Vendetta Red

Vendetta Red: Between the Never and the NowBetween the Never and the Now (2003)
Sony Music Entertainment

Reviewer Rating: 4.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: Joshjosh
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on July 4th 2003It is clear that the new fad for record labels is "screamo." With bands like From Autumn to Ashes, Thrice, and Thursday all having their next release on a major, it seems as if this trend is quite evident. Quite aptly, Epic has decided to cash in and try to milk this already dying cow, by signi.

It is clear that the new fad for record labels is "screamo." With bands like From Autumn to Ashes, Thrice, and Thursday all having their next release on a major, it seems as if this trend is quite evident. Quite aptly, Epic has decided to cash in and try to milk this already dying cow, by signing Vendetta Red. However, instead of choosing a generic, boring band, they have done a very solid job selecting a band.

Vendetta Red is a band out of Seattle. This is their third release, and first full-length on Epic. Clearly, this band will be marketed as a "screamo" band, and comparisons will be quickly drawn to The Used. However, Vendetta Red successfully turns this genre around with a captivating and explosive record. Since it seems like this is a popular way to explain a band's sound, I will pander to your wishes. Vendetta Red sounds like a band that has been playing in small, smelly clubs for many years, and now has started to play in stadiums, thus having to adopt to the sound. They find their niche somewhere between these two, where the listener is not distracted by the fireworks in the arena and is not dying of heat and exhaustion in the small club. Zach Davidson serves as a perfect front man, with his incredible range and volatile, addictive power. This best way to describe him is to section him into four completely different singers, for each way he strains his voice. He draws comparisons to Roger Daltrey with his appearance, but when he normally sings, it will remind the listener of the Who lead man. When he holds his notes for a long period of time, he sounds like Morrissey. When he screams, he sounds like Bert McCracken. Finally, when he reaches for those high notes, he sounds like Claudio Sanchez having a falsetto competition with Cedric Bixler.

Between the Now and the Never is over fourty minutes long, but it never has the dragging feeling. It never feels like you are listening to the same song over and over again, a problem that constantly plagues the "screamo" genre. Davidson inter-mixes his different vocal styles, never just screaming or singing. His lyrics come from tales of abuse at home(don't worry, they aren't Staind) and living life on the run. He never employs tried clichés, but sometimes the lyrics are just a little too much. For example, "They wear their sheepskins, but you are the monster breathing men would kill." It is not disputable that this guy can write, but sometimes his lyrics have the feeling of being preachy, but you aren't quite sure what he's preaching about. Even though a constant theme of sadness runs through the veins of these songs, there is a gleaming light of hope, present in all of them. The songs vary from the beautifully, apocalyptic sing-a-long "Shatterday" to the beat-poet like breakdown in "P.S. Love the Black." All of their songs embody intense sing-a-long characteristics. Every song makes you want to learn the lyrics immediately.

Along with the qualities of the front man, the band is extremely talented. Not every one of their riffs just contains three chords. Their guitarists work by playing together and off each other. The bassist finds a place to play with them, and sometimes works with a running bass line. And the drummer, is well, just the drummer.

This album is good. It is simply good. It doesn't feed off of lyrical clichés. It doesn't sound like every other album you can purchase. Don't expect Nevermind, but don't expect another Victory album. It is currently selling at Best Buy and Circuit City for $6.99, a very reasonable price compared to current prices. Vendetta Red is successful in making a very appealing album. They are likely to do very well and go far. Even if their album does not sell well with Epic, I'm sure any indie label would be glad to pick them up and support them.

Nonetheless, you get a talented vocalist, a talented band, weird, gloomy but hopeful lyrics, a very neat insert, and an overall good buy. I do have to say I am very satisfied and very impressed by this band. You will be too.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

peelincaps (August 23, 2006)

