BLACK DIAMONDS-No-Tell Hotel

Metalapolis Records

Active since 2004 Swiss quartet Black Diamonds present their fourth record ‘No-Tell Hotel’. This is the debut record for new guitarist Chris Johnson joining drummer Manu, bass player Andy Barrels and singer Mich Kehl (who started the group with Andy). I think hearing the music on ‘No-Tell Hotel’ that these boys would not mind if we could turn back the clock to 1985/1986 when the Sunset Strip was being ruled by bands like Ratt, Warrant, Motley Crue, Poison, L.A. Guns etcetera. Armed with make-up, hair spray, loud guitars and a cocky attitude these Swiss hell raisers may not have invented the glam/party rock genre themselves on this twelve track album that also includes a few ballads, but they bring it with mucho gusto. Not too sure how popular this genre is these days but it seems to me that the boys in Black Diamonds could not really care. They are playing the style that they want to play. It might not be very original and even predictable at times, fact is that what they do, they do good and with a certain conviction. I will not say that ‘No-Tell Hotel’ is a necessity for your rock collection but if you are into a good old dose of glammed up heavy rock and don’t mind a cheesy ballad in between ‘No-Tell Hotel’ might just be right for you as it has all the right ingredients for the genre: loud, up-beat, sing along type of tracks and a right in your face attitude. Not really a record that I would buy these days but give it a spin and judge for yourself.

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