The official Redemption thread v. I Am the Storm - March 17th 2023

[cramx3]

 

[Mebert78]

With the announcement of Evergrey's upcoming album A Heartless Portrait, I'm starting to wonder why Evergrey will have released three studio albums since the last one from Redemption. Plus, Silent Skies (which features two members of Redemption) has released two albums. Come on, Redemption!

[Zook]

Maybe Blizzard has a more hectic schedule than Disney.

[wolfking]

With the announcement of Evergrey's upcoming album A Heartless Portrait, I'm starting to wonder why Evergrey will have released three studio albums since the last one from Redemption. Plus, Silent Skies (which features two members of Redemption) has released two albums. Come on, Redemption!

Maybe Redemption can't release something because Tom has released three Evergrey albums plus Silent Skies.

[T-ski]

I’m guessing it has more to do with Nicks schedule as Redemption isn’t exactly his primary job.

[Lethean]

Maybe they're trying to compete with Symphony X on who can take the longest between albums.

[bosk1]

Maybe they're trying to compete with Symphony X on who can take the longest between albums.

Symphony X has always baffled me in terms of what those guys do full time to make a living.  Yeah, they do the odd solo project every now and then. But those pay peanuts and are too few and far in between.  How on earth do they earn a living when they so infrequently release albums, and don't appear to tour very often either?  With Redemption, we know Nick has a full time "normal" job, and that the band is more or less a hobby, so that's different. 

[cramx3]

I’m guessing it has more to do with Nicks schedule as Redemption isn’t exactly his primary job.

Likely this I'd guess.

[MinistroRaven]

 

"I Am The Storm" - new single coming this Friday, December 9th. Pre-save on your choice streaming platform: https://bfan.link/i-am-the-storm

 

[bosk1]

Sweet!

[ProfessorPeart]

I don't know. I just don't like Tom's voice. I bought the last album already knowing I was not a fan of his and I maybe listed to it once. I also have 1 total Evergrey album. Same reason, his vocals just don't click with me. They need Ray back.

[bosk1]

I had heard a few Evergrey songs before he started singing for Redemption, and I felt the same way.  But I thought his voice fit great on the last album, and it's right up there with Snowfall for me as my favorite album from them.

[DTwwbwMP]

"I Am The Storm" - new single coming this Friday, December 9th. Pre-save on your choice streaming platform: https://bfan.link/i-am-the-storm

 

Great news. LOVE Redemption!

[MinistroRaven]

It is so sad to have Ray out of redemption. Fuck Jim as he is the reason for Ray not being with Redemption anymore.

[bosk1]

Fuck Jim as he is the reason for Ray not being with Redemption anymore.

[cramx3]

I've never been the biggest fan of Ray, yeah he's a good singer, but I didn't think his work in Redemption was anything special.  Felt like Tom easily replaced him. I feel like I haven't been too into Redemption lately though.  If they come on my random shuffle of music, I almost always skip it these days.  I don't know, I enjoyed the last album and their performance at ProgPower, but I'm just not too invested in the band these days.

Fuck Jim as he is the reason for Ray not being with Redemption anymore.

also 

[MinistroRaven]

Fuck Jim as he is the reason for Ray not being with Redemption anymore.

Ray had to choose Redemption or Fates but not both.

And now we don’t have any of those as FW is on indefinite hiatus.

[cramx3]

That doesnt make any sense because like you said, both aren't very active bands.  Does Tom have to choose between Redemption and Evergrey (who's been very active).  It sure seems like he doesnt.

[DTwwbwMP]

It is so sad to have Ray out of redemption.

agree
 

[goo-goo]

It wasn't Jim's fault that Ray left Redemption. Nick said it very openly in interviews that he wanted a change of direction. There is no bad blood between Ray and Nick as both have performed together in ProgPower with Tom as well.

I personally didn't like much Redemption with Tom's voice. He sounded very uninspired with his singing in Redemption. I'm a big Evergrey fan so I noticed the difference. Hopefully he will sound more into it, than his debut with Redemption.

[Grappler]

I personally didn't like much Redemption with Tom's voice. He sounded very uninspired with his singing in Redemption. I'm a big Evergrey fan so I noticed the difference. Hopefully he will sound more into it, than his debut with Redemption.

Tom admitted that he specifically chose to sing differently in Redemption than he does in Evergrey, in order to differentiate the two bands for himself.  To those used to his style in Evergrey, it may come across as being uninspired, but I don't feel that's an accurate description. 

Looking forward to hearing new tunes!

[bosk1]

I've never been the biggest fan of Ray, yeah he's a good singer, but I didn't think his work in Redemption was anything special. 

