Diaries of Doom

Black Cloud Harbour, the solo project from Adam C. Taylor (also of acclaimed Hertfordshire post-sludge fourpiece Everest Queen), launched earlier this year with the release of Corrosion back in October 2023. Mixing punk, hardcore, and black metal in its core sound, Storm built upon the first single a month later, with strong, uplifting melodic undercurrents. As Taylor explains, 'this project will morph and evolve as I go on'. Black Cloud Harbour's genre-twisting places it at the forefront of the modern metal soundscape, and it seems by all accounts that there are still a few surprises awaiting us. Tomorrow will see the release of The Eternal Abyss , the third Black Cloud Harbour single in as many months. It kicks off with a driving hardcore beat and a simple but effective sludgy riff to get the adrenaline flowing early on. He uses a solid, gravelly scream over the top, though as the song progresses into more melodic waters, a tuneful guitar bridge really elevates The Et...

The black metal project of Lewis Borthwick, who helped mastermind the recent debut Grimorte EP, Archierophant return with a spellbinding sophomore release. A breathtaking balance of brutality and beauty, Archierophant enlist the vocal talents of Ffion Elisa and Sami Tuohino of Oenos to contribute to the wide-ranging spectrum of sound found on Birds Of Joy And Sorrow . What's arguably most impressive here is how cohesive the music all sounds here, with regard to how many different spheres of influence are present. Trust me, though, this is not one to go under the radar. The release splits itself nicely into two parts; the first being crushingly heavy with a more 'straight-up' metal approach. Opening track 'Alkonost' immediately tears through the speakers with a descending, dissonant minor key sequence, but laden with pianos and haunting backing vocals to create an unmistakeable symphonic black metal vibe. A drop in tempo around the two-and-a-half minute mark creates ...

Tumanduumband's third release dropped out of nowhere at the end of January. A testament to the lads' will to keep the ball rolling over lockdown, as it has been recorded at home on smartphones, it proves that little will stop this four-legged beast. It also signals a change in direction and sound - the instrumental drum and bass doom riffs are replaced with sludgy, droney, blackened evil performed with guitars and vocals instead. So, fair play for keeping things going, and fresh, given all the shit going on in the world at the moment. The title track is a droning slow burner, with Luke's tortured howls creating a genuinely unsettling vibe. It weaves in and out of different sections with a free flowing structure. More than anything, the focus is upon atmosphere and a different kind of evil that the duo's last two releases have been based around. The very raw production ethic works well here. As much as this choice has come out of necessity, with a national lockdown in fo...