4

No Quality Here

Metalcore is not a genre I have ever fully understood really. The idea of mixing the highlights and strong points of Metal and Hardcore sounds delightful on paper but I have yet to hear through the hordes of identical American bands any gems that prove the concept to be worthy. Unfortunately "Vendetta" has only added to my disappointment with the genre.

Most of the songs on this album frankly bored me. "We Will Rise" is a mixture of weakly growled vocals and generic guitar riffs and frankly in the end it forces you to make a comparison to the inevitably superior song of the same name by Arch Enemy. The song "Discipline" is a prime example of the lack of imagination on the album, to put it simply, you could have said this was by any number of different Metalcore bands and I would have believed you. The best track of the album would have to be "To Live is to Sacrifice" on the strength of it having a more engaging and interesting structure and rhythm than the other tracks of "Vendetta".

Most of the songs on the album display a major lack of flair or decorum and simply fit into the regular verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure, whilst not being a bad structure inherently it works against the band when you realise you cannot truly tell the difference between one track and another except perhaps by the level of distortion on the guitars. The grunts of vocalist Dave Peters try to attempt power and passion but don't ever really manage to succeed or convince.

Frankly, if you are the sort of person who likes music so they have a rhythm to be violent and anti-social too, then this album is probably ideal for your needs. If you are the sort of person who likes music to listen to, or even perhaps consider and think about like myself, then this album should be steered well clear of. Although I have tried, again, to enjoy the Metalcore scene this CD has only managed to disappoint me.