5-12-04 Live at the HUB in UCSB's student center, I saw Vendetta Red live as an opening act for the Distillers. The venue was puny (garage-like) and I paid $15 bucks to see what I thought was going to be a punk show. All was well until this sawed-off Rob Daltrey wannabe look-alike crowded the stage with his wild hair and 'petite' frame. At first glance, I thought for sure he was a roadie. So, from the audience I yelled some thoughtful words of advice to him such as, "Get a haircut hippie!" and "Blow me as*hole!" When, to my absolute horror, I realized he was the lead singer of Vendetta Red, the next band to play! He then yelled back to me with his wrist cocked like a true and incurable homo, "you cut your hair, b*tch" accentuating the words in key places and sounding more like a gay streetwalker than yours truly. Since my head is shaved and I came to see a PUNK show I swiftly replied , "my head is already shaved f*ggot!" and other classics like "f*ck you hippie!". Then it got worse, they started to play. I don't know the names of their songs but should I? This recycled-creedy-emo barf bag bile rock blows hard. Especially after listening to greats like The Misfits and Danzig on the way to the show. So for anyone who likes these guys enough to seek solace or whatever one would seek listening to this sewage, just forget it and blow your brains out.

Anonymous (January 20, 2006)

[/] poo [/]

Anonymous (January 20, 2006)

[/I] poo [/I]

Anonymous (January 20, 2006)

[i] poo [i]

Anonymous (January 20, 2006)

(i) poo (/i)

Anonymous (December 2, 2005)

Dude this sounds like the used and evertyhing else... This band sucks

Anonymous (July 6, 2005)

these guys suck....

Anonymous (December 24, 2004)

I saw them live and owned their loveless records release before i even heard thursday or thrice. These dudes are way better, a lot more catchy, better live, and in general more kick ass

Anonymous (July 14, 2003)

Pop rock used to be okay. Boys, the Real Kids era... Now it sucks.

-BSD

bluetunehead (July 12, 2003)

i downloaded this album because the comments on here were so varied and the only thing i have to say is that the screaming comes from nowhere everytime and is so utterly out of place. there is some decent more traditional rock stuff on here that i kinda like but whenever he screams i want to reach into the speaker and slap him.

Anonymous (July 11, 2003)

wow a moss icon reference, bad ass
elliot rosewater was another wonderful screamo band

Anonymous (July 11, 2003)

yeah, RumbleSeat is a baddass band.

Anonymous (July 10, 2003)

but what if YOU like it?

Anonymous (July 10, 2003)

who gives a shit what the music is called...if u like it then u like it and it doesnt have to be classified!

Anonymous (July 10, 2003)

does this remind anyone of Radiohead "pablo Honey" just a little bit after a couple of listens...maybe it is just me...anyway good record

Anonymous (July 9, 2003)

"bleached black"

...no such thing...

Anonymous (July 9, 2003)

the singer reminds me of a young sammy hagar

x matt x

Anonymous (July 9, 2003)

talk about suck

Anonymous (July 9, 2003)

Screamo would be like Heroin, maybe some Hoover and a couple of Planes Mistaken for Stars songs (to give a more recent reference). There's no way in hell that "screamo" will ever make it out of the underground.

the Used are not 'emo' or 'screamo', they're a contrived and boring attempt at those genres. This stuff is pop-rock with an attempted edge.

I saw these guys play on the Cox music showcase or something like that. They were okay, but very generic. They're also getting a TON of hype all of a sudden, being featured in both Rolling Stone and Spin this month.

When Hoover or Moss Icon get a mention in Spin, then I'll be happy. Until then, this stuff is just pop-rock mislabeled as 'emo'.

-real emo kid

Anonymous (July 8, 2003)

screamo is basically pissed off emo, but i hear everything from poison the well to finch called screamo and its just not, i dont come up with the names or think they make sense but words are made up to describe certain types of music to make it easier to describe a band, so when people throw the term screamo around loosely it kind of makes it hard to tell what people are actually talking about, all this said im gay and dont know what im talking about so i will fuck off

Anonymous (July 8, 2003)

Poop!!!!

Anonymous (July 8, 2003)

meant to add 'hair' to the end of my post. emo kid hair.

