RED

4.5, actually, but I wouldn't be willing to give it all five stars.

The Crims are now blowing the fuse on a record with a greater focus on metal than prog. If you really think about it, this record in the overall style sounds a bit like those that came out in '71-'72, even though the line-ups are different too. The only things that make the difference are the fact that "Red" is more guitar-driven, the tracks are better structured because they are built around riffs, and they are darker and gloomier in mood, particularly because the melodies are doomy and hardcore. This album is probably a must for every metal-head out there who hasn't heard this record yet.

Here is one more thing I want to add in this review. I noticed that lots of people on this website hate 'Providence'. I'd like to know why, but I would also like you to know why I like it. The way I see it is that the first half of the track allows the listener to take a break from all the noise one had experienced from the previous three tracks. I hear the violin and the percussion deliver a sentimental short story of a mouse followed by a thousand mice running away from a human killing spree against the rodents. I know that this may seem like an odd and funny concept. Then, Robert Fripp sends signals on his guitar, which is followed by an accompaniment from the entire band; "prepare to die, you little rascals." Again, that's just the way I see it. I'm just very tolerant of the first half, which is way better than the improvisation on 'Moonchild', and Bill Bruford with John Wetton really do justice to the second half with their rhythm attack.

But there is a song where there is a better attack than that, and this song would be 'Starless'. It features Fripp & Co. just freaking out in the second half of it after letting John Wetton sweeten things up with his vocal to the Mellotron in the first half. Even if this song does not have the madness that Genesis' 'The Musical Box' and the tracks on Yes' "Tales from Topographic Oceans" possess, it is actually cleverly structured and holds a kind of musical genuineness, particularly in melody. Thank you, Mr. Fripp. As a matter of fact, thank you all, boys.

Ratings/comments (if you have to ask):

1. 'Red' - ****

2. 'Fallen Angel' - ****

3. 'One More Red Nightmare' - ****

4. 'Providence' - ****

5. 'Starless' - *****

Stamp: "Highly recommended."