Rating: ***1/2
Blake Red is an alternative rock act based in Chicago, IL.
The group has been garnering a lot of heat on the alt-rock radio charts throughout the country based on the success of the lead single "Follow Me" that became kind of an underground hit.
On the EP titled "The Cradle," we are promised amazing riffs and powerful rock vocals and that's the kind of thing that makes me excited to review something. We have been covering the heck out of electronic music and singer-songwriter stuff here but it's been a hot minute since we got to dig into some rock. I'm stoked about it.
I'm gonna put my brand new Behringer headphones on and get ready to rock out a little. I'll report back after the jump.
Watch the music video for "Follow Me" below:
We get things started with the title track "The Cradle" and it's a blistering radio rock jam that harkens back to when bands like Evanescence were in heavy rotation. The vocals are strong and the melody line is catchy. It also features a great bridge and a blistering guitar solo. Good stuff to get us going. "The Reincarnation" is a bit of a letdown after the first track but it still gets the job done, even if I was expecting a short EP to lack something that comes off like a filler track. Things pick back up with "The Darkness", a track that seems underproduced on purpose which makes for a real DIY feel that makes the track seem more earnest somehow. This is a really great track and probably my favorite one lyrically. The EP closes on the hit single "Follow Me" and it's a hit for a reason. This one is dope from the first riff. An excellent track to close the EP on and an even better choice for the lead single. 3 out of 4 of these tracks were really strong and I'll take that ratio every time.
