Houston’s STONE NOMADS Rattle The Cage with “Empires of Stone”
Houston, Texas powerhouse STONE NOMADS are coming out with a brand new one on Ripple Music today (get it here). To mark this wrecking ball of a release, the band is sharing a new music video, the title track to 'Empires of Stone' (2025). The video, featuring live footage, shows how monstrous their sound and presence is on the stage, ranking them up there with bands like Conan in terms of devastating heft and earth-shaking chug.
Been a fan of these guys for quite a number of years and their t-shirt is still in my regular rotation, along with that fantastic cover they did of Trouble's "The Tempter," which we featured on The Doomed & Stoned Show. They've really upped the ante this time, though (just wait'll you hear "Mount Aras").
Empires of Stone will shake up your space. There's pure metal magic happening here. Vocals are beastly, but can be exaltant like Slomatics. Their sound is sludgy, with a bitter weet sadness like Gates of Slumber, but also gives us a southern touch like Down. Their rhythms are sometimes plodding like Candlemass, but are rampant and unstoppable too, ala Howling Giant.
For all these touchpoints of comparison, however, Stone Nomads have emerged from the scene as a voice to be reckoned with on its own terms. You could definitely point them out of a line-up and say, "These are my guys."
From the heavy heart of Houston, TX, Stone Nomads charts a monolithic path through the darker realms of doom and sludge. The power trio, formed in 2021 by Jon Cosky (Guitar/Vocals) and Jude Sisk (Bass/Vocals), explores the weighty concepts of life and death through a lens of pummeling riffs and a progressive sludge sensibility.
Their sound is a tectonic blend, drawing equally from the classic doom of Sabbath or Trouble and the savage, sludge-laden attack of High On Fire, Crowbar and Obituary. This evolving vision has been captured on two Doom Charts-approved monoliths Fields of Doom (2022) and ...At the Gates of Solitude (2023), building towards the imminent release of their crushingly heavy third album, 'Empires of Stone' (2025) on international heavy powerhouse Ripple Music.
Empires of Stone by Stone Nomads
Known for a live show that is both energetic and utterly immersive, Stone Nomads have carved their name across the Texas scene and southern US on stages shared with the likes of Crowbar, Soulfly, The Obsessed, Eyehategod, Elder, Khemmis, as well as on three multi-region headline and co-headline tours, establishing themselves as a formidable and essential live force within the heavy underground scene.
The product of a turbulent era marked by personal tragedy, their forthcoming third full-length "Empires of Stone" channels its raw emotion into both its music and lyrics, exploring themes of fear, societal struggle, and mortality. While showcasing the power trio's devastatingly heavy evolution, the album also reveals a deeper, progressive side — brooding and expansive.
"It was crafted as a full album experience, with each song fitting in its respective placement to take the listener on a deep, progressive and metallic sonic journey," says the trio. "Empires of Stone" will be released on classic and limited vinyl editions, CD digipack and digital formats on November 21st through Ripple Music.
