Diamond Eye to Record Debut Full-Length This Summer

Yes, it's been a couple weeks since I had a brand new post for you guys, so I apologize that final exams are sucking the life out of me. But I do have a quick tidbit of sick news that will make up for everything.

Diamond Eye

NRN43 and Underground Takeover veterans Diamond Eye will be traveling to Los Angeles this summer to begin recording their debut full-length album with Grammy Award-winning producer Bob Kulick! Kulick's credentials range from production work the Motörhead (for which they won a Grammy in 2004), Dee Snider, Alice Cooper, KISS and more. I can't wait to hear what comes from these sessions. The Diamond Eye demo that I got my hands on a couple of years ago was certainly a promising start for this Australian powerhouse. Followed by the live DVD/CD Alive and Kicking, and more recently by the EP Sound of the Guns, the Diamond Eye demo, was my first peek into this band's inner core. Brace yourselves for a bombastic, octane-driven teleportation back to the glory days of metal. Diamond Eye are coming, there's no stopping these guys now!

Tetrarch Release Brand New Promo Video

It's been a couple months since we saw anything new from Tetrarch, but last night that changed. Just a few ours ago, the four-person metal force debuted a new video on Youtube to promote their new single "We Are the Hunters" off their most recent EP, The Will to Fight. The video promo, filmed by Chasing Squirrelz, Inc., and Tetrarch's first official release of 2012, provides some great background information on the band. Viewers will see where Tetrarch started, how they've been transforming over the years, and where they're going to go next, and all of this against the backdrop of some great shots of the band performing their song, "We Are the Hunters." Go check out this new promo guys, it's sick. We're definitely gonna see big things from Tetrarch in 2012!

Tetrarch Announce Plans for New EP/Music Video in 2012

I was way stoked to see this video up of Tetrarch's own Diamond Rowe announcing new plans for the metal foursome in 2012. According to Rowe (and as you can see in the video update), Tetrarch are planning to record at Audiohammer Studios, a mecca for new metal artists. In addition to the announced six-song EP, I'm also jumping to see the newly announced Tetrarch music video debut which according to Rowe is set to arise sometime next spring. Get pumped guys, Tetrarch are coming back hard!! Check out Diamond Rowe's video update below!

Diamond Eye Marching to the Sound of the Guns

I'm super stoked to be the one to bring you coverage of this new EP today because it is going to tear your head off and leave you shaking in the wind. And that's just for starters.

Diamond Eye's debut EP, Sound of the Guns

Australia's Diamond Eye have been a band on my radar since I came across them in late 2009. Since then, I've been keeping up with every new release of the band, and every big event they've taken down in their path. Back in late '09, I got my hands on a copy of a rough demo that Diamond Eye used to gain some attention in the Perth heavy metal scene. To give you an idea of how rough this demo was, all it said on the front was Diamond Eye and Demo. But rough doesn't mean bad, and the minute I threw that demo on I was instantly hit by tracks of a caliber that blew my mind. Rough, yes, but holding so much promise, and as I listened to tracks like "Waiting for Me," "Machine," and "Holding On," all I could imagine was what it must have felt like listening to a rough Metallica or Iron Maiden demo before they took off. Secretly, I hoped that those three songs would see new rerecordings as Diamond Eye gained more clout (perhaps not so secretly, as I told lead guitarist Greg Fawcett that "Waiting for Me" was a sparkling diamond in the rough).
Last year saw the release of Diamond Eye's debut live DVD/album Alive and Kicking which I also happened to be able to get my hands on. Though the album showed extreme promise with tracks like "Atlantis" and a live recording of "Machine," one track stood above the others as the song that could not be ignored: "Sound of the Guns."

