In the industrial belly of Detroit, where machine noise and rebellion pulse in equal measure, a new sound has emerged. It is raw and searing, but it carries something older than anger and louder than distortion. That sound is SUPREME MYSTIC, and their debut album Kala Rupa is a declaration of identity, purpose, and transformation.
The band is led by Chino Noir, the reborn moniker of Mike Couls, a name well-known to the hardcore underground. From playing clubs at thirteen to signing with a major label in his early twenties, Couls carved a path through chaos with a bass in his hands and the kind of presence that stages remember. He was part of some of the most notorious and revered bands in heavy music. He toured the world with COLD AS LIFE, SWORN ENEMY, MERAUDER, TERROR and the CRO-MAGS, sharing bills with legends and surviving battles on and off stage. But none of those bands carried his voice the way SUPREME MYSTIC does now.
Kala Rupa, meaning “the form of time” in Sanskrit, is more than a record. It is a mirror. It looks directly into life, death, karma, illusion, and the struggle for inner evolution. Each song is a piece of a larger journey, built on decades of lived experience. This is not a genre experiment or a side project. It is the first time Couls has stepped fully into the front, not just as a musician but as a messenger.
The album pulls from stoner rock, post-hardcore, sludge, grunge, and doom, but it defies categorization. It is heavy, often brutally so, but not just for the sake of power. Beneath the layers of distortion, the music is rooted in spiritual philosophy and ancient Vedic wisdom. These are songs of confrontation and transcendence, guided by hard-earned insight and a desire to rise above the trappings of material and emotional decay.
From the opening of “Stealing Beauty,” the record cuts with honesty and defiance. It speaks to betrayal and envy in a world that feeds on appearances and weakness. “Halo of Vultures” takes aim at those who circle with bad intentions, while “Colorblind” addresses the weaponization of ignorance and the spiritual sickness of a divided world. “Transmigration of the Soul” and the title track “Kala Rupa” lift the listener into the metaphysical, exploring the unseen journey of the self and the truth that time is not an enemy, but a teacher.
Couls is joined by a powerhouse of Detroit veterans and new energy. Drummer Jeff Shankin brings decades of heavy groove and thunder, having played in cornerstone Detroit acts like Universal Stomp and Earthmover. Alfredo Riojas, a Berklee-trained guitarist known across Detroit for his technical brilliance and soulful attack, adds a precise and expressive voice. Luis Ulloa, a young keyboardist from Honduras with a deep love for black metal and spiritual music, brings harmonic color and atmosphere. Together, they build a wall of sound that can level a room or lift an audience into something otherworldly.
What sets SUPREME MYSTC apart is intention. This band is not chasing nostalgia. It is not paying tribute to a scene. It is rooted in Krishna Consciousness, influenced by the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and carries lyrics that often include Sanskrit mantras and direct references to sacred texts. This is not metal as fashion or outrage. This is music as inner weapon. The goal is not destruction, but liberation.
Still, nothing here is soft or sanitized. SUPREME MYSTIC comes from the grit of Detroit and carries the weight of its history. That includes the tragedies, the fights, and the resilience that shaped Couls’ path. The murder of his father in the infamous Rouge Rampage, the death of COLD AS LIFE’s original frontman, the wounds from the CRO-MAGS incident, and the long road of pain that led to healing are not erased in this new project. They are integrated. The past has not been forgotten. It has been transformed into fuel.
Even in its heaviest moments, Kala Rupa offers a sense of hope. It invites listeners not just to rage but to awaken. This is music for those who have seen the edge, survived, and returned changed. It is not about escaping pain. It is about turning toward it with clear eyes and an open heart This is music built on scars, faith, rhythm, and resolve.
About SUPREME MYSTIC:
SUPREME MYSTIC is a spiritually charged heavy rock band from Detroit, Michigan, fusing the grit of hardcore and metal with the depth of Vedic philosophy. Founded in 2023 by frontman and bassist Chino Noir (the evolved moniker of Mike Couls, known for his work with COLD AS LIFE, SWORN ENEMY, MERAUDER, and CRO-MAGS), the band draws from a lifetime of musical warfare and personal transformation. Their sound, described as Mo-Metal and DefRoc, merges elements of post-hardcore, stoner rock, grunge, doom, and groove metal with a message rooted in spiritual evolution, esoteric themes, and inner revolution.
Joined by drummer Jeff Shankin (UNIVERSAL STOMP, EARTHMOVER), guitarist Alfredo Riojas (a BERKLEE-trained shredder), and keyboardist Luis Ulloa (a young devotee of heavy music and mysticism), SUPREME MYSTIC creates music that is as punishing as it is purposeful. Their songs explore karma, mortality, illusion, and rebirth, often weaving in Sanskrit mantras and Eastern iconography with street-level truth and raw energy.
Equal parts intensity and intention, SUPREME MYSTIC is not just another heavy band. It is a movement of sound and spirit. Their debut full-length album Kala Rupa is set for release in Fall 2025.
SUPREME MYSTIC is:
Chino Noir – Vocals / Bass
Alfredo Riojas – Lead Guitar / Backup Vocals
Jeff Shankin – Drums
Luis Ulloa – Keyboards
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