Diaries of Doom

  Stoke-based quintet Era's End will round off a busy year with the release of Over Throne , due on 29th December. With the attitude of pop punk, the intensity of metalcore, and catchy hooks that bands of a much bigger size would be jealous of, will this give them the lift they deserve? Starting off with a thrashy riff and a full-throttle, driving rhythm, the instrumental work is great. A soaring, charismatic lead vocal from Amy directs the flow, and they waste no time setting the scene. The track is less than three minutes long, so they keep it short, sweet and snappy, with focused songwriting that doesn't try to cram too much in. The chorus packs a punch with its metalcore feel and layered screams, complementing Amy's soulful cleans. Beth's gloriously gritty bass tone in the mix gives the track a nice crunch. It has to be said that the production here is also really impressive. There's a noticeable sonic difference c ompared to their previous work . Over Throne...

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...

Black Country crossover thrashers Big Black Eye are one of my favourite live bands in the Midlands at the moment.  Since concerts returned, they've been working hard, playing at all sorts of events, including supporting the iconic Cockney Rejects. If that wasn't enough, they're sharing a bill with Discharge next year. Not bad, eh?  At the Scruffy Murphy's 20th Anniversary weekend event the other week, I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of their new EP, recorded at Access Creative College in Birmingham. It'll be out soon, although I'm not sure when, so you'll have to take my word for it - for the time being - that it's a banger from the first minute to the last.  First track 'Hyper Violent' rips through your speakers with a thrashy guitar riff, setting a heavy vibe instantly. Stabs from the bass and drum cymbals before the song's drop give a really nice vintage-sounding feel from the off, before it kicks into an energetic punk beat ...

This article originally appeared on the MMH Radio website Birmingham stoner/punk duo God Shame The Queen formed a few short months ago in the middle of the pandemic. With little else to do but jam out, the songs wrote themselves very quickly, and with time to practice and record in the Boooom Room , a recording studio in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter, we find ourselves with a debut EP that’s come together from scratch over a time where most bands are unable to do anything or even play. With Jack on the bass, David on the drums (also of Slump and Fractura) and both sharing lead vocals, they take a stripped down approach, although the thick wall of noise from the bass and sheer power from the drums would leave you surprised to realise this. The EP dives in with wailing feedback and a distorted bass riff that could have come straight from Lemmy Kilmister’s library of licks. The punk beat and aggressive vocal delivery does give ‘Stains of Love’ a distinct Motörhead flavouring, althoug...

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...