Though it doesn't cover any new ground, Of Beauty and Rage is the amalgamation of everything Red has done well in the past four albums--especially drawing from End of Silence and Innocence & Instinct. "Darkest Part" and "Gravity Lies" are two of seven heavier songs which showcase the alternative rock band at their very finest with chilling strings, dramatic musical arrangements, and emotional vocals. As expected, there are a few softer tunes, such as "Take Me Over" and "Part That's Holding On," but they are more inspired than their lackluster radio-friendly predecessors. Throw in one beautiful ballad ("Of These Chains") and three orchestrated instrumentals (although "Ascent" is unnecessarily long) and you've got an engaging one-hour journey from the depths of pain to the heights of redemption. - 1/24/15, Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com


Red sure has taken a spot as one of the top Christian rock bands right now. And why not? They've mastered the generic rock sound that most Christian rock fans love, so it only makes sense that they would thrive in that scene. With a lot of hype surrounding their first crowd-funded album, Of Beauty and Rage, it's slightly disappointing to hear the album sound like they've made little to no effort to spawn growth in their music. The same, dry guitar riffs and rhythms associated with Red are here in full force, as are the Linkin Park-esque electronic elements and Skillet, Comatose era-style string sections. I will say, however, that I appreciate some of the harder sections, such as the short opening riff of "What You Keep Alive," as well as the rather decent screams from Mike Barnes. But for the most part, there's nothing of interest here. It's certainly not the worst rock album I've heard, but I have a hard time finding anything that would cause me to return to it in the future. - 2/16/15, Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com


I truly do tip my hat to RED for their attempt to branch out their sound on Release the Panic, but the fact is, it was pretty much a train wreck in my eyes. In that light, it is a lot easier to appreciate RED making the type of music they have proven themselves to be so adept at making on Of Beauty And Rage, in spite of it sounding much like their first three albums (Innocence & Instinct in particular). The piano and strings are still there (perhaps more so than ever), along with their familiar guitar riffs ("Darkest Part" or "Gravity Lies" anyone?), and the forelorn-but-palatable lyrics. That said, songs like "Imposter," " Shadow and Soul" and "Fight to Forget" have a harder edge than what we're used to from RED (in fact, as does the album as a whole; I don't recall Mike Barnes screaming as much on any album as he does on Of Beauty...). Add that to the generous length (over an hour), the companion graphic novel, and the knowledge that this is Red's first attempt at both concept album and crowd-funding, and you can't help but give Barnes & Co. credit. They are far from the most original band ever, either musically or lyrically, but they are very good at what they do, and Of Beauty And Rage may be RED's best yet. - 2/19/15, Mark Rice of Jesusfreakhideout.com


True artistic ambition is to be commended any day, and RED's Of Beauty and Rage is nothing if not ambitious. With a heavy bent towards cinematic orchestration (with strings and orchestras galore) and instrumental passages segueing between sections of the album, RED has crafted an excellent example of hard-rock artistry. At fifteen songs and more than an hour of music, a few of the harder tracks meld together a bit in the listening, but thankfully there are enough interesting moments to move the story (best interpreted with the graphic novel that the band is releasing as a companion to the album) along. Of Beauty and Rage is worth the time it takes to unpack the story, and RED is to be commended for reaching for the brass ring on this one. - 2/15/15, Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com


Red's fifth studio album returns the rockers to a familiar sound prior to Release the Panic. While many fans will doubtlessly rejoice at this, the fact still remains that Red has steadily grown stagnant. Although the band attempts to "change it up" with a few of the tracks, the result is usually more or less disastrous. ("Gravity Lies" is the exception to this.) Amidst a plethora of odd notes and key changes, the mixing job seems a little off, as well the volume of the vocal tracks, making for a somewhat jarring experience. While much of the album falls short, there are a handful of masterpieces scattered throughout. "Darkest Part," "Yours Again," the radio-friendly "Take Me Over," and the latter segment of "Shadow and Soul" come to mind. However, none are as pronounced as "The Ever," which features a vocal breakdown that is fantastic, albeit too short. Overall, Of Beauty and Rage is a conflicted album that both scores and grossly misses at the same time. Hopefully future projects will remedy this by playing off of the album's strengths. - 2/22/15, David Craft of Jesusfreakhideout.com


After churning out three albums worth of crushing alt-metal/post-grunge, the men of Red all but abandoned their trademark orchestral-based hard rock for a (slightly) more subdued, electronic-leaning approach on 2013's Release the Panic. The experiment was met with near-universal cries of "Foul!" from die-hard fans; a reception which almost certainly influenced the intrepid group's wholehearted return to the string-heavy aesthetic of the pre-Panic projects. But, while the new record certainly sounds a whole lot like the debut and sophomore efforts on the surface, its relative dearth of memorable hooks and melodies ultimately renders it a pale, and less engaging, cousin to those works (and arguably the Panic album as well) - making Of Beauty and Rage more a return to outward form than actual substance. - 2/25/15, Bert Gangl of Jesusfreakhideout.com