One of the flagship bands associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Diamond Head changed the course of headbanger history at the dawn of the ’80s. Though they quickly built a reputation as a ferocious live act after forming in 1976, their mix of speeding tempos, precision musicianship and DIY toughness proved too radical to land them a deal with a major label. Self-released in 1980—a novel move for metalheads at the time—their debut album, Lightning To The Nations (a.k.a. “The White Album”), became a word-of-mouth sensation, influencing future thrash giants like Metallica and Megadeth. In the decades since, Diamond Head have, thanks to the anchoring presence and ageless riffs of shredder Brian Tatler, put out a clutch of albums like 2019’s late-career highlight The Coffin Train that blend their trademark attack with prog and classic hard rock.