Diamond Eye; From left: Geoff Keating, Will Kelly, Greg Fawcett, and Chase Cameron

Now, finally, Diamond Eye have returned with their newest studio effort, the EP so rightly titled Sound of the Guns. Yes, the title track is on here, and yes the studio recording is more than I could have dreamed of. Greg Fawcett's lead guitar burns with the rage and determination of an axe on a mission, and as his riffs pepper the rhythmic drumbeats of Geoff Keating and bass-blasts of Chase Cameron, Diamond Eye have reached a new level altogether. From the start, "Sound of the Guns" sounds like a Metallica-influenced song with the bluff and bluster of a Maiden-lead charge. Will Kelly's vocals have improved even more since Alive and Kicking, and now his octave vocal wails are high above Keating's drums as Fawcett pick-slides into an altogether new rhythm. The best part about this song is that is changes halfway through, and in one song there are two great parts mashed together to provide a shrill nitro-explosion to your brain. As Kelly leads out on his vocal highs, the rhythm section follows suit as Fawcett solos until the very last seconds of this song. There is no way this track could have been done any better, and with a single like this, Diamond Eye cement their image as one of Perth's hardest rocking bands.
Sound of the Guns also sees rerecorded versions of "Waiting for Me" (a fucking brilliant rerecording by the way, filled with more balls and gusto than most groups can muster on a whole album), "Atlantis," and "Machine," as well as a new track, "Closer to the Sun." The rerecorded version of "Waiting for Me" has all the balls of the demo amped up to 11 (ha!) with the same sick guitar solo that melted my face off the first time I listened to the demo. This song has only gotten better, and is a completely and undeniably brilliant track. "Atlantis" and "Machine" are more robust than they were previously, and with the new "Closer to the Sun" to round it out, Sound of the Guns is an explosive triumph for Diamond Eye. This EP has to be at the top of your must-hear list. No exceptions. 

Diamond Eye Rock Australian 2011 Telethon with Live Performance

Premiering two nights ago on October 16, 2001, on live Australian TV, Diamond Eye provided a rousing performance of their song "Sound of the Guns" for throngs of metal fans. With the brash stage presence of Will Kelly on lead vocals and Greg Fawcett on lead guitar, the axe-men are driven further by the rhythm team of Chase Cameron on bass and Geoff Keating on drums. Diamond Eye's Metallica-meets-Van Halen sound proves that real stadium metal is alive and well. Check it out: for a television debut, this is what every band strives for.

There's Nothing Worse Than a "Worst of..." List

I opened Yahoo! the other to see this article title in the headlines: The Ten Worst Heavy Metal Albums of All Time!. So proudly was this title displayed that I assumed that the albums on such a list much be the scraped-off muck that comes from the bottom of the proverbial barrel only to clog up the web and draw attention away from real metal prowess. Now far be it from me to decide what albums would constitute such a description, but in my head the only such albums would be ones that suffer from terrible production, average instrumentation, or simply lack the vision and desire of such metal masterpieces like Master of Puppets, Reign in Blood, Hysteria, or Cowboys from Hell.
Yet the problem arises when compiling a "Worst of..." list because music is simply subjective, and what is so far out of the reach of understanding for some people makes perfect sense to others. Some of the best examples that come to mind are hardcore punk bands The Germs and Black Flag, post-punk bands The Slits and X-Ray Spex, and Riot Grrrl bands Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. I gotta say that Rob O'Connor, writer of Yahoo's List of the Day music blog has certainly lost all of my respect in one fell swoop. The number one rule in the music business (trust me, even if people won't admit it, it's true) is that it's imperative to be careful when describing just how something sounds and analyzing it. Many journalists chalk this up to questioning if it's "good" or not, but it's only through that thought process that they parade their ignorance. Music is art, and art has no right or wrong. Also living within the bounds of reality, when music journalists do this (and we've all seen Almost Famous, so it's clear how artists many times see music journalists) they risk alienating not only their die-hard fans, but would-be readers and the artists themselves.
Take a look and see for yourself. For me, Bob O'Connor's list is a perfect example of everything that's wrong with music journalism today.

Bob O'Connor's The Ten Worst Heavy Metal Albums of All Time!

Tetrarch Reveal Clip of New Song

Just yesterday Tetrarch posted a clip of a new song for their upcoming release. Check it out and see what you think! It's pretty heavy, but I can't wait to hear the whole thing!

Tetrarch promo (click here for the new clip!)

Diamond Eye: Alive and Kicking!

