REVIEW: In/Vertigo – EP: Love, Sex & Chaos (Musicalypse Archive)

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In the mid-1980s, there was a commercial peak for a specific type of loud, aggressive rock that was layered with hair-spray, singing more or less eloquent praise to titties and beer. Whether it was due to the tectonic movement of music trends, the concerned Princeton moms, or the fact that bands such as VAN HALEN excelled in the art so marvelously, it must have discouraged future bands to set foot on the turf – the glory days of hard-rock are mostly bygone. The 2000s have witnessed a renewed interest in the hard-rock values of the past with new bands delivering a rude awakening, once in a while, that the genre wasn’t all just about drunken debauchery.

Canadian hard-rockers IN/VERTIGO throws such a sonic Molotov cocktail at us, announcing a worldwide record deal with Rockshots Records and the release of their debut EP, “Sex, Love & Chaos,” out today on July 16th, 2020. The 4-track EP sounds adorably old-fashioned, and not only in its title about the holy trinity of life’s most devastating powers. Formed in 2016 by Calgary (CA) rock veterans, IN/VERTIGO sure know how to write hard-rock schlagers that resonate with a strong 1980s aura, incorporate a fair number of sexual innuendos and, most importantly, kick ass just like a genuine piece of hard-rock awesomeness should.

The EP opener, ”Chains,” builds momentum with a rock groove that is strongly reminiscent of the heydays of GUNS ‘N’ ROSES, while the vocal delivery balances on the fine line between Axl Rose and Paul Stanley. Not bad for a first impression, I’d say. Further into the EP, the band’s sonic fingerprint gets new shades of vintage hard-rock greatness. The bluesy touch on ”The Night” would definitely get approval from David Coverdale of WHITESNAKE, while ”Take It” showcases the virtues of KISS maybe even better than Paul Stanley & co. themselves have since 1984. The driving riff on the second track, ”Bad Enemy,” sounds like an AUDIOSLAVE rip-off, to be honest, but the song progresses further with a good degree of different nuances to spare it from being deemed a mere carbon copy of ”Cochise.”

The band claims that the EP is just the right soundtrack for not only your sex life, but your highs, lows, and the deepest introspective moments. I would have to agree on the first two counts, at least. “Sex, Love & Chaos” is a perfect fit for the soundtrack of the surfeit of happy events in your life – for the sex and love parts. In the middle of chaos or at the rock bottom of life, this kind of hard-rock that blasts at jet-engine decibels might not be the most appropriate music. Then again, what do I know? When life hands you lemons next time, just be glad it wasn’t herpes and put on some class-A hard-rock. Life will knock us all on our butts. What we do next determines a whole lot. To be determined by a turbulent force that wreaks havoc, such as IN/VERTIGO, does not sound such a bad idea, eh? With the release of “Sex, Love & Chaos,” these Canadian hard-rockers add their name to the long list of established hard-rock brands. IN/VERTIGO is a band to speak chirpily about in the next great pub debate.

Written by Jani Lehtinen
Musicalypse, 2020
OV: 1568
OS: 8/10

Tracklist

  1. Chains
  2. Bad Enemy
  3. The Night
  4. Take It

Label

Rockshots Records

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