10 Underrated Hard Rock Songs Of The '80s
5. Am I Evil? - Diamond Head
The '80s will forever be known as the decade when metal found its calling. While some bands ended up making a mockery of the metal name towards the tail end of the decade, the sudden rush of bands coming from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal pumped out some of the most infectious riffs headbangers had ever heard. In the midst of it all, Am I Evil? stood as the reigning champion of metal grandeur... and no, not the Metallica version.
Long before the thrash metal legends made this tune a part of their setlist, Diamond Head's original version had the perfect mix of melodic aggression to keep people on the edge of their seat. Starting with a demented dirge-like riff, the tone shifts in the verses with a sound that feels like Black Sabbath if they had grown up in the punk era. They're not done yet though, with the mid-section of the song switching on a dime to a riff that feels like steel being hammered all over your brain.
Even if the first part of the song seemed like metal by the numbers, that riff towards the midsection is the pure embodiment of an adrenaline rush. With a kickass solo and aggressive vocals to wrap everything up, this song stands as a great progenitor of thrash metal and a riff that could go toe to toe with Iron Maiden any day of the week.