Album Review: Redemption - I Am The Storm

There aren't many vestiges left of the brief time I spent interested in what the prog scene had to offer. It feels like a bit of a fever dream now, the sort of thing that doesn't seem like it could have been real. In the time since, I have certainly grown weary of prog, tired of length and complexity without the 'songs' to make the indulgence worth the effort. With so many other options, spending time listening to music that doesn't know how to get to the point lost its appeal, when I could spend that same time listening to more songs that do things better.

There were a few prog albums that have managed to remain favorites, even as I have changed. Redemption had a couple of them, and were easily my favorite prog metal band... for a while. That changed when Ray Alder was replaced by Tom Englund, as his voice didn't speak to me at all on his first outing with the band. I'm giving them another chance, but maybe it's just a way for me to feel better about moving on. Let's find out.

The album opens with the two pre-release singles, which are classic Redemption, for both good and bad. The prog-meets-thrash riffing of the title track is right in the band's wheelhouse, but the introduction of a spoken word break is the sort of indulgent thing I've never been able to look past. If those words are important, why not turn them into an extra melody to enhance the song? I'm not putting a record on to listen to people talk. Then there's "Seven Minutes From Sunset", which sounds like Redemption at their best... because the chorus gave me a severe sense of deja vu. The instant Tom broke into the melody, it took me back to "Damaged", and I haven't ben unable to hear it since.

Then there's an even bigger issue. At least on the promo I was listening to, we get two different versions of "The Emotional Depiction Of Light", and two cover songs as well. The Seven actual new songs here would be enough on their own, so I don't know why they felt the need to throw this extra stuff on, cluttering up the album. At least when they put a cover song on "The Art Of Loss", it was only one track. Here, three of the ten tracks are completely unnecessary. If I was grading this like a test, that's thirty percent right off the top. We're close to a failing grade before even assessing if the actual new material is any good.

I can't claim to be a fan of "The Emotional Depiction Of Light", where the big cresendo involves multiple layers of Englund's voice dancing around the stereo field, but they're all sung so softly and mixed so low they come out nearly inaudible. It's supposed to be the key melodic bit of the song, but it turns into a mess of nothingness. If there is a melody, it gets consumed by the production choices, and the song can't hold my interest after that.

There was something special about Redemption from "The Origins Of Ruin" through "The Art Of Loss", but I hear very little of that anymore. Between the covers, the odd decisions, and Englund's voice simply not appealing to me, Redemption is an entirely different band than the one I used to love. I think the main takeaway for me is this; if Redemption is right that "[they] are the storm", then I'm ready to find some shelter.