FRENZY FIRE

    

METAL & ROCK REVIEWS

    
             
HOME            
REVIEWS            
ARTISTS            
UPCOMING            
LINKS            
             

 

     
   
   
       
       

Blood Red Sun

    
       
       
       
     
             
Elevenwire are a progressive rock band from the USA formed in 2017, releasing the bands debut album 'Blood Red Sun' in 2024.    
             
Founded by brothers Ron (vocals, guitars, bass) and Jonathan Hughes (vocals, keyboards), alongside their long time friend Jim Armstrong (guitars), the line-up for 'Blood Red Sun' is completed by Eric Gillette (drums). The bands debut album is a nine song and forty five minute fusion of progressive rock, hard rock and pop, with influences going as far back as the seventies and eighties. Elevenwire delivering a blend of melodic rock with just the slightest of heavy metal...    
             
...the band strolling into view with the albums instrumental intro, 'Overture 00'. And for two and a half minutes, a veil of serenity drapes over the album, the sound of 'Overture 00' closely resembling the music you'd find on a relaxation tape. You know the ones - mellow, soothing instrumentals designed to lower stress, alleviate anxiety and eradicate tension! So now that the band have you floating in a peaceful realm, Elevenwire stride on with the swaggering 'Zero One' - a kind of doom rock filling the air! 'Zero One' is mid paced mid tempo fare with a reined in energy level that can be felt struggling to break free - yet the band don't let it! And after the albums first seven minutes of soothing nature, the title of song number two 'Aggressive Tendencies', belies the bands overall aura! Although to be fair, 'Aggressive Tendencies' maybe a song title you'd normally associate with a thrash, or even death metal band, aggressive tendencies is also something you're likely to use a relaxation tape to overcome! So maybe it's a more apt title than I first realised - Elevenwire bringing a strong Southern rock flavour to the fore, the band hitting much harder than the previous song.    
             
The albums title song 'Blood Red Sun' maintains the recent Southern rock flavour, but with a greater melodious intent, the band striding tall and very proud through progressive rock territory. Now rock (and metal) of a progressive nature is on the periphery of what I prefer to listen to, only because the lack of energy and drive at times can be very frustrating for me, I'd much rather head bang frantically to a fast paced thunderbolt of all out foot to the floor heavy metal! I guess that's why traditional, power and thrash metal are my three favoured genres of music - now don't get me wrong, the virtuoso musicianship and forward thinking of progressive rock (and metal) musicians is mind blowing, their creativeness second to none. However, there's just something about the progressive nature of bands such as Fates Warning, Simulacrum, Symphony X and Savatage that pull me in - Elevenwire displaying the same kind of magnetic pull! 'Blood Red Sun' (the album) marches on at its (new) heaviest with the ground shuddering 'Fortress' weaving its way closer and closer to metal territory. The band may be rooted in rock, but often knock on the heavy metal door, only occasionally walking through it. Opening with a harder punch than heard anywhere else so far, 'Kaleidoscope' is a fairly thunderous stomp of hard hitting hard rock, Elevenwire continuing to mix up the rock styles to keep listeners guessing as to which direction 'Blood Red Sun' (the album) will turn in next.    
             
Clocking in at nearly eight minutes in length, 'Paradigm' is the longest song on offer and showcases the bands enormous rock arsenal, including a little more pace than heard so far. The bombastic nature of 'Paradigm' is more in keeping with the hard rock genre than either melodic or progressive rock, Elevenwire maintaining their eclectic approach to both song writing and musical composition. The variation on offer throughout the album has been very wide, so where do the band go from here? Straight into metal territory that's where - 'Where Do We Go From Here?' entering the fray with a heavier attitude than every other song on 'Blood Red Sun' (the album). Elevenwire even plant one foot firmly on the heavy metal monitor, with metal traditionalists turning in the direction of the progressive rockers - the album coming to a end as it began, the spoken word (sort of instrumental) 'Blood Red Sun (Epilogue)' pulling the veil of serenity back around the album.    
             
Overall, a measured stroll through progressive rock territory, Elevenwire deliver a hard hitting yet soothing album of rock.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Rogue PR    
             
             
Top