Redline Dream Band – Redline (Single Review)

A colossal collective of Japan’s rock and metal bands unite to create an epic banger as an ode to one of the country’s most important music festivals.

Led and organised by Mah, the charismatic frontman and singer of ska/rock outfit SiM, the Redline Dream Band was formed for one very significant purpose: to honour Redline festival’s 14 year run since its formation in 2010, which allowed Japan’s live music scene to flourish and reach new audiences. In addition to a final celebratory live event titled ‘REDLINE ALL THE FINAL’, Redline Dream Band, which is a collaboration between 24 members of some of J-rock/J-Metal’s most genre-defining bands, is here to demonstrate how much the festival has meant to each and every one of its participants.

Despite featuring 19 vocalists, 3 guitarists, bassist Chiyo from rock band SPARK!!SOUND!!SHOW!! and drummer Tatsuya from electronicore band Crossfaith, the track Redline never feels like an overwhelming grapple for the spotlight between its incredible group of artists, but rather a wonderfully harmonious effort that displays the prowess, skill and camaraderie between every collaborator. Within the track’s hardcore sound, audiences, whether Japanese speaking or not, can appreciate the song’s heartfelt tribute to the festival within the song’s powerfully delivered lyrics.

The song thunders into action with a killer drum fill courtesy of famously energetic Crossfaith drummer Tatsuya Amano. Similarly, guitarists YD, Daidai and Kazuki bring the fire by unleashing a brutal wave of sound to the beat of Amano’s frantic drumming. This perfectly sets the scene for this hyperactive track, which runs with the fevered intensity of a freight train. The track’s ferocious tempo will immediately be a hit with listeners, who will be caught up in the track’s carefree sound right from the word ‘go’.

The guitars begin to quiet their frenzy as the first upbeat notes of Redline’s first verse are cleverly shared between 04 Limited Sazaby’s Gen, Man With A Mission’s Jean-Ken Johnny, FACT’s Adam and SiM’s Mah. The rapid-fire shift between Gen’s higher-pitched croon, Johnny’s soulful calls, Adam’s fiery growl and Mah’s husky vocals is nothing short of thrilling, particularly for so many loyal listeners of the J-Rock scene, who perhaps never dreamed of hearing these legendary vocalists sing side by side. The lyrics maybe even mirror the current emotions of audiences (“the street, the heat, I feel my heart start beating”) whose attentions are instantly captured by the electric synergy displayed within this track.

After passing through the vocals of several other incredibly skilled and beloved singers, Crossfaith’s Kenta Koie continues to heat up the track by interweaving his brutal screams in the mix, which are afforded more depth next to the enthralling vocals of Mah, and then echoed by the strangled cries of Paledusk’s Kaito.

The chorus itself is enchantingly joyous and will for many listeners be a worthy tribute to the project’s resolve to bring together some of the genre’s most acclaimed musicians. Delivered by the captivating chorus of vocalists, the lyrics are uplifting and powerful (“Don’t stop, don’t be afraid to bleed, for the life, life on the redline”) and are a wonderful ode to the music and spirit the festival has inspired over the years.

Dragon Ash’s KJ opens Redline’s swaggering second verse with a blistering rap (“Cross the redline, let me show you something like a headline”), which feels like a direct reference to many of the contributing bands’ Nu-metal/Punk-rap roots. In this fury-filled verse, where Noisemaker’s AG, The Bonez’s Jesse and Man With A Mission’s Jean-Ken Johnny each deliver assertive raps, audiences will be bouncing in their seats in time with the song’s heavy guitars and grooving beat. In this part especially, it may feel for many like coming full circle; not just celebrating an institution that holds the J-Rock scene together, but celebrating the very fibre of the music it has helped champion.

After a deadly breakdown which is bolstered by Koie and Coldrain’s Masato’s lethal screams, and a delightfully satisfying reggae-tinged middle-eight punctuated by Rottengraffty’s Naoki’s rhythmic rap, comes the song’s final triumphant chorus. There’s a genuine sense that every single musician featured here is giving their heart and soul to this song and project; something which is evidenced in the soulful vocals and profound lyrics that speak of the festival’s bittersweet farewell (“This one last time…This is the night”).

The song fades out to the singer’s poignant calls of “I know I’ll see you again, so I won’t call it the end” over the top of a nostalgic guitar riff, which only heightens the emotions that this song carries from start until finish.

Score/Outstanding: This is music with real heart and passion, straight from some of Japan’s most talented rock musicians. What’s not to like?

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