Oh, how quickly the mighty had fallen. After the 'official' debut Borrowed Time was released in 1982, considered a classic at the time and still to this day, Diamond Head came back with Canterbury a year later in 1983, and with it basically went in a complete about face. Gone were the gigantic guitar riffs, dramatic instrumental passages, and serious tones, instead replaced with pop melodies, symphonic keyboards, and a lighthearted sheen that alienated many of their core fans. Lead singer Sean Harris sounds more like Queen's Freddie Mercury here than Robert Plant, crooning through such drippy pop-rock numbers as "One More Night", "Makin' Music", "I Need Your Love", the grandiose title track, and "Out of Phase". Not that this turn of events is such a bad thing, as these are still good songs, just not clearly up to the standard that Diamond Head achieved previously. There are some solid moments here that recall the grandeur of Borrowed Time, such as the excellent "The Kingmaker", featuring some crafty riffs from Brain Tatler, the dark, haunting melodies of "To The Devil His Due", and the driving hard rock of "Knight of the Swords". Despite the fact that Canterbury is not a bad album per se, there's just nothing here to get overly excited about, as if the band were simply trying to churn something out that would get played on the radio. Well, it didn't work, and the band split up shortly after.
Metal Mind's remaster comes in a nice digipack, with a full-color booklet packed with lyrics and photos, a scorching live version of "Sucking My Love", and an interview with Sean Harris. Looking back, Canterbury probably would have been a solid release for any 80's band not named Diamond Head, but considering what this band had created prior to it, this album will probably long be remembered as something sub-par, or even forgotten.
Track Listing
1) Makin' Music
2) Out of Phase
3) The Kingmaker
4) One More Night
5) To the Devil His Due
6) Knight of the Swords
7) Ishmael
8) I Need Your Love
9) Canterbury
10) Makin' Music (extended)
11) Sucking My Love (live)
12) Interview with Sean Harris
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