River Runs Red

River Runs Red is the debut studio album by American alternative metal band Life of Agony, released on October 12, 1993 by Roadrunner Records. The album is considered a concept album. This album was reissued as part of Roadrunner Records Top Shelf Edition series on April 29, 2008, with bonus tracks and a DVD featuring music videos and live videos.

For the Midnight Oil song, see Blue Sky Mining.
River Runs Red
Studio album by
Life of Agony
ReleasedOctober 12, 1993
RecordedSystem Two, Brooklyn, NY
GenreAlternative metal, groove metal
Length50:32
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerJosh Silver
Life of Agony chronology
River Runs Red
(1993)		 Ugly
(1995)
Singles from River Runs Red
  1. "Through and Through"
    Released: 1994[1]
  2. "This Time"
    Released: 1994[2]

On October 7, 2009, it was announced that for the first time ever the band would perform the album in its entirety at Starland Ballroom on Saturday, November 28, 2009. In 2010, a CD/DVD package entitled "20 Years Strong - River Runs Red: Live In Brussels" was published which features a complete performance of the album at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium.

Concept

River Runs Red is a concept album that focuses on suicide, while also exploring themes of abuse, alcoholism, and abandonment.[3]

Story

Album opener "This Time" reveals that the main character's father walked out on the family and started "a new life with the new wife." The album's first interlude, "Monday", establishes that the main character's mother is verbally abusive and neglects her baby. The track ends with the character listening to a voicemail where his girlfriend has broken up with him. The title track "River Runs Red" shows that the main character has suicidal tendencies with the opening line "I got the razor at my wrist". On "Thursday" the main character enters his home and is berated once again by his mother. The song ends with him being fired from his job and is notified that he is failing two classes at school. The track "My Eyes" shows the main character has all but made up his mind about committing suicide. The album closes with the track "Friday". The main character comes home and the insults from his mother are the worst they have ever been. The mother starts a fight with the father, who engages her in a yelling match and starts breaking stuff in the kitchen as the kid heads up stairs. The sound of plates breaking can be heard. The main character locks himself in the bathroom with his mother yelling at him through the door. The main character steps into the bathtub and turns the water on as his breath becomes shaky. The teenager slits his wrist and the sound of blood can be heard dripping into the water. The mother breaks into the bathroom and starts screaming in horror at the sight of her dead son. The album ends with the sound of blood dripping into water.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]

In 2017, Rolling Stone named River Runs Red the 58th greatest metal album of all time[5]. In May 2005, River Runs Red was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame, being the fourth album overall to be featured in the Decibel Hall of Fame.[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alan Robert.

No.TitleLength
1."This Time"6:00
2."Underground"4:44
3."Monday"1:31
4."River Runs Red"2:00
5."Through and Through"3:10
6."Words and Music"5:14
7."Thursday"2:10
8."Bad Seed"6:02
9."My Eyes"2:58
10."Respect"4:27
11."Method of Groove"5:29
12."The Stain Remains"4:39
13."Friday"3:42
Total length:50:32
1994 digipack bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Plexi Intro/Respect" (live)6:37
14."This Time" (live)5:31
15."Through and Through" (live)5:05
Total length:67:45
2008 re-issue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Here I Am, Here I Stay"5:27
14."Depression"5:58
15."3 Companions"3:24
16."Plexiglass Gate"5:10
Total length:70:41
2008 re-issue DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Through and Through" (music video)3:10
2."This Time" (music video)4:47
3."Through and Through" (live at Dynamo Open Air Festival '95)5:05
4."River Runs Red" (live at Dynamo Open Air Festival '95)2:00
Total length:15:02

Personnel
Life of Agony
  • Keith Caputo – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Joey Z. – guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Method of Groove"
  • Alan Robert – bass, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Method of Groove", cover design
  • Sal Abruscato – drums
Additional
gollark: In that case, I shall send yet more dragons to the Arbitrary Prefix group,
gollark: Rarishes at best.
gollark: They're not *very* rare.
gollark: How about 1000?
gollark: Everyone give me a million CB Golds now.

References
  1. "Through and Through" (single). Life of Agony. Roadrunner Records. 1994. RR PROMO 091.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "This Time" (single). Life of Agony. Roadrunner Records. 1994. RR PROMO 092.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Themed Thursday: Storytellers - River Runs Red". A Metal State of Mind. May 17, 2016. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  4. Allmusic review
  5. "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  6. Chase, Jesse. "Life of Agony – "River Runs Red"". Decibel. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
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