ENUFF Z’NUFF – Diamond Boy (2018)
Eighties glam metal rockers ENUFF Z’NUFF featuring Chip Z’Nuff on lead vocals and bass will be releasing a new studio album titled “Diamond Boy” via Frontiers Music on August 10, 2018. The album marks the first Enuff Z’Nuff release where Chip handles all of the vocal duties, originally performed by Donnie Vie in the band.
Produced by Chip, “Diamond Boy” packs plenty of punch and crunch, and oozes the group’s irresistible groovy appeal and melodic charm. And despite possessing a less than sparkly aural sheen, the 11-track collection is brimming with highlights galore.
I honestly don’t know the answer to that age old question when should a band change it’s name. I mean what do you do when a founder member leaves? To me Enuff Z’Nuff will always be the albums that Donnie Vie and Chip Z’Nuff gave us before various tragedies struck and nothing seemed to go right.
Now without Donnie things aren’t the same but I’ve been surprised recently by the quality of the live shows with Chip on vocals and also how good the largely archival ‘Clown’s Lounge’ release was in 2016.
All credit to Chip for keeping the flag flying.
Now here we are with album number 14, or album number 2 ‘post-Vie’. This though is the first album of new material from Chip, let’s dig in!.
Putting aside the opening minute of melody that is ‘Transcendence’, first proper track is ‘Diamond Boy’, a nice spirited Cheap Trick style opener undercut with a nice wailing guitar. It’s certainly in the mood of early Enuff Z’Nuff, and ‘Where Did You Go’ that follows, delivers classic Enuff Z’nuff sing-along pop craftsmanship and ups the psychedelic feel as it chugs along breezily.
It’s a good solid start to the album and certainly in the vein of what I’d been hoping to hear.
Equally infectious, ‘We’re All The Same’ grapples lyrically with current cultural trends. While ‘Fire & Ice’ serves as arguably the record’s brightest signature-style moment, guitarists Tony Fennell and Tory Stoffregen drive ‘Faith, Hope & Luv’ with Formula 1-caliber precision.
We already heard ‘Metalheart’ as an advance single, not metal but a cool rocker, balanced by “Love Is On The Line”, a fine ballad with perfect pop essence
Rounding out the set, the mid-tempo ‘Imaginary Man’ drips with a magical allure reminiscent of the band’s 1991 masterpiece, Strength.
Donnie Vie is no longer part of ENUFF Z’NUFF but don’t worry; at this point in his career, Chip Z’Nuff knows what he’s doing, and with a fine band around him he is able to carry off that vision perfectly. Chip has done a great job here looking back at the early sound of the band and building an album in that same sonic soundscape.
And you know what? When you strip it all away, this sounds like classic Enuff Z’Nuff.
In sum, with its latest studio slab, Enuff Z’nuff will no doubt “scratch” the “itch” of longtime enthusiasts.
Highly Recommended
01. Transcendence
02. Diamond Boy
03. Where Did You Go
04. We’re All The Same
05. Fire & Ice
06. Down On Luck
07. Metalheart
08. Love Is On The Line
09. Faith, Hope & Luv
10. Dopesick
11. Imaginary Man
Chip Z’nuff – Vocals, Bass
Tony Fennell – Guitar
Tory Stoffregen – Guitar
Dan Hill – Drums
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www.amazon.de/Diamond-Boy-Enuff-ZNuff/dp/B07D51TY5R
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