THE
VENGEANCE
BROTHERS
at McRed's

By G-Man

The inside of McRed's became a cauldron full of lightning Saturday night with an incendiary performance by The Vengeance Brothers, a power trio founded on energy, brimming with intensity and dedicated to the proposition that life is only worth living if you can create hard-rocking music.

Let's take a moment and analyze the approach of VBS, as their graffiti-style logo identifies them. They begin with a propulsive strum-and-pluck rhythmic punch from Vinny on his classic Rickenbacker bass. He manipulates the bass lines like a tank commander designing a battle plan to overrun opposing troops. Kicking like a mule is Jamie on drums, cracking the whip with so much glee it should probably be illegal. The groove these two establish is as solid as concrete and as fluid as water through the sluice gates of Hoover Dam.

On top of that churning and burning are the dynamic power chording and searing single note runs of blinding speed from Eric on his Gibson SG. This guy makes his guitar growl, scream and wail, and the intensity level of his playing goes right off the scale of human measurement. Add in his hell-bent-for-leather lead vocals and you have a music machine of incredible proportions.

Joining VBS on a couple of their high-octane numbers was Saverio "Slotnick" Goffredo on power-shout lead vocals that had the walls shaking. As a trio or a foursome, The Vengeance Brothers deliver an onslaught that is unstoppable. You can skip seeing them if you wish, but you cannot claim to understand the full power of live rock without attending at least one Vengeance Brothers show. VBS kills.