There sure are some perks to this job and one of them has to be that I managed to get my eager paws on the second studio album from the soon-to-be-huge Diaries of a Hero. You guys are in for a treat when it drops on the 28th of May.
It’s meant as the biggest compliment when I say that Diaries’ sound is reminiscent of metal from a decade back. Filthy drumming and downright illicit riffs are present throughout and the ‘call to arms’ type vocals of Carlo Del Favero conjure up favourable comparisons to the glory years of Rise Against and Bullet For My Valentine.
You’ll understand why big-hitters like Motorhead and Anthrax were more than happy to tour with this band after the second track ‘Solitude’ hits, and it hits hard. The almost cinematic opener butters you up nicely for what’s to come by setting the tone for an emotionally-charged bulldozer of an LP.
You won’t hear many more deliciously filthy riffs in modern metal than the one that kicks off ‘J5’ and its Disturbed-esque styling paves the way for an absolute monster track. The momentum continues into ‘Throne’ with the feeling that the album is improving with every passing song.
There’s an obvious formula when it comes to most metal albums and it’s something that Diaries have clearly put a lot of effort into rebelling against. The tempo is relentless: as soon as you get given a chance to breathe, in comes the ferocious drumwork courtesy of Mr. Berisha, and the melody is quickened into a non-stop barrage of tight instrumentals and on-point screaming vocals.
You might want a lie down by the time ‘Brother’ reaches its climax and no-one will blame you. The pace from Diaries doesn’t relent and it’s a brave step in the right direction overall for one of the most promising alt metal bands Britain has produced in the past 10 years.
If there are to be any critiques of the album, it has to be said that there isn’t one track which stands out above the rest. The album feels like more of a refined composition than a collection of singles, the guys having clearly assembled their own vision of what a metal album should be – which may deter some. No doubt Diaries’ gigs will be spectacular but you may be hard-pressed to find anyone singing along thanks to the lack of a definite anthem.
8/10
Diaries Of A Hero will release their self-titled second album “Diaries Of Hero” on 26th May 2014
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