With their debut Burn, Melburnians The Vendettas have released a ten -song all-guns-blazing barroom-brawl of an album. Beer-soaked and sweaty, the whole thing reeks of a good time. High octane alcohol fuelled riffs, addictively catchy melodies and fist pumping rhythms combine to create a solid and exciting effort that will have any fans of countrymen AC/DC and Airbourne or Swedes The Hellacopters reaching for the volume dial and cranking it to 11.
In typical rock’n’roll fashion, the majority of the songs on Burn cover three main themes: drinkin’ (Blood Shot Morning, What I Want), fightin’ (Burn) and fuckin’ (Shot Down, Champ Coq). These guys obviously live and breathe the low down and dirty rock’n’roll lifestyle and know enough about it to be able to fill an album full of songs without ever repeating themselves or treading old ground. Stevie Reds’ lyrics and raspy vocal melodies are also engaging and interesting enough to keep the listener engaged despite the relative simplicity of the lyrical themes. They say write about what you know and these guys know rock‘n’roll.
The Vendettas also have a pair of riff masters in the form of guitarists Alexx Snarski and Jazza, both master craftsmen at creating catchy, bluesy riffs with overdriven but never overbearing tones. Despite having obvious swagger, they also show just the right amount of restraint, keeping their solos melodic and straight to the point, never entering the ‘show off’ territory that many rock guitarists tend to over indulge in.
The pace is kept lively, the whiskey and adrenaline pumping through the album’s veins keeping the blood boiling. There’s no filler or the obligatory rock ballad on display here. They’ve also managed to capture perfectly on record the energy and attitude of The Vendettas legendary live show, with the sound raw and loud without being overly polished.
Burn is the perfect album to crank up as you push the pedal to floor in your ute in a wife-beater vest or slam shots to in a dingy bar. If these guys can keep rockin’ out and making albums of this quality there’s no reason why they shouldn’t become another one of Australia’s big names in hard rock.
BY ADAM ROBERTSHAW
Best Track: Blood Shot Morning
If You Like This, You’ll Like These: Rock & Roll Is Dead THE HELLACOPTERS
In A Word: Rockin’
