Diamond Back

As printed in the Ottawa Citizen on January 29th, 2004. Written by Wes Smiderle.

The abrupt implosion of Xfm left a hole in the hearts of many hard rock fans in Ottawa. Some will march up the dial and park at the Bear (muting the volume whenever a Bon Jovi or Pat Benatar tune pops up), while others will seek out the recently boosted signal at Algonquin College's CKDJ, or peruse the many excellent rock/punk/metal shows on Carleton University's CKCU, or the University of Ottawa's CHUO.
The loss of Xfm, and its Monday night segment, Indie Air, also robbed Ottawa bands of one of the few on-air mainstream venues willing to play independent music. While Fahim Rahman, current bass player and manager for Ottawa hard rock quartet Diamond Back, agrees that the loss of Xfm is a "shame," he doesn't think it's a tragedy for struggling rock bands.
"To be honest, even getting songs on Xfm (Indie Air) was a challenge," he says. "I tended to look at it a bit as pity-play, anyway."
Rahman believes the Internet could be a more important resource for both hard rock bands and fans. He notes that a trio of Ottawa musicians has already set up an alternative to Ottawa's former "new rock alternative" in the form of www.xfmottawa.com, a website that streams music from bands like Linkin Park, Incubus and Jet, as well as songs submitted by Ottawa bands (including Submission by Diamond Back).
Diamond Back has been performing sturdy, hard rock in the mould of bands like Godsmack and tool since about 1997. Rahman joined as manager in 2002 after leaving his old band, Ignition. After dropping his manager role out of frustration with the music industry last summer, Rahman filled in when Diamond Back's old bass player dropped out. The stint was meant to be temporary, but the 22-year-old discovered he missed being on stage more than he'd realized.
As with many cash-strapped indie bands, Rahman says the Internet is Diamond Back's "main promotional tool." The group's website (www.diamondbackmusic.com) features band bio, news, sound clips, and a message board on which visitors can post replies or commentaries on Rahman's bi-weekly postings on different issues faced by independent bands.
The members of Diamond Back have also burned mini-CD samplers featuring three songs with an introduction by lead singer Greg McLaughlin. The musicians leave the samplers everywhere around town and ever scattered a few around Montreal (where Rahman saw Linkin Park perform at the Bell Centre last Friday).
"We really have to get innovative," says Rahman, who is studying both computer science and business management at Carleton University. "It takes more than great talent to run a band these days. You have to run it like a business and you have to be as creative at that aspect as your are with the music."
Diamond Back performs with Kid You run at 8 p.m. tonight at Zaphod Beeblebrox, 27 York St. Admission is $5.
- Ottawa Citizen

Reprinted from ChartAttack.com (February 28, 2004 http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2004/02/2711.cfm)

It's a story as old as rock itself. As a band gains acclaim and fans, the success can often go to their heads. Constantly surrounded by adoring fans and sycophantic employees, the band begins to think that they can do no wrong. Since no one will step in to slap them around, their songs can become unintentional parodies of what were once some great musical ideas.

While Ottawa's Diamond Back have yet to reach the dizzying heights of major label stardom, they're still aware of this problem and have launched a contest via their website, www.diamondbackmusic.com. Basically, they're asking their "fans" to tell them that they suck and offer some constructive criticism on how they can become better musicians.

"I'm naturally a somewhat cynical person," says Diamond Back bassist Fahim Rahman, "and I've gotten pretty skeptical of people telling us that we rock all the time — not that it's not appreciated. What I would like, at this point, is to hear where we can improve, because I'm sure there are some things that we're not noticing and overlooking."

The band are so serious about this that they're offering cash prizes for the top fan comments. The first place winner will receive $75, with a second place winner receiving $25. The money will come directly out of the band's recording fund. (A small price to pay for a chance to get some truthful feedback.)

Rahman says that he hasn't received too many comments yet, but hopes that more will come in after the band's live show this Saturday, February 28 at Cafe Dekcuf. The contest will remain open until April 8, giving fans another chance to catch the band live at Babylon on April 2.

- ChartAttack.com

A few weeks ago, I took in a show at Café Dekcuf featuring Ottawa’s loudest band, Diamond Back. While I had seen the band a few years back, it was my first experience with the new line-up. The band hit the stage around 11 and played for approximately 45 minutes. After a brief technical problem with one of the amps, the set was underway.

The first thing that struck me about the band was that they were extremely tight and had great chemistry. What was even more impressive was the fact that the band managed to remain tight even during the more complex songs, specifically Cyrus, a song of epic proportions that was just a few seconds shy of 11 minutes. Considering the length, I felt it could have been cut short, maybe even be made into 2 or 3 separate entities. It seemed to go on forever.

During the set, Diamond Back never skipped a beat and gave a near flawless performance. It consisted of 7 originals and 1 cover – Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. The songs themselves were solid and well constructed. You can tell just by listening to them that they are well thought out and not just thrown together in a matter of minutes. Hints of Tool and Metallica were apparent throughout the songs but were subtle. They didn’t make use of fancy effects. Instead, the band relied on its raw and aggressive riffs.

Front man Greg McLaughlin reminded me of a softer James Hedfield with a little Maynard James Keenan thrown into the mix but at times made me think of Silverchair’s Daniel John. He is a terrific singer and I really admired his vocal abilities. Not only is he a great singer, but his guitar solos were incredible and undeniably intelligent. He did however, seem a little shy when it came to talking to the crowd. Bassist Fahim Rahman did most of the talking, promoting the site, the contest and the CD single.

Being a drummer myself, I will admit that I tend to focus on the man behind the skins. Drummer Liam McLaughlin has unbelievable timing and control. He is very creative, but knows how to keep it simple. He delivers at the right moment. His fills are calculated and accents are justified. Not to mention a fiery double bass pedal.

Diamond Back as a band just works. Every member of the band seems to fit perfectly in his respective role.

If you get the chance to see this band, do yourself a favor and go. You will not be disappointed!
Setlist:

Tommy

Skriptorium

White Stains

Hurt - NIN

Mortar

Cyrus

American Morning

Submission

- www.ottawarocks.ca