Redemption
Redemption
Sensory
Dungeons & Dragons players, Doom lovers, arm yourselves and prepare to do battle with Redemption as your soundtrack. Make sure to dress yourself in full body armor, as the unbridled guitar solos, menacing rhythm riffs and mathematical drumming are sure to pose a formidable foe to you and your legions of cronies. Make no mistake, brave warrior, the boys in Redemption put the “PRO” in “prog,” as this record is one the most engaging prog-metal records I have heard in my entire life.
Speaking simply in numbers, this epic is a daunting 68 minutes, an eternity for a band of this genre to be doing what they’re doing. Every single note is well thought out, and the different styles and sides they showcase make the length of Redemption seem unthinkable. Many times, a prog record of considerable length has a bunch of boring crap throughout… not on this record.
The listener gets a simply dizzying succession of creative melodies, loud, crunchy guitars, occasional and lovely piano, fascinating drum parts and a competent singer. The theme for this record, thankfully, is aggression and power, and the guitarists in Redemption are incredible, in that they don’t sacrifice brutality in the name of playing fancy scales and arpeggios.
While this is an album totally worth buying – and one to fit just about any occasion – it does have a few flaws. The lead singer’s voice is just too high in the mix, and he sounds like a cross between Bruce Dickinson and Don Dokken (yuck). Now, if you’re into either one of those guys, you’ll love this singer’s voice. I am not, and I find him silly and ridiculous. Also, I do not enjoy the synthesizer that is found in the background of many prog albums, and Redemption is replete with silly keyboards. Nevertheless, the good far outweighs the bad here, and this record is entirely worth many listens. Go forth, and conquer, ye prog masters!
Sensory Records: http://www.lasercd.com/
