“Kings Of The Underworld”

Review By Mike Paradine

Artist: DIGGETH
Album: Kings of the Underworld
Label: T 34 Records
Release Date: 2014

Tracklisting:
1. Downhill
2. Reminder
3. Heart Rocker
4. Kings Of The Underworld
5. See You In Hell
6. Cosmic Purgatory
7. Magnetic Highway
8. 21 Grams Of Reason
9. Forgotten Bones
10. When The Road Bends
11. Mission To Hanna’s

In the past, when I review an album, I usually critique each song, in depth, on its own. This usually means the review is long in length but I always thought each composition should be looked at own its own merits…until now. I’ve come across a very interesting and smart band in DIGGETH from the Netherlands. The band describes themselves as metal/rock and that is true but they run a much wider gambit than that. With one foot in the 70’s hard rock riff era and the other in the modern sounding guitar age, the band entwines both into a pleasant and exciting new approach to rock music. Now, I have no use for today’s modern sounding rock bands with all the technology behind it. In fact, I would rather live in the hills with nothing but my dog, beer and mid 70’s to early 80’s music. I have no use for today’s technology other than the internet. It’s where you can search out and discover great new bands such as Diggeth. But this band is smart enough to know when to input the past and bring in the present. Here is a rare find, an intelligent band.
Some of the material on the CD brings back riffs from blues/rock bands such as ZZ Top especially on the first song ‘Downhill’, a rip roaring, catchy rocker that would give the Texas Hippie Coalition a run for their money. While a few of the other songs reach back and exorcise riffs from Sabbath and Uriah Heep such as in ‘Reminder’ which uses Sabbath guitars and Uriah’s keyboards. ‘Magnetic Highway’ borrows UH’s main guitar riff from ‘Stealing’ while on ‘Cosmic Purgatory’, the albums lone instrumental, they use a banjo in the intro then morphing into the main Sabbathy rhythm. Crazy but it works! Also of note, on ‘Magnetic Highway’ they use a vocal effect reminiscent of ELO”s, ‘Mr. Blue Sky’…a forgotten but guilty pleasure.
Though most of the songs are embedded in the ideas of yesteryear, ’21 Grams’ stands alone as the albums true modern day hero. An acoustic lead rocker filled with angst, which fits alongside any of today’s top songs. The DNA from Motorhead is all over the vicious ‘Heart Rocker’ while the blood of Black Label Society flows through songs such as ‘Forgotten Bones’ and ‘See You in Hell’ complete with the Zak Wylde squeals.
The last song on the album is called ‘Mission to Hanna’s’ is one of my favorites. The beginning starts with guitar swells, earth shaking bass and a military marching snare. Now how can you go wrong? They don’t. A heavy rocked out song with Van Halen inspired guitar snippets here and there but the main focus is on the very catchy and infectious chorus……nice work!!!!!
Now at times the vocalist, Harald, starts to sound the same which may be the reason why the band adds a lot of pre-recorded audio. Sometimes the audio does help out and make a song interesting and others not so much, but that is of such little concern. Harald has the right emotion in all of the songs. Drummer, Benjamin, is spot on, hard heavy and at times, intricate and guitars. The bass plays an important role in this band as being a trio, he has to fill in all the voids and Alco does so with heaviness and punch.
DIGGETH was a great surprise to hear and review. Combining the past and present styles of music isn’t easy and other bands that have tried, failed miserably. They are not just only very good songwriters and performers, they are more importantly, interesting. I really like the album and I’m looking forward to their next album.