SNOWFALL ON JUDGMENT DAY

A good album, yes, though nothing that really sets it apart from the majority of other progressive metal albums.

As someone only somewhat familiar with Redemption (listened to The Fullness of Time, saw them live once), I must say that before I listened to my promo copy I forgot that they are exactly a progressive metal band. I mean, I knew it, but somehow in my mind they were a lot less focused on crunching guitars and replacing complex song structures with simple noodle excess. For the target style, they are absolutely on mark. They have enough Dream Theater and Symphony X in their sound to appeal to those fans, while adding their own touch to whatever they play. This is no prog metal clone band, believe me, but neither are they that different from many other giants of the scene. They put a solo or four in every song just like their peers. And what with the simultaneous arrival of the stunning new Shadow Gallery release Digital Ghosts, I find myself dramatically underwhelmed with an album that in all likelihood, in another context, might just blow my mind. Hard to say, but how I hear it is how I hear it.

The opener Peel is a fast-paced track with not too shabby of a chorus. Aside from that, it's pretty much a familiar song. Walls opens much stronger, with some nice percussion riding over a solid bass line. The clean guitar parts sound quite nice over the traditional rhythm crunch, and the vocals once more find themselves the best part of the song. Though not as strong as Shadow Gallery, Redemption are no slackers at crafting quality melodies. Unfortunately, the noodling that many fans love but this reviewer has gotten a bit weary of makes another wild appearance. Leviathan Rising takes plenty of quotes from V for Vendetta, and also features a structure very similar to something recent from Symphony X. The drums are quite well performed, but the melodies and the obsessive chugging guitar take away from its potential impact. Black and White World starts much more promisingly, with a clever piano piece. Soon, however, the standard prog metal is back in power, and the vocals for a second song in a row do not deliver enough melody to the song to take it much above the median. The trend on Snowfall on Judgment Day is that none of the songs are below average, but little is above average.

Unformed also starts quietly but quickly returns to the same prog metal sound of the first five songs. I have no problem with prog metal, but the exact same guitar, bass, and drum sound for that many songs in a row can get a bit wearying. The chorus on this track is pretty pleasing, but it is at this song that metal fatigue starts to set in (maybe not for everybody, but by this point I figure my review is already not objective, so why not?). The same intro/verse/chorus/verse/solos/chorus/outro feel exists in basically every song here. Keep Breathing starts out quite melancholic and emotional, definitely an improvement, but only a few minutes go on before the heavy distortion comes in and overpowers the beautiful piano work. An unfortunate series of increasingly heavy twists turn what could be the highlight thus far into just another one of the similar tracks, albeit with a very nice extended intro. Another Day Dies starts with a nice surprise: James LaBrie on guest vocals! I might have my problems with Dream Theater, too, but these two men make for a terrific vocal duet. And, truthfully, this song has James on a much stronger melody than anything on Black Clouds and Silver Linings did for him this same year. It's another heavy and fast metal track with much noodling, but here finally the vocals push a middling track beyond its simplistic construction and execution.

What Will You Say is much softer than the previous, though of course the metal sound is still quite overpowering throughout. The vocals are chilling and the chorus is brilliant, however, pushing this song to the second above average piece on the album. The noodly instrumental section in the center even fits the song very well! A strange thought, considering the melancholy feel of the lyrics and the high speed intensity of the soloing. Fistful of Sand, however, drops the strength of the past few tracks and jumps straight into shallow prog metal staleness. At least the album's conclusion, the long form Love Kills Us All/ Life in One Day, carries a bit more weight and purpose to its sound. This track ends the album on a high note, perhaps its highest. It begins slowly, gently, which is a very nice changeup at this point. Some beautiful piano enters in at around three minutes in, and begins turning this track into something like what the album has been hyped to be. Though the thickly distorted guitars once more overpower all the rest of the instrumentation, it at least remains interesting during this instrumental buildup. The second half, while still mostly drowned in heavy guitars, has some lovely vocals and well-conceived composition.

