This review covers the punk rock track Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Face Down.
This track was released in 2006 on the album Don’t You Fake It.
The track starts off with a drum kit. A guitar joins the track with a shred. The vocals then come in for a verse.
From there, the guitars become more full as the vocals take the track into the main chorus. A brief instrumental section caps off the section.
After that, the vocals return for a verse. A series of hits on the drum kit helps transitions the track into the main chorus again. The vocals then extend the main chorus as the track more or less slows down in tempo. The vocals cap this section off with a brief scream section.
At that point, the vocals take the track back into the main chorus again. Again, the main chorus is extended. After that, the vocals lead the track out.
The first thing that jumps out at me is the lyrics. They do touch on a pretty serious topic of domestic abuse. That alone really helps elevate this track especially with the way the topic is handled. It ultimately eliminates all possibility that this is just another random throw-away track.
A second thing that stands out to me is the guitars. Not only do they give this track a nice presence, but they also offer some nice melodies throughout.
Thirdly, the vocals have some pretty solid vocals. While some people may not like the idea of screaming in this track (I myself think just random screaming cheapens the track), I thought this track handles this very well. In addition, I thought it gave the track a nice sense of variety.
My only real nitpick with this track is that I thought a guitar solo somewhere in there could have benefited this track. While the guitars are well done, a solo of some sort might have elevated this track that much further.
Overall, I think this is a great track all around. It does a sensitive topic justice through the lyrics and the vocals work quite well. The guitars sound great, though a solo might have been even better. Still, I think this is a great track all around that is worth listening to.
Overall
8/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
