Jordan Red – Don’t Let The Heavens Fall (2020)
After ferociously entering the alt-metal fray with debut single ‘Beautiful Monsters’, Jordan Red are back with another oddly optimistic anthem. Once more, the London based four-piece are uninterested in the nihilistic annihilation that normally dominates their genre. That’s not to say they like the so-called ‘system’. In fact, much of the single ‘Don’t Let the Heavens Fall’ is a warning against shadowy malevolent forces and the increasingly totalitarian grip of the state.
Rather than the traditional method of hyper-aggression and inciting riots, Jordan Red offer a surprisingly hopeful call to arms. Vocalist Dan Leigh belts out he’s “searching for the light” and urges listeners to “leave your chains behind”. He’s nudging us toward freedom and prophesying a better future if we can retake some agency in our lives.
Lyrically, it’s a near-perfect progression from debut ‘Beautiful Monsters’. On ‘Monsters’, Leigh sang “when we have control again, we will climb again”. Jordan Red double down on that optimism here, but are also insistent that it’s a “final warning” and inaction could lead us even further astray. They don’t so much rage against the machine, more lightly encourage it to find a better path.
For punk purists and thrash metalheads, this could perhaps be deemed a little too soft. Many might insist that proper punk protest songs should spark fury and that the job isn’t done ’til things are burnt to the ground. Strangely, this level of doom comes across in the artwork for ‘Don’t Let the Heavens Fall’.
With a solid sound established and their unique brand of positivity-infused protest punk they are certainly ones to keep your eye on.
For more from Jordan Red, find them on their official website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify.
You can also see our reviews of their previous releases here.
