River Runs Red

Does the term “concept album” send visions of grand orchestral choruses and strange mythological creatures vaulting through your mind? Well, this album’s gonna change your mind…forever. 1993’s River Runs Red is a concept album, all right, but its themes include alcoholism, physical abuse, and, ultimately, suicide. The record interpolates dramatic, staged skits that tell the story of a troubled teenager edging closer to self-harm between intensely personal songs penned by bassist Alan Robert that range stylistically from New York hardcore to gloom metal to grunge. The intensity just keeps ratcheting up until River Runs Red ends with the sound of blood from a suicide attempt dripping into bathwater… which would ordinarily require a spoiler alert except for the fact that throughout the album the protagonist’s trajectory is clearly headed in only one direction. Cult classic status is almost a given with a plotline like that, but in this case it’s well earned; River Runs Red isn’t just one of the greatest concept or metal albums ever made. It is, quite simply, one of the most powerful records ever made in any genre. An earlier vinyl reissue sold a bunch, but it’s been out of print for over a decade; our remastered-for-vinyl release comes in a clear with red and blue swirl pressing manufactured at Gotta Groove Records and accompanied by an insert. A masterpiece.