Diamond Head (English Band)
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Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in
Stourbridge Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham, at the southwester ...
, West Midlands, in 1976. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement and are acknowledged by bands such as
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
as a significant early influence.


History


Early history

Brian Tatler formed the band with drummer Duncan Scott while still attending school. In June 1976 they found singer Sean Harris, who was in the same year, and went through three bass players before settling on Collin Kimberley in Feb 1978. The band recorded two self-financed demo tapes in 1979. They were recorded within six hours on a four-track, one of which was sent to
Geoff Barton Geoff Barton (born July 1955) is a British journalist who founded the heavy metal magazine ''Kerrang!'' and was an editor of '' Sounds'' music magazine. He joined ''Sounds'' at the age of 19 after completing a journalism course at the London Co ...
at Sounds. The timing was perfect with the emergence of the
new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...
. In 1979/80, Diamond Head were managed by budding local managers Dave Morris and Ian Frazier. Morris put some money into the band and tried to get the band a record deal; Frazier took to driving the band around the UK when on tour. Sean Harris's mother (Linda Harris) persuaded her boss and boyfriend (Reg Fellows) to come and see the band with a view to investing in them. Diamond Head's demos and live reputation gained enough attention for the band to get two support dates with
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
and one with
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
at The Lyceum, London. Although several record companies expressed interest in signing the band, and their managers secured a couple of offers, none were deemed worthy by Fellows and Linda Harris, who were now beginning to advise Sean Harris as he still lived at home with his mother. Professional differences regarding management of Diamond Head followed, which eventually led to Morris and Frazier quitting their role as managers, and the job fell solely to Fellows and Linda Harris. Thus while other new waves of British heavy metal bands were signed to major labels and putting their toe into the US market, Diamond Head remained independent. Guitarist Brian Tatler thinks that their joint managers had unrealistic expectations about the kind of record deal the band should sign, and when no deal lived up to this, Fellows decided that the band should record an album quickly and cheaply at a local 24 track studio, where they had recorded their first single " Shoot Out the Lights"; no money exchanged hands, and the studio owner Muff Murfin - in return for a week of studio time - took 50 per cent of the bands publishing for fifteen years. It is believed that tapes were passed onto various labels, but when the debut album, ''
Lightning to the Nations ''Lightning to the Nations'' (also known as ''The White Album'') is the debut album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1980 (after the 1977 and 1979 demos) and released later that year through Happy Face Reco ...
'', failed to secure a record deal, management decided that they would release 1000 copies of the album on an independent label (also owned by Muff Murfin) called Happy Face Records. The album was packaged in a plain sleeve with no title or track listings, and 250 copies were signed by each band member. The management thought that it should be perceived as a 'demo' album, so no fancy sleeve was required, making it very cheap to produce. The first 1000 copies were pressed and made available at concerts and via mail-order for £3.50. The only mail-order advertisement appeared in '' Sounds'' and ran for six weeks. The band's management did not pay for the advertisement and ended up being sued. The original stereo master tapes were lost after they were sent to the German record company, Woolfe Records, who released a vinyl version of the album with a new sleeve. The tapes were not returned until they were eventually tracked down by
Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician who is the drummer and a founding member of American heavy metal band Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, Ulrich has songwriting credits on almost all of the band's songs, and the ...
and Phonogram Germany for inclusion on the 1990 compilation album, ''New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited''. In 1980,
Pete Winkelman Peter John Winkelman is the former chairman and owner of English association football club Milton Keynes Dons and former managing director of holding company Inter MK Ltd, which was involved in the development of the Denbigh North district of ...
from Wolverhampton got involved and tried to sign Diamond Head to his new label, Media Records. Winkelman had been a record plugger and he advised the band to change management but this advice was not heeded. In the end, Diamond Head only agreed to make one single for Winkelman, a re-recorded version of " Sweet & Innocent" b/w "Streets of Gold", which came out around October 1980. In January 1981, Diamond Head successfully opened for
April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwyn until his death in 2023. April Wine first experienced success with their second album, ' ...
on their UK tour. An ambitious UK tour was planned for the summer as a way of being perceived as being more popular than they actually were. An EP called ''Diamond Lights'' was recorded quickly in three days to help pay towards the expenses. The management hired a tour bus for band and crew, and an articulated lorry filled with hired PA and lighting. They also hired the Wolverhampton chapter of Hells Angels to perform security duties on the whole tour. They bypassed promoters and booked the venues with a local agent to avoid paying a percentage, but with little promotion for the tour, it lost money. The only A&R man who was determined to sign the band was Charlie Eyre, who quit his job at A&M and joined MCA in order to sign Diamond Head and Musical Youth. Discussions went on for around six months until the band finally signed a five-album deal on 1 January 1982.


