Vendetta Red - White Knuckled Substance

I first heard about Vendetta Red because of the high-profile record deal the band just signed with Epic Records for a reported $3 million. Perhaps the thing that caught my attention the most though was that these guys were being compared to At the Drive-In, and the chance alone of finding another band as good as ATDI was worth picking up the album. Turns out the only thing they really have in common with ATDI is that the lead singer has a fro. After first listening to White Knuckled Substance, I was really impressed. I went and told all my friends to check it out, and immediately pegged it as a great find. The album has some really great guitar riffs, dynamic vocals, and the bass and percussion to back it all up. However, when I went back through the album to write this review I discovered that maybe I was a little misled on my first listen or two. Once I started thinking about it I realized that the first couple of times I listened to the album I was busy doing something else. Tracks like por vida and all cried out caught my attention and really impressed me. See the thing is that while I was listening to the album I was picking out the good tracks, but just not really paying attention during all the other tracks. I mean they were good enough to keep me listening, but not all that great. Now that I have given the album my full attention several times, I have discovered that I really like about half the album, but the other half I could do without. I think Vendetta Red's strength is in their faster songs. Tracks like the previously mentioned all cried out and the track ribcage menagerie have a punk feel to them almost in the same vein as At the Drive-In. Unfortunately there are only about 4 tracks like this on the album. The rest of the album consists of much slower, boring songs that just aren't anything special musically either. An exception would be the track seconds away, or even the band's single shatterday. These songs are also slow, but they are powerful and really showcase the band's talent as musicians. In preparation for this review I went and dug up some information on the band that has given me a little more insight into this album. While I assumed the band had been around a while, just on a smaller label, it turns out this is their first real release and they are still relatively young as musicians. After all, the band played its first show barely more than three years ago, and have even announced that they feel the album doesn't really showcase their full potential. I think knowing that lowered my expectation bar a little bit because we all have to start somewhere, and I would say that White Knuckled Substance is a damn good start. I think Vendetta Red has great promise and the real test will be how their new album on Epic turns out. Maybe then they can live up to that At the Drive-In comparison. [www.vendettared.com]