Diamond Head - Borrowed Time (1982)^{Release ID: 723}

Diamond Head's classic NWOBHM debut album "Lightning To The Nations" made a very big impression on me back in the day. So much so in fact, that I'd comfortably nominate it as the best metal album of 1980 ahead of some very strong competition which is quite an achievement for a release that was only ever intended to be the demo that would score the band a decent record deal. And it was successful in that endeavor too with major label MCA picking them up in 1981; a deal which saw Diamond Head recording their “debut" album “Borrowed Time” with producer Mike Hedges who had previously worked with the likes of The Cure & Bauhaus but had no real metal pedigree to speak of.

“Borrowed Time” certainly has a cleaner & fuller production job than “Lightning To The Nations” but it’s open for debate as to whether it suited the band’s sound better. Most people will tell you that it doesn’t & I have to say that I sit pretty comfortably in that camp too. It’s pretty easy to compare the two production jobs because “Borrowed Time” includes re-recorded versions of two of the songs from “Lightning To The Nations” in the title track & the classic “Am I Evil?”; neither of which are as good as the originals. “Lightning To The Nations” isn’t far behind the original to be fair however “Am I Evil?” has been performed at a slower pace & with less energy than the original. Plus, the production makes the riffs sound a bit muddy so even though it’s still amongst the album highlights it’s definitely a step down from the original version.

But the production isn’t the only thing that’s vastly different from the band’s previous studio offerings. Diamond Head are also championing a new style on the five new songs on offer. In fact, the two re-recordings are the only genuine metal songs on the album with the rest sitting more comfortably in the hard rock camp or somewhere in between. The new material is much less riff-oriented & also less obvious than the exciting metal of “Lightning To The Nations” so it requires a fair bit more time to get into. The urgency that was so potent on earlier releases isn’t there any more & it’s a moodier sounding Diamond Head in general.

Many fans & critics will tell you that this change in style can be put down to record label pressure however I’m not so sure as there’s really only one song that has a particularly commercial edge to it. Three of the songs clock in between six & eight minutes in duration & there’s a distinctly progressive edge to some of the material; particularly with the lengthier tracks on the B side which I would genuinely label as progressive rock. The single “Call Me” was clearly written with commercial success in mind though as it’s a fair bit poppier than anything we’ve heard from the band previously & although the chorus is pretty catchy it struggles to maintain my interest.

Brian Tatler’s lead guitar playing is the clear highlight of the record & I really enjoy the more progressive & bluesy moments where he’s given the space to stretch out a bit. I think vocalist Sean Harris has to try pretty hard to keep some of this material interesting because he’s not working with the sort of hooks he’s accustomed to but he does a pretty good job of it to be honest.

While “Borrowed Time” is comfortably regarded as Diamond Head’s second best release, it’s not considered to be essential NWOBHM listening. I think that’s a fair call but I do quite like it. It’s a very consistent record with just the one short blemish & I really enjoy listening to these four musicians as they generally always championed creativity & musicality over accessibility. If you’re a fan of Diamond Head’s early material then I’d recommend that you give this one a good four or five listens with an open mind to give it a chance to open up.