Hot on the heels of last year’s sophomore album, “Another Life”, Scotland’s TANTRUM will release new single “The Darkest of Times” on March 29^th 2024. Due to be released as a double A side with a cover of MEGADETH’s “Tornado of Souls”, “The Darkest of Times” offers the first insight into the band’s forthcoming album.

The single is also the first to feature new band member Mark Riches, who replaces the retired Billy Angus on the drumkit. Speaking to us ahead of the release, vocalist Mark Reid told us that “The Darkest of Times” “tells of those intrusive thoughts that kick in when you’re trying to sleep, twisting and turning into realities that haven’t even happened but which still invade our consciousness”.

Musically, the song conveys the lyrical themes through a tension between doubt and strength. The verses feature a duel between a whispered ‘voice in the head’ and Reid’s powerful vocals that reveal the insidious nature of the “whispers of doubt in your head”. As the song progresses towards a climax, the uplifting chorus delivers relief assuring us that “through the darkness we’ll climb, leaving doubts far behind”.

The song, overall, has much to recommend to NWOTHM readers. Once the clarion call of guitar notes at the beginning (which evoke classic PRIEST or MAIDEN) ebb away, a frantic pace ensues that is built on a foundation of meaty riffing, tight drumming, and dual guitar harmonies. The fretwork of Baz Fitzsimmons and Micah Snow blazes across this track without outstaying its welcome, culminating in a satisfying dual guitar solo that does not descend into self-indulgence.

Reid’s vocals also impress throughout and the ‘war inside the head’ verses are sensitively handled by the production team, enabling him to flex his range and complement the track’s uplifting moments in a manner that never feels clichéd.

Accompanying cover version of “Tornado of Souls” is a fun track that certainly shows off the band’s ability to shred. MEGADETH covers are hard to pull off partly because it is so difficult to replicate Dave Mustaine’s acerbic delivery and vocalist Reid does well not to try too much to emulate that.

The playing on “Tornado of Souls” is razor sharp throughout and showcases the band’s serious chops. But, in truth, “The Darkest of Times” feels very much like the main event here. It is a track that certainly whets the appetite for a forthcoming album. Third albums have often been pivotal to a band’s trajectory, and we will certainly be on the look out to see if that is the case with TANTRUM.

The double A-side single will be released as two numbered and limited CD singles, each with its own unique artwork. The first CD showcases the regular artwork for “The Darkest of Times” adorned with the traditional TANTRUM logo branding. For collectors and fans alike, a second limited edition CD single will be available, featuring a post-apocalyptic wasteland-style logo and artwork unique to “Tornado of Souls”.

The band are also taking it up a notch with a limited-edition EP. Encased in gatefold packaging, it includes a unique black vinyl-style grooved CD, along with three exclusive stickers and a sew-on patch. In addition to the two tracks from the double A-side single, the EP treats fans to live recordings of “Black and White,” “Hunter Hunted,” and “Another Life” from their launch event in September 2023.