If you’ve been around the Colorado music scene for a while, chances are you’ve felt the strange, electrifying pull of Flahoola. The delightfully weird, high-octane power trio has been grinding for nearly a decade, and now their long-awaited debut full-length album, Electric Scythe, is set to carve its way into the world—bringing your speakers a rock and roll experience you didn’t know you were missing.
Formed almost ten years ago, Flahoola began when bassist and vocalist John Napier and drummer Jaydon Kershner discovered undeniable chemistry within minutes of jamming together at an audition Napier had attended for an entirely different band.
The band’s name, which to American ears sounds like playful nonsense, is in fact a Victorian-era Irish slang term meaning “a boisterous woman of stupendous vulgarity”—a phrase that perfectly captures the spirit of their sound: wild, brazen, and unapologetically loud.
About halfway through their journey, the duo met guitarist Cole Helman, whose influences run from stoner rock icons like Matt Pike and Tony Iommi to classic rock virtuosos such as Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix. Helman’s arrival cemented Flahoola’s lineup and gave the band its razor-sharp edge.
Flahoola’s relentless live presence has taken them across Colorado—through festivals like FoCoMX and BandWagon’s own Battle of the Bands, where they ultimately claimed victory. Their win secured studio time at the legendary Blasting Room, where Electric Scythe was born.
Due out on October 31, 2025, the record’s artwork—by Denver tattoo artist Bob “Bicycle Bob” Lackner—features a “psychedelic reaper” dreamed up by the band in a stream-of-consciousness email. The cover captures the raw, haunted energy Flahoola injects into their music.
The album opens with the bruising rocker “Age of War”, powered by Napier’s commanding vocals that recall Ian Astbury of The Cult, but with an extra bite. Throughout Electric Scythe, listeners will hear the heavy grooves of Kyuss and Red Fang, wah-soaked leads à la Kirk Hammett, and bass lines channeling Steve Harris of Iron Maiden.
Flahoola flexes swagger on “Town of Bodie,” a ghost-town anthem packed with slapping bass and searing guitar solos, before flooring the gas on “Italia.” Inspired by Napier’s recurring childhood nightmare of being hunted by a murderous Formula 1 driver, the track feels tailor-made for a desert car chase in a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
Together, Napier’s ferocious bass and vocals, Kershner’s thundering drums (flanked onstage by towers of plastic skulls), and Helman’s groovy technical leads form an undeniable live force. Their shows don’t just entertain, they solidify Flahoola’s place among Colorado’s premier rock outfits.
Now, the trio’s explosive energy and unfiltered swagger are captured forever in Electric Scythe. The record drops Halloween 2025, followed by a release show at The Oriental Theater on November 1, with support from Tongue Hammer and Nova Heights.
For Flahoola, it’s been nearly ten years in the making. For fans of heavy, psychedelic, bone-rattling rock and roll, it’s been worth the wait.
