I know there were a lot of you out there somewhat disappointed in the last Zao album. Well hold on to your hoodies, this is the band for you. In fact, if you can imagine Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest with more blood, more fire, and less rest, that's exactly what I think of this album.
Now, before you write me off as some poor sap with a serious music listening disorder, allow me to defend my impossible claims. Where Blood. . . was a very good disc. In fact tracks 5-8 are everything they were cracked up to be -- nothing short of epic. The rest of the disc, though, I found a little discouraging to listen to. Zao can obviously rip off huge, powerful riffs with anybody in the biz, but so many of their songs would be clipping along nicely and then drop dead in the middle somewhere and let all the energy drain away before resuming the attack. Also, I found a number of their riffs flat out boring, and had a couple arrangement issues (you gotta know when the song demands a fast part!). Now, I'm not trying to rip on Zao, they're a good band and put out a fantastic cd. BUT REDEEM IS BETTER!!! "The Growth of Separation" does seem to fall prey to the "energy draining" syndrome described above, but that one track aside, Redeem knows how to deal with metalcore. They'll certainly let a song breathe some in the middle (usually accompanied by talk-overs that sound a lot like early Strongarm), but it's a quick breath and back to the aggression with a renewed fury rather than all-out nap time. The riffs go places and defy stagnation, and the vocals -- the one aspect of the band that can't quite stand up to Zao -- are excellent nonetheless.
Anyway, I don't know what else to say about this one. . . except, obviously, that the metalcore fan commits a capital crime against oneself by not checking it out. Just try to get the screams of "Defy the downfall!" out of your head! Memorable songs, huge grooves, and aggressive song writing make Redeem, IMHO, the new king of the hill in Christian metalcore.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #83Reviewed by A Girl Called GordonSo you think you've heard good metalcore. I doubt it, unless you've checked this band out. Expect hard growly guitars matched by equally as strong vocals and drum lines. The harshness of the vocals convey with passion the meaning behind the lyrics. What a great message. What a great sound.Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by SORGIntense and extreme metalcore seems to be the "law of the land" these days and if it's the law then Redeem are the enforcers!! These guys have put out a very competent disc of mindmelting metalcore. Mixing the styles of old school hardcore with the "new breed" sounds of bands like Zao, Redeem has really pushed this style to its furthest limit. Musically this is similar in style to WBaFBR era Zao…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by D_ListerIt's been a LONG STINKING time since a metalcore band shook me like this. Throw in the fact that this release is by Sofa Records (home of Speedy Delivery, One 21, and Headnoiz, a bunch of punk bands I've never been interested in) and I was SHOCKED to find a CD that I love. Put bluntly, if you read my review of the new Tourniquet album, let me just say THIS is the CD that took that out of constant…
