A Chat with Black Opal (19.03.25)
Blending poignant, profound, poetic lyrics with hard-hitting, energetic melodies, Black Opal delves into the core of reality with all its grit and glory. Drawing together the musical stylings of David McCann (vocals and rhythm guitar), Shane Diamond (lead guitar), Phil McCabe (bass guitar), and Sean Logue (drums), the Belfast-based group forge ahead with their rock meets indie-rock meets post-punk meets… well, just a bunch of genres. We speak with lead guitarist Shane Diamond about the upcoming album Divine Accusations, musical influences and much more.
OSR: Divine Accusations, is your debut album. How does it feel to finally release this project, and what does the title represent for the band?
Diamond: It feels really cool to have it finished and at the same time a bit weird to be separated from the task of creating it. There are songs on there that I wrote, or began to write nearly 20 years ago and just changed and changed over and over, next to tracks where the key lines of the track were only written as Dee was going into the vocal booth to record the vocal!
I suppose what I wanted was to capture some kind of spontaneity alongside the more orchestrated and deliberate parts of the compositions. The title Divine Accusations came about in an arbitrary fortuitous fashion really, just flicking between radio stations – the last word from one station said “ divine” and the first word of the second said “accusations”. It immediately sounded to me like an album title. That was about 10 years ago and I just waited for the right time to use it!
OSR: Your music draws from a wide range of influences, from 60s and 70s rock to 90s grunge and indie Britpop. How did you balance blending these styles into a cohesive sound on the album?
Diamond: The tracks we chose for this album are all coming from a heavier, hard rock or even punk influence. It’s centred around bands whose songwriting is oriented around riffs, so Zeppelin/Nirvana/ The Smiths and even Metallica would have played a part. I’d say that we put a lot of thought into the way the tracks are arranged into, hopefully, a cohesive flow of songs that take the listener on a bit of a journey. The sound is not exactly homogeneous throughout; I’d like to think that there’s something there for everyone!
OSR: The themes of love, loss, and the human condition are central to the album. What inspired you to explore these themes, and how did you approach writing lyrics that feel both personal and relatable?
Diamond: I never imagined I wanted to become involved in writing lyrics. My original plan was to be the guitarist and work with a lyricist. Over time, as the various incarnations of the band evolved, it just sort of fell to me and over time it became a lot easier to write. As I got my head around the type and theme I found inspiration in, it wasn’t such a struggle.
OSR: Divine Accusations seems to pay homage to your youth and the rock scenes you grew up with. How did these musical movements shape your sound and approach to songwriting?
Diamond: When I first got into music in my teens, Nirvana had just ended and there was an avalanche of great guitar music. Added to that my Dad got me interested in a lot of sixties music, especially Hendrix. It felt natural to listen to all those things simultaneously. In my opinion, they were all springing from the same source. If you press play and it makes you feel good then it IS good. I would say that over the years, my favourite bands have all had this wall of guitar on there and big riffs – the bigger the better!
OSR: You mention a “punk honesty” in your music. How do you feel that punk’s DIY ethos influences the way you approach both music and your career?
Diamond: I think in relation to the influence of punk, the way I relate to it is from the point of view of creativity being something that should be democratised. It should not be the preserve of those with greater access to wealth (or technical facility on an instrument). Better ideas can be unlocked and shared for the betterment of all. I grew up listen to the Clash since I was about 8 or 9 and the first Clash album is an all-timer for me. I would say that the post-punk bands like Joy Division and Wire similarly were big influences .
OSR: Which track on Divine Accusations feels the most significant to you personally, and what makes it stand out in terms of its lyrics, sound, or message?
Diamond: The last three tracks – ‘Abandon’, ‘Feel Free’ and ‘History’ – are kind of all preoccupied with similar themes around freedom and how to live authentically. Meaning being found in the struggle to remain true to yourself.
OSR: As a band, how did you collaborate during the creation of the album? Was there a particular moment or experience that solidified the sound you were looking for?
Diamond: One moment that does stand out for me was the first rehearsal after the Covid lockdown. We hadn’t really rehearsed in a year and so I was pretty apprehensive about how we would sound. It was mad because from the first second it all just fell right into place. I had just written the track ‘Feel Free’ and I remember showing it to the lads. It had more of a Doors ‘LA Woman’ vibe at the time, but had a malevolent energy right from the first rehearsal!
OSR: Considering the diverse musical eras you draw from, how do you think Divine Accusations will resonate with both fans of classic rock and newer audiences who might not be as familiar with those older sounds?
Diamond: When I was first discovering music that I loved in my teens, it didn’t really matter to me whether the artist was contemporary or from a previous decade – I just knew right away if I liked it or didn’t. I think that the bands that I loved over the years had some things in common, and with that in mind I have tried to forge our material within that tradition to the best of my abilities.
OSR: Indie-rock is constantly evolving, but your music seems to have a timeless quality to it. How do you see the genre evolving, and where do you see Black Opal fitting into that future?
Diamond: Indie-rock has always been for people who felt somewhat removed from their peers. This, for me, is the timeless aspect of it, as well as the engine for its enduring appeal. You can always stick on ‘drain u’ by Nirvana or anything by The Smiths and tell yourself, “while I don’t really fit in with the people in my immediate circle right now I can connect with this sound“. It is often the greatest source of hope and joy for many people who otherwise feel disconnected from the world around them. When I was 18 I recall wanting to do nothing except play guitar, and when I say nothing I mean I would play for 12 hours a day. 25 years later, it’s still a struggle to walk past the guitar!
OSR: And finally, what do you hope listeners take away from the album?
Diamond: I would say that I would like to pass some of the joy that I have been blessed to experience through my own encounters with music onto others. To put something back into the well that others may draw hope and joy from it
Many thanks to Shane Diamond for speaking with us. Find out more about Black Opal on their official website, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
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