When I first saw a picture of NITERAIN, I must admit I was a bit stunned. "Why is MOTLEY CRUE showing up on my screen?" I thought. The group consists of four Norwegian musicians; all who look as though they should've been born in the 60's and headlined Glam Rock acts worldwide. Lead singer Sebastian Tvedtnæs, especially, looks like the perfectly sleazy lovechild of Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx. "Vendetta" their second album, is saturated with classic Rock n' Roll vibes mixed with a hint of modern influence, which helps the album to stand out from the ocean of amateur Glam acts that are out there. "Crosshairs" which was released in 2013, is an album, which is on par with those by LA GUNS, POISON, and other, more well established, Hard Rock and Glam Metal musicians. Based on live recordings of NITERAIN, the band is extremely high-energy and puts on a thrilling and electrifying show. They bring the vitality of their youth to the performance while blending it effortlessly with a sexy, swaggering 80's sound, which is rare.

The opening track, "Lost and Wasted", wails into being with a catchy STEEL PANTHER-esque riff, which combines with Tvedtnæs's surprisingly clean but undoubtedly powerful vocals. The solo is a sparkling, decidedly speed Metal riff and gives the song its vitality. "Come Out," the follow-up track, is my personal favorite of the entire album. The rhythmic, pounding bass layers with the bluesy guitar riffs and the aggressive, rebellious vocals. This song is a banger, and guaranteed to rile up any crowd at a metal concert.

"The Threat" has a more retro feel to it, with cleaner vocals than "Come Out." Tvedtnæs's vocal versatility is exemplified in the variance between tracks in the album overall, and this song is a prime example. In particular, I'm a breakdown junkie and I loved the part in the middle where the instruments cut out and the vocal melody was put in the spotlight. This song is an energizing melody that utilizes liberal "woah-oh"'s to give off a true Rock n' Roll vibe. "Rock n' Roll," true to its name, is 100% concentrated Blues-Rock. Tvedtnæs's vocals seem a bit forced in the beginning compared to the instrumentals; however, during the chorus his gravelly yells work beautifully with the guitar grooves and the isolated drumbeats. "Rock and roll, lose control," he sings, and that's the basic premise of the song- a cut-and-dry party anthem about the energy of Rock.

NITERAIN's MOTLEY CRUE influence stands out sharply in "Romeo." I was expecting this song to be a love ballad, but the revving sound of a motorcycle at the intro harkened back to the intro of CRUE's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and exploded into a song about the sleazy love that Rock n' Rollers experience. The electronic distortion in some vocal sections gives the track a modern twist, and the sheer catchiness of the hook instantly made this one of my favorites on the album. The drums were the star of "Romeo," and pushed the track forward with steady beats and fast rhythm work. "One More Time" is another bass-infused track designed to energize a crowd. Karlsen steals the show in this song with his introductory riffs that continue throughout and give the song depth it would not have had otherwise. The rhythm in this song is so easy to head bang to, and the guitar riffs flow effortlessly over the chugging combination of bass and drums.

The next track, "Something Ain't Right," although solid musically, wasn't my favorite. The intro of the thumping bass with interspersed guitar riffs instantly made me think of "Let's Get Rocked" by DEF LEPPARD. The beginning, at least, sounded so similar to me that I wondered if the group had maybe sampled LEPPARD's riff. However, Karlsen's bass work was exceptional in this song. "Don't Fade Away" is an Electro-Rock combo of grooving, ballad-like guitar riffs and clean vocals by Tvedtnæs. The song didn't strike me as particularly complex or heavy, especially compared to some of the others I had previously heard on the album. However, it exemplified the 80's sound, which is what NITERAIN was going for I suspect.

With the ninth track, "#1 Bad Boy," that fast, grimy Rock tone I was looking for from the group returned. The song is a perfect combination of wailing speed guitar, dangerous sex appeal, and ripping bass. I loved the lust-driven Rock and Roll sound of this track and was disappointed that it was over in 2 minutes and 37 seconds. "Electric" is, for lack of a better word, electric. The melody was complex and the swinging guitar riffs over the rhythmic bass created a heart-pounding ride through a flawless Glam Metal track. The vocals are rebellious and the track roars out of the gates and doesn't stop its ceaseless barrage of screaming riffs until the song is over. The last track (and the album's namesake), "Vendetta," doesn't disappoint. It becomes a bit repetitive, but it's difficult to write a traditional 80's Rock and Roll song that doesn't sound like anything else. Steihaug's riffs are precise and energizing, and the drums establish the perfect backdrop for the song.

Overall, "Vendetta" was a thoroughly enjoyable album that invoked 80's déja vu like nothing else and made me want to tease my hair and hop on a motorcycle. Though the songs tend to be a bit simplistic and sometimes sound similar, they get the job done of providing catchy Rock n' Roll anthems that will have people head banging.