Vendetta - Heretic Nation
(Lion Music, 2009)
UK-based Vendetta has a style that is deeply
rooted in '80s traditional metal, with crunchy riffs and melodic
hooks. Traces of Maiden, Priest, Scorpions, Triumph and Saxon,
among others, are eloquently placed throughout their 2nd album "Heretic
Nation." The band mix melody with aggression, combined with
great harmonies as well as a shitload of searing and soaring
guitar leads!
Their debut was good, but their new creation is far more
advanced. It's heavier and more cohesive than "Tyranny of
Minority," while still retaining Vendetta's trademark sound. The
band has progressed immensely, and vocalist/guitarist Edward Box
has fit into his dual role comfortably by delivering more
passion to his vocals than on the debut.
There's not a dud amongst the batch of songs on this CD. Every
track has a catchy, melodic-yet-aggressive approach to it, due
to dead-on marksmanship by drummer Lee Lamb, solid precision
bass lines from Gary Foalle, and equal guitar mastery from Pete
Thompson.
"My Revelation" has been featured on Youtube for a couple of
months now, and if you liked that song then the rest of "Heretic
Nation" is just as tasty.
Opening track "Delusion" has the band kicking off in excellent
form. A melodic anthem with nice leads and a strong chorus makes
it a great opener.
Box brings his instrumentalist traits to the song "Skaro," based
on the fictional planet of the same name from the British Sci-Fi
television series Doctor Who. In addition to Vendetta, Box has
penned two instrumental solo albums, thus proving that he is a
guitarist to be reckoned with.
"Glass Half Empty" radiates with Triumph-like qualities
including great bass lines and Box's harmonious voice shining
through, the middle part is reminiscent of a young Rik Emmett.
"Killing Time" includes an awe-inspiring twin lead guitar solo
by Box and Thompson that equal a Tipton/Downing shred-fest. "Face
Your Demons" and "Powers That Be" have sort of a Testament-like
quality, particularly the "Souls Of Black" period.
"Heretic Nation" is a fun slab of traditional, straight up,
balls-out heavy metal that has a long-lasting nostalgic metal
quality to it that you can never grow tired of. Play it again!
- 9 -
www.metal-maybem.co.uk
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Vendetta - Heretic Nation
2009 Lion Music
Following up the release of Tyranny of Minority,
Vendetta are still riding on the strengths of a no
bullshit approach to metal. Sure with the nimble fingered
six string talents of frontman Ed Box and Pete Thompson as
well as the virtuosic rhythmic punch of bassist Gary Foalle
and drummer Lee Lamb could have made this a collection
prog-metal or shred metal concertos, but it didn't have to
be - nor did it need be - they put all of that aside to
create a 1, 2, & 3 in-your-face punch that is front and
center which keeps the heaviness in focus 110%, if not even
more.
Aligned with the same example of mid-period Priest, Metal
Church, contemporaries/labelmates House of Shakira, & the
vibe of New Wave of British Heavy Metal - Vendetta
deliver, as the wall of crunch thrusts forward on tracks
"New Horizon," "A Glass Half Empty," the moody "The Space
Between," & the anthemic "Age of Annihilation" with it's
Maiden-esque galloping overtones; making the record a loud
powerhouse where the axes and tunes do the talking.
There is the dueling lead between both Box & Thompson,
offering up plenty of solos that are fierce, taking the
tunes to more of an aggressive hierarchy without constant
noodling - put that along with the rhythmic riffs that are
also played as well as the hard hitting drumming and
thumping bass - it's proof positive that no synthetics (or
synths) are needed. Another feat for Ed Box and company who
play to the tune of their own solid melodic stance -
hearkening the sound of the old school, but proving that a
whole new era of the classic metal sound is here to stay.
CLICK HERE to read a review of Tyranny of Minority
CLICK HERE to read a review of Edward Box's Moonfudge
CLICK HERE to read an interview with Edward Box,
conducted in October of '07
Added: November 1st 2009
Reviewer: Tommy Hash
Score:
www.ytsejam.com |
VENDETTA 'TYRANNY OF MINORITY' (LION MUSIC)
VENDETTA is a
new band from the UK formed in early 2006 by guitarist/vocalist
EDWARD BOX, an instrumentalist who already has released 2 solo
albums on LION MUSIC. With VENDETTA he not only plays guitar,
but also sings and does a very good job actually, as we get to
hear high class 80s inspired traditional Melodic Heavy
Rock/Metal that reminds me a bit of a heavier version of
BONFIRE, MILLION, VICTORY, PC'69 and such. It sounds quite
powerful and for a British album it sounds really good, because
we haven't seen many releases in this style the past 15 years,
with here and there an exception of course, but in general this
kinda Melodic Hardrock is not the flavor of the week in the UK.
