ALBUM REVIEW ~ RED ~ 'RATED R'

I'm music magazine, RED, rated r, anthony armstrong, taylor swift, brian medeiros, , surrogates, cold war, randy armstrong, alt metal, RED ENTERTAINMENT, The Fuel Music

RED has been part of my life for many years. My son introduced me to them just before the third album, Until We Have Faces, was released. With their newest offering, Rated R, they continue to impress me. It’s been fascinating to listen as they work over the years to fine tune their sound as they explore the soundscapes they have created. Rated R is the second album released on their own label, and their first full length album in three years. They are also working with a new drummer. After parting ways with drummer Dan Johnson sometime around 2021, Brian Medeiros was brought on board, who sounds fantastic on this release.

One of the things I like most about RED is how they weave orchestral sounds and emotional lyrics in with their heavy rock sounds, stirring that emotional response from the listener. That style has reached near perfection with this album. In the media release that came with the music for review, guitarist Anthony Armstrong has a great description of their direction for Rated R. He says, “We’re examining how there’s almost no authentic human interaction and empathy anymore. People jump online to be and say whatever they want. They talk without listening, and that results in bullying and violence. Plus we lose so much by focusing 24/7 technology instead of stripping away everything that doesn’t matter and seeing how beautiful and healing it is to live with only what’s necessary.” That quote, I can’t describe how it made me feel. The truth behind this statement is felt in every song on this album.

The opening song, “Surrogates” begins with a rush of jumbled media, ending with the Emergency Broadcast tone. It’s our alarm call, snapping us out of our technological hold. The chorus is powerful, with nothing held back. “You bring the gun/ Bleed with a knife/ The darkest sky is your paradise/ Faceless fame on the heap you reign/ You leave the hate, but you still play the saint.” We see things like this played out on our screens everyday. This is one of those instances where the truth hurts. This is what society has become, yet we turn a blind eye, and pretend it’s all ok, “playing the saint.”

I could talk all day about the meanings behind just this small sampling of a couple of my favorite songs on this album. I did my college senior gallery presentation on a very similar topic for my Fine Art major, so it’s a concept I feel strongly about. We have forgotten how to be human. The lock down during the pandemic just multiplied the problem. Music is a powerful medium in which ideas and concepts can be presented, with strong emotions. RED has masterfully combined words with melodies in an effort to evoke a human awakening. My absolute favorite on this record, has got to be “Tell Me How to Say Goodbye”. The imagery that comes to my mind when listening to the beautiful musical arrangement is amazing. The lyrics speak of change, of breaking through the crippling hold. “Inhaling my existence/ loosing to this parasite/ Shattering the chrysalis/ No change without a fight”. In the coda, you hear a pleading yell, “Give me back my life!”. This is followed by the powerful chorus; “Tell me how to say goodbye/ Peel away the shame so I/ Can tear upon my ribs/ To shred the dark/ And let the sun inside/ Tell me how to say goodbye/ Kiss away the stain of lies/ Tear upon my ribs/ So I, so I can let the sun inside.” The pleading for rebirth is felt strongly. This song just grabs hold of you, as it grows from the softer opening to its emotional depths at the end.

I think of that song, as I look at my smartphone, as I type on my tablet, and all the other ways technology grips us, changes us. Bassist Randy Armstrong says, in the same media release mentioned above, “Traditional family values and systems are broken and it’s causing chaos.” He continues; “As the saying goes, hurt people, hurt people, and we’re definitely seeing that.” The nightly news is full of those who hurt, and the hurting. We are all guilty of embracing technology, and shunning human interaction. Rated R is a wake-up call to modern society, before it sinks into the technological abyss, forgetting everything that makes us human.

I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Writer Michele Hancock