I might sound like I'm coming down pretty hard on this album despite a fairly average rating. The album is pretty average, but that does mean it's better than half of those out there. If you are a big fan of prog metal, I bet you'll love this release. If you like a bit more dynamic music less noodle-centric, then this album might be a bit more hit and miss. A good release, but absolutely nothing here that we haven't run into a number of times before, and since I'm such a pain about pushing at least a couple of boundaries with music, a safe release like this one completely fails to blow my mind.

Blessed with two promo albums to review, I put this one aside until I had finished the Shadow Gallery album. Again, most of it was due to my relative newness to Prog Metal. In both cases, I started by questioning my own prejudices or stereotypes vis a vis the genre.

In both cases, I also found much to please most prog fans.

Yes, you will find the heavy guitars at the forefront, with the shred solos. Yes, the Dream Theater influences are there. Same as with the trash metal progressives like Metallica, Megadeth and in some cases Iron Maiden. The first two metal giants you can hear in Snowfall on Judgment Day's riffs & guitar tones. The latter, just in fleeting instrumental moments that I find hard to pinpoint - Alder's vocal style makes me forget the Maiden comparison before I can think of what Maiden it reminds me of :-).

But after a few listens, for some reason, the album brought to mind a prog metal version of Frost* (Neo Prog Metal ?).

Is this good or bad ? Well, while not as inventive or original sounding as Frost*, Redemption does come across as skilled at composing melodies, but without wallowing in mellowness. And they can then drop the gloves and wallop you with a great riff. Much heavier than Frost* mind you. But still enjoyable as being part of the song.

All, and all , well worth checking out any samples you can find online. 30 second snatches should provide a good indication for those who are starting to search out prog metal. There are a few out & out Prog Metal songs, with the progressive trash guitar dominating. Fistful of Sand wouldn't seem out of place on a latter day Megadeth album. And unlike Shadow Gallery, I can't tell a true symphonic fan that they would enjoy this through & through. But if you're one that can imagine the guitar part played by synths or mellotron, you might appreciate this.

So not a masterpiece of prog by any measure, but surely a very competent piece of work that should interest fans of melodic metal, and keep Redemption fans hungry for another album.

The quest of finding the best album of 2009 has a new strong candidate! Redemption have completed the formula and delivered their best album. A bit heavier than the previous with the right tunes and the needed complexity. From the killer first riff to the fine melodies of Alder's voice this is prog metal at its best. Just the way I like it, overplayed but not tedious. Just listen to the solo's of Leviathan Rising. Surely all prog metal bands of our days can play really fast but no other can do it like them. 7 minute songs with odd rhythms, thundering guitars and the right voice. So is redemption a superband or a super band? Definitely the latter and with a great album they continue to prove it. This year of great prog metal releases, DT, Shadow Gallery and Redemption are the holy trinity of the genre.

I see no way to give this, Redemption's fourth release, anything other than 5 stars. It is absolutely perfect in every way. The songs are memorable from the very first listen. The music is complex and challenging, yet accessible and pleasant. The lyrics are thought-provoking and moving, as they have been through all four releases. The addition of LaBrie's vocals are a nice diversion but are nowhere near the highlight of the record. Alder's vocals compliment the music perfectly and continue to be the best work he has ever done.

In my opinion, Redemption is the best prog metal band on the planet at this moment. A 5 star review is the only way to acknowledge this fact.

Redemption is one of my favourite bands. I got introduced to the band with the excellent Fullness Of Time. I had high expectations of this release considering the great work they have done on previous albums.

As usual, I do not judge an album after only a few listens. If you do that, you might be missing some real gems! So I gave this CD quite a few spins because it immediately appeared to me that this album wasn't as likeable as quickly as Fullness Of Time.

