DIEMONDS SHINE IN MINNESOTA
Diemonds: 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, Minnesota


Words and Pictures: Jeff Kunze
21st August 2017





Diemonds are a hard rocking band hailing from Toronto, Canada and in 2008 they released the EP 'In The Rough' and followed that up with two full-length albums, 'The Bad Pack' (2012) and 'Never Wanna Die' (2015).

The evolution of the material really shines on the latter. The album is full of great riffs intertwined with melody and catchy hooks and it's a modern sound that reaches back and interjects an LA glam influence. The band have spent the last month touring through the US and are gearing up for a trip to Europe to showcase themselves, along with a slew of impressive songs.



A few miles down the road from 7th St Entry, Guns N' Roses were playing to 60,000 people at US Bank Stadium and Diemonds hit the stage like they were headlining the same arena. Soaking in energy, the set was kicked into gear with the rocker 'Better Off Dead' and the best track from their latest album, 'Hell Is Full', hit next and sounds every bit as good as I would expect it to. It's made to be played live and at high volume and if any song represents Diemonds' DNA, it's that one.

More tracks from 'Never Wanna Die' continued to keep things at full throttle with 'Forever Untamed', 'Over It', 'Wild At Heart' and the title track all sounding fantastic. They were played with attitude and conviction by band that had something to prove with every note. 'The Bad Pack' also had plenty of representation but the two that really stood out were 'Take On The Night' and 'Get The Fuck Outta Here'.



Priya Panda is a pro at center stage, pulling off her vocals to near perfection, extending her personality to the crowd and making sure everyone felt like they were part of the show. Both guitar players worked well together, CC Diemond and Daniel Dekay both entertaining while they provided some great playing. CC also does a lot of backing vocals and took lead vocals on one occasion whilst the rhythm section of Tyrone Buccione (bass) and Kyle Lecourt (drums) provided that solid foundation that held everything together.

The world of rock is full of great bands that for some reason fly under the radar and whilst Diemonds have a loyal following, they deserve much more and I'm hopeful this run through the States opened a few more eyes. The upcoming European Tour should introduce the band to new audiences and give the band more visibility in the rock world.



I would suggest three things. Grab that 'Never Wanna Die' album pronto, read the interview with lead vocalist Priya Panda by Ian Sutherland (here) as it gives some great insight into the band and third, check out the dates for the upcoming tour and get out to a show and support this band.





Diemonds Alive In Europe:
27th August: Hull, UK - Hair Metal Heaven
29th August: Birmingham, UK - Subside
30th August: Glasgow, UK - Bloc+
31st August: Perth, UK - The Green Room
1st September: Edinburgh, UK - Bannermans Bar
2nd September: London, UK - The Underworld Camden
5th September: Nantes, FR - La Scène Michelet
6th September: Bordeaux, FR - Les Runes
7th September: Zaragoza, ES - Utopía Sala
8th September: Burgos, ES - La Ciudadela Burgos
9th September: Alcalá De Henares, ES - Egolive Alcala
10th September: Vigo, ES - Transylvania Metal Pub Vigo
12th September: Saint-Étienne, FR - Thunderbird Lounge 42
14th September: Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
15th September: Marburg, DE - Trauma Im G-Werk / Marburg
16th September: Vienna, AT - Escape
17th September: Munich, DE - Garage Deluxe
19th September: Leipzig, DE - 4rooms
20th September: Düsseldorf, DE - R25 - Kulturschlachthof
  21st September: Hamburg, DE - Bambi Galore
22nd September: Osnabrück, DE - Jugendzentrum Westwerk