DIAMOND HEAD, ULI JON ROTH @Academy 2 4/10/13

You certainly cannot accuse Uli Jon Roth of not being active. This show is part of an almost constant effort to play the Midlands it seems, and not glitzy venues either. Have guitar will travel appears to be the motto of this former Scorpion.

The question though, is he any good, it is after all not about how many times you play, but how much skill you have. The answer to that question is a guarded yes. Roth is quite clearly a brilliant guitar player and there is a proggy, almost mystical quality to his metal. There are two vocalists, depending on the type of track that is being played and the music is largely tremendous, but if there is a criticism it is that too many of the songs become drawn out jams.

Diamond Head, since they reformed a few years back, have themselves been frequent in the gig circuit. Perhaps it is this familiarity, then that has led to the crowd being down on what you might expect for this co-headline gig, and bluntly, there is a bit of a deflated atmosphere throughout, which is odd considering it amounts to more or less a hometown show.

The set is something similar to that which they have played for a couple of years, with the bulk of it coming from their best regarded album, 1980’s “Lightning to the Nations.” They tour all around the world doing this sort of stuff – and when they leave us they are jetting for a major run to the US and they know exactly what they are doing.

Often still seen as a new boy, singer Nick Tart has been in the band for nine years now and he is very much at home behind the mic, but he does though encapsulate the overriding problem with this evening.

Perhaps he does so unwittingly, but as the final song of the main set approaches, the Brummie frontman says “I know you’ve been waiting for one song all night, are you waiting?” There is not much response. “Are you evil?” he sneers. And with that the band are off and their mother is a witch, who is burned alive. “Am I Evil?” is a truly fantastic song, one of the iconic moments in British Metal, but it is not the only song the band have – just ask Metallica, who still worship them – but they do seem to want to make their career all about those glorious seven minutes.

RTM has seen Diamond Head before and will see them again, but we have seen them be much better than this, as for whatever reason, tonight was just a touch flat.

DIAMOND HEAD, Stampede @Slade Rooms. Wolverhampton 5/7/12

There are an increasing number of bands, it seems, that were nearly big in the 80s that have come back for another go in this century.

These aren’t the type of bands who can fill stadiums at the mere mention of them playing their debut album in full, but are, you suspect, doing it because they damn well enjoy playing music – and of course, if they can get on the nostalgia bandwagon in some small fashion, then why shouldn’t they?

Led by Reuben Archer, Stampede definitely fall into that bracket. The band fell apart in the early 1980s when Archer's stepson, guitarist Laurence left to join Thin Lizzy.

Now they are back, flexing their melodic rock muscles, and doing so in a very British way. Their comeback 2011 release “A Sudden Impulse” is well thumbed tonight and “Send Me Down An Angel” from that record stands up superbly alongside early career songs such as “Days of Wine And Roses” and “Missing You.” Frontman Rueben Archer- is full of confident charm and not even the cramped confines of the Slade Rooms stage can dull his cheer.

Everything we said about Stampede holds true for Diamond Head, except that is for a couple of key points. First, they have a legacy that stands up with most of the late 1970s/early 1980s and second, they are held in massive degree of reverence in metal circles thanks largely to their influence on Metallica, so much so that they are almost the fifth of the Big Four if you will.

Of course, this hasn’t resonated perhaps in record or ticket sales, hence why this gig is being played in the smallest of the three main Wolves venues and even then is far from full.

Since their reformation on a permanent basis, Black Country based Head have blended a couple of new albums with a loving mining of their back catalogue and this is reflected in their setlist. For example, the title track of the brilliant “Lightning To The Nations” album sounds just as good as “Pray For Me” from 2005’s “What’s In Your Head” opus.

This is perhaps because the band have re-invigorated by the presence of singer Nick Tart, who replaced original frontman Sean Harris in the year before “What’s….” came out. He braves both the sweltering heat and the tiny stage to put in an enthusiastic performance, Bassman Eddie Moohan lives up to his nickname of “Chaos” joins him but it is perhaps drummer Karl Wilcox who is the most impressive.

The band had cancelled their previous couple of shows due to Wilcox’s ill-health but he is back behind his kit for tonight’s hometown (ish) show and despite clearly struggling he manages to play a small solo during encore “Helpless.”

Prior to that, the band – who boast the effortlessly cool lead guitarist Brian Tatler as their only original member have given us a thrilling rendition of their signature piece “Am I Evil?” but don’t make the mistake of thinking this was all about wallowing in history.

Diamond Head – and Stampede too – are bands with plenty to be proud of, but plenty to look forward to as well.