- Lightning to the Nations (1980)
- Death and Progress (1993)
- The Best of Diamond Head (1999, compilation)
- The Best of Diamond Head (1999, compilation)
- What's in Your Head? (2007)
- The MCA Years (2009, box set)
- The MCA Years (2009, box set)
- Diamond Head (2016)
LIGHTNING TO THE NATIONS 1980 (Sanctuary)
- Standouts: The whole thing!
Diamond Head - one of those bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that could have, and should have been bigger. Even if they never achieved the same success as bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard or even Saxon from the same movement, at least they get the credit they deserve from giants such as Metallica or Megadeth; 'course, they've influenced countless other bands too. Hell, Metallica recorded numerous Diamond Head covers over the years and even used to play their songs regularly during their beginnings. Ironically, Diamond Head were hyped up by the press in the early 80's, critics claiming them to be the next Led Zeppelin (or at least I think I read that somewhere, Classic Rock magazine at some point maybe?), or the next big thing in metal. Hearing Lightning to the Nations, it's not surprising people thought they were gonna be huge.
Originally this album was released independently, and initially, only 1000 copies were pressed in a blank, white sleeve. They couldn't get a record deal prior to the album's release, which is why they went their own way. They would get a major label deal after of course, but it honestly baffles me why nobody jumped right in on them from the get-go. I mean, of all the bands who were there from the start of the NWOBHM explosion, Diamond Head were by far one of the most talented. They had it all, and it shows on this debut record. Sean Harris has a superb high-range clean voice, Brian Tatler is an unsung guitar hero and the whole band were tight, for that matter. And the songs were, in a way, ahead of their time. Seriously, the album has traits of traditional metal, speed metal and progressive rock, and they all blend seamlessly. And they knew how write a good hook too - they were heavy, melodic, bluesy and proggy all at once. Songs like 'The Prince', 'Sucking My Love' (dumb lyrics aside, this song is still amazing) and 'Helpless' are just phenomenal, all of which clock at 7 minutes of longer; Tatler cranks out endlessly great riffs, most notable would be the, uh, evil 'Am I Evil?'. Well, actually, it isn't that evil, but it was freakin' heavy for the time! On tracks like 'It's Electric' and 'Lightning to the Nations', they pull of catchy riffs and melodies whilst still retaining the heaviness of the rest of the record.
When it comes down to it, Lightning to the Nations is an album that influenced the upcoming metal masses, even if only subconsciously. I know it's hailed as a classic, but I think it borders on being a masterpiece. Sure, it may sound primitive by today's standard, but these guys were like the Mastodon of the early 80's in terms of musicianship and innovation. The album is nearly perfect, it just needs an extra (thin) coat of paint in terms of the production. Not too much, since that'd tread the record into glossy territory; just enough so that it's still raw but without the crackling sound. Aside from that, every self-proclaimed metalhead should either own this record or at least listen to it once in their life. I have the 2001 Sanctuary reissue which features a smattering of bonus tracks, doubling the tracklisting. It includes the 1981 Diamond Lights EP and some singles.
Adam's rating: 9.4/10
THE BEST OF DIAMOND HEAD 1999 (Spectrum)
This CD covers songs from the early days up until 1983's sketchy Canterbury. Something's not quite right with the first few Lightning to Nations numbers. Maybe they've been remastered in strange way, but if this is true, why does the version of 'Helpless' here sound like it's in a lower tuning to that of the Lightning to the Nations recording? 'Sucking My Love' sounds the same aside from the production however. 'Am I Evil?' is clearly the Borrowed Time version. So yeah, strange compilation, but it was my first Diamond Head CD that I bought as a 14 year old. I loved it, so who am I to complain?
LIGHTNING TO THE NATIONS 1980 (Sanctuary)
- Standouts: The whole thing!
