Red Method – Vol 1: As In Life
Release Date: 17th July 2026
Label: Depraved Records
Vol: 1 As In Life is the new six-track EP from London metal sextet Red Method. The band has attracted attention on the festival circuit for its eclectic sound, blending emotive lyrics with groovy nu-metal riffs, aggressive vocals and occult imagery.
The 30-minute release is longer than most EPs, yet manages to exhibit an extensive array of musical influences and personal themes. At its heart, it is a nu-metal record, but it borrows enough from death, black and industrial metal to feel different.
The presentation and message are unique: the emotionally raw lyrics draw on themes of grief, misanthropy and angst, filtered through an esoteric lens. The listening experience is cathartic without coming across as superficial. Political corruption, abuse, religion and more are all explored. The heavy use of movie samples captures a cinematic atmosphere that amplifies the weight of the subject matter.
The opener, ‘Counting Corpses’, is a bold introduction to the band’s forceful metal sound, exploding with groovy riffs and double-bass drumming. Vocalist J Sangre tells the story of a freed god scrutinising humanity and realising that it must go, culminating in the effective refrain: “My world is painted red.” The Slipknot influence is instantly apparent in the use of raspy nu-metal rapping and intermittent screams. Probably aware of the comparison, the band employs techniques rarely seen in nu-metal – guttural vocals and guitar solos – to set itself apart.
The follow-ups, ‘Dispose of Me’ and ‘All for One, None for All’, bear the least resemblance to the band’s musical reference points. The former employs electronic keyboards to build a symphonic atmosphere, while the vocals oscillate between guttural, death-metal-style screams and black-metal-like screeching. The harsh tension gives way to a clean and surprisingly infectious chorus, given the subject matter: “I love the way you abuse me, I love the way you use me.”
Bloodywood’s Jayant Bhadula’s feature on ‘All for One, None for All’ results in the EP’s most melodious offering. The song’s dynamics shift between heavy screams and layered, melodic roars, giving the impression of a band breaking free from the self-imposed constraints inherited from its inspirations. The haunting repetition of “forgive me” and “do you believe?” effectively articulates the song’s philosophical message concerning religious belief and morality.
The first three songs strike a nice balance between a band looking to the past and the future. The band has contended with major line-up changes, and the process of forging a signature sound is tedious; however, the first three tracks indicate that Red Method is halfway there.
The tail end of the EP is less experimental, capturing the feeling of a musical comfort zone. ‘Detonate’ and ‘Becoming the Sickness’ are technically impressive but unimaginative. The use of frantic rapping and ominous spoken-word sections is reminiscent of Slipknot’s Iowa era. They are not slavish imitations, yet the most interesting elements – clean vocal sections, impressive guitar solos and guttural vocals – imbue the tracks with a dark, foreboding atmosphere more effectively than the frenetic delivery.
The album closer, ‘The Revolting Self’, clocking in at a frustratingly brief 1:23, is the EP’s calmest moment. This piano-laden outro moves from hushed, delicate vocals to a low, menacing intonation. Is this a glimpse of the experimentation listeners can expect on a future release? Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir should stay tuned.
This captures the spirit of the genre cross-pollination exemplified by Sleep Token, although artists must steer clear of lapsing into pastiche. Red Method’s sound is deeply indebted to its influences, but it exhibits enough experimentation and versatility to demonstrate progression, particularly across the first three songs. The second half of the EP is technically sound but risks offering a mere variation on a theme. Vol 1: As In Life is textured, layered and emotionally raw. It provides glimpses of new ground the band might tread—unbeholden to its forebears and free from the diminishing returns of familiar formulas.
Words by Richard Lyndon Williams