Diary of Doom

Chapter 62 - The Eyehategodcast

We're kicking 2021 off with a deep dive into the grimiest band to walk the planet, Eyehategod. With a new album on the horizon, our cipher has recruited August West yet again in penning this entry. August talks about following the band for four shows, selling weed to Jimmy Bower, talking into the snare mic, scaring the Christ out of Chick-Fil-A, Anal Cunt's geriatric years, if Buzzov*en is the filthier band, the magic of Bus Invaders, and a Scott Kelly>Nine Inch Nails>Dillinger Escape Plan tangent. This chapter also features a garish homage to Comedy Bang Bang!

Long live Jim Croce!

The new Eyehatehod album, A History of Nomadic Behavior, drops March 12th. Pre-order it here.

Book source is Doomed to Fail by J.J. Anselmi

Chapter 61 - Dust Prophet

It's the last chapter of the year, featuring bassist/keyboardist Sarah Wappler of New Hampshire's Dust Prophet. Sarah talks about how to properly distribute her keyboard section, growing up with jazz fusion loving brothers, the importance of Zappa, forming Dust Prophet out of the ashes of an industrial band, remedying the heft of your bass guitar, putting together their split with Conduit on Sleeping Village Records, the small but noisy NH doom scene, and the everlasting power of Clutch.

From 36:22 for about a minute, we have some slightly funky audio, so apologies for the unintended fuzz. 

Support Dust Prophet

Track featured is "Down Below" off their split with Conduit, available over at the Sleeping Village Records Bandcamp page

Chapter 60 - Dave Hill Pt. II

Dave Hill is back again to talk about putting together a real, living, breathing black metal band from a very innocent email gag, how nobody knows the words to "War Pigs", championing "Angel Witch" by Angel Witch off Angel Witch on The Goddamn Dave Hill Show, going after triggered drums on Twitter, how he embodies fandom in everything he does, why metal can be applied to any scenario, his secret reggae phase, and classifying Fu Manchu as slipper metal.

Support Dave's bands, Painted Doll and Witch Taint, and you can follow him on Instagram and visit his website.

Tracks featured are "On the Grimness of Noodles" and "Sons of Midwestern Darkness" off of Sons of Midwestern Darkness by Witch Taint

Chapter 59 - Dave Hill Pt. I

Comedian and Son of Northern, er, Northwestern Darkness Dave Hill radios in from the Buckeye State to reminisce on tales of Mayhem's missing Microbutcher, being the backing band for Thor, going to every show with Tim from Sweet Apple, how Cleveland is a major rock stop, determine the coolest guitar ever, just missing King Diamond, why you should make something else if everyone else is bringing potato salad, prove that he is doom capable, provide some soda hacks, and both he and the cipher aggressively fail to define "burrito metal*."

Stay tuned for part two!

Support Dave's bands, Painted Doll and Witch Taint, and you can follow him on Instagram and visit his website.

Track featured is "Get You High Tonight" off of How to Draw Fire

Photo by Mindy Tucker

*burrito metal - metal that generally refers to both the thiccness of its riffs and its old fan base

Chapter 58 - Jake Powell

Cocktail guru Jake Powell is dialing in this week to discuss the key role that the bartender plays in the heavy metal venue circuit, as well going from too few shows in South Florida to too many shows in NYC, comes clean about his Foo Fighters tattoo, being smart about his bartending playlists, crafting metal cocktail and beer ideas, Brent Hinds' Little Terror and giant wood cock, and their last shows pre-COVID.

Chapter 57 - REZN

Boasting arguably one of the best weed references in their name, REZN are the esteemed guests for this chapter. As they delve into their varied musical paths that led them to the cosmic hybrid that is REZN, they also prove that the drummer is the smartest member of the band, the cinematic influences on REZN, how they try not to rely on the constraints of genre, meeting their album artist by playing pool, the fucking saxophone, if they would ever tackle a movie or video game soundtrack, Chicago's communal scene, and providing escapism with a conscious.

Never forget Alan Jackson!

Support REZN

Track featured is "Waves of Sand" off of Chaotic Divine

Chapter 56 - Unknown Relic (Stephen Wilson)

You might know Unknown Relic around these parts for putting together a certain piece of artwork for a certain cipher's birthday, but you should know his distinctive style regardless. During his talk with the cipher, Stephen Wilson explains how he translates his passion for music and his dreams into his art, the stylistic influences of Bloodborne and Silent Hill, the strange case of Zdzislaw Bezinki, adapting fonts into his work, how his three older sisters helped him understand heavy metal head-on, the brutalities of Long Island transit, creating a veiled figure for Vile Creature, why Godmaker is our heart and soul, and the cipher's very punny birthday poster.

You can check out more of Stephen's work on his website and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

 

 

Chapter 55 - Brian Mercer

Iconic artist Brian Mercer joins us for this chapter of the diary. Brian's work has graced the album covers, tour posters, and merch not just for iconic heavy music acts like High on Fire, Mastodon, and Isis, but well into the broader musical scope for artists like Marilyn Manson, Skrillex, and Eric Church. He talks about being a child of Pushead, BMX, and comic books, incorporating nature into his work in an effort to combat anxiety, navigating the tricky world of logos and fonts, tapping into his family's Columbia Record House collection, not giving a shit if "rock is dead", his reaction to the Mercer Wall, why Mastodon can do whatever they want, embracing Gritty, Weedeater's sloths and monkeys, and how he can't control what people do, but will still call some bullshit.

You can see more Brian's work at his website and pick up prints and other works at his Big Cartel page.

Chapter 54 - One Year Anniversary

The Diary of Doom podcast is officially one year old as of November 7th! Our intentions were to record this chapter on the day of, but this pasty, old white dude named Joe Biden did something somewhat important, so we were a little delayed. Nevertheless, if you missed it live, you can listen in now. Our cipher brought on returning guests August West and John Hopkins on to play some doom metal trivia, during which we learn all about Jared Warren's sweat, the end of generator parties, the criminally underrated guitarist Paul Webb, various lost toes, why Torche rules, stage poops, struggle through an impossible Witchcraft story, and revelations on Black Sabbath's frontmen.

Chapter 53 - Thunderbird Divine Part II

Erik Caplan is back to tolerate the cipher's dislike of hair metal, conduct some music anthropology, take back Linkin Park, look at music in the greater lexicon, stan for Insane Clown Posse, how to have a sense of humor to be taken seriously, and why Wino can still do it.

Support Thunderbird Divine

Track featured is "Boote's Void" off The Hand of Man