Diaries of Doom

Slump are a band very much in the ascendency right now (hopefully the cheque they gave me to write that will clear by the time this publishes) - with an ever increasing live presence across the UK and a burgeoning brand of distinctive Sludge Metal-tinged, Grunge-infused psychedelic rock, there has never been a better time to get fully behind a band who are working hard to make their way out of the murky backwaters of the UK Underground Doom scene. 2024 has seen the band going from strength to strength, playing sweaty, breathless shows in literally every single city across the entire country, to releasing the gnarly SP/LIT EP with the frighteningly heavy At War With the Sun. Given the band's somewhat frustrating past habit of having long gaps between releases, you'd have been forgiven for assuming that would be it from Noble, Kabu and co. for the year... fortunately, on this occasion, the band have proved us extremely wrong! Dust marks yet another step forward for Slump. Hav...

I was there the night Slump was born - some people (me) would even say that the band was my idea… May 2018, Munich: vocalist/guitarist Matt Noble and I had just been to Sleep (the band, not the act) and were continuing to drink in the bedroom of his tiny student flat, near the top of a Brutalist tower block. Matt drunkenly confided in me that he was struggling with not being in a regular band - my answer? “Mate, *chugs beer* start your own band” Matt did just that. Now a mainstay on the underground Stoner/Doom/Sludge circuit, it’s been a long time coming to hear new music from the band - 2020’s singles Nothing More and Degenerate seem a very long time ago now, even though the tracks still hold water and bang heads to this day. New music has been due for a long time, but you’ll have to wait a little longer for my opinion on these two new tracks, because Slump aren’t the only band with a track on this split EP… Worcester-based Sludge-mongers At War With The Sun kick things off in s...

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) ...

  Full disclosure: this is going to be an overwhelmingly positive review. The reason for this is chiefly because Matt Noble, leader of Birmingham-based Stoner Rock riffmongers, Slump, has been one of my best friends for years. I guess a secondary, paltry-by-comparison reason is that their debut single “Nothing More” is absolutely killer.  The track opens with an ominous, chorus-drenched riff; a foreboding of the savagery that is to follow. Then layers of distortion assault your ears and a barrage of piledriving drums leave you gawping from the other side of your face. Think Down, having a punch up with Alice in Chains, then kissing and making up while cranking Corrosion of Conformity records. But as much of a hefty punch as it packs, “Nothing More” also display an impressively measured, melodic side. Noble’s husky-yet-melodic vocals are as soulful as they are filled with attitude, complete with rich harmonies more in the vein of Trivium than Sleep. Elsewhere in the song, clean...

Today marks the 40th Anniversary of one of Rock’s most astounding achievements: AC/DC’s timeless album, Back in Black. What’s so special about the album is not just the quality of the songs on display, but the circumstances under which it was created. It’s a true phoenix risen from the ashes moment. 1980 was a year of great change in Rock music, though, as a new breed of Heavy Metal began to rear its head and left the old guard needing to adapt or die. To celebrate, Diaries of Doom have a look back at three bands who released important albums with a bit of a direction change in this momentous year:   Black in Black - AC/DC The start of the 1980s had been about as kind to AC/DC as the start of 2020 has been to the rest of the world. Having released perhaps their greatest commercial album to date, Highway to Hell, a year earlier, Bon Scott and the boys looked to be on the precipice of world domination with their rough and ready, bar brawling Rock ‘n’ Roll sound. It was not to be...

Sometimes great songs are understated in their greatness, and you’ll need to listen to them several times to really appreciate them. Other times, a great song slaps you square in the face with how great it is until you sit up and take notice. A Million Arms, the new single by Nashville Blues Rockers, The Bloody Nerve, does the latter and does it in a big way.  Right from the off, it’s apparent that singer Laurie Ann Layne has got one hell of a voice. I haven’t heard a scream so piercing since some lad from West Bromwich called Robert penned a ditty about immigration problems in Britain circa 800AD (I wonder what happened to him…?), which only serves as a promise that some filthy blues rock is about to follow. This song sure does follow up on that promise. Stomping guitar riffs with a sumptuous scratchy-yet-powerful tone pay homage to the White Stripes and the band that the lad named Robert who I was talking about before was in (can’t remember their name…), but the country-infused l...

I’ve honestly not heard anybody talk about Brexit in what feels like forever and a day. If I’m being completely honest, I actually miss it to a degree, given what replaced it in all media coverage was a sudden launch into the thunderdome of Coronavirus fear and visits to Dominic Cummings’ mum… Brexit still bubbles under the surface, though, Birmingham post-rockers Solars are staring right down the trunk of the elephant in the room with their latest instrumental single, Brexriff. Starting with tense, muted guitar and sinister synth lines mimic the ominous beginnings of a debate that would slowly absorb the whole country, which the track does as it begins to build texturally and rhythmically, before exploding into a cacophony of harmonised guitars and piledriving drums. The brief but calming ending is also reminiscent of how long we had to process the aftermath of the act finally being forced through before being thrown into the next succession of end-of-the-world scenarios....

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the sad day on which the metal world lost a true legend: Ronnie James Dio. His trademark voice and fantasy lyrics have left a lasting impression on the Metal community and have influenced countless metal musicians. To pay tribute to a true icon, Ben and Matt have come up with a list of the Top 20 Dio Classics:  20. The Last in Line Dio goes into epic territory for The Last in Line, an incredibly well-executed semi-ballad. The title track from his sophomore album, it curiously won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance 31 years later when Tenacious D covered it. MN 19.   Starstruck If you’re aware of the performance of this song from Dio’s 1983 set at Donnington, you’ll know exactly why I had to include it. If you’re not aware, best you watch the video below... BP 18.   Long Live Rock'n'Roll Well said, sir! Have a place in this list. 17. Double the Pain Is this the heaviest riff fr...