The Diary is extremely happy to welcome Jeff "Oly" Olson, drummer of doom pioneers, Trouble, alongside his solo project, Retro Grave. Oly talks about how the term "godfather" applied to more than just being a legend band in Chicago, why he decided to follow a path of study than rock, how his days hosting Heady Metal allowed him to speak to his idols like friends, and getting the chance to brew his own beer.

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Photo by Matt Tronger

We reopen the Diary this week as our cipher chats with Rick and Tim of New Jersey's Sleeping Village, talking about how they cut their teeth in many high school bands, how the origins of the band stem from annoying their other band's singer, and knowing when the riff is right.

For the month of June, Sleeping Village is donating all sales of their music to Campaign Zero, so you should head over to their Bandcamp page and pick up their new record, Holy Water. 

Before all this nonsense, Andrew Archey was a busy man. He joins us for this chapter of the Diary this week, talking about how Godmaker crafted a split with Somnuri from a single, being asked to perform at a Portishead tribute show and a sex-tinged black mass at Saint Vitus, how Cherisher turned him into a live guitar player, and how he is staying busy with Nathaniel Shannon and new band Endless.

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Heavy NY is shouting to us from across the river in today's chapter! Alexander Haber talks about how nu-metal helped craft our modern music tastes, how he juggles multiple shows in a day but keeps loving the hustle, and what the definition of doom really is. To him anyway.

Band Discussed - Katatonia

Check out Heavy NY at their website and YouTube channel.

A man of many lands, Craig Butler joins us in this chapter of the diary to tell us how he discovered Sabbath during the Dio years, working as an usher at the Warfield to get into some legendary shows, and how lifelong Roadburn friendships lead to the creation of a record label and putting on shows in Stockholm.

You can check out Craig's label, Tribunal of the Axe, over at his website and on Instagram.

A Message from the High Priest: This episode was recorded on April 27th.

Our guest for this chapter is Sean Agustynowicz, who talks about finding the same adrenaline rush in jam bands as he did with hardcore, how the Dead lead him to doom, and both parties fall in love with the swirly sound of Grotto.

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A Message from the High Priest: This episode was recorded on April 14th.

If you've seen a kick ass show within the umbrella of doom metal or stoner rock, John Hopkins was likely the reason for that. Having tour managed and done front of house for stalwarts like Weedeater, Melvins, High on Fire, and Sleep, John has been all over the world with a plethora of bands and talks about getting a road education as a sound board operator, the trials and tribulations of the journey, missing the little things due to COVID-19 life adjustments, his favorite venues, and passing the time with conspiracy deep dives.

A Message from the High Priest: This episode was originally recorded on April 6th.

Photo originally taken by Tim Bugbee (Tinnitus Photography)

Ben Bowman of Chicago's Snow Burial joins us to talk about why it is important to have fun while playing heavy music, how being trapped in Europe both inspired Snow Burial's latest record and taught them some life lessons, and how stumbling upon a cache of George Bush Jr. recordings helped to craft a song.

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A Message from the High Priest: This episode was originally recorded on March 30th.

Emilio Rizzo, otherwise known by the moniker of Fuzznaut, joins us in this week's chapter, talking about the musical nuances of Pittsburgh, the profound influence of Dylan Carlson, and how his role as a drug and alcohol counselor influences his music.

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A Message from the High Priest: This episode was originally recorded on March 23rd.

That's right, we've got a bonus 4:20 PM episode for you. Two years ago, Sleep released their epic return record, The Sciences. Our cipher and fellow enthusiast, August West, have recorded a commentary for you play in sync the next time you listen to the record. Don't be a weirdo and listen to this without the record playing at the same time. It doesn't work and you'll make our cipher seem even dumber than he actually is, especially when he makes the Howard Dean reference. 

The commentary kicks in right at the 10 minute mark if you want to skip past the opening banter. Proceed!