Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: June 12, 2020
Production: The Graves Brothers
Album length: 42.33 min
Genre: Melodic Rock/Hard Rock
Rating: 8.0/10
Vega are a seasoned melodic rock quintet from the United Kingdom who, after a relatively short run of a good ten years, are putting out their sixth studio album this year. “Grit Your Teeth” is definitely another typical Vega record, one where they don’t stray from their tried-and-tested recipe and stay true to the melodic rock sound.
Still, so that Vega wouldn’t repeat themselves too much, they brought in the duo The Graves Brothers to help shape the sound of the new album, the pair known for doing the same job on records by Asking Alexandra, Funeral for Friend and The Family Ruin. Vega set out to record and release one of the heaviest albums of their career, to freshen up and modernize their sound, while keeping the essential traits of their musical track record, so that the new touches wouldn’t throw them too far from the taste of their loyal followers.
The band has grown into a well-known name that wins more and more melodic rock sympathies (and AOR-revival goodwill, too) year after year, largely thanks to the serious mileage of its members, who racked up experience in various bands and projects before Vega came together, and even more so thanks to good connections and friendships. A big part of that was also the time spent with Joe Elliott’s (Def Leppard) Down And Outz, and the band’s regular live shows alongside established names including Skid Row, Last in Line, FM, Magnum, Quireboys, Joe Elliott’s Down and Outz, Dan Reed Network and, last but not least, the giants of their craft, Def Leppard and Whitesnake. So it’s no surprise anymore that the band’s previous album, “Only Human”, shot up to number three on the “UK National Rock Chart” when it came out three years ago, breathing down the neck of the new Shinedown album and leaving Black Stone Cherry’s then-current studio effort in the dust. The comparison is fair, since Vega are standard-bearers of a genre revival that draws on the fossilized archaism of AOR and today stands for a kind of “musical underground”.
The quintet has once again put together eleven finely brewed melodic rock anthems, this time with a bigger dose of sharpness in the guitar phrasing and an overall higher level of production “bite”. The guitars are pursed and snarling and sound a touch dirty, yet the band very cleverly combines that element (especially in the verses) with the organic, stripped-down feel of acoustic backing. As you’ve probably guessed already, on “Grit Your Teeth” the band keeps enough songwriting sharpness and “slyness” that the tracks, blending punch with musicality, grab you instantly. Nick Workman keeps up his excellent vocal form, and the chorus melodies, backed by multi-vocal harmonies, buckle under the weight of bombast and pomp. In terms of songwriting the tracks are evenly matched in quality, which means they keep stealing the spotlight from one another all through the album. In other words, the record has a constant, highly vibrant dynamic of unfolding events. Vivid key changes in the middle-eight passages only confirm that Vega are masters of arranging compositions and know full well what it takes to keep the payoff highly musical and bombastic.
“Grit Your Teeth” brings nothing new that the band hasn’t already said plenty of times. A production shift in favor of harder-sounding structures. That’s the only change. Eleven by-the-book anthems that slot right into the mold of the band’s older material. Fans and connoisseurs of the band will get another high-octane baptism with “Grit Your Teeth”, the new Vega album with a cheeky-sounding title: stinging melodic rock hexes “the British way” and playful “party time” rascality. A musical formula Vega keep diligently sticking to. And after all, why would it be any different when that trick keeps winning them a poker hand of aces.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Blind
2. (I Don’t Need) Perfection
3. Grit Your Teeth
4. Man On A Mission
5. Don’t Fool Yourself Again
6. Consequence Of Having A Heart
7. This One’s For You
8. Battles Ain’t A War
9. Save Me From Myself
10. How We Live
11. Done With Me
Line-up:
Nick Workman – vocals
Marcus Thurston – guitar
Michael Kew – guitar
James Martin – keyboards
Tom Martin – bass
Martin Hutchison – drums
