North Carolina’s southern sludge/doom metal trio Bronco stream their self-titled debut album; out today via Magnetic Eye Records!

North Carolina’s southern sludge/doom metal trio Bronco is streaming their self-titled debut album, which was just released this Friday, February 28th, 2025 via Magnetic Eye Records.

Featuring members of Toke, Thunderlip, Mortal Man, Beard Of Antlers.

Tracklist:
01. Scourge Descent
02. Ride Eternal
03. Light Of God
04. Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
05. Legion
06. Fades All
07. Damnation
08. T.O.N.S.

Courtesy of All Noir PR:

Cape Fear dwellers Bronco unleash their heavy rocking debut album »Bronco« today, on February 28, 2025 via Magnetic Eye Records. The album is available for purchase at THIS LOCATION.

“It feels like a lifetime of waiting, but we are ecstatic to be releasing our first record at long last!,” vocalist and bass player Bronco enthuses. “This album is an accumulation of the negativity and uncertainty of life, melded into a truthfully raw and powerful embrace of doom. Crank it up, and therapeutically let go of all the stresses and woes with us!”

South of Wilmington, North Carolina at the estuary of the Cape Fear River, the prominent headland of Cape Fear stubbornly pushes back into the ever attacking waves of the ocean. Its treacherous waters, rugged rocks, massive undercurrents, and pirate coves are a part of the so-called Graveyard of the Atlantic and feared by sailors throughout the ages for the many ships and lives lost.

Photo by Logan Tudor

This is a fitting home for Bronco. The sound of their self-titled debut full-length »Bronco« is deeply steeped in doom metal and Southern sludge. It is also as obstinate, rough and unpolished, yet also genuine, honest, forward-pushing and unfiltered as the rocky ground it grew from.

The musical confidence and audible experience in both execution and songwriting has not just fallen from the sky. Bronco rose from the ashes of Toke after guitarist Tim Bryan suffered a tragic motorcycle accident in 2021. Out of respect for his incapacitated band mate, vocalist and bass player Bronco along with drummer JP decided to continue with a newly formed trio. Joined by guitarist Vic, they picked Bronco’s artist’s alias for their name.

Crawling, heavy aggression, molasses riffs, and barbed wire vocals seem to come with the terroir of North Carolina. Weedeater, Sour Vein and others have been brewing the heaviest sludge there. Sharing stages with standard bearers such as Bongzilla, ASG, and Black Task quickly fermented Bronco’s sound into a sonic projection of ash and bone.

»Bronco« bleeds out a mix of grinding horror and beat-down resignation. It’s a soundtrack to grim self-reflection and forced acceptance of life’s letdowns. Bronco pick up where Toke left off, and carry forward through successfully experimenting with new elements and approaches. »Bronco« is massive and brutal, and stands out in its defiant, unrelenting individuality.

Line-up:
Bronco – Vocals, Bass
Vic – Guitar
JP – Drums

Guest musician:
Chris “Scary” Adams – Vocals on »Legion«

Recording & mix by Chris “Scary” Adams at Hidden Audio, Savannah, GA (US). Mastering by Dennis Pleckham at Comatose Studios, Chicago, IL (US). Cover artwork by Tery Ramdhany. Layout by Łukasz Jaszak.

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