Review: VEGA “Kiss Of Life”

Melodic Rock/AOR
VEGA is a melodic rock outfit featuring former KICK vocalist Nick Workman and the notable song writing partnership of Tom and James Martin (House of Lords, Ted Poley, Sunstorm to name but a few). Their debut album “Kiss of Life” has been produced by John Greatwood and features 12 slices of AOR that combine the classic 80s styles with more contemporary guitar tones.

Workman has an incredible voice with an amazing range – well suited for the tasks of quality AOR in the grand tradition of Journey. With his dynamic range, I can characterize VEGA as sounding like a hybrid between Judas Priest and Survivor. In fact, on some of the songs, I could swear the guys hacked Jim Peterik’s computer and stole some of his keyboard tones. No matter, what results is a very enjoyable AOR record built for 2011. The first three tracks are among the strongest (“Into The Wild”, “One Of A Kind”, and the title track), introducing us to the best VEGA has to offer right up front. These are huge arena-ready rockers with uplifting vocals and soaring riffs. Additional highlights include “Headlights”, “Stay With Me” and “Wonderland”.

I recommend VEGA for fans of traditional and modern AOR – this band delivers the perfect blend of both. “Kiss Of Life” is available now and VEGA will be on the road in 2011 taking it to the fans live on stage.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10

VEGA on MySpace.

Listen to "Into The Wild"