Mosh Pit Monday
Gidday and welcome to another Mosh Pit Monday. Not much happening on the music front, personally, except I bought a second hand bass amp so my partner can jam along with me in the Recording Studio. She has played guitar before but bass is new to her. We’ll have her ‘slapping’ in no time! Didn’t catch any live gigs last week either. Just been busy with work and the house. Hope to catch some live music soon. Starting to have withdrawal symptoms after 2 full days of Soundwave!
This week I’d like to tone it down a little with a 3-piece outfit from Nashville, Tennessee who have been around for a while. RED, are a rock band, more known for their Christian rock songs, but have a great melodic, heavy metal sound. I’ve heard of them before but I stumbled across one of their CDs in a second hand store so I grabbed it. (Now, I’m all for paying full price for music because I believe the musicians deserve it. It is their livelihood but if I see a good CD at a thrift store or market, I’ll grab it. That’s where you find some really rare CDs and you might even be lucky enough to score a feature DVD in the case.)

Twin brothers Anthony Armstrong (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Randy Armstrong (bass, piano, keyboard, backing vocals) and Michael Barnes (lead vocals) started the band back in 2004. (Dan Johnson is the touring drummer/percussionist.) They have received many awards and have released five studio albums, their latest being “Of Beauty and Rage”. 
Even if you aren’t Christian, the thrashing metal riffs are comparable to any of the great metal bands in the music scene today. They have a very similar sound to say Linkin Park. I can really relate to the lyrics as well, having faced my own demons through drug addiction and recovery. Michael Barnes says it’s about “suffering and finding beauty in that….we only become the strong individuals we are today from the trials and hardships we faced in the past”.
Their song “Let Go” can be interpreted anyway you like, but for me, I can apply the relationship I had with drugs and the grip that it had over me for 16 years to the song. Here’s an excerpt:
Hey you, look what you do to me 
You bend and you bruise me
Why you try to control me?
But you don’t know me 
How come you just want to hurt me?
How come you just want to push me?
I can’t ignore you anymore 
Cause everywhere I turn you
You burn me, you break me 
You always want to take me down with you
What do you want from me?

I don’t wanna be afraid, I don’t wanna run away 
I don’t want to be evaded it’s more that I can take 
I’m never gonna be the same 
I threw it all away
I don’t want to be evaded
Just let go! (look what you do to me) 
Let go! (look what you do to me)

Give them a shot and let me know what you think. A great metal band with deserved success. I can’t wait to listen more to them. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter and their website. Have a great week and I’ll catch you next Monday! ,,,/ ,,,/