Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, VITNE grew up a child of the beach, a lover of the sea. A dreamer. First introduced to music as a child by way of the violin, at a young age he discovered a natural affection for the flute, ultimately sparking his interest for making music. Throughout his youth he enjoyed listening to the crooning and early rock n’ roll styles of Elvis Presley and was captivated by the music videos and live electricity of Michael Jackson. During high school he began teaching himself bass and guitar, forming a number of bands. It was during this time he discovered the heavy rock of the 80s.
Fascinated by the image and attitude, VITNE soon developed a deep appreciation for American glam (or “hair”) metal as well as Japanese rock and visual kei. Bands like Mötley Crüe, Kiss and X Japan have consistently been heavy influences over the years, especially solo artists Billy Idol and Gackt.
Shortly after moving to Norway, he fronted the Norwegian hair-metal band SEKS in 2010-2012, receiving recognition from such renowned publications as AOR Magazine and SleazeRoxx. Vitne decided it was time to pursue a serious solo career and began work on what would eventually become his solo debut album ‘Neon’, released during December 2013.
Growing up during the high time of MTV, he feels strongly about the importance and impact of music videos. The first single from his upcoming album, ‘Destroyer’, recently won “Best Music Video” for August 2013 by the Akademia Awards.
‘Neon’ was recorded in Norway, USA and France, over a period of 6 months. It was mixed by Matthew Sean Reynolds and mastered at Tokyo CD Center by Takanori Yamaguchi and is supported by multiple music videos including ‘Destroyer’ and ‘Silhouette’, with a third video announced for the first quarter of 2014.
When I first popped ‘Neon’ into my player, I was blown away by the overall quality shown by an independent artist. Song after song, the raspy lyrics, the screeching guitar work, the chugging bass, and the overall rhythms and arrangement of the songs all hooked me rather quickly.
This is no holds barred guitar work and 100% energy. Give the first three songs, “Destroyer”, “Nasty Habit” and “Silhouette” a listen, and you’ll immediately know why. You’ll love VITNE’S decadent and rebellious lyrics, the raspy voice, the squealing, unrelenting riffs and the swaggering style.
Everything here is rock and attitude. VITNE has a knack for writing great hooks, with snappy, crunchy riffs topped off with piercing melodies. This no more evident than on, “Lick You Up”, “To The Sky” and “Cruisin”. This is a lesson in how to compose hooky, yet credible glam rock in the 21st Century and churn out sultry, sweat-inducing, street-smart rock.
If you want an album that sums up the state of hair metal in 2014, this is the one. Every song you can just imagine being played in some Sunset Strip club. While the title for greatest glam album in the past for many, went to The Crue’s Shout at the Devil, or Poison’s Look What The Cat Dragged In, today “Neon” is actually just as good.
This album is an absolute necessity for anybody who likes hard rock. If your music collection still reeks of the Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Van Halen etc., then now’s the time to add VITNE’S “Neon” to that location. They hardly make albums like this anymore!
Vitne
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