Of Beauty and Rage

Last updated

of Beauty and Rage
Of Beauty and Rage by Red.jpg
Studio album by
Red
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2015 (2015-02-24)
Studio
Genre Alternative metal, alternative rock, Christian rock, symphonic metal
Length60:34
Label Essential
Producer Rob Graves
Red chronology
Release the Panic
(2013)		of Beauty and Rage
(2015)		 Gone
(2017)
Singles from of Beauty and Rage
  1. "Darkest Part"
    Released: December 8, 2014
  2. "Yours Again"
    Released: March 19, 2015

of Beauty and Rage is the fifth studio album by American Christian rock band Red. It was released on February 24, 2015 through Essential Records. It was produced by Rob Graves. [1] The album was included through a PledgeMusic campaign. [2] "Darkest Part" and "Yours Again" were available pre-release to backers. The album's first single "Darkest Part" was released on December 8, 2014. The album's second single, "Yours Again", was released on March 19, 2015. The album received highly positive reviews, with many citing it as the band's best album ever.

Contents

Background

According to one of the twins, Anthony Armstrong, Red's guitarist, the song, "Darkest Part", is "simply about being vulnerable. When you trust someone and show the demons you have hidden away in your life, there is a fear and likelihood of scaring someone away." The story depicted in the music video ties in with past songs "Feed the Machine", "Release the Panic" and "Perfect Life". Together they form a larger storyline. [3] [4] At 60 minutes, it is the band's longest album to date.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of The Year74/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Positive [6]
Indie Vision MusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Jesus Freak HideoutStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
New Release TuesdayStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Christian ReviewStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Cryptic RockStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [13]
Front Row Report9/10 [14]
CCM Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]

Of Beauty and Rage received widespread acclaim; many critics have described it as the band's best album to date.

Lee Brown of Indie Vision Music praised the album, rating it four out of five stars, saying: "Red brings to the table their best album so far. of Beauty and Rage is subtle, yet powerful. It is heavy, yet tender. It weaves an eternal story of darkness to light that perfectly encapsulates both beauty and brutality. And, as with all of their work, the level of polish, skill, and craftsmanship is undeniable. Although I do not think it has quite overtaken Lil’ Dre’s amazing and personal Homework as best album so far this year… of Beauty and Rage is an album that will hold firm as one of the best albums of 2015." [16]

Some critics believed the formulaic production would only be able to satisfy the band's fans, rather than being an innovative release. Writing for Jesus Freak Hideout, Michael Weaver also gave the album four out of five stars, although he claimed the album to be "formulaic", he concluded: "On the upside, some of the hardest music RED have written to date is present on this album. Also, Michael Barnes' screams are more on point, and more fully featured, than ever before. Sonically, of Beauty and Rage could be the band's finest work, but it seems the band needs to get away from the "go to" tracks to create some truly creative art. Long time RED listeners will likely fall in love with this one, but it's doubtful to sway anyone who has disregarded them in the past. It's a mixed bag of good music and frustration, but from the low start of "Descent" to the high of "Ascent," the story and concept here is worth at least one listen." [17]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Descent"Rob Graves1:11
2."Impostor"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, Blue Stahli4:18
3."Shadow and Soul"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves5:44
4."Darkest Part"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, J. Baker, Mark Holman4:02
5."Fight to Forget"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, McArthur3:28
6."Of These Chains"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves3:53
7."Falling Sky"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, J. Baker, Holman5:26
8."The Forest"Graves0:55
9."Yours Again"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, McArthur, C. Flury, A. Niceforo4:49
10."What You Keep Alive"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, Stahli5:22
11."Gravity Lies"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves4:33
12."Take Me Over"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, McArthur, Baker, Johnny Andrews3:51
13."The Ever"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, McArthur, Baker4:10
14."Part That's Holding On"A. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Barnes, Graves, Baker4:45
15."Ascent"Graves3:58
Total length:60:34

Personnel

Red

Additional musicians

Additional personnel

Charts

of Beauty and Rage debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 14 with first week sales of over 34,000. [21]

Chart (2015)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [22] 14
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [23] 2
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [24] 1
US Digital Albums (Billboard) [25] 8
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [26] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [27] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [28] 3

References

  1. 1 2 Mary Nikkel (January 16, 2015). "From Furious Darkness to Beautiful Light". newreleasetuesday.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ Ian Zandi (December 1, 2015). "Preorder RED's of Beauty and Rage". Indie Vision Music. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Red - Darkest Part" . Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  4. ↑ Red - Darkest Part (Official Music Video). Event occurs at 481 seconds. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Red - Of Beauty and Rage - Reviews" . Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  6. ↑ Monger, Timothy. "Of Beauty and Rage - RED".
  7. ↑ Brown, Lee (February 22, 2015). "Red – Of Beauty and Rage". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  8. ↑ Weaver, Michael (February 22, 2015). "Red, "Of Beauty and Rage" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ Hoskins, Kevin (February 1, 2015). "Red, "Of Beauty and Rage" Review: Second Staff Opinion". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  10. ↑ Jared Ponton (February 4, 2015). "Red - Of Beauty and Rage (album review), Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic.com.
  11. ↑ Mateo Ottie (April 2, 2020). "Red (USA) - Of Beauty and Rage (album review 2)".
  12. ↑ Christian St. John (March 5, 2015). "Music Review: "Of Beauty and Rage" by Red". christianreview.com.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  13. ↑ Becker, Sascha (February 24, 2015). "Red - of Beauty and Rage (Album Review)" . Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ↑ Edwards, Reggie. "Red: Of Beauty and Rage review" . Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ Conner, Matt (March 1, 2015). "Red: Of Beauty & Rage". CCM Magazine . Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ Brown, Lee (February 22, 2015). "Red - Of Beauty and Rage - Reviews". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Jesusfreakhideout.com: RED, "Of Beauty and Rage" Review". www.jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  18. ↑ Chris "Topher" Parks (February 10, 2015). "Red Explores Beauty and Rage on New Album - JesusWired.com". JesusWired.com.
  19. ↑ Chad Bowar (February 20, 2015). "Red Interview". About.com Entertainment.
  20. ↑ CookieMonster (February 24, 2015). "Blue Stahli Production On Red's Upcoming Album "Of Beauty And Rage"!". fixtonline.com.
  21. ↑ Cantor, Brian (March 3, 2015). "Big Sean Wins Album Sales Race with 139K; Kid Rock Follows (Updated)". Headlineplanet.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Red Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Red Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Red Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Red Chart History (Digital Albums)".[ dead link ] Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Red Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Red Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Red Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.