Vendetta XIII – Villains & Vices

Vendetta XIII
Villains & Vices
Out: September 13^th, 2024
Playing time: 18:45

The Hard Rock band Vendetta XIII from Los Angeles released their debut album in September. Although album? With four songs and a playing time of just 18:45 minutes? It’s probably more of an EP. Two bonus tracks are listed on the band’s homepage. But even then, the release is hardly album-length. Little else is known about the band, except that it was founded with the aim of redefining the landscape of Hard Rock. Based on the Facebook posts, it can be deduced that the band was founded around April 2023. Even the line-up was initially hidden in the dark. I can’t say whether I’ve found the correct information. And there are obviously only video clips of the two bonus songs on the EP.

As is often the case with Hard/Glam Rock, the opener ‘Devil’s Playground’ starts with sirens howling. But I’ve never heard it in such a nasty way, at least not yet. Fortunately, the howling is only very brief, because the US boys soon get going with hard, fast riffs that wander back and forth between the two stereo channels. Although the rhythm section is not necessarily quiet, the singer (who?) can easily rise above it with his Rock voice. The chorus invites you to sing along. There is also a sometimes nasty distorted guitar solo. The drums and guitar hooks drive ‘Loading The Gun’ forward. The guitar solos are also a hit. That’s right, there are several of them. ‘Someone Like You’ is very anthemic, with beautiful guitar melodies. High Metal screams can be heard from time to time. The tempo also remains high on ‘Black Lightning’. The double bass is used extensively. Despite everything, the musicians manage to remain very melodic.

Have Vendetta XIII redefined the Hard Rock landscape? Probably not. I’ve heard this sound, or something similar, many times before. But the quartet (?) shows a high musical performance here. And above all a great joy of playing. Even if it lacks a little variety, ‘Villains & Vices’ is an impressive debut.

Vendetta XIII – Fire Ride: https://youtu.be/rxZRcok5Zhs?si=-RJptliH9eF0a-Sw

Lineup:

Nicky Spades – Lead Guitar
Scotty LaBeaux – Lead Guitar
Sean Pierre – Bass
Anton Peterson – Drums

Track list:

• Devil’s Playground
• Loading the Gun
• Someone Like You
• Black Lightning