I'm absolutely positive that, at this point, Diesel doesn't have to prove anything else to anybody. What this band has accomplished so far, in a "do it yourself" manner, leaves me dumbfounded, because they have already gotten further than anyone and their parents could ever expect. What have they done that is so amazing? Well, they simply managed to be chosen from over 5000 bands to play on the main stage of the Rock In Rio festival in Brazil, sharing the stage with bands like the Deftones, Silverchair and Red Hot Chili Peppers; they've received critical acclaim from international and Brazilian press; and their album is selling like water in the summer in their homeland. Quite frankly, they deserve it all and much more; because their accomplishments aren't the only thing capable of leaving you dumbfounded. Yup, that's correct: their music will do it as well.

It's quite difficult to label a band like Diesel, the reason being because each of the band's members work like a blade of a musical blender; and they manage to mix every genre and it's subdivisions in it. The results are, vaguely explaining, a heavy and emotional grunge rock with extreme sides of metal and progressive alternative; all done with a competence that will make your elders ask you to increase the volume of the stereo. Diesel can go from sounding really mellow and emotional to loud and aggressive, and believe me, they do it with class. All of their songs have a genuine potential all of their own, also having a commercial side much exploitable for radio and TV stations. Their music can please pretty much everybody. Some of their songs carry a strong heaviness and power, akin perhaps to Soundgarden's heaviest moments with a touch of the new metal sound; yet, by far their best songs are the ones that don't fit into this category, but instead the exact opposite. Diesel have the capacity of composing astonishing songs with the appropriate dose of heaviness, yet they still create emotional climates that are perfectly balanced with the usage of clean and distorted guitars, making everything sounds 100% rounded and obviously, beautiful; truly providing a lesson on how dynamics should be adjusted in a song.

Gustavo's voice is definitely one of the band's best kept secrets for the audience and being the owner of one of the most intense voices of the genre, he sure knows how to control it, varying from his medium tone to a higher pitch with a competence of an experienced singer twice his age. An interesting side note is that Gustavo's English is also 100% free of any accent, and shall not be a problem for those readers that can't stand English spoken with a strong foreign accent. By leading the music created by Diesel, Gustavo closes, with a golden key, the chest which contains the recipe for the band's sound and nope; I'm sure they don't intend to share its contents with anybody.

Surely, the album comes with a few things that should be corrected soon. One of them is that Gustavo occasionally belting out an unnecessary scream; perhaps because of being moved by the song. The bigger problem is that these screams can sound like a rock crusher in your ear, and instantly shatter the momentum of the song, as noticed on "Redhead Saint (3 Of A Kind)"'s chorus. Also, a few tracks, especially the song "Far", need a little bit of tightening up, due to sounding really "empty" and lacking the punchy characteristics of the band's other songs. By trying to sound emotional, this song gives the listener an impression that something is missing and may eventually end up being considered as a filler. These downsides, though, are nothing when compared to the album's upsides, and as such, it might not be a problem for you to swallow them.

Frankly, Diesel is easily the most promising band to born from Brazil since Sepultura. They are showing the world what are they all about with their vicious and intense sound, and, after playing at Rock In Rio, they sure won't let their chances runaway. You can be sure you'll be hearing about this band a lot in the future. Diesel is already on fire. It's just a matter of time until they to blow up and leave their mark on the world.
(4 / 5)