Album Review: Red Bee - Silent Enemy

Blue Mountains-based three-piece Red Bee are a true enigma: they juxtapose raucous, larrikin-heavy Aussie pub rock with uber-ballsy thrash and the time-warping grooves and feels of progressive rock. On paper, it sounds like it shouldn't work for a second, but it does, and does so with panache.

Silent Enemy finds them adding yet another highly enjoyable string to their collective musical bow, too, a new-found sense of soaring melody. Late album tracks Autumn Blood Horizon and Forever, for example, slam you between the eyes with their bludgeoning heaviness, make your head spin from their supreme levels of dynamic progressiveness and musicianship, and have you thrusting your fist skyward to their melodic anthemic qualities. The title track would have hit single written all over it if Australian radio actually gave new music like this a crack.

It's a heady mix, that must be experienced to be fully comprehended.

Silent Enemy proves, yet again, that Australia is a world leader in the progressive and alternative heavy rock and metal arena, and that Red Bee are one of the true shining lights of this scene.