''Borrowed Time''

First on the agenda was to record and release the '' Four Cuts'' EP, which contained two early era songs, " Shoot Out the Lights" and "Dead Reckoning", and the band did a whistle-stop UK tour of the clubs to promote it. A link-up with agent Neil Warnock at The Agency secured Diamond Head a Friday night slot on the Reading Festival bill in 1982, albeit as late and unadvertised replacements for
Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as n ...
. Their set was recorded by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and later released in 1992 through Raw Fruit Records as the '' Friday Rock Show Sessions''. Their first MCA album, '' Borrowed Time'', featured a lavish Rodney Matthews-illustrated gatefold sleeve based on the album's Elric theme and was the most expensive sleeve commissioned by MCA at the time. The album was somewhat successful commercially, climbing to No 24 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. The band were able to perform a full-scale UK tour at premier venues such as London's
Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...
. To support the album, Diamond Head's released their sixth single, "In the Heat of the Night", backed with live versions of "
Play It Loud ''Play It Loud'' is the second studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released by Polydor in November 1970 but did not enter the charts. The album, produced by Chas Chandler, was the first to be released under the Slade name, as t ...
" and " Sweet and Innocent" recorded at the Zig-Zag club, and an interview with DJ
Tommy Vance Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston (11 July 1940 – 6 March 2005), known professionally as Tommy Vance, was an English radio broadcaster. He was an important factor in the rise of the new wave of British heavy metal, along with ...
(although the latter was not available on the 12").


''Canterbury''

Once the two-week UK tour was over, they were told to start writing the next album. The band tried a more experimental sounding follow-up to ''Borrowed Time'', tentatively titled ''Making Music'' which was re-named ''
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
'' in 1983. Using top engineer
Mike Shipley Michael Shipley (7 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. Shipley's music career spanned more than 30 years – mostly working in Los Angeles. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he ...
at an expensive London studio, called Battery in
Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...
, put immense pressure on the band. Scott struggled to adapt to this new level of scrutiny and was fired, after completing just six drum tracks in three weeks. Then once all the bass parts had been recorded, Kimberley also quit Diamond Head. The album now fell to Harris and Tatler to finish causing the former to almost have a nervous breakdown. The initial success of the album was stalled as the first 20,000 copies suffered vinyl pressing problems, causing the LP to jump. It made number 32 in the UK Albums Chart, and it was noted that the album cost more to make but sold less. Diamond Head were invited to open that year's Monsters of Rock Festival and, for the first time, toured Europe as special guests of
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
. On 1 January 1984, MCA did not pick up the option for a third album.


1984 to 2000

In early 1984, Diamond Head did an 18-date UK tour which lost money. Harris and Tatler continued to write together, and in October/November, Diamond Head re-convened in a purpose-built studio in Stambermill, West Midlands, to record their next album. It was never finished, and the band fell apart in early 1985. Tatler took over the running of the studio called RPK while Harris signed a solo deal with Pete Winkelman's new label I Major Records. This culminated in Harris and Robin George making an expensive album together under the name Notorious. In 1990, Winkelman encouraged Harris to make another Diamond Head record and so put him and Tatler back in touch after a long break. The band did two UK tours, and eventually, '' Death and Progress'' was released in June 1993, featuring guest contributions by
Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. (born 19 February 1948) is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over ...
of
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
and
Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth and for his time as the lead guitarist of Met ...
of
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
. However, the reunion was short lived as they were on the verge of splitting up as soon as the record was released. The last gig Diamond Head played was at Milton Keynes Bowl opening for Metallica (playing before Megadeth). Towards the end of 1992, Harris grew dissatisfied with the album and Tatler and wanted to move on. Winkelman tried to broker a deal with RCA records for a 'new' band that would feature a new line-up. They performed one gig in Northampton under the name Magnetic AKA, but a deal failed to materialise, and it all fell apart.


