Diamond Head

On June 5, 1993, Diamond Head filled the opening slot at a Megadeth/Metallica concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in the U.K. The recently re-formed band had just recorded its comeback effort, Death & Progress, and the bandmembers were probably anxious to try out some new material in front of their biggest fans, Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich, not to mention a much larger audience than the group could attract on its own. That performance was recorded and released (along with some extra studio material from the Death & Progress sessions) a year later under the title Evil Live. The live set is sadly short on material from Diamond Head's one and only substantial release, the untitled debut that later became known as Lightning to the Nations or The White Album. "Lightning to the Nations" and "The Prince" are conspicuous in their absence, but thankfully "Am I Evil" kicks off the live set and "Helpless" closes things out. More than a couple interesting cover tunes populate the second half of Evil Live, with Montrose's "Rock the Nation" standing out as a clear highlight. Throughout all 16 tracks of this disc, Brian Tatler's guitar playing is first-rate, as is the vocal work of Sean Harris. These two influential but relatively unknown artists are among the finest in their respective positions of all who participated in the NWOBHM. Evil Live can be recommended solely based on the performances of these two hard rock virtuosos, but this disc (like a great majority of the group's albums) can hardly stand up to Diamond Head's revolutionary debut. ~ Vincent Jeffries, Rovi