Rebel Diamonds

THE KILLERS have been a strong force in rock and alternative music since the early 2000s. When their breakout single “Mr. Brightside” arrived, from the band’s 2004 “Hot Fuss” debut, there was nothing really like it on modern rock radio. “Mr. Brightside” was heavily influenced by pop, new wave and post-punk, and it certainly stood out on playlists heavily packed with post-grunge bands, such as SHINEDOWN, SEETHER and GODSMACK.

Since then, THE KILLERS have become one of the biggest alternative rock bands on the planet, even breaking through to the mainstream. Cuts such as “When You Were Young” and “Somebody Told Me” are instantly recognizable and are still played on modern radio. In honor of THE KILLERS‘ 20 years together, the group has a new best-of album out, “Rebel Diamonds”.

“Rebel Diamonds” is pretty much what one would expect from a best-of collection, as it features a bevy of KILLERS classics, as well as the band’s most recent single, “Your Side of Town”.

One thing THE KILLERS did here refreshingly is they actually included at least one song from each of the group’s seven studio albums. Hence, the set features songs from “Hot Fuss” to THE KILLERS‘ latest full-length, “Pressure Machine”.

Listening through, many of these songs are purely the originals. But, they also included some unique cuts, such as their recent re-recording of “A Dustland Fairytale” from 2008’s “Day & Age”, which they re-recorded and performed with Bruce Springsteen in 2021.

While the songs, for the most part, aren’t very different from the versions fans have heard over the past 20 years, having these tracks together in a hand-curated collection really does tell the band’s story. Hearing the quaint “Be Still” bleed into the upbeat, ’80s-sounding “Runaways” shows the band’s breadth and points to why their music hasn’t gotten boring over the years.

While “Rebel Diamonds” plays as a complete collection and truly capsulizes THE KILLERS‘ past 20 years in the music industry, the set would have benefited from including some B-sides, rarities or live cuts. The band are known for their high-energy live shows, and capturing some of that on this best-of album would have really taken it to the next level. That said, “Rebel Diamonds” is an impressive collection that’s almost a “THE KILLERS 101″ for new fans, while giving longtime fans a reminder of why this band is so influential and celebrated.