Black Diamonds - No-Tell Hotel

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As everyone wishes, I also have a set of three wishes to make if I find the Aladdin lamp, but one of them is clear: to go back to the 80’s, and to stay on an endless time loop that begins on 1980 and end on 1989. I miss a lot those days, especially because the radical vision I had on those years (a lot of it influenced by ‘death to false Metal’ and childish things like this), I lost the golden age of Glam Metal. Today, I love bands that I usually said I hated back them. But if I can’t travel in time, bands as the Swiss quartet BLACK DIAMONDS can make my mind go back to those days. Listen to “No-Tell Hotel” and you all will understand what I mean.

On their musical work on their fourth album, the listeners will have the same elements from Glam Metal bands from the 80’s as MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and KISS (on the unmasked age), but with a strong commercial appeal in the vein of BON JOVI on some melodies and catchy choruses. The energy is amazing, but don’t get the wrong idea: their music doesn’t sound old or moldy, but fresh and really charming. The sound quality worked in a way to keep their music loud and clean, but with strength and weight as well. Obviously the band worked on a way that could sound as they were playing alive, so there’s a refreshing organic feeling blowing throughout all the songs, and the instrumental tunes were chosen wisely.

This album is their first with Chris on the guitars, but their music is the same of their past releases, so be prepared to be hooked by their music. Especially for songs as “No-Tell Hotel” (a fine mix between heavy moments and accessible melodies, and what a great work on guitars, both on riffs and on the solos), “Evil Twin” (amazing chorus, vocals and backing vocals), “Lonesome Road” (the contrasts between melodies with a clear accessible insight with strong and heavy parts is excellent), “Saturday” (some influences from DEF LEPPARD appears on the arrangements, and the accessibility is amazing, and this songs is really incredible), “Anytime” (a charming and good ballad), “The Island” (another song with accessible melodies, along with a very good work of bass guitar and drums), and “Reaching for the Stars”, because these ones will make you crawl up the walls.

As “No-Tell Hotel” ends, the feeling that the listener will have is that BLACK DIAMONDS is another excellent name from the Swiss Glam Metal scene, and they deserve to grow more and more.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 10
Production: 8