Diesl - "The Failsafe" - ROCKSPOSURE.....Be Heard

Every musician was inspired to follow their musical dreams by a song or band that they heard on the radio.  Whether it was Steven Tyler belting out "Dream On" or Zeppelin finding their way up the "Stairway to Heaven", that first song and every other one after it played a role and influenced the way that they make music.  The hard part comes after you've built the music collection and mastered your musical craft.  It can be a challenging thing to create music that embodies the flavor of your influences without being mistaken for a cover band playing 'B' sides that sound like something off that album from 10 years ago by that band you kind of liked. When it is done correctly, it is not only a homage to the legends that brought you into music, but a damn fine equation for rock and roll.

Our Artist of the Month for June 2010, DIESL, have channeled their influences to create an excellent sound on their recently released album "The Failsafe".  DIESL has been rocking the North Woods of Minnesota since 1998.  Packing the punch of the bands that inspired them to take up music, their brand of rock takes cues and flavors from bands that range from Iron Maiden to Incubus. In fact, at times, "The Failsafe" feels like a time machine that can take you through the great rock eras of the 90's. It's a very solid record.

DIESL describes their hard rock sound as being "aggressive without being overbearing", a statement that I can definitely agree with after spending some time with the album.  In fact, there are few better ways to describe the first track on "The Failsafe" entitled "V1" then the aforementioned quote.  Drummer David Hedlund opens the album up with some quick drum work which is almost immediately accompanied by the guitars of Jason Froehlke and Miguel Luna.  The heavy riffs on "V1" carry through like the chords of a Godsmack song, conveying unmistakable power.

Dan Norland slaps out a sick bass line to start "Bitch Hips", a song that subtly reminds of some early Incubus minus the turn tables. This influence is one that works well for DIESL as it finds its way into other tracks on the album including "Nomenclature" and "Ram".  These songs have a fast, 'in your face' style; especially "Ram" which is probably the album's most aggressive track.  As I stated earlier, it is masterful in the sense that it reminds you of a mainstream band like Incubus, but there is no way that you could confuse the two.  

Another big influence for DIESL was Alice in Chains.  Having just enjoyed a resurgence of their own, the harmonizing style of Jerry Cantrell is unmistakable and rarely do bands attempt to recreate it.  DIESL felt they were up for the challenge and absolutely nailed it on "Not Myself" and "Back Home".  Mark Hedlund's voice shines on "Back Home" which combines some harmonizing with a faster paced tempo.  This is without a doubt our 'must listen' track on the album so be sure to check it out on Rocksposure Radio.

When the guys from DIESL sent us their application, we asked them why they should be Rocksposed.  They replied with the best answer we have seen to this question since we launched Rocksposure.com: "We should be Rocksposed because it's hard getting any sort of "sposed" in Minnesota."  We're on the web for this exact reason, and when you run across a band that has been honing their sound for over 12 years and has an album as good as "The Failsafe", a little Rocksposing is the least we can do!

Hear a few tracks off of DIESL's album "The Failsafe" by clicking here

As the Webmaster and Founder of Rocksposure.com, Chris Brach is always looking for new music from up and coming rock bands.  You never know, they could be our next Artist of the Month!  If there is something you think he should give a listen to, email him at GetRocked@Rocksposure.com