Goddamn! What is it about Brisbane and Adelaide rock bands at the moment? The rest of the country needs to watch out because some seriously sweet sounds have been seeping out of the smaller capitals, and no more so than from Brisbane five piece Junkyard Diamonds, who have been sweeping all aside with their current EP Vagrants in the Valley which they put out at the tail end of last year.
Junkyard Diamonds follow in a long line of hard rockin, no nonsense Brissie bands. Look no further than their self titled EP for their garage riffin’ proof.
The EP opens with the rumbling bass of Pretty Plain which soon gives way to some solid 70s guitars and relentless cymbal-heavy drums. There’s a crunching Sabbath-esque middle section thrown in there for good measure, plus a whole bunch of glam metal guitars crammed into the one and a half minutes and it’s clear Junkyard Diamonds aren’t here to screw around.
The band cite their influences as ranging from blues to grunge and anything that might fall in-between. Their sound definitely is eclectic. Surreal is a lush, mellow offering that slowly builds momentum, and like the previous tracks, offers a really well structured and produced sound. The vocals drift in and out at their own loose pace without solid structure as if the music itself is telling the story. I can imagine a whole lot of sweaty bodies, nodding heads and entangled hair at a Junkyard Diamonds gig.
Dumb is the EP highlight, scaling back the emotion for some ballsy rock ‘n’ roll. It kicks off as a bluesy little track, leisurely cruising into a dynamic jam, stopping and starting, drifting in and crashing out. There are crunchy guitars galore, shredding 70s glam solos and all the “woah, whah woah’s” one could could ever need.
Berryl Fizzle Bussomo is the lead single from Vagrants In The Valley. Quirky and lively, it’s a grungy brawl that is reminiscent of early Silverchair. It crashes to a halt with a pretty little middle section, where the vocals chant “We want we need we take/we take what we want when we want it” before a wall of distortion crashes through. Problems closes the EP with some spacey guitars and an alternative punk feel paying homage to some Pink Floyd as well as Sabbath and Zeppelin.
There is a whole plethora of different sounds on Vagrants in the Valley that become convoluted at times. Producer Konstantin Kersting has done as great job reining it all in to create a solid polished sheen for some pretty heavy songs. The dudes have scored some pretty solid supports with the likes of British India and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. If grungy guitars and emotive vocals are your thing then Junkyard Diamonds might just be your new favourite band.
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