Some CD's for you to check out.
Redemption - I Am the Storm
There was a time almost 20 years ago that Redemption were to me the new kings of progmetal. Fates Warning went on a long hiatus and Pain of Salvation lost the plot after Remedy Lane. All four albums released in odd years between 2003-2009 hit the bull for me. Than 2011's This Mortal Coil had a high emotional value as I spent the summer of 2009 also far from easy. After that the albums became less frequent and to be honest the surprise had gone a bit. Still all of Redemption's albums remain to be among the very best in progmetal, since their style is very much Redemption. Even the loss of Ray Alder and entrance of Tom Englund did not result in a major change. So when I Am the Storm was announced a smile passed my face. What after several spins? Well the smile is still there. The album holds everything we came to know and love by Redemption. A fast and heavy opener, two epics well over ten minutes, lots of melody and that riffing that makes them so recognizable. Any critics? well maybe the fact that the last two songs are adding less for me. A second version of The Emotional Depiction of Light is for me not necessary, neither is a second cover song. Than again the album is long with 71 minutes and this gives the opportunity to push stop after one hour. Redemption are back and they did it again. No surprises, but top class progmetal.
Cross Country Driver - The New Truth
Rob Lamothe is back with a band. Well the basis of a band, with lots of guest appearances. Ever since the debut alum by teh Riverdogs, Rob Lamothe remained among my favourite voices in rock. With guests like Dug Pinnick, Mike Mangini and Vivian Campbell, expectations were high. Were they met? yes songwriting wise, no on the heaviness side. Overall the album falls somewher between Riverdogs and Rob's solo singer/songwriter work. The luck is that his voice lost nothing of his power yet and some bluesy rock on a Sunday morning falls always fine. So don't expect a very hard rocking album, but some classy songs you will get.
The Banishment - Machine and Bone
George Lynch, the guitarist is the one that drew me towards this band. Known from Dokken and Lynch Mob this is a whole different affair. The Banishment goes industrial here with a dirty edge at times. When I first heard the song Got What You Wanted via Youtube I was sold and noted down the date to purchase this album. Now that I played the full album a few times, I realize I might have been won over by the best song. Still the rest is not bad either and the album gets better every next time I play it. Another good thing is that it is different from what I usually put on. I saw the Aardcschok review panel being far from amused by this album, I would like to see this band live on stage as I do appreciate the sleazy industrial rock and George Lynch can still play, even if not attacking you with solos.
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