AlbumsNovember 29, 201118,433 views

The Red Chord Clients


01. Fixation On Plastics 02. Lay The Tarp 03. Black Santa 04. Antman 05. Clients 06. Upper Decker 07. Hospice Residence 08. Dragon Wagon 09. Love On The Concrete 10. Blue Line Cretin 11. He Was Dead When I Got There
2005 Metal Blade Records
Our score 7

5/19/2005

Several years after their popular debut, Fused Together In Revolving Doors, The Red Chord return with their highly anticipated sophomore release, Clients. Much has changed since their Robotic Empire days. The five-piece now has the backing of a much larger label in Metal Blade Records, and has had some personnel changes, most notably behind the drum-kit, with ex-Origin member John Longstreth (now departed). The results are impressive—a very clear and crisp recording, and percussion that's solid and precise. Add Guy Kozowyk's vocals, which seem to have lowered a step and become even fuller, and you've got a pretty heavy record. But the initial 'wow' factor of the overly slick production and heaviness doesn’t last long. Musically, The Red Chord don't deviate far from their last album. The unit still churns out an amalgam of hardcore, metal, metalcore, death metal and grind, with all the rhythmic shifts, breakdowns, and guitar squeals that fans of the quintet should be familiar with. The opening track, "Fixation On Plastics," is a perfect example of the group's versatility. Indeed, "Fixation," as well as songs such as "Black Santa," "Clients," and "Upper Decker" is where The Red Chord excels the most, thanks to its fast chaotic frenzy of noisy grind-metal, with hardcore and metalcore riffs/passages scattered within to serve as a contrast. Conversely, when the hardcore/metalcore element is more prevalent, such as in "Lay The Tarp," "Antman," or "Love On The Concrete," and the tempo begins to drag, I found my attention waning. Maybe it's personal preference, but the latter group of songs listed are just not strong nor memorable enough when compared to the former group. From a technical standpoint, the unit definitely has the chops to play interesting and technical metal. The guitars are sharp and in line with the percussion, even during the fast grinding moments. As mentioned before, the production values are quite clean and impressive. Bottom Line: Overall, a good effort by The Red Chord. The primary detractor of Clients is song quality and consistency. Luckily, while some songs are average and may cause your attention to wane or want to skip ahead, the quality tracks that do hold your attention and exhibit the quintet's strengths are quite impressive. The Red Chord have never sounded cleaner and heavier, and their cross-genre sound should continue to appeal to the general audience of 'extreme music.'

65 comments

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5/19/2005 9:06:31 AM

I agree completely. hard to follow their debut.

ghetto_paul_ 5/19/2005 9:13:19 AM

"Musically, The Red Chord doesn't deviate far from its last album." exactly... leave it to the man in charge to set the record straight. all the idiots saying "this album sucks compared to Fused" are just talking out their asses. if you liked Fused, you'll like Clients.

5/19/2005 9:45:56 AM

the man in charge?

JB_ 5/19/2005 10:49:40 AM

This record is great! Even better than their previous effort.

ShaolinLambKiller_ 5/19/2005 11:31:46 AM

I am a fruitcake. I like boys. The little ones.

albinomim_ 5/19/2005 11:38:10 AM

holy grammatical errors.

hxcobd_ 5/19/2005 11:40:01 AM

THIS BAND GHEY

horsecow162_ 5/19/2005 12:13:08 PM

what paul said.

anonymous 5/19/2005 12:21:11 PM

conicidentally, "fixation on plastics" is one of the best tracks on the record and has been being played since they released "fused together in revolving doors" same with "upper decker" which i heard played live well over a year and a half ago. it seems the best songs are the ones written closer to when "fused" was released. Clients is a solid album, but in all honesty, nothing in this world will ever top "fused together in revoloving doors.

x Mile High x_ 5/19/2005 12:37:55 PM

Amazing album - definitely one of the year's best so far. I agree with the review on many points, but I for one enjoy the emphasis on more mid-tempo riffs. I think on the whole it's helped The Red Chord's cohesiveness. The production is top-notch, and the album concept, artwork, and lyrics fit together very nicely - they help focus the artistic goal of the record. In other word, they haven't changed much, but the minor changes they've made to their sound are all positive. I find it

nowicks_hxc_ 5/19/2005 12:55:07 PM

if this albumn was released be a no name band that had no hype, the albumn would have easily gotten an 8 or 9

sftp767_ 5/19/2005 1:29:06 PM

the lyrics are great

Jay_ 5/19/2005 1:48:18 PM

this CD is so awsome it made me pee myself. If you don't like this CD I hope your balls explode out of your ball sack, or if your a girl, you get brest cancer. The red chord are soo awsome, they should kick everyone in the face at least once. When I listened to this CD for the first time I did 5 backflips in a row.

