THIS MORTAL COIL

Here is a metal album in the same vein as the type of metal you may expect from Symphony X. Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder certainly is as good as he was with that legendary band and his voice never falters from loud high register to a gentler cadence on the softer songs. The metal is driven hard by the dextrous lead guitar work of Nick Van Dyk. He also provides keyboards where it is needed. He is joined by the rhythm of guitarist Bernie Versailles. The final piece of the band is provided by the rhythm machine of Chris Quirarte on drums and Sean Andrews on bass.

The first thing one may notice from the outset is that the riffs have a proclivity to sound like Metallica, at one point the early Metallica sound is protuberant on the first songs on the album. The voice is always sparkling and resilient, every lyric is audible, and Alder injects passion and power into his performance. The lead breaks are a part of the overall sound and they are handled deftly by the fret melting work of Van Dyk. Certain lead solos are absolutely brilliant, with speed sweep picking, pitchy squeals and fast hammer ons, especially notable on 'Dreams From The Pit', 'Noonday Devil' and 'Departure of the Pale Horse' (the best song on the album).

The vocal work is astonishing at times, the high falsetto comes into play often and is never overbearing, rather part of the passionate thematic content, such as on 'Perfect' or 'Begin Again'. There is a type of concept on the album revolving around Biblical references such as the fall of the devil and temptation in the garden, and of course at the end Revelation is referenced in the awesome mini epic 'Departure of the Pale Horse'. The album seems to become more progressive in style the further into it especially with the ethereal intro to 'Noonday Devil' and the time sig structure of 'Let It Rain'.

The quieter songs are always an excellent balance to all the shredding. The guitars are downtuned to emit the classic galloping riff style often heard in 80s metal. The band have an approach to their music that is at times dark in content, (especially on the section where whispered voices tell the protagonist that they are alone in the dark and prayer is useless), but the sound is not offensive, due to easy listening vocals, and neither ground breaking in terms of innovation. The album will appeal to listeners with a penchant for Symphony X or Dream Theater, and that is perhaps my highest recommendation.

Every new album from Redemption is something to celebrate in the progressive metal community, especially considering that this American powerhouse has been on quite a winning streak lately. Hot off the heels of the killer Snowfall on Judgment Day is This Mortal Coil, the fifth full-length album from Redemption. Everything that we've come to expect from Redemption is here in full force - powerful and technical guitar riffs, lush keyboard palettes, outstanding musicianship, and powerful vocal lines that can only be delivered by Ray Alder. This Mortal Coil is ultimately a successful entry into their discography, yet I can't help but feel a bit let down by a few key aspects of this release. Although this is musically an outstanding album, the production flaws and uneven mix leave my enthusiasm for This Mortal Coil a bit more restrained than it should be. Fans of Redemption should be sure to check it out, but this isn't the best starting point for those new to the band.

Those familiar with Redemption should immediately recognize the sound on This Mortal Coil. Expect a strong influence from Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Symphony X within the sound, even though Redemption does have their own distinct brand of progressive metal. The songs are generally pretty conventional and accessible (in a good way), and always contain unforgettable choruses and killer riffs. The technical acrobatics of the band are as impressive as ever, and plenty of furious guitar and keyboard duals always keep things interesting. This Mortal Coil's most appealing factor, for me at least, is the vocal performance from Ray Alder of Fates Warning. Even though he may not hit those same notes he used to sing in the late eighties, he proves that he's still one of the most powerful and emotional vocalists in the prog metal world. The melodic sensibilities of his singing style parred with the extremely memorable songwriting structures make for plenty of unforgettable moments contained within This Mortal Coil.

In most regards, This Mortal Coil is a near-flawless album. Actually, the quality of musicianship and songwriting are so high that I may even consider it one of Redemption's best albums to date. So what is the hold-up that restrains my full enjoyment of this album? Unfortunately, it's the iffy production and uneven mix. Even though the album doesn't sound horrible, the sound here is hardly excusable for a band with this much reputation and popularity within their respective genre. The sound comes across as overly compressed and distorted, and the mix seems to emphasize all of the wrong things. The vocals are awfully low in the mix, often being drowned out by a flood of loudly-mastered riffs and drums. The loud and compressed production certainly doesn't do a prog metal album any justice, and I really wish that Redemption would re-produce this album sometime in the future. The current sound quality ends up nearly crippling all of the album's other assets - something that I will rarely say, especially in this day and age.

In spite of its glaring production flaws, This Mortal Coil is still a very successful observation from Redemption that most fans of the band should check out. I've had a really good time experiencing this album, and there are enough killer tunes here to keep me revisiting again in the future from time to time. With songwriting and musicianship this strong, it's hard not to at least be left somewhat impressed by This Mortal Coil. The album is dragged down by a poor production, but the redeeming qualities are still enough to warrant a 3.5 star rating.

'This Mortal Coil' - Redemption (5/10)

Being formed by members of Symphony X and Fate's Warning, it does not come as much of a surprise that Redemption are one of the most talked about progressive metal bands these days. Now close to a decade old, this supergroup has now put out five albums, all falling within a fairly close style to its parent acts. 'This Mortal Coil' is the most recent album from these titans, and anyone who has heard what Redemption is all about before should have a good idea of what to expect here. Redemption's latest falls into an ever-growing category of albums that while incredibly impressive from a production and performance standpoint, ultimately fails to move me in any way. For all of the talent exerted here, it is all the more disappointing that the end result is little more than a run-of-the-mill melodic power metal record.

Glorious things have been done in the past by both Fate's Warning and Symphony X, and I would even have some great things to say about some of the music that Redemption has released in the past. However, I get the feeling that the label of prog metal is being watered down now to the point where it is perhaps unintentionally crossing over into power metal and even melodic rock much more than it did when the fusion of prog and heavy metal was still young. If there is one thing that progressive metallers and Redemption in particular have however, it is musical skill. This is a well-produced album with strong performance and even a handful of jaw-dropping instrumental sections. The times where the band breaks into technical segments or solos is where Redemption really shines, sounding a great deal like the bombastic instrumentals of Symphony X. Sadly, the proggy moments have been toned down on 'This Mortal Coil' in favour of more melodies.

All in all, the melodies and songwriting here are both fairly good, although it is most often predictable. One thing that surprised me here was the voice of Ray Alder, for the fact that his delivery here is so much different than his work with Fate's Warning that I have heard; he aims towards a soothing melodic delivery that nails pitch perfectly, yet I can't say that I prefer this dimension of Alder. I would never deny that Redemption have talent- they are in fact a collaboration of some of the most gifted and enduring musicians in progressive metal. All the same, their work on 'This Mortal Coil' feels tame and predictable. This streamlined effort is reminiscent of the disappointment I felt with Symphony X's latest release. Where I'm left wanting a roller coaster, I'm stuck riding a tilt-a-whirl, albeit a very well-oiled one.