Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Vendetta
Label: Metal Axe Records
Release: 2007
“Thrash is back!!!” It’s true: over the past year or two, thrash metal has been slowly but stubbornly waking up again and clawing its way back onto metal’s throne. The golden years of thrash, which ran all the way into the early nineties, are of course long gone, but the giants of thrash metal haven’t said their last word yet. The Bay Area scene is stirring again, and the biggest thrash metal event of all time, the legendary Thrash of the Titans concert in 2001 (a benefit organized to raise money for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, who was battling cancer, and for the sadly departed Death mastermind Chuck Schuldiner), has obviously given it a fresh push. The new Exodus record is right around the corner, we can expect the follow-up to Testament’s The Gathering next year, Megadeth have been steadily recording since the golden eighties, Metallica sound like a brand-new band judging by their latest shows, the long-awaited Heathen record is on the way too, and we could go on.
Unlike their American colleagues, though, the representatives of German, a.k.a. Teutonic, thrash have been far more diligent and persistent. Apart from a short break for Destruction, the holy trinity of German thrash, made up of Destruction, Sodom and Kreator, has been going non-stop for a good 20, 25 years now. Unfortunately, next to such big names, the smaller but no less quality bands often get forgotten. One of those is the cult German thrash outfit Vendetta, who put out two excellent albums in the late eighties – Go and Live… Stay and Die (1987) and Brain Damage (1988) – which had more in common with Bay Area thrash metal than with the more brutal German kind. Vendetta then quietly slipped into oblivion… But in 2002 they re-formed, and with a rejuvenated, refreshed lineup (of the original crew, only bassist Heiner remains in Vendetta today) they started working on a new record, which is finally here this year, 19 (!) years after Brain Damage. Get ready for hatred, because Vendetta are back!
So a complete lineup overhaul brings a change of style too, right? Well, there’s some truth to that, but it’s not the whole story. Vendetta still sound venomously thrashy, it’s just that Hate is a somewhat more modern-flavored thrash metal record. No, don’t worry, this isn’t some new, chewed-over-a-thousand-times “core” sound. Vendetta know damn well what old-school thrash is, and that’s where they stay, except that the production on this album is unbelievably good. Unlike practically all the big thrash albums, which, let’s be honest, were produced rather sloppily (well, that’s part of their charm too), Hate is finally a thrash record where I can say with a clear conscience that you can actually hear the bass (unless you’ve got Steve DiGiorgio in your band, of course), because the bass guitar has no trouble keeping up with the guitars. What’s more, Heiner’s bass has an incredible groove that gives the guitars a great foundation and Lubber’s drums even better support, and every now and then a great bass lick floats up to the surface. Heiner also tracked the rhythm guitar in the studio, since original member and guitarist Daxx, sadly, decided to take part only in writing the record. Although lead guitarist Frank pulls off some very solid passages and a couple of excellent solos, the record still lacks a few sharper riffs, so I hope Vendetta bring another guitarist into the ranks down the line.
The lyrics on Hate are, fittingly for the title, angry, furious and mostly aimed at society. Did you notice I haven’t mentioned the new vocalist Mario yet? I was waiting so I could tie his vocals to the lyrics, because he delivers them more than excellently with a sharp, aggressive, proper thrash voice. Mario mostly stays in the mid-range, where his voice shamelessly recalls a mix of Chuck Billy and James Hetfield in their prime (the Kill ‘Em All era, of course), and here and there he reaches for the heights, but don’t expect any “Russ Anderson style” falsetto. Vendetta best capture their rage at today’s society and politics in the excellent thrasher Lying Society and the anarchic Rise for Revolution, introduced by a snippet of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech. The most interesting lyrics on the album, though, are definitely the short-but-sweet epic about the Carthaginian general Hannibal. Just as the military strategist rode his elephants across the Alps, Vendetta use thrash to scale the peaks!
Unfortunately, the biggest flaw of this otherwise very good record is its shortness. With barely half an hour, the guys don’t exactly justify a 20-year absence. Just as your neck muscles and eardrums start to ache, Vendetta cut the thrash fun short, hatefully. They get you so worked up that somewhere deep inside an echo goes: “I want more!” With Hate, Vendetta may not have made a revolutionary new thrash metal record, but it’s wonderful to see that after such a long absence they’ve still found the motivation and the desire to play. And that’s ultimately the essence of any musician who isn’t driven by profit alone. Vendetta, welcome back, you’ve sown the hatred, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this time we’ll hear more than just two records. Want hatred? Call Vendetta!
Lineup
Mario – vocals
Frank Heller – guitar
Klaus “Heiner“ Ullrich – bass guitar
Thomas Lubber – drums
Production
Vendetta
Track list
1. Hannibal 03:10
2. Lying Society 02:53
3. Guerrillas 03:45
4. Hate 05:25
5. Prepare Your Self For Hostility 03:14
6. Mother 04:09
7. Rise For Revolution 04:15
8. Dead People Are Cool 02:58
