Artist: Darediablo

CD Review

CD Title: Feeding Frenzy

Label: Southern Records

Website: www.darediablo.com

Writer: Doug Simpson

This New York City instrumental hard rock trio relies on heavy grooves rather than egotistical technical prowess. The material has been refined to the very basics. There aren’t any power ballads, no lyrics or overwrought vocals. Matt Holford lays down a massive groove on Hammond and Fender Rhodes keyboards, Jake Garcia cranks out hefty guitar blasts and drummer Chad Royce’s sinewy rhythm keeps tunes on a firm trajectory.

The guitar/organ interplay brings to mind Uriah Heep’s intelligent organ solos mixed with the fleet fingering of Jeff Beck or Ritchie Blackmore. And unlike most hard rock/heavy metal produced these days, there are no virtuoso solo moments. Instead each song has a stripped down kick in the pants charge, giving Feeding Frenzy an uncomplicated approach that works extremely well. This is music readymade for those who just never cared what a singer was prattling on about and zeroed in on riffs, solos, bass lines and drums.

"The Hornet" opens the disc, establishing Darediablo’s amalgam of Sixties psychedelia and Seventies rock. Along the way through the eleven cuts Darediablo also thumps out some swaggering funk on "Celebrity Shark Week," which ends with a perfect blend of stoner rock and acid jazz (think Medeski, Martin and Wood jamming with Fu Manchu). And anyone into stoner rock should also check out "Behold the Panther Stone." Other pieces like "Slide Rule" and "The Rig" rock as if its 1973 again instead of 2003. There’s even a pendulant, jazzy nugget called "Crockett and Tubbs." Thankfully it doesn’t echo Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice theme, but rather the intense-wattage attack of Hammer’s old fusion band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

The rest of the album is sewn from the same rugged cloth, offering a high decibel romp that will appeal to stoner rock aficionados, hard rock fans and folks who get off on loud, aggressive rock without macho posturing.