A little bit after the fact with this update (and for that I do apologize), I've had it on my mental list to give you guys this review for a few months now. The last time Australian rockers Diamond Eye made headlines here, they were on track to open for Quiet Riot and Warrant (RIP Jani Lane) on their Australian metal tour last spring. Though it seems that those plans fell through as Quiet Riot and Warrant decided to cancel the planned tour, Diamond Eye charged ahead with their own projects, recording new material and playing tons of new shows. The result of such a dedicated effort came in the form of the band's first recording of live material, the live DVD album Alive and Kicking. Though it came out last winter, I've been listening (and watching) Alive and Kicking all spring and summer long, and I gotta say it rocks fucking hard.

With fan-favorites like "Machine" and "Waiting for Me" on the set-list, the band also debuted a number of new songs that have been on constant rotation in my library ever since I heard them. My favorite of the new tracks by far is "Sound of the Guns," a straight-up metal thrash-down that kicks up dust and whips it around through rhythm changes and true metal musicianship. Will Kelly's lead vocals on this track provide an anthemic rise to the song. Stadium-suited but not polished off of their gritty, street-smart attitude, Kelly's wails put fists in the air as the fans chant along with him. Just below his raging belts, Greg Fawcett's lead guitar shrieks make this the five-star track on the album. A melodic and catchy guitar progression turns to a nasty and sick sonic firestorm as the tempo of the song changes halfway through, and all of a sudden Fawcett's guitar thrusts out a new, edgy rhythm. With Chase Cameron and Geoff Keating following suit in hard-rock fashion on bass and drums respectively, Diamond Eye pull off a mental seizure of a song; I'm left brain-dead as the guitars and drums blast out, and the stage goes dark. Check out the teaser video for "Sound of the Guns" below.

Other new songs like "Atlantis" and "Last One Standing" also grace the album, and with a power like this, Diamond Eye's first live recording is a major success. But it's not just the audio that gets me. With the accompanying DVD, I can see Diamond Eye in real time, rocking forward and blasting through walls as they take the audience on balls-to-the-wall ride through true metal. Between the pyro explosions on stage and the presence of the band members, Diamond Eye make it clear that they know how to have a good time and give the people what they really want: a real rock show. Seeing them in their element with sound waves and pyros blasting around them, I'm reminded of the first time I ever saw a clip of KISS, Alice Cooper or Van Halen: just feel-good metal with real, abrasive stage presence.
Alive and Kicking is Diamond Eye's first real strike at the metal underground. Well-produced, ballsy, and robust, Diamond Eye's first crack at a live album (a live DVD album, no less) is one to be championed by fans and scouts alike. Crystal clear from the raw energy that blasts from Diamond Eye's guns like raining cannon-fire, Alive and Kicking is only the first of edgy albums to be expected from these Australian rockers. Keep your eyes out and your ears open, and check out this incredible live DVD album. I have never seen or heard something so well-produced and fulfilling from any underground band before, and that's the truth.

Tetrarch's Will to Fight

Like the difference between Metallica's Master of Puppets and their self-titled release in 1991, Tetrarch's new EP The Will to Fight is the natural next step for this ferocious four-piece. Don't be fooled, though, just because Tetrarch are moving and growing doesn't mean they're losing their touch. The new recording still has enough brute force on it to grab you by the balls and hold you in a vice until you surrender your soul.

