The Nwothm

Straight from the heart of Vienna’s underground comes Diamond Falcon, a heavy metal quartet steeped in the legacy of old-school giants yet unafraid to carve their own path.With riff-driven power, thrash-laced aggression, and a rebellious spirit, this Austrian force has been flying the metal banner high since 2012.

In this exclusive interview with TheNWOTHM, we dive into the band’s origins, their evolving sound, and the stories behind standout releases like Heavy Metal Combat, Falcons Revenge, and their latest full-length onslaught, Gates of Hell. From tour-bus survival hypotheticals to live-show intensity and the DIY grind behind their latest music video, Diamond Falcon proves that metal isn’t just music — it’s a lifestyle. Crank it up, grab a beer, and step into the world of Diamond Falcon.

Interview

TheNwothm: Hey Diamond Falcon! Please introduce the band and where you are from!

D.F: Hi, we are Diamond Falcon, hailing from Vienna, Austria. We are four guys playing Heavy Metal, blending classical features of the genre with a modern edge, pulling influence from genre legends like Iron Maiden, Tokyo Blade, Judas Priest, Tygers of Pan Tang as well as other greats like Slayer, Metallica, you name it.

The band is myself, Steve Savage, and M.T.O. on guitars, Ferdl on Bass, Weazzel on the vox and Wankee Durango behind the drum kit.

TheNwothm: Diamond Falcon has been going strong since 2012. How did the band come together, and what inspired the name?

D.F: The initial idea of creating a Heavy Metal band lies way back. Weazzel wanted to start a Heavy Metal band eversince, and in 2011 we formed the first idea together with musicians of other bands we were friends with.

For the band name we wanted something strong and fierce. Since Diamond is one of the hardest materials and falcons are relentless predators, this was quite an easy pick. 

TheNwothm: How would you describe the signature sound of Diamond Falcon to someone who has never heard your music?

D.F: It’s basically a mix of Heavy Metal and Thrash Metal. Since Weazzel and I are the main songwriters we bring these influences on the table. Weazzel is a huge Maiden fan and I’m all into Slayer. This is what you can hear on our first two albums.

The 3^rd release “New Sh!t 2019” initiated a change in our sound, growing a bit slower, more melodic, also Weazzel found his personal style on this record, making the overall experience of our music a bit darker than the previous releases.

TheNwothm: How would you describe the Austrian heavy metal scene? Do you feel it has grown or changed since you started? And what impact has it had on the band?

D.F: Yes, definitely. When we started Diamond Falcon there was basically four other bands, namely Liquid Steel, Roadwolf, Wildhunt and High Heeler, playing shows on a regular basis. With these four bands we formed the “Austrian Heavy Metal Alliance” to help and support each other.

Eversince the Austrian scene has grown a lot, bringing out great bands like Küenring, Titan Killer and Venator, just to name a few.

TheNwothm: Your debut album Heavy Metal Combat set the foundation for Diamond Falcon’s sound. How did you approach songwriting and production for your first full-length release?

D.F: The songwriting was basically finding together as a band, defining our sound for what we wanted to do. I was writing the music while Weazzel was writing most of the lyrics, and the other members added some tweaks here and there.

The album was produced by a good friend of ours who loved our sound and just wanted to record our music. So production-wise it was a pretty good deal for us.

TheNwothm: Do you have a favourite track from this album, and if so, why?

D.F: I’d say “Deus Non Vult” is an all-time favourite from this record. I think there has not been a single show we didn’t play this song, and our audience seems to dig it as well.

TheNwothm: “Falcons Revenge” (2017) seemed to mark a turning point for the band. What was special about that record?

D.F: I wouldn’t say it was a turning point looking at the music we wrote at that time. The approach was to get a more old-school style that was going pretty much in an old-school speed metal direction. Looking at the production it was the first record Weazzel worked on as producer as well, you can hear that in the quality of the mix not giving credit to the actual quality of the songwriting. That’s why we want to re-record this album with a proper, more polished sound in the future.

TheNwothm: Reflecting on the approach to writing and recording, do you have a set format or do you change things up with each release?

D.F: So far it has always been the same setting. I write the music and Weazzel contributes the lyrics. For future music we want to work together more as a band, so that every band member can put in equal amounts of ideas to the songwriting process.

TheNwothm: “New Sh*t 2019” EP is an interesting title for an EP! Was that intentional?  

D.F: Yes, absolutely! We were working on the songs for this record since the release of “Falcons Revenge” and wanted to put out a new full length album in 2019.

However, with the Covid-timeout and endless lineup-changes during that period, it all delayed until 2022 when we finally were able to record and release some new music. Therefor we though it would be fitting to name the record “New Sh!t 2019”.

TheNwothm: What can you tell our readers about that EP and the kind of mind state you were in a the time of putting it together.

D.F: During the whole writing process we had to deal with various obstacles. Some bandmembers left us, the world was going through a pandemic, everybody was isolated at the time. This left its marks in the overall sound of the music.

TheNwothm: To break things up a little, Imagine you’re headlining a festival, and you can resurrect one legendary metal musician to perform with you—who do you choose?

D.F: Oh man, that’s a hard question. I personally would love to have Randy Rhoads or Chuck Schuldiner on board. Ronnie James Dio would also be great. 

We were always joking about how we should just invite Bruce Dickinson perform with us when Maiden plays a support show for us. I somehow doubt that’s gonna happen, though…