Diamond Head-Lightning To The Nations (1980)

The third wave of heavy metal, which emerged a decade after the first, was called the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM. It arose in England as the 1970s drew to a close, building upon the legacy of the genre's great bands such as Led Zeppelin, Budgie, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, and Deep Purple. By the mid-1970s, the second wave had already emerged, featuring UFO, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, and Scorpions, among many others. These bands began to move away from the psychedelic, progressive, and blues influences of the first wave, giving the style greater power and speed, as well as incorporating other influences such as the driving force of punk and a frenetic rhythm. This third wave was spearheaded by the well-known Iron Maiden, Samson, Praying Mantis, Angel Witch, and Diamond Head, and it was precisely the latter that would produce one of the most emblematic albums of the genre: “Lightning to the Nations”, released in 1980 and considered one of the most memorable works of British heavy metal of all time. Diamond Head had formed four years earlier in the British town of Stourbridge by guitarist Brian Tatler, singer and guitarist Sean Harris, and drummer Duncan Scott. A year later, bassist Colin Kimberley joined them. With this lineup, and under the independent label Happy Face, they released “Lightning to the Nations” near the end of 1980. Composed of half a dozen songs, all of them overwhelming and intense, as demonstrated in the frenetic “Helpless”, the penetrating “It’s Electric” and “Sweet And Innocent”, the sinister “The Prince”, the sensational “Am I Evil?” or the sublime “Sucking My Love”.