2000s

In 2000, Harris and Tatler reunited to perform some acoustic, un-plugged type gigs in the UK. They reworked the old songs and began recording a four track acoustic EP, although this ended up taking two years, and by the time it came out on the band's own label, the acoustic phase was over. They accepted an offer to play the Metal Meltdown Festival in New Jersey on 5 April 2002 (Diamond Head's first US show). An electric band was put together, and a 14 date UK tour was booked for August 2002. A new Diamond Head album was planned, and Mad Hat Studio in Wolverhampton was booked along with producer Andy Scarth. About halfway through the recording, Harris announced that he wanted to change the name of the band to 'Host'. This did not go down well with everyone, and when in 2003 Harris failed to get a deal for the album (which had cost around £16,000), things went quiet. Later that year, Diamond Head and Harris finally went their separate ways.


Nick Tart era

Nick Tart (from Cannock) was asked to join Diamond Head in 2004, the band wrote and recorded the ''
All Will Be Revealed ''All Will Be Revealed'' is the fifth album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. This was Diamond Head's first album with new singer Nick Tart and also the only album to feature Rob Mills on guitar, who was replaced by Andy 'Abbz' Abberle ...
'' album and released it in 2005. To promote this album, they completed a 22 date European tour with
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
. Brian Tatler commented that this was one of the best experiences of his life, and he regained his enjoyment for playing live with the band again. Diamond Head headlined a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NWOBHM at the
London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England, that operated from 1976 to 2009. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in t ...
, supported by Witchfynde, Bronz,
Praying Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...
, and
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
. This concert was later released as a live CD titled ''It's Electric'' and also the band's first DVD, ''To the Devil His Due'', in 2006. The band's rhythm guitarist Adrian Mills left the band and was replaced with Andy 'Abbz' Abberley, previously in Cannock band Chase with drummer Karl Wilcox. In 2007 Diamond Head released '' What's in Your Head?'' produced by Dave (Shirt) Nichols. In 2008, Nick announced that he and his family were going to emigrate to Brisbane. The band continued to tour but now has the extra expense of flying the singer backward and forwards from Australia. Diamond Head toured the US (twice) plus Japan and Europe, including two dates opening for the Big 4. Nick's last show with Diamond Head was 4 October 2013.


Rasmus Bom Andersen era and hiatus (2014–present)

After recruiting new vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen (a Danish-born singer living in London) in 2014, Diamond Head toured the UK and began work on their self-titled album '' Diamond Head'', released in 2016. The band took part in the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise around the Caribbean and toured the US, Canada and Europe. Work began on their eighth studio album, '' The Coffin Train'', in mid-2016, and it was released in May 2019. By this time, Diamond Head had signed to Silver Lining Records and is now managed by Siren Management. The album entered the
UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. The ...
at number 5, ten places higher than the band's self-titled album. In 2018 Diamond Head did a UK and European tour and then opened for Black Star Riders across Europe in 2019. On 1 September 2022 in an interview with TotalRock, guitarist Brian Tatler talked about an upcoming follow-up to their previous 2019 release. "We haven't had the chance to record the drums yet, but as soon as we can, that's the next thing. We've pretty much got the material ready to go as demos. We've done rehearsals where we record the rehearsals and we've done home demos and things. But the next step will be get in the studio and get the drums down and then we can build on top of the drums." Work had been delayed on the forthcoming record due in part to Tatler replacing
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
guitarist Paul Quinn. On 16 June 2025, Tatler announced the band was on hiatus due to his commitments with
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
.


