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Diamond Head

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Am I Evil? - Guitar Tab

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Band Overview

Diamond Head emerged from Stourbridge, England in the late 1970s as one of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) pioneers, alongside Saxon, Angelwitch, and Raven. The band's 1980 self-titled debut and 1982's 'King of the Road' became underground classics that directly influenced Thrash Metal's founding generation, particularly Metallica and Slayer. What makes Diamond Head essential for guitarists is their refined approach to heavy metal riffing: they stripped away the excess of 1970s Hard Rock theatricality and replaced it with tightness, precision, and memorable songwriting anchored by clean, articulate lead guitar work. Brian Tatler, Diamond Head's founding guitarist and primary songwriter, developed a style that balances aggressive downpicking with melodic sensibility, creating songs that are both technically engaging and instantly memorable. The band's difficulty level sits in the intermediate-to-advanced range; their rhythm work demands solid muting control and timing discipline, while their leads require legato fluency, pinch harmonics, and confident vibrato. Learning Diamond Head teaches you how to write riffs that don't rely on distortion alone to be heavy, but instead derive power from placement, tension, and release. The band's later lineup has included guitarist Andy McRoy and bassist Shone Chiswell, but it's Tatler's original compositions that define the band's guitar legacy and remain the foundation for anyone serious about understanding NWOBHM technique and songwriting philosophy.

What Makes Diamond Head Essential for Guitar Players

Downpicking-driven riffs with surgical precision: Diamond Head's signature technique is clean, aggressive downpicking that emphasizes every note without sloppiness or overlap. Songs like 'Am I Evil?' use this as a foundation for building tension, and mastering this approach teaches you timing control and pick attack that's essential for thrash and heavy metal.
Melodic lead lines over heavy rhythm: Unlike many metal bands that treat leads as afterthoughts, Diamond Head's solos sit melodically within the song structure. Brian Tatler uses string bending, legato phrases, and pentatonic positioning that feel natural over the underlying riffs, teaching you how to make leads sing rather than just shred.
Pinch harmonics and natural harmonics for texture: The band uses pinch harmonics strategically in leads to add brightness and aggression without reaching for synths or effects. This technique, which requires precise pick placement and muting, becomes a signature textural tool that adds dimension to otherwise straightforward lead vocabulary.
Voice-leading in rhythm playing: Diamond Head's riffs demonstrate sophisticated voice leading; chord voicings shift across the fretboard in ways that feel intentional and musical, not random. This teaches you to think about how your riffing hand moves, making for more engaging and less fatiguing playing patterns.
Tempo transitions and dynamic control: The band excels at shifting between half-time grooves and faster picking passages within single songs. Learning their material teaches you how to dial in different picking speeds and muting intensities to create dynamic contrast, essential for keeping listener attention across longer compositions.

Did You Know?

Brian Tatler recorded 'Am I Evil?' in a single take as a demo, never expecting it to become the blueprint for hundreds of cover versions by thrash bands. The song's raw energy comes from that unpolished urgency, proving that technique without conviction can't compete with passion recorded in real time.

Diamond Head's influence on Metallica was so direct that Metallica covered 'Am I Evil?' on the 1985 'SKOM' compilation and included it on later releases. The band's guitar approach essentially became a technical vocabulary for the emerging thrash scene, much like how Black Sabbath had defined heavy metal riffing a decade earlier.

The band used relatively modest gear by today's standards: Marshall amps and standard humbucker-equipped guitars without extensive effects chains. This limitation forced the guitarists to develop technique and tone control from their hands and amp settings, a philosophy that remains relevant for anyone trying to prioritize fundamentals over gear acquisition.

Diamond Head's 1980 self-titled debut was recorded and released on a tiny independent label with minimal production budget, yet the guitar tones remain clear and punchy without modern compression tricks. The clarity comes from careful amp mic-placement and mixing philosophy that prioritized the natural attack of the instruments.