Diamond Head - one of those bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that could have, and should have been bigger. Even if they never achieved the same success as bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard or even Saxon from the same movement, at least they get the credit they deserve from giants such as Metallica or Megadeth; 'course, they've influenced countless other bands too. Hell, Metallica recorded numerous Diamond Head covers over the years and even used to play their songs regularly during their beginnings. Ironically, Diamond Head were hyped up by the press in the early 80's, critics claiming them to be the next Led Zeppelin (or at least I think I read that somewhere, Classic Rock magazine at some point maybe?), or the next big thing in metal. Hearing Lightning to the Nations, it's not surprising people thought they were gonna be huge.
Originally this album was released independently, and initially, only 1000 copies were pressed in a blank, white sleeve. They couldn't get a record deal prior to the album's release, which is why they went their own way. They would get a major label deal after of course, but it honestly baffles me why nobody jumped right in on them from the get-go. I mean, of all the bands who were there from the start of the NWOBHM explosion, Diamond Head were by far one of the most talented. They had it all, and it shows on this debut record. Sean Harris has a superb high-range clean voice, Brian Tatler is an unsung guitar hero and the whole band were tight, for that matter. And the songs were, in a way, ahead of their time. Seriously, the album has traits of traditional metal, speed metal and progressive rock, and they all blend seamlessly. And they knew how write a good hook too - they were heavy, melodic, bluesy and proggy all at once. Songs like 'The Prince', 'Sucking My Love' (dumb lyrics aside, this song is still amazing) and 'Helpless' are just phenomenal, all of which clock at 7 minutes of longer; Tatler cranks out endlessly great riffs, most notable would be the, uh, evil 'Am I Evil?'. Well, actually, it isn't that evil, but it was freakin' heavy for the time! On tracks like 'It's Electric' and 'Lightning to the Nations', they pull of catchy riffs and melodies whilst still retaining the heaviness of the rest of the record.
When it comes down to it, Lightning to the Nations is an album that influenced the upcoming metal masses, even if only subconsciously. I know it's hailed as a classic, but I think it borders on being a masterpiece. Sure, it may sound primitive by today's standard, but these guys were like the Mastodon of the early 80's in terms of musicianship and innovation. The album is nearly perfect, it just needs an extra (thin) coat of paint in terms of the production. Not too much, since that'd tread the record into glossy territory; just enough so that it's still raw but without the crackling sound. Aside from that, every self-proclaimed metalhead should either own this record or at least listen to it once in their life. I have the 2001 Sanctuary reissue which features a smattering of bonus tracks, doubling the tracklisting. It includes the 1981 Diamond Lights EP and some singles.
Adam's rating: 9.4/10
DEATH AND PROGRESS 1993 (Sanctuary)
- Standouts: 'Starcrossed (Lovers of the Night)', 'Truckin'', 'I Can't Help Myself', 'Wild on the Streets'
After the flop that was Canterbury, the band split in 1985. In 1991, the band reformed with a new bass player and drummer, and Brian Tatler and Sean Harris once again. This was the album that spawned shortly after...
Opening track 'Starcrossed (Lovers of the Night)' was co-written by non-other than Tony Iommi, who also plays some guitar parts on it too. And you can tell that Tony was a part of this song; many of the riffs are heavy and doomy of course, and quite similar to the kind of stuff he was doing on the Dehumanizer and Cross Purposes Sabbath albums in the early 90's. But the faster sections of 'Starcrossed' are Brian Tatler through-and-through. What you have is a song that sounds like Diamond Head mixed with Black Sabbath, an awesome combination if you ask me. 'Truckin'' has Dave Mustaine on it! By the looks of things though, he had no real input in the writing of 'Truckin'', he just mixed it and played some guitar. Otherwise, this song is also gold, with a cool and slightly erratic main riff. 'Calling Your Name (The Light)' is a little lighter, a little more 'radio-friendly' - but not necessarily in a bad way. It's just a very nice and melodic hard rock song. Still Diamond Head alright. 'I Can't Help Myself' is a kind of Zeppelin-ish rocker, and rhythmically bluesier. A couple of the riffs in this one actually remind me slightly of some of the songs from Deep Purple's album, The Battle Rages On..., which was also released in '93. The straightforward NWOBHM-style 'Paradise' is a highlight while 'Dust' is another melodic rocker that maybe could have fit on Canterbury, albeit with a slightly more 80's arena rock quality. Canterbury wasn't all bad I guess, and I quite enjoy 'Dust' for the most part. 'Run' is... okay I suppose, just generic AOR-sounding stuff. Quite poppy, even. Treading back into Canterbury territory, but certainly the weaker side. 'Wild on the Streets' is pretty cool though - fast, heavy and it grooves. The last couple of numbers, 'Damnation Street' and 'Home' are enjoyable as well. I especially like the last few seconds of 'Home', where it frantically speeds up until the finale.