Anonymous (July 8, 2003)

hmmm, guess the singer of this band isnt up on his rock history. ac/dc is an austrailian band, not american, so i guess eating steak, fucking smokking crack or whatever he said is the austrailian dream.

by the way i actually think this album is very good. its easy to listen to and has a lot of variety, pop punk,radio rock(foo fighers ish) mellow stuff, screamo and straight up hardcore. the singer has a really good voice, but the lyrics pretty much suck. the first 5 tracks are fucking awesome. the single is not nearly as good as half the songs on the album, dont' judge them by it. i dont' see why people hate them, just cuz the singer doesnt have the geoff from thursday/everyone at shows these days umbrella bleached black emo kid

dignin (July 8, 2003)

"VR will be rocking the Volta two years from now, too bad they won't be on Epic anymore." yeah, probably not though.

Anonymous (July 8, 2003)

They only signed for $500,000 - not 3 mil. Still a lot of money, but not that much. Not only was this CD finished a long time ago but most of these songs were released on an indie years ago. Funny it came out the same day as Mars Volta. VR will be rocking the Volta two years from now, too bad they won't be on Epic anymore.

Anonymous (July 8, 2003)

but wait... at the begining of emo, emo was like a branch off of Hardcore. And it included screaming and emotion. So the term "screamo" is kind of pointless right?

dignin (July 8, 2003)

"i dont meant to pick but it just bothers me that people call anything with screaming and emo screamo." Isn't screomo's definition exactly that, a mix between emo and screaming. That kind of makes sense to me.

GreenVandal (July 8, 2003)

Yeah. This band still sucks. I heard "Shatterday" this morning. Words cant describe how much they wish they were a artsy smart band, but they just cant seem to pull it off.

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

You know what would be a reasonable price for this? How about free. That’s the only way I'm going to get this crap. This moron looks like Tommy, the fucking pinball wizard. He's like a cross between Dee Snyder and Roger Daltrey. This shit is the fucking Poison and Warrant of our generation. So generic it sends my balls into my stomach. So boring it kills my erection. My ears say fuck you. My mouth says go fuck yourself.
twat

gutterhippo (July 7, 2003)

i think that he has a right to be pissed if someone calls him a faggot. i think if you use that word in a negative context, it is an expression of homophobia. It's like saying "you're such a fucking nigger". it's extremely ignorant and extremely offensive. at the same time though, i wouldn't put that level of ignorance past the fans of AC/DC

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

it pisses me off that they say ac/dc are not socially aware or whatever, have they not hear "listen to the money talk" or "big balls" I respect a band that can inject a little humor in how they see problems in the world as opposed to wearing how they feel on there sleeves, id like to see vendetta red write a song like "back in black"

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

I found this...Andrew Bonazelli of the Seattle Weekly spoke with VENDETTA RED frontman Zach Davidson about the band's negative experience opening for AC/DC earlier this year at New York City's Roseland Ballroom. "It was a fuckin' nightmare, dude," Davidson sighed. "It was scary how blatantly homophobic a lot of that crowd is. AC/DC's music, whether you like it or not, is not socially conscious. You wanna drink, fuck, and smoke weed when you listen to AC/DC... and eat steak. Fuckin' American dream. I can handle anything, but I didn't really like it when, before you play a fucking note, the minute you go onstage, people are yelling 'Faggot!' That, of course, made me have to go down there and start kissing boys."What a bunch of bitches, throwing a pussy-fit just because AC/DC fans called them fags. What were they expecting? They were opening for AC/DC, that's an obvious style clash!!! Why the hell did they take it like the crowd literally was hating gays or something? Could it be that they just couldn't believe that a huge crowd would think they’re horrible so they instead thought the crowd was bashing gay people? I think so. I'd like to say that Vendetta Red sucks, but they'd probably think that I'd be hateful to babies because they need to "suck" to get milk from a bottle.

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

I wouldnt call thursday fata or thrice screamo, they are all more of a hardcore/emo or punk thing going. Bands like twelve hour turn and i hate myself play screamo. i dont meant to pick but it just bothers me that people call anything with screaming and emo screamo.
I think this band is pretty bad. the singer has a dumb high pitched crap ass voice. and he has stupid fucking hair.

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

At the Drive In called, they want there sound back. This band tries to f-ing hard to sound like a great band ATDI. They should give it up quick, they ain't gonna make.

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

farthammer.com farthamer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com farthammer.com

hungryjoe (July 7, 2003)

those are some mighty big names you're comparing him to on the vocalist front... but does he have Daltrey's trademark stutter?

