Diaries of Doom

  I remember seeing This Is Turin at Bloodstock back in 2016, although I've been aware of them dominating the Manchester scene since the early 2010's in their early days. They must have made an impact on me as a youngster, because I'm very excited that they're still going strong, stronger than ever in fact. I was impressed back then at their technical facility, and T.U.R.I.N. is a mean feat of an EP, retaining their flair for technicality whilst showing us a new, more polished sound. Strap in, prepare yourself (as if you're in that scene in Casino Royale, the one where Daniel Craig's getting his balls smashed), and let the intensity take you... I’m feeling a little reminiscent of All Shall Perish’s “The Price of Existence” when I hear the first track on the EP: “Excommunicate”. It’s got a strong opening, showcasing technical prowess whilst presenting that familiar sound of blast beats framing a riff that wouldn’t be out of place in an early Black Dahlia Murder t...

We were told to always look on the bright side of life by Monty Python, which was admittedly difficult in 2020 when we were forced into lockdown due to a global pandemic. But with musicians staying at home instead of playing shows, we've started to see albums, EPs and new projects altogether come to fruition that may well not have happened otherwise. Wall is the latest lockdown project we can feast our ears on, formed by Ryan and Elliot Cole of Desert Storm and The Grand Mal. This five-song EP is a monolithic slab of instrumental sludge metal (mostly), full of big riffs written at home by the twins before they headed to the studio in the summer of last year to get them down. 'Wrath of the Serpent', the EP's first single, has epic, sprawling riffage and dual guitars before they make way for a sudden escalation in tempo, and the song turns into a frantic, thrashing High on Fire-esque ripper with well-controlled drumming. The song evolves, with furious, fiddly guitar line...

The Highdrators formed in lockdown, consisting of past and present members of notable riff-heavy bands in the UK underground, ultimately coming together to sound nothing like the bands that they've congregated from. That's what enjoying yourself and making music's about though, right? You would surely get bored making the same sounds day in, day out. You can hear the fun coming out of your speakers that these musicians are having in their new project. Sometimes, amongst heavy musicians, we forget what having a good time's all about.  'Let's Get Drunk & High' is the second song from The Highdrators, and is a real raucous, rebellious, rowdy, rock 'n roll rager. With an irresistible punk swagger and rock n' roll piano tinkling in the background, it's hard not to smile and bop along as you listen to the unpretentious 'Let's Get Drunk & High'. You wouldn't have thought that the track features Siân Greenaway from Alunah as a gue...