Vocals & Guitar: Aleister Crowley Bass: Sacha Ruffieux Drums (and sometimes piano): Erik Dettori
Black Willows have shaped a signature sound often described as shamanic doom - dense, slow-burning, and guided by deep narrative and spiritual exploration, with SHEMURAH (2021).
Their music unfolds in long, immersive movements that blur the line between heavy rock, transcendental drone, and spiritual ceremony, creating an experience that feels both otherworldly and deeply emotional.
• About band •
A must-discover band for fans seeking deep, ritualistic, psychedelic doom - Black Willows are at the forefront of shamanic heaviness, weaving hypnotic riffs with an immersive, occult atmosphere.
Notable Press
Radio Features
Chart Achievement
Featured and positively reviewed across underground heavy-psych and doom outlets, including Outlaws of the Sun, Sputnik Music, and multiple European psych/doom blogs.
Supported by niche heavy-psych and doom radio shows across Europe and the US, including specialist stations highlighting psychedelic doom and experimental heavy music.
SHEMURAH (2021) voted Best Album of Its Genre by Rotation11, an underground heavy-psych and doom review outlet.
Celebrated across the European and American heavy underground, Black Willows have brought their esoteric sound to festivals such as DesertFest London and Freak Valley, and shared stages with influential acts like Amenra, High on Fire, and Orange Goblin.
Their live performances are often described as ceremonial experiences - slow-burning, transformative journeys that draw listeners into altered emotional and spiritual states. With a new single in 2025 and a fourth studio album underway, the band continues to evolve toward an even more expansive, organic, and genre-defying form of psychedelic doom.
Black Willows’ discography charts a steady evolution of their ritualistic, atmospheric doom. Early albums HAZE (2013) and SAMSARA (2016) — recorded in Austin, Texas - established their meditative heaviness and psychedelic depth. The long-form EP BLISS (2018) pushed their introspective edge further, while the double LP SHEMURAH (2021) expanded their universe with dense textures, ceremonial repetition, and metaphysical themes.
• Just hit play & get in the mood •
This is the sound of Black Willows
• stoomfest 2026 •
Keep Exploring
If this band resonates with you, explore the artists below, curated with the same intention, depth, and ear for heavy listening. They’ll be sharing the StoomFest 2026 stage, each bringing their own texture to the weekend and helping build the sound of the festival together.
Slomatics
Belfast, UK
Titans of ultra-low-tuned, monolithic sludge/doom - hypnotic, crushing, and instantly recognisable for their signature wall-of-sound tone
StoomFest is where you find what’s next. We balance respected names with artists who deserve a bigger stage, giving you a lineup that expands your taste instead of repeating last year’s posters.
Froglord
Bristol, UK
A rising force in the UK heavy underground, Froglord fuse swamp-soaked stoner doom with narrative world-building, creating one of the most distinctive concept projects in modern heavy music.
Every artist here is chosen because they fit the emotional arc of the weekend, complement each other sonically, and bring something meaningful to the house.
Black Willows
Lausanne, Switzerland
A dark, atmospheric blend of crushing occult and shamanic doom and trippy psychedelic soundscapes, rooted in Swiss underground heaviness.
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