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DIAMOND LANE
Terrorizer
Self-released (2014)
Rating: 4.5/10

I’ve heard a few good things about this Los Angeles, California-based metal act that have been on the circuit now for a few years, with Terrorizer being the second full-length studio release from the band.

Of course, any band that is attempting to bring bog standard rock ’n’ roll to the masses is going to have a hell of a problem, especially when the vocals lack the conviction of the music, and that’s where Diamond Lane falter. Alongside the rather pedestrian lyrics but occasionally decent grooves, here is a band that just sound so watered down that it’s hard to get along with such a record. There are countless bands opting for similar routes – the sort who combine sleaze-edged rock with traditional metal – but at times it can come across as completely false and uninspiring.

Diamond Lane is a quintet which consists of vocalist Brandon Baumann, guitarists Jarret Reis and Frankie Lindia, bassist Ray Zhang and drummer Dave Vandiggity. The music they create is simply bland from beginning to end. Although weighty in places, the band manage to sound incredibly dreary and formulaic, and those vocals are simply unable to match some of the more stirring moments of the musicianship.

I was none too impressed by the band’s 2011 opus World Without Heroes or the 2013 follow-up EP Sapphire, but I hoped deep down that Diamond Lane would appease my scepticism this time round, especially when one considers just how many venues in the US they sell out. Whether it’s ‘Favorite Kind Of Victim’, ‘Life To Lose’, ‘Kiss The Ring’ or ‘Drift’, however, I’m simply unmoved by the mix of the modern and 80s-tinged tepid anthems.

The guitars on the album are relatively robust and do give the opus an added bite, but this is necessary considering the amount of flaws elsewhere as the band plod in dull fashion through the cuts on offer. Interestingly, I’ve read numerous articles about Baumann having the “perfect” voice, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right voice – his tone is extremely mediocre, and does little to lift the music above middle of the road.

While many of the tunes here are catchy numbers and injected with passionate solos, I’m finding it extremely difficult to remember anything that trundles by. I guess so much of this modern rock just doesn’t convince me, and there are times when I struggle to actually find anything good to say to those who may have a keen interest in bands of this ilk. I think if you like derivative, solid rock with a catchy edge then you may find something within this album to entertain you, but Diamond Lane is not rocking my world.

Neil Arnold

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