The Black Rain
The North East three-piece of Gothic grandeur The Black Rain have released their debut album from the bell tower. Locked-up with anticipation and left to brew in its own darkroom, the album's developed the characteristics of a damp, dingy affair. The Black Rain have been busy boys: touring the UK; playing festivals such as Corrosion Fest in Morecambe; winning Best Newcomer at the Spark Local Music Awards; and with live dates set to support Sanctum Sanctorium in September at Sunderland's Fire Station, 2025 doesn't let up for The Black Rain. We now find ourselves on the receiving end of their self-titled debut album. It's been in the works for a while, and even pushed back from a working date sometime back in May, but here we are.
The best of both with regards to studio recordings and live recordings, the album is split into two distinct sections, although sonically you may not even notice the shift between "Fear" and "Shadows Cry(Live)". It's a testament to how well The Black Rain have captured their studio selves in the live setting and vice versa. It's a rare thing for both to compliment each other so well. I didn't notice the transition into the live tracks upon first listen. It felt like a natural progression - a forwards move without attention being brought to itself. It was only when I had a look at the tracklist that the word "Live" came into the equation.
The heavily reverberant basslines of Scott Hays will have the fillings in your teeth standing on edge. The equilibrium that your mind tries to keep will find itself way out of whack as the thickly stringed instrument is used in a way which bolsters the bands whole output. The 20-plus-piece pedalboard that finds itself under the helm of Hays at The Black Rain gigs is dialled to the meanest settings. Frontman Josh Cowey's vocals harbour a haunting quality. Like a buff ghostly figure speaking to his past self, the dark air of the ether is being channelled through. Cowey's guitar tone takes the shape of a sharp, shimmering, clean sheen - albeit the dirt is still there in abundance. The fat sound of Mick Christon's snare pierces through the thick veil of The Black Rain. Like a gargantuan, re-enforced lead balloon being popped with every hit, the overcast sky that The Black Rain find themselves under snorts thunder in 4/4. Christon's meaty bassdrum holds the fort down.
Drizzly spheres; it's always raining in the world of The Black Rain. And to make it worse, the rain is black; not only do you cry, but your shadows do too. The weight of the world just won't let up. Your regrets have regrets; the regrets linger, fester, flutter a couple layers beneath the skin. You're stuck in this web and there's no way out. You pay twice the price for your mistakes in life. There's nothing to hope for, so don't even start trying. You thought that you would be more than this - welcome to the club, buddy. How did it come to this? There's nothing out there. The only way out is in, but the in has been dampened by my own doing! The crystalline dream that once was is now somewhere out at sea sailing on its own downturn. I can't even save me from myself. The ghostly future warns about the present, and yet the times are still steaming on towards their inevitable demise.
The Black Rain's debut is a well-made piece of Gothic Rock/Post-Punk lineage. The intersection of the two states - genres - is as inseparable as cloud and sky.
The bells and whistles have been left where they lie. This is a rather pure, bare-knuckle approach to music-making.
The Black Rain are set to play slots alongside Red London at Diego’s in Sunderland on July 26th, Sanctum Sanctorium on September 26th at Sunderland's Fire Station, and are also set to play Carpe Noctum in Leeds on October 4th and Whitby Goth Weekend on November 1st.
The Black Rain are currently taking bookings for 2026. You can contact them through this email: blackraininformation@gmail.com
