Originating from the Latin vindicta, the word vendetta means ‘a family blood-feud where kin seek vengeance for a slain relative.’ Add deluxe to the mix, and what you have is superior violence. So far, so death metal, yet the trio Vendetta Deluxe from the Forest of Dean/Ross-on-Wye are hardly in thrall to satanic overlords, nor is there any mention in their press pack of a predilection for platters of limbs.
That said, first track ‘City of Trees’ does mention ‘knives’ and ‘your killer’s hands’. A reference to the comparably quaint ‘nettle stings’ dilutes the lyrical blood lust a little, though let’s not look at this through our GCSE English anthology lens – as the kids say these days, the track absolutely slaps. Its beefy chords and gleeful energy reminded me of God Save The King, whose album Not Again Cribbins God Save The King #2 (Number VIII) was one of last year’s highlights (you can read the SLAP review here). Coincidentally, the band’s bass player, Adam Daffurn, is also the bass player for Vendetta Deluxe. Busy lad.
‘Waterfall’ sounds very cheery for a song about a ‘slow, slow death’ – in a way, it’s as disarming as Radiohead’s ‘No Surprises’, in which a xylophone is juxtaposed with carbon monoxide. Next track ‘Caravaggio’ is, unsurprisingly, about the Italian fella who was pretty good at painting and quite partial to fisticuffs and worse. If the Horrible Histories team fancy a collab, they should hook up with Vendetta Deluxe, who will dutifully provide a Queens of the Stone Age backing to amusing lines about murderous royals.
‘The Day is on Your Side’ is a more subdued affair, though with a triumphant, arms in the air mid-80s chorus. On ‘April Fool’, the band sound like The Offspring with extra snark and a side order of ‘I told you so’. The Motörhead chords at the start of ‘Kamikaze Eyes’ give way to an …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ascending guitar line. Frontman Lar Hughes recalls “When I broke into the house / I was quiet as a mouse / I had to get my records back / But you stabbed me in the back.” Thankfully, this was figurative vengeance, otherwise he probably wouldn’t be smashing out his colossal riffs. Imagine robbing a house for records. It’s rock ‘n’ roll, but not as we nor the authorities know it.
‘The Wolf and the Wallflower’ is Green Day on the verses and The Offspring on the chorus, and it might be an allegory about misplaced carnal arrogance. But let’s not fall into the GCSE trap again – the track slaps, as does the equally enigmaticand energetic ‘Bonesetter’. The chugging, filthy riff that propels ‘Ice Cream Saturday’ is pure Queens of the Stone Age, and Dave Oakley on drums is a man possessed yet precise, especially in the second half. On album closer ‘White Laces’, Lars on lead guitar engages in some excellent James Dean Bradfield fretwork, and there’s even a Metallica middle eight.
The Forest of Dean and Ross-on-Wye are famous for giving us Dennis Potter, J K Rowling/Robert Galbraith, and members of Mott The Hoople. It’s where all the talented dudes come from. Vendetta Deluxe will tell you that, but they will insist on doing it via poetry and rock. You have been warned, and you will be thrilled.
The Drowning Sound is out now on Bandcamp
By: Neil Laurenson