CoC : Redeem - A Diadem of Beauty : Review

Redeem - _A Diadem of Beauty_
(Sofa, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell (9 out of 10)

Remember from my review of Zao's _When Blood and Fire Bring Rest_ in CoC #34 when I prophesied that many new hardcore bands would adopt the use of black metal vocals? Probably not, but I really did say that(!), and with the release of Redeem and Point of Recognition my prophecy has only begun to unfurl before you. Redeem is sick. They take the most depressive feelings and pent-up aggressions and turn them into anthems of rage that fall somewhere around the ever-fading line that exists between hardcore, grind, noisecore and death metal, but yet they are the kind of band who will not be limited to those grounds, as evidenced in the instrumental "The Dayspring From on High". Being from New Jersey certainly must have its advantages when it comes to the metalcore/noisecore scene, as there are so many bands within this genre from the area. Redeem seem to be a ball of mad energy that can barely be contained on a disc, and their riffs just reach out and grab you, pulling you square into the face of vocalist Keith Lenox while he rips your head off with very personal lyrics performed in the sickest hardcore vocal manner ever known to man. In my opinion, the strongest musical influence on these lads is not hardcore, but Slayer -- every song is full of riffs that could easily find a home on any Slayer record, and you can imagine how cool it must sound to have that element translated into non-over-produced hardcore statements. No? Then run out and pick this up and try to prove me wrong, Jack. Up the xHCx!

Contact: Sofa Records, 4643 Kendrick St., Philadelphia, PA 19136, USA

(article published 25/10/2000)