Red I Flight's Victory Records debut The Years is another quality iteration of the metalcore genre. Red I Flight displays good song writing ability by combining musical elements from all over the metal music map. Many bands have tried to go the same route, and have failed miserably. Despite this, it can certainly be said that Red I Flight are successful in creating an album that naturally combines sounds from all sorts of different metal and hardcore styles. For example, there are lots of metal riffs in the same vein as As I Lay Dying, plenty of speed picking and fast drum beats like one would hear on any death metal album, and lots of breakdowns that are abnormally heavy for a band that sounds like a staple of the sound of metalcore (see "Bullets Over Prayers" and "Into the Breach"). The vocalist uses a yelling/screaming voice that is not the norm in metalcore, and he spices things up with high and low screams which together make for a fairly intense vocal package.
Far from being a disappointing rehash of other bands' sounds, The Years sees Red I Flight successfully bring together their diverse influences and create an album that echoes the metalcore sound that used to be prevalent in the scene 5 or 6 years ago. This album is a great first effort by Red I Flight, and should keep listeners' attention from the first track to the last.
For Fans of: As I Lay Dying, It Dies Today, With Blood Comes Cleansing.