Red Sea To Release Long Awaited Second EP Sanguine, This Friday November 6th
Band photo by Andy Stavert
“...surging rhythms ravaging riffs and powerful melodies...immense vocal presence and emotional weight… *newly charted musical ground*.” The Brag
“Red Sea unleash hell again…exceptionally powerful, very different…colossal vocals, exquisite guitars… truly a spectacle to behold.” Metal United Worldwide
Sydney groove metal quartet RED SEA release their long-awaited second EP,
Sanguine this Friday, November 6!
Sanguine is available on all DSP's along with some killer merch packs and vinyl at
www.redseaband.com/merch
The 5 track EP was produced by Clayton Segelov at The Brain Studios in Sydney, Australia. Segelov has worked with the likes of Periphery, Shady Nasty, Sleepmakeswaves and has received a 2020 ARIA Nomination for Crooked Fiddle Band. This is the second tranche of recording RED SEA have completed with Segelov and the development of the collaboration is starting to show.
Heavy, melodic, groovy and progressive - Sanguine is an intriguing concoction of all things passion. The tracks range from pure love to sheer hate and include a healthy dose of disgust at the powers that be. The band wrote and recorded the 5 songs through some crazy times of the past few years and the variety of sounds on the EP reflects not only their Prog leanings but also the cataclysmic experiences of the globe - ranging from the #metoo movement, the climate crisis, catastrophic fires and now of course BLM and COVID19. The veil has been lifted, no-one is spared and no-one can sit back passively, we all have to answer and all authenticity and emotions are on the table.
The title Sanguine was chosen for its double meaning:
1) Blood-red
2) Optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation
The first 2 singles, The Score and The One, were released in 2019. The third single Hopelessly…, and the full EP, were to be released in early 2020 but then COVID19 happened. However, being forever optimistic, the band used this to their advantage and filmed a haunting music video for Hopelessly… in the Sydney CBD during the height of the COVID19 lockdown in May 2020.
THE SONGS
The Score opens the Sanguine EP like a punch in the face with heavy, angry vocals, relentless drums and brutal guitars. The lyrics were inspired initially by the #metoo movement and progressed to encompass the disappointment and outrage at the likes of Trump and Weinstein. The message is defiance, rebellion and ultimately victory.
The One, which was the leading single of the EP, starts with a deliciously dirty bass groove and the song develops into a gloriously groovy dedication to love and devotion triumphing at all costs.
Perhaps the most surprising track on the EP is Hopelessly… This is the first bonafide ballad RED SEA have written and it hits you right in the feels. A story of unrequited (perhaps imagined…) passion that is reminiscent of Portishead where, apart from a frenzied bridge, the song is dreamy and stripped back to a sensual minimalism.
The fourth track, Shadow of a Man, is a full prog track with the lyrics and message transitioning to a more personal story about a journey through a toxic relationship. The track is big and full of the drama of a Mastadon-style epic.
Burn It All Down is a ‘call to arms’ and, similar to The Score, expresses the disgust at the exploitative, money-at-all-costs leadership style of the likes of Trump and Murdoch. Burn It All Down celebrates the overthrowing of the old guard and the vibe is about as groovy as they come with the chorus even including a Prodigy-esque bass and dance vibe.
RED SEA burst onto the music landscape in 2016 with their debut EP Battlescar that was produced by the legendary triple Grammy nominated Rick Will (Fear Factory, NIN, Cold Chisel). After two Australian and New Zealand Tours they re-grouped and recruited, then in 2018 released the stand out singles and epic videos (directed by frontwoman Erica Bowron) Hurricane and The Art of Transcending. They completed two more Australian tours to critical acclaim and a growing army of loyal fans. 2019 saw the recording of the Sanguine EP with ARIA Nominee Clayton Segelov, two more Australian tours and the first two singles from the EP, The One and The Score. In 2020 the third single Hopelessly… was released, along with its hauntingly beautiful video filmed during COVID19 lockdown. The EP will finally be released to fans through MGM on 6 November.
The band are not slowing down any time soon as they also have 2 “Live in the studio” tracks scheduled for release later this year and are currently writing their first full-length album. More than anything though, they can’t wait to hit the road again in 2021.
With a sound likened to the love child of Jinjer and Gojira (with sprinklings of Spiritbox and Caligula’s Horse), RED SEA stand out among a …um… sea of sameness.
