Female fronted Canadian five piece Diemonds are a hard rocking band from Toronto. The band, fronted by Priya Panda have released two albums with a real catchy and infectious hard rock sound and combined with some great live performances including supporting Slash on a few dates of his Apocalyptic Love tour in 2012, Napalm Records have signed the group to help the international release of album number three “Never Wanna Die”. Let’s give this a spin.
Title track “Never Wanna Die” opens the album and the real heavy and chunky sounding hard rock groove with “woah” vocals and a teasing mini lead grabs the attention right away. Vocalist Priya has a very recognisable and distinct voice which fits in well with the hard rock sound backing her up and the vocal lines act like a real melodic hook for the stomping groove beneath them. In the chorus the vocals get louder and are sung more compared to the verse and it all works well. For those who are familiar with them, this sounds a lot like The Donnas in its execution and delivery and that also includes the great twisting solo. “Hell Is Full” keeps the stomping groove up but this time there is a little more bite to the vocals, especially in the verses. Rhythm wise, its straight forward, plenty of big chugs in the verse whilst the pre chorus and chorus mix it up a little but still keep it steady. Lead wise, there’s a few decent mini fills and another melodic solo comes later in the track before the final chorus wraps it up.
“Over It” keeps up the pounding groove feel but the song has a heavier edge to it, especially with the darker tone in the vocals. With its semi-metal styled riffing in the verses before the standard chug transition into the pre chorus and then to the chorus which has that big sound to it with more melodic clean vocals comes of well with a good solid impact. Memorable and infectious, you’ll find yourself caught up in it, moving your head or tapping your foot along to it. Once again, the lead guitar has that twisty melodic quality to it and in the final chorus, it joins in just behind the vocals to give a big ending feel. “Ain’t That Kinda Girl” opens up with a sound similar to Turbonegro’s City of Satan, a real glam styled stomping groove. Vocally it’s strong from the off with a simple drum beat and big chunky guitar and bass, giving a punchy sound but when it hits the chorus, it really comes to life. A real melodic hook of a lead compliments the steady rhythm work and vocals, making it a song which is certain to go down a storm live.
“Secret” has a more sultry vibe to it with its softer vocals and risqué lyrical themes. Musically it’s slow to start with, ringing out guitars and steady drums which get more intricate as it builds to the chorus which is just a slight variation of the main riff with more powerful singing. A smooth blues styled lead transitions into the slightly bass heavier second verse before the song follows the same structure as earlier on with the build up, chorus and then into a heavy post chorus which leads into another melodic solo before the final stretch of the song brings it back to the intro before a big solo leads to a flashy end. “Better Off Dead” has a real catchy, fast paced groove to it with copious amounts of attitude and balls to it. An anthem for people with a rebellious streak in them, the infectious vocal melody and riffs in the verse have a real kick to them whilst the chorus has some great sing along moments. With subtle riff changes and lead fills throughout and a fantastic vocal melody line, this is one of the best tracks on the album and the solo is Slash-like in its delivery with plenty of flair and tone. A real rocking track!
“Forever Untamed” taps into a Clutch like groove and has plenty of stoner rock influences throughout it with its meaty groove which speeds up in the verses and slows down for the chorus sections. With a memorable hook and a solid sound and some mini leads, this is just a straight up rocking track. “Wild At Heart” keeps with the chunky sounding groove but this one has more of a pounding feel to it. With a slightly grittier vocal delivery and a predominantly drum and bass focused verse it has a real great feel to it. When the guitars properly join in with some solid 80’s styled chugging riffs for the chorus, it works well but not as good as some of the previous choruses in terms of impact. Full of attitude, almost with a Youth Gone Wild styled vibe a la Skid Row, the song really hits its peak with the classic sounding solo before the obligatory drum/vocal rendition of the chorus before kicking back into the full band chorus to wrap it all up.
“Meet Your Maker” has a real dirty rock/metal feel to it. With a fast paced hard hitting groove and melodic solo which goes into the verse, it’s got a great kick to it but when the chorus comes in, the use of gang vocals and catchy riffs give it a real big hook and great impact. Staying the same throughout, with some twisty lead work, the track wraps up with a dramatic rendition of the chorus to end with some tasty lead lines and powerful vocal work to give it a dramatic end. “Save Your Life” closes the album and like the previous track, it has that dirty hard rock feel to it with a real strong bass groove to it. With a stripped down, raw and rocking verse and a big sing along chorus which flows well, it pretty much sums up the entire album and the solo is possibly the best bit of lead work on the entire album. A solid way to end a solid album.
Overall “Never Wanna Die” is an infectious and rocking album where everything just seems to fall into place. Great grooves, fantastic vocals, brilliant melodic lines, it’s a real solid album which has a well rounded sound. Its downside is that it might be considered to be a little bit predictable with its strong structure, following the intro-verse-chorus styled formula to the point where you can anticipate what is coming next. However, saying that, familiarity and being memorable are key components to making an album which gets stuck in your head and Diemonds have done just that! Well worth a listen folks, just be warned once it’s in your head, it won’t get out.
(9/10 Fraggle)
Leave a Reply