— Adrian Hummel

1. Feed The Machine: Until We Have Faces starts off with the opening track of Feed The Machine, which is an epic, aggressive, in your face track about giving into your desires, and feeding what ultimately drives you. Of course you can’t address the idea of what drives you without “questioning” the idea of what drives you. The song has a darker feel over all but half way through the song Michael is screaming at you to “Wake Up” as if to snap you out of the reality that you can’t control what motivates you and your desires, ultimately you have a choice. The song without a doubt represents a struggle and I love the ending of the song because of the transition from something that was so aggressive and dark into something that is really beautiful sounding. Credit goes to the orchestra for this. The drums fade, the guitars fade out and you are left with something that is really organic and incredibly beautiful. This is definitely one of the stronger tracks on the new album. My only “pet peeve” with this and its small, is I wish the song transitioned into Faceless.  The transition would’ve made the song that much better. When you hear the song you will know what I am talking about.

2. Faceless: The next track of the new album is Faceless, which Anthony described as the corner stone of the album. The song is also the first radio single off the new record and once again is an aggressive guitar riff driven screaming song that leaves you with the theme of searching for your identity. Faceless also leaves you questioning what your identity is in, which makes the song musically and lyrically complex. The sound of this song is classic RED, which equates to big vocals, big guitars, strings, and ambience. The song really kicks into overdrive ¾ of the way into the track when Michael Barnes starts screaming Faceless. Faceless is another stand out tracks on the record and definitely will be a fan favorite for anyone who has followed RED. Listen to the song in the video above.

3. Lie To Me: Lie To Me starts off right where Faceless left off. Three tracks into the new record and Until We Have Faces is off to a VERY solid start. The music is heavier, but yet still familiar. The band hasn’t strayed to far from their signature sound that they have created over the past two albums. Once again with Lie To Me we have big guitars, big vocals, and a dark ambient underscore.Rob really did a great job producing this. The theme through out this song is denial. While Faceless has you questioning the subject’s identity, Lie To Me seems to position the subject as someone who is in denial of their new found identity. This track is heavy and is sure to also be a favorite for people who enjoy the heavier straight forward tracks from RED.

4. Let It Burn: The percussion and strings in the beginning are a nice touch, the guitars take the back seat on this track which is a nice change and shows the bands diversity.  It’s as if classical music got introduced into mainstream rock music. This is one of RED’s less aggressive tracks and there are virtually no guitars in this song. Another strong point in the song is the imagery in Michael’s lyrics “I watch the city burn, these dreams like ashes float away.” The song obviously speaks on regret and a situation that is obviously out of the subjects control, as if they are helpless.

5. Buried Beneath Another: I keep listening to the album and while doing so I think that there needs to be a drama associated with this music. The band could easily cast a character and producer a short. This song deals with acceptance, questioning, searching, rebirth, and surrendering. Buried Beneath Another covers all of this within the first minute. Needless to say if they chose this song to shoot a music video expect something dramatic.

6. Not Alone: Not Alone displays the softer side of RED and is quite possible the softest song on the new record. But every record needs at least one ballad and this is it. If you are a fan of the heavier stuff this song will probably be a snooze, but lyrically the song fits in well with the overall theme of Until We Have Faces. The search for identity continues and in Not Alone the subject of the song is constantly reminded that there is always hope. Despite the fact that this is a slower song, I think it comes at a good point in the record. For the most part up until Not Alone the songs have been in your face screaming and agressive. Not Alone serves as the counter to that, and I think Not Alone is a necessary piece of Until We Have Faces.

7. Watch You Crawl: Ok so back to the rock no more ballads, no more weak stuff. Watch You Crawl is a interestingly layered track that diverges between  30 Seconds To Mars and Breaking Benjamin. This isn’t the heaviest they have done but Watch You Crawl is mix between the two. The strong points of this song are not in the guitars but in the layers the drums and the synths have. Credit should go to Rob Graves for that. He has worked with RED on the previous two records, and has really helped them hone in on their unique sound. The song provides a delicate balance, which ultimately sets this song as one of the more complex and unique ones on the new record.

