Red I Flight – The Years

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Along with Ferret and Century Media, Victory Records has been thickening their rosters with loads of young, hard-working bands as of late. Red I Flight are one of the newer bands in the Chicago label’s family. This month brings the release of their debut for the company, The Years. The first thing that struck me about the band was the low-end, guttural screams of front-man Josh Robinson. They might be the most traditional death metal styled vocals I’ve heard for the newer breed of hardcore schooled metal bands that have sprung up in the last few years. When Robinson first appears on opening track, “Lesson 34,” one is reminded of Glen Benton’s lower register from the get-go. But on the following track, “Late of the Execution,” he shows off a commanding, far more punk/hardcore roar that adds variety to the mix. The guitars are often harmonizing in the style of the Swedish bands the band obviously worships at the altar of. Matt Earp and Eric Gerloff are definitely talented players and they knock out many saw blade-sharp riffs throughout the album. But you’re often left with the feeling like you’ve heard a lot of the others before.

The frigid and ultimately, lifeless production by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me) doesn’t do The Years any favors. Jesse Robinson’s double-bass attacks don’t pack the audio punch the drummer was going for. It’s a shame because the quintet does write some tasty breakdowns but I was distracted by the click-y bass drum mix. The band does have plenty of air-guitar worthy guitar melodies but they fall short of crafting a truly memorable song. You’re often left with a series of killer riffs without the song craft to hold them together. They also need to pull away from their obvious influences when they write their own material. By no means is Red I Flight the only young band guilty of wearing their collective influences on their sleeves to close for comfort. I can count off at least fifteen if you give me a second. But hopefully on their next batch of songs, they play upon their strengths more and try and hone in on something that can truly have them stand out.