diamond lane - Terrorizer

Diamond Lane

Terrorizer
self-released; 2014

3.6 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

Diamond Lane is an unapologetic bash from the past with classic twin guitars, thundering drums and the vocals of a die-hard Skid Row/Avenged Sevenfold crossbreed. Diamond Lane is currently Fox Sports Artist of the Month in their national campaigns and they’ve earned that honor through tireless performing and promoting their brand of firepower rock, garnering a fast growing of attention and adoration in the LA area. As we speak, Diamond Lane is plotting its course for world domination, or at least a furthering of fame and worldwide notoriety, one show at a time.

I’m usually not quick to judge a book by its cover, but upon seeing Diamond Lane’s electrified and intense album cover with the title Terrorizer I prepared myself for a hairpin turn into some heavy metal/hardcore madness. The opening track “The Enemy” hits a lot of areas musically in just the first minute. And up until that point I was unsure just what I was going to get. Was this group more ‘80s rock and I had them pegged all wrong? Then the distortion kicked in and the double bass fired like a thousand heartbeats – I was right after all. 

However, Diamond Lane treats metal like the art form it is. The melodies and songs have an arc to them and thankfully the vocals are bold, brash and yet still highly coherent. The guitar solos are ripping and precise, not to mention the riffs groove with thick weight and rhythm. At times the vocals are a little stretched to the register a la “Slow Destruction,” but you have to hand it to Baumann for embracing the brazen shrieking of nu hair metal – a subgenre I use somewhat loosely.

“Kiss The Ring” is a great track that starts with relentless pound and angry guitar before opening up to a deep-set rocker with great vocal harmony driving the verses forward. Most tracks on Terrorizer start off with their best effort for a face-melting riff and I think they succeed with flying colors. Nothing sounds forced or too formulaic. The lyrics have varying content and have fun with themes like cheating death and toxic relationships. This is an album perfect for metal heads and modern rock appreciators alike. It has satisfying tone and creativity throughout to keep listeners on the edge and wondering what’s next. When I find that in an album, I remember it.

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