Hawthorne, California has bred some of the finest bands in rock history - the Beach Boys and Black Flag - just to name a few. Hawthorne has recently offered up another talented hopeful
searching for similar stardom with Dios. The
indie-pop outfit has been in a whirlwind of activity
following their Los Arboles EP released early this year. They started with a full-fledged tour with Grandaddy and Fire Theft, (including a stop-off at Coachella,) and finished it all off with another run with Beulah.

To make matters all the weirder, they've recently had the misfortune of being served with a cease and desist order from the heavy metal has-been Ronnie James Dio, who claims the band's name is too close to that of his own solo band, Dio. The band humbly replied to RJ's request
stating, "We're up against rainbows and magic, and when it comes to casting spells we're barely level 3 musicians with nothing but cheap magic missiles and plate mail armor to protect us from the wrath of eight headed hydra law firms with unlimited manna and 100 sided dice.' The band has since been dubbed Dios Malos.

Amid all this tumult, Dios managed to release one of the most exciting debuts of the year. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Clearly these boys understand that if you're going to duplicate anyone's sound, you might as well make a carbon copy of the best. Obvious inspirations from the classics are heard here, especially from the Beatles and Neil Young. Whether it's hints of a Pet Sounds-era Beach
Boys montage on "Fifty Cents," Gold Rush-era Neil Young on "You Got Me All Wrong," or the most accessible track akin to Exile-era Rolling Stones on "Starting Five." Contemporary comparisons could also be made to the Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, and even Beck, but it's the traces of vintage rock history that shine the brightest.

Irregardless of it's derivative nature, all of the elements of a great album are found on Dios' eponymous release. And what it lacks in spontaneity it makes up for in accessibility - and in a musical year that may go down as the worst in recent history, Dios remains a refreshing refresher course in music 101.