11 tracks, 36 minutes. A debut of scorching rock instrumentals that will please physics majors, math rockers, funk soul groovers and those who worship at the altar of the Gibson SG. So hot.

Now, if you haven't seen them live, you can be forgiven for the thinking that New York City's Darediablo are a four-, maybe even a five-piece. What is unforgivable is A) not seeing them live, and B) confusing the Southern Records recording artists with any other instrumental band currently slogging it out in the indie underground. The difference? Their instrumental rock rocks!

While their peers often substitute bleeps and clangs for raw groove and genuine innovation, Darediablo succeed on the strength of their stripped-down rock three-piece. It's their unbelievable range of direct influences - from the 1950's "organ trio" model to the cock-rock of the 1970s to spaghetti western soundtracks to modern (but not "Nu") metal. And as their latest album, "Twenty Paces", makes clear, damn near everything in between.

Jake Garcia's guitar and bass effortlessly trade lead and rhythm with Matt Holford's Hammond and assorted keyboards, inspiring devil horns and raised beers almost as much for their tension-building restraint as for their arena-grade riffage. Laying a truly solid foundation, drummer Chad Royce crafts beats with brawn and brains that don't pull out the rug from underneath Holford and Garcia's menacing and complex rhythmic barrages.

From Darediablo's self-released "Tunnel of Fire" in 1999, to 2001's double-EP "Sky Cohete/Subaquatico", on through "Bedtime Stories" in 2002, and their 2003 Southern debut "Feeding Frenzy", they've been compared to an increasingly diverse array of artists, including Deep Purple, The Fucking Champs, AC/DC, Booker T and The MGs, Don Caballero, and the MC5, to name a few.

True to their reputation as a relentless road band, Darediablo will set out once again in Spring '05, hot on the heels of their numerous US tours and their recent trek to Europe. And true to their name, Darediablo take chances where others will not, and they burn.