Redemption
Redemption is a name
that the fans of heavy and especially progressive music should keep in
mind since recently they released their third album, a high class mixture
of the best elements from our beloved music seen through the band's personal
spectrum and perspective... So, if you like challenging and clever music,
then "The Origins Of Ruin" is here to astound you... Here's your chance
to find out more...
1. HELLO! HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH
THE RESPONSE THAT YOUR NEW ALBUM "THE ORIGINS OF RUIN" GETS FROM THE FANS
AND THE PRESS? IS THERE SOMETHING ON THE ALBUM THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE?
So far, very satisfied. The press has been
very positive, and so have the fans. We had set the bar very high with
our previous CD, "The Fullness of Time". So we knew we had to have a great
record, and a great sounding record. We worked very hard on it. It’s hard
to say that it’s “better” than Fullness because every CD is different.
But I think it is very consistent, very good sounding, and a very good
representation of what Redemption is about.
I think it was Geddy Lee who said “albums
are never finished…they are taken from you.” So of course, I hear
things I would change. One thing comes to mind…the buildup before
the heavy part in the song “Fall On You” is eight bars too long. So there’s
six or seven seconds I’d get rid of. :)
2. "THE ORIGINS OF RUIN" GAVE ME THE IMPRESSION
THAT REDEMPTION IS A BAND THAT ABOVE ALL WANTS TO PLAY METAL MUSIC AND
UPON IT ADDS SOME PROGRESSIVE TOUCHES IN ORDER TO SPICE UP THE FINAL RESULT.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT DESCRIPTION?
I think it’s more integrated than that. It’s
not like I write a heavy metal song and then say “let’s add a bar of 5/8
there”. It’s the way I hear music. I grew up listening to a lot of the
NWOBHM bands and the early technical thrash stuff in San Francisco, so
that’s where the heavy streak comes from. But I also grew up playing piano,
and when I heard the use of piano and keys and orchestration in rock music
– whether it be early Rainbow, or Kansas or Rush or whathaveyou – I knew
I wanted to mix the two.
I will say we are heavier than most prog bands…and
that enables us to cross over a bit more than some of the more stereotypical
prog bands. But we’re also very melodic, too. We’re complex, but we have
a lot of respect for “the song” when we write. We have a lot of contradictions
in our music, and that’s what makes it interesting, I think.
3. HAVING RAY ADLER ON VOCALS DO YOU THINK MAKES
THINGS "EASIER" FOR YOU TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF MORE FANS? OTHER THAN
THAT WHAT NEW HAS THE COMING OF RAY ADLER BROUGHT TO THE BAND?
First and foremost, Ray is my friend, and
I do this for enjoyment, first and foremost. So it’s fun working with him
in this context. Obviously, he also has one of the more renowned and distinctive
voices in this genre of music, and it pairs very well with the emotional
lyrics that I write. So it’s made a big difference having him.
4. "THE ORIGINS OF RUIN" IS YOUR THIRD RELEASE
SO FAR. IF YOU COMPARE IT WITH YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUMS, CAN YOU TELL US WHERE
IT STANDS? DOES IT SHOW THE BAND PROGRESSING AND EVOLVING?
I’d say there’s a pretty stark difference
between the first CD and the subsequent ones. The differences between "Fullness"
and "Origins" are a bit more subtle. There’s a continual emphasis
on songwriting, versus just showing off instruments. I specifically didn’t
want to do a “concept” piece at all on this CD, although there is a common
theme to the pieces, which all deal with human failings (these are, of
course, "The Origins of Ruin"). So since I didn’t want a concept piece,
there’s less of the recurring themes shared by songs than there were on
"Fullness".
The other thing that is different is the production.
We used Tommy Newton again, but we involved him earlier in the process.
We have a MUCH better sounding record, as Tommy helped engineer stuff and
we had access to better equipment.
5. LET’S STAY A BIT ON THE TITLE WHICH I FIND
VERY PESSIMISTIC. WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT TO SAY WITH IT? IS THE NEW ALBUM
A CONCEPT? IF YES, WHICH IS THE MAIN IDEA BEHIND IT?
The title was inspired by something that I
read and it refers to the roots of our problems as human beings. This ties
into the subject matter of the songs – they refer to things like miscommunicating,
using people, extremism, regret, self-loathing, fear, etc. Ultimately there
is a positive element to some of the songs, particular towards the end
of the album as the songs follow a thematic arc from dark to darker to
lighter. But in general, they are tied together as the causes of a lot
of the things that we have to work through as human beings.
6. IS THERE A SPECIFIC METHOD YOU FOLLOW IN ORDER
TO CREATE MUSIC OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU DO IMPULSIVELY?
I keep a large library of riffs and parts
that I add to constantly, whenever an idea – a melody line, or a riff,
or whatever – pops into my head. Occasionally I’ll jot down a lyric that
I think works…more often I’ll jot down an idea for a song about topic X
and write the lyrics after the music is written. I write the music, then
I’ll go through and sing a melody line with no words, and then fit words
to it. Sometimes these ideas come out of nowhere – for example, the melody
line to the chorus in "Memory" occurred to me while I was golfing one day
– and sometimes they are the result of intense work.
7. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OR NOTICED WHICH CIRCUMSTANCES
HELP YOU BECOME MORE CREATIVE?
Not really, no. I’ve drawn a fair amount
from personal experience in my lyrics, but a lot of that is extrapolation.
I’m actually a reasonably happy person – nobody should be that depressed
all the time. :) But it IS heavy metal, after all…
8. NOW I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHICH THE STRANGEST
QUESTION THAT A REPORTER HAS EVER ASKED YOU WAS AND HOW YOU ANSWERED HIM/HER.
Somebody asked me what famous person I thought
would die in the next 12 months. I said Fidel Castro.
9. WILL YOU DO ANY SHOWS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE YOUR
NEW WORK? WILL YOU VISIT GREECE OR IT IS STILL NOT IN YOUR PLANS?
We have played a number of shows already,
including headlining the Headway festival in Amsterdam recently, and we’re
going to play at the Progpower festival in the fall. In between,
we are direct support for Dream Theater for five weeks in a lot of major
markets in the US. That’s a pretty extraordinary opportunity.
As far as getting to Europe, hopefully by
the time the next CD comes out, we’ll be big enough where it will make
financial sense to do more than the one-off festival show.
10. IS THERE A CLICHÉ IN HEAVY METAL MUSIC
THAT PISSES YOU OFF AND WHY?
I wouldn’t say it pisses me off, but I do
think some of the lyrics are a little silly. Swords, and goblins
and trolls – I mean it’s kind of sophomoric, you know?
11. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME! GOOD LUCK
WITH YOUR NEW WORK AND HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE TO YOUR FANS…
Thanks very much for your interest and support!
We hope you enjoy the new CD, and hope that we have the opportunity to
come to Greece soon!
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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