This phrase has been uttered so many times on here that you could invent a drinking game to it, but every now and then you do get a gem of an album which really shines compared to the usual stuff you get through or choose to review when the list goes out and for a predominantly female fronted batch of records I got in August, Diemond’s stood out the most. Intrigued by the description in the press blurb on the review list and currently on a nostalgia kick music wise, Diemonds appealed to my inner teenage self with their hard rock sound with a very big rebellious nature in it.
Needless to say, I was blown away by the album, something I wasn’t expecting at all and the catchy and infectious hooks, both melodic and vocally combined with some straight forward rock n roll attitude was a pleasure to listen to, because sometimes it can’t always be thrash, groove and death metal all the time. Taking the time to answer a few questions I had, guitarist Daniel Dekay took to the challenge of talking about the album “Never Wanna Die” and the sound on it along with touring plans and wanting to party like its 1976. Enjoy.
AN: Congratulations on the album. First off, let’s go through the basics. How was the recording process? Any unexpected issues or pleasant surprises?
Daniel: Thanks! Recording “Never Wanna Die” was a completely new process for us; for the first time ever we recorded with a producer. Our producer, Eric Ratz, has worked with some of our favourite Canadian bands and had an amazing ability to guide us through the recording process. It was a very cool experience to have a “sixth member” of the band to bounce riffs and melodies off of for input and criticism. He helped us shape our sound and tones to truly reflect how we were feeling. The record would sound completely different if it weren’t for Eric showing us how to hone our skills and develop our craft.
AN: One of the things which really stood out on the album was the overall sound. It had that blend of hard rock mixed with some serious attitude which you’d normally find in bands who were part of ‘the strip scene’ in the 80’s – Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Guns and Roses… Was this the sound you had in mind for the record?
Daniel: We definitely worship bands like Crüe & Gunners so you can certainly hear it in the way we play. We love 80’s music (and 90’s too!) and don’t hide that but the ultimate goal here was to create a modern sounding representation of all our influences. With “Never Wanna Die” you get a little sunset strip, a little bit Bay Area thrash, & a whole lot of balls to wall rock n roll riffage.
AN: You played with Slash a few years back, is it safe to say that he has had some influence on your sound or song writing?
Daniel: Slash is definitely one of CC’s biggest influences. Playing with him was rad. He puts on a kickass show and we go see him and his awesome band every time they’re in town. Todd and Brent from The Conspirators (Slash’s band) are also Canadian so there’s a cool connection there.
AN: One of the main things which helps set you apart from other bands who share a similar sound to you are the vocals. With a distinct sound to them and the ability to go from raw and attitude laden to sultry to bouncy and energetic at the drop of a hat, it’s almost like they are an additional melodic instrument at times. When writing the tracks for the album, was there much focus on how the vocal lines would sit with some of the guitar lines so there wasn’t a clash of melodies?
Daniel: There was a lot of focus on vocals for this record. Every melody you hear and the way it sits on top of the riff was methodically crafted and worked on until it was exactly how we wanted. The band as a whole became so much more aware of the importance of vocal melodies and layering as well. By the end of my guitar sessions I found myself simplifying riffs or completely scratching certain parts because I felt the guitar shouldn’t distract from the impact of the vocals during verses. An incredible learning experience overall and it finally gave me a real excuse to work on my singing chops for live performance vocal harmonies.
AN: You’re songs have a fair few different themes to them, zombies, the end of the world, hostility and other things which bring back memories from the late 90’s pop punk scene. What are some of the things which inspire your lyrics?
Daniel: Priya’s lyrics are definitely inspired by a combination of real life experience and a post apocalyptic world she has designed in her mind. Real things like death, struggles, and overcoming hurdles mixed with a hypothetical “if the world ended tomorrow, would you be ready” type of attitude.
AN: What are some of the big influences for you personally where your musical direction is concerned? What about the rest of the band?
Daniel: I am a big fan of old school heavy metal – specifically thrash and NWOBHM. Overkill, Judas Priest, Anthrax, & Megadeth type stuff. You can definitely hear it in the way I play & wrote for this record. I use an aggressive picking style and find myself chugging & muting pretty much in every song whereas CC plays a lot of large ringing open chords and is all about that sustain (“the sustain, listen to it”). In terms of overall music influences we are very diverse: Aiden loves gangster rap, Adam digs his R&B stuff, CC moshes at hardcore & punk shows, and Priya is slightly obsessed with new wave & everything glam.
AN: You’ve got some shows coming up soon, any plans to get across to Europe in the near future? If so, where would you most like to play over this side?
Daniel: We’ll be on the road majority of the year supporting this release and Europe is definitely part of the plan. Hoping to be out there in early 2016 and planning on rocking as much of Europe as we can: leave no stone unturned!
AN: Have there been any new releases this year which have caught your attention at all? If so, what are they?
Daniel: Totally. There’s tons of amazing modern bands that we dig. Some essential records to check out this year are new releases from: Dead Lord, Ghost, Royal Blood, Biters, Slipknot, & Public Animal.
AN: If you had to pick one artist or band to go on the road with, who would it be?
Daniel: KISS in 1976. or Andrew WK modern times – he seems like he could keep up with my partying.
AN: Finally, what next for Diemonds?
Daniel: I’m currently writing to you from the back of the van driving down the highway in Saskatchewan to a gig in Calgary. We finish up this tour then head back home to demo some new songs before we head back out for some more North American dates. We make our way to Japan in November and then we conquer Europe for the first time ever in the new year. See you on the road!
So there we have it. A cut above the rest, this well polished rock n roll band with bags of attitude and infectious music really dazzles with their latest album (yes, my pun making skills aren’t that gleaming are they?). With Napalm slinging their release worldwide, it’s just a matter of time before the hard rock n roll party with catchy melodies and great groove makes its way across the pond and finds out how much of a party Europe can be, and when it does, you can guarantee “Never Gonna Die” will be lodged firmly in your heads like some apocalyptic parasite which will slowly destroy humanity as we know it.
(Interview by Fraggle)
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