To all my dear nephews and nieces, I must tell you all a feature about the Brazilian Metal scene: here, we have a tradition in breeding extreme Metal bands, what you can confirm by seeing how SEPULTURA (our greatest name) and SARCÓFAGO are loved both here and as worldwide. But this feature is changing, because we are breeding by now bands from melodic and extreme ways, and all of them are doing fine works, indeed. And one fine name is from the Hard Rock quintet DIRTY GLORY, from São Paulo, that arrives with "Mind the Gap".

Hooking, musically accessible, the band plays in the same vein from those bands from the Sunset Strip (California), but with a strong personality. They use some AOR and Blues Rock influences, along with hooking choruses, the same technical and strong work on guitars (both on riffs and melodic solos), and a powerful rhythmic session created by bass guitar and drums. And some moments on piano and the use of a harmonica sometimes turns the things even more tasty. It's excellent!

"Mind the Gap" production was shared by Jimmi DG (the band's vocalist) and Luís Lopes (who did the mixing as well), with the mastering done in BlackBelt studios in Seattle (USA) by the hands of Levi Seitz (except for the song "The Sentence"). Of course, the final result is a clean and excellent sound quality, having the needed amount of weight and a touch of dirtiness.

Besides the entire album is excellent, I dare to point "Sticks and Stones" (a great and hooking song, filled with fine guitars, very good backing vocals and a hooking chorus), the charming "20 Years of Moving On" (this song hooks on our ears, with its great use of rhythmic changes, what means that bass and drums did a fine job, along with some moments where the harmonica appears, giving a Rock'n'Roll taste to the song), the dirty piece of Rock'n'Roll called "Black Lightning", the charming "Fire" with its musically accessible touches, the lovely ballad "Every Time I Think About You" (with clean guitars and fine vocals, following that same trend that BON JOVI and FIREHOUSE used wisely on their greatest success), "Modern Gods" (that mixes aggressiveness, accessibility and melodies in the due proportions, and again, an excellent chorus is presented), and the voice and piano ballad "The Sentence".

So we can say that their work is really excellent, and for those who miss Hard Rock good times, prepare, for they are coming back. But until they are back, let's hear "Mind the Gap" until we drop.<