Red Tide - "Hybrid" (5 song demo, 1997)
Red Tide, out of Avon, CT, is a jazz influenced death band in
the style of Cynic - they mix melodic death riffs with clean
jazzy breaks. "Hybrid" is their second demo, containing three
new songs and two that were on 1995s "Expressions." The
songwriting is highly reminiscent of Cynic, using light jazzy
chords in between heavy arpeggiated melodic lines. The short
clean passages, usually two or three per song, provide a
colorful contrast to the heavy sections, but the main heavy
riffs in the first three songs all sound very similar. The
playing overall is quite good, although sloppy in a few spots.
The drums and bass sound crisp in the mix, and the vocals have
a smooth processed sound that fits the progressive style of the
music, but the clean and distorted guitar tones could be
spicier. The tape packaging has black and white cover art and a
small professional insert. On Side 1 of the tape, the left
stereo channel is 6-9 dB quieter than the right channel. I
E-mailed the band about this and they apologized - apparently
the duplicating company screwed up - but they did not offer me
any compensation.
This demo's major fault is that the songwriting is too
derivative of Cynic, but I can't decide if that is good or bad -
Cynic was a brilliant band. Red Tide is due to release a CD
this summer containing the five "Hybrid" songs and some new
material, which is supposed to be less jazz influenced and more
like standard death metal. If you like the Cynic style
jazz-metal mix, or you want to check out the new songs, get the
Red Tide CD so you avoid the screwed up sound levels on the
tape. -- Scott Andrews
Contact: Red Tide, PO Box 1434, Avon, CT, 06001, USA
Internet Home Page: http://www.blasphemour.com/redtide/
Note: This review is Copyright 1997 by Scott H. Andrews and
may not be reprinted or used in public, like posted on a home page, without
permission.
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scott andrews
sha3u@virginia.edu