Musical style and influences

Diamond Head have cited their early inspirations as classic 1970s British rock bands such as
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
,
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
,
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
,
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
, and Free, Brian Tatler relating that the first albums he bought were
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
's ''
Led Zeppelin II ''Led Zeppelin II'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place ...
'' and
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
's ''
Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses, and others, and ...
'', and said that although a lot of his guitar work was inspired by
Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...
and Michael Schenker, it was
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
that showed him that anyone could form a band. Colin Kimberley commented Diamond Head got their complex sound from listening to bands like
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
and Rush and realising that a song with a single riff throughout was not interesting enough. In a recent interview, Tatler stated that he now tries not to be influenced by modern bands and keep his sound, although he imagines that "little bits creep into the writing process."


Legacy and influence

''
American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...
'' wrote, "Diamond Head may not be known to casual heavy metal fans, but they were part of the
new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...
and influenced the early sounds of
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
." ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' wrote, "If there’s a single song that epitomises" the sound of the new wave of British heavy metal era, it would be " Am I Evil?". Many reasons have been cited why Diamond Head never achieved significant commercial success focused mainly on their change in musical direction with ''
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
'' and their delay in obtaining a record deal. Once they did sign to a major label, MCA proved to be the wrong label, forcing the band to sound more commercial. Also, while successful bands like
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
and
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drummer), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar, ...
were managed by established music management, Diamond Head were managed by Reg Fellows and the lead singer's mother, neither of whom had managed a band before. In addition, though many of their NWOBHM brethren toured the United States in the 1980s, Diamond Head did not set foot on US soil until 2002, performing one show at Metal Meltdown IV, New Jersey. Metallica have covered the likes of "Sucking My Love", " Am I Evil?" and "The Prince" during their initial performances. The '' Metal Up Your Ass'' live demo, recorded in November 1982, featured a live rendition of "Am I Evil?". "Sucking My Love" exists on various bootlegs that have been circulating since 1982, along with a recording on the early demo '' No Life Til Leather''. Metallica's first official studio release of "Am I Evil?" came in 1984 as part of the '' Creeping Death'' 12-inch single paired with another NWOBHM classic, "Blitzkrieg", by the band of the same name. The two songs were also included in the first pressing of the ''
Kill 'Em All ''Kill 'Em All'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los A ...
'' LP when it was re-released by
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
. A cover of "Helpless" was featured '' The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited'' in 1987 and "The Prince" was included as a B-side to the "
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
" single. During the Wherever We May Roam Tour, Metallica played "Am I Evil?" and "Helpless" with the original Diamond Head members on 5 November 1992 at NEC Arena in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. Additionally, Metallica performed "Am I Evil?" along with the other bands in the big four (
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
,
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
and
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
) at the 2011 Sonisphere festival, and with Diamond Head themselves at the
Sonisphere Festival The Sonisphere Festival was a touring rock music festival which took place across Europe between the months of June and August. The festival was owned by John Jackson and Kilimanjaro Live. It was jointly promoted by K2 and Kilimanjaro Live. It h ...
in Knebworth in July 2011. The following day Brian performed "Helpless" with Metallica and Anthrax at the Sonisphere festival in
Amnéville Amnéville (; , 1940–45: ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The town is an important tourist and thermal spa centre in France. Geography Amnéville is located in the Moselle valley, between Metz a ...
, France. In December 2011, Brian Tatler and Sean Harris joined Metallica onstage at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco to celebrate Metallica's 30th Anniversary. Together they played "The Prince", "It's Electric", "Helpless" and "Am I Evil?". Tatler and Harris also took part in a group encore of "Seek and Destroy". Metallica have performed "Am I Evil?" onstage over 750 times. In June 2024, Brian Tatler joined Metallica in stage in Oslo, Norway, to play "Am I Evil?";
Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2023, Hammett, along ...
yielded lead guitar duties to Tatler, even bowing to him during the intro. The Canadian new wave band
Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadians, Canadian New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of s ...
' 1991 album ''
Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond ( Paul Giamatti), a de ...
'' features a track called "Life After Diamond Head", a reference to the band.