Tetrarch's new EP, The Will to Fight

After I heard Tetrarch's eponymous debut EP, I had chills. I felt what everyone in the Bay Area must have felt the first time they heard Metallica's Kill 'Em All: sheer force and blistering fangs sunk in through sonic waves of serrated guitar riffs and pounding basslines. But as I progressed further and heard first Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, and then Metallica, I saw not only the evolution of one of the greatest metal bands of all time, but also the power that they absorbed with every subsequent record.
Tetrarch's new EP The Will to Fight works much the same way. Tracks like "We Are the Hunters" and "Sons of the Sea" showcase a new side of Tetrarch that catches my attention. Peeling back the layers of a simply catchy new recording, new aspects of the Tetrarch camp start to present themselves to the public eye (or ear, rather). Among these new aspects, a matured song-writing dynamic is front and center. "We Are the Hunters" is the throwback track to Tetrarch's former self. A thrash-metal journey reminiscent of the equally terrifying "Tyranny of Saints" and "Mental Suicide" from their previous EP, "We Are the Hunters" laps at the flames of hardcore thrash with blindside guitar solos and a riff-driven chorus that rips right through me. Lead guitarist Diamond Rowe is really on her game, and lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Josh Fore blasts out rasping verses that singe the tips of the hair standing up on the back of my neck.
Yet once "Sons of the Sea" clicks on, I know it's something new altogether. It may be the slow build-in or the ripped-ragged chords that pull me from the semi-soothing intro notes into the heart of chaos, but whatever it is, I know it's new ground for Tetrarch. Fore's vocals approach the levels of something I'd expect from Trivium mixed with Iron Maiden and Avenged Sevenfold  (no surprise, then, that Tetrarch landed the opening slot for A7X during the Project 96.1 Cinco de Mayo show in Atlanta). At just under 7:30, "Sons of the Sea" is an epic odyssey through all tortured thought and every fire-spitting mind-demon that rests behind the shadows. The drum and bass team of Nick Jones (drums) and Ryan Lerner (bass) is one of Tetrarch's strongest pillars. As Jones finds his way through what sounds to me like double-kick drums and cymbals that crash through the core of my subconscious, Lerner is right beside him, drilling through my skull with basslines that seem to nail themselves in place. Pushing this soon-to-be-metal-classic over the top is Rowe, and man do her notes tear through the fabric of space and time with a fury. A true shredder at heart, and the spike-tipped wings on which Fore's leather-lunged vocals take flight, Rowe proves herself to be an indispensable part of the Tetrarch clan.
But even with all that intensity, "Sons of the Sea" is only halfway over. The middle of the track sees a dramatic changeover in rhythm and mood, and as I near the 3/4 mark, I can't imagine what more Tetrarch could do to this track to make it any more perfect. The guitar riffs and basslines are clearly set to take Tetrarch's music to new levels, and truly they do. Taking everything they learned on their first EP and lighting a brightly burning fire under it, Tetrarch have reached their next peak. If any metal fans were skeptical of this four-piece before, surely they can't be now. Tetrarch have returned from inside the fire with new metal gold, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they're spreading their dark leather wings for further horizons. If this is what comes from a short break and a budget that can only feed a short EP, I can't wait to see what a full-length album yields. The hair on the back of my neck is prickling just thinking about it.  

Key Tracks from The Will to Fight: "Sons of the Sea," "We Are the Hunters,"

In the Pit with Tetrarch

I'm psyched today to bring to you guys something way new to NewRockNews43.com: an interview with some of the vets here who're going on to bigger and better things in their career. The guys (and girl) in Tetrarch are probably still buzzing from their show last week where they opened for national-name acts Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Alter Bridge. The opening slot was during Atlanta's Project 96.1 Cinco de Mayo concert, and I'm jealous as all hell I wasn't home in time to be there. But I'm still able to see what's going through the collective Tetrarch mind, and I intend to see what these hard-rockers are thinking. So buckle up as I sit down (more or less) with Diamond Rowe and the rest of Tetrarch and look behind the scenes at what these guys are thinking about after they just finished one of the biggest gigs of their lives.

NewRockNews43: You guys have been together for over two years now, a length of time that many bands never make it passed. How have you guys kept up your drive to continue with Tetrarch all this time?

Tetrach promo

Tetrarch: Well, we have actually officially been Tetrarch since late 2007. It really hasn't been hard to stay together for us. This is something we all want to do, and we have always known that it would not be easy, but just like any career, it takes work, persistence and time to be the best, and that's what we strive to be.

NRN43: You landed the opening gig for one of the biggest annual concerts by a mainstream Atlanta rock station. What does that sort of achievement feel like?

Tetrarch: It felt absolutely amazing. The radio station emailed us asking if we wanted to open up the show and of course we said yes! Haha. It's always great to see your hard work pay off, and we had a lot of fun. Can't wait to do that every night except in the headlining spot.

NRN43: What goes through your mind when you say to yourself, "I opened for Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Alter Bridge"?

Tetrarch: Haha, in all honesty it's great! It's amazing thinking that I opened for bands that I was listening to everyday when I was like 15 and 16 years old, and now I am playing with them. It only makes me more and more excited for the future.


NRN43: A show of this caliber must validate all the hard work that you guys have put into your band. How does it feel to have this opportunity after working together for so long?

Tetrarch: It feels amazing. Just can't wait to have more and more opportunities like this. Everyone seems to be digging the band a lot, and that is very rewarding.


