DIAMOND CAST:

This week on Diamond Cast, we somehow end up deep in the psychology of school pencil cases, lunchboxes, band logos scribbled on bags, alternative fashion rebellion and the bizarre social hierarchies of growing up in the UK.

We also answer your questions about the future of Diamond Black, whether bands should keep going forever, artists growing older, Iron Maiden, Meat Loaf, AC/DC, and how modern rock music approaches mental health and emotional struggle differently than it used to.

Plus:
– Adam finds vintage STAR SCREAM merch in the garage
– School tie rebellion explained
– Why carrying a sports bag could ruin your social life
– Through The Misery’s original title
– The strange rules of being “cool” at school
– And a Patreon bonus segment involving “The Devil’s Flaming Hoof”...

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Join the Diamond Black Community:

Support the band and get an extra 15 minutes of Diamond Cast every week on Patreon:
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial

YouTube Memberships – Join via the “Join” button on our channel
Merch – https://diamondblackofficial.com/store

Bandcamp – https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com

Listen to Diamond Black:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5APKOSAXQZh2Kv46TnvEVG
Apple Music – Search “Diamond Black”

Follow us:
Instagram & Facebook – @diamondblackofficial
X (Twitter) – @dmondblk

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Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/N5t8ueajMJ

Merch: https://diamondblackofficial.com/store/
Bandcamp: https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com/
Listen on Spotify, Apple & all major platforms

************************************************

Join our lovely DIAMOND BATS on YouTube in the live-chat!

Please ‘like’ the video if you enjoyed it, and leave a comment too as it really helps the band get more views and get spread around Youtube! We really appreciate all the support!

DIAMOND BLACK MERCH - www.diamondblackofficial.com/store

Ben - @benchristomusic
Adam - @adamhartist
Vincent - @vincentvdrums
Natalie - @diamondblacksnaps
Instagram - @diamondblackofficial
Facebook - @diamondblackofficial
X - @dmondblk

Email us! mail@diamondblackofficial.com

13 3

This week on Diamond Cast, we cover a lot of ground — from AC/DC & Iron Maiden and life on tour to a bigger question:

Who actually gets to define rock music?

We talk about Ben being out on tour with Ricky Warwick, meeting Jacoby Shaddix, and some classic AC/DC discussions (including the important question… what’s in Angus Young’s satchel?).

From there, we dive into:
– Iron Maiden being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
– Whether awards and institutions really matter
– Who defines genres and cultural influence
– The idea of naming the sound Diamond Black is creating

We also get into festivals, Eurovision (yes, really), talent shows, and the strange world of music industry recognition.

Plus: new merch, upcoming shows, and a Patreon preview where Ben shares his story of appearing on a TV talent show.

00:00 – Intro
00:35 – Welcome
01:19 – Ben on tour with Ricky Warwick & AC/DC talk
02:57 – What’s in Angus Young’s satchel?
07:05 – Ignoring the naysayers
13:08 – Hanging out with Jacoby Shaddix
16:04 – New merch alert
18:36 – Jack In The Green & Hastings bike run
20:58 – Festivals: too hot or too wet?
26:16 – Iron Maiden & the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
31:20 – Who defines rock music?
37:03 – The most influential bands in culture
39:45 – Naming the Diamond Black sound
42:11 – Other Rock Hall inductees
45:50 – Eurovision: our thoughts
49:46 – Ben wrote a song for Eurovision
52:03 – Upcoming shows we're attending
54:20 – Do music awards matter?
56:05 – Talent shows: good or bad?
01:03:59 – Patreon preview: Ben’s talent show story

************************************************

Join the Diamond Black Community:

Support the band and get an extra 15 minutes of Diamond Cast every week on Patreon:
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial

YouTube Memberships – Join via the “Join” button on our channel
Merch – https://diamondblackofficial.com/store

Bandcamp – https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com

Listen to Diamond Black:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5APKOSAXQZh2Kv46TnvEVG
Apple Music – Search “Diamond Black”

Follow us:
Instagram & Facebook – @diamondblackofficial
X (Twitter) – @dmondblk

************************************************

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/N5t8ueajMJ

Merch: https://diamondblackofficial.com/store/
Bandcamp: https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com/
Listen on Spotify, Apple & all major platforms

************************************************

Join our lovely DIAMOND BATS on YouTube in the live-chat!