This is a decent album - not in the same league as the first two, but definitely a lot better than Canterbury. Most of the tracks are good - some may not be particularly memorable, but others like 'Starcrossed (Lovers of the Night)' and 'Truckin'' are fantastic. And Harris sounds as good here as he did ten years prior - I really do consider him to be one of metal's most underrated singers. And obviously Tatler is a great guitarist. Sadly though, Diamond Head in the 90's only lasted three years. They opened for Metallica and Megadeth in 1993 at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England, (despite Dave Mustaine's infamous feuds with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, they can all at least agree that they love Diamond Head), and apparently most of the Metallica fans were ignorant enough to not know that 'Am I Evil?' and 'Helpless' are Diamond Head-penned classics. Metallica had covered these tracks in the past, so moronic fans thought Diamond Head were covering Metallica! That didn't go down well. Needless to say, the band split up in 1994. Apparently Sean Harris was becoming less interested in singing heavy metal too around this period, which wasn't helping either. Naturally, this meant Death and Progress was the last album he'd sing on with DH.
I own the 2001 Sanctuary reissue. For whatever reason, they changed the cover. The original Death and Progress album cover was extremely generic, but as for the reissue... uh, it's extremely generic too, actually.
Adam's rating: 7.5/10
THE BEST OF DIAMOND HEAD 1999 (Spectrum)
This CD covers songs from the early days up until 1983's sketchy Canterbury. Something's not quite right with the first few Lightning to Nations numbers. Maybe they've been remastered in strange way, but if this is true, why does the version of 'Helpless' here sound like it's in a lower tuning to that of the Lightning to the Nations recording? 'Sucking My Love' sounds the same aside from the production however. 'Am I Evil?' is clearly the Borrowed Time version. So yeah, strange compilation, but it was my first Diamond Head CD that I bought as a 14 year old. I loved it, so who am I to complain?
WHAT'S IN YOUR HEAD? 2007 (Cargo)
- Standouts: 'This Planet and Me', 'Killing Me'
This was the sixth Diamond Head studio record, and the second and last album with Nick Tart on vocals. Even though the man was in the band until 2014, we wouldn't see another Diamond Head album until 2016. Anyhow, I'd always heard mixed things about What's in Your Head?, so I didn't exactly go out of my way to try and find a copy for a very long time. In the end, I managed to bag a promotional copy on eBay in one of those crappy cardboard sleeves for about £2.99, and that's good enough for me. Musically this CD is a fairly competent heavy metal/hard rock album, but it's not a particularly good Diamond Head record. I don't think Nick Tart was a great fit for the band - I heard he was good live with 'em (I've seen the band twice, both times with Rasmus Bom Andersen on vocals), but I just don't get DH feels from this album. I'll admit that Nick is a good singer with a great rock voice - he sounds a little like a combination of Joe Lynn Turner, Sammy Hagar and maybe even a touch of Robert Plant at times, but he's certainly different to Sean Harris. I won't blame Nick entirely though - musically this album sounds a bit more like UFO to me. Not that that's a bad thing per say, but it kind of is if you were looking for an album that sounds like Lightning to the Nations or Borrowed Time, i.e. something that sounds like DIAMOND HEAD. Brian Tatler's guitar riffs and licks here just don't necessarily sound like, well, Brian Tatler. Tracks like 'This Planet and Me' and 'Killing Me' I enjoy quite a lot, but the band were certainly lacking identity at this point. In fact, none of this album is unlistenable, it's just generic. It probably doesn't help that the album cover looks more like something Fear Factory would use.
