The five-member band (Mike Barnes, lead vocals; Anthony Armstrong, guitar, BGV's; Randy Armstrong, bass, piano, BGV's; Jasen Rauch, guitar; and Hayden Lamb, drums) for an amazing force simply called ‘Red’. According to lead vocalist Mike Barnes, Red stands for: passion, pain, but ultimately, redemption.

The band has been tirelessly developing the eleven-track album with grammy-nominated producer/songwriter Rob Graves over the past two years. “End of Silence” was mixed by Ben Grosse (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fuel, Sixpence None the Richer). It is with this creation that I knew Red had made something pretty amazing.

At first listen I fell in love with band right away. This is due to many reasons. One the band’s style is Hard Rock. Second the softness of the vocals give the music a unique touch, but the songs are equally as powerful as if they had harsher vocals. Thirdly the band has lyrics I could relate to, and harmonies that keep me singing out loud through every single track. Musically influenced by artists such as Muse, Chevelle and Linkin Park, Red brings a unique blend of memorable string arrangements, undulating guitars, brawny melodies, and fervent vocals. The songs on End of Silence deconstruct struggles that listeners face, while painting a picture of redemption in the midst of brokenness, sadness and with little hope. Songs on the album range from the kickass guitars and chorus in ‘Breathe Into Me’ to the soothing yet distressing ‘Already Over’.

Overall, I found this CD absolutely amazing and it is definitely one my top picks from 2006. If you haven’t heard of the band or heard any of their music, visit their webpage or myspace and find what you’ve been missing! The band hopes their music communicates to listeners that they are not alone in their struggles. You never know what people are dealing with in their everyday lives, but I am willing to bet that at some point, we all have experienced the same feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion. Their music addresses a lot of those experiences; those feelings, and the situations that caused them. With no doubt in my mind that the music inspires people and let's them know that they are not alone.

Rating: 5/5