8/7/06
Kerrang!
"...damn if their choruses dont work under your skin. This is a solid hard rockin' (important to drop that g) collection."
8/1/06
Classic Rock
"This is modern, meaningful rock music, with stadium-sized riffs and serious messages."
8/1/06
Metal Hammer
"Emancipation Day is a fully formed rock opus: 44 minutes of great hard rock songs fired into consciousness. There is definitely something satisfying and filling about Emancipation Day, like suet pudding."
7/1/06
Rocksomething.com
"What on earth is happening? For months and months we sat around this office bemoaning the low standards of new British rock bands and how we had to rely on the old boys to keep the Union Jack aloft? And all of a sudden loads of good'uns start to appear! The Answer, Roadstar, Glyder and now Verra Cruz are just a handful of names that the early summer months have offered the rock hungry Brit and it's about time too.
Sounding a little like Pearl Jam and a bit more like Audioslave, Verra Cruz are one to look out for."
7/1/06
Greenbelt Festival Live
"Those who made it to Greenbelt this year may well have caught Verra Cruz playing live, though you might have missed them since they were relegated to stage 2 and not the main stage, which is surely their natural home. This is the band for whom the phrase 'proper rock' was invented. Imagine The Mars Volta, but less self indulgent and more focussed. This, their debut album, is such an assault of sound it's hard to believe they're just a three piece. Marc James plays guitar and lapsteel with a blistering intensity, with aerial drumming and unshakable bass from Jimmy Cooke and Nick Bright being more than a match, while Marc James' vocals remind you of Lemmy from Motorhead. The sound is very American blues rock, so it's surprising to discover they come from St.Albans. Themes of struggle and redemption are mixed with political lyrics and a strong anti-war message. Producer Paul Burton has wisely decided to capture their live sound with the minimum of fuss, and the overall effect is of a firestorm of protest and an aching soul. Catch this band before they go global."
7/1/06
Roomthirteen.com
"Literally seconds after you've pressed play, this Verra Cruz album knocks you off your feet with a rapturous drum fill and guitar squeal; excellent some rock with guts! This opening track, 'Cold That You Feel' then proceeds to mellow out for a nice restrained verse, allowing the chorus to ignite even more brightly with its bitter, anguished notes and frantic pace.
'Strange Food' features a ballsy vocal howl from singer Marc James that would be worthy of Soundgarden at their finest, the lyrics are equally forceful with the same slightly-Christian vibe as Creed, "Can you tell it to the father who will lose his only son?" as the tune reaches a fabulous gritty peak of riled-up guitar riffs and insistent percussion.
Verra Cruz grind their instruments so hard that it's surprising that strings must be snapping all over the place and the best thing about it is that their bruising sound is completely British with the band hailing from the rather sedate location of St Albans, where they were probably run out of town for playing their hits too loud. 'Rock & A Hard Place' throws hefty shards of burning guitar at you during the raging solo; even tracks that start softly, like brooding 'Hell Hound' finally explode into rock delight after a good few minutes of solitary, soulful calling from Marc James, like a lone wolf on the prowl. 'Rise' is the first track that could truly be called soft rock with its low-key rolling guitar chords and positive but understated vocals, which climax in a heady, bright chorus.
'Deliver Us' starts with some charismatic string bending from a lone guitar which creeps throughout the tune with its overdriven aching riffs, an all-out onslaught is held back in favour of a brash, pained number with plenty of brutal silence.
Verra Cruz have a lot of talent and 'Emancipation Day' is an album filled with gutsy anthems that could kick plenty of arse amongst rock fans, it also has enough attitude to scare off your pop-loving younger siblings and gran, making it a formidable heavy rock weapon." - Jo Vallance
27/05/08
CD Wow live review from Bristol Fleece
Verra Cruz @ the Fleece and Firkin - Bristol May 26th 2008. It's a fairly long time since I have been to the Fleece and Firkin in Bristol for a gig, and it was time for a return visit. So how fortunate that I had an e-mail from Verra Cruz courtesy of their MySpace Page inviting me down to a showcase gig for their new album Innocence.
