Review Summary: Yea that's right, GOOD deathcore.
A must listen for anybody that’s into heavy music.
Fused Together in Revolving Doors is perhaps one of the only “deathcore” (and I use this phrase very loosely) albums that I, or anybody for that matter should recommend. It is truly a rare breed in a genre plagued by “chug chug” and 3 guitarists’ bulls***. All bands interested in playing a similar style of music should make sure to take good notes, because this is as good as it gets.
The Red Chord takes elements from other genres and successfully blends them into their own unique style. Grind, hardcore, death metal, they’re all there, and they work. I would even dare to say that it has some progressive tendencies. In a sense that it doesn’t sound like anything else the scene has put out at this point. That reason, I believe is why I think any listener of heavy music should hear this;
The Red Chord makes
good deathcore.
As you can tell by my rating, I believe this is much, much better than good. Guy Kozowyk must be mentioned in this review simply for the pure power and the unprecedented aggression he gives to this music. His voice continually drives the song and elevates it to a new level. His devilishly high shrieks combined with his low guttural growls produce an effect that is almost hyperactive in nature. His lyrics are generally weird and full of metaphors, which fits the quirky style of music brilliantly.
Guitarists Mike “Gunface” McKenzie and Kevin Rampelberg provide a muddy undertone for the music that suits Guy’s vocals perfectly. They throw in some pitch harmonics every once in a while, but they usually stick to heavy downtuned riffs.
Nihilist excellently shows all the different aspects of the guitars come into play. It starts off charging at 500 mph and then about a third of the way through the song they slow it down a bit and show just how brutal/heavy they can be. Pitch harmonics highlight the track perfectly, and the breakdown 1:30 is in just the right place.
Tracks like,
He Was Stretching, And Then He Climbed Up There, (a haunting instrumental that offers a welcome break in the middle of the album),
L Formation, and album closer,
Sixteen Bit Fingerprint, showcase the bands more progressive side. With the ladder being a 7 minute long, monster of a track, fit with a clean guitar passage and weird white noise near the end. Whilst,
Dreaming in Dog Years, comes with some bone-jarring breakdowns. It may be one of the only true deathcore tracks on the album, but it’s deathcore at its absolute best.
Having said all of that, it is still deathcore at its heart. I particularly don’t find the breakdowns annoying or abundant on this album, but some listeners might. You may also have noticed that I haven’t mentioned the bassist, Adam Wentworth, at all. The reason for that is without a couple of random intricate bass parts, you would almost completely forget he’s there. But, that’s to be expected with this kind of music. This album is not for lovers of soft, casual music. It is generally inaccessible to anyone that doesn’t have a few “heavy” albums under their belt.
The Red Chord has created a masterpiece with their debut album. It’s a shame that they decided to change their unique style for the follow up album, Clients.
Fused Together in Revolving Doors is truly “superb” in every sense of the word. It makes other deathcore albums look like a bunch of “chug chug” bull****. O wait, that’s probably because they are.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
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Nihilist
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Like A Train Through a Pigeon
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L Formation
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Dreaming in Dog Years
