My eyes have seen the coming of the future of rock. There was a time that I feared for the future of real rock and roll but after the listening experience I had yesterday, I am no longer worried. “Rock and roll lives and breathes in the hearts of the young” and boy do I mean YOUNG! I am talking about too young to drink, too young to vote, hell even too young to even drive! I am talking about a band that call themselves V2 (That’s pronounced V-Squared for the uninitiated). V2 is comprised of twin 13-year-old brothers, Vittorio (guitar/vocals) and Vincenzo (drums/vocals).
My initial reaction when I got word of this band was to say “how cute” and dismiss this as some sort of novelty act. I mean who did not love School of Rock? Then something caught my eye. Producer/Engineer extraordinaire Ron Nevison who has worked with the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Who, KISS, Heart and Bad Company was at the helm of this project. Wait, WHAT?!? How does this even happen? This had me more than a little intrigued.
Four years ago the twins performed their first concert at Rock Star University’s House Of Rock in Santa Rose, CA. They played a 12 song set comprised of half AC/DC covers and half original songs. This performance caught the attention of Nevison who immediately offered to produce their debut album. THEY WERE NINE YEARS OLD?!
Over the past four years, they have released 2 independent albums, We Are V2 and Pass The Rock n Roll Torch that were made available through the band’s website. Recently the band signed a record deal with Audio Fidelity Records (via Sony’s Red Distribution) and August 5th they released V2: The Beginning. The new release contains 16 songs culled from their previous releases with a few new songs added to the mix. The new deal will see V2: The Beginning available in stores nationwide.
Their live resume already includes opening shows for the likes of Blue Oyster Cult, The Baby’s, Puddle Of Mudd and this fall will add supporting spots for Dishwalla and Winger to that list.
After reading all of this and after picking my jaw up off the floor it was time to hear just what the hell is happening here. Opening track “We Are V2” kicks off with a huge drum sound and big, BIG guitars. Immediately I could hear the polished production that is signature Ron Nevison. This is the same guy that brought us “Crazy Nights” from KISS.
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I will admit that at first I was somewhat distracted by the timbre of the “oh so young sounding” vocals but it didn’t take long before I had forgotten all about it. The songs are for the most part incredibly well written, high energy, fist pumping arena rockers. These kids definitely cut their teeth on some AC/DC and Van Halen, kind of funny that both of these bands contain “brothers” within. The musicianship here is not a matter of “good for their age” the musicianship is simply off the hook. I can’t even imagine what they will sound like ten years from now.
With song titles like “Rock This House”, “She’s My 57 Chevy”, “Girls! Stars! Money! Cars!”, “Pass The Rock N Roll Torch” and “Long Live Rock N Roll” it’s pretty much what you see is what you get. Fun time party rock in all it’s bombastic glory. Don’t worry they have tons of time before the cruel world starts to seep into their lyrics, then again AC/DC are still singing about Rock n Roll Trains!
A couple of tracks stand out beyond the aforementioned good time rock and roll. “The First Time I Ever Tried” a blues number in which Vittorio tells the story of meeting the legendary bluesman Buddy Guy. I won’t spoil the story, you will need to go and listen for yourself but Vittorio‘s blues riffs are every bit as tasty as his big rock power chords. The other, “So Long My Love”, a power ballad that opens with a lush acoustic intro and some beautiful heart-wrenching lyrics. I am curious if there is a story behind this incredibly well-written number, Bon Jovi should be taking notes.
Stand out track for me is the AC/DCish rocker “Pass The Rock N Roll Torch”. I have news for V2, the Torch is all yours and I look forward to hearing exactly where you will take it. Trust me Decibel Geeks, put away any misconceived notions you may have and give this album a listen. At the age of only 13 years old, V2 are in the words of Judas Priest, “Delivering the Goods”!
Be sure to check out V2 at
Official Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube
