RED: "Release the Panic" album review.

RED's been my favorite band (bordering on an obsession) for about 3 years now. Their fourth and latest album, "Release the Panic" is coming out in 3 days. I've got hold of an autographed copy of it  before it's been released to the general public, thanks to my totally-amazing-greatest-best-friend-you-could-ever-ask-for best friend Isaiah.

To review this album, we need context. Let's set that up, shall we?

RED's first album, "End of Silence" came out in 2006 (wow, that was a really long time ago.) To give you a sample of this album's musical style, take a listen to one of the songs, "Let Go".

You skipped most of it, didn't you? Shame on you. Go back up and finish the song.

As you can see, they incorporate heavy rock elements and minor tonalities with a (real) full string orchestra to create a one-of-a-kind alternative metal sound. This song is somewhat representative of the whole album, so that's why I chose it. I'd give this album a 7 out of 10.

Now, fast forward to 2009. RED releases a concept album, Innocence and Instinct. This album deals with the very real theme of a constant battle within man. As fallen creatures, we struggle with "innocence" (God's plan and will for our lives) and "instinct" (our natural pre-programming for sin.) They are two forces which do battle for our whole lives. God saves us and makes us new people, but the sin doesn't just disappear  We are still fallen. We are still sinful. And the journey through salvation lasts longer than a two-minute prayer. It's lifelong. This album helps us see and deal with the fact that while evil is always going to exist in our earthly lives, the end has already been written. The battle has already been won. And though it sometimes doesn't seem like it, Innocence has already won over Instinct. It's meant to be listened to all the way through, from beginning to end, because it tells a story.

This is my favorite RED album. The theme impacts me very deeply, and has helped me see life differently. Musically, the style is similar to the first album, but focuses more on deeper, more cinematic sounds, with more orchestra counterbalanced with edgy, dark guitars. I could describe this album in one word: Contrast. Innocence and Instinct gets a 9 out of 10.

In 2011, RED came out with their third album: "Until we have Faces". You C.S. Lewis fans out there will get the reference. It's another concept album, and this time the story talks about every individual's process of finding their identities. Who we are, God's plan for us, is not always apparent. The opening song, "Feed the Machine" talks about the world and its pleasures (the "Machine") vs. God's plan for our identities. The chorus starts out by saying sarcastically, "Give up Give up and feed the MACHINE", and later urges us to "Wake up Wake up and KILL the MACHINE!" You can hear this song below.

This album, like the previous one, is meant to be listened to all the way through. You wouldn't skip around randomly through the chapters of a classic like "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;" likewise, you wouldn't want to skip through the tracks of this album. From the frantic and driving "Feed the Machine", to the resolving "Who we Are," this album is definitely a musical journey.
The sound of the album is very much like I&I, with even heavier, edgier guitars as well as more enthusiastic bass lines. I'd rate this one at 8 out of 10.

Ok. Now that we have context, let's take a look at Release the Panic.


Release the Panic comes out on February 5th. There's been quite a bit of buzz about the album because RED explores a different sound in some of the songs. Dare I say... Pop? Yes, there's more of an electronic sound to some of the songs. This puts RED in some of the same areas as bands like Starfield and Anthem Lights. However, the band does keep its signature "REDness" in 90% of the songs. The song "Glass House" is comparable to Until we have Faces' "Best is Yet to Come", or "Not Alone". And then there's the very heavy song "Damage", with grungy and dark guitar riffs and Mike Barnes's amazing scream. There are a lot of radio-ready songs on this album, along with some less mainstream songs that probably won't get overplayed on the radio.
Despite the complaints of the die-hard metal fans, I think this is a great album that RED has wanted to make for a long time. If every single album they produced was a musical extension of I&I, it would get pretty monotonous. This is a great direction for RED to explore, and I think they pull it off quite well. This album gets an 8 out of 10, like UWHF before it. You can listen to one of the tracks, Hold me Now, below.

The concept of the album hasn't become clear to me yet. It took a while with UWHF for the story to come out to me as well, so I'll listen to it for another few weeks.

I definitely recommend this album.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the songs!