By Divine Right are pleasantly straightforward. Their sound isn't exactly ground-breaking -- it's a bass-driven, feedback-washed take on intermittently-Pixies-ish power-pop -- but they do it without artifice or pretense. Songs like "Highway Alien Paranoia" give a sly, compositional nod to the beaten-to-death Seattle Sound, but it's just a nod as opposed to another none-too-subtle attempt to be Pearl Jam. Yes, there's some of that stylish guitar feedback, but quantities are limited and it remains a by-product rather than a bona-fide instrument. That's important, because BDR doesn't deal in three-minor-chord sludge; there are melodies here, and the band wants us to hear them. Jose Miguel Contreras' vocals have a definite Replacements quality -- his voice is full of aching, earnest emotion, though he never pushes it over the edge into irritating pathos. However, to truly appreciate songs like "Bigfoot" and "Underwater", it's almost necessary to compare them with the rest of what's on the radio these days. By Divine Right's take on Today's Rock Sound has a lot more personality and quality than the endless array of alt-commercial artists who are carelessly strip-mining similar turf -- and you're a lot more likely to still want to listen to All Hail Discordia six months from now.
By Divine Right All Hail Discordia Nettwerk CD
			Review by George Zahora

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