DIAMOND HEAD is one of the classic, surviving NWOBHM bands, originally formed in 1976. Although a very solid and well-respected band throughout their history, DIAMOND HEAD didn’t reap just rewards for their efforts until Metallica began covering a small handful of the band’s songs, most notably “Am I Evil?” In 2016, DIAMOND HEAD released a self-titled album considered by many to be one of the best releases of that year, which featured new vocalist/lyricist RASMUS ANDERSEN. Due to a resurgence of recognition in the wake of that release, DIAMOND HEAD has been involved in extensive touring and festival appearances, and is queued up to embark on their first leg of a U.S.A. tour, which focuses on stops in the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Kentucky, and the Rocklahoma Festival), beginning May 17, 2017.
Metal Express Radio’s Soft Boy caught up with the only remaining founding member of the band, BRIAN TATLER, to discuss last year’s release and the upcoming U.S.A. tour …
Metal Express Radio: The DIAMOND HEAD release was an immensely entertaining and well-written release in 2016 … what efforts went into writing this album?
Brian Tatler: Basically it was 6-months in the making … 2 months to write and 4 months to record. We took great care to be “good writers” first and foremost and wanted to be able to take “pride” in what we were creating. We let Ras (Rasmus Andersen) handle all of the lyrics-writing, and that proved to be a great decision. In the end, we felt we had a pretty good product, but we know too it doesn’t matter what we think, it matters what the public thinks, and everyone seems to like it.
MER: Ras seems to really fit in well with the style of music on Diamond Head … what do you feel he brings to the band?
Brian Tatler: Ras ended up being the perfect fit, and we thought that’d be the case during auditions. We wanted fresh ideas and passion … and Ras brought both of those elements. He seems to handle the old material well live too.
MER: DIAMOND HEAD hasn’t toured the States extensively for quite some time … what can fans in the U.S.A. expect when coming to see the band live?
Brian Tatler: Well, we’re going to play several songs from our 1st album since that’s what we’re best known for, and we’ll play 4 songs from the new album. However, all albums in our catalog will be represented. There should be something for everyone to enjoy regardless of your exposure to the band.
MER: Will you have an opening act for your shows?
Brian Tatler: Absolutely. In fact, we may have 2 – 4 opening acts depending on the stop. For most shows we’ll be accompanied by Ross The Boss from Manowar, and he’ll be featuring the “Best of Manowar” during his set. Sometimes we’ll also be with Armored Saint. Other than that, it looks like we’ll have local Metal bands first taking the stage.
MER: You just released a video for “Diamonds” from the 2016 release. A little late in coming since the album came out in April 2016, but a good momentum builder for your tour to be sure. Why was “Diamonds” chosen for making a video?
Brian Tatler: The video for “Diamonds” was filmed mainly at the Bloodstock Festival last year. The song itself is a tribute of sorts to the history of the band, and we tried to incorporate that vibe into the video. We’re pretty excited on how it turned out, and fans can go to Diamond-Head.net to check it out!
MER: Since Diamond Head was such a quality release, do you and the band have plans to write more material for another record?
Brian Tatler: It’s funny you mention that, because YES, we have actually been writing new material ever since January. We’re hopeful to have enough material for a new album when this tour season winds down.
MER: And speaking of this tour season, where else will your travels take you?
Brian Tatler: Right now, we’ve got dates booked in Scandinavia, the U.K., Belgium, and another leg in the U.S.A. towards the end of the summer. However, fans should periodically check Diamond-Head.net to see dates that get added … a number of dates are in the works and should be showing up soon!
See you on the road everyone!
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