Brian Tatler from Diamond Head was a guest on the Friday NI Rocks Show recently. The band have just released a new self-titled album following a record deal with Dissonance Productions that will also see them re-release the band's two previous albums. This is the first album with new vocalist Rasmus Born Andersen

An excerpt from the interview is available below:

On writing with new singer Rasmus Born Andersen

Tatler: "Occasionally he would say ‘This sounds very Diamond Head’ and maybe I had lost sight of that a little bit; but I understood what he meant and we tried writing together. I thought give it a go, with no great expectation and no pressure on ourselves. It went well and just progressed and progressed. We’d tape every rehearsal and Rasmus would take everything away and work on sections and lyrics. It came together really well in the end. We’re all really pleased with it.

He did say to me ‘I can sing on anything’. So I think wow, that’s great. I could fire difficult riffs at him and complicated parts, and he wouldn’t say ‘No, no I couldn’t sing on that.’ He’d just go away and do it and come back with something. That kind of freedom is great really, because I can bring these riffs out that I’ve probably had for a while, that I know are going to be tricky to sing on, but know that Ras can do it!"

Metallica have covered Diamond Head tracks. Which tracks would Diamond Head want to cover?

Tatler: "I’ve never been asked that question before. That’s interesting. I’ve got some favourite rock tracks that I like to play. For some reason whenever I pick up a guitar one of the first things I play is 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'. That riff just sits comfortably under my fingers. If I was going to do a Metallica song I’d probably pick something not too obvious, but that would suit Diamond Head. I’d pick maybe 'Blackened' or maybe 'Cyanide' off the last album. I like 'Harvester of Sorrow' – that would be a good one. Other than that, I always really liked 'Sinner' by Judas Priest and I also like 'Island of Domination' and 'Victim of Changes'. One of them might be good. And Black Sabbath. I always wanted to do 'Lord of this World' off Masters of Reality. 'Symptom of the Universe' is mighty, but I don’t think we could improve on their original version. I’d have to give Black Sabbath some thought because there are so many amazing songs. 'Cornucopia' would be good – I’d have to detune a bit for that one! I’d probably do an AC/DC song – 'Problem Child' maybe!

On Axl Rose and AC/DC

Tatler: "Axl has the range and he’ll probably make it more of an event rather than picking some Joe Soap who may be from an AC/DC tribute band or just somebody who has a good high range that nobody has heard of. I think Axl, as long as he plays ball and plays nice, is a great front-man, there’s no question about that. It’s a lot better than cancelling the tour because of Brian Johnson’s hearing. I’m sure the fans won’t mind having a rock star substitution. And Angus is the star in AC/DC. Always has been. He is the only irreplaceable member in my opinion."

The full transcript of the interview is available on the Rock Radio NI website here.

Diamond Head released their new self-titled album April 22nd in Europe. The album will be released on June 3rd in North America. A full album stream can be found below. Recorded at Vigo Studios in Birmingham, the album is the first to feature new vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen and ends an eight-year silence for the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) legends.

Prior to 2014, the thought of a new album was bleak. Guitarist and band founder Brian Tatler reveals, “I had no interest in doing another record but after working with Ras on the 2014 European tour that suddenly changed. I wanted to make a record with him. He’s a confident singer and he’s not trying to fill anyone’s shoes.”

Recording of the album commenced last July with the band and engineer Adam Beddow at the helm. Tatler notes, “I gave Rasmus some music to listen to last January. He selected songs or riffs that he wanted to work on and we began rehearsing. We whittled things down to fourteen songs by April.”

Eleven songs were selected in the end for the album; all mixed by Dave Nicholls and mastered by John Davis at London’s Metropolis.

The album’s lyrical focus details political and environmental themes. Its opening and closing songs specifically draw attention to the world’s self-destructive path. Tatler comments, “the body of the album explores other subtopics in more depth along with songs dealing with lighter subjects that are not so heavy on the heart.” Vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen affirms, “we made the album with the band’s fans foremost in mind from start to finish. We wanted to write songs that would have ties to the best parts of all the early albums.”

Tracklisting:

“Bones”
“Shout At The Devil”
“Set My Soul On Fire”
“See You Rise”
“All The Reasons You Live”
“Wizards Sleeve”
“Our Time Is Now”
“Speed”
“Blood On My Hands”
“Diamonds”
“Silence”

Album stream:

Band lineup:

Brian Tatler - Lead, Rhythm Guitar
Rasmus Bom Andersen - Vocals
Karl Wilcox - Drums
Eddie Moohan - Bass
Andy Abberley - Rhythm, Lead Guitar