CoC : Red Tide - Vicious Circle : Review

Red Tide - _Vicious Circle_
(Independent, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)

Since I received this advance cassette, their forthcoming CD has undergone a name change (to _Themes of the Cosmic Consciousness_), been delayed until September, 1997, and will be released independently, due to problems with their label's management. The track listing may change somewhat as well, but I'll go ahead and review this anyway, since I'm only missing a track or two at most. Their latest offering consists of three tracks off of _Hybrid_ (see CoC #21), and some new tracks. Their sound hasn't changed radically from their last demo, but the newer songs are heavier, more aggressive, and more straightforward than their previous ones. That's not totally unexpected, given the changes in their style from _Expressions_ (see CoC #3) to _Hybrid_. Each of the new songs contains a jazz break, a technique which they use frequently. The new songs also show more typical hardcore vocal traits (including some clean vocals that sound eerily like the guy from Life of Agony) as well as some more typical metal traits, such as slow, plodding, heavy death metal parts, and straightahead thrash riffs. Overall, I find this release enjoyable, but my main complaint still focuses on the guitar solos, which still seem to meander a bit too much. Fans of their previous material should definitely pick this up.

Contact: Red Tide, P.O. Box 1434, Avon, CT, 06001, USA

(article published 12/8/1997)

DEMOS
6/7/1997	B Meloon	4	Red Tide - Hybrid
10/1/1995	B Meloon		Red Tide - Expressions