Rox Diamond - 'In The Rough - Live At Firefest'

A Rocktopia user review by Speedy Hicks.

f there was an award for “Bad Timing” then surely Rox Diamond would be in with a good shout to claim
such an accolade. Releasing their debut album way back in 1992 to rave reviews which ultimately should
have propelled the group to the next level, sadly all was not to be as in the blink of an eye the Seattle scene
was in the throws of hitting top gear with the likes of Rox Diamond directly in the firing line. Fast forward
16 years and Nottingham Firefest welcomed the group who were making their UK debut and thankfully the
full show has now been preserved as a permanent reminder on this DVD. The group’s hour long set was
mainly centered on the debut album although three tracks from 2005s “Powerdrive” follow up, do make
an appearance. Kicking of with the title track from the second album you can sense the nerves from vocalist
“Paul Daniels” but by the time we get to the almost prog like “One Way Street” everyone has settled down
and the group are in their stride. The one thing this DVD does offer up is some fantastic close ups of guitarist
“Kevin Achenbach” who on the day was so impressive and when your in the crowd it’s hard to appreciate the
musicianship that is going on up on stage, this has all been addressed on this release with some nifty camera
work as well as some common sense editing / production. As far as the songs that the group played special
mention must go to “You’ll Get What’s Comin” which is a belter and allows the room to extend the track with
a brief, drum, guitar, and bass solo section which proves the case that Rox Diamond have never been afraid to
try different things and throw in the odd curve ball here and there. By the time we get half way through the set
“Paul Daniels” has taken a liking to the photo pit and is encouraging people to get involved and join in with the
group, and on “You’re Not The Only One” he leans into the crowd and gets a fan to sing back the words and
the response is someone with a stunning set of pipes that almost floors everyone including Mr Daniels, once
again fair play to the guys who actually directed “In the Rough” for including it. No Rox Diamond live show
would be complete without “Heart of Mine” and judging by the crowds response this is the one song that they
were all waiting for, with some well placed keyboards from “Philip Wolfe” a great gig capped off with a great
track. Like the other Firefest DVDs that are currently on sale this sits nicely as a reminder of the event in 2008
and apart from the hard to find “Live in Japan 92” this is the only live document currently available of the
band and although it contains no extras, the fact that the sound / vision are top draw and the limited quantity
actually available it’s value to a life long fan like myself is priceless.

Speedy Hicks.