Please ‘like’ the video if you enjoyed it, and leave a comment too as it really helps the band get more views and get spread around Youtube! We really appreciate all the support!

DIAMOND BLACK MERCH - www.diamondblackofficial.com/store

Ben - @benchristomusic
Adam - @adamhartist
Vincent - @vincentvdrums
Natalie - @diamondblacksnaps
Instagram - @diamondblackofficial
Facebook - @diamondblackofficial
X - @dmondblk

Email us! mail@diamondblackofficial.com

12 4

This week on Diamond Cast, we’re diving into collaboration — how it works, how it shapes music, and how you stay true to your identity while working with other artists.
We answer fan questions following last week’s episode and go deep on:
– How we work with guest musicians
– Dream collaborations
– Working with Andy from Therapy?
– How collabs influence the sound of Diamond Black
– Expanding creatively without losing identity
– Writing from different perspectives and characters
We also talk about some of our favourite collaborations in music, and the artists — even from completely different genres — we’d love to work with.
Plus: coffee, outfits, selling clothes online… and Adam being mysteriously hidden this week.


00:00 – Intro
00:55 – Coffee talk
05:08 – Outfits & selling clothes online
11:44 – Why Adam is hiding this week
13:00 – Fan questions from last week
13:24 – How we work with guest musicians
21:05 – Dream collaborations
26:10 – Working with Andy from Therapy?
29:07 – Diamond Black collaborating with other bands
30:14 – How collabs shape our sound & identity
33:34 – Expanding creatively while staying true
35:09 – Favourite collaborations in music
45:02 – Do we change our style when collaborating?
49:18 – Writing from a character perspective
50:51 – Unexpected dream collabs (different genres)

************************************************

Join the Diamond Black Community:

Support the band and get an extra 15 minutes of Diamond Cast every week on Patreon:
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial

YouTube Memberships – Join via the “Join” button on our channel
Merch – https://diamondblackofficial.com/store

Bandcamp – https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com

Listen to Diamond Black:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5APKOSAXQZh2Kv46TnvEVG
Apple Music – Search “Diamond Black”

Follow us:
Instagram & Facebook – @diamondblackofficial
X (Twitter) – @dmondblk

************************************************

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/N5t8ueajMJ

Merch: https://diamondblackofficial.com/store/
Bandcamp: https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com/
Listen on Spotify, Apple & all major platforms

************************************************

Join our lovely DIAMOND BATS on YouTube in the live-chat!

Please ‘like’ the video if you enjoyed it, and leave a comment too as it really helps the band get more views and get spread around Youtube! We really appreciate all the support!

DIAMOND BLACK MERCH - www.diamondblackofficial.com/store

Ben - @benchristomusic
Adam - @adamhartist
Vincent - @vincentvdrums
Natalie - @diamondblacksnaps
Instagram - @diamondblackofficial
Facebook - @diamondblackofficial
X - @dmondblk

Email us! mail@diamondblackofficial.com

15 2

This week on Diamond Cast, we dive into collaboration — how we work with other artists, how guest vocals come together, and what it’s really like recording with musicians you’ve admired for years.

From Ben stepping into a teaching role and breaking down vocal approaches, to working with artists like Chris Harms (Lord of the Lost) and connections to The 69 Eyes and Therapy?, we explore how different styles, voices and personalities shape a song.

We also talk about:
– Singing in different languages
– How we choose guest vocalists
– Where guest vocals fit within a track
– The recording process behind collaborations
– Adapting to different vocal styles
– And the artists we’d love to collaborate with in the future

Plus: a quick update on an upcoming merch drop.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
00:48 – Ben becomes a university teacher
04:44 – Singing in different languages & Ben’s lesson approach
09:56 – Adam on Melissa Auf der Maur
14:25 – Collaborating with Andy from Therapy?
17:18 – How we choose guest vocalists
18:24 – Where guest vocals fit in a song
19:20 – Recording guest vocals: process & workflow
21:28 – Working with Chris Harms (Lord of the Lost)
23:15 – What it means to work with your heroes
28:49 – Different vocal styles and approaches
31:52 – Incorporating other artists’ styles
36:15 – The 69 Eyes guest guitar moment
38:11 – Dream collaborations: who’s next?
44:09 – Upcoming merch drop

