First impressions can be deceptive. When you listen to the first track
from this album, you will hear powerful metal with a military touch to it. Militant music.
However, don't think the rest of the album is more of the same. Red Fist Revolution (RFR)
has much more to offer. RFR is the brain child of Ben Stewart from Conspiracy Of Thought.
This solo outing is an eclectic album with a lot of different influences and styles. Heavy
rock may be considered to be the main ingredient. Besides metal you can hear electronic,
rap, pop and dance elements, and there are acoustic songs. It clearly shows how versatile
Stewart is. He wrote the songs, arranged them, produced the album and performed the songs.
He got assistance only in minor aspects: background vocals and keyboard/piano playing.
Making
an album with these different elements is not an easy task, but the production makes it
work. This has partly to do with Ben Stewart himself, as his singing abilities fit the
various styles. He sings with raw passion as easily as he does gentler styles. It works
also as most songs have certain similarities. Even the heavy, more metal oriented tracks
have elements in them from the softer tracks (like the use of piano), and vice versa. So,
the styles vary, but the sound is the same. Metal purists should therefore stay away from
this album.
Production wise this CD is appealing as well, with catchy choruses and evolving sounds.
For example, Drowning Again is filled with lyrical repetition, but the music evolves
through the song from simple to more complex, creating a climax near the end. The variety
Red Fist Revolution has in store will not please every listener, but an open minded rock,
metal and pop enthusiast will find a lot to keep him occupied. Some tracks scream for
repeated listening, and would do great on radio.
Watch this video, with a portion of the opening track Down In The Valley: