Review Summary: Vendetta Red's first attempt on a major label
I do not know where I found vendetta red from, but for as long as I remember, I can remember their name. Even when I was little, I remember searching online "vendetta red" on a very old youtube, not even knowing it was a band. In the sixth grade I remember discovering the band itself, and not just the name. The first time I listened to this album, I felt as if I had already known all of the songs to the album (No one in my family listens to this music). I still can not remember where exactly I discovered this band, all I know is I did at one point or another early on in my life. The connection that I have to this album, is very rooted inside of me. A couple months ago I had rediscovered the album and took another listen, all I could feel was a rush of memory spread through my head. When I was younger I never listened to "emo" music, not even when I first listened to the whole album. Now that I have a much greater musical collection, listening to this album again made me feel as if I had gone full circle, and now I am back at the start. Just thinking about this album always puts a smile on my face, from all the memories it makes come back to me, it just creates a really nostalgic feeling inside me, unmatched by anything else.
Now to the review, this album was made in 2003, although most of the songs are previous releases and older songs performed by the band. At first release, this album was considered a disappointment to fans, though it still serves as a good collection of older songs. Zach Davidson's voice is one of the key parts of vendetta red's arsenal of talents. His cleans are very well done, and his screaming is quite different than other bands of the same grouping. The guitars are full of bliss, and match well with Davidson's vocals. The persona the music creates is quite different from the actual meaning of the album, as with most bands alike, the deeper you look into the things, the worse things actually appear. The songs are quick with strong hooks that make relistening more appealing.
The album starts off with the song "There is Only", a very well placed song at the top. The song starts up light, but builds up to a thrilling climax at the end. The song has the same appeal and structure of a good mystery novel. The three song's after establish the flow of the rest of the album, and prepare you for what you are getting into. "Stay Home" and "Seconds Away" are easy to remember "hook songs" with easy to remember climaxes and catchy lyrics, they make the experience more digestible and let the listener truly understand what kind of band vendetta red is. The song in the middle of these two, "Opiate summer" ditches the same structure as "There is Only" and the two songs it is between, and instead has climax throughout with small breaks of ease and tranquility, almost as if it were a action flick or horror film.
The next song, "Shatterday" is by far vendetta red's most popular song appearing in the hockey game, NHL 2004. They're most recognizable song and a fan favorite, "Shatterday" really helped vendetta red shine and grow in its popularity. The song has relatable lyrics about day dreaming and love and has one of the hardest and challenging sing-a-longs to date.
Following "Shatterday" , "Accident Sex" marks the medium of the album with calm chorus and relaxing instrumentals throughout until the short song ends and starts the second half of Between The Never And The Now. The next song, "Caught You Like A Cold" is more of a story than a song. It keeps the same melodic and peaceful elements with few screams and more focus on creativity. The following two songs "Suicide Party" and "Lipstick Tourniquets" add to the list of "hook songs", you may not know the names, but the melody and lyrics are what you can take away from these songs.
"Ambulance Chaser" is next up and is the slowest song on the 11 track album. The small piano solo and simple guitars make a good break from the usual singing and screaming. Right after "Ambulance Chaser" is the oldest song on this record, "Por Vida", by itself "Por vida" is not a very great song, but because it is the hardest song on the album, and it comes right after the slowest song and before the closer, it feels like it fits just right. The last song on the album "P.S Love the Black" really does the album justice. It has its soft and hard parts and is told almost as if were a story like "Caught You Like A Cold". The song does not try to start anything new, just uses previous elements of the other tracks.
The album's unique screams and simple acoustic guitars are what makes this a classic. It may not be all original content, but it serves as a collection of 11 great songs put into one great album. This album is very close to me and will forever be a part of me.
