Red Eleven are back with album number three, Collect Your Scars, and it more or less picks up from where their last offering (Round II) left off.
Collect Your Scars is good in the sense that Red Eleven know their strengths and put them to good use on the album. The vocals are powerful and striking, delivering lines that will inevitably make you want to sing along to them, and the instrumentation has a wonderfully full sound to it, featuring plenty of fantastic guitar solos and a very punchy drumline that serves as a tremendous driving force behind the music. Additionally, the production values of the album are fantastic- everything sounds very crisp and clear, and the balance between the instruments is just right.
However, Collect Your Scars just feels like it could be better. It feels almost like a rehash of their previous two releases and there isn’t much variety from song to song. Of course, the music isn’t dreadful and won’t leave you recoiling in disgust, but on the other hand there’s not really enough in the songs to keep you interested from start to finish. It’s one of those releases you can dip in and out of without missing out on a great deal.
As a whole, this is an album that leaves you wanting more – and not necessarily in a good way. Nevertheless it’s definitely worth a listen, but don’t go in expecting any surprises.
6/10
