The Red Chord - Fused Together In Revolving Doors

The Red Chord
Fused Together In Revolving Doors
Robotic Empire

Honestly, I thought that I posted this record years ago. Sorry about that. It makes so much sense. Bands like THE RED CHORD, bands that blur the line between metal, punk, and any heavy you can throw this way; these bands are what No Funeral is all about. If there were a No Funeral Hall Of Fame (and who's to say there won't be, eventually?), Fused Together In Revolving Doors would be in the initial class. The record is a no-brainer, first-ballot, unanimous-selection Hall of Famer like Nolan Ryan. Well, the band is from the Revere, MA. Maybe I should say, "like Ted Williams."

For those late to the party, here's the lowdown on The Red Chord: According to singer/main honcho Guy Kozowyk, The band's name is derived from Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck, in which a schizophrenic man slits his lover's throat, then reverts to his normal self and asks, "My love, what is that red cord across your neck?" Fused Together In Revolving Doors, the album's title, is a reference to the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston during the Winter of 1942. Most important of all, The Red Chord's now-classic debut album became the go-to playbook for the deathcore explosion of the late 2000s.

My own introduction to The Red Chord was seeing them open for BLEEDING THROUGH and HIMSA at the old Emo's on Sixth Street back in 2003. The band's setlist was this album. The crowd got floored and Himsa looked weak by comparision. I got to see them a few more times over the years, including once opening for The Black Dahlia Murder at Houston's Meridian club, and the band always delivered.

The Red Chord made three more albums, played festival tours around the world, and appeared on countless video shows and channels. For all of its success, The Red Chord found its old fans crying "sellout" and accusing it of becoming a "Pantera-type band." Before the backlash took hold, The Red Chord did manage to become a major influence on younger bands like WHITECHAPEL, SUICIDE SILENCE, JOB FOR A COWBOY, and THE FACELESS; among countless others.

As it stands, The Red Chord is inactive with its members moving on to other bands and other careers. Will they reunite? Hopefully and probably but, in the meantime, let's enjoy this legendary debut LP by this now-legendary band.







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