The hook-driven the Veins (http://www.theveins.com) make quite a splash on "The Price of Blood and Gold." Critics often dismiss groups that are not original or pushing their particular genre in a forward direction, but Aerosmith and Def Leppard belong in that category, too, and it didn't stop them from achieving mammoth universal success. The Veins may be indebted to their rock icons - Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N' Roses, Alice in Chains, etc. - but they don't copy them.
Based in New York, the Veins have a distinctly L.A. sound. There's a bit of glam in the fat, flamboyant riffs here, especially on "Subway Queen," which takes you back to 1975's AOR radio playlists. However, the darkness that penetrated mainstream rock with the grunge revolution of the early '90s is equally present. "Buried" is oppressive stuff, layers of bleak riffs pulling you under the rocks. "Echoes" is full-on Emerald City grunge as the band loses some of its blues-based flavor, stripping the meat for downbeat, brittle guitars.
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It's not all gloom and doom, though, and I don't find the Veins to be nearly as depressing as Alice in Chains or Soundgarden. The musicianship here doesn't have the serrated edges of its grunge ancestry, opting for a more melodic approach throughout. Perhaps the Cult, in their "Electric" period, would be the most accurate point of reference in describing the Veins.
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