Anyway, songs like "Generation Kill", "I Executioner", "Red
Skies" and "All Fall Down". Recommended to the Melodic
Hardrockfans out there! More info at:
www.vendetta-theband.com and
www.myspace.com/nosafehole
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
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Tracklist
1. Archangel
2. Generation Kill
3. I Executioner
4. Doorways Of The Mind (Transcendence Pt. 1)
5. Golden Boy
6. Red Skies
7. Plastic God
8. Bones To Dust
9. Lost Cause
10. All Fall Down
11. No Safe Hole
12. Window Of The Soul (Transcendence Pt. 2)
Line-up
Edward Box (g, v)
Pete Thompson (g)
Gary Foalle (b, g)
Mick Robson (d)
Review added
October 9, 2007
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VENDETTA
Tyranny Of Minority
© 2007 Lion Music (LMC212)
heavy metal
studio album
12 tracks - TT 53:21
release date: September 14, 2007
http://www.vendetta-theband.com |
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Edward Box is not only a gifted
guitar player, he’s also a wise man who knows when
it’s time to move on. After having released two
interesting instrumental solo albums, he wanted to
broaden his horizon and founded Vendetta at the
beginning of last year. Guitarist Pete Thompson and
bass player Gary Foalle were swiftly recruited, but
finding a suitable drummer was a lot more difficult.
Once the songs for the debut album were written and
ready to be recorded, Box called in the services of
his long-time friend Mick Robson to record the
album.
Having listened to “Tyranny Of Minority” a couple of
times now, I can only conclude that it’s a good
classic heavy metal album, featuring 12 songs full
of catchy hooks and great arrangements. Of course
the songs are built around the guitar histrionics of
Box, but that doesn’t bother me, as long as the
overall quality doesn’t suffer from it. It’s the
first album on which we can hear Box sing and
deliver lyrics and he does both jobs with a natural
ease. Says Box: “From a personal point of view the
vocals presented a huge challenge and I prepared
myself for 18 months prior to recording to extend my
range and develop a style of singing that felt
comfortable but would fit the music.” All I can add
is that his voice suits the songs in a perfect way.
Lyrically he isn’t afraid of bringing up the most
divergent topics. Count it all together and we have
a good to very good debut album! FYI, Chris Higgins
was brought in as the band’s permanent drummer after
the recordings for this debut album were finished. ( CL)
www.rockreport.be
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Vendetta – Tyranny of
Minority
2007 Lion Music
It’s no irony how Tyranny of
Minority opens up with the
thundering “Hellion”-esque homage
titled “Archangel,” for this debut
by the axe oriented Vendetta
screams with the six string battle
cry. Led by guitarist/vocalist Ed
Box, an accomplished fretboard
slinger in his own right, this
quartet is also comprised of
guitarist Pete Thompson (sharing
lead with Box), bassist Gary Foalle,
and drummer Chris Higgins (with
skinsman Mick Robson filling in the
studio duties on this record), for a
record that bases itself on
hard-edged traditional metal; and
that’s traditional, not retro.
Nonetheless, the music has its
technical progressions, being very
Chris Poland/Damn the Machine-ish
with hints of At Vance, Jag Panzer,
& Jack Frost thrown in, so yeah,
it’s a heavy fucking record,
stylistically different from Box’s
Moonfudge. But it’s both Box
and Thompson that share leads,
dueling like Dowling/Tipton, with
the shred prowess being all over the
place; but of course, it’s all about
the melodies too, ya’ know.
Straightforward riffage is king here,
with cuts like “I Executioner,” “Red
Skies,” and “No Safe Hall;” all
coming complete with the roaring
metallic edge backed by AOR
songwriting that keeps the tunes
intact with the high melodic factor.
Tyranny of Minority is a
consistently hard driving record,
but by no means lackluster in
content; there are darker moments
and edgier moments here and there
that balance out the overall
attitude - for which Vendetta
has executed an astonishing debut,
marking their own stance in the
world of metal, without going
overboard.
CLICK HERE To Read a
Review of Ed Box’s ‘Moonfudge.’
Added:
September 17th 2007
Reviewer:
Tommy Hash
www.ytsejam.com
Score:
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Vendetta - Tyranny Of Minority (Lion
Music) By: Joe Florez
www.live4metal.com
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New to the Lion label is this English four piece
melodic hair metal act. The band is spearheaded by Edward Box
who is a guitar virtuoso who has put out a few instrumentals
which I have had the pleasure of reviewing one of them. Now,
since I have never heard Ed sing, it will be quite interesting
to hear if he will fly or sink like the titanic.