After some extensive listening, I still think this is falling a little short. Most of the songs are good or really good. None of them are bad. It is a really consistent package of nicely crafted songs, the only problem with it, is being too consistent!

Still, with more listens, a few songs stand out. I like Blank And White World with its nice keyboard at the beginning and towards the end of the song. Fistful Of Sand is excellent and shines by being the heaviest song on the album. Another Day Dies brings something new with the presence of James Labrie along Ray Alder on the vocals. Very nice duo indeed!

Speaking of vocals, I found Ray Alder a little too buried throughout the album. I wish the vocals were more present, I think it would have give more emotions to this CD. Love Kills Us All/Life In One Day is a longer song with more textures to it, I wish the album had more song like this one.

Overall, this is a very decent album. If you like the other Redemption albums previous to this one, you will like this one too. It is a good addition to any prog-metal collection, but it certainly fails to really shine since it sounds a little too much the same. A very solid 3 stars, falling short of 4 stars due to the lack of nuances.

Well I wasn't really expecting a whole lot with REDEMPTION's latest "Snowfall On Judgment Day", mostly because "The Orgins Of Ruins" for me was a big step down from "The Fulness Of Time". Well lets just say the boys are back ! And in a big way. I should have known better with all the glowing reviews from Metal fans around the "Net" but I was still a little skeptical. Interesting that the band thanks Mike Portnoy and Mark Zonder in the liner notes. REDEMPTION opened for DREAM THEATER this past summer and they have James LaBrie guesting on vocals on the heaviest track.Travis Smith did the cool art work on the album cover. They've added a keyboardist which allows Nick more time to focus on the lead guitar although he still adds some keys. Bernie Versailles is the other lead guitarist and he along with Nick form a formidable dual attack. One of my favourite drummers Chris Quirarte is back on the drums, and he's much more dominate then he was on their last album. Ray continues the vocal style like on the last album where he seems to sing calmly even when all hell is breaking loose all around him (haha). That's why the LaBrie sung track really stands out 'cause James sings with such passion.

"Peel" has such an amazing intro then it kicks in heavily. Incredible sound ! Vocals 2 minutes in. Check out Chris' drum work ! Ripping guitar 4 1/2 minutes in. "Walls" opens with drums as guitar then synths join in. Vocals after a minute. The drums dominate before 4 minutes then it's the guitars turn. "Leviathan Rising" opens with creepy sounds followed by bass then drums and a full sound. An all out assault ! Ray cries "Leviathan rising !" Piano then joins in then heaviness after 3 minutes. Blistering guitar follows. "Black And White World" opens with piano as it starts to build when bass and drums join in. It's kicking pretty hard before 1 1/2 minutes. Vocals 2 minutes in. The drums are relentless. It settles some before 6 1/2 minutes as deep bass, piano and drums lead the way. Then it kicks back in with vocals. I'm smiling right now. "Unformed" kicks in heavily at 30 seconds as vocals join in. This is intense. The tempo picks up before 4 minutes. Hell ya ! The guitar is lighting it up.

"Keep Breathing" features some atmosphere as reserved vocals arrive. Heavy drum outbursts before 2 1/2 minutes then Adler lets go. A killer soundscape follows. Amazing ! The drumming is outstanding. "Another Day Dies" opens with guitar as thunderous bass and drums follow. James comes in with emotion vocally. This is a barn burner. All hell breaks loose 3 minutes in. "What Will You Say" is mellow with piano, acoustic guitar and laid back vocals. It kicks in fuller before a minute. Nice. This becomes a powerful song. Great tune ! "Fistful Of Sand" has this stampede of drums and bass as heavy guitars join in. Vocals after a minute. This is ZERO HOUR heavy. "Love Kills Us All / Life In One Day" is a fantstic closing track where we get it all really.

I really think they've outdone themselves here. I need to re-listen to "The Fulness Of Time" but there's no question this is in that same league, only better.

