Diaries of Doom

Oldham thrashcore outfit Tortured Demon have really set the UK live circuit alight in recent years. Their first full-length, In Desperation's Grip , dropped in 2021, the same year that they notably packed out the smallest stage at Bloodstock before lunchtime, selling out all of their merch. After touring with Evile in 2022, their ascent seems unstoppable and inevitable, now with another string to their bow with Rise of the Lifeless . Tortured Demon - Oppressed (live at Bloodstock 2021) It's not a carbon copy of the first record. Tortured Demon have upped their game as musicians and songwriters, and the addition of a second guitarist has injected new life into the band. This is particularly evident over some of the choruses, where a counter-riff or Corey Beaulieu-style melodic lead seems to elevate its part to another level. Eyes of the Fire houses a series of fantastic diminished licks, and the solos in Global Threat , The Damage Is Done and the title track are outstanding....

This week sees the long-awaited release of Netherhall 's debut album, Process . Formed eight years ago, the band's formative years saw the Imacular EP, victory in the Birmingham Metal 2 The Masses, and a performance at the unveiling of the city's Black Sabbath bridge. Since solidifying their lineup with Matt Preston on lead vocals - alongside Lewis Ward on guitar, Tom Bushell on bass and Jake Raybould on drums - they released two singles prior to Covid and returned to Bloodstock in 2021. Plenty going on, then. Netherhall - Disintegrate (live at Bloodstock 2021) Process thematically deals with the process of life and death and everything in between. As the band put it themselves, 'after 8 years of ups and downs, lefts and rights and life itself, we are thrilled, relieved, and most of all proud to release Process, our debut album. This has been a labour of love for the last 5 years of our lives, which has been an emotional roller-coaster and in many ways, we can feel t...

Witch-identifying people beware, as the riff-worshipping, heavy rocking Kill The Witch have emerged from the murky depths of Stafford with their first EP. They'd released music under a previous name, but on this effort the sound is more cohesive and unified than ever before, firmly settled on a groovy, energetic metal tone borrowing from Orange Goblin, QOTSA and other bands that they've gigged with over the past few years. Slime , a sleazy stoner sludge anthem to be blasted in dive bars at four in the morning while drunk idiots grind on each other, welcomes you into the release. "She's all covered in slime, and she still looks fine, take you back to mine?" No guesses what this song might be about. Its break into a frantic Song for the Dead -style finale is inspired and adds a layer of interest to the track. I end up coming back to this song a lot for this reason, as well as the tongue-in-cheek vocals which the band pull off really well, each smutty line spat out...

Someone somewhere has pissed off Master Charger and out of it has come a beast of a stoner/sludge anthem. The first new noise from the Nottinghamshire threepiece since 2020's Origin of the Lugubrious , Social Witch Hunt takes a dirty, Iommi-style riff drenched in mountains of fuzz for a ride over almost four and a half minutes. Introducing itself with wailing feedback and a well-executed drum fill, there is a good, upbeat energy to the track and it will be very interesting to see what kind of new chapter for the band this signals. Master Charger - Social Witch Hunt (live at Uprising 2023) The raw production style, led by Andy Dawson, really gives the track a live feel that this kind of music really needs to be most effective. Along with this, the guitar tone, whether in its fuzzed-out glory or with a bit of wah over the lead parts, packs a serious punch ahead of the pounding rhythm section. Dave and Jon dictate the energy of the track with a lot of power, but equally with a good...

Uprising 2023 was my first time in attendance at the festival, lured there by the likes of Boss Keloid and Paradise Lost. I can safely say I'll be there in 2024. I'd be more than happy to go as a punter, doing media again, or (ideally!) performing. From what I could see, the entire festival experience was efficient, warm and friendly. I love the sense of community at these festival environments and bumped into plenty that I'd not seen since last summer. There were plenty of bands I wanted to see again, a few I wanted to see for the first time and also a good few surprises in the pack. Let's dive right in... It's my first time seeing Feral State , the openers on the third stage. Their vocalist Joe is also a member of Bile Caster , who I've seen a few times and played the pre-party the night before. Feral State are on the opposite end of the musical spectrum - though they have some groovy moments, most of the set is relentlessly frantic and breakneck-paced. It...

This Summit Fever , the high-octane and self-described 'heavy fuzz rock' duo from just outside of the birthplace of metal, will release their next EP, Distraction Rituals , on Friday. Distraction Rituals is a powerful refinement of the band’s heavy, riff-driven, stoner-rock-infused grunge of their 2021 debut EP, Doubt . “We wrote and recorded Doubt between Covid lockdowns with the intention of eventually being a trio or quartet,” says Andy Blackburn, the band's guitarist/vocalist. “But when we struggled to find the correct personnel, we committed to being a two-man setup and tried to capture our live sound on Distraction Rituals . Since we’re focused on what we can do live, the guitars on this new EP are even louder, the riffs are even more interesting, and the drums are even more exciting.” “There are a lot of bands out there that are happy to sound like Kyuss or Black Sabbath, which isn’t a bad thing at all,” says Blackburn. “However, we’re very conscious of not doing ...

Combichrist - This Shit Will Fuck You U p Promising an old-school set for all of us Uprising attendees, the aggrotech/industrial giants are really offering a treat in a few weeks. 2023 really does feel like Uprising's strongest year and I imagine this set will be much talked about after the event. It's hard to argue with the legendary status of the first song from Combichrist's second record. In every sense of the word, it will fuck the Academy up. Lowen - The Fortress of Blood My pick from 2018's 'A Crypt in the Stars', this track showcases Lowen at their haunting best, with wailing vocals and a uniquely Middle Eastern take on doom that gives them a psychedelic and progressive feel. Lowen do something genuinely interesting and different; this may well be one of the most memorable sets of the evening. Boss Keloid - Hats the Mandrill The one I come back to more than the rest from 'Family the Smiling Thrush'. The key changes are masterful, the riffs cr...