Music
Press
“Great response from listeners. We’ll be hearing a lot more from this band in the future!”
Lawrence Guest : Kerrang Radio UK (Broadcast 17/6/07)
- Kerrang Radio UK 17/6/07
The V-Rats are in our rotation!!!
“These guys rock!
Good ol’ rock n roll with new attitude!”
Thomas Johns: ‘The Refinery’ :Rock Radio Station: USA
- The Refinery Radio US
THE VASELINE RATS 4 track EP
Having recently toured and recorded with original Judas Priest vocalist Al Atkins, the VR are now recording their own material and pretty good it is too.
Opener 'Et Al' is a solid rocker. Like the second track 'So Over You', it's not all shrill, it's a solid dark heavy sound of modern hard rock. A touch sleazy, with a sense of rock'n'roll.
“All 4 tracks are top notch metal. Well worth checking out. 4 0ut of 5”
Review by Joe Geesin
Get Ready To Rock: Premier UK Rockzine
- Get Ready To Rock
Fans of old school bluesy metal should really dig this EP. It's a collection
of four screaming hot jams that just plain scorch. While I have favorites
on the disc nothing is anything close to weak. This is a great introduction
to a killer band that should please fans of modern music and those who
like the older breed of hard rocking acts. I look forward to hearing
more from these guys. You can get more information on this group at
their website.
Track by Track Review
'et al'
The Bass guitar starts this off in tasty fashion. The group jump in with a bluesy
hard rocking jam that has elements of both old school and modern rock
sounds. It's a smoking cut and a great opener. The guitar solo dominated
jam later is a screamer.
So Over You
This has a heavier, more metallic sound and some killer textures. While the
opener was strong, this one is more dramatic and darker and I'd have
to say that I like it even better. I should mention that when I say
this cut falls into the category of metal it's more old school metal
than newer and there is also a bit of a punk leaning to it.
All The Ones
Here they stomp in with a more modern raw rock sound. It sill maintains more
retro elements, but this metallic screamer is definitely more up to
date in terms of sound. You could say that this is more current take
on a bluesy hard rocking metal sound. It's another strong one, but I
prefer the first two tracks.
Licking My Wounds
They close things off with another scorcher. This one is a frantic metal
grind that is the highlight of the disc. It's sort of a more metal sounding
take on sounds like Ronnie Montrose used to do in the days when Sammy
Hagar was singing for him. The guitar simply screams on this one.
“This is a great introduction
to a killer band that should please fans of modern music and those who
like the older breed of hard rocking acts. I look forward to hearing
more from these guys.”
By Gary Hill
Music Street Journal: USA
- Gary Hill Music Street Journal
Artist: The Vaseline Rats
Title The Vaseline Rats EP
Website: http://www.thevaselinerats.com
Style: Hard Rock
Rating: 9 out of 10
By Senior Writer C.W. Ross
Pete MZ Emms started the Vaseline Rats in 2004. Pete is the heart of the band handling not only the song writing duties along with both the lead vocals and bass guitar parts.
This UK band shows that they really know how to rock it out on this EP. The 4-song EP last only 16 minutes but oh what a sweet 16 minutes it is.
The songs are filled with wailing guitars and driving drum beats that pummel your ears into submission. The vocals are crisp and spot on for every note sung.
The band's heavy guitar sound is a kick back to past hard rock music days while still having a fresh edge to them.
The Vaseline Rats is a band that has their act together and I can't wait until their next release, that their currently working on, comes out.
“This UK band shows that they really know how to rock it out on this EP. The 4-song EP last only 16 minutes but oh what a sweet 16 minutes it is.”
CW Ross: ‘Indie Music Stop’ :USA Web Magazine
- CW ROSS Indie Music Stop
“This band is in the right track for making great rock music. If you like energetic U.K. rock music with memorable melodies and hook lines, let's pay attention to their next move. Recommended for U.K. rock music!”
Tetsu Hamanaka: Progressive Metal Magazine: Japan
- Tetsu Hamanka
“It's a first class example of progressive rock, with stunning guitar work and ever-changing melodies. An introduction to what could one day be a big mainstream outfit!”
Reviewed by Rachel Eadon Cross Rhythms Magazine UK
- Rachel Eadon
“A fantastic name you’re not going to forget. I’m loving that track (‘et al’) their going to be regulars on our show! Had loads of texts and emails”
Brett Birks BBC Radio WM: (Broadcast 22/11/07)
- BBC Radio
THE VASELINE RATS - "Same"
Pete MZ Emms - Bass formed The Vaseline Rats to create amazing heavy metal songs. With that objective in mind, he recorded 4 songs for that Demo-CD. At this moment the band has finished a good CD with "Judas Priest" former singer Al Atkins (wich will be released soon), but in that moment let's talk about this "Demo". "All The Ones" is a good 80's Heavy Metal in the same line of "Judas Priest" and "Iron Maiden". "Et Al" has a Hard Rock approach and is another good moment, the song is a fantastic guitar-oriented-masterpiece. Pete sings well and has done a great work with his bandmates. Now it's time to wait the full length work, and I can say for sure that it will be another pearl of The Vaseline Rats. Independent Release...
