#albumoftheday = VEGA: WHO WE ARE

A lot of recent albums by the heavy metal bands I grew up with have disappointed me. The latest Def Leppard album, for example. I’ve listened to that one at least 15 times and it does nothing for me. I just can’t get into it. I think it’s their first terrible album, really. Getting to my point, VEGA, who are a relatively new band, deliver Def Leppard style hard rock/heavy metal tunes that are bursting with the energy that’s missing from Lepp’s latest. Nick Workman’s vocals are like Joe Elliot’s at his prime. That said, VEGA’s sound isn’t a Def Leppard rip-off. On the contrary, they’re simply influenced by them, along with countless other bands who used to dominate Dial MTV in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. I hear everything from Trixter to Dokken to Whitesnake to Journey in their tunes. Opener “Explode” is a gigantic burst of heavy metal lightning. “Every Little Monster” is an AOR lover’s dream. “Nothing is Forever” is a ballad befitting Cheap Trick. “We Got it All” blends old school metal with modern rock, which the band is also somewhat influenced by. There isn’t a bad song on the album and it’s quite colorful with so many different influences. If you think that classic rock and old school heavy metal are dead, listen to this and it will definitely change your mind.