Year : 2019 (Iron Oxide Records Expanded Edition 2021)
Style : Heavy Metal , Speed Metal
Country : Spain
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 125 mb
Bio:
REDSHARK is Spanish Heavy Metal band, formed in 2012 in Barcelona. The band debuted with the “Lights Of Darkness” single, which was released in 2013. In 2016 REDSHARK released debut EP entitled “Rain Of Destruction” and another single, “Destroy What Destroys You”. Their latest release, the “Evil Realm” EP, was released in 2019. While many of the so-called NWOTHM (what stands for New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal) acts follow the classic British Metal path, and the style immortalized by such bands as IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST, REDSHARK presents a little bit different approach. Their style refers to both Classic Heavy Metal, but also Speed Metal heroes of the ‘80s, such as EXCITER or ABATTOIR.
Album:
Originally released as a five-track EP back in 2019 and presumably because COVID is still making life difficult for everyone in Barcelona, this release sees the record expanded into a full length version by splicing together this EP and its predecessor 2016’s “Rain Of Destruction” EP – with the ‘Destroy What Destroys You’ single thrown in for good measure. So this is very much a single disk summary of their back catalogue and evolution to date and not cutting any new territory. That said if, like me, you are new to the band then it’s as good a place to start as any.That single ‘Destroy What Destroys You’ is full of 80’s infused Thrash and is the only song on here to have an original and re-recorded version. It’s also a very succinct summary of what the band are like at their best now, as it’s dripping with energy and youthful enthusiasm. The older material is more NWOBHM than Speed, but works well as vocally it’s got a very different delivery. That said, I love the energy, brashness and fury of the more recent tracks, which show a band really getting a grip with what their core sound is about.It’s all very fast and furious and definitely more classic early Thrash/NWOBHM/Speed Metal hybridisation in style, suffering from the hangover left by punk, with a cheesy cover straight out of that period, although I have to say I love the repeated use of the band’s red shark mascot on all their branding. Most of the songs fly by in three minutes, but when they do take their time on slower and longer material, it works pretty well too, giving vocalist Pau Correas time to expand his style and show his range.The downside of the splicing the back catalogue together is that despite label owner and Producer Bart Gabriel doing his best to remaster this, I suspect the original source material was too limited to do much with. If you don’t have the original studio masters then this can be problematic, but sometimes, even when you do, really basic recordings don’t give even the best engineer much to work with, so consequently the recording quality jumps around all over the place. It’s not clear if this is home or studio captured originally – maybe a combination of both, but either way the sound quality doesn’t do the material enough justice. Now, I know many 80’s trailblazers managed quite well with piss-poor resources back in the day, but in reality in a crowded 21st Century marketplace where recording technology is available to anyone with a half decent computer it seems a real let down. Bizarrely, the older the material the better the recording quality is, even though the songs are not as strong, as those earliest songs have a much fatter sound.These boys have got what it takes in terms of tunes and delivery, but desperately need to put these old recordings to bed and start afresh. If these tracks had been given the chance of a fresh studio recording session, then this would have been a very different end product, although I appreciate that COVID may not have made that an option. When they do, they may just be unstoppable…
Line-Up:
Pau Correas - Vocals (2019-present) - See also: Crimson Storm, ex-Kill the Krait
Philip Graves - Vocals (2012-2019), Bass (2013-2016), Guitars (2016-present) - See also: Inverted Cross, ex-Streamer (live), ex-Wild Freedom (live), ex-Back to Rock, ex-Invasion
Javier Bono - Guitars (2013-present) - See also: Lewis and the Strange Magics, Pioneros CANO, ex-Back to Rock, ex-Leather Lash
Chris Carrest - Bass (2016-present) - See also: Inverted Cross, ex-Wild Freedom, ex-Sofire (live), ex-Back to Rock
Mark Striker - Drums (2013-present) - See also: Deldrac, Haunted Gods, ex-Edenkaiser, ex-Acronym, ex-Eddie Bayside's Tornado, ex-Nameless, ex-Old Railway, ex-RotteN
Tracklist:
01. Destroy What Destroys You 03:11
02. Sentenced to Kill 03:18
03. Burn Your Flag 04:45
04. The Beginning of Storm 04:27
05. Stronger than Ever 02:48
06. Destroy What Destroys You (2016 version) 03:09
07. Lost In The Streets 03:14
08. Lights Of Darkness 03:25
09. Witch 03:21
10. Fight The Rules OF Power 04:17
11. On The Edge Of War 05:32
12. Lights Of Darkness (2013 version) 03:29
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
