Essential Records' two time GRAMMY-nominated hard rock outfit RED packs a potent sonic punch on its third project, Until We Have Faces, a record that leaps out of the speakers with a ferocity and complexity reflecting the band's growth and intensity.
From the opening seconds of "Feed The Machine" through the final, contemplative moments of "Hymn For The Missing," the four-man unit of vocalist Michael Barnes, guitarist Anthony Armstrong, bassist Randy Armstrong and drummer Joe Rickard shows both maturity and abandon can coexist within the various dimensions of rock RED inhabits.
The new album's overarching theme is a search for true identity, inspired by a number of sources, including author C.S. Lewis' book of similar title, Till We Have Faces. The band itself is working through its own new identity - as a four-piece with the addition of drummer Rickard.
Until We Have Faces takes listeners down the path of recognizing the hollowness of life until finding their true identity (revealed on "Faceless"), the idea of creative destruction unveiled in the midst of new life (found on "Let It Burn"), and simultaneously presenting the positive energy found even "in a world so cold" (explored on the infectious, melodic ballad "Not Alone").
Paired again with award-winning producer Rob Graves, Until We Have Faces features RED in its most musically intense place to date - "a combination of our first two records, but on steroids," Michael Barnes notes - daring both RED and its fans to catapult into new rock territories.
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Red Returns With A Bang| Posted February 05, 2011
We didn't have to wait three years for a new Red album this time, just the usual 2. It's a good thing too cause their last album left quite a demand for more new music from the rock act.
The band doesn't disappoint this time, crafting what could be their best album yet. The screaming opening track "Feed The Machine" is too rough for my tastes but it's sure to satisfy the fans of their earlier work. Lead single "Faceless" is a 'safe' Red song covering expected territory, but it works well and sounds great. "Lie To Me (Denial)" is currently doing very well on iTunes Rock charts and it isn't even a single. It's a testament to the song's catchy and accessible sound that is sure to make it a future hit.
The band slows things down a bit with "Let It Burn," which has a powerful intro. "Buried Beneath" follows next, which is perhaps the most polished rock track I've ever heard from the band. It's clearly not a "slow song/ballad" type but it's not the intense rock sound their other rock songs possess. However, it's still just as good and memorable. "Not Alone" is next and what initially might seem a slow track erupts into one of the most beautiful songs Red has done. Truly a hit in the making.
The screaming vocals return in the next three tracks, confined mostly to the bridge and background. "Watch You Crawl" kind of left me a bit underwhelmed, especially the chorus. It sounds a bit undone to me, but it works overall. "The Outside" brings back the hard rock for a slamming and unique track. "Who We Are" has success written all over it with what could be the most memorable rock chorus of the album.
The album closer with two slower songs. "Best is Yet To Come" is a bit cliche but the execution makes that easy to overlook. This could easily become a radio hit. The somber piano-driven closer "Hymn for the Missing" closes the album in a quiet and reflective fashion. It doesn't erupt like it's predecessor album closer did, but it's just as good.
The album's themes aren't too ground breaking ranging from the search for identity in "Faceless," pleas to God to save us (Buried Beneath), or a declaration to the world that we won't hide our love for Christ (Who We Are). It won't be mind blowing original but it's enjoyable and contemplative nonetheless.
The only real gripe about the album is that it's a bit too easy to cluster the tracks. Perhaps a slightly better arrangement could've made for a better flow, such as switching "Who We Are" and "Best is Yet To Come." But in the age of iPods, that is unlikely to be a serious problem anyway.
All in all, Red has crafted a catchy and memorable melodic rock album that will surely find it's way onto many 'Best of' lists come year's end, even though it's release comes in February. If Red can keep this up, they surely got a bright career ahead of them in the industry.
