Lightning to the Nations

Diamond Head, a band that (kinda) came to fame with the help of Metallica, after they covered not one, but 2 songs from this LP. I looked it up to see what all the commotion was about, and what I discovered, was one of the best albums in the entire new wave of British heavy metal movement, and an album that still gets regular plays from a person who is much more a thrash fan than a NWOBHM fan.

I can't talk about this album and not make comparisons with the Metallica versions, so may as well get it over with quickly. Very simply, the Metallica covers are insanely different from the originals. The Metallica versions are heavy and played tightly while here the songs are not even close in terms of heaviness and are played quite loosely. I personally by far prefer these versions to Metallica's take on them, not that they are bad, but you'll have to make an opinion on this yourself. If you prefer the Metallica versions, you'll probably get very little, if any, enjoyment out of this album. Make sure to listen to more than just Metallica's version of "Am I Evil" is not one of the covers where Metallica changed too much around (although they clearly did make it their own song).

I forget the name of the critic, but when it was released, it was said that this album contained more good riffs than the first 4 Black Sabbath LPs, many called Diamond Head the next Led Zeppelin. Of course, these are all overstatements, but really the quality of songwriting on this album is awesome. In the Japanese magazine Burn! ranked it at #3 for album with the best riffs and the Guitarists' Book of Heavy Metal put "Am I Evil" as the fifth best riff ever, so understand, these really are some awesome songs with great riffs.

All 7 songs here are all equally awesome, and every song has an identity. All the songs here are blues based, but they defiantly aren't a blues band at heart that just so happens to play their blues in another style, like bands such as Led Zeppelin did. This leads to riffs that sound familiar (assuming you have listened to a lot of older metal), almost as if you've heard the record before. You may view this as a good thing or a bad thing, depending on if you want something that in a way you already know or if you prefer to be challenged.

Fans of Angel Witch will love this album, as it is probably the best NWOBHM record made. All the songs kick ass, and there is never a dull moment. They are all very melodic compared to many other NWOBHM bands, and for me this is the album's best feature. From the starting riff of "Lightning to the Nations" to the closing notes of "Helpless" you always think that the song that is playing right then is going to be the albums best song. As I look back, I think the title track, "The Prince", and (obviously) "Am I Evil" but even they barely stand out when compared to the other almost as good songs. The riffs are honestly catchy without having to ever compromise their "metalness".

This is a must own for any metal fan. Heck, even country and rap fans should own this album! it is worthy of the praise it gets.