REVIEWS

www.rocknrolluniverse.com
Album Review
Review By
Rikki Rampage
After I played VERO's [INBORN] CD I was confused...very confused. Why aren’t the major labels fighting over signing this band? This release outdoes most of today's bands by a long shot! They are what today’s generation is crying out for. From the first track to the very last this is consistently a great album with a big crunchy guitar sound provided by Marc Fargeo who also handles all lead vocals, which are very pleasing with a hint of Bono. Backed with the killer rhythm section of Dan Williams (bass) and Lee Giles (Drums) they provide a very thick sound throughout the entire album. Every type of song that you could want is here, fast, medium, slow, each showcasing just how awesome Vero in all they do. The quality of the CD is perfect, warm and edgy at the same time with perfect clarity. All the songs are strong with great choruses. This will most likely be one of my most played CDs of 2005. This band deserves to be huge!!!! I give this a
10 out of 10.

METALUK.COM
Album Review
Seemingly a long time in coming since the introduction of the Essex trio through breakthrough single “How Does It Feel”, Vero’s debut album “Inborn” carries on where they left off. Stacked high with melody, hooks and riffs aplenty, that outweighs how far Vero are into their career, this a genuine and respectable release that could threaten the US charts if given half a chance. Mainly being that the band take a leaf out of many rock radio bothering acts from over the pond such as Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd and the now defunct Creed (who have transformed into the highly commendable Alter Bridge).

.....But don’t let that put you off, because Vero are no mere carbon copies of watered down rock. Instead they tread where others would take a back seat, be it through .....gritty in your face numbers such as “Curb My Cancer”, the brooding “Dust” which still manages to create a soaring chorus out of nowhere, or the arena fulfilling .....“Near You”. Otherwise it has to be the beautiful, cigarette lighter in the air beckoning acoustic piece “Black Champagne”, proving the band could gladly pull the plug .....at a gig and still manage to come off tops.

.....Its hard to genre pinpoint Vero. Those less informed would classify them as Brit Rock, but they are so much more than that, with a sound that ranges from hard .....hitting metal, gritty underground blues to heart your sleeve balladry. Guitarist and lead vocalist Marc Fargeo seems more confident than most to put his emotions into .....his music, yet this band are anything but Emo. With Dan Williams’ bass often taking over to steer the way, and Lee Giles expertly supporting and creating the .....direction on drums, the band’s sound is closely knit already at this stage in their career, with many moments on this prologue suggesting there is more to come.