Brian Tatler has remained the consistent creative force across multiple reunions and lineup changes, often the only original member on stage. His commitment to maintaining the songwriting integrity and guitar tone philosophy of the original material makes him a rare example of an artist staying true to founding principles despite industry pressure to modernize.

The band's guitar tuning is standard E, but their use of open strings in riffing creates unexpected resonance that contributes to their massive sound. This teaches a lesson about frequency layering: stacking notes across octaves and open strings creates thickness without needing extra distortion or effects processing.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Diamond Head (Self-Titled) 1980

The definitive starting point for learning Diamond Head's core philosophy. Tracks like 'Am I Evil?', 'It's Electric', and 'Shoot It Up' showcase the band's complete approach to riffing, lead work, and songwriting. The production is raw enough to hear exactly what the guitars are doing mechanically, with no studio tricks to hide behind; this makes it invaluable for understanding hand technique and tone control.

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King of the Road 1982

The sequel demonstrates how the band's guitar vocabulary matured after two years of touring. The riffs are more sophisticated, the lead lines more confident, and the recording cleaner without losing the edge. Tracks like 'Play It' and the title track introduce more legato passages and harmonic variation, expanding the technical toolkit you can extract from studying the band.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul and Ibanez models, primarily stock humbucker-equipped instruments from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Brian Tatler favored traditional heavy-metal guitar designs without heavy modification; the emphasis was on the instrument's inherent voice rather than customization. Standard tuning, medium-gauge strings (.010-.046), allowing for aggressive picking without excessive string breakage while maintaining articulate note definition.

Amp

Marshall JCM800 2203 and Marshall 1959SLP Super Lead amplifiers, cranked to 7-8 on the master volume for natural power-tube saturation and breakup. No channel switching or effects loop complexity; the band used straight-into-the-amp philosophy. Tone control typically set flat or with slight mid-scoop, letting the guitar's pickup natural frequencies and the tubes do the work. This direct approach means learning from their records teaches you amp basics without relying on modern conveniences.

Pickups

PAF-spec and Gibson-style humbuckers with 8-10k output, warm attack and natural compression that pairs perfectly with cranked tube amps. The slightly higher output provides authority without becoming compressed or choked; dynamics remain intact for palm-muting control and pick-attack variation. This pickup choice defines the bright-yet-heavy tone that makes Diamond Head riffs cut through a mix without sounding thin.

Effects & Chain

Minimal effects philosophy: occasional Cry Baby wah for texture in certain leads, but primarily straight guitar to amp. No reverb, delay, or modulation pedals in the signal chain during the classic era. Tone derives entirely from fingers, pick attack, muting technique, and tube saturation. This constraint forces guitarists learning their material to develop solid fundamentals rather than relying on effects to add character or hide deficiencies.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Brian Tatler's Les Paul Standard delivers Diamond Head's signature bright-yet-heavy tone through its stock PAF-spec humbuckers, providing natural compression and articulate pick attack without modification. The instrument's inherent voice cuts through cranked Marshall tubes, making it essential for their direct, no-frills heavy metal approach.

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom's thicker body and construction complement Diamond Head's warm, authoritative riff tone when paired with Gibson-style humbuckers and high-gain Marshall amplification. Its natural resonance supports the band's preference for instrument character over effects-based tone shaping.

Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800 2203's tight, responsive gain stage at volumes 7-8 creates Diamond Head's cutting metal tone with natural power-tube saturation and dynamic control for palm-muting precision. This amp exemplifies the straight-into-the-amp philosophy that defined their classic era sound.

Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Diamond Head's 1959 Super Lead Plexi provides the harmonic-rich tube breakup and headroom that powers their aggressive riffing, delivering the warm-yet-heavy character that defines their records. Cranked without channel switching or effects, it forces players to master fundamental amp-and-fingers technique.

Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Tatler's occasional Cry Baby wah adds textural depth to Diamond Head's lead work while maintaining the band's minimal-effects philosophy, proving expressive solos require only one quality pedal and solid playing fundamentals.

How to Practice Diamond Head on GuitarZone

Every Diamond Head song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Am I Evil? - Guitar Tab