Of all the modern practitioners of Sabbathian stoner doom, Sweat Lodge are among the finest, adding their own tinge of Texas blues and melodic psych. Sadly, the band has announced they are going on an amicable hiatus, but not before giving fans one last nug of heavy doom. The Tokens For Hell EP drops March 10th via Brutal Panda, and you can stream the lead track, “Life Goes On”, below.
Formed in 2010, the band started as a three-piece with Cody Johnston on vocals, Austin Shockley on bass, and Caleb Dawson on drums. This lineup released an excellent debut EP on American Icon Records before adding guitarist Dustin Anderson and dropping the full-length Talismana in 2015 — a record we tabbed as one of the best heavy albums of that year.
Fortunately, we’ll be able to hear the creative forces behind Sweat Lodge as its members concentrate on different projects. Johnston is teaming up with former Ditch Witch guitarist Nick McKillip for a new band called Heavy Chill, and Shockley — who’s expecting twins — and Dawson are focusing on their other band The Bad Lovers. Meanwhile, Anderson is leaving to pursue his brainchild, Communion.
“We really appreciate all the support we’ve had from fans, along with all the great bands we’ve got to share time with,” Johnston writes. “At least for the time being, we’re going to concentrate on growing the family with the addition of Austin’s twins and a new guitarist for Sweat Lodge in the future. We’ve love ya’ll. Keep an eye out for the Sweat Lodge trio during SXSW.”
Pre-order the limited edition cassette from Brutal Panda here and the digital via the Sweat Lodge Bandcamp.