ROCK ON THE WEB
Album Review
Well when I first heard their debut single 'How Does It Feel' I couldn't wait for the album. And here it is, finally in my CD player where it belongs!
So i press play. 'Curb My Cancer' bursts out through the speakers with it's catchy riffs and drums. I just love the vocals in their songs. You can't describe them they just sound amazing to listen to. It seems bands nowadays can actually sing (Busted we look down at you). And now here it comes. The simply brilliant single - How Does It Feel. Head over to the Official Vero site were you can download this track and a couple others. You couldn't ask for a much better track. It's soft, it's heavy, it's got good lyrics, brilliant riffs and great to mosh to.
Track 3 - Dust. Now this a fairly slow/emotional song. One of those songs you head bang slowly to. It's quite a powerful song. Much like track 4. It starts off with a cool drum fill on the toms. I've got to learn how to play that. And the drummer's even called Lee too! It's also got some brilliant double bass drum at the end. Dam i really want a double bass drum pedal! (I'm open for donations!)
'Not For You' starts off differently to the other tracks. It begins with a gentle riff with some, drugged up lyrics almost. They sound a bit like Serafin. Then some guitar and drums kicks in. The chorus just sounds really catchy. These guys were born to rewrite the music industry. *Lee has a break and eats bacon and egg*
'Repeat To Fade' builds up slightly in the intro, then explodes in the pre verse. The verse itself is quite soft, but the guitar has a heavy impact. Or maybe that's because it's turned up really loud? Well there you go. Track 7 has another good riff. And once again the lyrics are catchy. But here's a change. 'Black Champagne' is different for all the other tracks. Its a lot softer, and a more acoustic sort of song. If there are people out there reading this that don't like heavier stuff that much, this is more your sort of song. Track 9 has a different intro to the others too. It has an effect on the guitar and drums and sounds like techno and then burst into some good old rock. Then the verse is calmed right down, and then builds you up to the explosive chorus.
'Undone' starts with a metally sort of riff and some mixtures of fast and slow drums through out the song. And then towards the end of the song it gets really heavy. It's a great track really. Maybe my second favourite after 'How Does It Feel'. 'Spin Out' has a similar setup. It's a mixture of fast, slow, calm and is what I call a lighter song, where you wave your lighters and anything else you have that makes a light.
Track 12 is perhaps my new favourite. 'Kyofusho' (what the hell does that mean?). It's starts off with a slow taunting riff and lyrics come in Then some cool heavy riff and drums come in for a few seconds, then goes to a calmer verse and builds up to the chorus. Which just sounds...well....like Vero. And you should be able what i mean by that. Maybe i should change the definition of 10/10 to Vero. And then it all goes really quite with some vocals and a slow riff, then burst back in, but not in full, until the instrumental, and sadly ends. Maybe i'll stick it on Loop. But that definitely has to be their next single! Go on RELEASE IT!
And lastly - 'Stay Alive'. It sounds a lot like the other tracks. It is different. But of course it's the same style and everything. Parts get a bit heavy, but it's generally a calm song to end off their masterpiece.
It's hard to review this. It's all too good to comment on. It leaves you speechless. The best review on this album, would be the one that you do in your head when you go out and buy this album in September. But one thing I can tell you is we've definitely found September's feature album, and most likely next months feature band too.
10/10!!!!!!

CD SERVICES
Album Review
Blimey – you wouldn’t think that this lot were only a trio. OK, so I know what you can do in a studio these days, but this three-piece sounds like a quintet at the very least, harnessing and letting loose enough electrifying and electric energy to give scientists pause for thought. Across every track – and there’s thirteen of the little gems – you’ll hear this incredibly massive-sounding mix of electric guitars, riffs, pounding bass, driving drums and vocals that are just perfect, the 100% successful mix of lead yearning, soaring pleading, multi-tracked AOR and solid nu-metal vocalizing. Songs that are anthemic to a tee, songs that stay in your head because they are of such quality rather than for any particularly annoying hook-laden reasons, and songs that you want to hear again and again. The band has a tremendous grasp of dynamics, the way some of the songs light the blue touch paper, slowly take off and then just carry on climbing, truly a wonder to behold. There’s tenderness in here too – you hear it at times, and feel it lots – with some tracks even having sentiment in their rage, a structure that puts this band right up there with the best of them in the pure-driven song-writing stakes, the fact they deliver the goods with arrangements to die for and a a seeming ease of execution to make you jaw-dropped at the effect, being no small measure of a new act that is surely destined for the heights, on an album that simply does not have anything less than a 100% anthemic gem on it.
10/10

GIGS UNLIMITED
SINGLE Review
Get straight to the point lads. Vero play rock music, in the same category as Hell is for Heroes, Funeral for a Friend, A, Box Car Racer and they even sound like Puddle of Mud AND Lost Prophets in parts. Whatever the kids call it now, emo/post hardcore/metal core/scream core/post proper names for genres/pre stupid names for genres…it’s easier to say who they sound like that to describe the style they play.
That said, VERO ROCK! Some of their instrumental bits are really quite heavy, double pedal drums, crunching guitars, and a few vocal throat-wrenching screams. But they balance that perfectly with catchy, melodic hooks and sweet vocal harmonies, which give the band more of a commercial appeal.
The CD sounds very professional, polished and well produced (but as the producer has worked with Funeral For A Friend, Sikth and Hondo Maclean it should be). The band sounds very tight, the drummer is a good rock drummer (whose use of the double bass drum pedal is very tasteful) who is solid and creative. There are two guitar tracks on the songs, which thicken the sound up and add another dimension to the music.
7/10

