Review Summary: Despite fully understanding the theory behind a concept album, Vendetta Red lack the musicianship to create a breathtaking experience, but write a great album nonetheless.
Revisiting your tastes from years back never is a neutral experience. In music, listening back to your first favourite bands offers the full spectrum of emotions: while some never grow out of what usually is blatant fanboyism, some might feel downright uncomfortable listening to Still not getting any… or to Meteora. As a twelve year old, I was a dang-near master of NHL 2004. I’d totally pwn my opponent, even playing Italy against Team Canada at the hardest difficulty level with ridiculous disadvantages. I’d play out perfect seasons and decimate every team in the playoffs; after the last seconds of the last game would tick away, I would win the Stanley Cup. Afterwards, the game would generate a very emotional slideshow of my players holding the Cup. Shatterday, by Vendetta Red, with its apocalyptic lyrics, played in the background. I was hooked. About a month after my first championship, I bought Sisters of the Red Death. It didn’t have "Shatterday" on it, but we’re always illogical brats at that age anyway.
Now, as an elitist and snobbish proghead, one would think that this power-chordy poppy garbage would be used as a Frisbee or would have a similar senseless use. I thought the same, but a spin proved it to be infinitely more interesting. Despite opting for a simpler approach to music, Vendetta Red still has a lot of things going for them. They have the obligatory catchiness of pop-rock in spades, each song having not only a sing-along chorus, but a sing-along verse and bridge to boot. Add a potent and uncontroversial singer to that, some catchy lyrics; you already have a smashing hit going on, baby!
Alas, while Zachary Davidson uses every note of his great range in a very convincing and emotional manner, his lyrics are downright sickening, album opener
"Vendetta Red Cried Rape on their Date with Destiny" containing a disturbingly catchy chorus (“Oh Holy Grace! / They made love to your face with a box cutter / Now you’ll croon through the cavities, girl!”) which sets the tone for the album. To the faint of heart, vamoose! Sisters of the Red Death has a concept that would please many a gore metal fan: the album relates the story of Gloria, who is born a gorgon-like mutant for she was conceived by parents irradiated by a nuclear war. She blames her condition on men and creates the Sisters of the Red Death who have the mandate of eliminating them. While it seems cheesy, the storyline is subtle and poetic, except for the brutal parts, a la Coheed and Cambria. It is told from many points of view, namely from an external narrator, Gloria herself and her clan as a whole, which keeps it interesting as Mr. Davidson often sings differently to emphasise narrator switches. The lyrics definitely have a positive effect on the album, making for a more original and emotional listen: the ending of closer
"A Joyless Euphoria", in particular, backs insanely angsty lyrics with an aggressive and technical noise background, packing an incredible punch and creating the best album ending I’ve heard. Wow!
Unfortunately, Vendetta Red does not boost the great vocal delivery with an interesting musical performance often enough; drummer Burke Thomas is the exception to the rule, contributing interesting drumming with frequent impressive fills. His overall performance sounds a lot like those of Jimmy Chamberlin, former drummer for The Smashing Pumpkins. However, on at least the two-thirds of the songs, the chorus shows both guitarists and the bassist playing basic power chords or root notes, the great vocals and the awesome drumming performance barely saving them from fatal blandness. Once the catchiness fades away, you really wish that the backing tracks were more captivating.
It is especially unfortunate when the band shows that it is better at its most complex, as album highlight
"Shiver" illustrates: the song trades its standard consistent strumming for punchy rhythm and great lead guitar lines, an unfortunate rarity, before totally exploding in the bridge, where guitar solos and manic drumming shine.
"In Lieu of Dead Brides…" may be the best song on the album for many of the same reasons, plus great creativity, as it features theremin over a ¾ waltz pattern in the verses and great interplay between all instruments in its outro. Gore metal journey
"The Great Castration" and fist-pumping anthem
"A Joyless Euphoria" are the only other tracks that show musical creativity on a consistent basis and are, not coincidentally, with
"Shiver", the four best songs on the album. Still, the fact that they all have the same basic structure and the same tempo is a downer, not to mention that they have the same generic length. All of these songs would have greatly benefited from having an extended and more interesting structure, which would have allowed the removing of blander tracks, such as the insipid and glued together
"Run" or the just-too-simple and cheesy
A Dark Heart Silhouette. While such structures aren’t the norm in pop-rock, the artistic nature of the album calls for it.
Essentially, Vendetta Red had figured out what most artists struggle with while creating an album: keeping it cohesive. The concept of the album isn’t forced or pretentious and the lyrics really permit a strong connection between the tracks, which is a rarity in pop-rock. The only great flaw of the album is the drab guitar work. Better musicianship would have come with time, but, alas! the band broke up a year after the album’s release. Sisters of the Red Death was a massive commercial disappointment, largely due to their subpar major label debut, Between the Never and the Now, which discouraged people from buying the album and, more importantly, discouraged their label, Epic Records, from promoting them. It is a shame, as it is a great album which showed a lot of potential. They really could’ve evolved into something resembling The Smashing Pumpkins with a different frontman.
Album highlights:
Shiver
In Lieu of Dead Brides…
The Great Castration
A Joyless Euphoria
