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Right Stripped - Daylight into Darkness - Reviewed By Metal Temple ! Check it out here at this link: http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/r_2/right-stripped.htm

RIGHT STRIPPED is an American Power/Prog Metal band that uses orchestral elements to enhance their sound. Formed in 2005, they went on hiatus in 2010. Reformed in 2018, "Daylight Into Darkness," their re-emergence onto the scene, was released March 6, 2021 via Carney Media Group.

The record starts with some really nice orchestral work, leading to a tasty guitar riff. The rhythm in “We Will Rise” is not terribly complex, but there are a lot of timely drum fills and some cool bass work that really draws attention to their skill sets. Later songs delve more into the complex patterns and rhythms of more progressive metal. The guitar solo for this song is nicely paced and fits the overall tone of the track.

Moving down to the title track, “Daylight Into Darkness,” we get our first guttural vocals and screams. Those launch the song, mixed with some an excellent, almost speed metal intro. The song then scales back and goes with a killer riff coupled with a more melodic keyboard section. The drum work is really good here and the bass guitar paces the guitar for much of the song, giving the riff a bigger feel and deeper tone. This is a song that will translate well live!

“Inner Lies” starts with a guitar riff that throws back to '80’s Power Metal with some NWOBHM influences thrown in. The rhythm section is running a nice gallop underneath and pacing the song really well. “Hellraiser” starts with a but of chanting and some almost alien keyboard tones before diving into a heavy riffed rocker. The dark tones on the guitar with the higher register singing is a nice offset through the chorus and really contrasts with the verses.

The ethereal and doom-laden intro to “Requiem” is next. The main body of the song is more up-tempo than the intro and feels almost like getting over the sadness of the start of the song. The shift has just a bit of a progressive feel. The power metal is the dominant sound, but there is more than just power in this song. RIGHT STRIPPED blends their influences and sounds well. This song works well with the rest of the record, highlighting different talents of the instrumentalists.

“Carry Me Home” is an acoustic ballad that showcases another side of the band. The ambient keyboard sounds under the guitar give the song a bit more depth and add to the feel of the song. There is a melancholy present here. This is not a power ballad. It’s a well-done ballad that really hits the mark. It is calming and somber at the same time.

Wrapping up the record is the ten-minute, epic song, “Against The Tide”. Starting with some quiet guitar work and subdued keyboard/piano/orchestration, it slowly builds through the first movement. Taking the time to set the mood. Once the main body of the song kicks in, the riff is mid-tempo with some fast-paced keyboard playing underneath. The drums move out front, duck back under the guitar. The bass comes out front for a bit. The vocals are clean and guttural. This is Prog/Power/Epic Metal song that was meant to end this record.

There is a smooth flow to this whole record. The songs work well together. The musicians are all really good at their craft. The vocals are well-done, hitting the feel of the songs, going from clean to harsh and back with ease. The songs are well-written and performed. The production and engineering/mixing are really good. This is a really good album overall and I look forward to hearing what they do next! - Metal Temple

Band: Right Stripped
Album: Daylight into Darkness
Label: Carney Media Group
Release Date: March 6th, 2021
Genre: Power Metal

Description:
Right Stripped’s third album “Daylight into Darkness” is a mixture of modern American power metal, orchestral, and progressive elements. The opening track “We Will Rise” features prominent orchestral parts, big lush backing vocals in the choruses, and two blistering guitar solos. “Now That You’re Sober” and the title track “Daylight into Darkness” feature a less prominent orchestral sound, but substitute heavy riffs from guitarist Josh Carney and bassist Dave Ross, and soaring vocals mixed with brutal screams from vocalist Joe Kiesgen. The album is full of intricate double bass and syncopated rhythmic motives from drummer Tim Diephouse, who brings the rhythm section together in a very grooving, musical way.

The album also has some softer, acoustic elements with songs like “Requiem”, a song written about the tragic death of high school friend of Carney and Kiesgen, and “Carry Me Home”, which both feature prominent orchestral parts. The album finishes off with a ten-minute epic track, “Against the Tide”, which features a cinematic soundscape introduction, following with mixed-meter heavy riffs and breakdowns, powerful sung vocals, and devilish screams.

Right Stripped is influenced by many progressive elements; however, they believe in putting musicality first, not complexity. “Daylight into Darkness” is the band’s first album in over 10 years, and their best work to date.

FFO: Symphony X, Nightwish, Blind Guardian, Killswitch Engage, Dream Theater

Check out this video!

Check them out on Spotify and add them to your playlists!

Track Suggestions:
We Will Rise
Now That You’re Sober
Daylight into Darkness
Requiem
Three Years

Bio:
Right Stripped was formed in 2005 by high school friends Josh Carney (guitar) and Joe Kiesgen (vocals). Carney and Kiesgen recorded an initial demo, titled “Plaguing Words” shortly after teaming up, of which only 300 copies were printed. Later in 2005, the band added Dave Ross (bass) and Tim Diephouse (drums) to the line-up, and they started work on their 2006 album release “A Doubtful Life’s Anthology”. “ADLA” was full of orchestral and power metal inspired songs, with the title track being an eight-part, 25-minute epic that ends the album.

The band toured all over the US Midwest, mostly in the Great Lakes region, for 5 years, selling thousands of copies of “ADLA” and selling out their entire stock of the album in the process. During this time the band experimented with some new songs, with less prog and power metal influences. The band ultimately decided to change their sound a bit with a more modern metal approach on their 2010 album “Absence of Humanity”. The album features heavier riffs, shorter songs, and focuses more on the core rhythm section of the band, and less on orchestral elements.

Right Stripped took a hiatus from touring and writing in the 2010’s, to focus on family and side projects. In 2018 the band re-formed and started writing new material, blending the best of their original prog/power metal sound with modern American metal influences. In 2021, the band released their third, and hardest hitting album “Daylight into Darkness”, a blend of melodic metalcore, lyrical power metal, and impactful orchestral elements.

Band Line-up:
Joe Kiesgen: Lead Vocals
Josh Carney: Guitar, Backing Vocals, Orchestral Arrangements
Dave Ross: Bass, Backing Vocals
Tim Diephouse: Drums

Track list:
1- We Will Rise
2- Now That You’re Sober
3- Daylight into Darkness
4- Inner Lies
5- Hellraiser
6- Requiem
7- Carry Me Home
8- Three Years
9- Against the Tide

Follow the band at these links:

https://www.rightstripped.com 
https://www.facebook.com/rightstripped 
https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicTechHelpGuy/videos
https://open.spotify.com/album/50OzhrJK51vBvVIr5HhSd1?si=1kcUYDFFTLG5NnqZkblDwA
https://music.apple.com/mn/artist/right-stripped/381650767