by Brian DowningDiamond Nights is yet another compilation of material from Diamond Head's classic 1980 album Lightning to the Nations. What separates this from previous reissues is that these are the original mixes taken from the master tapes. Brian Tatler had remixed most of this material in 1986 for release on Behold the Beginning. Long-time fans cried foul, but it was this batch of remixes that have been the only ones in print until this point. Diamond Nights contains the original mixes, plus eight bonus cuts, and marks the first time this material has been widely available in America. The seven cuts that comprised the original Lightning to the Nations LP still remain the best, especially "It's Electric," "Helpless," "Am I Evil," and "The Prince." Coincidentally, all four were later covered by Metallica and released on Garage Inc. A song like "Sucking My Love" is a reminder of why pundits hailed Diamond Head as the second coming of Led Zeppelin. The epic length, slow build-up and Plant-esque vocals are definitely reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's sound, yet the Spinal Tap lyrics keep the comparison from being fully valid. The bonus tracks are nice but not essential, and some may wonder why Metal Blade chose to scramble the original running order of the seven songs from Lightning to the Nations. Although there was hope that their fast and clean update of monster Black Sabbath riffs would make them the shining stars of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, Diamond Head never equaled the success of peers Iron Maiden or Def Leppard. All the same, this release highlights the best the band had to offer in exceptional sound and should be considered essential to both the curious and the converted.