NRN43: When you're up on stage, what is the most gratifying part of it?

Tetrarch: I just love seeing the crowd feeling and getting into the music that we've created. We love putting on energetic live shows, so to see everyone having a good time is what is most gratifying to me.


NRN43: You guys have been working on recording some new material recently. How do you think this new material will differ from your older songs?

Tetrarch: The new material sounds much more mature in my opinion. While we still sound like Tetrarch, we took more chances with these new songs, especially vocally. There's a lot of heavy screaming parts as well as clean singing choruses, etc... There is no half-assing on this EP. Everything we did, we went all out.


NRN43: Your show with A7X, Seether, and Alter Bridge was at Atlanta's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, a huge venue compared to smaller clubs in the city. How did you think it would feel to be on a stage of that size in front of the fans of three of the best known alternative/metal acts of the past decade? 

Tetrarch: It just felt amazing. It was great to just chill backstage with the guys who got you into playing music on a normal level. We want to be their equals in music and that's how we look at it. Not in a egotistical way, but we keep our eyes on the prize.


NRN43: You guys have received a substantial amount of radio play from one of the best known rock stations in Atlanta. How has that affected your ability to further your music?

Tetrarch: Well first off I want to thank Project 96.1 for being so great to us all the time. They have so much faith in our band and it's impossible to further a musical career without such support. I think the radio play and their support has allowed people to hear about the band in ways they otherwise never would have. It helps us reach a wider audience, and the more people hear the name "Tetrarch," the better.


NRN43: As a group standing in between being a national name and being an unknown, what sort of radio play do you see now as most conducive to your careers? Does college radio hold as much (or more) interest for you as mainstream radio?

Tetrarch: Well, I think any way that your name is being put out to the public is great. Whether it's to hundreds or to thousands of people, it's still going to help in some way. It gives the chance for people who have never heard of you to hear about the band and look more into it if they enjoyed what they heard.


NRN43: Some artists say that they feel most alive when they're up on stage. Does this apply to you? In what ways?

Tetrarch: MOST DEFINITELY. I LOVE playing live shows. Don't get me wrong, being in the studio is fun as well, but playing live is hands down my favorite. You get to interact with the people that you are making music for and trying to connect with. There's just nothing better then that.


NRN43: How has being in the Atlanta underground helped you to sharpen your teeth and prepare you for bigger things?

Tetrarch: Atlanta does not have the easiest scene to get noticed in. I think it's helped our work ethic a lot. We know not everything is going to come easily, and we are ok with working for it because it's all we ever had to do.


NRN43: You guys have concocted some pretty intense songs in your time together. Do you find that it's the intense nature of the music that gives you an extra kick when you write and play?

Tetrarch: Well, we're honestly not the angriest kids alive, haha. In all honesty, we're not even angry at all. But we make sure to write music that we love, and that's heavy, energetic music.


NRN43: Atlanta isn't really known in the mainstream as a hard-rock/metal hotbed. How have you found your way in a city where the predominant musical styles (rap and R&B) are very different from your own?

Tetrarch: Even though we write metal music, we try to incorporate things that everyone can enjoy, or at least appreciate. We don't strive to be a underground metal band. Fuck that. We want to be as big as we can, and appeal to as many people as possible like our musical idols have.


NRN43: You guys are clearly starting to blow up in new ways. How do you feel you're going to prepare yourselves for a whole new level of the music industry?

Tetrarch: We have a lot of great insight from different people who we know that help us prepare. We have been hearing and learning a lot about the music industry since we were young, and it's definitely not the easiest or anywhere near the most honest industry out there. But we're ready to put our minds to work and become the force to reckon with that we know we can be.


NRN43: When you look back and see how far you've come and what you've achieved, is there anything you would change? If so, what would it be?

Tetrarch: I actually don't think I would change anything. We have slowly and steadily carved our way through each level of being a band. I'm actually quite pleased with the progress we're making, and I think it's only going to get bigger and bigger.

So there you have it. Thoughts from one of the most popular bands in the Atlanta rock scene. Where Tetrarch will go from here is anyone's guess, but I'm sure psyched to see. Stay tuned for a review of Tetrarch's new EP, The Will to Fight.