The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

Legendary NWOBHM pioneers Diamond Head unleash Live And Electric, capturing their explosive stage presence. Lead guitarist and founding member Brian Tatler reflects on legacy, evolution, and the fire still burning.

1. “Live And Electric” captures the raw intensity of your live shows. What inspired you to release a live album at this stage in your career?

It’s been twenty years since the last Diamond Head live album so it seemed about time we made one with this line up. We now have Ras on vocals, Abbz on guitar and Paul on bass. None of those guys had ever made a live album before. Plus we have released several albums since the 2005 live release and it seemed an ideal opportunity to capture the sound and energy for this line up of the band for posterity.

2. “The Messenger” is a powerful track that stands tall among your classics. Can you walk us through how this song evolved from your initial inspiration to the live version we hear now?

I saw Cradle of Filth on a 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise, I thought they were great and they had a riff with a fantastic groove that kind of reminded me of Tobacco Road by the Nashville Teens. Anyway I thought to myself, I am going to write something with a groove like that and came up with the riff for The Messenger. I also based the arrangement on an old Diamond Head song that was never used, it had two parts and changed tempo after a long solo at the beginning. We recorded the song for The Coffin Train album and it soon became a popular song live.

3. The live version of “The Messenger” was recorded at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. What made this particular performance stand out as “the mightiest”?

I cannot remember but we listened though to all the versions and this one must have had something extra. We didn’t play The Messenger every night, we only played it three times on that run of dates so we had less choice with that song. Occasionally everything just slots together on the night and it feels good.

4. Costin Chioreanu created the animated video for “The Messenger.” How did that collaboration come about, and what was your vision for the visuals?

Costin had already done the video for The Coffin Train on the 2019 Diamond Head album. We all really liked his work so it was great that he had the opportunity to do another one for the band. He was very keen to work with us originally and the same with this new video. I didn’t give him any direction, he was left to interpret the song and lyrics his own way and he did a great job.

5. “Live And Electric” features recordings from various cities. How did you decide which shows and tracks to include on the final release?

We recorded all fourteen shows on the UK tour, and when we had a chance we listened through to all takes the following year and tried to whittle them down to the best ones. Sometimes it was about the tempo or the groove, other times it was about the vocal or the sound and feel on the night. Diamond Head were opening for Saxon so we had 45 minutes. A lot of our songs are long, Am I Evil? is nearly eight minutes long, Helpless is over six minutes for e.g. We had to play our big five songs every night. Am I Evil? Helpless, The Prince, Its Electric and In The Heat of The Night, those songs never left the set. But we had time for three other songs so we would rotate those three in order to end up with enough choice to make a twelve song live album that was around an hour long. We would try and record each of those songs three times before moving on.

6. Rasmus Bom Andersen brings tremendous power and presence to these live recordings. How has his role shaped the modern identity of DIAMOND HEAD?

Ras is a very powerful singer and he has added an extra layer or energy to Diamond Head. He joined us back in 2013 after our previous singer emigrated to Brisbane. He is very good onstage too and loves to get the crowd involved and singing along. We have made several records with Ras including the self-titled Diamond Head album in 2016 and The Coffin train in 2019. Also we re-recorded our debut album Lightning To The Nations in 2020. He added a huge amount to all those records.

7. Your influence on Metallica and the metal world is legendary. What’s it like knowing your riffs helped shape an entire genre?

It’s very flattering, I feel my songs will be my legacy. They have already survived forty five years so they will probably keep on going. Back in 1979 I had no idea that Heavy Metal would become so incredibly popular worldwide or that it would last this long. And I did not know that Diamond Head would go on to become an influential band. At the time all we could think about was the next song and the next gig, I had no idea of what would happen in the future, I guess nobody does.

8. Songs like “The Prince” and “Am I Evil?” are timeless. How do you keep these classics feeling fresh and exciting for both you and the fans after all these years?

It’s in the writing, if a song is good enough it will stand the test of time. Those songs are over forty five years old and they still sound good today. Certain songs just resonate with a group of people. I have been lucky that people like some of our songs and I still enjoy playing those songs live. There are plenty of other songs that didn’t go on to have a life of their own. Metallica covered four Diamond Head songs but since 1979 we have released ninety songs.

9. With over four decades in the scene, what do you think keeps DIAMOND HEAD relevant and vital in today’s heavy metal landscape?

We still have a following in certain areas and territories. A lot of people still like the new Wave of British Heavy Metal bands. All we can do is try and keep going and coming up with ways to promote the band and keep it alive. There has always been a lot of competition. I hope we are a unique band with a distinctive style.

10. Can you tell us about the experience of touring with Saxon in 2022 and how that tour influenced the energy captured on Live And Electric?

It was a great tour, it started on 1st October 2022 where Saxon headlined Keep-It-True festival and Diamond Head were on right before them. Then it was off on an eighteen date tour of Europe. Saxon had a tour bus whereas we were traveling in a splitter van with our gear in the back. During this tour we had a band meeting and decided to record all fourteen dates on the upcoming UK tour which began on 11th November in Ipswich. For the first time in our career we had the equipment and the opportunity to record every show digitally, and then review them at a later date. We reasoned that if we didn’t like the recordings we didn’t have to use them but this was a perfect opportunity because we were well rehearsed from the European tour and we were playing great venues to large crowds. We may never get a better chance to capture the band live.

11. Some reviewers say the live versions sound even heavier than the studio recordings. Was that a conscious goal during the mixing and mastering process?

Not really a conscious goal but if that is the way they have turned out than that’s great. I was very pleased with the way Dead Reckoning turned out, that song has been overlooked in the past. It only appears on one official Diamond Head release, the Call Me/Four Cuts EP released back in 1982, and it has never been on a Diamond Head live album before. So it was really satisfying to hear it sound so strong and fresh on this new recording. We are all happy that this album is out and it shows the power of the band live.

12. Looking ahead, can fans expect more new material, or perhaps another studio album following Live And Electric?

We have no plans for a new Diamond Head album at present. When I joined Saxon in 2023 I quickly realised that it would be very difficult to continue touring with Diamond Head. I did not want to be in a situation where we have booked a Diamond Head gig and then a Saxon gig comes in on the same date. I would have to do the Saxon gig and then the Diamond Head gig would get cancelled and everyone involved would be disappointed.

Saxon is a busy band, not only do we have tons of live work but we are writing for the next Saxon album which is expected to be released late next year. As soon as I joined Saxon Biff asked me if I have any material because they were working on a new album which became Hell, Fire and Damnation. It’s the same again now working on the next one.

I am really enjoying the opportunity to play with Saxon, It’s a great band with a fantastic catalogue of songs.

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