Matthew Whiteman – Lead vocals
Andrew Whiteman – Guitars
Michael LeBois – Bass
Matt Guerin – Drums
Colorado quartet Red Tide Rising have a point to prove and with their latest
release, Voices, it comes across loud and clear. Tired of being the bridesmaid, the
band has decided that all attention needs to be directed towards themselves and
delivering a five song piece de resistance as a whole, rather than only trying to
focus on “hits.”
While the quartet’s last release, the Billboard charting ’The Rising,’ broke new
ground for the band, it’s the bonecrushing ugliness of the real world that comes to
light on Voices and takes the band to a whole new level. “Voices consists of the
best music we have created as a band,” says frontman Matthew Whiteman, an air of
certainty about him. “We did so many different things in the studio that altered the
RTR sound this time around. One of them was the vocal effects. We were able to
capture a very heavy machine like vocal tone that adds another layer to the sound.”
Voices is fueled by rage, the realities of life and the ugliness of the world we
live in. Opening track, “Writing on the Wall” is about making sure you don’t allow
yourself to be held down by your past. “You’re Nothing” is dedicated to the asshole
who repeatedly tells you how great his life is, all the while living a complete
facade. With “Suffocate” lead vocalist, Matthew Whiteman touches on the different
types of addiction we all carry with us through life, whether they come from the
pursuit of material possessions, giving into to drug culture or whatever one may be
attached to. “Sound of the Voices Screaming” gives an audience the power to rise as
one, while the Ep’s closer, “New Breed” instructs the band’s fans to distance
themselves from people who claim to have their best interests at heart while leading
them down a road that will eventually lead them to a life of peril. A call to arms
for people to stand up for themselves.
Red Tide Rising has been a professional working band for eight long years now. Take
into account that lead vocalist and resident protagonist Matthew Whiteman is all of
21 years old and his cohorts aren’t much older – we will let you do the math on
where they all were in life when this band took shape.
Produced & co-written by Drowning Pool drummer Mike Luce (with the exception of
“You’re Nothing” which was co-written with Luce and Ill Nino guitarist Ahrue
Luster), the Denver quartet had formed a kinship with Luce in the winter of 2014
when they slugged it out across the United States on a six week tour that took them
coast to coast. “Aside from our run with In This Moment a little while back, our
first taste at unrelenting touring was with Drowning Pool,” relates guitarist,
Andrew Whiteman. “We shared the bus and formed some of the best friendships out on
the road. To this day I am actually still a tech for them. It’s because of that run
and that friendship, that Luce decided he wanted to produce Voices.”
Working with engineer Jeff Kanan (Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Jeff Lorber) at The Keep
Studio in Denver, Voices is unrelenting in its brutality, and yet, polished and
commercially accessible at the same time. “I was so excited to go into studio with
Jeff again!” exclaims Andrew. “He is a total pro behind the board, but more
importantly he is very easy to work with. The studio can be stressful, but working
with him, especially on this project, made recording one of the easiest and most
creative processes I have experienced. The songs speak for themselves, they came out
perfect.”