“Now it's time to wait the full length work, and I can say for sure that it will be another pearl from The Vaseline Rats.”
Review By Rafael Carnovale
Progressive Rock & Metal Magazine: BRAZIL
- Progressive Rock & Metal
Britanski sastav The Vaseline Rats predvodi iskusni muzicar, basista i pevac, Pete MZ Emms. On je dugo na sceni, a tokom dosadasnje karijere saradjivao je sa mnogim muzicarima od kojih vredi istaci: Dave Hollanda (Trapeze, Judas Priest), John Lingwooda (Manfred Mann), John Brooksa (The Charlatans). Sa njim u bendu su jos Mike Dejager gitarista i bubnjar Adrian Badland. Nedavno su objavili EP, koji najavljuje izlazak full-lengtha za 2008. godinu.
Istoimeni EP sastoji se od 4 numere: "'Et Al", "So Over You", "All The Ones" i "Licking My Wounds". Bend je na terenu melodicne varijante rocka i hard rocka koji se oslanja na britansku tradiciju 80-tih godina i na sound kojeg su tada na svetsku scenu doneli sastavi tkzv. NWOBHM-a (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal).
Kompletan ponudjeni materijal karakterise jednostavnost u izvodjenju, ali i dodatak modernog pristupa, koji pokazuje da bend shvata vreme i mesto u kojem radi i stvara. Sve ponudjene kompozicije su priblizno slicnog kvaliteta i one jos jednom potvrdjuju iskustvo samog Pete Mz Emmsa i njegovih saradnika. Za sve pristalice 80's British rocka i hard rocka, njihov EP moze biti vise nego obecavajuce ostvarenje.
Ocena (rating): 8/10
Branimir Lokner
Barikada - World Of Music- Serbian Rock Magazine
- Barikada Rock Magazine
Discography
The V-Rats EP released in 2007 as a 'taster' before the album launch in 2008 and is available on Apple iTunes.
The new album 'Inteligent Design' is due for release in June 2008 and will feature original artwork by world renown artist Rodney Mathews.
However, the band between them have dozens of album credits to their name!
Photos
Bio
Origins Of The Species
The Vaseline Rats have been described by Fireworks magazine as the newest ‘super group’ to hail from The UK! The Vaseline Rats was put together around Pete MZ Emms as a vehicle to record and perform new material. However, after performing and recording with such artists as Dave Holland (Trapeze/ Judas Priest) John Lingwood (Manfred Mann) John Brooks (The Charlatans) Pete MZ Emms wanted a band that knew their chops and recruited accordingly.
Between them, the entire band has an amazing pedigree of both session and solo work.
‘A question that is asked all the time is “where did you get the name The Vaseline Rats?”
‘Well, some years ago after leaving one of my old bands A.N.D. I was going round auditioning for bands and looking for personnel to start a new band. I was struggling for a name of my new band when a couple ‘incidents’ happened and fate kinda took over. I’d been harassing a couple of management teams in London one of them being Simon Napier Bell and former Deep Purple and Whitesnake manager John Coletta.
I didn’t see John Coletta for a while, but he was more than surprised to see me at a private party I’d used my ‘initiative’ to get in to. John’s words were “Bloody hell MZ! You can get in to places a Vaseline rat couldn’t get!” So the name kinda stuck.
Since 2004 The V-Rats have raised their musicianship in spectacular fashion as the live 'back bone' for a tours of the United States as part of a celebration of 20 years of 'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal' with Al Atkins (Judas Priest), Jess Cox (Tygers Of Pan Tang) and Dennis Stratton (Iron Maiden, Praying Mantis). The Band in the States was billed alongside Testament, Obituary and Ice T among other top artists.
Following on from the success of the tour, the V-Rats were asked to continue as the foundation for a series of further live shows in the US and Europe.
The V-Rats spent much of 2006 being drafted in to complete the new album ‘Demon Deceiver’ for ex Judas Priest vocalist Alan Atkins that also featured legendry Midlands band Diamond Head guitarist Brian Tattler as well as Simon Lees of Budgie.
The Vaseline Rats continued into the 2007 establishing their place as a vibrant and relevant live act. They continue to work on their new album with their current EP available on Apples iTunes as well as garnering enormous airplay and exposure worldwide.
Going into 2008, The V-Rats continue to receive encouraging responses from all quarters of the industry and have won high profile endorsements from Spector Bass Guitars NYC, Moser Custom Guitars LA, Ashdown and Marshall Amplification UK with Pete MZ Emms being a regular visitor to the prestigious NAMM show in California to conduct bass clinics and workshops.
With an amazing line up, completion of the new album and live work to support its release, everything is in place to be ‘the year of the rat’.
www.thevaselinerats.com
'Soli Deo Gloria'
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