Album Review: Black Diamonds – Live In Paradise
Metalapolis Records – November 20th, 2026
Reviewer – Jason Hopper
I love reviewing live albums, especially from bands that have fantastic material. The beauty of reviewing them is fans of the band already know the material. It’s just a matter of conveying the sonics and feel of the material in a live setting and how that translates to the listener who was not there at the time. In the case of Black Diamonds, I jumped at the chance to review this album. Having become a fan in 2021, I was more than happy to hear the band in a live capacity as I have yet to see them perform.
When reviewing a live album, there’s certain questions that need to be answered. First and foremost, is the album truly “live”? To my ears, it certainly sounds like I’m hearing a live band. Is there some studio clean-up? Of course there is. They clearly removed the space between songs when band members change instruments. There are some band and audience banter, but those are kept at a minimum. You hear the audience throughout, and not just a general “roar”, but individuals who pop in and out of the sonics.
Second question is are there fades between songs? Thankfully no. You get a straightforward concert without elements that take you out of the experience.
Third question is how is the setlist? The setlist pulls heavily from the last two albums, and that is alright by me as those are my favorite. Older songs like ‘Thrillride’ and ‘I’ll Be Ok’ sound superb in the live element. Some of the power of these songs were lost in the early production value of the original recordings. I love it when a band can make a song sound so powerful that I have to go back and listen to the original recording to appreciate the reworking here.
In terms of surprises? There’s no change ups to the songs. They’re as traditional as the initial recordings. The one slight change I appreciated is the high octave scream before the guitar solo in the opening number. You hear singer Mich Kehl take a pause and prepare himself before giving it his all. Yep, it’s completely out of his range, but flaunt it while you have it.
One thing I truly appreciated was the one two punch of ‘Through Hell and Back’ and ‘Evil Twin’. Two of my favorite songs from the band played consecutively is sonic badassery! These linked songs sound so fantastic I’m going to use software to fuse the tracks together. They will forever be played like this on my playlist.
A fantastic live album by a band that is firing on all cylinders. This is a must purchase for fans of the band. Casual listeners will get a great representation of what this band has to offer. All sleaze metal genre lovers need to check this out. There’s a lot to love here.
Track List:
- Welcome To Paradise (Intro)
- Through Hell and Back
- Evil Twin
- Yesterday’s News
- Forever Wild
- I’ll Be Ok
- From The Ashes
- Pieces of A Broken Dream
- Only For A While
- After The Rain
- Rock N’ Roll Is My Religion
- Thrillride
- Lonesome Road
- Paradise
- Reaching For The Stars
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