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THE REVIEW
I remember, as if it were today, the purchase of the long-awaited comeback album by the English band Diamond Head, yes, those revered by Lars Ulrich from Metallica, one of the most unfortunate and overlooked groups of the NWOBHM. I also remember the half disappointment that seized me after listening to the entire CD, release date 1993.
Touted by the great media publicity given at the time by major sector press and bolstered by respectable collaborations like the metal riff master Tony Iommi and the red-haired Dave Mustaine, the work had everything in place to bring back Diamond Head from where they had left the scene in the distant 1985, after that masterpiece of metal class which was "Canterbury" (1983).
The name Diamond Head, since their breakup, continued to circulate in metal circles thanks to the promotion, one must acknowledge, done by the four horsemen of Frisco who included songs by the duo Sean Harris/Brian Tatler in their various "Garage Days", songs like "Helpless", "Am I Evil?", "The Prince" and more recently "It's Electric" are so often performed live by Metallica that they've almost become their own songs.
Driven by this renewed desire for Diamond Head, the Harris (vocals)/Tatler (guitars) duo recruited a new bassist, Karl Wilcox, and a new drummer, Pete Vuckovic, and got back on track with this new album and some concerts opening for Metallica.
The beginning of the album is spine-tingling, "Starcrossed (Lovers of the Night)", written in collaboration with Tony Iommi, also present on guitar, suggests a modern and heavy sound made gloomy by the Sabbathian touch with sudden speed accelerations. A better opening song could not have been there. The following "Truckin'" produced and played on guitar by Mustaine is no less and could very well serve as a sampler for the Megadeth we will expect in "Youthanasia".
Harris is in great shape and the Plant-like beginning of "Calling your name (The Light)" is there to prove it. A song that owes much to the Zeppelin, but absolutely splendid. But unfortunately, the album seems to end here, at least for me. What follows is an American-flavored hard rock with banal choruses easy to assimilate, played and sung excellently but the whole thing reeks of déjà vu. With some nods to American hard rock of the Bon Jovi "Keep the Faith" era that unfortunately dissipates the good expectations held by the first three songs. Not even a "Wild in the Streets", a song written at the band's dawn and then put in the drawers makes one shout for a miracle, thus understanding why this song ended up for years together with socks and underwear.
In short, a wasted opportunity that still cries for revenge today. Diamond Head continue to exist under the most varied formations, but do not seem capable of repeating the feats of the early years, so back to Metallica and their covers.
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Summary by Bot
Diamond Head's 1993 comeback album 'Death and Progress' starts strong with collaborations from Tony Iommi and Dave Mustaine but quickly settles into unoriginal American-style hard rock. Despite great musicianship, the album falls short of reviving the band’s former NWOBHM glory. The review reflects on the band's past influence, especially through Metallica's covers, and sees this release as a wasted opportunity.Tracklist Lyrics
07 Run (04:43)
The dogs are howling and the night is black enough to touch
So hold up that fire burning flame of love
And when the darkness comes like it does for us all
You'd better run to my world
And we'll never come down when we're up, we're up
And we'll never stop trying
Ooh baby when it's tough, it's tough
But what can I do when I'm loving you
And there's only need, the need for us too
I'm racing to you on the breath of fire
My lips are open with that sweet desire
So come running to me yeah
Run, like the wind to my heart
Don't stop, run to my world
Run, to my mountain top
Run, til you drop
And we've got nothing but time
In a world of lies
But when I see love right there in my baby's eyes
I can hold on to that something we've got
I can be strong, just strong enough for the two of us
Into the shadows of love we go
A familiar heartland at the edge of home
On a long road I'll see you there
Run, like the wind to my heart
Don't stop, run to my world
Run, to my mountain top
Run baby run baby run baby run baby
Run, don't stop, ooh run baby run, ooh run baby run
Hold on to that fire burning flame of love
Run yeah run
Run to my world
Run to my mountain top
Run 'til you drop
Diamond Head
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, key figures in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Led by guitarist Brian Tatler with vocalist Sean Harris in their classic era, they are best known for Lightning to the Nations and songs like Am I Evil?—widely popularized by Metallica.04 Reviews
