Blake Red returns from a four-year studio silence with “Scorpion,” a compact, hard-edged anthem that pairs blistering alt-rock/metal instrumentation with pointed, survivor-first lyrics. Guitars bite, drums push, and Blake’s vocals ride the crest of the arrangement to craft a thrilling lead single for her upcoming EP “Out of the Cage.”
Scorpion opens on snarling, overdriven guitar and a roomy drum hit that immediately tells you that the next few minutes are going to be intense. The production favors impact over polish: guitars sit up front with saturated mids, bass and drums supply a muscular low-end foundation.
Blake’s vocal tone alternates between a controlled, evocative mid-range and a harsher, venomous top line. There’s no vocal gymnastics on show here, just pure attack which suits the track’s confrontational mood. These elements combine into a tight blast that feels like a modern punk-inflected rock single built for immediacy.
Blake’s multi-role involvement gives the track a personal, DIY edge without sounding undercut in production value. The drums are punchy and slightly compressed for impact, which keeps the verses driving. The mix choices favor attitude over sonic hygiene, which suits the song’s raw lyrics.
What “Scorpion” does best is concentrate rage into a concise, memorable form. The riffs are hooky in a bruising way, and the single’s directness is refreshing in an era when softer ambiguity is often the norm. If the track has limits, they’re in nuance; listeners who want layered metaphor or melodic unpredictability may find the song’s bluntness a little jarring.
All considered, Scorpion succeeds as a statement: musically muscular, lyrically purposeful, and well-suited to Blake Red’s persona as a genre-bending alt-rock/metal artist unafraid to confront dark themes.