Vains of Jenna
“Lit Up/Let Down”
FILTHY NOTE RECORDS
There’s something about Sweden. For years it’s been
home to a thriving black metal scene, but now it’s churning
out … glam rockers?
Vains of Jenna are just the Swedish transplants that have taken
root in the Hollywood scene. Currently touring with Fireball
Ministry and Artimus Pyledriver on Hot Topic’s The Triple
Threat Tour, Vains of Jenna were regulars at Sunset Strip venues
earlier this year.
Playing loud, loose rock ‘n’ roll with a sleazy
edge, these guys are a throwback to bands that ran the Strip in the
’80s. On their debut album, “Lit Up/Let Down,”
the energy of their shows has been covered with a minimum of studio
gloss, allowing Lizzy DeVine (vocals, rhythm guitar), Nicki Kin
(lead guitar), JP White (bass) and Jacki Stone (drums) to get lit
up.
From the opening riffs of “Don’t Give a Damn,”
it’s clear that “Lit Up/Let Down” is relentless,
high-octane gutter rock with its head-banging, fist-raising,
sing-along chorus of the title phrase.
DeVine’s slightly congested vocals open a window into
semi-tragic street life in “Hard To Be Vain” ““
though not a particularly sympathetic one, as he sings,
“Don’t wanna be there when she cries.”
Swaggering and gritty, the main riff of “Baby’s Got
A Secret” immediately recalls early Guns N’ Roses
““ an influence heard throughout the album ““ as does the
guitar solo.
“Lit Up/Let Down,” the album’s ballad, is
itself a bit of a letdown. However, it’s followed by
“Get on the Ride,” which features one of album’s
high points as Kin rips into a Slash-esque solo, with Stone and
White creating a rhythmic double-barreled assault that
doesn’t let up.
Motley Crue’s “Starry Eyes” is brought to mind
in “Set It Off” as DeVine sings, “Remember, baby,
beauty is a fragile thing,” though the latter song is
aggressive and unapologetic, confining any trace of regret to the
chorus.
The best tracks on the album are the two acoustic songs recorded
live in the studio. Both “No one’s Gonna Do it For
You” and “Set It Off” lose the electric without
losing intensity, becoming more visceral and raw in their
stripped-down forms.
Although the album is not as impressive as either “Too
Fast For Love” or “Appetite for Destruction,”
“Lit Up/Let Down” is still full of the things that made
the previous debuts successes: loud guitars, deafening drums,
sleazy vocals and more than a little rebellion.