Heretic Nation was released in November of 2009 on the Lion Music label, and is the band's 2nd CD - the first being 2007's Tyranny of Minority. A twin-guitar metal band, with guitarist Ed Box doubling up as singer, this killer CD offers a meaty slab of expertly executed metal rooted in the NWOBHM, with a modern, very accessible and melodic twist. Do Fret offers a review of this great piece of work!  With a running time of 50:50, and offering 10 tracks in total, Heretic Nation's opener, Delusion, gives you a good taste of what's in store on this album. Great guitar riffs, grinding bass tone, massive sounding drums and a great vocal performance from Ed, along with some amazing guitar work from Ed, along with equally blistering axe partner in crime Pete Thompson, set the scene for a metal lovers delight! The bands sound is influenced by the likes of Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche and Testament but it's certainly not a carbon copy of any of those bands. The vocal performance and sterling guitar work sets out the band as something pretty special. Guitar fans are in for a real treat with Ed and Pete delivering tight riffs, great solos packed with wicked vibrato, whammy tricks, fast alternate picked runs and bluesy elements!  Pic: Ed in action! Delusion is a great opener and is a well crafted song. Ed's vocals are reminiscent of the great Steve Grimmett and when you read Ed's Bio on his website (http://www.edwardbox.com/), you'll see that he's worked hard on his vocals - that hard work has really paid off - his delivery is full of conviction, aggression and passion. The overall production on this CD is first class. The drums in particular, sound huge. Drummer Lee Lamb delivers a solid performance that propels the band forward - stepping up at times, but always driving the riffs along with bassist Gary Foalle. Second up, Age of Annihilation, is a galloping rocking track - again the production stands out - the toms sound massive! The lyrics, as with the other tracks on the album are well thought out and the structure of each song, with catchy choruses and memorable riffs makes the band's music very accessible - after the first run through of this CD I found myself remembering tracks - surely a good sign?!  Pic: Pete Thompson New Horizon, the 3rd track has a sound that brings to mind what many believe to be Queensrych's finest hour, Operation Mindcrime. The riffs are again, really rocking and the vocal harmonies, along with the twin harmonised guitars are superbly done. The solo's are a central part of each track and both Pete and Ed are monster players - their playing is very complimentary to each other - they never seem to step on each other's toes and know when to either rip, or tone things down. The dynamics in the overall band sound are good - it's never full on - there's a dynamic range on the tracks that's welcome. My Revelation, track 4 starts with what sounds like it could turn into a classic guitar riff! You can almost imagine young aspiring players trying out a guitar in a shop and pulling out this riff only to be pointed by the shop staff to a sign that says, along with "No Stairway", "No My Revelation"! The album artwork is really well done too, and the CD insert features the lyrics, along with who is playing which solo. It's worth commenting on the lyrics here. They are well thought out and intelligently done - never pretentious. The next track, Skaro is an instrumental, and perhaps shows the band's love of Sci-Fi, being named after the ficticious planet in Dr Who. It brings to mind the older Maiden instrumental tracks, as well as Where Eagles Dare, also by Maiden. The solos again are confidently delivered. The dynamic range mentioned earlier is evident in this song. A quieter mid-section, with acoustic guitars, then electric twin guitars and bass chords builds back into the action.  A Glass Half Empty is one of the heavier tracks on the album, yet it is still melodically very strong. The vocal performance is once again pretty stellar. There is also some particularly nice bass playing from Gary and pounding 16th note bass drumming from Lee. Killing Time is Priest-like in it's sound. It's a very, very catchy tune also! The band released a video for this track, so you can see the boys in action below! There's a real vitriol in the vocal delivery and the guitars deliver pinch harmonics a plenty, along with some ripping solos. Check out the video: Track 8, Face Your Demons has a definite Testament vibe to it. Drummer Lee must have a pretty good ride cymbal too because it sounds absolutely amazing! I'm not a massive fan of OTT effects on vocals, which are featured here in places, but of course that's just my own preference. The penultimate track, The Space Between, opens with a massive sounding riff in a Paul Gilbert era Mr Big. It develops into a classic sounding chorus with some nice vocal harmonies and guitar fills. The rhythm section takes a back seat yet really drive the track along. The leads and fills are quite Vai like in places on this track. Closing the album is Powers That Be, which focuses on the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent "War on Terror", along with the West's love of oil, or "Black Gold", as it's referred to here. I love the guitar work and the progression in the verses - it's tasty stuff! Bassist Gary gets a chance to shine on this track with some nimble fingered lines and great tone. So, in summary, if you are a fan of melodic metal that is expertly done, with great vocals and killing guitar playing, you could do a lot worse than to check out Vendetta. Heretic Nation has been on heavy rotation in the Beckett househoold for a good few weeks - it's the type of music that I even get away with putting on when the Mrs is in - praise indeed! The band are putting the finishing touches to their 3rd album, which I will definately be watching out for! Ed & Pete will be interviewed soon on Do Fret; in the meantime, check out the band's music and Ed's site, which features details of his 2 solo albums, Plectrumhead and Moonfudge, which are both instrumental guitar CD's. http://www.vendetta-theband.com/index.php http://www.myspace.com/nosafehole http://www.edwardbox.com/ http://www.myspace.com/edwardbox Many thanks to Pete Thompson for his assistance! Trevor Beckett Do Fret July 2010 |
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Vendetta - Heretic Nation |