"People try to put us d-down! Every time we g-get around! (Talkin' 'bout my generation)"

Anonymous (July 6, 2003)

these guys sound like what the used would sound like if they were good. theyre easily accessible, very radio friendly, yet have somd songs that are extremely heavy.

GreenVandal (July 6, 2003)

This band is terrible. Why does everyone decide they want to imitate Thursday musically, but not put the thought into the music that they do? I dont even like thursday, but i can respect them. I dont like this band at all. And I dont respect them either. Buddyheads review of this album is fucking hilarious.

Anonymous (July 6, 2003)

wow, first of all this album is amazing, i saw them at warped and they are even better live....u guys that dont like them should give them another listen....they even played 15 minutes into the used...i planned on watching there first song and then going back but i stayed there for almost the whole set and then got the cd...amazing!

Anonymous (July 6, 2003)

the sad part is that people are going to read all those post about how bad they are, and they will never listen to them and they will never get to enjoy a great cd. But, whatever i have a copy so im happy.

soulbleed (July 5, 2003)

my girlfriend likes this cd, it's really bad. by the way, you act like vendetta red just got signed to epic. they got signed to epic before all the bands you mentioned got major deals .. probably early 2002. this record was done and finished in january, epic just decided to not release it then. maybe they sprinkled it with some 'make this a good album' beans and it didnt work so they just gave up and stopped avoiding the inevitable

Anonymous (July 5, 2003)

thank you to the only critical post that was helpful. the person who mentioned about the score i gave, had an excellet point. i did not put much time and effort into considering what the score should be. i believe that most of the time, a well-thought out review is more helpful than just stars or a number. giving the album 4 1/2 stars was just my current thoughts on the album. if i did the review an hour later i might have given it a three. anyways, if you are questioning whether to buy this album, don't go on the scores it is given, go on what people describe it as and what else they say it as. but nonetheless, thank you to the person who mentioned that.
josh

Anonymous (July 5, 2003)

first off you should be punched for giving this band any props(sounds like Morrissey/Claudio/Cedric).. they got a 3 million dollar contract for fucking looking like At The Drive In and sounding like Audio Diarrhea..
This band can eat a dick

Anonymous (July 5, 2003)

i dont care what anyone else really things, i like this band, so deal with it.

Anonymous (July 5, 2003)

they're first single is pure crap. i know it's bad to judge a band by a song but the single is CRAP.

Ramo
(craptastic to be honest)

gutterhippo (July 4, 2003)

this is the worst band i have ever seen. if they're opening for a band you want to see, please do yourself a favor and go late. By the end of their set, my friends and I found ourselves crouching in the corner of the venue with our ears covered. it's seriously baffling that these guys are getting big. This is the worst band ever!!... well, besides my band :(

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

Shatterday has a catchy chorus but this band is just so...bland to me.

Daegan (July 4, 2003)

This band puts on one of the best live shows I've ever seen...but I cannot listen to them on CD. Their recordings do not do their music justice, they feel odd compared to the show.

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

ugg this band stinks.

-feedmynightmare

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

i saw this band 3 months ago and they were pathetic but mostly i was creeped out by how their lead singer looks like dee snider of twisted sister, who in their right mind would want to copy that look?

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

Is it just me or should an album that is "simply good" be getting a lot less than 4 and a half stars? That high rating should be reserved for truly great albums, and a perfect rating should be for just that - a perfect album. Give this one a 3 and a half at the most.

mxdsignals (July 4, 2003)

anonymous - up until about a week ago, FATA was supposed to be released on Island. as in, the major label.

FortyMinutesWest (July 4, 2003)

This band is to good, as basketball is to tennis.

harry_the_dentist (July 4, 2003)

saw a commercial for these guys and me and my friends thought that the singer looked like sammy hagar with the blonde afro thing
yeas thats right sammy "i cant drive 55" hagar

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

Not to nitpick, but FATA's new album is on Vagrant, not a major

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

Check it out for yourself here:

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y01Y 3163365Y7268943/104-0080095-3954312

kluchorama (July 4, 2003)

[i]The bassist finds a place to play with them, and sometimes works with a running bass line.[/i]

so are the times he isn't working when they make their shitty songs, i.e., 95% of this album?