End Of Silence

Red

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 13, 2006)
• Original Release Date: June 13, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Red Int / Red Ink
• ASIN: B000FIHJLU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,743 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Passionate vocals. Gnashing guitars. A potent message. These are the elements that make Red — both live and on their mighty debut, End of Silence—one of the most buzzed about bands to crash through the Christian rock world in recent memory. "We’re passionate about our live show, but sometimes we get a little too excited," says bassist Randy Armstrong. He’s just stating the facts. Or more to the point, the injury report. Head contusions. Emergency rooms. Stitches. And that was just their last tour. "Anthony swung his guitar around his body and smashed it into Michael's head causing the guitar to break and Michael to get seven stitches." It’s more than just good theater, though. There’s conviction fueling the onstage bonfire, an inferno that burns brightly on the band’s first proper album. "We’re intent on connecting with the crowd," Armstrong explains. "We’re there for them. They’re not there for us." One might disagree. After all, over 21,000 MySpace "friends" in just over a year online speak to a devoted following of fans. One that should only grow with the release of End of Silence. It’s a long way from their days growing up in Pennsylvania playing to area youth groups, performing popular contemporary Christian music covers. "We were pretty sure we were breaking copyright laws," says Randy Armstrong with a bit of a laugh. "It was fun. But for me personally, you grow out of pop music. I mean, you always like it, but something about somebody screaming in your face gets people pumped up and makes them want to listen. Something about that edge makes you feel a certain way." As contemporary Christian rock continues to push boundaries of what a band can say with its music, bands like Red are on the forefront. Having personally dealt with tragedy, regrets, addiction, and a litany of past mistakes, Red looks real issues right between the eyes on End of Silence and refuses to blink. Guitarist Jasen Rauch hopes his past difficulties can have a positive impact on listeners. He wants to remind everyone that, "No matter where you’ve been, the endgame of salvation is still the same." "People are hitting on subjects that are deeper and darker," Armstrong says. "I think it’s just a sign of Christian music evolving. But at the end of the day, no matter what the message is wrapped in, the music is still about redemption. How people got out of their struggles and into their relationship with God." First single, "Breathe Into Me," perfectly sums up this approach. Armed with angular, staccato riffs and Michael’s throat shredding yet melodic vocals, the song is a fierce lament about looking back and not liking what you see. "This is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you," Michael’s shouts. His redemption comes in a chorus backed with mournful strings and a yearning, almost pleading cry for God to "breathe your life into me—I still need you." Such heavy messages risk being overpowered and singed by the churning, often brutal instrumentation, but it’s a risk the band was willing to take. "Rock bands aren’t always very well received in the Christian world," says Armstrong. "But you look around at what bands are popular right now, and I think the kids are paying attention. It’s a fine line, but I think we walk it pretty well." Red’s duality—fiery, yet poignant—is best exemplified in the flip-sided duo of songs, "Already Over" and album closer "Already Over, Pt. 2." The first version is led by a dark, lilting piano and relentless snare before exploding in pure metal fury. Lyrically it documents a downward spiral, a running or falling away from something good. "Pt. 2" is the antithesis. A stripped down happy ending of sorts, where the lost soul finally finds its way home. After so much angst and upheaval, it’s a fitting final resting place for what should go down as one of the most powerful debut albums of the year.

Product Description
Deriving from a variety of influences such as Muse, Chevelle, Blindside and Linkin Park, Red brings a unique blend of heavy guitars, intense string arrangements and dynamic vocals. They are quickly gaining fans with an exceedingly intense live show every bit as compelling as their debut cd. Already touring heavily in the mid-west and west coast, Red has quickly made many fans along the way. With over 20,000 friends on myspace, the band makes it a priority to write each and every fan back personally. Randy Armstrong says, "It is important that our fans see us as genuine guys who care." The songs on their debut release deal with the struggles that all humans face, while leading listeners to a place of redemption in the midst of the brokenness. Red hopes their music impacts people in a way that causes them to not feel alone in their struggles. Randy explains, "I hope that our music has a profound impact on people. You never know what people are dealing with in their every day lives, but I am willing to bet that at some point, we all have experienced the same feelings of anger, sadness, confusion, etc. Our music talks about a lot of those times that we have struggled dealing with those feelings and the situations that caused them. I hope our music makes them feel like they are not struggling alone." Produced by Dove nominated producer Rob Graves and mixed by Ben Grosse, End of Silence releases June 13th. The band will be touring with Day of Fire this spring then playing at many major festivals this summer and will continue to hit the road throughout the fall.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. Just...wow., November 21, 2006

By	Nate McCooey (Lockport, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Prior to last Sunday, I had no idea who Red were. I went to see Kutless for one of the shows on their "Hearts of the Innocent" tour. Red was one of the opening acts, along with Disciple and Run Kid Run. They only played four songs, but I was thoroughly impressed.

