1. I Wanna Know
2. Mama Said
3. Slow Down
4. Tangueray Tina
5. One Step Closer
6. Red Rose Burn
7. Dream in Colors
8. Shiny Like Bubble Glass
9. She Danced For Me
10. Plain to See

Fluffy and funny as Glam bands came in the eighties, the forgotten band Dear Diary is the flipside of the L.A. Metal scene. It’s more mature, it’s classier and it’s quiet serious.

A welcome change, but does it have potential? If you adore classic bands like Crüe, Poison and Ratt, this might be not your thing. On the other hand, if you are open for the more experimental Sleaze style (Bang Tango and Enuff ‘Znuff for example) you will most likely love it.

Dear Diary was put together within a year by guitarists Nick Panos and Dave Schafer, who wanted to follow their teenage dream: become Rock stars.

Bassist Mike Levin, Drummer Vince Consolo joined the party and after a little while, also vocalist Jeff Evans took a shot at the gig.

With this line-up, Dear Diary was born, and ready to rock! They packed their bags and moved to the City of Angels and left their hometown Chicago.

Dear Diary didn’t want to melt into the Metal mainstream who dominated the charts at the time. No, they wanted to be more poetic and visual instead of being ‘fun’.

Influenced by bands like Def Leppard, Styx and Diving For Pearls, the sound of Dear Diary was something fresh, a formula which nobody tapped into yet.

After playing the club circuit, they got some credibility but faded away fast. Dear Diary would live ‘till the early 90’s, only to be resurrected 18-some years later by Eönian Records.

Overall, Dear Diary’s music is a bit moody, but also quiet heavy compared to other Pop Metal acts. Don’t get me wrong; this disc contains several ‘sing-a-long’ songs like the opener “I Want To Know” and “Momma Said”. Tender songs with a Glam Metal twist you could say.

Besides these typical, and in some ways predictable, 80’s anthems, there are tracks like “Shiny Like The Bubbled Glass”. This certain song is heavy and has a catchy chorus but it’s far from cheesy. It’s like I was listing to Bang Tango “Untied And True”’ for the first time; Awesome!

Dear Diary has plenty of songs of this caliber, which mean one thing; they were definitely working against the mainstream with their music!

However, the fashion of the late 80’s can also be found in Dear Diary’s wardrobe. This might be the key element why these guys weren’t signed on a major label, because musically it’s quite a catch.

Okay, we’ll get to the point where I should spit my verdict. To be honest, I can’t stand ‘sad’ Hard Rock and unfortunately, Dear Diary fits right into this category.

Hold on, there’s a big BUT; the band matches the music. It’s passionate musicianship and their grown-up vision on their lyrics is just the icing on the cake.

Maybe they faded away in the masses; I don’t give a rat’s ass.

Dear Diary delivers a record which could capture a large segment of the Glam fanatics, especially the female-fans, but be warned; Party animals should stay away from this ‘whiny’ act.

At least Dear Diary tried something different, something to be proud of.

http://www.deardiaryband.com/

Written by Jesse Gorvette