It has some great tracks. Check out 'Put The Weapon Down' and 'Soul On Fire' for two rock anthems! Having both of their previous offerings and being a big fan of their Southern style Rock I could hardly refuse now could I? Bands come and go and every now and then you come across one that really should be better known than they are... and Verra Cruz are just such a band. Think Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Reef and throw in a steel lap guitar and you may be half way there!!
So with bank holiday Monday evening off I went with my good friend Ian to catch the band's newest songs. We arrive to find out that the Bass player, Henry Cross has broken down on the M4 and is not going to make it, but do the band give up the ghost, No!!
They play a superb set with just the drummer Jimmy Cooke, and lead guitarist/vocalist Marc James... and I gotta tell you, they rocked!!
Big thanks Marc for taking the time out after the set to chat, and for the review copy of Innocence, I have been playing it all day today!! CD Wow.
06/06/08
Gibson.com
British rock band Verra Cruz was named as the winning band of the Gibson Guitar and Olympus LS-10 Unsigned contest. Verra Cruz will now open on the Gibson Stage at the Download Festival on Saturday 14th June. The band was chosen by a distinguished panel of music industry insiders: Kerrang’s Katie Parsons, BBC Radio 1’s Dan Carter and industry A & R specialist Olivier Behzadi.
Verra Cruz was chosen to perform on the Gibson stage at Download from over 350 unsigned bands that entered this unique online contest. A & R specialist Olivier Behzadi said “The Verra Cruz clip had all of the judges on the edge of their seats. A superb 3 piece and a great performance….they were HUGE! All the judges were unanimous, ‘‘we’ve found our winner’’.
Marc James lead singer of Verra Cruz said of his bands win “We are honoured (and a bit shocked) to be given the opportunity to rock at the Download Festival on Saturday 14th. In the video that we posted, I was playing my 1950's Gibson Lap Steel, it will be coming home to grace the Gibson stage, bring it on”
Kerrang!
"...damn if their choruses dont work under your skin. This is a solid hard rockin' (important to drop that g) collection."
8/1/06
Classic Rock
"This is modern, meaningful rock music, with stadium-sized riffs and serious messages."
8/1/06
Metal Hammer
"Emancipation Day is a fully formed rock opus: 44 minutes of great hard rock songs fired into consciousness. There is definitely something satisfying and filling about Emancipation Day, like suet pudding."
7/1/06
Rocksomething.com
"What on earth is happening? For months and months we sat around this office bemoaning the low standards of new British rock bands and how we had to rely on the old boys to keep the Union Jack aloft? And all of a sudden loads of good'uns start to appear! The Answer, Roadstar, Glyder and now Verra Cruz are just a handful of names that the early summer months have offered the rock hungry Brit and it's about time too.
Sounding a little like Pearl Jam and a bit more like Audioslave, Verra Cruz are one to look out for."
7/1/06
Greenbelt Festival Live
"Those who made it to Greenbelt this year may well have caught Verra Cruz playing live, though you might have missed them since they were relegated to stage 2 and not the main stage, which is surely their natural home. This is the band for whom the phrase 'proper rock' was invented. Imagine The Mars Volta, but less self indulgent and more focussed. This, their debut album, is such an assault of sound it's hard to believe they're just a three piece. Marc James plays guitar and lapsteel with a blistering intensity, with aerial drumming and unshakable bass from Jimmy Cooke and Nick Bright being more than a match, while Marc James' vocals remind you of Lemmy from Motorhead. The sound is very American blues rock, so it's surprising to discover they come from St.Albans. Themes of struggle and redemption are mixed with political lyrics and a strong anti-war message. Producer Paul Burton has wisely decided to capture their live sound with the minimum of fuss, and the overall effect is of a firestorm of protest and an aching soul. Catch this band before they go global."
