CoC : Vertex - Vertex : Review

Vertex - _Vertex_
(Blue Dolphin/Caroline, 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (3 out of 10)

Anyone remember Ratt from the 1980's? Anyone here like them? Didn't think so. Well how the times have changed and how members of bands move from style to style as they grow as musicians (or as trends become popular). Whatever the case may be, Stephen Pearcy, lead singer for the ultra-cool (for the 80's) Ratt and that awful other band Arcade, has jumped on board a techno/industrial/metal band by the name of Vertex. That's right, a three-piece with samples, loud guitars and keyboards - Vertex has it all. Now the problem with this record - and there are lots of them - is that the music seems cheesy ("Is Justice Your Peace" or "Fight") and just thrown together. Sounding a lot more like a weak NIN meets an unpolished Megadeth (Mustaine-style snarls are everywhere) rather than Skinny Puppy or any other successful techo/industrial band, Vertex's debut is full of holes with poor songwriting and mismatched musical styles. One can just hear the lyrics and see that numbers like "Ain't Gonna Be" "Time And Time" or "One Like A Son" are bland concoctions of noise, samples and riffs. Interested in seeing how musicians fight to stay afloat in this industry? Check this one out. Otherwise, leave this one alone.

(article published 12/8/1996)