The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Fused Together in Revolving Doors
Artist: The Red Chord
Label: Robotic Empire Records
Release Date: 3/11/02

Rating: 4 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Equinox (5/1/02):
    The Northeast Metal Machine keeps on pumping out high-quality acts, and Boston's The Red Chord may be one of the best of all. Energetic, crushing and relentless in their assault, this band takes the most extreme aspects of death metal bands like Cryptopsy and Suffocation and blends this sound with the technicality of a Dillinger Escape Plan, the craziness of a Converge and the frenzy of a Pig Destroyer. As if all of this weren't enough, The Red Chord then add their own twisted ideas to the mix to produce a highly original and highly entertaining sound, not to mention a tremendous debut CD, Fused Together in Revolving Doors.

    The Red Chord possess a style that is hard to classify. They are definitely Metal, there can be no doubt about that, but they incorporate such a vast array of musical weapons that to simply label them as "Metal" would be an incomplete description. A better description would be MetalGrindDeathCore (well, maybe not a better description but at least a more accurate one). There are so many different things going on at once here, yet the band tears through style after style, riff after riff without skipping a beat. Death metal riffs, old-school HC parts, grind sections, technical passages; they are all here, coexisting without conflict. These songs have absolutely crushing breakdowns (check out "Dreaming In Dog Years" and "Like a Train Through a Pigeon" especially), but not in the classic, thuggy "metalcore" style, but rather more in the NY Death Metal mold. The guitar duo of Gunface and Kevin produces a maelstrom of ravaging and distinctly imaginative riffs and executes amazing time changes, adding to the very dynamic nature of the album. The crazy guitar squeals which inhabit this release make me smile every time I hear them, especially the tri-tone notes on "That Certain Special Ugly." (The broken wind-up toy squealing a demented "It's a Small World" before and after the track also generates a chuckle.) There are enough high-speed blast beats and superfast double bass eruptions here to feed a family of six, courtesy of sensational skinsman Mike. This guy plays with vigor and reckless abandon without sacrificing tightness and accuracy, and seems to always comes up with the wildest drumbeats possible. Not to be outdone, vocalist Guy has a scary set of lungs, and is probably part bear. Ranging from a deep Frank Mullen death growl to a high register Chris Barnes rasp to a frantic speaking tone, his varied delivery fits the insanity of the music perfectly.

    All of this chaos somehow fits together, one song flowing smoothly into another, song after song, beginning to end into one fantastic package. I still find myself shaking my head at every listen; it is hard to comprehend that this is the band's first effort. The Red Chord sound more polished here on their debut than the majority of "veteran" bands, and have an adventurous yet mature songwriting touch that most bands never achieve. It would be stating the obvious to say that this is one of the best debut albums I've ever heard... but this is one of the best debut albums I've ever heard. The Red Chord is truly a band that I can see metalheads, hardcore kids and grind fans alike embracing with zeal, more so than just about any band I can think of. I would say they are on their way to stardom, but with Fused Together in Revolving Doors, it appears that they have already arrived. Absolutely amazing.
    4 out of 5

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