Posted by As I said last week, here’s the second half of my Diamonds in the Rough review. However, before I begin, I would like to say one thing: apparently this isn’t actually a new album. Last week, I learned that some of the songs had been released as singles in the past, but it turns out that the original Diamonds in the Rough released in 2008, and this 2020 release is a remaster. However, Spotify does not feature the original release, so this is the first time I heard a lot of these songs. It’s definitely an interesting circumstance, but now, on to the review.
“The Fight” is my favorite song off of Diamonds in the Rough because of the chorus. The chorus is just fantastic due to how angry it is, but at the same time it’s just super catchy. And while the chorus is still my favorite part, the verses are also great. Honestly, “The Fight” is just a really good song that I thoroughly enjoy listening to.
“Dancing Dead” is another solid song on the album. I know that when I first listened through the album, I didn’t think a whole lot about this song, but as I listen through it again it’s really growing on me. It also features some unique and really cool effects with the vocals that definitely enhance the song. And as per usual, the instrumentals and solos are fantastic. Overall, “Dancing Dead” is another great song featured on Diamonds in the Rough.
Diamonds in the Rough also includes a new version of both “Almost Easy” and “Afterlife,” but I’m not going to talk a whole lot about them since, truth be told, I can’t distinguish these new versions from the old ones very well. All you really need to know is that both of these songs are great songs, so their inclusion on the album is fine in my opinion.
“St. James” is another song that I don’t remember very well, but as it starts to play, I’m questioning why that is. The song’s beginning is absolutely fantastic, thanks primarily to the instrumentals. And when the vocals kick in, the song gets even better. Honestly, I don’t have a whole lot to say other than that this song is just good because of how it combines all of its different components to create a great sounding song.
“Set Me Free” is a fantastic slow song that provides an alright change of pace from the rest of the album, though I might have appreciated this change of pace more if the rest of the album was heavier than it is. Still, slow songs are often good because of how beautiful they are, and “Set Me Free” is just that. “Set Me Free” also features some decent emotional buildup towards the end of the song, but I do think that it could have reached a better climax. Still, “Set Me Free” is a great song on an already solid album.
“4:00 AM” is another solid song. In my opinion, the best part of the song is definitely the instrumentals. Of all the songs on the album, I find the instrumentals in “4:00 AM” to be the best, and much like with “St. James,” the vocals serve to make this good song into a great one.
“Lost It All” is another decent, albeit a tad generic, song. Even as I listen through this song again, nothing about it really jumps out at me or sticks with me. That’s not to say that “Lost It All” is a bad song, but it’s definitely not one of the album’s heavy hitters.
For the final song on the album, Avenged Sevenfold covers “Paranoid,” and I think it’s fantastic. Granted that could be because I really like “Paranoid” as a song, but I digress. And in my opinion, Avenged Sevenfold does a great job covering “Paranoid.”
Overall, I find Diamonds in the Rough to be a really good album with a lot of solid songs. And while I may not personally like all of the songs on the album, that’s not to say that they aren’t good songs. I would definitely recommend this album, and I’d say it’s easily an 8.25/10.
Broad Scope Entertainment 