Diamond Dogs
Eye of the Storm

Diamond Dogs isn’t just a Swedish band, it is also a Dutch band who are now giving us their debut album. Personally, I find it a bit strange that you take the same name as another band, are they hoping that some buy their album believing they bought something by Sulo and his band with the same name? It also makes one question the creative and original thinking of such a band but looking at the art and the title of Eye of the Storm it is obvious that original is a word that is missing from the vocabulary of the Dutch band.

Oi is how this style is sometimes described, aggressive and energetic punk rock is another way to say it. I read that it is forged in fire, and things like that, an ultra-barbaric LP is another thing I read – perhaps a bit more colourful than it actually is but it is both barbaric and aggressive, and quite powerful. The sound is simple yet effective, the vocals are quite bad, but you can probably overlook that as it aids the aggression, and the singer at least keeps up with the high pace of the songs. Not much variation over the tracks, but the album is over in just nineteen minutes so it may feel a tad on the long side but objectively you don’t lose too much time should you be bored with the album.

Gatekeeper and the opening title track are the tracks that makes something of a mark, perhaps because the album starts feeling repetitive after those. It is a decent, or pretty good album that is fine to listen to, but not something that makes any lasting impression. It probably works well for the intended audience as it is a solid effort, but I would have liked more variation and more original thinking, when 19 minutes feels long you know that it is not the most exciting album ever made.

So, in the end I think it is an album for those already initiated in the style of music that Diamond Dogs has to offer, and that the Swedish band with the same name has a lot more to offer.

HHHHHHH