JesusfreakHideout.com: Highlighting 2015 Part One -- Looking Ahead To New Music In The First Half of 2015

For our 9th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Each list contains 15 artists/releases for a total of 30 in total for 2015. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting First-Half 2015!

7 of 15

#7. Red
Of Beauty and Rage

Release Date: February 24, 2015

Red has received a lot of flak over the years for sounding like a carbon copy of Linkin Park, this band, or that band. While they might not have the most original sound, they do it well and they pour a ton of emotion into their music. I have just started listening to Of Beauty And Rage and I must say I am quite captivated. Granted, the hooks aren't quite as strong as some of their previous material, but they make up for it with what is their most beautifully haunting album yet. This is the follow up to Innocence & Instinct that I've been waiting for.
- Christopher Smith

Red is one of the most consistent bands around today. Their music never fails and I don't expect anything else this time around.
- Kevin Hoskins

RED released a pretty disappointing album last time out. Like them or not, they went from a point of national prominence to a near afterthought. Of Beauty and Rage sounds a bit conceptual and is going back to their roots of hard rock. Yes, there are annoying amounts of strings and some electronic drum loops, but expect to hear some of the hardest rock yet from this band.
- Michael Weaver

RED has never been the most original band, but they had always been good at what they do, and the attempt to branch out their sound a bit on Release The Panic was (for me) cringeworthy. As a fan since End of Silence, I'm looking forward to a strong comeback...
- Mark Rice

Red has had a knack for a hard rock hook (try saying that three times fast), but Release The Panic felt like treading water to me. It will be interesting to see if, on album number five, Red can mix in some creative juices (like the ones that fueled their debut album) to go the distance as a career band.
- Alex "Tincan" Caldwell

Red has established themselves as a straightforward hard rock band that delivers with memorable classical themes. Even though they are commonly linked to sounding similar to Linkin Park's sound (although, to be fair, the vocals are much different as having no rap), I feel they have been able to separate themselves from this criticism with their last release. Still being a longtime fan of Red, I am fascinated with many of the songs found on their first 2 albums and hope that will continue with a more conceptual approach.
- Wayne Myatt

Visit our Red page for more information about them...