RED [Until We Have Faces]| Posted January 24, 2011
Essential Records' two time GRAMMY-nominated hard rock outfit RED packs a potent sonic punch on its third project, Until We Have Faces, a record that leaps out of the speakers with a ferocity and complexity reflecting the band's growth and intensity. From the opening seconds of "Feed The Machine" through the final, contemplative moments of "Hymn For The Missing," the four-man unit of vocalist Michael Barnes, guitarist Anthony Armstrong, bassist Randy Armstrong and drummer Joe Rickard shows both maturity and abandon can coexist within the various dimensions of rock RED inhabits. I?m truly a fan of this band now. Since getting hooked by the amazing music and excellent vocals by Mike Barnes, I?ve had some time to listen more closely to the themes of all three albums. ?Breathe Into Me,? ?Already Over,? ?Lost,? ?Fight Inside? and ?Death Of Me? are such intense rock songs, I didn?t think RED could possibly have another level, however the opening guitar hook and Michael?s scream to kick off ?Feed The Machine? proved me wrong. The chorus has me totally captivated: ?We fall in line, we live the lie, Give up, give up and feed the machine.? Even if you don?t normally listen to hard rock albums, the artistic nature of these songs draws you in and elicits an emotional response. As hard as ?Feed The Machine? starts, it ends with a soft choral and orchestral arrangement that just calms you. This excellent rock album totally brings the perfect package of heavy rock guitars and the emotive vocal punch and gorgeous strings found in the two previous RED albums.
The new album's overarching theme is a search for true identity, inspired by a number of sources, including author C.S. Lewis' book of similar title, Till We Have Faces. The band itself is working through its own new identity - as a four-piece with the addition of drummer Rickard. Until We Have Faces takes listeners down the path of recognizing the hollowness of life until finding their true identity on first single "Faceless," which has quickly become my all-time favorite song by this incredible band. I?ve been constantly singing the chorus, ?I?m not, I?m not myself, Feel like I?m someone else, Fallen and faceless, So hollow, hollow inside, A part of me is dead, Need You to live again, Can you replace this? I?m hollow, hollow and faceless.? ?Lie To Me (Denial)? keeps the rock flow going and the theme of this album is very cohesive as the songs all point to the concept of finding our true identity. The idea of creative destruction unveiled in the midst of new life is found on "Let It Burn," and simultaneously presenting the positive energy found even "in a world so cold" is explored on the infectious, melodic ballad "Not Alone." These are truly some of the deepest rock songs I?ve ever heard as they all challenge me and I can?t wait to see the band perform these new songs in concert, especially the rock anthem ?Who We Are,? which has one of the best guitar parts I?ve ever heard. ?Hymn For The Missing? is the incredible closing song which is a wonderful ballad and reminds me of ?Pieces? from End Of Silence and ?Take It All Away? from Innocence & Instinct. The song accentuates Michael?s tender vocals and features new artist Kerrie Roberts singing a gorgeous harmony at the end of the song. Paired again with award-winning producer Rob Graves, Until We Have Faces features RED in its most musically intense place to date.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I am so impressed by the music and production mingling the harder rock guitars, soft strings and the emotive vocals of Mike Barnes, I even enjoy the ?screaming? in the harder songs ?Feed The Machine? and ?The Outside.? The messages throughout many of the songs are very positive and although RED has had mainstream success, I don?t question the spiritual seeking nature of the lyrics, which are naturally much more Christ-centered than mainstream metal bands like Linkin Park that many have accurately compared to RED. To me, the stand-out songs are ?Feed The Machine,? ?Faceless,? ?Lie To Me (Denial),? "Let It Burn," ?Not Alone,? ?Who We Are? and the epic closing song ?Hymn For The Missing.? This album firmly establishes RED as the premier rock band in all of Christian music. If you like Pillar, Breaking Benjamin and Linkin Park, then you?ll enjoy RED. Until We Have Faces is the crowning achievement by this incredible rock band and will certainly be among my top albums of 2011.
Until We Have Faces| Posted February 02, 2011
Grammy-nominated rock sensation Red return with their highly anticipated release, Until We Have Faces. The intriguing title, inspired in part by a C.S. Lewis work, does well to describe the album’s theme of searching for true identity. Sound-wise, their orchestral-infused nu-metal sound reaches new heights- the hard rockers are heavier and the ballads more delicate.
Unlike Red’s previous projects, that opened with beautiful yet haunting piano motifs, Faces rips right into meaty guitar riffs. “Feed The Machine” is without question Red’s heaviest song to date. Towards the end of the track, things calm down with strings and a choir. While the following track is less intense, “Faceless” still has moments of fury, as in the bridge when vocalist Mike Barnes unleashes his chaotic vocals. “Faceless” captures the album’s theme of feeling “hollow,” but offers a resolve for the emptiness- “We are the faceless/We are the nameless/We are the hopeless/Until we have faces.”
