Redemption – Snowfall On Judgement Day

I feel blown off. This is a true masterpiece of progressive metal. Yes, METAL in capitals. This is the way I love my progressive: Intense, pounding, with great orchestrations and most of all, heaviness. It all sounds so much better when the guitars build gigantic riffs, the rhythm sections drives you to the edge and especially when Ray Alder offers us the most mature vocals of his whole career that fit perfectly to the album’s atmosphere.

Here gentlemen, we have to do with typical progressive metal in the veins of Dream Theater, though I barely remember when the theater of dreams released such a great album the last five years. On the case of Redemption, we maybe have the best of four albums they have released, including also this one. Once the initial notes of ”Peel” are on, for the next 70 minutes you will witness the truth itself.

We made before a reference for Alder’s vocals, who here seems relieved from Fates Warning’s long absence and does the best he can. The guitarists Bernie Versailles (also on Agent Steel and Alder’s other project in the past, Engine) and Nick Van Dyk composed colossal songs this time. The lever of this album is amazing, you can’t help but listening to it as it flows and minutes go by. But surprises don’t stop here.

This time we have a special guest here, James LaBrie from Dream Theater appears on ”Another Day Dies”, one of the best songs on this album, an amazing duet by the two voices (alongside Queensryche’s Geoff Tate of course) who marked American progressive metal for two decades. Also, ”What Will You Say” is one of the most emotional moments on this album, which closes ideally with ”Love Kills Us All/Life In One Day”.

Unfortunately, Van Dyk is diagnosed recently with a very rare disease and his future seems to be uncertain. This is really bad, as human life is above all and in this case, I don’t know if Redemption are going to last more after this. It is really ironic how an album full of life is affected by an upcoming blackness. We wish him the best and to recover if possible. As far as the album is concerned, how can you rate life and honesty without overreacting? Combining the above with logic…