Frozen in the Moment - Live In Atlanta (Live)

Album review

Most progressive metal bands -- or, for that matter, metal bands in general -- will never record a live album, and that is regrettable because live performances are such a vital part of the metal experience. In contrast to all the technology-minded electronica, urban, dance-pop, new age, and hip-hop artists who live for the studio, metal bands live for the stage. That is their raison d'etre, as one says in French. It certainly sounds like Redemption's raison d'etre on Frozen in the Moment: Live in Atlanta, a DVD/CD release that focuses on an October 5, 2007 appearance at ProgPower USA. Held in Atlanta in 2007, ProgPower USA is a progressive metal/power metal festival that has been taking place annually since 2001 (its European counterpart, ProgPower Europe, started in the Netherlands in 1999), and Redemption were a natural pick. Indeed, any band that can honestly claim both Iron Maiden and Kansas as influences (along with Rush and Dream Theater) is a perfect fit for ProgPower USA. This DVD/CD release offers both audiovisual and audio-only versions of Redemption's set; the same nine songs that are performed on the DVD are also performed on the CD. The DVD, however, contains some bonus material, including a tour diary. Both the DVD and the CD capture the passion and excitement of Redemption's inspired set, which offers mostly songs from 2007's The Origins of Ruin (including "Memory," "Bleed Me Dry," "The Death of Faith and Reason," "The Suffocating Silence," and "Fall on You") but also includes "Threads," "Release," and "Sapphire" from The Fullness of Time and "Nocturnal" from the band's self-titled debut album. Frozen in the Moment: Live in Atlanta is an engaging document of Redemption's appearance at ProgPower USA in 2007.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo