British heavy metal icons DIAMOND HEAD today unveil an animated video for “The Messenger.” The track is the second single taken from the band’s upcoming live album Live And Electric, set for release this Friday, July 11th via Silver Lining Music.
“‘The Messenger (Live At The Cambridge Corn Exchange)’ is a very powerful track. It started life in my head when I was watching Cradle Of Filth live on the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise,” remarks founding lead guitarist Brian Tatler. “They played a song with a fantastic groove which reminded me of ‘Tobacco Road’ by The Nashville Teens. I thought to myself, ‘that’s brilliant, I will try and come up with a riff for a groove like that,’ and so I came up with ‘The Messenger’ riff – everything comes from somewhere. We recorded it for the album The Coffin Train and played it live on the 2022 UK and European tour opening for Saxon. It always sounded good live, even next to classic DIAMOND HEAD songs like ‘The Prince’ and ‘In The Heat Of The Night.’ We recorded all the shows on the UK tour and thought this version at Cambridge was the mightiest. Heavy Metaaaaaaaal!”
With a thunderous crunch and genuine in-your-face production that places the PA up against your ears, Live And Electric is a live album that delivers every nuance of that four-letter word thanks to a song selection that covers DIAMOND HEAD’s seminal career, and a sound that leaves you breathless in the stalls and smelling the sweat and leather of a classic British Heavy Metal night.
Recorded in 2022 on the band’s tour with Saxon, Live And Electric takes in performances from Aberdeen, Blackburn, York, Cambridge, Cardiff, and Bexhill, creating in the process an unmistakably British energy which is superbly recorded and mixed by Jay Shredder, with singer/frontman Rasmus Bom Andersen mastering. By now, the rock and metal scene knows all about Brian Tatler, whose riffs have genuinely defined a genre as well as influencing one of the world’s biggest-ever rock bands, Metallica, but the contribution of Andersen to these DIAMOND HEAD performances is explosive as he bursts with power, presence and personality.
The seamless way in which old classics such as “The Prince” and newer stormers like “Belly Of The Beast” thunder down the tracks is a testimony to the lock-tight no-nonsense foundation that bassist Paul Gaskin, rhythm/lead guitarist Andrew “Abbz” Abberley, and drummer Karl Wilcox add to the alchemy and the balance of respect plus reinvigoration for treasures “It’s Electric,” “Helpless,” and “Am I Evil?” is electrifying. Live And Electric is a true roots representation of Britain’s metal communities, and a wonderful live celebration of DIAMOND HEAD’s distinctly British heavy metal music which feels as fresh, vital, and important now as it ever has before.