A few tracks sound a bit recycled, but on others Red pushes outside their norms. One such song, “Who We Are,” has a pop/punk-influenced rhythm. Another, “The Outside,” has a melody that stylistically differentiates itself from the rest. Yet both tracks still stay true to Red’s sound.
Faces certainly brings the rock, but it also offers contemplative ballads. Radio-ready “Not Alone” offers hope in dark world. The album’s epic closer is a poignant ballad titled “Hymn For The Missing.” The piano-based track begins somberly, laced with strings. Lyrically it’s cryptic and vague, “Where are you now?/Are you lost?/Will I find you again?” Assuming the song follows the album’s theme, it seems Barnes is singing about himself losing his way.
Until We Have Faces is Red’s most mature album to date. Not only will this album be pleasing to longtime fans, but is sure to expand their popularity in the mainstream arena- reaching people who need to hear Red’s message of hope the most.
Red Doesn't Need Faces; They're Already Excellent| Posted February 03, 2011
The wait is over at last. One of the most anticipated albums I've seen in a while is here. And it's already #1 on the iTunes charts. This obviously means you're looking at a band who's going to be popular for a Christian band, up there with the likes of P.O.D., Switchfoot, and Flyleaf.
So Red has released their third album, and we didn't even have to wait *that* long for it (although I'll bet it felt differently to all the Redheads out there like myself). And this is the question: What do you get when you combine Red's first two albums, but "on steroids," as the band itself put it? Well, the answer is probably not what you think.
If you combine Red's first two albums together, you'd probably think a bunch of crushing hard rock, with a few ballads, although no more than the amount in Innocence & Instinct. You'd be surprised. There's more ballads on here than Innocence & Instinct, which could easily scare one that they're going soft just like other hard rock bands.
But there's an air of heaviness on here as well. The opener, "Feed the Machine," is very aggressive and easily the heaviest thing they've ever done. "Faceless" continues this energy, although it's less heavier. This could certainly be a major hit for some people, even if it's not my favorite.
"Lie to Me (Denial)" continues the energy on (as well as having great lyrics), although it introduces a new feel to the album: it's epic. This remains through much of the rest of this album, and goes right onto into the first ballad (and possibly my favorite track), "Let It Burn." The female voice adds to the power that this song has. "Buried Beneath" and "Not Alone" continue the trend of ballads. The former is the only track that doesn't work very well on this album, and even then it's not a "skip button" track. The latter is another favorite for me, with it being epic, and having more great lyrics.
"Watch You Crawl" returns to the energy of the first three songs with an excellent guitar intro, but other than that guitar, it's surprisingly slow. "The Outside" and "Who We Are" are ones that truly return to the heaviness of the first three tracks. The former is probably the 2nd heaviest song, and while the chorus is slightly mellow, that is made up for by the insane guitar riffs and the excellent growly bridge. The former works as another great anthem akin to that of "Faceless" and "Not Alone," thus making it another likely favorite for many.
The next to last track, "Best Is Yet to Come," certainly has that epic feel to it, and while it remains a minor highlight, it's certainly got some excellent lyrics. "Hymn for the Missing" is an excellent closer, having more power than almost any other track on the album. The female voice heard on "Let It Burn" returns for this close. It's not really a song to return to over and over again like "Feed the Machine," "Let It Burn," or "The Outside," but it works brilliantly as a closer.
Reception to this album could easily get a bit mixed. Fans of End of Silence could feel cheated when they hear "Feed the Machine" and yet only "Faceless," "The Outside," and a couple others really rock like heck. Yet people who listen to pop or basic rock more often may find more stuff to like about this band than they did before. Other people (like myself) who are able to leave room for some change will have this one in their ears for months.
I admit that when I first heard Innocence & Instinct, I was kind of surprised by the amount of ballads, and I didn't think it was good as End of Silence. But eventually it grew on me, and I found it better than EOS. I still hoped they wouldn't go soft, and I still do. But after hearing this album I realize that no matter what Red does, they'll still be awesome. It seems like these guys can do absolutely no wrong. Apart from the acoustic counterpart from "Already Over," I have never heard a song from this band that I disliked. True, some aren't as good as others, but they are still worth listening to.
This album and the band itself is truly one of, if not the best Christian hard rock band currently playing. And they are still a force to be reckoned with in all genres in my opinion. This is the best CD from Red to date, and I doubt that it could not go down in a hopefully long career for them as one of their best CDs.
