable. The album’s narrative core, “The Accomplice Pt. I & II,” is where the characters begin to “give in” to Omega’s apocalyptic promise, becoming accomplices to the final fate. The track comes out swinging immediately, with a monolithic rhythm section and overwhelming force, through tempo changes, guitar riffs and monumental basslines, over which the vocal parts settle in and build dense, evocative atmospheres. With a tempo change the band explores a darker, more Psychedelic sound, with expansive, lysergic guitars and atmospheres, as the vocal lulls the listener toward the inevitable. Across its two parts, the track explores the different shades of the band’s sound, giving rise to an evocative mini-suite that incorporates elements of different genres and styles and undoubtedly elevates the record. Notable are the continuous tempo changes that mark its evolution, in a succession of refined variations: it will be interesting to see how the band translates these complex, engaging textures live, given their distinctive stage performances. Closing the record is “The Oracle Speaks (Sky Burial)“: the subtitle recalls the funerary practices already explored on the first album, here reinterpreted through a lens of definitive submission to the inevitability of death. A track in constant evolution, Heavy and Dark just enough to develop openings where the band unleashes its full power, weaving through dark passages, carried by a vocal that delivers exactly the sense of inevitability referenced in the title. The perfect conclusion to this listen. “Accepting Omega” is not just a Heavy Rock record: it’s a philosophical reflection on morality and on the possibility that humanity’s self-destruction is not only inevitable, but almost “justified.” Through influences ranging from the surrealist cinematic visions of Alejandro Jodorowsky to the apocalyptic literature of Stephen King (with an explicit reference to The Stand), Holystone build an oppressive, immersive sonic world. A work that confirms the maturity of a band capable of turning Desert Doom into a ritualistic and deeply unsettling art form. If the debut introduced them to the world, “Accepting Omega” cements them as architects of a sonic apocalypse necessary for anyone seeking, in Metal, an experience that is as intellectual as it is physical.
Tracklist
01. The Prophecy (Jaws of Victory) (04:10)
02. Brave Design (02:54)
03. Guided by Stones (05:01)
04. Procession (06:32)
05. Sleepwalker (06:34)
06. Cavitation (05:41)
07. The Accomplice Pt.I (The Offer) & The Accomplice Pt.II (Father’s Funeral) (07:23)
08. The Oracle Speaks (04:25)
Lineup
Madison Morris / Bass and Vocals
Wolfe Peterson / Guitar and Vocals
Jonny Pickvance / Drums