While this album is definitely not pretentious and borderline sell-out material like Canterbury was, it's not really worth checking out. Sure, it's well-performed, straightforward heavy metal, but it's also faceless and generic, and lacking the ingredients that made Diamond Head the influential band they were in the early 80's. The good news is that Brian Tatler still has a few aces up his sleeve, as the more recent Diamond Head albums have proved - and they're still great live too, but this period in the 2000's was a really forgettable one for the band.
Adam's rating: 5.6/10
THE MCA YEARS (BOX SET) 2009 (Polydor)
The MCA Years is a 3-disc remaster box set that covers the band's recordings from the, uh, years they were signed to the MCA label. The package comes in a compact box (as far as box sets go anyway) that fits well among jewel cases and the discs are kept in cardboard sleeves. You also get a 16-page booklet with interesting notes about the music within and plenty of photos. It's a nice collector's item, and I got mine back in 2009 when it was first released. Looking on eBay and Amazon now, it's pretty damn expensive however. Not worth the money, but about 75% of the content here can be picked up separately anyway in other formats.
Thankfully Lightning to the Nations did eventually get them a major recording deal, and the follow-up was 1982's Borrowed Time. To be honest, this album is damn good from start to finish - the band were still in their prime after all - but the fact they decided to re-record 'Am I Evil?' and 'Lightning to the Nations' is pretty dumb and automatically has an effect on my rating. Having seven songs in total is fine by me so long as the quality of each of them is prioritised over quantity... but releasing a full-length album with only five new tracks is just plain lazy I'm afraid. I understand that every song on the debut is a classic, and they probably wanted to throw in some oldies with a brand-spanking new production job (especially given that the debut was recorded independently and had a demo-like quality), but it would've been better if they'd just included seven new songs and the re-recordings as a bonus. Plus, the 'improved' production, in a way, actually makes them sound weaker than they did in their original format. However, don't think I'm bashing the production completely. Sure, it's cleaner than the first record's, but it's still far from sounding glossy and fake. I just prefer the former. Plus, songs like 'To Heaven from Hell', 'Don't You Ever Leave Me' and the title song retain the somewhat proggy heavy metal nature of former epics like 'The Prince' and 'Helpless' etc., and are just excellent songs in general - as good as anything from the predecessor. Maybe they aren't quite as hard-hitting as before, as the emphasis on being really heavy sadly lies with the two re-recordings, but the actual performances and songwriting as a whole is just as impressive. 'Call Me' is very catchy too, and borders more on pop rock (gasp!) than the rest of the album, but I still really like it. So really, this is kind of a disappointing and actually quite a lazy follow-up in regards to the number of content it offers, but either way you look at it, each and every song is still great, so fuck it, it's still an easy recommendation.
The MCA Years copy also features some BBC Radio 1 sessions and the Four Cuts EP ('Call Me' excluded but only because it was featured on the Borrowed Time album anyway...so technically you are still getting the entire thing). This is cool because 'Dead Reckoning' and 'Shoot Out the Lights' are some of my favourite Diamond Head numbers. The latter is a live favourite.
Adam's rating: 8.7/10
THE MCA YEARS (BOX SET) 2009 (Polydor)
The MCA Years is a 3-disc remaster box set that covers the band's recordings from the, uh, years they were signed to the MCA label. The package comes in a compact box (as far as box sets go anyway) that fits well among jewel cases and the discs are kept in cardboard sleeves. You also get a 16-page booklet with interesting notes about the music within and plenty of photos. It's a nice collector's item, and I got mine back in 2009 when it was first released. Looking on eBay and Amazon now, it's pretty damn expensive however. Not worth the money, but about 75% of the content here can be picked up separately anyway in other formats.
