New Zealand has a habit of breeding bands that sound like they crawled out of the earth’s molten core, and Sidewinder are the latest Wellington-bred beasts to remind the world that the southern hemisphere takes its riffs seriously. Their new single “Firelight” lands like a meteor, announcing not just a return but a full-scale reinvention ahead of the band’s forthcoming 2026 album “Dominion”.
The quotes tell you plenty. Metal Injection shouting about “Riff City” and Angry Metal Guy praising their unstoppable spirit is no small endorsement, but the real story is how far this band have come since forming in 2021. What began as a blues-soaked stoner metal project has now mutated into something darker, heavier, and far more cunning.
“Firelight” is the sound of a group cracking their knuckles before swinging for the throne. The guitars from Ben Sargent and Thomas Rousell churn like machinery built for war, while Si Randall’s bass rumbles with the confidence of a band who know exactly how much weight they can carry. Grant Lister’s drumming is all thunderheads and tectonic shifts. And with new vocalist Jem Tupe stepping in for “Dominion”, the whole machine suddenly has a new engine, deeper growl, sharper bite, more danger in the bloodstream.
Sidewinder’s ascent hasn’t been subtle. Their debut “Vines” put them on the map, their second album “Talons” kicked the door fully off its hinges, and the live shows proved the hype wasn’t just studio magic. Sold out support slots with the likes of Orange Goblin and Sasquatch turned them into the kind of band people talk about in chill-out areas and festival queues. The sort of word-of-mouth wildfire money can’t buy.
“Firelight”, produced by Tiny Triumph Records and mastered by Will Borza, captures Sidewinder in their most dangerous form to date. It is dry, dirty, swaggering heavy rock built to rattle teeth and expose structural weaknesses in your speaker cones. You can hear the evolution, the ambition, the confidence of a band stepping into a new creative era.
“Dominion” arrives in early 2026, and if this single is anything to go by, Sidewinder are gearing up to plant a flag in territory no other NZ heavy act has claimed quite like this.
Sidewinder on Bandcamp | Facebook | Website | Instagram | Spotify