Album Review: Red Eleven - "Round 2"

It seems appropriate to be discussing Red Eleven in the aftermath of Gene Simmons declaring rock ‘dead,’ or whatever asinine, old-man thing it was that he said.  It wasn’t so long ago that Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet spoke on these very pages about how rock certainly needed to be brought back to the fore, but that there were musicians out there who believed in real rock music, that the genre may mutate and adapt, but would ultimately survive.  It is in light of Wyndorf’s optimistic viewpoint that Red Eleven’s simply entitled “Round II” hits the airwaves.

Red Eleven is one of those increasingly rare but necessarily treasured commodities, a metal band that goes down smooth with a strong rock idiom.  The whole package, and maybe we’re cutting to the chase early here, sounds a little like Faith No More, but without the oppressive cult of Mike Patton fans.  Where metal in its present condition is greatly concerned with noise per pound, and perhaps tangentially with the riff as a central fixture, Red Eleven is firm in the belief that metal should still be intricate and layered.

Nowhere is this more evident than the rubbery beat of “Tomorrow’s Path,” a song that used electronic elements blended against pulsing guitar rhythms to create a palpable sense of motion and kinetic energy.  How these Finns learned to so capably apply the lessons of American grunge and alternative metal into their music is a mystery, but the resultant product is a song that rushes headlong from alternative to Euro death metal and comes boomeranging back.

Showcasing their remarkable versatility, Red Eleven comes back not too far later with “The Wrong Enemy,” a straight-ahead freight train that overlays guitar lines one over the other with artistic vision and confident direction.  These songs all feature big, sing-along choruses, but they aren’t overdone or overemphasized, and that’s part of “Round II’s” greatest strength.  The album understands how to fit all the pieces into the greater framework of the music.  Nothing is out of place or sounds haphazard.  The songs are constructed in such a way that it’s easy to envision the various band members sitting down to write and the lines simply being erected in a single string of inspiration.

It’s not until the listener reaches “Behind Illusion” that he or she comes to realize one of the great secrets of Red Eleven’s admirable songwriting.  All of the cuts on “Round II,” but this one in particular, are large, dramatic and emotional pieces, evoking a strong reaction from the heart and perhaps even soul of the listener, but never once does the album give in to melodrama.  To tread that line, to know how to write on the border of accessibility and power without tipping the balance or falling into the abyss of overwrought contrivance is the rarest of skills in all music, let alone the bravado-soaked halls of metal.

As if to accentuate the point, Red Eleven follows “Behind Illusion” with “Famous for Being Famous,” a song with a giant hook and steady riff.  The song really comes together in the final moments, tied up by a well-placed and articulate guitar solo that channels rock’s great majesty through the metal lens.

Whether or not Red Eleven is a rock band or a metal band is going to be a point of some contention, but the debate itself is meaningless, as there is plenty to go around for everyone.  Fans who grew up in the ‘90s alternative craze in particular will find real value in the melodic and rhythmic depth that “Round II” offers.  In any event, this is a great, great record, and while we’re out of superlatives for the time being, walk away with this – make sure you check out Red Eleven’s “Round II.”