Approaching their ten year anniversary on the UK metal scene, Left For Red are poised to uncage their new album, Human Complex. Offering ten voraciously toned, imaginatively woven tracks, it is a record which highlights all the reasons why the Midlanders have earned their strong reputation and support to date and many more why the next decade could be even more exciting for them and definitely for us.
Since emerging in 2009, the Stourbridge quintet has lured acclaim for early releases which only grew eagerly richer for their 2015 unleashed debut album, All Things Known and Buried. It is success echoed in a live presence which has equally brought thick praise and an increased following, the band sharing stages with the likes of Chimaira, Crowbar, Beholder, and Breed 77 amongst many more as well as make highly successful appearances at numerous festivals such as Bloodstock, Hammerfest, and Mammothfest. It is now very easy to expect and assume that Human Complex will bring even greater attention such its potent character, bold sound, and rousing snarl.
Recorded with Tom Gittins of Monochrome Productions, Human Complex explores the human psyche, focusing on “why people can be so arrogant and careless with their actions, and the effects they have on themselves and others.” It opens up with Dancing With Misery, a suggestive crawl of provocative sound and dark intimation. It is a shadow draped serenade, a caliginous enveloping of ears and imagination with the potent tones of vocalist LC Decoy bringing a physical head to its atmospheric Deftones hued pea-souper of a haze.
It is a start which had attention and thought deeply enthralled, the body soon as tightly engaged as Switchblade Romance followed. With its initial wiry groove enough alone to entice further eager scrutiny, the guitars of Aaron Foy and Philip Smith entangled and enthralled with ease, the senses lashing swings of drummer Rob Hadley pining down an already keen appetite as the track rises to its striking feet. Like a blend of Fear Factory and Fuckshovel, the song quickly burrowed into the psyche, providing a lingering creative toxicity ensuring many swift returns even in the face of the inescapable lures of its successor Slaves To Causality. Less grievous in its breath but just as virulent in its grooving, the third track soon placed a firm hold on attentiveness, the tantalising voice and touch of Daniel Carter’s brooding but infectious bass to the fore. Again LC enticed as inescapably as the resourceful sounds around him, the track maybe not as unique as the previous pair but equally as magnetic.
The outstanding Leech is next up and instantly throws a web of rapacious grooves and contagious rhythms around ears, its contagion invigorating and body increasingly adventurous to give The Circus which follows, a ready-made platform to tempt with its classic metal lined, groove metal fuelled show. With a potent alternative metal swing as eagerly involved in its ever evolving roar, the track stands side by side with its predecessor as one of the peaks of Human Complex before Hand Of God more than ably backs them up with its own sinuous, emotionally torturous uproar. Serpentine in nature, fractious in breath, it too is a multi-flavoured metal trespass with grooves as melodically alluring as its rhythms and irritability are invasive.
The Storm brews next, its relatively calm flesh and emotive air carrying a volatility which never ignites but brings a riveting threat and discord to the track’s captivating croon while Journey Within straight after had the body bouncing and spirit swinging through its instinctively and manipulatively catchy ingredients and enterprise. Again the band’s smart fusion of flavours to a groove metal seeded breeding makes for a greedily devoured proposition, one even more hungrily devoured within the just as individual Tame The Tides. The track is a ravening predator of a song but carrying just as delicious melodic enterprise as numerous textures unite to match the mix of metal spices; both tracks further major highlights within the album.
Human Complex closes with the evocative balladry of Sunrise Bring Serenity, a strongly engaging temptation which blossoms and fascinates with each passing moment of time and imagination. With hope and optimism lining it’s still tempestuously suggestive climate, the track brings the album to a fine conclusion.
As much as we enjoyed and were impressed with previous releases and especially the band’s first album, Left For Red has cast their finest moment yet through Human Complex, a release which could and should set the band down in the biggest spotlights.
Human Complex is released April 6th
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Pete RingMaster
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
Prove Them Wrong steps forward next, displaying an even eager desire to consume the senses as riffs and the scything beats of Michael O’Neill descend. Soon displaying a more familiar heavy metal nature to its onslaught and melodic toxicity, the track is a hungrily enjoyable canter with the bass of Chris Everett a predatory incitement alongside the growling antagonism of Paige. Missing some of the extra sparks which ignited its predecessor, the song nevertheless leaves a heavily satisfied appetite behind before the outstanding Pain grabs attention next. From its first rhythmic coaxing there is a belligerence and defiance to the character of the song, a tempestuous attitude which fuels riffs and voice but still content to share its moments with spicy melodies and electronic intrigue across an increasingly rousing and enjoyable encounter.
The creative and physical skills of the artist persistently ignites ears in the song and album but always without offering any indulgence to temper their strength or the organic creativity impresses in the likes of How To Tear Your World From My Head. As the third song begins to flows through ears, initially bass pulses the lone dark protagonist in a misty glaze of harmonic and melodic tempting, things quickly come to boil as rugged rhythms and gravelly riffs collude with wistful keys, provocative guitar, and jazzy bass. The result is an eventful and at times volatile landscape of stirring invention and compelling craft keeping the imagination as busy as ears whilst pushing the already impressing stature of the album to new heights.
From the brief album intro of Master Call, band and release launch at ears with current single Master Of The Game, a song already sparking plaudits and eager attention from fans and media alike. For personal tastes it is one of the less potent songs upon the album but with vocal roars, crisp beats, and feisty riffs aligned to an infectious weave of enterprise, the encounter awakens ears and attention with accomplished ease. The guitar play of Aaron Foy and Phil Smith slip from impressive to irresistible across the sonic bellow of the song whilst vocalist LC Decoy just demands and receives attention with his great mix of old school screams and ferocious snarls entangled in melodic expression.
basslines, rapacious riffing, and combative rhythms, all honed into a prowling entity which sizes up its victim before exploding into fire of musical causticity and vocal threat, the tones of frontman Human Furnace as always living up to his moniker. The song stalks the senses from start to finish, the guitars of Matt Sorg and John Comprix abrasively ravishing air and ears whilst drummer Danny Zink gives them a further mighty battering.
Die is halfway to recruiting a hungry response. Once the gnarled bass tones conjured by Dan Carter and carnal guitar riffs also add their intimidation a major appetite is awoken as passions begin to stir for what is on offer. It is a primal start, one pinpointing and exploiting the rhythmic savage in us, and irresistible lead into the equally rapacious expanse of hungry riffs and melody soaked enterprise which erupts from its temptation. Into full stride the song is an accomplished and magnetic blaze of endeavour, the vocals of LC a firm and expressive antagonist around which the riffs and invention of guitarists Aaron Foy and Phil Smith carve and paint a skilled and pleasing adventure, even if there is nothing dramatically original to the event cast. Despite that it is an impressive and increasingly contagious start which leaves a healthy appetite for what is to follow.