VEGA
"Grit Your Teeth" (Frontiers
Music SRL; 2020)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
"Grit Your Teeth" is Vega's sixth album and, as soon as the CD starts, you know you're listening to an experienced band. The songs are tight, hard rockers that never really creep over into heavy metal territory (a la Black Sabbath) but stay solid enough to avoid falling into the pop metal category (Poison) as well.
The songwriting here, both musically and lyrically, have a strong modern sound and the production is rich and vibrant throughout.
My favorite tracks were "Consequence of Having a Heart" with its mid-paced drive, bigger-than-life sound and emotional vocals; the surprisingly seductive slower-paced track, "Battles Ain't a War" (which, of course, builds to a nearly operative conclusion) and the straight-forward "Man on a Mission."
My only problem with "Grit Your Teeth" is that, at the first listen-through at least, nothing really stands out. It's a solid album from beginning to end but there's not much here that will bring me back for repeated listenings. We'll see if that changes in subsequent sessions.
For more information, check out https://www.vegaofficial.co.uk/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2020 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
