Have you ever listened to a band that you have never heard of before and wondered which other band you heard that is similar? Red I Flight is one of those bands. I listen to the band's debut album, The Years, and the band's sound is very reminiscent of someone else, but I cannot remember who. It is rather annoying, as I can practically taste it on the tip of my tongue.

It is not someone I have listened to fairly recently, too. In any case, the fact that they sound so familiar does not help it all that much on the quality scale. However, on the scale of entertainment value, Red I Flight would have to be considered quite good. Sadly, that is not going to be enough to make The Years a good album. No, it is not bad, it is just seems terribly mediocre. To make some comparison, they have neither the musical excellence of labelmates Across Five Aprils nor their awful singing. If you average everything, you end up with a band that falls squarely in the middle.

Red I Flight hails from Detroit, Michigan, and is on the cusp of releasing its debut for Victory Records. The band has a ton of energy and it comes through in their music. As soon as the first track kicks in, you are going to want to start throwing elbows and whipping your head around, but please, save it for the pit; otherwise you're liable to hurt yourself or break Mom's favorite lamp. Instead, just load up your iPod and give that a crank.

The style is a mixture of metal, metalcore, and a healthy dose of hardcore creating a sound that is not a stranger to any, yet not really welcome in any one. They are most likely to be labeled as either metalcore or post-hardcore. There are plenty of heavy, detuned riffs, driving, surging drums, and raw-throated vocals to go around.

For those of you who are into the heavier end of the music spectrum, do you ever find yourself enjoying an album for some unexplained reason? Listening to The Years is likely to inject your music-loving soul with plenty of goodwill solely based on the sheer heaviness. However, if you stop and listen, you are not likely to find anything of real substance.