Diemonds "The Bad Pack"

It’s pretty easy to try and develop a sound based on your influences. The problem a lot of bands run in to when doing this is that they fall in to obscurity for not being anything special, they’re just another band playing gigs in bars. Such is NOT the case for Toronto hard rockers Diemonds. There is an all too obvious sleaze rock influence in the band’s sound, similar to that of Skid Row, but rather than just being a novelty for fans longing for the past, the band has something special in their music that sets them apart from just another bar band. Part of the reason being their front woman, Priya Panda, being able to convince listeners that she is more than just another front woman, she proves that she can do just as good of a job as any male could of carrying the singing duties of a band.

In October of 2012, the band released their first full length album, The Bad Pack, which is an album filled with ten absolute, straight up, sleazy rock tracks that are not for the simple minded. Right away when listening to the albums first track, Take on the Night, you get an immediate idea of what the band is all about. It starts the album off with the sound of nothing but a nice loud guitar riff that turns in to a bashing array of drums, bass and double guitar attack by guitarists C.C. Diemond and Daniel DeKay. With Priya’s nice aggressive vocals, it won’t take long for a listener to get any hard rocker’s head banging.

The whole album features songs that generally have the same pace, all fast and heavy. Lil’ Miss has a great bridge that kind of calms the song, while Loud N’ Nasty is nothing short of a hard rock anthem, and among the best songs on the album. A slightly faster song than the two previous, it has simple chorus that even the bands newest of listeners singing along. This is truly a stand out track off of the album.

The album’s title track stands out as the best track to drive to. It starts off with a double bass drum explosion by Aiden Tranquada, chugging like the sound of an engine of a motorcycle as you go cruising down the street just to piss off the neighbours. Overboard is another fast paced track to be cherished. Left for Dead is the slowest track off the album, while at the same time probably the heaviest track and definitely the angriest track on the album. Both Livin’ Tonight and Trick or Treat are two other anthems for the album. Both tracks are short and simple and straight to the point. Both songs are easily the sleaziest of songs off the album.

The album ends on as strong of a note as any album should. Mystery is among the best tracks the band has ever written (including the seven tracks off of their EP In The Rough). The track starts off with bassist Tommy Cee (probably the kindest bass player you'll ever meet) getting a well deserved spotlight. Unfortunately it’s a short one, but he doesn’t go unnoticed at all throughout the rest of the album. The intro leads to yet another fast paced song with a hell of a chorus. The song eventually starts to slow down again to bring the album home. It ends with a slow and eerie acoustic guitar riff that will stick in its listeners mind during the dead silence that follows.

With this album, what you see is what you get. It’s a straight up, hard edged, completely bad-ass effort by a group of long-haired, tattooed, strong hearted rockers who know exactly what it takes to make great hard music. There are no love songs, no epics, no piano or string sections, just two guitars, a bass, a drum set, and a chick wailing her metaphorical balls off. An excellent album to drive along to, or better yet, a great band to catch live.

                                                                                  WARNING: This video contains adult content

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT

“Get the Fuck Outta Here” – Without a doubt the catchiest song on the album, only barely beating out Mystery. Slightly slower paced than most of the songs on the album, but that leaves Priya with a little more ease to concentrate on her delivery, which is superb on this track. The track starts off with a riff that sounds somewhat like The Offspring’s Gotta Get Away, but the song itself sounds nothing of the sort. This is a track that any hard rock crowd is sure to fall in love with.

 

FINAL RATING

7.5 (Out of 10)

 

Track List:

1.	"Take on the Night"	3:30
2.	"Lil’ Miss"	3:25
3.	"Loud N’ Nasty"	3:35
4.	"Get the Fuck Outta Here"	3:51
5.	"The Bad Pack"	3:38
6.	"Overboard"	3:16
7.	"Left For Dead"	3:12
8.	"Livin’ Tonight"	2:18
9.	"Trick or Treat"	3:01
10.	"Mystery"	5:30