To be perfectly honest, when Red came out on stage I thought "hey, their singer, is that Chris Daughtry (of American Idol fame)?" to myself, hah. But while frontman Michael Barnes and Mr. Daughtry may look somewhat similar, the former by far has more vocal talent. Mike puts such an undeniable passion behind every lyric he sings, and the man has a phenomenal stage presence as well. The other band members are no slouches either. Right after their four-song set, I went to Red's merchandise booth and picked up my copy of "End of Silence." Now, with many CDs I have purchased, it was mainly because I heard a single I liked and ended up only liking two or three other songs. This is not so with "End of Silence." Every song on here has the words "hit single" written all over it.

The only song I'm not entirely crazy about is "Lost," but even that one is excellent. Standouts for me include "Breathe Into Me," "Let Go," "Already Over" (and its acoustic counterpart "Already Over, Pt. 2"), "Pieces," and "Hide." These guys take an aggressive hard rock sound and seamlessly mix it with spine-chilling piano, emotive string arrangements, and some of the most passionate vocals I have heard in ages. Whether Mike is crooning beautifully or letting out an in-your-face hardcore style scream, you feel every word he is saying. The instrumentation is also great; having two guitarists (Jasen Rauch and Anthony Armstrong) allows the band to experiment sonically a bit more than others in their genre, backed up by a tight rhythm section comprised of bassist Randy Armstrong (Anthony's brother) and drummer Hayden Lamb.

Upon first listen, one might not be inclined to believe that Red are a Christian rock band. But all you have to do is listen closely to their lyrics to see that they are all about glorifying the Lord. Take the chorus of "Already Over" as an example: "I give it all to you, letting go of me, reaching as I fall. I know it's already over now. Nothing left to lose, nothing you won't do. I know it's already over, already over now." My interpretation of this song is that it is about one who feels like they are at the end of their proverbial rope and feels like giving up, but instead of relying on their own imperfect understanding they give their problem(s) over to God and let Him handle it, and that alone makes the end of their misery that much closer.

Several artists, both Christian and secular, have been cited as influential to Red's sound. Personally, I hear traces of each of the following: Breaking Benjamin, 30 Seconds to Mars, Blindside, Kutless, Linkin Park (save the hip-hop beat driven parts of their sound), Killswitch Engage, and even a little bit of Howie Day (tell me with a straight face that "Pieces" doesn't sound something like Day's hit single "Collide"). Still, despite all of these influences, Red have their own unique sound that is distinguishable from other bands in the Christian rock realm. I think a big reason for this is Mike Barnes' unique vocal stylings, but that's just my opinion.

So yeah, to sum this review up, buy this album. Whether you are totally into Christian music or are not even remotely religious and can't stand it, pick it up anyway. It is chock full of great tunes that just about anyone can get into.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars - I See RED......, April 27, 2007

By	Jason Johnston "FAITHCHATTER.com" (Grapevine, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every year or so, there is one CD or band that comes along in the music world and somehow stands out among the others surrounding it on the shelves in the Music Store. For 2006, Red is one of these bands.

Listening to the entire CD, I find a unique, non-repetitive sound with solid lyrics and a hardcore message. Red conquers the world of hard/alternative rock and becomes one of those bands that you cannot easily place in a genre when you start talking about the difference between rock, hard rock, alternative, etc.. Red makes their own style and sounds and compels you to keep checking their website to learn when their next release will be on shelves in stores.

I can honestly say that RED was one of my favorite new bands of 2006 and I very much look forward to their Sophomore album which I anticipate will be an even bigger hit.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I misjudged them at first...., November 14, 2006

By	broadway309 - See all my reviews

I was fortunate enough to see this band live in concert, but I didn't particularly like them at first because I'm not much into screamo music. Don't get me wrong- they are crazy, passionate, and entertaining live- it just didn't seem like my cup of tea.
But I bought their album anyway and I'm glad I did...

While the CD still contains the same craziness and hardcore passion, the screaming is balanced out by excellent musical composition and magnificent lyrics. It is very well done, and after listening to it more in depth, I would love to see them live again.

Like any of Disciple's albums, this CD is also great to give to non-Christian friends who enjoy this type of sound...they may be surprised to learn that the music they're rocking out to is all about Jesus. (Even the name of the band- "Red"- is a reference to the blood of Christ.)

Certainly a must have for any fan of Christian rock/alternative.