Diamond Head

If anyone tries to tell you that the only reason anyone cares about Diamond Head today is because of Metallica's continual name-dropping and souped-up cover versions should be shot. Sure, DH were a good band with their shining moments of (light, melodic) metallic mastery, but man, they also knew how to stink up a joint! Included here are their finest moments: "We Won't Be Back," "Streets of Gold," "The Prince," "Helpless," "Lightning to the Nations," "Sucking My Love," "Am I Evil" and "It's Electric." These exemplify the smooth riffing, smart soloing, fist-raising choruses and wailing vocals that rightfully made DH worthwhile. However, they had many a daft moment ("Sweet and Innocent," "I Don't Got," "Play it Loud," "Waited Too Long," etc.) and had a problem knowing when to end a song. By the way, if you've never heard the band before and are expecting to hear something akin to the raucous and raw versions that Hetfield and co. bust out, think again. Diamond Head were heavy metal, but played streamlined and slick music like their instruments were gold lined with diamonds. There's a lot of good music here, but not a hint of the precarious sense of danger (musical or otherwise) that we all associate with heavy music.