Vendetta Red came to me in the same package as The Juliana Theory (see review this issue), and they have a lot of similarities. They both play big guitar-music; they both come to us from Epic Records; and they’ve even been touring together for the past two months. The difference is that there’s a better chance of getting a Vendetta Red song stuck in your head than anything from The Juliana Theory album. Between the Never and the Now has more melody and more variation between songs.

“Opiate Summer” is a standout. It starts with a thumping, almost-dark bass line and moves to a chorus that soars above it all with a cry for summer. Soaring choruses seem to be the thing for lead singer Zach Davidson. He holds those big notes with his big voice with all the conviction of a televangelist. He does falter, however, when the singing becomes soulless screaming. On the first single, “Shatterday,” Davidson yields the vocals to the rest of the band during a rousing, all-too-short singalong of the bouncing chorus accompanied by only the beat of the bass drum. (Plus, there’s a hint of Huey Lewis and the News’ “The Only One,” but I’m probably the only one who’ll notice.)

The intensity of vocals and guitars remains up for all 12 songs and does eventually lose its appeal as the rest of the album is filled out. But Vendetta Red seems to be on a better course than its labelmates.