Review Summary: RED releases a great debut. But they really do need to cut Rob Graves out of the picture
Nu metal is dead. Many bands have confirmed that recently. Papa Roach going classic Rock. Korn making Untitled. Mudvayne going soft, even if it worked. Well, Nu Metal band Red is here to let us know that Nu Metal is not dead. But at what cost?
End of Silence is a very rare breed of album. Red couples blistering long metal rock songs with those heart wrenching ballads. The story behind the album is admitting to ones mistakes and accepting Redemption. The power ballad Already Over starts on piano and Michael Barnes sings of how lost he is without whatever you interpret it as. The chorus swings in the electric guitar as mike wails that it’s already over for him. In retrospect, the last song of the album, Already Over Part 2, has the singer finally finding the redemption that he craved. The perspective Lost has the singer telling god that he’s lost and needs his help. The hit single Breathe into Me Mike wails
Breathe Your Life Into me
I Can’t Feel You
I’m Falling
Falling Breathe into Me
I think we all know what that means.
While looking through the liner notes on this CD, I discovered that the producer (Rob Graves) essentially did all the work here. He co writes all the songs (Except Gave it all Away) and wrote Pieces by himself. My advice follows Ninjuices, dump Rob, and see what you can do on your own. It seems like the best thing to do.
The guitars on this album are really quite good. On the single Breathe Into Me, a really hard crunching riff is used, that matches the song perfectly. The song Break Me Down employs a very fast played acoustic guitar that accentuates the singers voice. Hide has an interesting riff at the beginning which sounds like a telephone dialing.
Most people will base their decision on the vocals by the single, Breathe Into Me, which is in fact not the best vocal performance on the album. Michael Barnes range goes very high, which he employs very frequently. He also has a near perfect growl, like Chester Benningtons of Linkin Park. He also can scream pretty well. He holds his screams for almost 10 seconds at a time, even if Rob Graves chose to put them in the background. The songs Let Go, Gave it all Away, and Wasting Time show his full potential at the vocals.
Overall a very good album to me. I recommend it for fans of Linkin Park, Chevelle, and Skillet.
Pros
Vocals
Great Guitar Work
Ballads really work
Cons
Rob Graves
Strings get annoying after a while
Bass is never heard at all.
Only one song by a member of the band
Recommended Tracks
Pieces
Let Go
Already Over Part 2
Breathe Into Me
