My first listen to Scarlet Red's Don't Dance With Danger unexpectedly impressed me. "Whoa dude, that singer, Danis, sounds a lot like Margaret Becker," I thought, "especially in the lower registers." A subsequent listen to a Becker disc only showed how errant that early comparison had been. Danis shows little of Margaret's power, phrasing, and maturity, and she sometimes expects too much of her voice on the high notes. Still, that first impression sure ain't bad, particularly for a woman singer in Christian metal.
Scarlet Red's debut album reveals a band at the same stage as many of the Cal Metal bands: A handful of good songs; a world of potential; but neither the experience nor the chops to push them into the top echelons of the metal world. Guitarist Curtis Lee displays a penchant for hooky, catchy rhythms on songs like "You Live Fast", "Cry Out", and "Lost And Found". While his leads are tasty, making good use of the whammy bar, they're not yet the stuff of which guitar heroes are made.
Scarlet Red sometimes attempt Stryperesque chug-cord pop-rockers. One of these is "Never", complete with an a capella vocal harmony intro that just doesn't cut it, probably because production short-comings don't blend the voices adequately. The two ballads, "Knock Down The Walls" and "Why" are not among the strongest songs. The former's arrangement sounds contrived, while the latter leaves the listener asking "why?" with only an uncredited keyboard accompanying Danis' voice.
It should please you to know that Don't Dance With Danger's bright spots are its rockers. "Fight Fire", by bassist Jeff Warner, is among the best. "You Live Fast", "Lost And Found" and "Break The Chains" are some of the other rockin' songs. "Break The Chains" features mock-newscast mid-song, starring some of the Refuge Records head honchos. Lyrics are mostly mainstream, but they are Christ-centered, evangelistic, encouraging, and flow well together. "Hold On To Love" is the most creative lyric, telling the story of a girl who gets taken to church and finds Jesus instead of a boyfriend. "And so we sat down in the back row/ They started singing hymns of praise/ I'm not so sure just how it happened/ But I was changed for good that day."
Scarlet Red initially impressed me, let me down a little on closer listen, and now, I can appreciate 'em. They're gonna get better and better, so watch out Lita Ford.