Red "Until We Have Faces" Review
Posted February 02, 2011
By gizmodad,
Back in 2006, Red released their debut album End of Silence was nominated for a Grammy award. Three years later the band released Innocence and Instinct which sold over 39,000 copies in its first week, and also making history by being the first band in Christian rock history to have a single debut at #1 on radio. Now Red returns in 2011 with one of the most highly anticipated projects of the year, called Until We Have Faces. Inspired by C.S Lewis' work of a similar name, Till We Have Faces, this album is about finding your true identity and an anthem to those who are unsure of theirs.
Until We Have Faces kicks off with the heavy and extremely aggressive opening track “Feed The Machine” is written in the perspective of the world talking to the person, telling them to give up and be what the world wants them to be, instead of being who God has created them to be. This song is sure to please long-time fans of the band with its loud screams, violins, low growling vocals from the lead vocalist Michael Barnes and crunchy guitar distortion.
The first single “Faceless” continues with the story describing a situation where a person feels like they don't know where they fit in the world. The chorus has very passionate vocals and is also extremely catchy, “I'm not, I'm not myself/Feels like I'm someone else/Fallen and faceless/So hollow, hollow inside.” The following song "Lie To Me (Denial)" completes an excellent and engaging beginning, maintaining the hard rock sound.
After the aggressive beginning, the album slows with a few epic and emotional ballads. "Let It Burn" describes times where we as humans question the powerful presence of God during tough circumstances. "How long can you stand the pain/How long will you hide your face/How long will you be afraid/Are you afraid." Michael Barnes' vocals are at their best in "Buried Beneath". This song also has a diverse and interesting range of background noises in the chorus.
"Not Alone" reminds me a little bit of "Never Be The Same" as it is a very slow, emotional and passionate ballad. It reminds us that God will never leave us or forsake us and will always catch us when we fall. The harmonies from the rest of the band with Barnes' vocals during the chorus are absolutely beautiful, easily making it my personal favourite out of all the ballads. This song is different from any others in the set, because it doesn't use a lot of distorted guitar.
The album then grows into the heavier sound that was heard at the beginning with the songs "Watch You Crawl", "The Outside" and "Who We Are". "Watch You Crawl" is my personal favourite off the project because of its rapid guitar riff , passionate and triumphant chorus about conquering the devil and his evil temptations. "I will fight until the end/Get ready to collide/And I will watch you fall again/I'll bury you alive/You tried to bring me to my knees/You tried to take it all/Now I will stand and watch you crawl." The long screams in the bridge are so incredible that they make my spine tingle.
"The Outside" is the most aggressive off the album and was the type of song I'd been waiting for! This song is the one-of-a-kind edgy hard rock tune for the album with some incredible screaming vocals from Michael Barnes in the bridge.
"Who We Are" is an infectious song from start to finish that seems to take influence from Linkin Park's hit "New Divide". It reminds us that we don't have to worry about what the world perceives us to be in their eyes, because we are just who we are. "We can be who we are, now we are alive/We can fight, they cannot contain us/It's who we are, we are undying/We are forever." This song has to be my personal favourite off the entire album.
Until We Have Faces closes with "Best Is Yet To Come" and "Hymn For The Missing". "Best Is Yet To Come" is an upbeat tune giving listeners the hope that even after our world falls in a heap that there is hope of better things through God. "Hymn For The Missing" is a slow emotional piano driven ballad that reminds me of "Pieces" from the End Of Silence album. The song is dedicated to a friend of the band who has strayed from the Lord, as well as being a hope for other people who are lost in this world, that they will find the love of God. This song is very emotional, sometimes bringing tears to my eyes, and a perfect closer for the album.
Overall, Until We Have Faces is a very solid effort from Red, who prove that they are one of the strongest hard rock acts in the industry. It is a very challenging, thought provoking and emotional listen about finding our identity in this world. The only negative I have is that there was a lack of aggressive tracks on the album, with the opening track "Feed The Machine". I think that might be a bit of a blow to the hopes of long time fans of the band. The album definitely does take a while to grow on you, but once it does you're sure to be playing it over and over again. Red is one of those bands who can deliver a great mix of styles in their albums, and this one is no exception. This is a solid album, but not a great one, however it is by far the band's best project to date and definitely one to get your hands on, whether you're a hard rock fan or not.
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