Red Sparowes
The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer

It's a new genre. It's called Post-Hardcore, or Atmospheric Sludge, or Post-Metal, whatever name you want to give it, it remains an innovation of the 2000s. But it's nothing more than a simple doped post rock, packed with rhythm and heavy distortions to make it a "universal solvent" capable of melting the toughest metalhead and giving a bit of energy to the apathetic dreamer sitting in the treehouse.

To help you understand what this album might be, I compare the works of the Red Sparowes to the Matrix trilogy. In 2005 "At the Soundless Dawn" was released, one of the few real masterpieces of the genre, spatial and gnarly at the same time, capable of showcasing its originality despite the broad good competition (Russian Circles and God Is An Astronaut, for example, and I forget many). An experimentation that resulted in a great "well done" from universal criticism. Thus, it's comparable to the first episode of the saga.

The following year comes "Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun". Same style, same grand spatial trip, just with a bit more "action," which nevertheless begins to masquerade as an exercise in style. You are still completely hooked from the debut, so you want more, you feel satisfied and contented, yet you start to lose interest. Comparable then to "Reloaded".

Now they present us with "The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer", which barely saves itself because the first idea was so good that there is still some milk to sip, because Bryant Clifford Meyer perhaps started to use the full equipment he exploits in Isis, and because there is still good production. Unfortunately, the exercise in style,is total. This is the "Revolutions" of the situation.

Keep calm now my dear Red Sparrows, before the Glasow Mega Snake comes to swallow you in one gulp.

Rating: 2.5 plus a 0.5 for kindness graciously offered by the staff who evidently have plenty of it.