Review: Red- Declaration
It’s been three years since Red released Gone and that’s exactly what their relationship was
with Essential Records- gone. They’ve since gone independent and it couldn’t
have been a better move. In fact, it’s completely resurrected their career in a lot of ways.
For one, their latest record- Declaration is their seventh and the first record away from their longtime label home and the freedom they feel shows through from the very beginning.
The opening song, “All For You” rips right into it and is one of the heaviest songs they’ve released in years.
Following it up are “Infidel,” “Cauterize,” “The War We Made,” “The Evening Hate” and “Float.” These all keep the intensity growing and climbing and, by now it’s very clear the band have been holding back over the last few albums.
“The Victim” slows things down but keeps it heavy in its own ways before “Sever” launches a catchy while “Only Fight” gives the floor to drummer Dan Johnson at the very beginning. This is a track that shows Red finally able to go in a rock direction they probably weren’t able to go in the past and it works.
“From The Ashes,” much like “The Evening Hate” was released as a single ahead of the release and gave the fans a true taste of what was coming and is the perfect way to close out this record.
In the end, there isn’t a single moment where Red go soft and slow things down. There’s not much of an electronic influence like we got on Gone and it’s probably the most complete record they’ve written yet.
For a long time, fans have been dying for the days of End of Silence and Until We Have Faces and this is the closest they’ve gotten since Release The Panic. Declaration is also the heaviest record Red have put out since that time, which is almost 7 years now.
When it’s all said and done, going independent is the best move the band could have made right now and it honestly saved their career in a lot of ways. There isn’t one weak track on this album and the band made a strong comeback with Declaration. This is what fans have been waiting for.
Rating: 10/10
-Reggie Edwards