Strong And Persistent
' The first track is a good indication as to the direction for the rest of the album, but keep in mind that it is the middle ground. This album will not be what you expect it to be, but I've found that to be a good thing in the case of Vex Red's 'Start With A Strong And Persistent Desire. Songs like 'Untitled' and 'Vert' will take you from the softest of the soft into massive and chaotic territory, often without warning.
To speak of the album as a whole, mix about two thirds metal and one third electronic, and then throw in a hint of grunge, just for fun. People have compared this album to Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, bringing industrial music to mind, but this album is really rooted in metal. Think more along the lines of a darker (and in my opinion, better) version of Incubus.
At least I got this for Free
It looks like the music would have been dark and disturbing or violent (the Parental Advisory supports it). I'll just start out by saying that the artwork was very misleading. This music is not disturbing, nor is it violent, there are only 3 songs with swears (why is there the parental advisory?) etc. I enjoy disturbing things so this assumption was my fault. However this doesn't mean that I was unable to enjoy the music simply because it didn't live up to my assumption from the artwork. A few songs like the Closest are good and the keyboard usage is good, but the thing that mainly brings this band down is the vocalist. It sounds as if he's stretching the lyrics, taking forever to say what could have been said in a normal amount of time. It got very annoying, very quickly. A lot of the music is very calm, but is surprising as my eye caught the fact that it was produced by Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Amen) so I find that this is a step away from producing his normal Nu-Metal and into things that are more calm. Anyways, a few of the songs are good and have good riffs, but it's the vocalist that drags this band down the most. Vex Red isn't that great, sorry to disappoint you. I'll give this 2 stars because of the song the Closest and the fact that a few parts of the songs instrumental wise are good but over all Vex Red offers nothing special. .
Interesting To Say The Least
From one song to the next you'll probably be thinking "oh man this sucks @$$" or "hey this is dang good". This is a tough one to review fairly. The vocalist is pretty good and can best be compared to the lead singer of Silverchair at his softer points. The hard guitars (which are few and far apart) are also pretty good. The main thing that kills this cd is all the techno mixed in with the rock where it doesn't belong. It's not surprising "Itch" would be the single as it is the best song on the whole album. "Dermo" is also an excellent song. I would recommend this to only those with a fairly open mind about music, but I'm goin to say its just a little less than 4 stars, cause I've heard so much worse than these guys. It seems like the guys have alot of talent, especially being able to mix twisted hard guitars, soft vocals and even a piano all into one song (Untitled) and yet still have it be a bad@$$ rocker. Anyway, check it out. . and if you hate it, then you can't say this review didn't warn you what kinda music it was.
great album
the first day i bought it i listened to it 5 times and i couldent get enough, that was about 4 month ago and i still listen to the album now. I love listening to this album. Im not saying it's an epic but deffinatly worth owning.
Mesmerizing From Start To Finish
Vex Red have not only constructed an amazing record, but a record perfect in every way. From the opening seconds of "The Closest" to the turbulent and chaotic final seconds of "Vert" there is an underlying sense of greatness. The mix of your usual "rock" instruments blends perfectly with the highly dynamic "electronic" elements which add depth and atmosphere to an already rich and textured sonic environment. The highly insightful lyrics of vocalist Terry Abbott paint a vivid picture in which the ever changing music swirls around. This album is sure to be a classic, and already is in my eyes. Vex Red have attained perfection with their full length debut. I recommend "Dermo" and "Start With a Strong & Persistent Desire"(the albums title track).
You can see a complete list of all Vex Red discography, or go back to the Vex Red tabs
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