Asda_ 5/19/2005 1:49:37 PM

Also, why would your bring up a Line up change that doesn't really matter? It seems Mr. Goat is trying to get scene points by jumping on John Longstreths jock, and not mentioning the fully capable drummer they recorded the album with/are touring with. What a gay.

anonymous 5/19/2005 2:03:13 PM

Also, regarding the line up change he says "with percussion that's solid and precise," like the last drummer wasn't?

The REAL Bob Rock_ 5/19/2005 3:07:24 PM

God almighty, I just knew you f*cking morons would be in here, pissing and whining like retarded babies. I give up on you people.

BURZUM_ 5/19/2005 3:17:04 PM

I like the record quite a bit mabye aside from the more "metalcore moments", but the one thing i think that makes it suck a little is the "talking parts". i f*cking hate when people feel the need to talk/or sing badly in the middle of a song. they only place i want to hear some banter is on a Deadguy or Patton record, other than that zip it!! The layout is pretty nicely done ala Ramano, i like the strange use of gaudy wallpaper colors etc...

anonymous 5/19/2005 3:24:42 PM

mentioning the drummer changes is compeltely relevant. if you dont see why, then im not gonna bother explaining it to you. the only problem this record has is that it will never be FTIRD

ThroatChop_ 5/19/2005 3:45:46 PM

this album BLOWS!!! this band is so boring and everyone on lambgoat sucks them off.

Drewcifer_ 5/19/2005 4:15:17 PM

mediocre at best. go to metalreview.com for more info...

ThenIStabbedHim_ 5/19/2005 5:21:58 PM

*Brutal music

Mandatory_ 5/19/2005 6:43:25 PM

Drewcifer - that review doesn't really paint the album out to be mediocre. In fact, it seems pretty good, except that you seem to prefer a totally different style of songwriting. That's fine - have your stylistic differences, but at least offer something a little more helpful as to what you dislike, as it might be inconsequential to others listening to the record. I think the album is great, and I'll be listening to it well into the future. It's better than everything metalcore, and more acc

cydrx_ 5/19/2005 7:06:31 PM

stupid art work

thegoddamnawesome_ 5/19/2005 7:27:56 PM

i agree with this review.

perfectpatientADHDkid_ 5/19/2005 11:10:10 PM

this album is shiity compared to Fused Together in Revolving Doors and the Red Chord should feel f*cking ashamed damnit!

Better than Whites_ 5/19/2005 11:53:41 PM

You're shitty compared to The Red Chord, and you are obviously an idiot for not liking this album.

Tim_ 5/20/2005 2:52:42 AM

"Clients" is so brutal and heavy. Definitely going be in the top 10 releases of this year.

thereapersson_ 5/20/2005 5:33:39 AM

Jeez, some of the comments on here are downright hilarious. At least it's garden-variety lambgoat moronic behavior. Pretty decent review, although I don't really agree with the whole tempo change line. He did keep it short yet to the point, however. As for that metalreview.com comment, I don't know where that guy gets mediocre from but that shit seems far from it. Overall i'd give this a 8.5 out of 10 because while the detractors and naysayers bring up the point that it doesn't match FTIRD in

thereapersson_ 5/20/2005 5:36:57 AM

And another thing, i'd also disagree with "...the initial 'wow' factor of the overly slick production and heaviness doesn’t last long." I've listened to this record almost 20 times in the past 2 days and it never grows old. Maybe it is just personal preference...

DBrad_ 5/20/2005 10:00:17 AM

I agree that it doesn't wear off - I can't stop listening to this album. I actually like it more than Fused because I think it makes more sense from an artistic standpoint; it's definitely more cohesive. I think anyone looking for Fused part II will obviously be disappointed because they've grown as songwriters and as artists. Making the same album over and over works great for AC/DC, but does anyone really want The Red Chord to be like AC/DC? I mean, innovation is part of what makes them su

under x the x sun_ 5/20/2005 11:17:41 AM

I actually think this album sounds a lot like Fused Together, only the music is a lot tighter and the vocals are much better. Also, I can't believe nobody has mentioned the brutal backup vocals on five tracks by Nate Johnson from Deadwater Drowning/Premonitons of War, and the sick trumpet part played by Forbes Graham from Kayo Dot/xThoughtstreamsx. They both definitely add a whole new dimension to the tracks on this record.

nah_ 5/20/2005 3:01:58 PM

you all sweat the red chord's balls. this album is okay. mediocre, yeah, but okay. I give up on lambgoat.

truthsayer_ 5/20/2005 3:35:48 PM

Sounds like someone is upset his shit's not getting jocked like the The Red Chord.

9years_ 5/20/2005 3:42:36 PM

f*cking great album, shit video...not sure why they wouldn't do something better to fit the brutal music. anyway...definitely a badass release. up there with the best this year.

anonymous 5/20/2005 4:50:34 PM

to be completely honest, ive listened to the record about 10 times now, and i still cant even tell where nate is laying down his vocals. it all sounds the same to me.

Alex_ 5/20/2005 5:43:31 PM

i think both records are equally par. That's just me. They both have complexity, agression, talent, and energy.

