Warhorse

"Red Sea" is the second and final album by the English hard rock band Warhorse, released in 1972. The band is notable for its bass player, Nick Simper, who was the original bassist for Deep Purple ("Mark 1") from 1968 to 1969 and played on their first three albums. The album continues the band's heavy, blues-based hard rock sound, mixing elements of progressive rock and proto-metal. However, unlike their debut Warhorse, Red Sea introduces a few different stylistic elements, such as the more mainstream rock sound of "Confident But Wrong" and the soul-influenced "I (Who Have Nothing)." Despite these changes, the album generally retains the same musical direction as the band's first release. The CD reissue of Red Sea on the Angel Air label includes six previously unreleased bonus tracks, including a live version of "Ritual" from their debut album and five demos written by Simper that were not featured on any previous record. These bonus tracks offer additional insight into the band's creative process and evolution. Critically, Red Sea was met with mixed reviews. Richie Unterberger described the album as "basically more of the same prog rock-proto metal," which some felt lacked innovation. The performance of singer Ashley Holt was also critiqued, with his tendency to hit high notes being noted as somewhat annoying. "Back in Time" was mentioned for its vocal style, which was said to be a model for the parody vocals later featured in Spinal Tap. Despite the album's lack of commercial success, it has since developed a cult following, particularly among fans of early '70s heavy rock.