“Paradise Is Cancelled” - BAD ABSALOM
- polsty00
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
BAD ABSALOM – “PARADISE IS CANCELLED”
Sydney’s Bad Absalom return with “Paradise Is Cancelled”, a five track EP that plants its feet firmly in the red dirt of Australia’s stoner rock landscape, all while flipping the genre on its head with a punk rock grin and a middle finger in the air. With a sound that blends desert fuzz, sludge heavy riffs, and a dash of ferocity, Bad Absalom don’t just wear their influences on their sleeves - they drag them through the fkn outback.
Opening track “Worst Year Yet” is a punch in the teeth - fast, frantic, and absolutely unrelenting. Drummer Harrison sets the pace with thunderous, locked in grooves, while frontman Archer spits his vocals with an intensity that toes the line between hardcore punk and classic stoner bellow. It’s an explosive start that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Listen to “Worst Year Yet” 👇🏼
“Misanthropic Manifesto” slows things down into full sludge territory. Here, Nic’s guitar work really shines - drenched in thick fuzz and bending through tectonic riffs that grind at a hypnotic pace. The track feels like it was made to soundtrack a slow motion bar brawl in the middle of nowhere.
Listen to “Misanthropic Manifesto” 👇🏼
The title track “Paradise Is Cancelled” brings a groovier, desert rock flair. There’s a swagger here that recalls early Queens of the Stone Age, but filtered through the grit and grime of Australia’s underground. Bassist Richie is the glue in this one, his playing warm, weighty, and crucial in giving the track its confident swing. His tone throughout the EP is fat, fuzzy, and perfectly balanced - never flashy, but always felt.
Listen to “Paradise Is Cancelled” 👇🏼
“The Room” introduces some spoken word elements before launching into a chant driven chorus, showing off the band’s willingness to experiment with structure and dynamics. It’s eerie, atmospheric, and hits like a fever dream.
Listen to “The Room” 👇🏼
Closer “Aching Bones” wraps everything up with a driving rhythm section and some of the most distinctive vocals on the record - Archer’s delivery here feels like a blend of grunge era drawl and stoner metal howl, giving the EP a chaotic but fitting sendoff.
Listen to “Aching Bones” 👇🏼
For a beer soaked four piece hailing from Sydney, Bad Absalom manage to carve out something uniquely their own. If Baroness grew up gigging in dusty Aussie pubs, or if Red Fang got stuck in Broken Hill for a summer, it might sound a lot like this. “Paradise Is Cancelled” is equal parts grit, groove, and grime - and an absolute must spin.
Follow Bad Absalom on insta - bad_absalom_official
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