RED To Release First Studio Album In Three Years, ‘RATED R,’ Sept 29

GRAMMY® nominated, RIAA Certified Gold®-selling alternative metal band RED releases its first full-length studio recording in three years, RATED R, Sept. 29 from RED ENTERTAINMENT / The Fuel Music. The album can be pre-ordered/saved now via https://slinky.to/RatedR while the lead single, “Surrogates,” premiered on this week’s SiriusXM Octane Test Drive and is available beginning today (Aug. 4) at digital and streaming outlets globally.

Consistently pairing sophisticated instrumentation with hard-hitting songwriting, dynamic performances and grippingly personal lyrics, RED’s evocative artistry takes center stage on its eighth studio album, RATED R. The follow-up to 2020’s chart-topping DECLARATION, the first release on their own independent label, the thought-provokingnew album finds the band tackling several resonant and relevant topics amidst centering on the ideological and interpersonal divisions, confrontations and suffering of modern society.

“We’re examining how there’s almost no authentic human interaction and empathy anymore,” guitarist Anthony Armstrong explains. “People jump online to be and say whatever they want. They talk without listening, and it results in bullying and violence. Plus, we lose so much by focusing 24/7 on technology instead of stripping away everything that doesn’t matter and seeing how beautiful and healing it is to live with only what’s necessary.”

Bassist Randy Amstrong agrees: “Traditional family values and systems are broken and it’s causing chaos. Kids are forced to do active shooter drills at school, and it breaks our hearts. As the saying goes, hurt people hurt people, and we’re definitely seeing that. There’s also the notion that we learn by suffering and making the wrong decisions. As philosopher Meister Eckhart stated: ‘The soul does not grow by addition but by subtraction.’”

These sentiments influenced the sequencing and meta qualities of RATED R, as well as the album cover that represents the fake, almost plastic versions of humanity.

“It’s RATED R for RED and we always try to be a bit provocative to get our audience thinking with how our records look and what they’re called,” says Randy.