When Diamond Head first released ‘Lightning To The Nations’ 40 years ago in 1980, few could have predicted the importance it would carry -and establish- with regards to heavy metal’s new wave and sound. Stacked and packed with riffs, ‘Lightning To The Nations’ would be one of the prime catalysts for a movement known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
It would also prove the premier template for a band who would become the biggest rock band on the planet, Metallica. But back then, in their humble Stourbridge UK home, Diamond Headhad no real idea that the 7 songs they had recorded for that debut album would have such a reverberation.
The first single/video to be released, ‘It’s Electric’, shows levels of fresh energy and the potency of timeless riffage that will blow the doors and socks off all who hear it.
On the song, founding member, lead guitarist/songsmith Brian Tatler, comments:
“It was written 15th June 1978 it was the forty-fifth song Diamond Head ever wrote. It was kind of our version of an AC/DC song. I had noticed that AC/DC had gaps in their riffs so I thought I would do one in that vein and out came ‘It’s Electric’. It was fast and exciting and soon found its way into our live set. We had the pleasure of opening for AC/DC in January 1980 and performed ‘It’s Electric’ in the set, I looked over to my left and noticed we were being watched by Bon Scott!”
‘It’s Electric’ was the first Diamond Head song that Lars Ulrich ever heard on the 1980 MCA compilation album Brute Force.
“It seemed so right, it seemed so fresh, it seemed so effortless and above all it seemed so fucking special. Three and a half minutes after the needle hit the record on ‘It’s Electric’ by Diamond Head I was hooked”.
“Metallica covered this song on their 1998 album Garage INC.” continues Tatler, “Sean and I wrote ‘It’s Electric’ in the key of G but Metallica transposed it to F# to make it easier to play. I have played it their way ever since”.
Recorded over several sessions between various locations -from France to band member home studios- Lightning To The Nations 2020 central hub was Andersen’s Raw Sound Studios in London. It’s where Brian and Abbz did the guitars in February and March of this year, and then with the COVID-19 chaos striking, Andersen worked on the album between April and July, with Tatler’s watchful ear inspecting final mixes and tweaks in early August before sending off to mastering at Metropolis Studios. It is, however, fair to say that the crunch, scream and crackle of the production is yet another feather in Andersen’s producer hat.
As if these carefully shaped recordings weren’t enough, there are four supreme cover versions rounding out the release, with Diamond Headspreading their wings and creating the heaviest of homages to Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Deep Purpleand… Metallica. With Diamond Head having featured so heavily in Metallica’s early career, the cover of ‘No Remorse’ seems especially appropriate.
Concludes Tatler:
“Lightning To The Nations 2020 is packed with ideas and riffs, but there is some thought gone into it all and maybe that’s why it still sounds really good now and we’re still having conversations about it”.
Lightning To The Nations 2020 will be released on November 20th2020, via Silver Lining Music. Available as a CD Digipak, Double Vinyl Album housed in Gatefold, digital formats and special D2C bundles.
Pre-order the album here
Find out more via the bands Website or Facebook
Lightning To The Nations 2020 Track Listing:
- Lightning to the Nations
- The Prince
- Sucking My Love
- Am I Evil?
- Sweet and Innocent
- It’s Electric
- Helpless
- No Remorse
- Immigrant Song
- Sinner
- Rat Bat Blue