Interesting that you say that.  I wasn't a fan of Ray's earlier work.  His voice was too shrill and thin.  That's a big reason I don't like the pre-X FW albums, even the ones their most popular fan favorites.  And during the time he first joined Redemption, his voice was deteriorating and he wasn't yet really doing anything about it.  I saw them when they opened for DT on the SC tour, and didn't think they were anything special at all.  And I thought Ray just sounded bad.  His voice sounded burned out and frequently off key.  That changed.  During the time period of the later Redemptions albums (Snowfall onward) and FW albums and tours, he really started to (1) rehab his voice (2) become comfortable with his new range and (3) sing with passion.  I feel like he lost some of that on The Art of Loss, which sounded uninspired to me in the vocal department.  But that anomaly aside, Ray's work on the backend of his time in Redemption and his time in FW from then until now got him on my top 25 list in the vocalist thread and has had just about every album released by either band during that time period in contention (top 3 or 4) for album of the year. 

It wasn't Jim's fault that Ray left Redemption. Nick said it very openly in interviews that he wanted a change of direction. There is no bad blood between Ray and Nick as both have performed together in ProgPower with Tom as well.

Exactly.  And I seem to recall Ray saying in an interview that his decision to live in Spain was actually the biggest factor in him scaling back his involvement in a lot of things, which included Redemption.

[Ben_Jamin]

I only knew of Tom's voice from Ayreon. When I heard Ray was leaving Redemption, I was a bit livid because hearing Ray sing Redemption songs was one of my main reasons for attending that ProgPower as well. I was one who wasn't into Tom's vocals in Redemption at first. But seeing them live with him, Tom did an excellent job and I actually like how he sung Damaged.

Since I never knew of Evergrey, I have been listening to them more now, The Storm Within is one emotional album and The Storm Within (song) is one of the most beautiful songs I have heard. I love that key, and the vibe the song has.

Now, because I got into Everygrey more, I think Tom is an excellent choice for Redemption. I just hope that Tom won't be afraid to just go all out with his emotional voice because Redemption songs desire that type of emotional voice. I can still hear that emotion in Tom's vocals on Long Night's Journey Into Day, specifically on Someone Else's Problem and Indulge In Color.

Fuck Jim as he is the reason for Ray not being with Redemption anymore.

Ray had to choose Redemption or Fates but not both.

And now we don’t have any of those as FW is on indefinite hiatus.

Yet, we got a solo album from Ray and I really enjoy some of those songs, like Wait and The Road. Those two are amongst his best works.

It was also awesome to hear him sing Walls, with permission from Nick. And he didn't perform any Fates Warning songs either at ProgPower because he stated it just wouldn't be fair to the other guys, so this is why he wasn't going to sing Fates Warning songs, which I would've enjoyed since I could hear him doing Wish, at least. Wish is one song where his vocals shine, as the vocals are what carry the song.

[goo-goo]

I've never been the biggest fan of Ray, yeah he's a good singer, but I didn't think his work in Redemption was anything special. 

Interesting that you say that.  I wasn't a fan of Ray's earlier work.  His voice was too shrill and thin.  That's a big reason I don't like the pre-X FW albums, even the ones their most popular fan favorites.  And during the time he first joined Redemption, his voice was deteriorating and he wasn't yet really doing anything about it.  I saw them when they opened for DT on the SC tour, and didn't think they were anything special at all.  And I thought Ray just sounded bad.  His voice sounded burned out and frequently off key.  That changed.  During the time period of the later Redemptions albums (Snowfall onward) and FW albums and tours, he really started to (1) rehab his voice (2) become comfortable with his new range and (3) sing with passion.  I feel like he lost some of that on The Art of Loss, which sounded uninspired to me in the vocal department.  But that anomaly aside, Ray's work on the backend of his time in Redemption and his time in FW from then until now got him on my top 25 list in the vocalist thread and has had just about every album released by either band during that time period in contention (top 3 or 4) for album of the year. 

It wasn't Jim's fault that Ray left Redemption. Nick said it very openly in interviews that he wanted a change of direction. There is no bad blood between Ray and Nick as both have performed together in ProgPower with Tom as well.

Exactly.  And I seem to recall Ray saying in an interview that his decision to live in Spain was actually the biggest factor in him scaling back his involvement in a lot of things, which included Redemption.

Also, one thing to add is that the lyrics in Redemption, which is Nick's writing style, are not very melodic. You really don't see the words rhyming with other words in the following verses, they sound more like "reading lyrics" or a "poem" with very little rhyme in it. Tom's performance sounded a bit less emotional even through Nick's lyrics are very emotional. When you hear Tom sing in Evergrey, you can feel the emotion a lot.

Bosk, I have the same sentiments towards Ray's voice. One of the reasons I absolutely ADORE the three last FW albums and Ray's solo stuff including A-Z, is his current state of his voice. Just on the sweet spot. And Ray's lyrics are very melodic and just hit me right on the spot.

[cramx3]

I've never been the biggest fan of Ray, yeah he's a good singer, but I didn't think his work in Redemption was anything special. 

