Review Summary: An apt title, Red's back -- strings and all -- with one of the surprise gems of early 2015.
For Nashville hard rock quartet Red, it’s not 2015 but rather 2012. I don’t mean in a traditional calendar sense, of course, but try Mayan, as in the infamous doomsday prophecy. With the release of the outfit’s fifth LP,
Of Beauty and Rage, it could very well be the end of days for the once well-regarded mainstream hard rock stalwarts.
After an intriguing 2006 debut in
End of Silence that established Red’s penchant for writing beefy, melodic nu-metalesque cuts and an impressive 2009 offering in
Innocence and Instinct that transitioned away from mere Linkin Park imitation into its own blend of alternative metal, the group has steadily regressed. 2011’s
Until We Have Faces, although a decent sequel to their superlative sophomore endeavor, showed signs of creative stagnation. And with 2013’s
Release the Panic, pandemonium, as the group seemingly alienated its fan base and adopted a “Diet Red” approach, dropping its signature symphonic elements for the trite production aesthetics indistinguishable from any modern act in heavy rotation on mainstream rock radio. Not to mention, longtime drummer Joe Rickard left the band and provided his talents on Starset’s sci-fi concept-tinged premier
Transmissions.
Obviously pivotal, this outing, which was funded via PledgeMusic and features a companion graphic novel, finds Michael Barnes and company staring into their own mortality, their own collective Armageddon; and it’s Armageddon who averts its gaze.
Ambitious, brooding, brutal and yes, beautiful,
Of Beauty and Rage confidently sees Red restored to awesome levels. In the same manner
Vital revived Anberlin, fusing the energy found on the quintet’s early pop punk days with their later wanderings into alternative territory for a highly satisfying listen,
Of Beauty and Rage synergizes Red’s past strength of melodic, yet authentic aggression with superior songwriting, often foregoing the formula of two verses, a bridge and three choruses spaced in between. The guitar work also has never been this vicious, taking some unexpected twists like on the metalcore and strings-laden breakdown of “What You Keep Alive” and the rhythmically disjointed and martial chords on the massive refrain of “Falling Sky.” The strings are indeed back in all their orchestral glory, and then some. They, along with the familiar industrial flourishes, bellicose riffing and Barnes’ impassionate vocals, harsh or otherwise, paint the soaring sonic landscapes we’ve come to love, some of which are the best of Red’s discography.
The band has always excelled at crafting lush instrumental backdrops, but they have never created this vivid of mood-setting vignettes before, many of which feel apocalyptic. Indeed, Red immanetizes the
hell out of the eschaton -- i.e., bring about the end times -- on the aforementioned “Falling Sky,” especially with Barnes’ appropriate off-tune, despair-filled warbling invoking images like it’s “America the Beautiful.” Instead of “amber waves of grain,” though, think more along the lines of "I lift my eyes to fire" or just Mordor. Likewise, the sheen on the triumphant yet tragic “Part That’s Holding On” brings to mind a space battle between titanic capital star cruisers exchanging fiery broadsides, with the heroic and winning captain going down with his ship as she careens into the embers of a dying star at the universe’s edge. In fact, it wouldn’t be at all ridiculous to believe that Master Chief in Halo would listen to these tracks in his armor: “Cortana, play something...moody. Humanity needs saving.” So, although
Of Beauty and Rage is exceedingly dark, it nevertheless is undeniably epic.
Whether they are embedded sectionals or full tracks, the record also has its share of stellar, quieter moments, which contrast greatly with the volleys of snarling intensity, rendering each piece of beauty and rage more effective. Perhaps the best piano-driven ballad the band has done, “Of These Chains” is like a serene eye of a hurricane that grants time to admire the seething fury that surrounds. The three instrumental tracks “Descent,” “The Forest” and “Ascent” also give room to breathe, though the latter of which runs a minute or so too long as
Of Beauty and Rage’s epilogue. Red moreover relents just a little during the release’s final third and becomes more immediately melodic and accessible. Songs like “Gravity Lies,” “Take Me Over” and “The Ever” retread recognizable ground for the quartet, but are hardly filler and are enjoyable affairs. In point of fact, the whole album is, though at 15 tracks and over an hour in length, it undoubtedly is a repetitive behemoth but still one worth engaging. The verbose runtime and other flaws like the lack of imagination at times in the lyrics department are easily forgivable.
What would be harder to overlook is to simply write off this accomplishment as a return to form or another faithful collection of anthems from the love-child of Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle. It’s truly a rock opera that subtly draws more from other esteemed groups. From the swooning arena rock of Muse (“Shadow and Soul”) to the pervasive homages to Deftones’ mid-tempo juggernauts, (“Impostor,” "Fight to Forget") this effort is alchemy -- victory from defeat, a Waterloo of sorts. Confronted with being a has-been, Red clamors out of the maw of musical irrelevancy with tremendous aplomb.
Of Beauty and Rage, vocally narrated by the indefatigable Barnes, is a harmonious alternative metal tour-de-force with the emotional gravitas that’s been bereft from hard rock for years. It is nothing short of an unexpected and welcome result that showcases the band at the height of its powers and thrusts Red again amongst the genre’s elite.
Recommended tracks:
"Impostor"
“Shadow and Soul”
"Of These Chains"
"Falling Sky"
"Part That's Holding On"
