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It is the complete package: great song writing, great energy, great guitar (electric, acoustic, and bass) playing, great drum sound and playing, great singing, great emotion, and great band chemistry. While there is a lot of anguish coming through from Nick van Dyk's lyrics, the general vibe is that he always finds hope in even the most challenging situations; this seems evident in the fact that all four of their CDs (to date) end with a hopeful message (though the hope in "Life In One Day" isn't quite as clearly communicated as in the end of "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "Transcendence," and "Fall On You"). I am a huge fan of both Fates Warning and Dream Theater (what a great show they both did in Boston on the combined tour with Queensryche!), so it is no wonder that I really like Redemption. However, there is something unique and special in Redemption that sets them apart from my two favorite progressive metal bands - it's Nick van Dyk. Yes, you have Ray Alder's distinctive and highly emotional vocals, Bernie Versailles' excellent and occasionally-quirky heavy guitar playing (much more enjoyable than his work with Engine, though I do enjoy the overall sound of Engine), and you have a really solid rhythm section in Chris Quirarte (drums) and Sean Andrews (bass), who could sometimes be mistaken for a number of rhythm sections from other progressive bands but find a way to surprise us every once in a while. What it comes back to, though, is Nick's incredibly focused vision and his incredible ability to translate raw emotions into songs that sound great AND are relevant to a lot of people in many different ways. ...And, of course, Nick is also a pretty fine guitar player (technically, and style-wise) and a good keyboard player who does not try to go beyond his boundaries on the keys (he is no Rick Wakeman, Billy Joel, Joe Jackson, Keith Emerson, Jordan Rudess, Mark Robertson, Kevin Moore, Ryo Okumoto, et. al), but then he is not trying to be that. Nick's creativity brings all of it together for Redemption. This fourth CD is the most mature and adventurous so far; though it doesn't have as many epic "stories" as the first two, it has the most solid song writing yet and the players have developed some great chemistry from the stage and studio (this is the first Redemption CD to have the same lineup as the previous CD - Nick and Bernie are the only original members - Ray and Chris have now recorded the last three CDs with them). While some of the themes are similar to earlier songs, there is a freshness and polish that obviously has grown with each disc. Yes, there is a lot of DT and FW influence (especially DT in the more recent releases) - I happen to like that a lot. I won't give you "highlights" like some people are quick to do, because your favorite tracks may be very different from mine; I also won't say "Redemption is better than..." or "this band has eclipsed ..." because I have about 7-8 progressive favorites and it depends on my mood as to how heavy or how "artsy" I want to get. All I can say is that this is a really great progressive CD from a (now pretty experienced) group who put out really honest, technically-advanced, powerful music that (I think) will be appreciated by a lot of rock lovers who are willing to engage their brains while listening to heavy music. You have a right to your own opinion - just make sure you listen to the whole CD (at least twice) before you pass judgment. You won't hear any complaints from me!Read full review
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