Stephen
Vain has always been considered a second-rate glam act but in reality, they have more talents than what really appears on the outside. Davy hasn't left the building since their late-coming, 'No Respect', in 1989, that's hailed by many as one of the most prolific underrated record of the 80s. Vain has also split opinions, mainly because some people just can't stand Davy's nasal and whiny singing style, but the dark vibe and his enigmatic charm on 'No Respect' planted a good nostalgic memory in my mind of how great that album is.
'Enough Rope' tried to bring back that feeling and in my opinion, it's a superb come back and successfully took you back to their prime era. Not only Davy's vocal is still as strong as ever, the whole album is definitely identical to 'No Respect'. The difference is 'Enough Rope' lean more on the hard rock/heavy metal side while the debut sounds sleazier, but the songs are solid on both albums.
'Greener' is an awesome start, and the chorus is totally addictive. 'Triple X' is a heavy metal monster with splendid riffs display. The perfect track here along with the title track and 'Vain'. Rumor has it that around 4-5 songs were actually taken from old demos while I suspect maybe at least 5-6 songs, and that's why the vibe is so similar. Reason why it didn't make to 'No Respect' is perhaps those songs are less-sleazier and that explains. 'Cindy's intro riff reminds me to Maiden's 'Wasted Years'. A good song anyway!
'Treasure Girl' is an awesome acoustical ballad, 'Distance of Love' has that creepy feeling that Vain has on the debut. 'Worship You' is similar to 'Beat The Bullet', definitely a perfect closer. The production is great especially when considered it's an indie album. It's hard to pick which one's better, but many will choose 'No Respect' only because they've played it more than 1000 times. In the end, I might prefer 'Enough Rope' a bit better. A superior release and eventually climbed to my top 5 of 2011!