Reviewed by: Meg

Artist: RED

Album: End Of Silence

Genre: Christian Rock

Standout Track: Wasting Time

Red is:
Mike Barnes – Vocals/Piano
Anthony Armstrong – Guitar
Randy Armstrong – Bass/Piano
Jasen Rauch – Guitar
Hayden Lamb – Drums


The Nashville based quintet RED found its beginnings when lead singer Michael Barnes persuaded identical twin brothers Anthony and Randy Armstrong to leave their western Pennsylvania home in search of additional musical talent farther south. Together the three sought out other Nashville musicians to round out their lineup. The addition of local studio worker Jasen Rauch (guitar) and drummer Hayden Lamb solidified the band’s lineup and the group began a year and a half musical journey that would result in their current offering “End Of Silence”.

The album opens with a short intro, complete with distorted spoken snippets and a gorgeous piano solo. It then slams into high gear with the crunchy, energy laden first single “Breathe Into Me”. Catchy and melodic with thundering distorted guitars, the song is sure to careen through your mind for a while. “Already Over” starts with a string arrangement and continues to ramp up to the chorus each time, creating an interesting musical climax. The lyrics are repetitive at times, but the vocals are dynamic and velvety, evening out the scale overall for the song. “Pieces” is the first taste of a slightly downtrodden feeling ballad, which instantly drops the energy level and flow of the album as a whole. RED manages to pull the energy back up with the next track “Break Me Down”. The guys show a slightly heavier side on tracks such as “Wasting Time” and “Gave It All Away”. The album closes with the emotional and graceful “Already Over, Pt. 2”, a quiet end to the passionate journey that is “End Of Silence”

While “End Of Silence” certainly boasts a handful of infectiously catchy tunes and heavy driving, head banging worthy pieces, the overall feel is that of “already heard it”. The musical arrangements and style scream Linkin Park, and it seems that one could replace lead singer Barnes with Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin and come out with a similar product. While lacking originality, RED does still manage to pump out some listenable and movement inspiring music. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, lacking depth, but hold their own in terms of the honesty of what is being said.

The music itself is incredibly full sounding, rich with layers of vocals and electronic tidbits and in many cases hauntingly beautiful string arrangements. While a nice added touch, at times, the strings do seem a bit overused and it might have made the album stronger if the band was more selective in which tracks received the additional backing. The addition of piano lines to the songs definitely added a delicate and moving aspect, creating an interesting dynamic between fragile notes and crunching distorted guitars.

Overall, RED’s “End Of Silence” is worth a listen and does offer a few tracks that will appeal to general rock fans. While note likely to be on repeat, there are energetic tracks that might find their way on to a mix CD.

Track List: 1. Intro (End Of Silence)
2. Breathe Into Me
3. Let Go
4. Already Over
5. Lost
6. Pieces
7. Break Me Down
8. Wasting Time
9. Gave It All Away
10. Hide
11. Already Over, Pt. 2

Website: www.redmusiconline.com