METALUK
Single Review
A quick glance at the profiles of Essex trio Vero, gives you the impression what the band sound like even before pressing play. Usually any band that lists Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains as influences tend to rip them off quite ferociously. Luckily this band aren’t that shallow and wallpaper thin, in fact they’re quite the opposite.
Taken from their forthcoming debut album Inborn, “How Does It Feel” is a titanic sounding lesson to those guilty parties on the post-grunge conveyor belt. Having formed in 1999 through guitarist and vocalist Marc Fargeo and bassist Dan Williams, the two set about making a name for themselves through constantly writing and churning out material as well as endless meetings with men in suits. This ultimately paid off when they signed on the dotted line with Among Giants Records and set about recording their debut opus.
However the band felt the finished product did not present the huge sound evoked by them onstage, and so it was decided to scrap and start again, even at these early stages showing a group with its mind on its music rather than in its wallet. A record was needed to launch them to the next stage, and if this single is anything to go by, they’re already there. With new drummer Lee Giles on board, linking expertly with Fargeo’s soaring vocals and high range of guitar work, as well as the directional and thumping low end of Dan Williams’ bass, it is only a matter of time before Vero tap into our airwaves.
Even though the line “stuck in my ways” strikes a chord in “How Does It Feel”, it is in no way relevant to the band’s sound, as B-sides “Stay Alive” and “You Make Me Sick” are different once again. The former a jagged number slightly reminiscent of Soundgarden, the latter a pounding infectious anthem. A powerful mix of epic balladry and vintage rock that is sure to appeal to a wide audience.
9/10

ALT UK
Single Review
‘How Does It Feel’ is Vero’s debut recorded effort and it comes in the form of a single which will be featured on their forthcoming album ‘Inborn.’ Vero are an exciting young rock band taking influences from the American music scene with such bands as Deftones and Foo Fighters. These two are very apparent in the formula of their music and the fact that they have such a familiar sound could help them in winning over the masses in the UK with video playlisting on both Kerrang and Scuzz TV.
Vero are a very exciting band who have been hanging around the scene for a good while now but have never given anyone the pleasure of a recorded effort. This single is breaking the cycle and what an effort it is to break the cycle too. They have a hell of a lot of angst in the music with melody laced verses and anthemic choruses which are sure to impress even the most hardened of Rock fans. There are only three members in Vero but it sounds like there are a hell lot more, as the sound that this band creates is absolutely immense. This band are hard rocking, raw mentalists that will get inside your head with their music and mess around with it as much as they can.
‘How Does It Feel’ is a totally amazing single track – there is no denying that, but the B-side ‘Stay Alive’ is also a powering little number that could quite easily be released as one itself. It definitely has the power to be one – the raw aggression is certainly there with the grinding guitars, super bass lines and frantic drumming, coupled with the absolutely blinding vocal skills of lead man Marc here. It is great to read that not only is Marc the vocalist but he is also the guitarist because both of these are done extremely well, and sometimes when a vocalist also plays an instrument – one of the two can be a bit lacking.
Vero are sure to gain some degree of success in this fine year of Rock because they definitely have a fine talent with superb skill being shown all round. Vero have the ability to go far in this business and I see no reason why before long the band shouldn’t be gracing the covers of such magazines as Kerrang. If they can manage to conquer the television world with the amazing video for this track then there will be no stopping them from going on to covermount success.
5/5

STATIC DOMAIN
Single Review
Brit rock, ah you gotta love the cobbled together genre we can now call Brit rock! But what exactly the hell is it nowadays, well with Vero what it is is a British band playing music like Nickelback and Foo Fighters in that stadium-rock way we all know so well, chugging music and crowd screaming choruses!
Unleashing a 3 track single on us isn’t a bad way to start, and I can imagine this littering MTV2 and Kerrang like no ones business with all the teeny boppers out there lapping it up like it was their Mother’s fresh milk. Spiderman soundtrack anyone?! Seriously this song “How Does It Feel” could easily be in the latest teenage super hero film! It’s not bad at all; it just sounds like a hell of a lot of American pop rock out there! Personally I like this song, but it really is simple rock that everyone will love, and I’m not sure how they can build a lasting career out of this music when they sound like so many countless other bands in their field.
“Stay Alive” is Vero’s answer to every song Puddle Of Mudd have ever written as it sounds JUST like them and could easily be a PoM b-side. It’s very samey and unfortunately not that catchy!
All in all you will hear more from this band, but quite how much only time will tell…..
3/5

