Review: Red Sun Revival – 'Embers'

RED SUN REVIVAL
'Embers'
ECHOZONE

Marking the band's first release on Echozone, and the follow-up to their impressive début album 'Running From The Dawn', London-based gothic quartet Red Sun Revival unleash 'Embers'. This slick and punchy four-track EP covers all the bases for what a modern gothic rock band should be. It's dark, dreamy, bass-heavy and memorable, displaying great song writing and musicianship to boot.

The EP opens with the catchy lead-single, 'Mistakes', which fuses Eden House style violins with classic gothic guitars and bass underpinning Rob Leydon's gravely, Nephilim-esque vocal style. 'Broken' follows on with a more sinister atmosphere courtesy of some nice keyboards which counterpoint the jangling guitars nicely and gives the whole song a slight prog-rock slant. 'Surrender' opens up with some lovely piano for a near power-ballad effect for Leydon to channel his inner Leonard Cohen into for perhaps his finest vocal performance on the EP. The track list is the rounded off with the title track, which layers up the keyboard atmospheres and guitars for a slow and dream-like serenade of gothic opulence.

This is a wonderfully crafted album that is produced to a high standard befitting the strong songwriting it displays. It has a fresh and modern feel to it with a dreamy quality, not unlike the recent works of The Eden House, but maintaining the odd nod to classic bands such as Fields Of The Nephilim and The Mission.

'Embers' is a strong EP, but it is a shame that it is only four-tracks long and doesn't feature any remixes or alternative edits. This isn't a major issue really as the four songs are strong enough on their own to sell the EP, it's just that they're so good you can't help but want a little more.

If 'Embers' is a sign of things to come from Red Sun Revival, Echozone better be ready to push the band hard. Fans of guitar-driven gothic rock will want to keep tabs on this band, because if this is what they offer on an EP, it's safe to say their next full-length album will put them on the map.  

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