8. The Outside: 8 songs in and Until We Have Faces is turning into the best RED record to date. The Outside is back to a straightforward face melting song with hard-hitting riffs on big sounding guitars and vocals. The theme of identity is still being asked and discussed, but The Outside takes a different perspective. Someone once told me that when you are in a difficult situation, self reflection is hard because of all the emotions and elements that are currently happening. Almost as if you are in a painting and the people viewing the painting have a better sense of whats happening then those that are actually in the painting. This is how I would describe The Outside. The subject of the song has a new found perspective as if the “dust has settled” and they are now looking back on the past. They see the lies, the deciet, the disgust, and they are pissed. The song is one of the heavier ones off the cd and musically is soooooooooo good. Take the great parts of Death Of Me, and splice them with angst fueled regret, and revenge. Package that into 3 minutes and you have The Outside.

9. Who We Are: If every great rock album contained an anthem Who We Are would be it. The song is screaming the message that you cannot take our identity. You could mean anything that takes away from who we are and who you were meant to be. The term You could be your job, the media, society, etc. It’s a vague term but is necessary in understanding the theme in this record. The chorus kicks in and the song transitions from questioning how our identity got stolen (yes I am away of the stolen identity reference, it was bound to happen eventually haha) into redemption and understanding that what was been done will not and cannot be done again.

10. Best Is Yet To Come: Best Is Yet To Come is another slower song on the cd, and for the most part another ballad. The song is highly optimistic, encouraging, and uplifting. A seemingly obvious point because of the name of the song, but the song proves as a good reminder that regardless of your circumstances that the old saying of “this too shall pass” will inheretiantly remain true. Lyrically, and spiritually speaking this song is the highest point on the album.

11. Hymn For The Missing: If you are familiar with the previous two RED records you will know the last song isn’t usually the hardest. At times the song is so delicate and beautiful you wonder how the band can fit this style into the record and still come across as a hard rock band. Hymn For The Missing is no exception and categorically fits into the same mold as the previous two releases. The interesting thing about this song is that Michael isn’t the only one singing. There is a female voice on this track and its almost the counter part to Michael’s questioning. “Where are you now? Are you lost? Will I find you again?” I suppose the question for this song is that what is Michael questioning? A lost love? A former identity? A lost innocence? If the theme of the album is identity, finding your identity, and regaining your identity then maybe he is speaking to a former self. Either way the question never really gets answered which ultimately leaves the overall theme of the album open for interpretation.

Recap: So there you have it. The album Until We Haves Faces doesn’t come out for a few more weeks and I have tried to best describe each individual song so you have an idea of what the album will sound like. Overall, if you are fan of RED’s previous albums you will love this. At times the album is dark, mysterious, and elegant. Then at other times the album is full of hard hitting riffs, screaming, angry, anxious vocals. The ONLY caveat and weakness in this album is it sounds like the previous two. I think RED has a unique sound and they have done well for themselves because of it, but I wish the band had branched out more which results into the fact that they don’t vary far from previously recorded material. Aside from that there are some songs on here that are harder then anything the band has done, and then there are some parts of the album that are more delicate then anything I have heard from RED. What ultimately comes from this third release is the bands best effort yet. The theme of Identity is pretty prevalent through out the record and while the album doesn’t answer any obvious questions Until We Have Faces does leave the listener thinking about their identity and how identity can be influenced wether we are aware of the influencing or not. The album speaks on regret, the optimism of a new future, and innocence lost. Until We Have Faces is both musically and lyrically deep and is definitely a worth while effort for the band.

Personal favorites off the new record: Feed The Machine, Faceless, The Outside, and Hymn For The Missing

-Adrian Hummel