The way Diamond Head has been over looked is pretty much criminal. Granted, their best recording - at least in my mind - was their 1980 demo of sorts, Lightning To The Nations otherwise known as the White Album and is damn near impossible to find. However, this is really the band that inspired so many acts of the 1980's metal explosion following that period known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM) and they deserve a lot of credit for their dedication and progressive writing that pushed forward a genre many people thought was going to die in the face of Punk and New Wave.
This album has a few tracks from Lightning To The Nations and is a good reflection fo their total output from 'Am I Evil?' to 'Shoot Out The Lights' and 'Lightning To The Nations'. It does slow down their formula of fast-paced riffy goodness, with some more lengthy cuts that would have been totally out of place on Lightning To The Nations.
It's a solid record, but one that always leaves me wanting - mostly for the speed and relentlessness of Lightning To The Nations but the more mature sound here definitely has its place in their catalog and history. This particular copy was snagged from a Reckless New Arrivals bin for a sub-$10 price and worth evey penny.
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