Red Flag - Codebreaker T133

Eternal Flame
Shadow Warrior
Unbreakable
Never Leave
Reign Down On Me
Hard Times For Dreamers
Electromachine
Made For Love
Fallen Angel
Burning Man
Talk About The Future
Codebreaker T133

This album originated, according to Red Flag themselves, out of a perceived less than thrilled reaction to the previous album "The Bitter End" and it's supposed lack of songs that were easy to dance to. So the band decided to make a album where each song was set to a Dance tempo. Specifically, at 133 Beats Per Minute - This being a average of the tempo of some of the more popular "Futurepop" music.

The album itself seems to be a interesting contrast between some songs intricately detailed and constructed to maximize the dancefloor appeal of the songs, and some seeming as if they were much more rushed and not as refined. Tracks such as "Shadow Warrior", "Eternal Flame", "Fallen Angel" and "Never Leave" seem to have been written some time ago and refined and honed until they became really, really memorable dance tracks, both catchy and yet with a underlying depth in the lyrics. However, "Electromachine", "Reign Down On Me" and "Burning Man" seem almost written as stream-of-consciousness songs. Not quite as intricate, they each almost seem as if they were written and recorded all in one short span.

I'm not saying those tracks are bad songs, they just don't seem to have been labored over as much as the others. The only track here that I think doesn't really fit the heightened tempo is "Hard Time For Dreamers". While musically it's a awesome song, in reading over the lyrics and listening to it, it seems to have been originally conceived as a somewhat slower song, but then was sped up to fit into this album's concept.

"Unbreakable" has proved slightly controversial, as according to Red Flag its "133 BPM... at 1/2 time." Regardless of whether you want to belabor that point or not, it's still a excellent song. I'm glad RF didn't try to boost the tempo on this one just to fit in, as I don't think it'd work nearly as well as a faster tempo-d song.

One thing to note: The title of this album is not accidental. There Is a code. There is a reward. :)

Overall, I think you have to take this for what it was intentioned to be: a album of more dance-oriented material to satisfy the fans, yet still with Red Flag's dark imagery and atmospheres. There are instances where the frequent vocal distortion used does start to bother me somewhat, but It's not bad enough to really annoy me. For those who longed for Red Flag to return to a more danceable style, you'll love this album. And for those who cherished the darker, more contemplative side of Red Flag that has emerged since the release of "The Eagle And Child", there are still those elements there. All in all, this is a album born out of a desire to please their fans. It will succeed in doing so, I think.

Added:  Sunday, January 05, 2003
Reviewer:  Jason Baker
Score:
Related web link:  Official Website
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Language: eng