Review of the Album Called "The 5th" by German Thrash Metal Band Vendetta

Perhaps it is the most appropriate thing to do sometimes. And this is to write a review of the most current studio album of certain bands. 1980s thrash band Vendetta released their studio album called “The 5th” in 2017 and appropriately enough, this is their 5^th studio album and the guitar work is needless to say fairly polished as we hear yet another Kreator influence. Stylistically this album is not much different from the band's previous work. This can either be a good or a bad thing in music but also, the words good and bad can be subjective as well.

The album's cover which has a skeleton on it smiling has the skeleton is also briefly ready to play the keyboard. In terms of the album cover it is similar to the album Tempo of the Damned by Exodus.

This album starts off with the song Fragile and it is starting in a rather unusual way with the sound of a rainstorm as well as other sounds before the guitars start. The song is about someone that falls down to the gutter, to the bottom as it looks like he is defeated. But come tomorrow, he will get back up, determined to work as hard as he can. This is a message that is encouraging for those of us that feel we need some motivation to keep going with our passions. So in other words, Fragile is not just a heavy metal song. The song's message is that while we may be fragile at one moment, we are not broken. The answer is to get back up and put our best forward. Revenge is never the best answer to deal with those that may have wronged us. “Let'er Rip” is a short song about being honest, loyal, open minded, and objective and staying true to your principles. If only these principles could have been used in today's current American Presidency where would the United States be? “Deadly Sin” lyrically speaks to the fact that humans have always sinned. Some people choose to focus on greed and envy and these qualities will only lead to their ruin.

“The Search” is a short instrumental song that is acoustic in nature and even I am surprised that Vendetta would take such a musical approach because these guys have had the approach of playing fast, heavy, high-quality technical thrash metal but this song offers a welcome relief from the endless thrash metal songs that bombard our eardrums. “The Prophecy” is a song that lyrically tells the story of how a man is dying but he is wondering why this is happening to him. He is crying and screaming as he is suffocating. He is wondering what he has done to get the fate that he is getting. “Shame on You” lyrically is about a person that takes credit for the work that others have done. His success is a hoax as he is a traitor and a liar. Most of us have been around people such as this and it is definitely a toxic kind of experience to be involved. “Religion is a Killer” is one of those songs that lyrically describes US foreign policy as it pertains to the Middle East. The song can also be trying to point out all the deaths that have been caused by the rise of religion. But there are those people that are religious yet they would like to make the world a better place to live. “The 5th” has been an unusual album in a few respects and this one ends with the soft song called “Nevermind” as the guitars are played rather beautifully.

For a six-year gap between studio albums for Vendetta, this album offers a good mix of heavy and fast thrash songs while also giving us a relief from that with the acoustic instrumental “The Search” and Nevermind. These guys aren't as good as Holy Moses or Kreator but Vendetta have shown me that they can make a good album every time.