Reviewed! Red Line Chemistry - Tug Of War
Red Line Chemistry
Tug Of War
Bulldog Productions
When Red Line Chemistry released their 2011 debut, Dying for a Living, it didn’t exactly
make an impact or leave a lasting taste in the mouths of rock fans everywhere,
but their sophomore release, Tug Of War,
is an emphatic stamp on the scene. The boys show they mean business this time out
with “Quiet Hurricane,” a perfect track to set the table for Tug Of War and a harbinger of things to
come – booming hooks, stirring vocals and stellar guitar work. The subsequent “Black
Roses,” along with the deep cut “Through the Haze,” play like the best songs
Earshot and Chevelle never wrote (do NOT miss Brett Ditgen’s vocals at the end
of the former), and from there on in, Tug
Of War is just that, a tug of war, between massive rock tracks that provide
as much melody as bounce (“The Fighter,” “Paralyzed”), and slow paced tunes
that temper the pace and balance things out quite nicely (“Fall Of Man,” “Sucker
Punch”). And just to prove exactly what they are aurally capable of, the band
cap off Tug of War with a Pink Floyd
cover – yes, you read that right, a Pink Floyd cover, of “What Do You Want From
Me,” taken off Floyd’s absolutely tremendous 1994 entry The Division Bell. Red Line Chemistry’s take is picture perfect,
and while covering Pink Floyd is a lot like covering the Beatles, meaning bands
just don’t do it because they don’t want to look bad, when it’s this good, this
spot on, it just works. This is a record you’re going to want to seek out
immediately, and immediately might not be soon enough. Tug Of War is as good a rock record as we have seen thus far in
2013, and this is a record that should make Red Line Chemistry players in this
little rock scene of ours.
Grade: A
Go Download: “The Fighter”
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