Vendetta Love have been gradually carving out a place within the rock underground since 2021. The Irish band have released a string of impressive digital singles over the course of four years – not least of all 2024’s ‘Soothe’, an energetic number absolutely loaded with wah-wah guitar work – and a pair of enjoyable EPs, but their first offering for ’25 could just be one of their strongest tracks to date.
Tag Archives: melodic metal
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #93
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time out, we’ve got the return of a much-loved pop band, a laid back narrative piece from a very familiar name, a great synth oriented workout, some huge riffs from the Medway area in South East England…and more besides. As is often the case with the SB, there’s no genre snobbery; just a spotlight on things we’ve found interesting. Hopefully, you’ll find something of interest too.
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ROBIN McAULEY – Soulbound
A strong case could be made for Robin McAuley’s second solo album – 2021’s ‘Standing On The Edge’ – being one of the finest of the journeyman vocalist’s career. It seemed to hit a sweet spot in terms of melodies, and although the singer’s brand of melodic rock was hardly in fashion at the time of release, his love for the style appeared unwavering. The album’s strong musicianship and big choruses rivalled his earlier associations with the legendary Michael Schenker, and the record’s AOR slant made it a great fit alongside some of their other Frontiers Records releases from that time. Taking influence from Black Swan’s second album ‘Generation Mind’, 2023’s ‘Alive’ took a slightly harder turn musically, but still found Robin in great voice and an enthused mood.
Watch: The Big Deal share new video for ‘Fairy of White’
Today sees the release of The Big Deal’s second album, ‘Electrified’. It’s a record that shows none of the signs of being a “difficult” follow up to an excellent debut, partly because the Serbian rockers have stuck to a familiar blueprint. The mix of bombast, melody, melodic metal crunch and soaring hooks works just as well for them the second time around.
THE BIG DEAL – Electrified
Serbian band The Big Deal released a very confident debut in 2022’s ‘First Bite’. Although their music wasn’t particularly original, the album’s best tracks showcased talented musicians, capable of sharing a huge sound, and whose brand of melodic rock and metal consistently hit the mark with strong callbacks to Pretty Maids and other Euro fare.
Following the album’s release, guitarist Srdjan Brankovic made a great contribution to Ronnie Romero’s ‘Raised On Radio’, but then seemed to disappear. Considering he guested on a number of albums up to this point, his relative quietness came as a surprise, but his fans will certainly welcome his return here, and find plenty to enjoy within his work on this second release from The Big Deal. Much like before, the best material places Brankovic’s guitar playing rather highly in the end mix, but there’s very much the feeling that this is a genuine band project, rather than merely just being the Srdjan show with a few in-house hired hands.