- Disc 1 - BORROWED TIME (1982)
Thankfully Lightning to the Nations did eventually get them a major recording deal, and the follow-up was 1982's Borrowed Time. To be honest, this album is damn good from start to finish - the band were still in their prime after all - but the fact they decided to re-record 'Am I Evil?' and 'Lightning to the Nations' is pretty dumb and automatically has an effect on my rating. Having seven songs in total is fine by me so long as the quality of each of them is prioritised over quantity... but releasing a full-length album with only five new tracks is just plain lazy I'm afraid. I understand that every song on the debut is a classic, and they probably wanted to throw in some oldies with a brand-spanking new production job (especially given that the debut was recorded independently and had a demo-like quality), but it would've been better if they'd just included seven new songs and the re-recordings as a bonus. Plus, the 'improved' production, in a way, actually makes them sound weaker than they did in their original format. However, don't think I'm bashing the production completely. Sure, it's cleaner than the first record's, but it's still far from sounding glossy and fake. I just prefer the former. Plus, songs like 'To Heaven from Hell', 'Don't You Ever Leave Me' and the title song retain the somewhat proggy heavy metal nature of former epics like 'The Prince' and 'Helpless' etc., and are just excellent songs in general - as good as anything from the predecessor. Maybe they aren't quite as hard-hitting as before, as the emphasis on being really heavy sadly lies with the two re-recordings, but the actual performances and songwriting as a whole is just as impressive. 'Call Me' is very catchy too, and borders more on pop rock (gasp!) than the rest of the album, but I still really like it. So really, this is kind of a disappointing and actually quite a lazy follow-up in regards to the number of content it offers, but either way you look at it, each and every song is still great, so fuck it, it's still an easy recommendation.
The MCA Years copy also features some BBC Radio 1 sessions and the Four Cuts EP ('Call Me' excluded but only because it was featured on the Borrowed Time album anyway...so technically you are still getting the entire thing). This is cool because 'Dead Reckoning' and 'Shoot Out the Lights' are some of my favourite Diamond Head numbers. The latter is a live favourite.
Adam's rating: 8.7/10
- Disc 2 - CANTERBURY (1983)
- Standouts: 'Makin' Music', 'Knight of the Swords'
Canterbury is arguably - well, FACTUALLY the album that screwed them over in the 80's. I reckon they could've gotten more popular just by being themselves, but ohhh-no, they decided to go more mainstream and radio-friendly and in turn, lost a lot of their metalhead fanbase. They already knew how to write hooky numbers while still being heavy, so why they recorded decided to record Canterbury in an even poppier direction I have no idea. Actually, it almost became the norm for the more recognised NWOBHM bands to clean up their sound around this period. The labels wanted them to conquer America instead of just the UK after all. It worked for Def Leppard with Pyromania, and Canterbury was Diamond Head's answer. It didn't work out of course, but that's what it is. Just like Saxon's Crusader, it was destined to fail.
In all fairness though, the album isn't a complete disaster. Oh sure, 'One More Night' is dire, 'I Need Your Love' is embarrassing and 'The Kingmaker' features some annoying keyboards, but I do like the Zeppelinish hard rock of 'Makin' Music', 'Out of Phase' is okay too, and 'Knight of the Swords' could've (maybe) fit on Borrowed Time had it been recorded differently. Speaking of which, the production is much glossier, with tinny guitars and thin drum tones. The album ends on 'Canterbury' which isn't too bad as a progressive rock song, but doesn't cut it as a Diamond Head number. I will give credit to Sean Harris though, whose voice still sounds great from start to finish, and even if Tatler's riffs are kinda sucky in comparison to the oldies, at least his licks, solos and melodies are still decent. But none of this is enough to save the album, no siree. The bonus tracks aren't as good either - you get a remix of 'Makin' Music' and some demos. Granted the demos are fairly decent ('Can't Take No More', 'Time's On My Side' and 'Come to Hear You Play') - tracks that weren't featured on Canterbury or Borrowed Time.