Band members

Current *Brian Tatler – lead guitar, backing vocals , rhythm guitar *Karl Wilcox – drums *Andy "Abbz" Abberley – rhythm and lead guitar *Rasmus Bom Andersen – lead vocals *Paul Gaskin – bass, backing vocals Former *Sean Harris – lead vocals , rhythm guitar *Colin Kimberley – bass, backing vocals *Duncan Scott – drums *
Robbie France Robert France (5 December 1959 – 14 January 2012) was an English drummer, record producer, arranger, journalist, music educator, and broadcaster. Early life France was born in Sheffield, and emigrated to Australia in March 1972. He studied ...
– drums *Mervyn Goldsworthy – bass * Josh Phillips – keyboards *Dave Williamson – bass, backing vocals *Eddie Moohan – bass, backing vocals * Pete Vuckovic – bass, backing vocals *Floyd Brennan – rhythm guitar, backing vocals *Rob Mills – rhythm guitar *Nick Tart – lead vocals *Dean Ashton – bass, backing vocals


Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

* ''
Lightning to the Nations ''Lightning to the Nations'' (also known as ''The White Album'') is the debut album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1980 (after the 1977 and 1979 demos) and released later that year through Happy Face Reco ...
'' (1980) * '' Borrowed Time'' (1982) – K No. 24/small> * ''
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
'' (1983) – K No. 32/small> * '' Death and Progress'' (1993) * ''
All Will Be Revealed ''All Will Be Revealed'' is the fifth album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. This was Diamond Head's first album with new singer Nick Tart and also the only album to feature Rob Mills on guitar, who was replaced by Andy 'Abbz' Abberle ...
'' (2005) * '' What's In Your Head?'' (2007) * '' Diamond Head'' (2016) – K Rock No. 15/small> * '' The Coffin Train'' (2019) – K Rock No. 5/small> * '' Lightning to the Nations 2020'' (2020) (re-recording with four bonus tracks)


Live albums

* '' The Friday Rock Show Sessions / Live at Reading'' (1992) * '' Evil Live'' (1994) * '' Live – In the Heat of the Night'' (2000) * ''It's Electric'' (2006) * ''Live at the BBC'' (2010) * ''Live and Electric'' (2025)


Singles and EPs

* " Shoot Out the Lights" (1980) * " Sweet and Innocent" (1980) * " Waited Too Long"/"Play It Loud" (1981) * ''Diamond Lights'' EP (1981) * '' Call Me'' EP (1982) * '' Four Cuts'' EP (1982) * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (1982) – K No. 67/small> * ''Makin' Music'' (1983) – K No. 87/small> * ''Out of Phase'' (1983) – K No. 80/small> * ''"Wild on the Streets"/"I Can't Help Myself" 12"'' (1991) * ''Rising Up'' (1992) * '' To Heaven from Hell'' EP (1997) * ''Acoustic: First Cuts'' EP (2002) * ''Belly of the Beast 7" clear promo
Flexi disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. ...
'' (2019)


Compilations

* '' Behold the Beginning'' (1986) * '' Am I Evil'' (1987) * ''Sweet and Innocent'' (1988) * ''Singles'' (1992) * ''Helpless'' (1996) * ''The Best of Diamond Head'' (1999) * ''Diamond Nights'' (2000) * '' The Diamond Head Anthology: Am I Evil?'' (2004) * ''The MCA Years'' (2009) * ''Lightning to the Nations: The White Album'' (2011) * ''Am I Evil?: The Best Of'' (2013)


DVDs

* ''To the Devil His Due'' (21 November 2006)


See also

*
List of new wave of British heavy metal bands The mid-late 1970s–early 1980s period in the United Kingdom introduced a movement of young musicians, generally identified as the new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM). The movement spawned more than a thousand hard rock ...


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond Head English heavy metal musical groups People from Stourbridge English musical quartets English musical quintets Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Musical groups reestablished in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 Musical groups reestablished in 2000 1976 establishments in England New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups MCA Records artists