Record Review: Eric Tyler – 'Dark Diamond'

Borrowing equally from Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, Dark Diamond is incredibly well-crafted, thoughtful and energetic, homing in on solid grooves and atmospheric textures. There is a peculiar use of polyrhythms that figures not only in the supplemental percussion, but also the interplay between the guitar, bass, synth and drums, a tight tapestry that commands your attention and drives the dynamic. Songs like “Swarm of Sharks” and “Siren’s Song” perfectly encapsulate Tyler’s use of melody in telling his narrative. As an album, Dark Diamond is sweeping and epic, containing pop songs without any scale to their limitations, an open world that Tyler gleefully explores from track to track.