With the release of End of Silence 10th Anniversary Edition, it's official: we've had a decade of music from RED. Over those ten years their blistering rock cuts have grown and matured (as has their fanbase) while never losing the raw emotion and searing guitars that marked their debut album.

As I look back on a decade of RED, I've walked through in chronological order what I consider to be ten of their best songs, with an additional Spotify playlist for a more expanded "best of" selection. This list is meant to be a starting place rather than definitive; sound off with your top 10 songs in the comments below!

1. "Breathe Into Me"
It would be impossible not to start this list here. This single from End of Silence would serve as the breakthrough hit for the band, paving the way for tours and radio success that would clinch their position as one of the most successful Christian rock bands of the past decade. The band has chosen to end every one of their shows with this song for a decade, paying homage to its impact and the way it has become a part of countless listeners' lives.

2. "Let Go"
This song established early on some crucial elements of RED's sound: visceral screams from Mike Barnes, thundering guitars and bass from Anthony Armstrong, Jason Rauch and Randy Armstrong and searing lyrics desperately pleading for redemption. "Let Go" comes into its own even more live, where fans join in chanting the declaration "you can't have me anymore, you can't have me anymore, you can't have me-- let go."

3. "Pieces"
Throughout their decade-long discography, RED has almost always included a piano-driven ballad on each album. End of Silence began that trend with "Pieces." The gentle song of surrender has an atmosphere bordering on worshipful with a slow musical build almost cinematic in feeling. This vulnerable approach to the grace of God still holds up a decade later.

4. "Death of Me"
As RED moved into their sophomore release Innocence and Instinct, "Death of Me" would define the album's themes: internal conflict between the light and the dark living in all of us. This song owns that conflict with an eerie melody, crushing guitars and cathartic screams. Early live performances of the song featured the members of red in alternating white and black outfits as they invited audiences into the internal battlefield. The music video would also mark the beginning of RED's tendency towards complex music videos that play like short films.

5. "Shadows"
Ben Burnley of mainstream rock giant Breaking Benjamin co-wrote this track, leaving some of his signature sense of grappling with the darkness fingerprinted all over the lyrics. "Shadows" depicts what happens when the internal struggle in each of us manifests in relationships. Backed by one of the strongest melodies ever found on a RED song, the chorus desperately cries "there's a hate inside of me like some kind of master / I try to save you but I can't find the answer." 

6. "Feed the Machine"
The release of Until We Have Faces marked the band's transition from a five piece to a four piece as guitarist and songwriter Jason Rauch stepped down from his full time position with the band (although he'd continue serving as one of their primary songwriters until after Release The Panic, when he ultimately transitioned to a position with Breaking Benjamin). Rauch's absence is evident in some subtle shifts in tone. Songs like "Feed the Machine" proved however that the band could still definitely hold their own with the new configuration. The trademark visceral RED sound backed by otherworldly choir vocals created a brooding rock masterpiece.

7. "Lie to Me (Denial)"
Although this song didn't get as much press as some of the other cuts from Until We Have Faces, it is I believe one of the most underrated songs in their discography, showcasing a more melodic side of RED. The melody is a hook which draws the listener into the heart of a complex relationship, exploring honesty and tragedy: "these empty pages never turn, you lit the flame and let them burn / you tried to bury me so deep, but what lies beneath?"

8. "Hold Me Now"
Release the Panic marked a momentary divergence for the band. This is RED's only album created with producer Howard Benson rather than longtime partner Rob Graves. On every other album Graves' creative input is so pervasive that he could easily be considered an invisible extra member of the band, and his absence on this project marked a more conventional rock radio approach for RED devoid of the strings fans had come to expect (a fact that would ultimately lead them to release Release the Panic: Recalibrated). Although there were several strong rock cuts in their own right on Release The Panic, I've chosen to include "Hold Me Now" because it exemplifies RED's ability to also craft softer pieces suitable for Hot AC/CHR radio. "Hold Me Now" is a track that proves RED's ability to shine in diverse settings.

9. "Darkest Part"
Last year's Of Beauty & Rage marked the band's return to working with producer Rob Graves for perhaps their most heavily-themed, cinematic album yet. This multi-award-winning project was preceded by single "Darkest Part," a soul-searing dark masterpiece which would ultimately spawn a short film that would tie the themes of this album back into RED's history. "Darkest Part" captures the soul's descent into its own darkness, a journey necessary for reaching the light on the other side. The song would become an instant fan favorite.

10. "The Ever"
This sweeping musical epic displays perhaps better than any other the spiritual maturation of the themes in RED's music. The collision of our own internal darkness with the unwavering light of Jesus Christ is beautifully encapsulated in "The Ever" as the song soars through a string section and a masterful display of Mike Barnes's vocals (which seem to only get stronger with every single RED release). By the end of the track it's undeniable that wherever RED goes in the next decade, they're likely to keep propelling their own music and the genre as a whole to new heights.
 
What songs are on your RED top ten list?