[rating=3.00]
Right from the first drumbeat and “Oough” vocal of the excellent “Resistance”, the NYC 5 piece blister the listener’s ears with a twin guitar assault. The six-strings crunch and slice in the familiar vein of Gun’s N’ Roses or Led Zeppelin style hard rock before some back up singers join the fun and take the track home in winning fashion.
Diablo Royale’s newest release is the 7 song EP Greedy Dogs, targeted to those who still yearn to rock out, non-ironically. The production as well as the playing stands out; vocals soar, the low end pummels, and guitars crisply cut the air. The double kick drum from Mike Sankari and bass runs from Sweetleaf are nice flourishes, but with any band of this ilk, you only go so far as your singer and axmen can take you, Diablo Royale deliver. On “Nothing Good” Adrian Barrios screams while providing firmness with his vocal flame throwing above Eric Choy and Gerard Steixner’s meaty licks and melting solo’s. It’s not all just flash though, tracks like “Beholder” show off a grimy Alice in Chains influence, adding depth to their sound.
Diablo Royale are not reinventing the wheel here, they are continuing the hard rock tradition which in today’s music market is noticeably refreshing. If you are tired of wave after wave of hipster synth-pop and are jonesing for some balls out rock give Greedy Dogs a whirl.
