Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Diamond Head
Label: Dissonance Records
Release: 2016
Length: 48:30
Rating: 4/5
Diamond Head are today considered cult icons of the movement known as N.W.O.B.H.M., which sparked an explosion of metal on British soil and, as a result, all over the planet. Metallica learned from Diamond Head, among others, and so did their buddy, the exile from paradise, Dave Mustaine. Fathers of speed and thrash metal. Metallica learned to write their own material inspired by the guitar phrases of Diamond Head, and they gave their idols special recognition when they released a seven-inch vinyl single for the song Creeping Death, which carried on its flip side (that is, the B-side) a cover of the Diamond Head original song Am I Evil?.
Not long ago, Diamond Head’s leader, the indestructible guitarist Brian Tatler, the band’s only founding and original member, said that Diamond Head would never again write original material or record new albums. Tatler has a serious story behind him, of course: two multi-year breaks when Diamond Head lay dormant, wrong-headed business decisions and attempts at switching styles that pushed the band even further to the fringes of the scene, and countless lineup changes. In short, the man is surely fed up with plenty at his mature age. And then, two years ago, it happened that he had to look for a new singer to finish a European tour with, on which the band also played two prestigious German festivals, Hard Rock Hell and Head Bangers Open Air.
That’s how he met a young Danish singer by the name of Rasmus Bom Andersen. Once the kid was on board, it turned out, almost by accident, that Rasmus is full of creative ideas and bursting with energy. Freshening up the crew with him became the cornerstone of a complete revitalization of the band, and of Brian Tatler’s very way of thinking. So the band consequently started writing new original material together. In fact, they made a radical return to their roots, in both style and sound. »Diamond Head« is an album that, no more and no less, can stand proudly and without reservations next to the notorious debut »Lightning to the Nations« (1980). But the band by no means wanted to copy that album; they simply flirted with their roots and wrote an album that could have been the follow-up to that debut, in other words »Borrowed Time« (1982), or the album that should have come out instead of the ill-fated »Canterbury« (1983).
Given the sonic and technical extremes metal has climbed to today, with all its subgenres and sonic tricks, not to mention the highly polished chops of the musicians, which keep raising the bar of what counts as “capable” higher and higher, in 2016 the album »Diamond Head« sounds truly old-school and, at most, “heavy” rock, even though the guitar phrases are gathered in the purest shine of holy N.W.O.B.H.M. primal spirit. »Diamond Head« is stuffed with a hellish harvest of varied lead guitar phrases, delivering ten tracks of polished songwriting. The songs thus have a clear sparkle and character, and they instantly grab the listener and hook them in. There was a huge amount of time for ideas, and since the band came in with exceptional fire in their playing, whose main instigator is Rasmus (the songwriting partnership with Tatler works great), »Diamond Head« feels like a pearl lost in time and space. The atmosphere of the album is of course steeped in darkness, the lyrics radiate an eternal stance against the waters of conformism, turning inward to the individual, searching for ways to save yourself and never, at any price, selling your own identity to corporations. And of course the veil of the occult, witchcraft and superstition is here once again. Which is, naturally, part of metal’s mission. Performance-wise? Rasmus was born to be the singer in Diamond Head. And Tatler has bloomed again like a youngster and, as if it were written, come up with some outstanding riffs, which the seasoned guitarist made sure to spice up (exemplarily and splendidly) with guitar shenanigans.
The album “pulls you in” right away. And in the musical dossier of this legendary band’s individuality, it’s hugely impressive. Want to find out how metal sounded and felt when it was young? Welcome to the bowels of the album »Diamond Head«. The sweetest things always happen when you least expect them.
Diamond Head – “Diamond Head” (album):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFzmv2cjx0M
Lineup
Rasmus Bom Andersen – vocals
Brian Tatler – guitar
Andy Abberley – guitar
Eddie “Chaos” Moohan – bass
Karl Wilcox – drums
Production
DIamond Head
Tracklist
01. Bones
02. Shout At The Devil
03. Set My Soul On Fire
04. See You Rise
05. All The Reasons You Live
06. Wizards Sleeve
07. Our Time Is Now
08. Speed
09. Blood On My Hands
10. Diamonds
11. Silence