Behran_ 5/21/2005 3:29:28 AM

Brad Fickeison is the drummer on this album and he did an amazing job. However, I do think that Mike Justain would have sounded tighter than people think he would if the production was this good for ftird...but the drumming is awesome here and it's a shame that longstreth is getting credit in a review on such a major site when he didn't play a damn lick on it anyhow...I love this album and have expended too much of my time on this

Stengah_ 5/21/2005 3:44:30 PM

good album

perfectpatientADHDkid_ 5/21/2005 6:49:45 PM

the cover looks like they were trying to do a cheezy rip off of some pic off or ogrish.com

qwcv_ 5/21/2005 7:11:44 PM

yeah, because, you know, they designed the album cover themselves, and didn't havea hired hand do it

frenetic_amnesic_ 5/22/2005 12:02:52 PM

i'm glad most of you gays that post in the review comments don't post on the board.

xacdx_ 5/22/2005 2:01:27 PM

Yeah, because I'd really like to sit around all day calling everything and everyone a "gayg0t" or a "n00b," talking about how everything sucks, and learning to follow the herd instead of forming my own opinions of albums.

yourstupiud_ 5/22/2005 4:36:01 PM

Yeah, I would rather jump on the "i'm so cool because I think I form my own opinion, but rather I just like to think I am so unique as I hide the fact that I am just as trendy as the next jerk". OH MY GOD! A BUNCH OF PEOPLE LIKE A CD! THEY MUST BE TRENDY!..f*ck outta here with that shit.

your vs you're_ 5/22/2005 6:26:38 PM

Learn the difference, idiot.

Mike_ 5/22/2005 6:45:15 PM

this album rocks, get bent.

OMG_ 5/22/2005 8:19:38 PM

OMG HE MADE ME LOOK LIKE AN jerk, SO I'LL PICK APART HIS GRAMMER, BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO THEN SIT ONLINE AND SUCK gayS ON LAMBGOATS dck

messageboardpieceofshit_ 5/23/2005 12:36:13 AM

Quit spending your life on a message board talking shit - learn how to write, and get your shit together. Music is meant to be listened to, enjoyed, etc - if you don't like it, think of something constructive to say so that other people who wouldn't like it will know not it's probably not for them. Basically, you and 90% of the people on the lambgoat mb just talk shit and act like ignorant, worthless pieces of shit with nothing better to do with your lives. You're 22 - grow up, learn to be a

under x the x sun_ 5/23/2005 10:42:55 AM

dare i say...PWNED!?

anonymous 5/23/2005 1:43:41 PM

It's cause Nate and Guy are the same person.

What?_ 5/23/2005 2:10:07 PM

What??

The REAL Bob Rock_ 5/23/2005 3:19:09 PM

Morons.

Lukecubed_ 5/24/2005 10:03:49 AM

Those who can do, those who can't talk shit on Lambgoat. I haven't heard this album but I love all the worthless scenesters who will never do or accomplish anything worthwhile with their life talking shit about people putting themselves out there creatively, whether it works as an album or not. The internet has convinced a whole lot of losers that their opinions actually matter. If you don't like it than shut the f*ck up and do better, crybabies.

d_ 5/26/2005 3:11:41 AM

Im pretty sure you can't be a talented if you just ripoff bands that have paved the way for yoru fame.

WOWOMGWTFBBQ_ 5/26/2005 8:33:32 AM

I'm pretty sure you're a jackass who doesn't know what they're talking about.

xpissangelx_ 5/26/2005 9:03:47 PM

my favorite track is lay the tarp, best circle pit riff ever

anonymous 5/30/2005 12:30:30 AM

pppppppooooooooooooooooooooopppppppppppp

forbes_ 6/3/2005 1:57:09 PM

thanks for enjoying my trumpet playing on the album. i need to get myself a copy... www.polyrhythmatics.net

dustinoverload_ 6/6/2005 4:24:04 PM

i saw the red chord a few weeks ago with a life once lost and let me just say they were incredibly tight. this cd isn't too bad.

John_ 10/28/2005 9:14:18 PM

heavy as hell, reminds me of a mix between Zao and Trivium, throw in alittle AILD and some riffs from converge and you got it

John_ 10/28/2005 9:16:37 PM

actually im gonna pop it in right now.... :,,,: (T_T) :,,,:

anonymous 12/31/2005 12:12:25 AM

its not as good as fused together in revolving doors but still pretty good

sensoryamusia_ 1/17/2006 2:49:19 PM

hahahahahahahahahahahaha this place has more retards than myspace.hahahahahahahahahahahahaha anyonone who shit talks s a scene kid.

anonymous 1/12/2007 3:55:46 PM

Bands good but gets really boring

Dillon_ 2/13/2007 3:42:45 AM

anyone who disses The Red Chord will be murdered by me. SHUT THE f*ck UP, you don't make music, you don't talk shit

Red line Cretin_ 6/21/2007 11:50:00 AM

Hey all you gays get off your high horses. because were all Clients. And this album f*cking hurts soooooo good.