Sleep?... No Way!
Last Red Ransom is a metal/rock/industrial three piece from Atlanta, Georgia. The band consists of Charlotte Kelli(vocals, keyboard, guitar, programming), Saint (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, programming) and Adair(drums). 'Sleep Well Sweet Vanity' is their debut album, and if this formula is continued, we will be hearing a lot from them in the near future.
The whole album is totally overshadowed by the awesome vocal capabilities and blend of the two vocalists. We often come across the male/female blend of vocals as probably best demonstrated by Lacuna Coil, but Last Red Ransom puts another twist on this. Charlotte has the sweetest angelic vocals one minute; only to be possessed by the demons of the deepest realms of hell and letting out the most intense of growls. Angela Gossow can growl, but not like this. If you imagine a Cristina Scabbia and Angela Gossow jointly fronting a band, you're getting a bit closer. Saint, on the other hand, has a very groove rock/metal, albeit clean and sincere sounding vocals. He reminds me a bit of Chino Moreno from Deftones or maybe a little bit of Shaun Morgan from Seether at times. It is very hard to look past the intense vocals to appreciate the talent shown on the individual instruments, and this is possibly why they have also included the instrumental and beautiful 'Passport'.
From the opening track, it is clear there won't be much sleeping carried out here. Kicking it all off with an epic, gloomy sound, we are transcending into industrial electronic orbit, before being blasted with heavy riffing guitars and double peddling. Charlotte comes in with her gentle, angelic singing, but then all hell breaks loose when she growls. Her growls penetrate right to the base of your skull, causing any grey matter left in there to resonate uncontrollably. It is hard to imagine this is the same person, as when she sings, she sounds like an angel, this may be a black angel, but the singing is so sweet; however the growls will unleash the hounds of hell. This is pretty much the formula for the entire album, although some songs are sung just by Saint, whilst other songs are sung by both. When you blend the sincere sounding raspy rock vocals of Saint, with the singing and demonic growls of Charlotte, the result is intense.
This is a fantastic, dramatic masterpiece and one thing is certain, you won't sleep whilst listening to this. Expect to see and hear a lot from Last Red Ransom in the future.