On first listen I thought this album a little one dimensional, somewhat confused and rushed, with a less than convincing production. There doesn't seem to be the same depth, complexity or progressive thought to this album. However after many listens the album has really grown on me.

I have loved their previous work, particularly 'The Origins of Ruin' as an album, and 'Sapphire' as a single track (from 'The Fullness of Time'), and think despite their latest offering being less progressive, it sits along side their previous work pretty comfortably.

It's a much faster paced album with few moments to take breath, but I still credit redemption as a band with fantastic song writing skills.

I think 'Black and White World' and 'Love Kills Us All / Life in One Day' are the two tracks that are most recognisably progressive metal, and will be appreciated by people who have liked their previous albums.

For me the weakest tracks are the first and second to last tracks, but they too have grown on me, being fast paced and more aggressive.

Another Day Dies, perhaps, demonstrates the vocal superiority of Ray Alder over James LaBrie, who in my opinion is the weak link in Dream Theater - but I digress.

Personal favourites are 'Wall', 'Black and White World' and 'Love Kills Us All / Life in One Day'.

Not five stars as there could have been a more progressive, complex and varied entry building on the good work of before, but otherwise this is a good addition to their catalogue.

Impressing, little (for some, big) prog metal album, bringing (if not peace, then at least) harmony. Mild heavy sound (nothing unpleasant) and cherry on the top of the cake - beautiful cover. Note that there's melody similar to Dream Theater's "Another Day" in middle part of What Will You Say, especially strange because James LaBrie himself is providing vocals (I recognized him in Ayreon's 0100110, I instantly knew it's him now) in Another Day Dies (which brings doubts because the title is very similar to my previous thoughts).

This album is very atmospheric. If not real orchestra, synths provides sound faithful enough to resemble one. It's metal, (third strange similarity), Dream Theater type (sounds like them, just without characteristic vocal, but performance, how the handle their instruments, it's good enough).

4(-), Marty is pleased by these sounds. Simply, atmospheric metal.

Redemption's last album ticked all the boxes, almost. This one again ticks them all, but the songs are a little less memorabel. This one is harder-edged, thrashier, and a bit less melodic.

The 'formula' is pretty set, pretty much straight ahead metal with progressive complexity, with tastes of Fates Warning, Iron Maiden and thrash. Not overly progressive as such, but with accomplished instrumental breaks, guitar playing, keyboards, drums and bass. Ray Alder is a bit better on this one, the vocal lines stretching a bit further. Both guitarists excel at producing quality guitar solos, keyboards provide the usual backgrounds, but also many other interesting parts too, there's some cool bass lines and I really like the drum patterns.

A key part of the Redemption mix are the lyrics, which avoid the usual pitfalls of tring to be heavy by talking about murder, destruction, evil, demons, etc. Topics cover relationships, love, loss, emotions, death and other stuff most of us can relate to. Ray Alder breaths emotion into the lyrics and knowing that the main songwriter and guitarist Nick Van Dyk is struggling to hold on to life makes the lyrics all the more poignant. Black and White World and the first two tracks are the standouts for me.

Within a year this great band has moved up my personal ranking of prog metal bands to one of the very highest positions. What I like most about them is their energetic approach and each time I play one of their albums they lift up my spirit and almost give me some sort of boost. And added to these already important facts they also compose highly melodic and catchy songs (not always a plus in progworld but within the prog metal scene I usually prefer this feature).

And with this latest release they again don't disappoint me one bit. At first few listens I thought it was a bit more of the same compared to what they have done so far but I have this feeling more often when I listen to a new album. In the end it's also a matter of getting used to the new songs and give them time to sink in. I know all their albums by now and I have to say they are all pretty equal in quality, at least where the compositions are concerned. Yes, even the debut pleased me a lot even though the average here on PA might suggest it's by far their least output. Where style is concerned this Snowfall on Judgment Day is right in between Fulness of Time and Origins of Ruin. The latter was a little bit tame for their abilities where FoT was extremely energetic. SoJD is a bit closer to FoT but has the same catchy melodies as songs like Memories and Fall on You, two great songs from OoR.

