Diamond Head – To The Devil His Due (Concert)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: C     Extras: C     Concert: D

 

 

Oh the insanity!  It’s amazing how many bands out there firmly believe that once they learn a few power chords on guitar and add some distortion that they suddenly are a heavy metal band, although I don’t think anyone has notified the band Diamond Head that they sounded better when they were called Deep Purple about 30 years ago.  However, this Brit-Metal Band is too busy trying to be Black Sabbath, minus the talent or fans that it’s not even funny.  Actually, it is funny and this DVD proves just how pathetic that is.  Although strangely enough the concert does show people enjoying their music, perhaps for two reasons:  1. Free tickets. 2. They are possessed by Satan and drugs and somehow due to extended periods of listening to loud music actually believe that this band sounds good.  Oh wait, maybe a third reason…supportive family members perhaps?

 

My favorite moment happens during the intro of the third song, which opens with what some might mistake for an 8-year-old kid learning how to play Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant Song, which is just yet another one of their obvious influences as much of their riffs are nearly identical to just about every single famous riff by the following three people: Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, and Tony Iommi.  Oh how they wish!  Unfortunately they don’t have the talent to even be a good cover band.  This concert takes place in London 2005, which I am surprised to find out that “the mullet” somehow took a foothold at one point there as well.

 

Set Listing:

 

Am I Evil?

It’s Electric (Yeah, I know…Boogie Woogie Woogie…right?)

Give it to Me (Apparently one of their prison hits)

The Prince (Not even the Fresh Prince could save this)

Mine All Mine

Lightning to the Nations

Fallen Angel

To the Devil His Due (This band received the bad end of that bargain)

Alimony (I guess this is where their ticket sales go?)

I Can’t Help Myself

Sucking My Love (Another prison hit)

Streets of Gold

Helpless (thankfully not a remake of the Neil Young song)

Am I Evil

In the Heat of the Night (Where’s Sidney Poitier when you need him?)

 

 

If you happen to recognize the riff from song number four, The Prince, it’s because it’s practically the same one from another great band that this group wishes they were called Kansas.  It’s one poor song after another as these wannabee Metal-heads really think they are original, but it’s really sad.  Even the lead singer parades around like Roger Daltrey, only without coordination.  He tries to win the crowd over by screaming things like “Come on people”, but there is little to be excited about unless Megadeth is on next for a reunion concert.  If they can wish, so can I.  Actually they did play with Megadeth shortly before this filmed event, which would have been an awesome DVD to have with both bands, or actually just Megadeth would have been just fine. 

 

The 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 anamorphically-enhanced video image is nothing special, so it goes well with the band.  Actually, it’s better than expected in the overall quality, but this film was shot from a camera crew who apparently just read the book Rock Concert Camerawork 101.  Nothing groundbreaking here and there is far too much white light on the lead singer as he appears washed out compared to the rest of the band.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes are equally yawn-worthy even when I cranked up the volume knob to see if there was something I was missing by not having it near ear-bleeding level I was still unimpressed with just how constricted the sound was and it appears to be compressed.  Although the sound is clean and better than a lot of concert DVD’s that have tonal issues and such, this one manages to be well-mixed in terms of the purity of the sound, but that’s nothing impressive when the band is hardly worth hearing.  I suppose fans will be glad to have this though, but for others it truly shows the limitations of the band because even when they are recorded well, it still shows their weaknesses as musicians and performers. 

 

This concert is long!  Over two hours, plus a bonus feature with interviews with the band the misery can’t end soon enough for some, while others (again the fans) will certainly be glad to have a relentless concert that drags on and on like a bad nightmare, or the final 30 minutes of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which a few of us have joked about saying that it has more endings than Fellini’s 8 ½.

 

Chances are if you are not already a Diamond Head fan than you won’t exactly be won over by this DVD, however, if you actually enjoy their repertoire than this DVD will certainly get the job done.

 

 

-   Nate Goss