By Staff | February 1, 2026

Purple Lung is a high-energy doom metal outfit hailing from the Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) scene, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Toni, bassist Max, guitarist Simon, and drummer James. Transitioning from their early short-form releases to their 2026 debut full-length record, Mystic Vision, the group has evolved their collaborative songwriting process by embracing studio experimentation and spontaneous layering. Their signature sound blends the foundational weight of traditional doom and Sabbath-style bluesy riffs with the high-speed urgency and aggressive delivery of hardcore punk. Deeply influenced by the atmospheric, wooded landscapes of their home region, the band weaves fantasy-driven narratives—featuring wizards, dragons, and ancient lore—into their music. Despite the dark intensity of their riffs, the members prioritize a sense of whimsy and authenticity, aiming to share their high-energy performances with audiences across the East Coast and Midwest throughout the coming year.

Welcome! You’ve moved from your 2022 demo through two EPs to your first full-length, Mystic Vision. How has the band’s songwriting dynamic changed as you’ve scaled up from short-form releases to a cohesive LP?

Simon, guitar: The writing process is still similar to how it always has been between us. It’s a group effort, and we each have roles that we tend to fill. The major difference between now and then is how we’re able to utilize the tools available to us in the studio.

Toni, guitar/vocals: As we’ve gotten more comfortable being in the studio, we’ve been able to add a lot of spontaneous layers … when trying new stuff, it was with the knowledge of how the parts already sounded, so the confidence to work with that in the moment really helped.

James, drums: We experimented a lot. It’s always been collaborative but we definitely took that to new heights, with all of us giving input on stuff outside of our primary instruments.

Simon: There are a couple of tracks on the LP where we basically wrote the songs from the ground up at the studio, which was fun and creatively refreshing.

You mentioned being inspired by heavier 90s alt-rock and modern hardcore/punk alongside the Black Sabbath/Sleep foundations. How do those more aggressive or melodic influences manifest in your riffs compared to a traditional doom band?

James: The obvious ones are speed and song length, trying to keep the urgency of hardcore while making bluesy riffs that make sense for the genre. Some of the 90’s stuff I think you can hear in the choruses and structures.

Max, bass: We kinda write stuff with typical pop song structure … it’s not for everyone, but having that structure allows us to write whatever kinda song we’re feeling at the time.

Simon: I have been a fan of aggressive/extreme music for most of my life and I’ve previously played in a few different hardcore punk and powerviolence bands. I think all of those influences have hardwired my brain to always write in the darker and harder direction rather than to pull things back.

Looking back at the Ritual Magick and Play Rogue/Beheader EPs, what was the one thing you knew you wanted to do differently — sonically or production-wise — for the debut LP?

Toni: I think the time spent in the studio, by the time we were working on the LP, really highlighted areas that I wanted to improve. I did a lot of extra vocal training and kind of even had to practice doing mindful breathing because I could tell I wasn’t relaxed enough performing in the studio. The LP felt like the real training ground for understanding my personal needs when it comes to recording.

Simon: I was excited to have a more established through-line from beginning to end which is much more attainable with 10 songs as opposed to 2-3. The album is able to ebb and flow between tracks which makes the listening experience feel more like a storybook or an adventure tale than our previous releases.

James: Personally, I wanted to make sure we really took our time to make sure we got everything right. This enabled us to play around with textures, ambience, and extra instrumentation like flute and trumpet, and I think not having any hard deadlines really helped us make something we love.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scene has a legendary reputation for producing heavy hitters across all genres. How has being indebted to that specific local community shaped Purple Lung’s identity?

Simon: Growing up in the NEPA music scene has given me the most important life experiences that I’m not sure would have happened elsewhere in the country. Some of my all-time favorite bands are from this area which makes the opportunity to create music here feel extremely special. I love this music scene and I will always be grateful to have been a part of it.

James: It’s about being aware that you’re part of a respected and storied legacy, and wanting to contribute to that in a meaningful way, even if the impact is small.

Toni: I really believe there isn’t another scene like it. It’s hard to imagine developing as a band the way we have without having so much respect for so many of the musicians in our area. There’s a layer of accountability and pride that comes with it that I feel has really helped me continuously improve.

