Released by: AFM Records
Release Date: March 17th, 2023
Genre: Progressive Metal
Links: https://www.redemptionweb.com/
Line Up:
Nick van Dyk – guitars, keyboards
Chris Quirarte – drums
Sean Andrews – bass guitar
Tom Englund – vocals
Vikram Shankar – keyboards
Tracklist:
01. I Am The Storm
02. Seven Minutes From Sunset
03. Remember The Dawn
04. The Emotional Depiction Of Light
05. Resilience
06. Action At A Distance
07. Turn It On Again
08. All This Time (And Not Enough)
09. The Emotional Depiction Of Light (Remix)
10. Red Rain
Vinyl Bonus Tracks:
The Pearl Clutchers (feat. Chris Poland)
The Far Side Of The Clouds (feat. Henrik Danhage)
Has it been over 20 years now that Redemption came on the Prog Metal scene? Holy batman time flies. I remember it well when their debut came out and heard what could be a possibility of potential at the time. Who knew they would still be kicking some incredible music years later? The signs were all there I suppose.
The subsequent 4 records that followed their debut have all been highly regarded in the Prog world, with “The Fullness of Time” being a personal favorite of mine. The torch kept on being waved highly until Ray Alder exited the band, and things change somewhat with another uber-talented vocalist in Tom Englund from Evergrey taking over the vocal helm.
There was not a whole lot of change in the music or progression per say, just the music was somewhat tailored a bit to the more melodic atonement in Englund’s voice. Not a bad thing I suppose, just seems like it took me longer to get into the music. Perhaps intentional as the progressions we’re more advanced to follow, the hooks we’re there, and the taste of what makes Redemption so good are some of the most climatic hooks and riffs you’ll hear on a prog record, without sounding too over the top. I think the difference in vocalist comes from Evergrey where Tom’s vocals are always center stage, and I mean no disrespect to the rest of the guys in his band, because they are all extremely talented, but you could hear his voice very dominantly executed there. On Redemption because of this fullness of their sound, he kinda takes a step back somewhat with the power in his voice to not drown out the rest of the band. My two cents maybe is just me being a picky weirdo fanboy.
We carry on with a new record in “I Am The Storm” and right away we launch into the cruncher of “I Am The Storm”, which is one of the strongest on the album. The more I listened to “The Emotional Depiction of Light”, the more I enjoy the twist in the sound, something different from Redemption, but one that fits Tom’s vocal style perfectly. This slow entry has very subtle singing, the song then drifts into this more contemporary progressional number written by keyboardist Vikram Shankar. Is a tune that stands uniquely on its own, but somehow works just fine.
The beginning of “Action At A Distance” perfectly manifests what Redemption is all about, the slow opening vocals, then the band comes in with this wall of sound that is a staple of their past works. A bit of keyboard magic soloing in between, and the thick and heavy rhythm and bass dominate another burner of a song. The complex change of rhythm paints a kaleidoscope of tones and images and sounds in my head.
The Epic 12 minute “All This Time (And Not Enough)”, a powerful emotional lyrical journey that is craft fully delivered via Redemption’s twist and turns in its cunning change of rhythms, as well as Englund’s masterful vocal work is superb.
One that took me a minute to digest, it’s usually the case with Redemption. The music is still relentlessly Redemption, uniquely theirs and a little more diverse than past works. I can’t fault the guys for still progressing with their sound, as an artist in this genre; is a much-needed trait. The record was produced by Nick van Dyk and sound engineer/guitarist Simone Mularoni (DGM), who – alongside Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth) and Henrik Danhage (Evergrey) – also features as a guest musician. Is hard to imagine so much consistency from a band in this often tumultuous arena with static sounds and not much diversity. For that, I complement Redemption to its fullest. They always provide a high-quality product leaving not much to critique, even for hardcore fans of the band.
Written by: Shadow Editor
Ratings: 8/10
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