CDReviews

Redemption – I Am The Storm

AFM Records – Release date: March 17th 2023

Basically it could be enough to list the people who are involved in this band, five highly talented and extremely individual artists who are renowned for their extraordinary performances. For more than twenty years, Redemption have been helmed by their guitarist/ founder Nicolas van Dyk, who contributes the compositions as well as the inspiration for the songs. Vocalist Tom S. Englund (Evergrey), keyboardist Vikram Shankar, bassist Sean Andrews and drummer Chris Quirarte play equally important roles. Their new studio album is called “I Am The Storm” and lives up to its programmatic name, sounding haunting, exciting, overwhelming and dramatic all at once.

Progressive Metal of the highest quality – perhaps slightly more outlandish-brutal than Evergrey, more up-tempo and up-beat than Opeth … well, I think you know what I am trying to say. “The Emotional Depiction Of Light”, a pretty atypical song for this band. is available in two different versions – and one of them could easily be featured in a Pop radio show (which isn’t a negative implication at all).

What is bothering me on occasion is a way-too-över production, spoiling some of the epic-symphonic tracks for me. My ears are getting confused and overloaded when it sounds like 2 different songs being played at the same time. Therefore not the full rating.

PS: “I Am The Storm” 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. In addition, the new album contains two cover songs which seem a little unusual for this genre: “Turn It On Again” by Genesis and “Red Rain” by Peter Gabriel.

Bandwebsite

Tracklisting
CD oder DVD: (01:11:44)
CD 01 – I Am The Storm | CD 02 – Seven Minutes From Sunset | CD 03 – Remember The Dawn | CD 04 – The Emotional
Depiction Of Light | CD 05 – Resilience | CD 06 – Action At A Distance | CD 07 – Turn It On Again | CD 08 – All This Time (And
Not Enough) | CD 09 – The Emotional Depiction of Light (Vikram’s Remix)
| CD 10 – Red Rain |

Vinyl: (01:25:42)
A 01 – I Am The Storm | A 02 – Seven Minutes From Sunset | A 03 – Remember The Dawn | B 04 – The Emotional Depiction
Of Light | B 05 – Resilience | B 06 – Action At A Distance | C 07 – Turn It On Again | C 08 – All This Time (And Not Enough) | C
09 – The Pearl Clutchers | D 10 – The Far Side Of The Clouds | D 11 – The Emotional Depiction of Light (Vikram’s Remix)
| D 12 – Red Rain |

  • 9/10
    Bewertung / rating - 9/10
9/10

Klaudia Weber

reckless and merciless dictator, so KNEEL! In other words, editor-in-chief, translator, website and ad admin, "Jane of all trades" - - - addicted to books (everything between Lord Of The Rings & quantum physics) and music, mainly Metal made in Finland. Furthermore, there's painting, drawing, movies, theater... so you can expect some variety on this website too. MA Master of Arts, English and American studies & Media communication = completed two full studies parallel within 5 years; very proud of my achievement - a bit later in life thanks to a scholarship - as a working class girl in a highlyconservative-romancatholic nation...