In/Vertigo – Bad Enemy – Indie Music Reviews

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The single “Bad Enemy” from In/Vertigo’s forthcoming debut EP Sex, Love, and Chaos positions this Canadian band as the latest major hard rock talent to emerge in an era when it seems like such acts are at a premium. The band certainly touches on a number of familiar tropes and sound familiar to any hard rock fan, but those same hard rock fans will note how In/Vertigo leaves their own distinctive stamp on the form while still providing hard rock fans with an identifiably entertaining listening experience. The production, likewise, is ideally suited for the style but brandishes a nice lower end sound while still surrounding both the guitar and vocals with warm gravitas. “Bad Enemy” will likely prove to be a five star introduction to the band and the EP, based on this track alone, seems primed to propel In/Vertigo far beyond the Great White North home base.

Lead vocalist Reed Alton and guitar Shaddy Elsaghir lead the way. This half of the band put out a full on roar for listeners and keep the song’s intensity level burning hot for the duration, Both of these men possess revelatory talent. It’s likely the case there are an assortment of would be singers or guitar players lurking in the populace who, seeing what little money or upward mobility is left in the music world for a young performer or band, pursue other avenues. We can be thankfully, as rock music fans, that Alton and Elsaghir didn’t opt for this attitude; instead, you can hear a passion in both performances that illustrates how they’ve overcome any misgivings because, simply put, this is what they feel they were put on this earth to do. And they do it exceptionally well.

Alton has the increasingly rare ability to thoroughly inhabit a song, giving off the vibe that the performance is a life or death matter for him, but never overstates his presence. The wailing quality he latches onto gives “Bad Enemy” a sense of stakes it would lack in the hands of a lesser performer, but Alton knows when to back off the gas pedal and how to react to what he the band is doing around him. Elsaghir scores biggest with his rampaging guitar solo, but it’s never so unrestrained that it pulls the song as a whole off course. His guitar sound has big teeth, but it’s never brittle, instead bubbling with warmth.

“Bad Enemy” is a big time single and gets off an important part of In/Vertigo’s career off to an emphatic, rousing start. If the remaining three songs on Sex, Love, and Chaos are even half as good, the band’s debut will pave the road towards immense success to come. They certainly have the necessary chops and personality to cut through a crowded marketplace and connect with hard rock fans who may occasionally despair about the status of their favorite style. In/Vertigo plays hard rock like they mean it and there’s nothing workmanlike about this performance. Instead, it’s fiery and full of inspired energy.

Zachary Rush