lisa pikaard reviews the hard rockers new ep…
Is it really worth reviewing a four song record? Since I’m talking about Candlelight Red’s new EP, Demons, it absolutely deserves the recognition. This EP is both tantalizing and torturous because, when it’s over, all I want is more.
Demons is a powerful hard rock followup to Candlelight Red’s album from Imagen Records, The Wreckage. After garnering a solid buzz thanks to that record, Candlelight Red has earned a spot on the 2012 Uproar Festival. In the eve of that tour, the band released the EP’s title-track “Demons,” a song that doesn’t just talk about personal struggles, but it attacks and destroys them. The track kicks off with one of the most solid percussive sounds I’ve heard in a long while thanks to drummer, Brian Dugan. This is a serious rock, high energy song that is slowly working it’s way into rotation across the country.
Dugan, however, is not the only one that shines on the EP. Ryan Hoke, lead vocalist, not only bangs out the melodies perfectly, but he also has a haunting, ethereal tone that can hook a listener right in, especially on the track “Sleeping Awake.” This song portrays a different emotion and sound than one would expect with such a band and they do it beautifully. “Cutter,” the second track on the EP, on the other hand, follows in the hard-hitting rock vibe that Candlelight Red continues to excel at. “Lifeless” is a perfect blend of the mellow and the serious rock and roll that the band often plays.
There is one person who deserves major props for this EP as well, the EP’s producer, Morgan Rose, drummer of Sevendust. Demons is such a well-rounded, solid effort. Overall, Candlelight Red has released an EP that exudes power, energy, ferocity, and talent. Demons has but one flaw; it ends far too soon.
