FOR THE PAST DECADE, Red Fang have excelled at writing hook-heavy hard-rock songs that kick down your door, grab you by the throat, and growl in your face—but, you know, in a good-natured sort of way.
As metal bands go, the Portland quartet is the opposite of so many of their contemporaries: often grinning instead of glowering, more groovy than gritty, heavy but highly relatable. The band has become one of the biggest in Portland, thanks to a relentless tour schedule, a handful of popular YouTube videos, and the fact that their music is the perfect soundtrack for the least pretentious parties.
On their new album, Only Ghosts, Red Fang delivers more of the same, only this time it comes with a healthy dose of “swirling insanity,” according to guitarist Bryan Giles. That’s a quality that can be tied directly back to a guy named Ross Robinson, the legendary producer who has worked with bands like Deftones, the Cure, Blood Brothers, and At the Drive In.