SOL Sonic Ride Cologne is a one-day heavy music festival presented by the underground record label and booking agency Sound Of Liberation, bringing together leading acts from the Stoner, Doom, and Psychedelic Rock scenes. The event takes place at Carlswerk Victoria and Club Volta in Cologne, offering a full day of powerful riffs, fuzzy grooves, and immersive live performances across two stages. Featuring an international lineup of bands from across the heavy underground, SOL Sonic Ride Cologne celebrates the spirit of the global Stoner and Psych community in an intense festival atmosphere. After the sold-out first edition in 2025 – celebrating 20 years of Sound of Liberation – the heavy music scene gathering comes back with a massive lineup for a second ride on Saturday April 11th 2026!
FESTIVAL LINEUP:
Swedish doom metallers Witchcraft emerged at the dawn of the 21st century with a vintage blend of lurid psych-folk and bruising hard rock that evoked the early, occult-themed emissions of groups like Pentagram and Black Sabbath. Debuting eponymously in 2004, the band’s retro ’70s sound adopted more modern recording techniques in the 2010s, with albums like Legend (2012), Nucleus (2016), and Black Metal (2020) introducing elements of stoner metal and depressive folk to the table.
Sweden’s Truckfighters formed in the early 2000s but specialize in surprisingly authentic desert/stoner rock of the mid- to late-’90s variety — reminiscent of Dozer, Kyuss, and Fu Manchu, in particular. Featuring vocalist/bassist Ozo, guitarists Fredo and Dango, and drummer Paco, the group debuted in 2003 via a split CD with hometown homies Firestone, lent the track “Analogous” to the following year’s Fuzzcollection No. 1 stoner rock compilation, and finally unleashed their full-length debut, Gravity X, in 2005.
Sweden’s Lowrider came together in the mid-’90s when bassist/vocalist Peder Bergstrand and vocalist/lead guitarist Ole Hellquist hooked up guitarist Niclas Stalfors and drummer Andreas Eriksson. Following a split-CD release with fellow stoner rockers Nebula in 1998, the band delivered their full-length debut Ode to Io in the year 2000. Alternately praised and condemned profusely by critics, its impressive songwriting chops were overshadowed by the group’s blatant creative debt to desert rock pioneers Kyuss. Understandably, this controversy continues to both plague and define the band.
Elephant Tree is a London-based heavy rock quartet that has carved out a unique space in the underground music scene by blending crushing doom metal riffs with ethereal psychedelic melodies. Formed in 2013, the band is widely recognized for their “warm fuzz” guitar tones and signature multi-part vocal harmonies, which provide a melodic contrast to their heavy, low-end driven grooves. The band faced a major setback in early 2023 when lead vocalist/guitarist Jack Townley was involved in a near-fatal accident. Following a long recovery, the band returned to the stage in 2024.
Cult of Occult is an active French band from Lyon, formed in 2011, known for their crushing blend of sludge, doom, black metal, and noise. Often self-described as “France’s most hated band,” they are famous for an uncompromisingly heavy sound fueled by themes of Satanism, nihilism, and alcohol. The band is currently preparing for the release of their fifth full-length album, titled “I Have No Name,” scheduled for March 31, 2026. They have also announced a European and UK tour for April and May 2026, which includes a performance at Desertfest London.
BongBongBeerWizards (often abbreviated as BBBW) is a psychedelic drone/doom/stoner metal trio from Dortmund, Germany, formed in 2017. While they initially started as a “fun-time drinking side project,” they have since evolved into a more serious atmospheric project known for “heavy meditative doom”. The band’s music is characterized by massive, slow-moving “walls of sound,” heavy meditational riffs, and droning atmospheres. In addition to the standard bass, drums, and guitar, they incorporate unconventional instruments such as: synthesizers, saxophone, trumpets, massive amp stacks.
ZERRE is an active German thrash metal/crossover band hailing from Würzburg, Bavaria. Formed in 2012, they are known for a high-energy sound that blends the aggressive, razor-sharp riffs of classic 80s thrash metal with the raw, uncompromising power of hardcore punk. Initially starting in the Blackened Hardcore scene, the band underwent a significant stylistic shift following a hiatus and reformation in 2022. Their current sound is described as “in-your-face” teutonic riff warfare, drawing heavy inspiration from genre giants like Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer, as well as modern neo-thrash acts like Power Trip.
Coltaine is an atmospheric post-metal and psychedelic rock quartet. Formed in 2022 and hailing from Germany’s Black Forest, the band is known for a sound that blends heavy doom intensity with ethereal, “blackgaze” elements and acid rock. Their music often features the versatile vocals of Jules (Julia Frasch), which range from melodic harmonies to dark growls. Often described as “fog-drenched,” “cinematic,” and “melancholic”, their lyrics and themes typically explore nature, life, death, and “Weltschmerz” (world-weariness).
Yeast Machine is a German Stoner Rock and Grunge quintet originally formed in Tübingen in 2021. The band is known for a raw, “fuzz-driven” sound that blends 90s Seattle grunge with 2000s stoner rock and 60s psychedelia. The band was founded by brothers Fabian and Tobias Köninger alongside singer Benjamin Frenzel. They were later joined by Jonas Bischof and Marcel Gundlach.
