Lightning to the Nations

Hindsight is always 20/20, or so the old adage goes, but even the most legendary of moments in metal's history ought not be immune to review or even historical revision where appropriate. One would be remiss to gaze upon the timeless classics that shaped the genre from its most primordial state and not find the occasional flaw, be it the alleged earliest examples of metal found in Black Sabbath's and Deep Purple's earliest offerings, or even the auspicious pioneering efforts of the late 70s and early 80s that brought things full into view. Though there is definitely something to be said for the seminal offerings of Motorhead, Rainbow and Judas Priest in the late 70s and how they upped the ante in terms of speed and aggression, a fairly solid case could be made that the short-lived Stourbridge born proto-thrashers Diamond Head hold the most consequential place in the NWOBHM due to their highly influential debut offering Lightning To The Nations. It stands as probably one of the most bizarre cases of an unsung classic, all but shaping the very zeitgeist of the harder side of the 80s metal scene, yet largely being passed up by the masses in its day as an afterthought of the older guard rather than the trailblazing feat of innovation that it has since become seen as being.

There is naturally a fairly strong case to be made that this seven song manifesto of heavy metal greatness is as much an exercise in affirming old traditions as it is in breaking new ground. The greatest indicator of this sense of metallic conservatism is Sean Harris' smooth, hard rock infused swagger, which definitely injects a strong UFO flavor into things given its heavy similarity to Phil Mogg's gleaming pipes. At times this more clean cut approach serves to bring out the more rocking and melodic throwback songs that occasionally chime in, perhaps lending some credence to the notion that this outfit was poised to be the next Led Zeppelin, while at others it plays a tiny bit against the harder hitting metallic assault of Brian Tatler's guitar work, or at least that is the impression that one might gather if approaching this album as the wellspring from which thrash metal eventually flowed. To a lesser extent, the humble production quality presented here plays a part in tipping this album away from the forerunner of Metallica and Megadeth and towards the immediate successor of Rainbow and Thin Lizzy. This is further bolstered by the bass work of Colin Kimberley being of a smoother character, even when compared to the mild raunchiness of Geezer Butler, and the fact that Duncan Scott's kit work doesn't get much fancier or more bombastic than Cozy Powell's contributions to Long Live Rock 'N' Roll.

When getting down to it, the element that ultimately dissociates this album from the hard rock paradigm is Tatler's impact-based riff work, and by extension the manner in which the rhythm section plays into that rather than reverting to a looser jam band feel in line with the Sabbath sound. Coupled with a songwriting approach that is 100% riff-centered and completely eschews any sense of restraint or balladry, these songs build upon precedents set by Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Iommi and distills them into an iron-clad gauntlet to the skull of a sound that is heavier than Rainbow yet also more nuanced and involved than anything Sabbath had done during their pioneering early to mid-70s albums. When specifically contrasting the heavy-ended yet still rocking character of the extended groove machine "Suck My Love", which was repackaged and then offered up as a slower offering by Metallica's debut album in "Seek And Destroy", and the fast-paced nod to Rainbow's "Kill The King" at a notably longer duration "The Prince", this approach does have a multifaceted character to it, but comes off as unrelentingly energetic and furious all the same. About the only thing more impressive than the songwriting is Tatler's technical guitar soloing feats, which crisscross a litany of blues, jazz and classical influences and essentially set the stage for every thrash metal guitar god from Kirk Hammet to Gary Holt.

There aren't any dull moments to speak of here, nor any songs that could be considered outright slouches by any standard, though there is a clear dividing line between what would be considered innovative versus what reaffirms what has already worked during much of the 70s. On the latter category where things tend to rock a bit more is a charming melodic anthem in "Sweet And Innocent" that sets the stage for a number of more mainline NWOBHM acts such as Demon and matching the more nuanced moments of Tygers Of Pan Tang's debut. Likewise, the upper mid-paced rocker "It's Electric" has more of a light and nimble feel to it that falls in line with more of a mid-70s character of sound. Though these songs want for little in the fun department, the true points of intrigue here are where this safer mode of metal is deviated from, as in the punchier swinging groove of "Lightning To The Nations" and the massive proto-thrashing epic "Am I Evil?". These two aforementioned songs alone account for a direct influence on more than half of Metallica's famed debut album and, to varying extents, the early alumni of the 80s thrash metal scene, with the latter standing as arguably the crown jewel of the entire NWOBHM between its menacing riff work and virtuoso lead guitar feats. In essence, it could be stated without a hint of hyperbole that "Am I Evil?" is Tatler's legacy, and to this day it continues to find parts of itself in the riffs of various thrash, speed and power metal bands.

All things considered, there is little question as to how great of an accomplishment this album was, but very much so as to why its objective greatness didn't meet with the same degree of recognition as the many bands that were immediately inspired by it. Even when accounting for the fact that this band was hyped intensely by several music journalists at the time, with Geoff Barton's hyperbolic statements placing a single Diamond Head song over the collective whole of Sabbath's first four studio albums and MCA Records marketing them as the next Led Zeppelin, the immediate response from consumers and concert goers was minimal. Metallica's continued promotion of their music either through live covers and their own songwriting was likewise unsuccessful in pushing the band into superstar status, though it did lead to many associating these songs more with Metallica than their original source. Then again, it may well be that this band didn't catch fire because the media and labels of the day were out to hype the NWOBHM as a revival of an old style rather than its own new and unique thing, cutting off a needed dose of youth appeal that was inevitably grabbed up by thrash metal, which was marketed as a rebellious and innovative movement. Nevertheless, while history will cause most to question why this band didn't ascend to the heights that Metallica would using the same basic formula a couple years later, this timeless album ought to be approached as neither a bridge to the past or a stepping stone to the future, but as a stand alone classic that is overshadowed by neither its immediate past or future.