Diamond Plate Interview

James Merrett caught up with young metal upstarts Diamond Plate last month. Here's what they had to say

Hey guys, how’s life treating you?

Konrad: Life has been busy, but really great. Our debut album ‘Generation Why?’ was just released in the US, and will be released in Europe on August 29. We’re on our first ever tour of the USA, and life on the road has been amazing so far. We couldn’t be prouder of all the work we’re doing, and it’s definitely only the beginning!

For those new to Diamond Plate, how would you describe your sound?

-It’s always hard to describe your own band’s sound.  We’ve always just played what we felt, and let critics/fans categorize us. Our band is heavy, aggressive, with a good sense of song writing. Some people say that we have an old-school vibe to us, and I guess that comes through from all the older music that we listen to.

Your debut album Generation Why? has been out for a few weeks, how has the reaction been by the media and the fans?

-We’ve been blown away by all the great support that we’ve had from critics and fans alike. All of us put everything we could into this debut album, so it was really gratifying to see that people dug the album and understood what we were trying to do.

In some reviews you were compared to current thrash lords Evile, how does that make you guys feel?

-I think the comparison comes from being on the same label. Evile is a fantastic band but I definitely think that both of our bands have our own identities and we’re really not that similar.

You’re signed to Earache Records, which is host to a lot of big names in Metal, How does that feel?

-It’s amazing to be working on the same label that many of our idols were on back in the day. Carcass, Morbid Angel, and Sleep are three bands that I listen to constantly. I’m honored to have something in common with all of those bands.

You’re about to go on a full blown tour with first Kittie, and then Warbringer, are you nervous for these dates or looking forward to it?

-Right now, we are about two weeks in to our tour with Kittie and Dirge Within. It’s been incredible so far and we couldn’t be more excited to be spreading ‘Generation Why?’ all over the states. We’ve been playing to a brand new market/crowd, but the reactions have been killer night after night and we’re definitely gaining a lot of fans. The next tour with Warbringer, Lazarus A.D., and Landmine Marathon will be amazing as well. We’re excited to play to our ‘type’ of crowd, since we’re used to playing to thrashers. Warbringer and Lazarus A.D. have been great friends of ours for a while now, so it will be a lot of fun to go out with those guys on one of our first tours.

You recorded your debut with Neil Kearnon, who has worked with metal legends such as Judas Priest and Nevermore. Were you intimidated whilst working with him?

-Not at all. Neil did an amazing job making us all feel so comfortable working with him. We were really able to relax and let ideas flow easily. That’s the reason why the recording went so smooth even though the entire album had to be tracked in 10 days. The knowledge and experience that Neil brought to the recording allowed us to sound like we’ve always dreamed of sounding. Without him, the album would definitely not have sounded as good as it turned out.

You have some very outspoken tracks on the album about today’s youth such as Generation Why?

Being so young yourselves, how did this inspiration come about?

-We really wanted the album to be not only relevant to the world today, but specifically to people that are our age. Being only 18/19 years old, we all felt that writing about our own generation was the only way to write something true and honest. ‘Generation Why?’ is meant to be a statement against people in our generation that do not strive for greatness and are content with living a life of mediocrity.

When are we going to see you guys tour the UK?

-Our plan now is to dominate the USA with relentless touring. Once we’ve generated some buzz on this side of the world, we’ll start touring the UK, Europe, and everywhere else in the world. Wherever there are fans of metal, we want the name Diamond Plate to be known.  If fans want to see us play in your country, please buy a copy of ‘Generation Why?’ and show us that you want us there! All of us can’t wait to get out of the US and start playing around the world.

Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?

- Don’t take our word or anyone else’s word for what our music sounds like, go check it and decide for yourselves. Thanks for using your ears! Why so heavy?

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview.