Cosmic Vanguard

Space Vacation

Deep within the dark heart of San Francisco, forged from molten steel with a nod […]
By Luke Bravin
December 30, 2014
Space Vacation - Cosmic Vanguard album cover

Deep within the dark heart of San Francisco, forged from molten steel with a nod to the galloping riffs of IRON MAIDEN, the speed of MOTORHEAD and the stick-in-you-head choruses of "On through the Night" era DEF LEPPARD, SPACE VACATION was born! These Bay Area Metallers have a taste for Classic Metal and do a damn good job showing that taste with their heavy hitting Metal sound that was forged in the depths of hell!!

Ok, let's dial down the cheesy and tell you about whom these fresh faced metalheads are. On Bass, we have Kai Sun, who brings the 4-string thunder and is the newest member of the band joining shortly after "Cosmic Vanguard" was completed. Scott Shapiro is the vocalist and guitarist and brings a smooth, yet powerful vocal delivery and driving guitar lines help provide SV with their signature Classic Metal sound. Kiyo Morgan is the lead shredder and possesses musicality harken back to 1984. Finally, on drums, we have Cubby Baumann, who joined the band in 2012 and made his presence felt immediately through each sonic boom exploding from his double kick attack. Together, these guys form a great sounded Classic Metal band that have been going since 2008/09 and released their debut, self-titled album in 2009. Now, they're on their 3rd album, and they're still going strong, regardless of line-up changes.

The sound of this album and the band's overall sound have a touch of Speed Metal adding a galloping pace in every song. Now add in the twin guitar attack offering a bunch of riffs and leads, the thumping, yet grooving, bass line, and clean catchy vocal arrangements and you've got a kick ass sounding album and band. Also, add a pinch of NWOBHM, only with an American branding and you've pretty much got this band summed up.

While the songs are not without some variation, the elements I mentioned are repeated throughout the album. You have to catch the nuances here like the subtle melodic hard rock catchiness of the refrains within "More Is More" or "Get Down". Or the spry, but infectious, guitar ripples that sparks "The Living Damned". Another is the rather large and sharp riffs of "Land of Steel", making it, the heaviest song here, I think. Something else to catch is the occasional short flurry of drums that begins several songs including "Witch Wizard" or "Say My Name". While most every song may seem a galloping repetition, the dynamic and correct mixture of the elements that create this band's sound and the boat loads of riffs and rocking solos make SPACE VACATION 'true' metal monsters. And let's not forget how the formula to their sound is locked away in this, their 3rd album, "Cosmic Vanguard".

9 / 10

Almost Perfect

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"Cosmic Vanguard" Track-listing:

1. On Your Feet
2. More Is More
3. Rolling Thunder
4. Cosmic Vanguard
5. Get Down
6. The Living Damned
7. Say My Name
8. Eye To Eye
9. Witch Wizard
10. Battle Jacket
11. Land Of Steel

Space Vacation Lineup:

Scott Shapiro - Guitar, Vocals
Cubby Baumann - Drums
Kiyo Morgan - Guitar
Kai Sun - Bass

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