New From Carbon Red
Carbon Red delivers something electrifying and emotive in equal parts on their latest release, The Tree. These five ultra-talented musicians waste no time demonstrating their musical ability on the opening track, "Life of a Pirate.” The old-school metal-infused lead guitar solo fades into view, and it's a scorching, fast-paced introduction to a band that I know, right from the get-go, is oozing with creativity and passion. What I wasn't expecting, though it was a pleasant surprise, was sudden dark, haunting, understated rhythm guitar twangs with a slight flanger effect. The stylistic shift was huge, and yet the transition was so smooth. I love the punchy, rhythmic drumming, the twangy guitar and -- of course -- the vocalist's enigmatic singing. Her voice is stunning. There's a real classic vibe to this band's music. They belong to a bygone era, and I mean that in the best way. i mean... That flute solo towards the end? sublime. How many bands throw flute solos into the closing moments of their songs?
Then "Remember the Times" begins, almost like a Part II to the intro -- the flanger-driven guitar remains, as does the understated drumming and the reverb-heavy vocals. I viewed that first transition, within the intro, as smooth, but this was something else. You can tell a band really cares about their album as a collective work of art when one song glides effortlessly into the next. I really loved the melody to this track. There's a slight upbeat element to the chord progression, which ever-so-slightly sets it apart from the opener, as does the distorted, sizzling lead guitar in the choruses. The album is progressing into something else. It's a journey. And that's made even clearer on “Enki,” which is the first major transition into something brand new. Booming drums, a fuzzy, face-melting guitar riff and funky organs that hark to classic musicians such as The Doors. Yet, there's still that slightly unsettling element to the music, as there was on the first track -- a slightly haunting quality to the melody and the gloomy singing from the male vocalist (whose tone differs majorly from the female vocalist).
"Time Roll On (Present Time)" is a fantastic closer to the album. A beautifully tender piano piece sends the album off, and it stands out from the other tracks on the album in some ways, but it's so obviously part of the same beats. Scorching, distorted guitar and gloriously dissonant, haunting vocals make it abundantly clear that this is a Carbon Red track. And that really tells you everything you need to know before listening to this band. They have a distinctive style. They don't blend in with the crowd, and I hope that helps them succeed in the future. This was a great listen.