VEGA is a hard-rocking quintet hailing from the UK. They have gained considerable following during their 7 years of existence and were marked by music journalists as the next big thing in British Rock 'n' Roll scene. Having released 3 studio albums so far, this zesty bunch unleashed their fourth full-length last May under the Italian label Frontiers Records, which is also home for legends such as PRETTY MAIDS, NIGHT RANGER and MR. BIG. Armed with youthful spirit and a positive point of view on life in general, they offer in this album some sort of motivational speech and raise some questions regarding our very existence and effort to survive.

Listening to this album, the comparison in sound to VAN HALEN is inevitable. Unlike some grittier and heavier bands in the genre, their sound is rather soft and liquid with pronounced keyboards. This results in a sound a hair too lean to my liking, but it doesn't mean the album isn't well performed. This release, to me, has not much to offer in terms of variation and diversity. Most of the songs seem to follow a certain formula and the pace is barely changes. The album starts with "Explode", a mid-tempo rocker with good vibes and an excellent shredding guitar solo that raises expectations, and I hoped to find more of this in the following songs. But then things start to slow down. To say the album is boring would be incorrect, but it isn't brilliant, either. The saving grace is the vocal performance; Nick Workman's delivery is passionate and he has a nice range, which was good enough to keep me listening. The backing vocals are also good, but overuse made them seem out of place in certain occasions. The rhythm section gets the job done; the drumming is accurate but Dan Chantrey isn't being challenged too much, thus not showing whatever skills he might have. It's there only to keep the pace, neither more nor less.

On the other hand, the lyrical themes and songwriting got me connected. The title of the album means what is says. Following the lyrics while listening to the album, I felt as if I was looking in the mirror of my life. But it doesn't end in pushing the harsh reality in one's face, but also raises some questions to ponder upon and actually encourages one to find answers to one's inner struggles and social inadequacies. I haven't heard an album driven so strongly by lyrics for quite a while, which was enough to compensate for the slight monotony of the music and finally made want to listen to it again. It finally grew on me, and I hope it will on you.<