Diaries of Doom

Another trip around the sun and we find ourselves at a time of year for reflection, resolution and introspection - or for writers like me, a time of year where we scramble to get these lists out and hope to get a few shares. On a personal level, 2022 won't be a year I'll forget any time soon. I've been lucky enough to work at Desertfest London, Bloodstock Festival and Arctangent Festival with three different publications and in particular, I'm lately getting a lot of gig reviews under my belt with The Razor's Edge. I got to see Billy Idol the day before my birthday with a press pass. That was amazing. Through media, I've got to chat in-depth with plenty of the bands on this list about their own music. I hope that I'll be able to tick off more from this list as we go into 2023. Of course, most that know me as the Diaries of Doomer will know that I hold six-string duties in Alunah. At the start of the year, I still felt like the new guy in the band - no one el...

Obligatory end-of-year post. 2021 has been a year I won't look back on fondly, with a pretty constant series of personal challenges - not least because of the pandemic - but there's been plenty to remember for all the right reasons, such as the big family reunion at Bloodstock, seeing some of my friends again for the first time in ages, and all the fun band-related stuff I've done with Alunah and Slump. If you follow the blog closely, you might have noticed I've had to take a complete break from posting for the last couple of weeks. Trying to balance running this blog with two bands, other music media platforms and working full-time to pay the bills as a side gig can be a lot sometimes, and burnout's no joke. It's been good to take time away from the music side and enjoy the festivities with my family lately. Only time will tell what '22 will bring, but the standard of music releases only seems to get better at the moment. If the stars align then both of my ...

This year didn't really go to plan, did it? I'm sure we're all relieved to see 2020 finally on its way out - who's taking bets for 2021? Zombie apocalypse, anyone? Regardless, there's been some absolutely stellar new releases all year round. The Diaries of Doom writers team have gotten their heads together and picked out 40 of their favourites from 2020 - in alphabetical order, to avoid lengthy, meandering arguments. Find something here that you previously missed. As you'd expect, there's a lot of sludge, doom and stoner here. But we've also got everything else, from Pearl Jam to grindcore. Here's our essential 40 releases of 2020. Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment (blackened death) Battalions - Pure Humber Sludge (sludge) Beggar - Compelled to Repeat (sludge) Cillian Breathnach - Lothric (drone/dark ambient) Fæðm by Cillian Breathnach Corrupt Moral Altar - Patiently Waiting for Wonderful Things (death/grindcore) Deftones - Ohms (alternative metal) ...