Spain slowly seems to be building healthy domestic output – acts like Angelus Apatrida and Crisix garnering international respect / acclaim among others. Forming in 2022, RedFace is a four-piece outfit that combine aspects of groove/alternative metal into a melodic death framework for this debut album First Blood. The eight main songs contain low-tuned, crunchy riffs, pounding bass and drum work, plus vocals that incorporate everything from savage screams, mid-range roars/growls, as well as the occasional clean melodies to serve up a potent, varied attack.
Often the group can slip into interesting contrasts measure to measure – where immediate blasting soon gives way to a calmer, melodic death / groove section before the frenzied chaos returns as you’ll hear in the shapeshifting “Beneath Oblivion”, the progressive drumming from David Arduus provides extra earworms to the monumental musical foundation present. On the other hand, sinking into a low tuned groove crawl for the follow-up “Faithless” allows vocalist JavLess to execute some blood curdling screams beyond his brutal growls, where his influences from Lamb of God to the Deftones are evident – the swirling alternative chords next to jackhammer crunchy rhythms hypnotic in the aural landscape. Another steady influence throughout the record is the classic Slaughter of the Soul-era At the Gates, as “The Paradox of the Blind” and heads down “Trash From the Gods” illustrate. The occasional use of feedback intensifies subsequent passages, allowing certain arrangements to possess a bit more girth, where the guitar work can shift between multiple sub-genres or allow for vocals that aren’t totally predictable. Self-produced by the group with mixing/mastering duties handled by Alex Cappa at The Metal Factory Studios, there’s an in-your-face aspect to the sound that’s very hard to avoid and keeping things in a tight window at 35 minutes leaves you wanting more.
RedFace as a newer act has a solid framework to build upon through First Blood. There’s enough musicianship-oriented meat on the bones to appease those into melodic death metal, yet quality hooks and groove/alternative aspects to also catch those who want to expel energy in pits or stagedives when necessary. An act to certain keep tabs on.