Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Orto bar / Slovenia
Concert date: 26.10.2017
Attendance: 60
Ticket price: €5.00
Black Diamond are an interesting musical phenomenon when you look at what heavy metal has to offer on Slovenian soil, and how far it reaches. Truth is, there’s currently no other band like them here. Black Diamond play old-school metal, dominated by clean, melodic vocals inspired by singers like Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson. At the same time, that brand of metal sounds close to the old school of American speed metal that Queensryche, Crimson Glory and/or Fates Warning played in their early days, which means Black Diamond like to stretch their songs past the five-minute mark, loosening up the mid-eight passages and the intros and outros of their tracks. They love dropping rhythmic time-signature changes and melody modulations into their compositions. In short, they simply like writing music that’s a bit more complex than your average Accept or Judas Priest tune.
Black Diamond have always been known for their perfectionism, as their excellent studio debut »Last Man Standing« (2012) shows, and the lineup is a crew of five superb musicians. Band leader and guitarist Igor Manasijevič has gathered around him bassist Primož Pavlin, newcomer guitarist Urban Kolarič, and Marko Soršak »Soki«, one of the most versatile drummers in Slovenia, who recently replaced the equally outstanding Klemen Markelj. On vocals, Black Diamond still have one of the most charismatic voices of the old-school metal scene, Žanil Tataj »Žak«, who has been working with the Postojna hard rock institution Mary Rose for years and once sang for Divlje Jagode and Turbo as well.
At the end of October the band hit the stage at Orto bar and showed the crowd a refreshed lineup, with newcomer guitarist Urban Kolarič. At the gig, Black DIamond played two brand-new songs, Bad Colour and Struggle With Shadows, and of course material from the debut »Last Man Standing«. An hour and a half of hanging out with classically carved heavy metal full of varied passages and atmospheric twists. Seasoned Žak naturally ruled the stage, and with his everlasting sparkle he kept coming up with charming bits in his banter, livening up the breaks between songs. A great dose of humor. Another top-notch performance from the famous singer, one that makes you wonder why the crowds at festivals like Bang Your Head!!! or Wacken Open Air can never get to enjoy a voice like that. The guys threw themselves into playing their material with total commitment. Soki’s rhythmic drive was never in question. For all the ambitious compositions and the commitment on stage, some of the guitar passages came across with a touch too little sonic dynamism, which gave the feeling that not everyone was fully relaxed and that confidence wasn’t exactly a loyal companion on stage that night. That means Black Diamond need more stage mileage. Then again, you have to keep in mind that the band has just refreshed its lineup and needs a bit of time for the chemistry to set and warm up to the right working temperature.
So Black Diamond keep rolling. It was great to see and experience them on stage again, especially since their gigs remain a rarity. The band promises a new album, which is a great sign that the quintet isn’t standing still and keeps evolving. Judging by the two new songs we heard at Orto bar, we can look forward to an excellent studio follow-up that will cement the band’s position on the metal scene, and let’s hope Black Diamond will use it to knock even more decisively on the doors abroad.
Setlist
1. Power Of Mind
2. Mastermind
3. Opus 91 – 96
4. Endless Road
5. The Edge Of Sanity
6. Black Diamond
7. Lažne zvezde
8. The Thing That Couldn’t Die
9. Tears In Eyes
10. Struggle With Shadows
11. Bad Colour
12. Dreams Of Tomorrow
Photo Gallery
