REDEMPTION - Snowfall On Judgment Day

Redemption - Snowfall On Judgment Day

10 songs
70:29 minutes
***** ****
InsideOut

Bandpage

Regularly every two years, American progressive rockers Redemption release a new record. After the self-titled debut, The Fullness Of Time and The Origins Of Ruin, they are now back with their fourth album Snowfall On Judgment Day. Although the band was founded by Nicolas Van Dyk, most people will be more familiar with two better known artists involved: guitarist Bernie Versailles (Agent Steel) and vocalist Ray Alder (Fates Warning).

With two such seasoned musicians on board, nothing can go wrong anymore, and so we will once again be spared a negative surprise. Ray Alder has one of the greatest voices in the progressive music world, and he’s using it optimally like we have come to expect from him. Redemption offer the entire palette that should have every prog heart beat faster. The songs are of course rather long, never running under five minutes. They keyboards don’t play an unimportant role, but the music is still hard and driving enough to be able to also reach out to metalheads. Unable to dabble in monotony, the band offers a spectrum full of variety. The melodic Walls has a wonderful chorus, Leviathan Rising has turned out more powerful, and Black And White World presents the band from a more melancholic side. Keep Breathing starts romantically as a ballad but later on unleashes more rocking parts. Another Die Dies, the shortest track featured, is also the most hectic and confusing one. Sand is also not afraid of heaviness and is even flirting with thrash metal. No matter how Redemption sound, the guitars are always fantastic and unparalleled.

What more needs to be said? To keep it short: Redemption are a synonym for excellence in the prog world, and I see no reason why fans should make a detour.

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