NEW YORK– Times are hard. We know that. It is a time when the economy  could barely permit people to invest resources for anything.

Yes, money is scarce, jobs are few, and fear is prevalent. Yet despite this challenging time for artists and entrepreneurs, some bands still manage to create beautiful work.

An upon hearing local hard rock group Diablo Royale's latest EP 'Greedy Dogs,' I was assured that not everything around is hard to come by. The truth is, great music is still with us and it is in this EP.

The New York-based group put up a clinic on how to rock hard in this release. The twin guitar attack of Eric Choy and Gerard 'G-Man' Steixner, the combination of rhythm by drummer MIke Sankari and new bassist Pete Connors and Adrian Barrios' powerful vocal work all combine for a remarkable, if not, spirit-lifting musical performance captured on record.

More than anything else, 'Greedy Dogs' is a political record. It is a release that has a lot to say rather than just  rock people's brains out. Yes folks, this is not just another sex, drugs, booze, and rock n' roll record. In fact, it is a record that is on point with the current landscape.

For instance, the track 'Resistance' is a song about making a statement against bullies, whether it be corporate bullies or over-bearing spouses, power-tripping bosses, or corrupt government officials. We read a lot of news that we know the world is never short of bullies. Iraq? Afghanistan? 911? Wall Street?

Moreover, the title track  'Greedy Dogs' itself directly confronts the elements that make this world suck as bad as today. The liars, hypocrites, thieves, war mongers, and even clergy men who prey on innocent children. We live in awful times, and Diablo Royale is reacting to it.

Other tracks in the EP are: Serpent, Promised Land, Nothing Good, Beholder, and Remedy.

The message of the songs in this EP is truly as important as the breath-taking music, unlike some hard-rock releases that only cater to the animal in people with the music and never the rational part in the lyrics.

Diablo Royale is a very important group in the scene. So important that a lot are expected of them. But expectations are not something that the band is not ready to face. In fact, being able to come up with great shows and an EP as good as 'Greedy Dogs' in a time like this is already living up to huge expectations.

Visit the band's site and get the EP. The band knows the rough economic challenges that we all face today so they made the EP available in a "name your price" basis. Hell, you can even get it for a penny! So what are you waiting for?

Visit their site to get the EP