So all in all another great release by Redemption, most certainly recommended for their fans but prog metal fans who never heard of them should actually be a bit ashamed and run to the store or wherever and buy this album immediately to check it out. I could even reward it with the full score but lack of originality prevents me from doing so. It's the only danger and thread for this band in the future. On the other hand I would be disappointed if they would leave their great recent style which suits me just about 100%. So yes I'm pretty ambivalent about this aspect but right now I think I will be enjoying this album for quite some time. Best songs are Leviathan Rising, Keep Breathing and Love kills us all/Life in One Day but none of the songs is less than very good I have to say.

When it comes to "Progressive Metal", it can either be very different or very samey. Dream Theater for example are not afraid to dip their feet in the pool of other genres and experiment. Then there is what I like to call "stereotypical progressive metal.," which can either be a slightly more technical version of power metal or it could be modern metal with a more technical side, using polyrhythms and showing off virtuoso.

Redemption fall in to the category of the more modern metal, basically technical metal but with a very heavy Symphony X and Dream Theater influence.

While listening to it, I was expecting it to be very samey, but like Progressive Metal; you soon get drawn in by its magical powers.

This album is a great album. It at times is a wee bit samey and very penis envy, but meh, it's very enjoyable & there are some extraordinary songs on it.

1. Peel - Very Symphony X. Interesting vocal style for Ray, who when in Fates Warning (mainly No Exit), his voice was a force to be reckoned with. The chorus in this song is amazing. The solos sound a wee bit too much like Symphony X, but don't get me wrong, the instrumental work is amazing. An amazing way to start the album.

2. Walls - Pretty cool chorus. Ray shows off more vocal styles as well. I love the keyboards in the chorus playing arpeggios.

3. Leviathan Rising - This song kicks major ass. The use of 7 strings is amazing. The chorus is also really good. The piano accompaniment is very Dream Theater. The song is very Nevermore as well. I love the lyrics of the song as well. Basically I love this song.

4. Black & White World - The intro is really cool with amazing discourse between keys and bass. This song is actually about Nick's daughter who has Cone Dystrophy (eye disease, the keyboardist of my band Eternia has it, and it's funny because she's nearly blind, but she can rock any instrument known to man). A very weird thing happened when I was listening to this song last night. The TV was on and when the title was sung in the song, the programme that was on (CSI or some show like that, they're all the same really), the screen went black and white?very weird coincidence. Albeit the funny story, the song is amazing and extremely epic.

5. Unformed - This song is again very Dream Theater. Very kick ass with a great chorus.

6. Keep Breathing - This song is really amazing. The lyrics are based on Nick's own dealing with his daughter's contraction of Cone Dystrophy. The lyrics are incredibly beautiful and very emotional. The music of the song is actually quite dark. The instrumental section is amazing with some spectacular polyrhythms.

7. Another Day Dies - Yay, James LaBrie. This song sounds a little bit like a faster version of one of his solo stuff. His vocals are great in this song and so are Ray's. The production is a wee bit muddy to be honest.

8.] What Will You Say? - Quite cheesy but very catchy and effective.

9. Fistful Of Sand - Very kick ass intro. Almost sounds too much like Nevermore. Mammothly heavy with an amazing chorus and some kick ass polyrhythms.

10. Love Kills Us All/Life In One Day - This song has an amazing build up. The instrumental sections are amazing. This song has a weird structure, not standard at all. The vocal melodies in this song are amazing. Rays vocals also are highlighted really well. What a way to end an album.

CONCLUSION: This album at times can be a little bland, but it is amazing. The small flaws can be easily overlooked. A great album.

As some other reviewers think, with no doubt this album deservers 5 stars and so do I.