SKRATCH THE SURFACE
Single Review
A young 3 piece hailing from the South of England VERO are purveyors of a radio friendly stadium rock-esque sound. Although not as fully cringeworthy as the likes of inME or XisLOADED this single, despite a huge and impressive production and if i'm honest, yeh a massively catchy hook and melody, does fall on the wrong side of the 'credible' line.
The band are tight and can clearly play, but there is a huge cheese factor at work here and they immmediately come over as the sort of band that would explode "with a push" or "with the right airplay". Indeed a refreshing take on the alternative genre or an overwhelming, fresh in your face attack this is not.
The two b-sides 'Stay Alive' and 'You Make Me Sick' also heighten the cheesiness levels, competent yet totally uninspiring riffs driving the songs along into more catchy choruses. Not bad, not great, this single left me briefly impressed on the first listen and totally nonplussed by the third. The musical equivalent of the kid that you're bullying and want to kick the shit out of, but let off with tripping them up and poking fun.
2.5/5

ALTERNATIVE LINKS
Single Review
British angst rockers Vero have released their latest single ‘How does it feel’. ‘How does it feel’ as a powerful sound laces with lead vocalist Marc Fargeos’ lyrics which would not dissimilar to a more rocked up Goo Goo Doll’s front man which isn’t actually bad at all. Look out for the singles b-side ‘Stay alive’ which would have possibly been stronger as the single.
4/5

ROCK MIDGETS
Single Review
The first single from the latest signing to Dreamcatcher pulls no punches in showing exactly why they were signed for a global deal. For a band who spit about the state of British rock, they're not bringing anything groundbreaking to the table. What they are bringing, though, is a pummelling rock assault with a heavy dose of melody rooted in the more popular front of US rock; a combination of contemplative, angsty lyrics with heavy riffs. Worth keeping an eye on.
3/5

GAMEFOE
Single Review
Every time any band starts to be successful, every major record label will hunt out (or create) other bands like it. This is a fact. We all know it happens. Often bands then end up on the receiving end of “you’re jumping on the bandwagon”. Vero will no doubt get this sort of thing repeated about their band. They seem to mix songs which consist of American style post hardcore and British balls, and a little metal thrown in there for good measure.
Sometimes they sound like a great band, sometimes they sound like a great Finch tribute band. Track two, “Stay Alive” for example, uses a riff that sounds like it’s from “New Beginnings” but it totally chances so we’ll forgive them.
There is nothing about this band that stands out too much part from the great sound this album has. The song writing is Ok, they are obviously able musicians (but who isn’t these days) but after a couple of listens Vero become a bit stale. You know the 3 songs and that’s it. There is a slight grunge influence within the vocals but overall the single is nothing more than run of the mill after a few listens.
Hopefully Vero can really reach their full potential on their album because this single is nothing but a well recorded, mediocre rock song.

THE COMMUNION
Single Review
This band apparently want to follow in The Darkness’s footsteps by bringing ‘something home for the kids to talk about or be inspired by’. The ‘kids’ are not going to be inspired by this.
If Vero think hard-rock/grunge is retro-cool then they are probably wrong. Not very inspiring at all basically. A slight nod to post-hardcore in lead track ‘How does it feel’ shows that the band realise it isn’t 1994 anymore, but aside from that and a single driving riff in said song, there is nothing here that wasn’t done a thousand times better by Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam or even early Silverchair.
It’s just very safe, bland and not very relevant. You really have heard it before, even if they can write a ‘song’.
4/10