Adam's rating: 4.6/10
- Disc 3 - BONUS LIVE TRACKS (2009)
The third disc in this box set is a collection of live recordings, a set at Reading Festival in 1982 and a BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show session, also in 1982. I'm not going to give this disc a rating since it is basically a compilation and not a real live album, and I don't give compilations ratings. Yeah, I just don't. Whatever, this CD is good stuff. The band were still at their peak in 1982 after all. The Reading performance is very energetic, while the radio session is really tight, and nearly to the same quality as a studio album. I suppose for die hard fans of this band, this disc is probably the main selling point besides the demos, since they'll already have both studio albums and the EP featured. At least I don't think any of this live stuff was previously released? Their Metal-Archives page (https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Diamond_Head/401) seems to back this up. I think.
DIAMOND HEAD 2016 (Dissonance Productions)
- Standouts: 'Bones', 'Shout at the Devil', 'Set My Soul on Fire', 'See You Rise', 'All the Reasons You Live', 'Wizard Sleeve', 'Silence'
I don't know what was going on with What's in You Head?. Nick Tart was a good vocalist, but musically that was as generic a heavy metal album can be, with little of the traits that made Diamond Head the influential act they were to begin with. Thankfully, this self-titled follow-up released some nine years later is vastly superior. With Danish singer Rasmus Bom Andsersen handling vocal duties, Brian Tatler suddenly gets his act together again, and what you have is a very retro-sounding album akin to Lightning to the Nations and Borrowed Time. Even the production is great, with Tatler's guitars sounding heavy, but the distortion and overdrive is subtle. The guitar tones all those old NWOBHM bands had back in the day was always heavy, but not obnoxiously heavy. It's quite hard to describe. The excellent production is important, sure, but the songs themselves are even more important, and the tracks within this record certainly deliver. The first two tracks, 'Bones' and 'Shout at the Devil' are up-tempo, blazing numbers with great vocals, great melodies and hooks, and also have that Led Zeppelin-esque sensibility about them. It's what made Diamond Head great in the first place. I love the chugging 'Set My Soul on Fire', and I sort of get AC/DC-style boogie vibes from the riffs and structure of the fast rocker 'See You Rise'. Andersen doesn't sound like Bon Scott or Brian Johnson of course (has way more in common with Sean Harris, which is what you want), but he sounds quite raspy on this track, and it suits the mood of the song overall.
The album slows down a little on the plodding 'All the Reasons You Live', which admittedly does sound more modern than much of the rest of the tracks here. But again, this is a powerful song with great hooks. 'Wizard Sleeve' returns to the sound of classic Diamond Head and 'Our Time is Now' grooves along nicely. 'Silence' is the predictably longer closing finale, and the use of keyboards add a Deep Purple/Uriah Heep flavour to the mix. It works. I suppose there are some minor issues to be had. Not every song is all that memorable. The intro to 'Blood On my Hands' reminds me of 'Lightning to the Nations', but the rest of the track is a little slow and lacking in the riffs department. 'Speed' is not bad, but again, it's kind of lukewarm next to the other songs here. That said, I wouldn't label any of the cuts on this record as 'bad' by any means, there's just a few moments here and there that tread close to filler territory, and they mostly seem to revolve around the latter half of the album.
On the whole, this album is a much-needed return to form for Diamond Head. It isn't outstanding by any means, but it is certainly a great heavy metal album that does a fine job of recapturing the brilliance of the band's glory days - the early 80's. I wouldn't give Andersen all the credit - he is a great vocalist and fit for the band, but Tatler really got his guitar work and songwriting back on track with this album. On the predecessor, What's in Your Head?, it honestly sounded like anyone could've been playing on it, but on Diamond Head 2016, I can immediately hear Brian's signature techniques and style of riffs.
Adam's rating: 8.3/10
