Reviews: Diamond Head, Palm Reader, Full House Brew Crew, Empress (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Diamond Head: Lightning To The Nations 2020 (Silver Lining Music)

Now any self respecting metal fan should know about Diamond Head, a band who's history could be taken as a warning to any bands on how not to do deals with record companies. But despite a tumultuous history the band have been brought to a whole new audience due to the superfandom of one Lars Ulrich whose band Metallica (you may have heard of them) covered a few Diamond Head songs on their Garage Inc covers compilation, meaning that the band have supported the US metal legends numerous times. Now Diamond Head's debut record Lightning To The Nations is seen as one of the 'vital' NWOBHM albums, driven by the killer riffs of Flying V toting Brian Tatler, the majority of the songs of this album are still in their live set to this day. With the 40th Anniversary on the horizon and the band now revialtaised due to the addition of vocalist/producer Rasmus Bom Andersen, they looked at re-recording album using modern technology while retaining that youthful energy of the original.

Recorded over several sessions between various locations much of it was done at Andersen’s Raw Sound Studios in London then through the year it was tweaked ready for mastering at Metropolis Studios.

So what does it sound like? Well musically things are very similar the title track is still bristling with electricity, that insistent riff keeping the energy high from the outset, though it's a bit less wild than the original recording (something that repeats throughout but hey it is 40 years later) but with maturity comes depth but as you'd expect the production makes everything shine and adds a heaviness to it, that is far removed from that thin audio on the original. Tatler and Abbz lock in brilliantly as a six string duo duelling throughout while Karl Wilcox keeps the percussion brisk with special mention going to the powerhouse Am I Evil? where the Holst-like rhythms are more powerful than ever as he locks in with Dean Ashton's bass, Ashton also provides the organs to Metallica approved The Prince where the proto-thrash sound is abundant although the organs add an edge of Deep Purple. As with Diamond Head's previous albums with Andersen, he gives one hell of a performance having a voice that sounds very similar to Sean Harris but with much bigger range. 

Yes tracks such as Sucking My Love and Sweet & Innocent are a little, how shall I say 'of the time' but when you consider this was written when the band members were 19/20 and it was the 80's it's forgivable. Especially when you have tracks such as that closing duo of It's Electric and Helpless. What you also get on this 2020 edition are four cover tracks, Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, Purple's Rat Bat Blue, Priest's Sinner and Metallica's No Remorse paying back the influence. At 40 years old Lightning To The Nations is still a killer record, like a vintage motorbike with a fresh coat of paint, it seems almost brand new. 8/10  

Palm Reader: Sleepless (Church Road Records)

One of the bands that switched over to Church Road Records after the upsetting events that transpired at Holy Roar Records, Palm Reader have always been able to channel emotion and fragility into their music through a lense of boundary pushing music. Often compared to Dillinger Escape Plan, Palm Reader's style of progressive metalcore does often sit in the djent sound as low slung 'chonky' palm muted riffs resonate through most of this record but over their ten year career they can never be accused of sticking to a single sound. Sleepless is probably the best example of this, an album of affecting lyricism, intricate but powerful compositions and a disregard for trends, Palm Reader remain where many of their contemporaries have called it a day. 

So after 10 years have Palm Reader lost any of that fire they burst onto the scene with? The short answer is no, in fact Sleepless is probably Palm Reader at their best. Opening up with Hold/Release there's an insistence to get things moving with a machine gun drumming that builds into a melodic breakdown pre-chorus and a euphoric chorus, in keeping with the mood hinted to by the title, it has got a hold and release quality to it. Things get heavier on the more direct Stay Down a song that on the surface seems quite simplistic but has a lot more going on below it as the again explosive drumming and monolithic bass hits are counterpointed with some very technical guitar playing. 

After this though we get the first track that comes from left field, Ending Cycle adding more ambient emotive textures as it really utilizes the quiet/loud dynamic. From here Sleepless really unfolds into something a bit special from the bouncy Willow to the darker tones of A Bird And It's Feathers and the almost surf-laced Islay which sits like an instrumental intermission leading into the dramatic False Thirst which brings in some big organ riffs under the raw impassioned ballad. Sleepless is Palm Reader doing their best work in their career. 8/10           

Full House Brew Crew: Bare Knuckle (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records)

Following up on their second album Me Against You, Full House Brew Crew have yet again brought their influences of Pantera, Black Label Society, (early) FFDP and Godsmack to another album of groove-laden heavy metal fit for an episode of Sons Of Anarchy. Nothing if not consistent Me Against You was only released in 2018 so Bare Knuckle (complete with bloodied taped fist album cover) comes just two years after but once again has more grooves than a certain Joy Division album cover, although it also has a mix of heavier and lighter moments that add another dimension to the Full House B.C sound. Now groove metal could be a little one dimensional at times but Vagelis Karzis's songwriting tries to overcome this with touches of thrash on Unforgiving Land as he provides the six string magic with George Tzatzakis the thundering rhythm section of Spiros Dafalias (bass) and Alex Keito (drums) giving the record an American feel betraying their Greek location. It's not all fat riffs and bluster though as Buried Hope brings bluesy tinges though the overriding groove metal roughness. An album to swig a beer to Bare Knuckles is a chest beating record that will leave you bruised and bloody. 7/10  

Empress: Wait 'Til Night (Brilliant Emperor Records)

Australia is a sunny country, that's not an exaggeration, it's really sunny and warm for a lot of year. That is probably why many of the bands from that country are upbeat, fists in the air rock and metal bands, with music that makes you want to have a good time. Bucking that trend are Empress who come from the glorious Gold Coast but their music is decidedly dark and worrisome. Taking cues from the frozen Scandinavian vistas of bands like Katatonia/Draconian et al Empress use jangly shoegaze, enveloping post-rock and doom metal to bring their morose musical vision to fruition. 

With a introspective, heavy instrumentals from Julian Currie, Jackson Tuchscherer, Shaun Allen & Ben Smith are rounded off by the sorrowful croon of Chloe Fox who always seems to be just in the middle of serenity and madness. Not an easy band to classify (no bad thing) Wait 'Til Night is an overtly Gothic, in places crushingly heavy release that displays the gloomy, brooding side of the Aussie music scene. Ideal for a cold winter night Empress have crafted a candlelit vigil with a bonfire soundtrack. 7/10