{"id":35246,"date":"2013-12-02T15:10:20","date_gmt":"2013-12-02T20:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=35246"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:39:30","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:39:30","slug":"red-line-chemistry-tug-of-war-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/red-line-chemistry-tug-of-war-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Line Chemistry | Tug of War<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"RedThis album is a game-changer. Not so much for the modern hard rock genre itself, but definitely for Red Line Chemistry themselves. They have hit their stride and ascended to a fresh plateau of complexity and maturity. It fails to attain perfection, but it has moments when it strikes close, and those pinnacles pull you in more than the mundane moments repel.<\/p>\n

Red Line Chemistry excel at grafting the grunge style of the \u201890s with the current modern rock aesthetic. There exists a strong Alice In Chains vibe due to the riff selections and song construction but it is filtered through the modern aggression of groups like Disturbed or Trapt. One thing is for certain, you won\u2019t mistake these guys for Nickelback or Hinder. Those bands may be catchier, infused as they are with commercial hooks, but Red Line Chemistry possess greater depth.<\/p>\n

Part of the success of this album can be attributed to producer Nick Raskulincecz, who has worked with Alice In Chains, Deftones, and Stone Sour. He understands how to properly engineer a modern rock album for that rich, powerful sound. Acquiring a studio magician of this caliber is just one of the multiple things the band did right in the creation of this record.<\/p>\n

The tracks all bear the Red Line Chemistry stamp, but by experimenting with lower, beefier guitar tones the band has injected the songs with an extra dose of sonic ferocity. \u201cSucker Punch\u201d is a prime example of this, every bit as cool and mean and badass as the title insinuates. The tune thrusts forward with more hot-blooded aggression than a bull with a bear trap biting on its balls and is guaranteed to get your head banging.<\/p>\n

Where the band falters is on the slower songs, which seem out of place with a dragging, sludgy, progressive feel. \u201cFighter,\u201d \u201cEyes to the Sky,\u201d and \u201cThrough the Haze\u201d all fall prey to this. The band seems to be striving for epic, but mostly winds up with \u201ceh.\u201d Credit where credit is due, however, Brett Ditgen sings the songs masterfully. Too bad the songs just aren\u2019t that great.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, other songs are. \u201cTug of War\u201d is a heavy-hitter practically begging for airplay on Sirius\/XM\u2019s Octane. \u201cParalyzed\u201d is a punchy, hook-laced rocker that sounds like Disturbed with more melodic vocals. \u201cUnspoken\u201d is the crown jewel, one of the best modern rock songs of 2013 thanks to a blistering hard edge, a killer chorus, and strong lyrics that defy pointlessness in favor of something pointed: \u201cPull down your halo \/ Shining in everyone\u2019s eyes \/ while the devil is running around \/ spreading your lies \/ How do you sleep at night?\u201d You should not think about getting this song \u2026 you should just get it.<\/p>\n

Red Line Chemistry are poised to explode. These guys have something to say and unlike many of today\u2019s bands, what they have to say is actually worth hearing. When the modern rock wars are over, Red Line Chemistry may not emerge the ultimate victor, but neither will they be numbered among the fallen.<\/p>\n

Genre: Modern Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nTom Brown (bass, vocals)
\nMike Mazzarese (percussion)
\nDave Fylen (guitar, vocals)
\nAndrew Breit (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
\nBrett Ditgen (lead vocals)<\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1. Black Roses
\n2. Tug of War
\n3. Paralyzed
\n4. The Fighter
\n5. Quiet Hurricane
\n6. Eyes to the Sky
\n7. Unspoken
\n8. Through the Haze
\n9. Sucker Punch
\n10. One More Day
\n11. Fall of Man
\n12. What Do You Want From Me<\/p>\n

Label: Bulldog Productions, SKH Music<\/p>\n

Webpage: www.redlinechemistry.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen – Senior Columnist — This album is a game-changer. Not so much for the modern hard rock genre itself, but definitely for Red Line Chemistry themselves. They have hit their stride and […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":35247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[8397,2317,2939,7584,8398,8396],"class_list":{"0":"post-35246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-bulldog-productions","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-modern-hard-rock","11":"tag-red-line-chemistry","12":"tag-skh-music","13":"tag-tug-of-war"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}