Music Industry News

NZ’s cosmic heavy-rock misfits Planet Hunter are back with ‘Unholy Union’, a ferocious, hook-laden slab of stoner-grunge prophecy and their second offering from their forthcoming album Soothsayer.

Forged in the damp-green depths of Wellington and celebrated for their explosive live shows, Planet Hunter – featuring William Saunders on guitar, Cormac Ferris on vocals, Jedaiah Van Ewijk on bass, and David McGurk on drums – continue to craft a sound that is both brutally terrestrial while somehow, wildly extraterrestrial. Their riffs have been described as “planets exploding,” their rhythm section a force of nature, and their stage presence a striking mix of theatre, chaos, and cosmic ritual.

‘Unholy Union’ captures the band at full tilt, with Saunders’ guitar lines oscillating between menace and melody, all wrapped in Planet Hunter’s trademark contrast: raw aggression laced with glimmers of hope, humour, and heavy cosmology.

The single also heralds the arrival of Soothsayer, the band’s follow up to their 2020 debut, Moscovium, recorded on the fringes of Newtown near the Wellington Zoo during a whirlwind session fuelled in classic Planet Hunter fashion by one too many beers. The band describes the album as a distillation of life in Aotearoa’s capital – its clammy corners, strange beauty, chaos, and relentless pulse. If Moscovium was a radioactive blast of doom-grunge energy, Soothsayer is the prophetic vision that follows.

With Soothsayer on the horizon, Planet Hunter are poised to launch a new era, promising even more power, left-field imagination, and relentless riff-craft that fans have come to worship.

Stream ‘Unholy Union’ across all major streaming platforms now! Soothsayer by Planet Hunter will be officially released worldwide on 30th January 2026 via Sharkhound | Pre-order here.

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