It’s nice when you see a band you feature as Band of the Day re-appearing somewhere down the line with a new release, as is the case with Diemonds. Never Wanna Die is their third album and it’s a thumping good listen.
Diemonds are a hard rock act with a nice line in not taking things too seriously. Their music is very easy to listen to, toe-tappingly addictive and the kind of thing I can imagine an appreciative crowd getting very sweaty to. This is an album to be played loud or – even better – played live. Structurally, there are not surprises. It’s “verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus” pretty much all the way through, but it’s the meat on the bones that makes this such a good release.
The title track is a good start, but the first real highlight is the zombie-themed “Hell is Full”. As cheesy as it is bloodthirsty it’s got a brilliantly catchy riff and blasts through as if it can’t afford to pause for breath in case the undead hordes catch up. “Over It”, which follows, has a great singalong chorus all about not looking back, moving on with life and all those positive things.
“Ain’t That Kinda Girl” kicks right in with a drumbeat not dissimilar to “We Will Rock You” if it ate a million burgers but still turned up at the gym on leg day – far heavier, but somehow faster. If you want something that’s going to hit you like a train that just keeps on going leaving you churned up on the track, then that task is ably taken on by “Better Off Dead” (not related to the Sodom track). It isn’t, however, one you’d likely put on in the car to sing along to if Grandma is there with you. Unless she’s as cool as my mum-in-law.
The album continues through to the end with the sleazy “Wild At Heart” (which for some reason reminds me of Skid Row’s classic “Youth Gone Wild”), up-tempo headbanger “Meet Your Maker” and the anthem that is “Save Your Life”.
The cover art is brilliant, but does give the impression that this is a thrash album – it’s just that kind of picture. Never Wanna Die isn’t thrash, it’s heavy rock and it’s bloody good. Here’s to the misfits who keep it alive… and to Diemonds for a cracking third album.
Never Wanna Die is already out in Canada, but over here it’s released on September 4th through Napalm Records
