Maybe The Origins Of Ruin is a little bit too constructed, maybe it sounds too good, maybe it is too balanced – maybe some objections are just servants of themselves…
Ray Alder sovereign sings as we know it from his main band Fates Warning. The one and only songwriter Nicolas Van Dyk – together with Bernie Versailles – delivers sharp-edged heavy guitar riffing that gets foiled with discreet but memorable keyboard sounds. No senselessly thrashing songs get created but songs full of breaks and moods in the opposite direction, harmonizing like blind handshaking. Chris Quirarte is the perfectly suiting drummer for this Par-Force-ride and Sean Andrews a powerful four-stringer with similar qualities. As the faster tracks are well-done examples for thinking man’s metal, the real strength REDEMPTION reveal in their slower songs. Here emotions prevail over techniques and the infatuation of own skills get pushed into the background. As every experienced band does, also REDEMPTION know when it’s time to apply the brakes or to throttle respectively (both impressively to hear in Used To Be). Precision and successful dramaturgy characterizes The Origins Of Ruin. Sometimes extravagating testifies a certain openness that runs contrary to the reproval of structural overkill. This work just pleases! Many things can be discovered on this record: riffs, Theater are dreaming of; keyboard figures one might find in Joy Division first and similar bands; moments of straight on gallops and other ones impressively celebrating the calm before the storm. Great album! And Blind My Eyes is definitely one of THE songs – at least for the first half a year 2007!