The Rods are a straightforward hard rock band that enjoys turning it up to 11 and rocking their asses off -- nothing wrong with that in my book. The band go clear back to the good old days of Metal, even opening for Ozzy Osbourne on the legendary Blizzard of Oz tour in 1981.

Metal veteran David “Rock” Feinstein, who happens to be the cousin of the late, great Ronnie James Dio, leads the Rods. RJD even took the microphone for the best song on the CD, “The Code.” Dio fans should snap this one up just for “The Code” alone. It’s one of the last songs Ronnie recorded before he passed away and it contains the classic tale of good and evil that Ronnie told so well throughout his career. The rest of the CD is less epic than Ronnie’s track, instead the band’s concentrations lie on old school, punch the air with your fist, hard rock.

“Raise Some Hell” and “I Just Wanna Rock” are lyrical sentiments that have been done ad infinitum but somehow, The Rods make them sound fresh and fun. “Running Wild,” “Vengeance” and “Madman” are the best songs on the album. There are moments where the in-yer-face assault is a bit, let’s say, Spinal Tap, but all in all, Vengeance is a testament to a band who refuses to sell out and write music for the masses. The Rods, have always been, and will always be, a band that sticks to their guns and plays hard rock for the sheer joy of it. Suffice it to say the motto for this album is simply Bang Your Head!