Review Summary: With Prey For Eyes, The Red Chord come at you at 300 miles per hour and never slow down, and they don’t show any intention of doing so in the future either.
Music is an evolving scene, and that is good. After all if it wasn’t for change metal wouldn’t be what it is today, it might not even resemble what it is today or worse, even exist. That being said it’s very hard for bands to break out of the cookie cutter mold that has been laid before them and create their own, new sound, while still retaining all the hooks that got them into the business in the first place. With The Red Chord’s third release, Prey For Eyes, they have created an album that remains fresh and original throughout the whole listen while still retaining the best parts of their first 2 albums.
Lets get one thing straight, Prey For Eyes is here to kick your ass. The instrumentals have never sounded better. They are technical, brutal, crushing, and at times, groovy. The guitars are thick and layered, they spit out start-stop riffs throughout the entire album peppered with pinch harmonics and the rare solo on "Dread Prevailed". Their talent is showcased much more than on Clients and on the second half of "Pray For Eyes" and "Seminar" they even fall into that nice groove I mentioned before.
The drumming is phenomenal, and really serves as the backbone for the group. The drumming usually will dictate how the guitars are playing, whether it be fast and frenetic, or slow and chugging, to compliment his rhythms. For instance, the drumming on "Send The Death Storm" really sets the tone for the song and gives it that ominous feel at the beginning of it.
The vocals are definitely one of the highlights of the album, and in my opinion of the genre. No one has a voice like him. His voice is low and harsh, but also audible, with a very distinct tone. He also uses the occasional spoken word passage for emphasis and high shriek. On "Midas Touch" he uses the aforementioned spoken word passages to really give the words he is saying emphasis. It also gives the music a slight break from the intensity.
The only track that does give you a chance to breathe is "It Came From Over There" which is an instrumental accompanied with a synthesizer.
With Prey For Eyes The Red Chord stay true to their, grindcore/death metal fusion style they play so well. The album never takes a definitive style either, it is full of fast paced grind-esque songs, crushing death metal, and hardcore breakdowns. Overall The Red Chord have really solidified their place in the industry, and I’d look for more big things in their next release.