James: That’s true of the ‘legacy’ bands, but also of this current wave of bands - I get more inspired watching our friends and peers play a really good set, because it makes me want to push myself harder.

You specifically mentioned the mountains and forests of Northeastern PA. When you’re writing, how do you find the physical landscape of your home influences the atmosphere or the weight of the music?

James: We all grew up in the woods, and I think your environment plays a big part in your perspective, even if it’s not intentional. We wrote a song about an evil witch looking for revenge - it’s easy to paint a picture and get the ambience right, because we know how it feels to be in the woods when it’s too dark, the cold fog from the mountain creeping in all around you.

Max: Simon lives really deep in the woods, basically in a treehouse on top of a forested mountain, and that’s where we’d originally meet up to write riffs, so it’s baked into the foundation. It’s our little nod to the fact that we come from a mythical part of an otherwise ordinary place.

If you had to pick one past or present NEPA band that paved the way for the Purple Lung sound, who would it be and why?

Max: War Hungry, for sure. They bring a very dark sound to something rooted in hardcore. The opening riff to “Spoken Through The Serpent” was all we needed to hear to get started.

Simon: War Hungry managed to use the bluesy riff style of Black Sabbath blended with hardcore to craft some of the grooviest and hardest hitting songs imaginable. They are always on my mind when I’m sitting down to write guitar parts for Purple Lung.

Max: That said, I saw The Virgos in 2021, right around when we were in talks of starting a band, so they’ve been a massive inspiration since day 1. Watching them live is mesmerizing. So loud, so groovy.

Mystic Vision is a powerful title. Does the album follow a specific narrative thread through those classic fantasy tropes, or is it more of a collection of different visions?

James: There is a thematic thread that can work as a full narrative, or as individual stories. The album’s tracklisting is very intentional: it starts with the sword being drawn from the stone, and climaxes with the emergence of the wicked dragon. Along the way, various soothsayers warn our hero of the dangers of hubris and arrogance.

Toni: Heed the tales of the seer, and visions of your own shall reveal themselves to you.

You have two tracks streaming now. Why were those specific songs chosen to introduce the world to the new album?

James: “Hum of the Ancients” was the first ‘anchor point’ for the album’s identity, and I think is a good representation of the direction we were headed in. The newest single, “Blademaster,” was unanimously picked as the lead single, as it maintains the classic bluesy doom feel and works well as a mission statement for our sound and vibe.

Doom metal and fantasy imagery go hand-in-hand. How do you take those classic tropes and put a unique Purple Lung spin on them so they feel fresh for 2026?

Toni: I think what’s timeless is timeless. We’re all Lord of the Rings and D&D nerds, and the crossover is just inevitable. We’re doing what we like. I think if we spent time trying to figure out how to “keep it fresh” the authenticity would be missing and we wouldn’t be having as much fun.

Max: It was a situation where our first few songs were about mythical beasts, so we stuck it out to have a sense of congruence with the narrative and visual theme. We like the idea of writing a discography of songs that could all exist within the same universe, that we could use later for other nerdy endeavors, like making card games, video games, RPG supplements, and so on.

From your album art to your stage presence, how important is the visual component in translating the Mystic Vision to your audience?

James: The main thing we want to make sure comes across, especially in our stage presence, is how much fun we’re having. I think that aggressive music can sometimes take itself too seriously. If we were up there singing these songs with full unironic sincerity, I think it’d feel corny. From the merch to the album art, it's important that a bit of the whimsy comes across.

Once the LP drops in February, what does the rest of the year look like for Purple Lung? Are there plans to take the NEPA sound further out on the road?

Max: We’ll be doing an east coast tour in April and are trying to hit the midwest in the Fall, with lots of regional shows across PA and NY in the interim. We love playing new places and want to hit as many new cities as possible.

Anyone you'd like to thank?

Chris Wilson for the artwork, Arthur Rizk for mastering, Joe Loftus and Jay Preston for engineering/mixing. Some of our favorite current NEPA bands: Pollen, Pucker Up!, The Virgos, University Drive, Planning for Burial, Loading, Lowdown, The Peace Corps, If Kansas Had Trees.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purplelungdoom

Bandcamp: https://purplelung.bandcamp.com

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