How many times have I heard it? Probably two and half . . . three million times. The old "I've got a friend that plays in a band" thing. I must say, there has never been a time when I have not checked out a band that a friend has asked me to check out. I love to support the local bands and independents who are making squat and playing music for the "love of the game," if you will. But, in all honesty, most bands turn out to be average or below 9 times out of 10. Well . . . meet that tenth band.

Hailing from South Africa, D-Day 4-Ever is a five-piece hard rock outfit that is much more than the typical unsigned band. We hear most unsigned bands doing something that will get them on a bandwagon. Most young bands make the critical mistake of trying to be somebody they are not. With these nine tracks on D-Day's independently released "Detonator" disc, the band proves that they are not out to "fit in." Don't get me wrong, you might here a tinge of Godsmack in the blistering track "Nothing", or some harmony vocals reminiscent of Alice In Chains, or even a similar song style to that of fellow hard rocking South Africans Seether but make no mistake, D-Day 4-Ever is doing what comes naturally to them.

This is a genuine sound that flows out of the band like an open wound. The passionate vocal performance from singer Jaco Jacobs on "Breathe," and the beautifully melodic bass lines from bassist Roy Melville throughout the record insure the listener that they are getting something pure here. The band also overcomes the next big pitfall of the average bar band, lack of diversity. Most young unsigned acts are stagnant with their approach to the genre. It's almost as if they are afraid to venture too far away from what's "acceptable." DD4E starts out with a bass driven intro with some spacey psychedelic effects, and quickly smacks us clear across the room with a riff that caused me some voluntary head trauma. "Until The End" is just plain wicked. It's the attitude and "punch" of Rage Against The Machine, with the melodic majesty of an Alice In Chains a most fresh and welcome sound. One of the best songs that I've heard in the genre in a very long time.

As they move through songs like "Nothing" and "Breathe," we get a more outright assault in the same vein as bands like Disturbed and Seether. The band starts to show the diversity that so many lack though in tunes like "Oblivion," which has a little softer, more melodic sound without sacrificing their intensity or their integrity. This band wasn't afraid to show its melodic side and write the song that they wanted an admirable feat for a band with everything to lose. Let's face it, they could have cut nine songs that sounded like Seether, and billed themselves as the next South African prodigy on the scene; but they chose to be themselves and do what came naturally, and it's a beautiful thing. As you make your way toward the end of the record, you'll find the band traveling into areas of Chili Peppers-type funk mixed with their signature metal crunch ("Fine"), and even into a Pantera-type hardcore sound ("Down") that still sounds like a pure and natural place for the band. Not too many will show this much diversity, and better yet, not too many have the talent for it if they wanted to. Talent is not a problem with D-Day 4-Ever.

So, I always have my pan close by. I've put a lot of dirt and soot in the pan over the years, and have definitely come up empty almost every time. But when I poured the deep rich soil of D-Day 4-Ever in my pan, I had that funny feeling. The one that I get when I shake it a little and find myself a big fat gold nugget. This is a band that needs to be discovered. South Africa may not be the Mecca for music that L.A. or New York are, but I was able to find a shining nugget there that has made me a little richer and their name is D-Day 4-Ever.

For more info, visit the band's official website: www.d-day.co.za