Source: Album Artwork
Hailing from the same part of the world that famously spawned Don Broco, V / V E G A are out to seek an entirely new kettle of fish. Forget the Bedfordshire that’s brought us pop-rock goodness, and say hello to a Bedfordshire that is here to do something entirely new.
The quartet aren’t your typical band that have an unpronounceable name, but a band that fuse everything we love about alternative, and smash it through the core with sickeningly heavy vocals. Their sophomore EP Leaving Lyra, is another step on the ladder on their climb to rock royalty.
The record kicks off with an ambient temptress in the form of ‘Lyra’. Compared to their debut EP Nostalgia, it is a glamorous toned down number that teases you into being a subtle goddess – that is until a wall of screams punches you in the gut. Whilst its a “calm before the storm” kind of number, it doesn’t fail to pile on the riffs where needed.
Although the EP’s opener is a tame beast compared to what you might expect, the remaining three tracks pick up the pace and up the anti tenfold – ‘Wanderer’, undoubtedly scoring the podium position. Its got a rough and ready attitude not too dissimilar from old school A Day To Remember with a dash of modern Architects thrown in for good measure. When they feels brave enough, the four-piece even showcase moments of nodding their heads to groovier tendencies during middle track ‘The Grand Declaration’.
All this being said, there’s one problem here. From the outset, Leaving Lyra promises to be unique from the whirlpool of ambient, alternative hardcore acts we see today, and we’re just not sure it lives up to that promise. When expectations are high, it can be tough to meet them. One thing we can confirm though, is that these guys are packed with talent.
Sometimes being part of the whirlpool is a good thing when you’ve got the whole package – riffs, cleans and guts.
