She Burns Red have been on our radar for a ridiculous number of years now. Having been six years between the twice I’ve seen them – most recently at SOS Fest in July, the leaps and bounds they’ve made since the first time is something other bands should envy. And they weren’t exactly naff to begin with. Like many bands, the last few years haven’t been kind; after struggles for mainstays James McCulloch (vocals/bass) and Andy Moore (vocals/guitar) and a few line-up changes later, She Burns Red are finally here with their debut album.
Out of Darkness is an album which takes no prisoners, sonically or lyrically. Hard rock mixes with alternative and a splash of punk to separate them from the rest of the current UK scene. Indeed, it rushes out of the gate with “Touch”, teeth bared and spit flying, setting the scene for the rest of the album. It’s gritty, fast-paced, built for a live audience to join in and most importantly, it’s done well. As first impressions go, they’ve couldn’t have picked a better opener. Riffs from Moore and Naz Scanferlato maintain a breakneck pace with the rhythm section to ensure your attention is caught and maintained. As they twist around each other, it’s never a case of them trying to out-do each other but rather support each other and the song as a whole.
What becomes apparent after a single listen is this isn’t a band who deals in ballads. There’s a slower number at the rough halfway mark in “Run” but it’s hardly slushy territory akin to Bon Jovi. It’s still got a fair bit of heft to it as it channels mid-tempo Foo Fighters or Shinedown back at the height of their powers (The Sound of Madness or Amaryllis), the circuit of the main riff sounding like it could have come straight from the late 00s/early 10s and featured on a radio station which rhymes with “bang” around that same time.
Meanwhile, “Stronger” dips its feet into metal territory with its intro chugging along in bursts. With raspy vocals and just a hint of percussion, there’s a sinister feel to it before it opens up into its hard rock fare. However, the metal edge makes a return in the guitar solo which feels like it could have come from any number of household name metal guitarists. But despite this, as a whole, the song comes together to sound cohesive and fluid.
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Even on the album’s tamer moments like “Crosshairs” and “Crack the Sky”, the band are determined to write catchy songs. The inclusion and re-recording of the former doesn’t come across as cheating to make up the numbers to hit the album quota and it’s the band’s chance to really embrace their punky side. Covered in a layer of pop, it isn’t quite sugary-sweet enough to give you cavities but in the context of the album, it’s melodically the brightest number of the bunch. But the sharp punk riffs on offer and the dark lyrics allow it to fit in nicely with the more aggressive tones in the rest of the album. The afore-mentioned “Crack the Sky” sees the band toy with a post-grunge flavour and again evokes hints of Shinedown with its interstitial vocals on the verses against the main runs.
Where the band shine brightest is when they balance light and shade together on one song like “Rise and Fall” which builds from an inconspicuous rocker into something even more fast and furious in the chorus. More deliberate and stoic in the verses, it shows the two sides of the band and how they’re able to transition seamlessly and clearly know how to craft a song. Conversely, closing song “Out of Darkness” begins with its own boisterous intro as a great bookend to the album’s opener, attacking with a wall of sound, dynamic and cinematic before dropping a gear for the vocals to kick in.
Out of Darkness is the kind of album that makes me wish I’d followed this band’s exploits far more closely up to this point. There’s a sense of catharsis running through the music and a band that have knitted together so well. Drums from Scott Hanlon are big and bombastic, showing off a more aggressive slant compared to his time with Anchor Lane and whilst he was a great fit there, it feels like he’s found his niche here. Both sets of vocals serve each song well and likewise, the guitars make for a full-blooded hard rock sound which pulls from other subgenres to allow the band to have their own identity rather than following current trends which can allow them to appear on various bills be it rock, metal, punk, grunge or alternative. Full of lyrics that people can find themselves in, the band display a rare sensitivity and authenticity which is severely lacking in other bands. There’s definitely a soft acoustic number sitting within them and if they’d included it on this album, it would only benefit what is already a great album even further.
As a recording entity, they’re clearly solid and likewise, they know how to deliver the goods in the live environment which will continue to endear them to new fans with their live commitments. Having just sold out their first Glasgow headline show for the launch of the album and a tour with South of Salem in a few weeks, both off the back of the momentum they’ve been building for the past few years, this is an album which is only going to give them a boost in the right direction. Whilst being aware of their activities, She Burns Red had my curiosity but with this album, they’ve got my attention.
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Header image by Matt Elliss
Out of Darkness is released on 15th September
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