ROCK ON THE WEB
Single Review
How Does It Feel? Fucking Amazing would be my reply. This is what Britain has been missing, Fuck off Busted and make way for Vero!
Well this in your face rock is pretty catchy. Nice mix of heavy and soft parts to it. Listening to this now, I would say the closest thing they sound like would be Rival Schools, but what do I know? Well quite a lot so I’ll say R.S. Love the chorus, dunno why, just do! The drums sound really cool too, something I must learn! And the drummers called Lee too!
With a debut single like this, they'll be big! Can't wait for the album, which should be out this autumn.
10/10

CD SERVICES
Single Review
There are just so many great British rock bands around right now that it’s almost a crime – hellfire, it IS a crime!!! – that they don’t become household names right now. This lot are the latest addition to that elite genre, and they rock, they explode and they burn. The 10 minutes and three tracks of this EP will have you foaming at the mouth with delight as you turn it way up loud and let that wall of guitars, those pounding rhythms and that incendiary sea of guitar leads power up and go absolutely nuclear under this soaring, strong and anthemic, solo and multi-tracked vocal performance, the whole band sounding like they are ready to take over the world right now, with music that oozes pure power from every pore, but power that is controlled within its wickedly addictive song-writing and arranging, production and quality , the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, as this band rises up to become a white dwarf star of blistering heat. Next to bands such as Incubus, Foo Fighters and FFAF, they could give all three more than a run for their money and, in my opinion, they have translate what must be an absolutely awesome stage sound, on a studio CD with way more power and electricity than FFAF have done to date on any of their output so far. This, then is a band to watch, a band to enjoy, a band you HAVE to see live and an EP that you have to turn way up load and soak it all in for an effect that is positively mind-blowing.

KIDJUXTA
Single Review
Vero, should justice prevail in 2004, will be the one band name on everybody's lips before very long. 'How Does It Feel' is their staggering debut single, prematurely taken from their debut 'Inborn' LP - which is due for release in Autumn.
Musically, 'How Does It Feel' is an overwhelmingly vibrant hard rock track, which is anthemic in every respect. Marc Fargeo's passionate and soulful vocals are truly a revelation, as he sings 'the sinking feeling hurts,' all the while convincingly conveying the importance of individuality in today's fucked up world. Somehow, Vero sound like a heartily harder version of Yank rockers The Goo Goo Dolls, and just like them, Vero - amazingly - are only a trio. To say there are only three lads in the band, they make one hell of an almighty and genuinely inspirational noise, as their 'Stay Alive' tune divulges some beautifully emotive guitar passages and exotic vibes, so exquisite they do more talking in just a few bars than Michael Parkinson ever has. And once Marc's vocals kick-back, the tune just gets better, on into the hard-kicking chorus which ensures that 'Stay Alive' ought really to be released as a single too.
Taking their inspiration from bands such as the Deftones, Incubus and the Foo Fighters, our men in Vero are British. And all us rock-lovers should be very, very proud of them.

EXSTREAM RECORD EZINE
Single Review
Record Of The Week - VERO is a name that has been touted around the UK underground for quite some time now and you could be forgiven for wondering if the band were actually going to ever release any recorded output, their original album got rejected by both Vero and their record label as it failed to capture the bands live energy. Subsequent line up changes delayed things further and it has to be said that ,in this case, it could well have been a blessing in disguise as,with guitar driven rock being the order of the day in the UK presently, this could just be the perfect time to unleash VERO on the world.
This first single release, of the song "How Does It Feel" from the bands forthcoming debut album "INBORN," showcases some of the bands influences from the US alternative scene are clearly audible, Foo Fighters and Deftones probably being the most obvious to pick out of their hard driven guitar sound, and their angst ridden anthemic vocals are the perfect compliment to serve up a winning combination with this first taster.
The two other tracks on the release are the broody,yet catchy,"Stay Alive" and the equally clever "You Make Me Sick" as well as the added bonus of the superb promo video for "How Does It Feel." All in all this is a real appetite whetter for the forthcoming album release and another major step the UK underground slowly digging itself up another level, all we need now is for the rock press to acknowledge the UK scene by giving a cover story to a UK band that aren't called The Darkness,Lostprophets or Funeral For A Friend and then we will be truly on our way.