North Carolina’s stoner/doom/sludge metal trio Mean Green released sophomore full-length album »Castle«; available now on vinyl and digital!

Boone, North Carolina based stoner/doom/sludge metal trio Mean Green stream their sophomore full-length album, »Castle«, which was just released independently on August 14th, 2026.

Listen to »Castle« on all major streaming services!

Tracklist:
01. Castle
02. Sludge Puppy
03. Employee Of The Month
04. Wild Bill
05. Slack Jaw
06. Cyclone
07. Wasteland

Hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Mean Green is a three-piece sludge outfit with all the subtlety of a rusted-out square body with glass packs – and the fortitude of a rabid opossum in heat. Armed with riffs as thick as a bowl of cold grits, the band blends crushing sludge, classic rock swagger, and raw Southern grime into a live show built to hit hard and leave a lasting mark.

»Castle« is Mean Green at full strength. Seven songs of towering riffs, crushing grooves, and stories pulled from real life, tall tales, and the kind of experiences that shape who we become. Blending elements of sludge, stoner doom, psychedelic rock, and classic heavy metal, »Castle« is both crushing and immersive – a record built on massive riffs, unforgettable hooks, and an undeniable groove that sits at the heart of sludge.

Order »Castle« LP here: meangreen.bandcamp.com/album/castle

Courtesy of Good Boy PR:

Dropping on August 14, 2026 like a ten-ton weight, Mean Green’s new LP »Castle« brings the riffs, attitude, and filthy, filthy sludge.

In the band’s own words:

We recorded this album in six days in a row at Sonark Media in Hillsboro, NC. We record everything live all in one room, one take or no take, no punch ins, no edits, no click track. Guitar solos and vocals were done separately, and we recorded on tape as well.

The way we see it, Black Sabbath never used click tracks, AC/DC didn’t either, so why do we have to do it just because modern overprocessed bullshit music industry standards say so. They’re taking the life out of music by trying to perfect it. There’s no soul to it, but the mistakes are part of the story.

After we had recorded all our material we had prepared we came to the shocking discovery that we never added up the time to all our songs, and we fell short of what we intended to release. So track six, »Cyclone«, is just an on the spot jam we did and decided to put in the album. Improv is one of our cores as Mean Green, and it comes through in our live shows. They’re rarely the same show if ever. We have the bones of songs and lyrics but we play with tempo and rhythms at times depending on the vibe.

This band is all vibes, heavy vibes maybe, we don’t give a single shit if we make a mistake or play a wrong note. If you get hung up on that shit you often miss the opportunity to do some really cool shit you didn’t even know you had in you. Just don’t give a fuck and see what happens, it’s pretty rad.

Following lead single »Wasteland«, Mean Green have dropped »Employee Of The Month«, a crusher the band hold close to their hearts.

The band states, “[former bandmate] Alex wrote this one. It meant a lot to him and us. Unfortunately he’s not playing with us for the time being, but he may return one day. This one goes out to him.”

Adds guitarist/vocalist Jake Helms, “The solo that starts at 4:20 (nice) has a good story behind it. While recording the album we were away from home for a week. On the tail end of recording, one night my girlfriend who lived with me called me up and said she was leaving and taking my dog with her. The solo you hear in the song is the first take of the session the next morning straight off the dome, she’s gone but I kept my fucking dog (his name is Riff). So thanks for the inspiration behind that one Emily.”

Mean Green on this album:
Jake Helms – Vocals, Guitar
Alex Weirback – Bass
James Matthews – Drums

Mean Green is:
Jake Helms – Vocals, Guitar
Cole Franklin – Bass
James Matthews – Drums

FFO: Weedeater, Buzzoven, Toke, Telekinetic Yeti, Bongzilla

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well