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It was in October 2012 when the British quartet Red Sun Revival who were formed a year before that astonished the whole gothic rock scene with their debut album Running From The Dawn and last year with a popular 4-track EP Embers. Their immaculate mix of traditional goth rock mixed with soothing atmospheres and substantial dose of melancholy was outstanding and received many positive critics from media and fans of the genre. Now the band returns with a new masterpiece entitled Identities which follows the style of the debut album but yet the band thrieved to make their sound even more original, unique, like it was already heard on the Embers EP, with even more melancholic atmosphere, depth and catchy melodies. Album was recorded by bands mastermind, vocalist and founder Rob Leydon while it was mixed and produced by Steve Carey (The Eden House). Identities is set for the official release on 19th June 2015 via Echozone/Resurrection Records and being just two weeks away from there the band has teamed with us and we are honoured to give you an exclusive pre-listening premiere of the beautiful track named "In Your Name" which you can hear in the Soundcloud player below. And that's not everything, Rob Leydon has written an exclusive 'song by song' commentary about each song featured on the upcoming album and explained the meaning of the concept behind it just for our readers. Identities is an album which shows in an intriguing way, from start to finish, that gothic rock is not a passé genre and it still can offer a lot if done with heart and soul, Red Sun Revival are an example.
Song by song commentary by: Rob Leydon
Edited by: T.V.
Band: Red Sun Revival
Album title: Identities
Release date: 19 June 2015
Label. Echozone/Ressurection Records
Tracklist:
01. Premonition
02. Echoes
03. Four Walls
04. The Reckoning
05. Fade In Time
06. In Your Name
07. Mistakes (Album Version)
08. The Condemned Part I
09. The Condemned Part II
10. The Awakening
1. Premonition
Identities is an album with some recurring themes and an underlying narrative that have influenced the way the lyrics were composed. The track list on the album reflects (with the exception of one song) the order in which the songs were written, so there’s a chronological sequence which tells a sort of story. This idea of linking the songs with common ideas wasn’t something that was planned from the outset; it was something that I decided to try after finishing the first song "Premonition", the opening piece on the album, which tells of a person who predicts disasters – a ‘prophet of doom’. This person always fears the worst, and despite warning others of impending destruction, is disbelieved and ridiculed. In writing these lyrics I wanted to tap into that sense of fearing the worst that many people feel from time to time, and then take that idea and apply it to some extreme circumstances in a much more exaggerated way. On completing "Premonition" I wondered if continuing with a delusional theme concerning altered consciousness might work, particularly if I took the everyday small-scale neuroses that many of us experience, and translate those into bigger and more troubling scenarios.
2. Echoes
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to encounter a younger version of myself - I’m sure I’m not alone in that thought. "Echoes", the second song on the album is about just that idea. In "Echoes", an older man meets a younger version of himself after suffering from amnesia. The protagonist has lost all sense of himself, of who he is, and meeting his younger self is like meeting a stranger, who he almost recognises. There’s a sort of realisation on some level I think, but that’s never fully revealed. I wanted to explore the idea of how we might perceive ourselves were we to have no prior knowledge of who we actually are.
3. Four Walls
With "Four Walls" I wanted to describe an intense feeling of isolation, a kind of voluntary imprisonment. In these lyrics, the experience of isolation is not entirely negative. The subject here is acutely fearful of the outside world, and lives in a protective bubble, devoid of reminders of the world outside. This isolation allows the subject to gain a sense of being the only person alive, or even a sense of being the only person ever to have existed. I was trying to consider what a complete ignorance of the existence of other people might feel like.
4. The Reckoning
"The Reckoning", which is a particular favourite for me on this album, attempts to take a snapshot of that moment between life and death. At what point does a person cease being alive and become dead? Is it a bit like approaching the event horizon of a black hole, before entering the singularity? I imagined that if our perception of time slowed on approach to death, then that infinitely small period of time between life and death might last an eternity. In the song, the person approaching this moment is forced to confront their conscience and answer to themselves for their poor decisions in life. It’s a kind of sci-fi alternative to meeting St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.
5. Fade In Time
I always loved that poem by Shelley, ‘Ozymandias’ which I remember learning at school when I was 11 years old. One line in particular stands out for me: “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” With "Fade In Time" I wanted to conjure up similar images of a long-forgotten empire, now crumbling and only occasionally revealed to those who search it out. I wondered about the inhabitants of such a civilisation, knowing that their great works were to be lost, that their names would be forgotten. I tried to imagine the thoughts they might have concerning their legacy, wondering if anyone would discover some trace of their once great monuments, like the crumbling façade of Ozymandias in the desert.
6. In Your Name
People do all sorts of things in the name of ideology, religion, strongly held views and so on. It’s almost as if they abandon their own will and place it in the hands of an idea. "In Your Name" tells the story of a person whose will is entirely subverted by another entity. This person is completely content to be a weapon in someone else’s hand, committing whatever extraordinary acts are required, like a puppet almost, who can’t even command their own limbs, depending entirely upon the instructions of some other consciousness, not altogether their own.
"Mistakes", which also featured in on our EP Embers (released in September 2014 - read a review over HERE - Ed.) is something of a departure from the theme of this album. I wanted very much to include it as I’d had some new ideas concerning the vocals and lyrics, and felt that a new version would work well in the context of Identities. I wanted to sing "Mistakes" in a different way, and one in which I felt reflected better the lyrical content of the song. I also wanted to include some new ideas, so there’s a vocal break near the end now that wasn’t there before. I think it works very well, and I’m really pleased with how this songs works with the other songs on this album.
Red Sun Revival line-up:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
