Red Sun Rising Nails Some Raw Emotions

Red Sun Rising has a thing for the newly dead. How can I claim that? Check out the lyrics to the deceptively named "Emotionless" and all will become clear. Nice bonus that the beginning of the song isn't remotely the sum total. I'm saying that, unlike certain movie trailers, the song's ethos isn't given away totally by what you hear in the first minute. And what unique guitar playing by Ryan Williams at the bridge. Guitar assumes center stage in most rock ensembles. Ryan gives us material to feast on that refuses to make macho posturing its bread and butter. Mike Protich sears a hole in your guts with his haunting style. Are you really sure you want this man hovering in the shadows? The first two lines alone would be enough to send a sensitive 12 year-old to a therapist until he's 80. "With lips closed and eyes sealed you're sculpture with a pulse." Charming sentiment indeed. He moves right along to "I wanna capture your essence and keep it here forever little one." Major league palpitations connected to that suggestion. He claims to feel good about his victim not telling anyone. As for the chorus well...possibly you'd want to sleep with the lights on. "You'll just lie motionless, emotionless. You're beautiful asleep." The musicianship busts out all over. The guitar work penetrates deep down into your marrow. Pat Gerasia drums with a echo of authority. Ricky Miller belts out the discordant delight on bass. "Emotionless" already has the nightmare fodder market cornered. And what's the cherry on this sick sundae? The line "Cause you're falling apart at your seams. Time to hand me the barf bag cause that's high on the TMI scale. Red Sun Rising does know how to capture a boy's attention. This bunch goes from scaled back to powerful dagger to the heart in the same breath. You think Dave McGarry's rhythm guitar is going to steal the show but then "Emotionless" bears its cannibal fangs. The guitar grows raw and unnervingly vicious. At last an octane level to go with the dirge like subject matter. I was actually fooled into thinking the opening salvo was the chord sequence I was going to be listening to throughout. Turns out Red Sun Rising had other ideas, meaty pleasurable ideas. Would you expect anything less from an album titled "Polyester Zeal"? I think not. "Emotionless" gleefully goes for the jugular in a manner few recent songs could match. Can Mike still live with himself having been associated with this Tales From The Crypt shiver inducer? Methinks so. After it sinks its tentacles into your craw you'll have no chance of getting them out again. Everything bites down hard, and that makes for a compelling listen over and over again. The fusing of theme and amplification means this train wreck is a disaster you'll want to relive repeatedly because you can't believe what you're witnessing. In short "Emotionless" hammers away at the vulnerable emotions until they're bloody stumps. This is worth the sweat and concentration required to swallow it whole.