************************************************
Join the Diamond Black Community:

Support the band and get an extra 15 minutes of Diamond Cast every week on Patreon:
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial

YouTube Memberships – Join via the “Join” button on our channel
Merch – https://diamondblackofficial.com/store

Bandcamp – https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com

Listen to Diamond Black:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5APKOSAXQZh2Kv46TnvEVG
Apple Music – Search “Diamond Black”

Follow us:
Instagram & Facebook – @diamondblackofficial
X (Twitter) – @dmondblk

************************************************

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/N5t8ueajMJ

Merch: https://diamondblackofficial.com/store/
Bandcamp: https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com/
Listen on Spotify, Apple & all major platforms

************************************************

Join our lovely DIAMOND BATS on YouTube in the live-chat!

Please ‘like’ the video if you enjoyed it, and leave a comment too as it really helps the band get more views and get spread around Youtube! We really appreciate all the support!

DIAMOND BLACK MERCH - www.diamondblackofficial.com/store

Ben - @benchristomusic
Adam - @adamhartist
Vincent - @vincentvdrums
Natalie - @diamondblacksnaps
Instagram - @diamondblackofficial
Facebook - @diamondblackofficial
X - @dmondblk

Email us! mail@diamondblackofficial.com

18 4

This week on Diamond Cast, we dive into the myth of the tortured artist.

Do you actually need to suffer to create meaningful art — or is that just a story we’ve told ourselves for decades?

We explore emotional intensity, creativity, discipline, and whether pain is a source of great work or something artists are expected to perform. From Richey Edwards to Van Gogh and Beethoven, we look at how suffering has been tied to artistic legacy.

We also discuss how creativity evolves over time, whether songs change meaning depending on when they’re written, and the strange feeling of thinking something is incredible at night… then questioning it the next morning.

Plus: a look at our new track “Where The Night Crawls”, and Natalie shares her guide to building a mindset for creativity and happiness.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
00:35 – 67 meme & Virtuosity movie talk
04:51 – This week’s topic: the tortured artist
06:31 – Feeling things intensely
07:38 – Do you need suffering to create?
11:12 – Richey Edwards & the Manic Street Preachers
15:27 – Tin foil hat theories
17:32 – Van Gogh, Beethoven & artistic suffering
18:25 – The role of discipline in creativity
20:17 – Tortured artists & empathy
24:18 – New song: Where The Night Crawls
30:14 – Writing the same subject at different stages of life
37:30 – Late-night genius vs morning doubt
40:49 – Natalie’s guide to creativity & happiness
47:45 – Final thoughts
48:45 – Patreon bonus discussion

************************************************
Join the Diamond Black Community:

Support the band and get an extra 15 minutes of Diamond Cast every week on Patreon:
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial

YouTube Memberships – Join via the “Join” button on our channel
Merch – https://diamondblackofficial.com/store

Bandcamp – https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com

Listen to Diamond Black:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5APKOSAXQZh2Kv46TnvEVG
Apple Music – Search “Diamond Black”

Follow us:
Instagram & Facebook – @diamondblackofficial
X (Twitter) – @dmondblk

************************************************

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DiamondBlackOfficial
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/N5t8ueajMJ

Merch: https://diamondblackofficial.com/store/
Bandcamp: https://diamondblack.bandcamp.com/
Listen on Spotify, Apple & all major platforms

************************************************

Join our lovely DIAMOND BATS on YouTube in the live-chat!

Please ‘like’ the video if you enjoyed it, and leave a comment too as it really helps the band get more views and get spread around Youtube! We really appreciate all the support!

DIAMOND BLACK MERCH - www.diamondblackofficial.com/store

Ben - @benchristomusic
Adam - @adamhartist
Vincent - @vincentvdrums
Natalie - @diamondblacksnaps
Instagram - @diamondblackofficial
Facebook - @diamondblackofficial
X - @dmondblk

Email us! mail@diamondblackofficial.com

14 3