Until We Have Faces| Posted December 28, 2012
RED's third album is their best so far. Their album is to encourage their fans who are lost and try to help guide them. Their whole album is based on identity and RED has made it a powerful anthem for their fans.
Great CD!| Posted September 29, 2011
I would add this to your "Must get if you don't already own it!" list. It's a great listen straight through. The tracks that stick out for me are "Feed the Machine" and "Watch You Crawl" The rock is bought in those tracks more so than others. Great message throughout the CD and great melodic quality too.
Until We Have Faces by RED Review| Posted September 18, 2011
RED released their debut album, "The End of Silence" in 2006, which began a Chrstian music revalution. Now in 2011, RED released their third of hopefully many more to come albums called "Untill We Have Faces". This album is overall one of my favorite Chirstian albums, and I hope you'll enjoy it too.
1. Feed The Machine 5/5
This song is a great way to start the album. This is easily the heaviest track on the album. A great track for metal lovers.
2. Faceless 5/5 A great song that's more of a regular rock song.
3. Lie To Me (Denial) 5/5
Next to FTM, this is my favorite track on the album.
4. Let it Burn 4/5 A good track. The song is slower, but it has a great message!
5. Burried Beneath 3/5
A good rock song. Pretty upbeat.
6. Not Alone 5/5 Another slow track. But a positive messasge that reminds messagers that Jesus will never leave you and to trust in him through the tuff times.
7. Watch You Crawl 3/5
A good song.
8. The Outside 2/5
Not my absolute favorite track, but it's a good one.
9. Who We Are 5/5
Yeh! Another solid rock song! Deffinatly in the top 3!!
10. Best is Yet to Come 4/5
A good song that reminds everbody that God puts you through the hard times to make you stronger.
11. Hym for the Missing 5/5 A song that shows how much Jesus cares for us, and what happens when one of us walks away from him.
Well, that's it for my review! Be sure to check back often for more reviews! Check out my friends reviews, his username is dreamingoutloud. TTYL!!!!!!!!!!!! -yoda98
Red finds their identity| Posted March 29, 2011
Red's third album takes a different approach this time. It has some of the bands heaviest songs to date, and some of the most mellow songs too. If you are a fan of Red, don't expect this album to destroy your eardrums. When you get rocked by one song, another song comes on to calm you down.
The first track, "Feed The Machine" is easily the band's heaviest song to date. Amazing display of in-your-face intensity. The single "Faceless" is not quite as intense, but it packs a punch and possibly the best track. It talks about being faceless without God: "Fallen and faceless/ so hollow, hollow inside" "Lie To Me (Denial) is another solid track with incredibly powerful lyrics to go with it: "All the pain you fed starts to grow inside/ It lives again and you can't let it die" The next track "Let It Burn" slows it down for the first ballad which seems to be about someone choosing pain over God. "Buried Beneath" is on the line of power ballad and mid-tempo rock. It is possibly the most diverse song on the album. "Not Alone" is a ballad with lyrics from God's perspective. The next three songs ("Watch You Crawl", "The Outside" and "Who We Are") really show how the band has matured in their hard rock edge. The guitar intro to "Watch You Crawl" is incredible, the verses in "The Outside" are different, and "Who We Are" is a nice pop-punk track. The album closes out with the uplifting "Best Is Yet To Come" and the thought provoking "Hymn For The Missing".
Overall, the album can sound a little generic at times and can sound like Breaking Benjamin. But one thing Breaking Benjamin have never done is use positive lyrics that point to the Savior. That's how we find our identity!
Rad album!| Posted March 19, 2011
I bought this album shortly it came out, and I really like it. "Faceless" is my favorite so far. :) I'm not a huge fan of the screaming here and then, but otherwise awesome album. I got to see RED at Winter Jam this past year, and loved them ever since. Highly recommended! :D
RED| Posted February 27, 2011
this album is very different from the other 2 last ones they made . but im sure ill get it and listen to it , and even love it
Until We have faces| Posted February 07, 2011
Ultimatly so far so AWSOME. The band, I believe, is getting better!! As if that was even possible.
"Who we are" and "Faceless" are so far my favs on the album.
There's really no other band that's quite like them.
Great New Red| Posted February 05, 2011
This is a great new album from Red. They start out strong in true Red style, but soften as the album continues. Not to say that they ever drop the energy of the songs at all, but they do "calm" in the later tracks. All in all another amazing album from Red.
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