This consistent album from begin to end offers tones of amazing prog. metal music in typical Redemptions character, slightly reminding its predecessor - Origins Of Ruins (which is my second favorite album, just after Snowfall..)

Of course, you will not find any new developed practices, but their centroid are superior melodic-technical parts and mainly the Ray's voice. I personally think, his performance in this album is one the best in his career. Incredible singing.

From the other musicians I mention the drummer Chris Quirarte, whose technical abilities are undisputed.

I don't review all the songs separately, I just pick up those, which I think are best on album:

- Peel - Walls - Black and White World - Love Kills Us All / Life in One Day - Another Day Dies

I recommend this worthful addition to prog. metal archives.

mesmerising! its very hard for me to be critical of this album...song after song, this latest Redemption album hit me and hit me hard. i've read some reviews here and elsewhere that they are just another clone band trying to fit into the prog metal genre. well, its my favourite genre and Redemption fit very well...

Peel: the catchy chorus is the first thing that gets you and this one's all about Ray - but listen carefully and you'll see every member of the band pulling his weight here. 9/10

Walls: the lyrics are standout for me here - even inspired me to write something of my own. 9/10

Leviathan Rising: starts of mediocre but the great riffs pull it up to a really strong closure. 8/10

Black and White World: super keys, super vocals, super lyrics, interesting rhythm changes - one of the best on the album 10/10

Unformed: again, a lacklustre start (for Ray) and then builds up to a strong second half. 8.5/10

Keep Breathing: Ray at his best...haunting from the start, super instrumental interludes. another star song. 9.5/10

Another Day Dies: a Ray and James duet - anyday! amazing riff kicks in around a minute or so in and from there, its all Bernie/ Nick land - one of the best solos i've heard...9.5/10

What Will You Say: the only weak one on this set but thats only because of the competition. still a good song. 7.5/10

Fistful of Sand: could have done without the extra noodling in the middle. 7.5/10

Love Kills Us All / Life in One Day - mini-epic 11-min closer. i love it when bands do these long closers that roll all of the album into one song - kind of like a reprise and when the other stuff is so good, it leaves you wishing it would never end. 11 minutes is far too short for this one. 10/10

It's strange to me how people's opinions on music differ so vastly. I came to Redemption's area on Prog Archives to review this album, and saw that their previous albums had averages above 4 stars, and this one was the first to dip below. But the funny thing is that this is the album that finally convinced me that I loved Redemption. After this album, I went back to their older albums and discovered I loved them too, but before this album I used to tell a good friend of mine who was a big Redemption fan that I felt like the band was 5 instrumentalists soloing at the same time. When I heard this album, I felt like I was hearing how the band had matured and cohered. I remember also that it seemed like every time I listened to this album, my favorite song on the album changed as I discovered I loved another song on the album. It is still hard to pick a favorite, though I would like to mention the song, Keep Breathing. This song was written by one of the two guitarists, Nick Van Dyk, about his daughter Parker, who has a degenerative disease causing her to lose her eyesight. The lyrics explain how as a father he can't stand to see his daughter in pain, but at the same time is amazed at her strength and bravery and tells her that it inspires him to go on. As a Progressive Metal fan, this doesn't happen to me very often, but the first time I heard this song I had to pull over as the tears began to flow. The whole album is powerful, and don't be surprised if your speedometer begins to climb as you listen to this album.

I think that Snowfall on Judgment Day is Redemption's best, at least, sound-wise, album. I don't mind if it's not "organically" produced, smooths some of the rougher edges of their previous albums and is too calculated to hit all the sweet spots of those who like their metal both heavy and a little cheesy. A crunchy riff, a poppy synth line, a shredding solo and an earnest power ballad all come when you expect them to come. And there is even James LaBrie of the genre's godfathers Dream Theater guesting. A lot of bands repeat their successful formula, but at least you could say that Snowfall promises the prog power metal goods and delivers.