“Generation Kill” immediately delivers 80’s style riffs that are
not only good to the ear, but it has some muscle as well. The
drums are crisp and ultra clean thanks to the super slick polish
of the production. Ed’s voice is somewhat on the high side, but
it works. The solo on here shreds with loads of glam and pizzazz.
There’s nothing original on here, but if you take |
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it for face value, then you will have a blast
with this. After delivering a few songs in the upper tempo range,
the boys bring it down just a notch with “Doorways To The Mind.”
Albeit it being a little sluggish, it doesn’t hit the ballad
area which is good because the one has a bit of energy in there.
The striking of the skins are quite thunderous and the guitar
work is performed with tremendous melody. “Golden Boy” has a
Dokken vibe because the music patterns are slightly similar. The
thing about this one as well as a few others is the fact that
had this been released a few decades ago, this would have had a
chance on commercial radio. However, this could make it on Hair
Nation on the Sirius Satellite network. You can say it’s a dated
sound because there is nothing new being created here, but it
has a modern touch and the production is superb. Vendetta is
heavier than your Ratt’s, Poison’s and Bon Jovi’s, but never
reaching the plateau of later day Metallica. This disc contains
just the right amounts of glam, flashy musicianship and
catchiness. When listening to this, you may be nudged to tease
your hair high and keep it still with loads of Aquanet and break
out the spandex from your closet. Please don’t! Just enjoy the
music for what it is and remember the good ol’ days via photos
and your memory. This is a fun listen and recommend it to those
who know how to have a good time without being too serious. At
least for the weekend anyway.
www.lionmusic.com |
www.vendetta-theband.com |
01. Archangel .
02. Generation Kill
03. I Executioner
04. Doorways of the Mind
05. Golden Boy
06. Red Skies
07. Plastic God
08. Bones to Dust
09. Lost Cause
10. All Fall Down
11. No Safe Hole
12. Window of the Soul
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Tyranny Of Minority
are 12 tracks of scorching traditional metal and marks the debut
release from UK metallers Vendetta. Formed in early 2006 by
guitarist/vocalist Edward Box (an instrumentalist of
considerable repute with 2 solo albums) who wanted to broaden
his musical base and return to the roots of his obsession -
traditional metal. Guitarist Pete Thompson and bass player Gary
Foalle were swiftly recruited and, in the absence of a permanent
drummer, Ed called in the services of long-time Box stalwart
Mick Robson to temporarily complete the line-up. With the album
complete the search was on for a permanent drummer with Chris
Higgins recruited to the ranks.
Edward Box has balls to name his new band after the German Trash
band with the same name who brought out three full-length
albums, two in the late eighties and the last one in April of
this year. But the music is very different from the Germans.
Edward Box makes traditional Hard Rock like Saxon (UK), Sleeze
Beeze (NL) and Vengeance (NL). Especially Saxon is named here
because Edward Box sometimes sounds like Biff Byford. The songs
on this album are coming directly from albums that may have came
from the bands mentioned above. The guitar riffs and solo’s are
perfect. It all stays in your head after two times listening, so
when this was the meaning of Vendetta they have passed the test
!
Vendetta has also something to say about the things in life that
most people just let pass by.
Lyrically the album covers many subjects from social decay and
inner-city problems (Generation
Kill, which is an up-tempo rocker
with a refrain which you sing-along after a one time listening
like most of the songs by the way have.), the capacity for
violence within the human race (I
Executioner, also an up-tempo
rocker with a nice guitar riff at the beginning), internal
struggles (Doorways
of the Mind and
Window of the Soul,
this is Sleeze Beez isn’t it ? With some great drum work by the
way), the “have now, pay later” mentality (Plastic
God, again an up-tempo rocker),
everlasting mortality (Bones
To Dust, the fastest song on the
album with great guitarsolo’s), mankind destroying its domain (Red
Skies, hello Saxon ! ), education
(Golden Boy)
and the domino effect (All
Fall Down).
So we have Hard Rock with a message and that’s alright for me.
But when you make an album in 2007 with songs that could have
stand on several Hard Rock albums in the 1980’s then you could
do something about the production, because in my ears it sounds
a little bit flat. Plus point is that we can see in the booklet
who plays the several guitarsolo’s in the songs. I think that is
very good, just a little bit extra info to the metalfan.
Megadeth does that also for years, so that is a good reason for
other bands to begin again with that same tradition from the
eighties.
So if you like eighties metal like Judas Priest, Saxon, Sleeze
Beez and Vengeance try out this debut album from Vendetta (UK).
www.myspace.com/nosafehole
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Rating: 71 /100 |
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