DIAMOND HEAD guitarist and founder Brian Tatler says his own band will need to go on hiatus as his commitments with SAXON continue to grow.
Tatler joined SAXON in 2023 following Paul Quinn's retirement from touring, and has since contributed songwriting to the band's 2024 album, "Hell, Fire And Damnation," as well as its upcoming follow-up, "Gods Of Thunder," due January 2027. "When I first joined Saxon in 2023, I thought, 'It's okay, I can do both,'" Tatler said, reflecting on his initial expectations for balancing both bands. That optimism has since given way to a more realistic assessment of the workload. "Because Saxon's very busy, it took me a little bit of time to realize, 'Hmm, it's going to be hard to do both,'" he explained.
Tatler did not offer a specific timeline for DIAMOND HEAD's return, saying only that the band will need to pause "until there's either a suitable break or there's an opportunity that we all want to do." The comments suggest DIAMOND HEAD's activity will remain contingent on gaps in SAXON's touring and recording schedule rather than a fixed hiatus period.
DIAMOND HEAD, formed by Tatler in the late 1970s, remains one of the most influential bands to emerge from the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, with tracks like "Am I Evil?" and "Helpless" shaping the sound of thrash metal acts that followed, including METALLICA, who have covered the band extensively throughout their career. Tatler's expanded role in SAXON, meanwhile, places him inside one of NWOBHM's other defining bands as it continues well into its fifth decade.