Interesting that you say that.  I wasn't a fan of Ray's earlier work.  His voice was too shrill and thin.  That's a big reason I don't like the pre-X FW albums, even the ones their most popular fan favorites.  And during the time he first joined Redemption, his voice was deteriorating and he wasn't yet really doing anything about it.  I saw them when they opened for DT on the SC tour, and didn't think they were anything special at all.  And I thought Ray just sounded bad.  His voice sounded burned out and frequently off key.  That changed.  During the time period of the later Redemptions albums (Snowfall onward) and FW albums and tours, he really started to (1) rehab his voice (2) become comfortable with his new range and (3) sing with passion.  I feel like he lost some of that on The Art of Loss, which sounded uninspired to me in the vocal department.  But that anomaly aside, Ray's work on the backend of his time in Redemption and his time in FW from then until now got him on my top 25 list in the vocalist thread and has had just about every album released by either band during that time period in contention (top 3 or 4) for album of the year. 

It wasn't Jim's fault that Ray left Redemption. Nick said it very openly in interviews that he wanted a change of direction. There is no bad blood between Ray and Nick as both have performed together in ProgPower with Tom as well.

Exactly.  And I seem to recall Ray saying in an interview that his decision to live in Spain was actually the biggest factor in him scaling back his involvement in a lot of things, which included Redemption.

Also, one thing to add is that the lyrics in Redemption, which is Nick's writing style, are not very melodic. You really don't see the words rhyming with other words in the following verses, they sound more like "reading lyrics" or a "poem" with very little rhyme in it. Tom's performance sounded a bit less emotional even through Nick's lyrics are very emotional. When you hear Tom sing in Evergrey, you can feel the emotion a lot.

Bosk, I have the same sentiments towards Ray's voice. One of the reasons I absolutely ADORE the three last FW albums and Ray's solo stuff including A-Z, is his current state of his voice. Just on the sweet spot. And Ray's lyrics are very melodic and just hit me right on the spot.

The bolded may actually be a big reason I've struggled to care much for Ray in Redemption.  A lot of it feels like "reading lyrics" to me.   Also, Ray has shown to me that he's a good singer through his solo album.  I don't mean any of my comments to think Ray is not a good singer, it's just something with his style in Redemption that didn't make me think he was "special" and I felt and still do, that he could and was easily replaced. 

[Mebert78]

The snippet of new song sounds sick. Oh, baby.

[MinistroRaven]

That doesnt make any sense because like you said, both aren't very active bands.  Does Tom have to choose between Redemption and Evergrey (who's been very active).  It sure seems like he doesnt.

It doesn’t have to make sense, but it is 100% true.

Sadly I can’t tell more as it was disclosed as an off the record during an interview

[bosk1]

No, it's 100% not true.

[MinistroRaven]

I know it is. And a) I won’t disclose the rest of what was said and b) I won’t force anyone to believe what I said.

[goo-goo]

I know it is. And a) I won’t disclose the rest of what was said and b) I won’t force anyone to believe what I said.

Not to sound like a douche (lol) but why mention it in the first place. You could have chosen not to even mention it at all. That was something discussed in private.

Tom WILL choose Evergrey over Redemption. Ray would have chosen Fates over Redemption. Redemption is not a full time band like Evergrey or FW was (or still is). Evergrey and FW pay the bills for Tom and Ray; not Redemption. Even Nick has said this. He doesn't expect to Ray (at his time with Redemption) and Tom to give up their bands.

[wolfking]

I had heard a few Evergrey songs before he started singing for Redemption, and I felt the same way.  But I thought his voice fit great on the last album, and it's right up there with Snowfall for me as my favorite album from them.

Agreed mate.

[wolfking]

I know it is. And a) I won’t disclose the rest of what was said and b) I won’t force anyone to believe what I said.

Mate, not saying you are lying but anyone can say literally anything they want but then go, 'I can't disclose it as it was an off the record conversation.'  You've already put it out there.  Probably shouldn't have said anything at all, especially if it's true that it was something discussed in private.

[goo-goo]

I had heard a few Evergrey songs before he started singing for Redemption, and I felt the same way.  But I thought his voice fit great on the last album, and it's right up there with Snowfall for me as my favorite album from them.

Agreed mate.

I keep flipping between Snowfall and Origins of Ruin. I can listen to those two albums all day, every day.

[wolfking]

I had heard a few Evergrey songs before he started singing for Redemption, and I felt the same way.  But I thought his voice fit great on the last album, and it's right up there with Snowfall for me as my favorite album from them.

Agreed mate.

I keep flipping between Snowfall and Origins of Ruin. I can listen to those two albums all day, every day.

Origins is just a smidge under the other two, but can understand why it would be a fav.

[T-ski]

Fuck Jim as he is the reason for Ray not being with Redemption anymore.

Ray had to choose Redemption or Fates but not both.

And now we don’t have any of those as FW is on indefinite hiatus.

But Ray can do solo albums and A-Z?