With 2009’s “Snowfall on Judgment Day”, I became a fan of Redemption.  It has been a joy to see them advance and become more widely recognized since then, even to see them signed to AFM Records recently.  The future looks very bright for them, and their new live video release “Alive in Color” is setting the stage for that.  The album releases on August 28^th, and is an outstanding offering.

The lineup for Redemption currently includes Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) on vocals, Chris Quirarte (one of my favorites) on drums, Sean Andrews on bass, my friend Vikram Shankar on keys, and, of course, Nick van Dyk on guitar and general production.  The band has seen difficulty in the years they have been active, but they always seem to pull through to make more music.  With Nick and Bernie experiencing significant illness, I really didn’t expect the band to keep going, but their stamina is inspiring.  Additionally, the band lost singer Ray Alder before the release of 2018’s “Long Night’s Journey Into Day”, replacing him with a majorly high profile vocalist, Tom Englund (probably my favorite singer ever).

With their signing to AFM Records, the band decided to release a live DVD/Blu-ray of their 2018 headlining performance at ProgPower USA.  This legendary festival is always a great place to capture stunning performances in close proximity to fans, and I’m happy that this video saw the light of day.  “Alive in Color”, though, turns out to be even better than I expected, and happens to be a special, nostalgic look at one of the best prog metal bands active today.

“Alive in Color” has two discs alongside the DVD.  The tracklist, which you can find below, features songs from almost every Redemption album, save for the original debut that I barely count anyways.  I was instantly happy to see such favorites as “Walls”, “The Suffocating Silence”, and “Black and White World”.  Lots of songs from the new album with Tom are present, too, such as “Someone Else’s Problem”, “Little Men”, or the album title track.  All in all, the band did a fine job of balancing the old with the new.

Speaking of balance, the video is directed by Patric Ullaeus, who I personally know best from his amazing work with Evergrey.  With ProgPower offering a darker stage, I know it had to have been a challenge to capture this performance with dynamism and professionalism, but that is exactly what we have here.  The video looks great, there are fantastic cuts and views of some of the most exciting moments of the night, and it never feels flat or monotonous.  I have seen some ProgPower live releases from other bands that only use a couple cameras at most, and they often turn out grainy and shadowy.  “Alive in Color” truly lives up to its name by being bright, exciting, and even emotional.

The band deserves to be proud of their performances here.  Nick is a god on guitar, and his blinding licks and powerful riffs are the core of what Redemption does.  Sean and Chris sound amazing on the rhythm section, and Vikram’s illustrious prowess on keys is on full display, too, with his signature swivel stand getting a workout.  In fact, I should note that the mix on this release is perfect.  I was afraid that the keys would get lost in the wall of sound, but you can hear every single instrument with ease.  Some of the more melodic moments may even sound better here than on their respective studio albums.

As a longtime fan of Redemption, I was a little apprehensive when Ray left in 2017.  I didn’t want the band to continue without him.  But, someone must be looking out for the band, because you wouldn’t be able to find a better replacement than Tom Englund.  His voice interacts differently with the music than I am used to, but with this release I am really warming up to him on vocals.  He honors the studio versions of the songs, while adding his own twists, and he knows how to get the crowd worked up, and I love that.

There are exhilarating moments throughout this release.  First of all, Simone Mularoni and Chris Poland guest on guitars, adding a layer of classic brilliance to everything.  In fact, Poland guests on a cover of Megadeth’s “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying”, which is believed to be the first time he has performed it live in over 20 years.  However, the guest that really brought a smile to my face was Ray Alder, strolling out on stage with class and presence.  It was a real treat to hear him sing “Threads” with the band, and you can tell that he loved every second and was emotional about the experience.  I honestly get goosebumps thinking about it.

I found every track on this release to be masterful and wonderful.  I was a little bummed that the bonus track “The Fullness of Time, Part 3” isn’t on the video portion, as that is one of my favorite songs by the band, but I am glad it is there, either way.  “Alive in Color” promises a strong future for the band, and I hope to see them become more successful and more active than they have been in a long time.  With a healthy lineup and a refreshed vision, Redemption are ready to stake their claim in prog metal, and this release is the perfect time to hop aboard.

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DVD/Blu-ray

01 – Intro / Noonday Devil

02 – The Suffocating Silence

03 – The Echo Chamber

04 – Damaged

05 – Someone Else’s Problem

06 – Little Men

07 – Long Night’s Journey Into Day

08 – Threads (Featuring Ray Alder)

09 – Black & White World

10 – Indulge In Color (Featuring Chris Poland)

11 – Walls

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CD1

01. Intro / Noonday Devil

02 – The Suffocating Silence

03 – The Echo Chamber

04 – Damaged

05 – Someone Else’s Problem

06 – Little Men

07 – Long Night’s Journey Into Day

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CD2

01. Threads (Feat. Ray Alder)

02 – Black & White World

03 – Indulge In Color (Feat. Chris Poland)

04 – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying (Feat. Chris Poland)

05 – Walls

06 – Threads (Feat. Tom Englund)

07 – The Fullness Of Time – Part 3

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Find Redemption online:

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