FUSED TOGETHER IN REVOLVING DOORS

I remember the raving metal and/or hardcore fans back when this album came out. I used to dabble in such music when I was still maturing my tastes, but out of those times came my discovery of great bands like Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Somehow, The Red Chord's debut Fused Together in Revolving Doors remained in my music library until about two weeks ago, and really, I don't know why I didn't get rid of it long ago. While being technically legit, the group is just another one of those relentless tech-metal-core type bands. The Red Chord, however, does have a couple things going for them here. They clearly have a sense of humor, as seen in one of my favorite tracks That Certain Special Ugly, which has a couple of funny riffs, and a random 2-3 second acoustic ditty amidst the chaotic bulk of the song. Also, their songs seem to have a bit more of a structure to them than most of their peers (unless I totally missed something with those bands).

Sometimes, the band will have the listener recall Between the Buried and Me (unless the listener hasn't yet heard them, and if so why haven't they!?), as they often times have complicated chugging patterns with some crazy pinch harmonics done in a similar fashion. But The Red Chord lacks the experimentation and sophistication of Between the Buried and Me. Even BTBAM's debut (which came out in the same year as this) had a lot more to offer.

I definitely would rather listen to this than PsyOpus or Ion Dissonance, but if you disregard my tastes, they are about equal. So 2 stars it is. If you're into straight-up technical metal/grindcore/hardcore and don't mind a lack of variety, this is something to check out. If not, you probably shouldn't bother.