7/1/06
Roomthirteen.com
"Literally seconds after you've pressed play, this Verra Cruz album knocks you off your feet with a rapturous drum fill and guitar squeal; excellent some rock with guts! This opening track, 'Cold That You Feel' then proceeds to mellow out for a nice restrained verse, allowing the chorus to ignite even more brightly with its bitter, anguished notes and frantic pace.
'Strange Food' features a ballsy vocal howl from singer Marc James that would be worthy of Soundgarden at their finest, the lyrics are equally forceful with the same slightly-Christian vibe as Creed, "Can you tell it to the father who will lose his only son?" as the tune reaches a fabulous gritty peak of riled-up guitar riffs and insistent percussion.
Verra Cruz grind their instruments so hard that it's surprising that strings must be snapping all over the place and the best thing about it is that their bruising sound is completely British with the band hailing from the rather sedate location of St Albans, where they were probably run out of town for playing their hits too loud. 'Rock & A Hard Place' throws hefty shards of burning guitar at you during the raging solo; even tracks that start softly, like brooding 'Hell Hound' finally explode into rock delight after a good few minutes of solitary, soulful calling from Marc James, like a lone wolf on the prowl. 'Rise' is the first track that could truly be called soft rock with its low-key rolling guitar chords and positive but understated vocals, which climax in a heady, bright chorus.
'Deliver Us' starts with some charismatic string bending from a lone guitar which creeps throughout the tune with its overdriven aching riffs, an all-out onslaught is held back in favour of a brash, pained number with plenty of brutal silence.
Verra Cruz have a lot of talent and 'Emancipation Day' is an album filled with gutsy anthems that could kick plenty of arse amongst rock fans, it also has enough attitude to scare off your pop-loving younger siblings and gran, making it a formidable heavy rock weapon." - Jo Vallance
27/05/08
CD Wow live review from Bristol Fleece
Verra Cruz @ the Fleece and Firkin - Bristol May 26th 2008. It's a fairly long time since I have been to the Fleece and Firkin in Bristol for a gig, and it was time for a return visit. So how fortunate that I had an e-mail from Verra Cruz courtesy of their MySpace Page inviting me down to a showcase gig for their new album Innocence.
It has some great tracks. Check out 'Put The Weapon Down' and 'Soul On Fire' for two rock anthems! Having both of their previous offerings and being a big fan of their Southern style Rock I could hardly refuse now could I? Bands come and go and every now and then you come across one that really should be better known than they are... and Verra Cruz are just such a band. Think Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Reef and throw in a steel lap guitar and you may be half way there!!
So with bank holiday Monday evening off I went with my good friend Ian to catch the band's newest songs. We arrive to find out that the Bass player, Henry Cross has broken down on the M4 and is not going to make it, but do the band give up the ghost, No!!
They play a superb set with just the drummer Jimmy Cooke, and lead guitarist/vocalist Marc James... and I gotta tell you, they rocked!!
Big thanks Marc for taking the time out after the set to chat, and for the review copy of Innocence, I have been playing it all day today!! CD Wow.
06/06/08
Gibson.com
British rock band Verra Cruz was named as the winning band of the Gibson Guitar and Olympus LS-10 Unsigned contest. Verra Cruz will now open on the Gibson Stage at the Download Festival on Saturday 14th June. The band was chosen by a distinguished panel of music industry insiders: Kerrang’s Katie Parsons, BBC Radio 1’s Dan Carter and industry A & R specialist Olivier Behzadi.
Verra Cruz was chosen to perform on the Gibson stage at Download from over 350 unsigned bands that entered this unique online contest. A & R specialist Olivier Behzadi said “The Verra Cruz clip had all of the judges on the edge of their seats. A superb 3 piece and a great performance….they were HUGE! All the judges were unanimous, ‘‘we’ve found our winner’’.
Marc James lead singer of Verra Cruz said of his bands win “We are honoured (and a bit shocked) to be given the opportunity to rock at the Download Festival on Saturday 14th. In the video that we posted, I was playing my 1950's Gibson Lap Steel, it will be coming home to grace the Gibson stage, bring it on”
