‘The Power Of Redemption’ is the second solo album Saber Tiger singer Takenori Shimoyama has released in less than six months. It is however, significantly different than ‘Way Of Life’, released in November. While Shimoyama’s raw, impassioned vocals worked surprisingly well with the largely acoustic music on that record, ‘The Power Of Redemption’ is his first metallic solo album. It is full of neoclassically tinged hard rock and power metal in the best possible Rainbow tradition, as is still relatively popular in Japan. The stylistic consistency on the album is admirable, as Shimoyama works with a changing cast of Japanese all-star musicians.

Anyone who thinks Double Dealer is the best band Shimoyama has ever been a part of will likely enjoy the hell out of ‘The Power Of Redemption’. In fact, the track ‘Sun Down’ is only keyboard player Toshiyuki Koike short of being a full reunion of the final Double Dealer line-up. Most of the other musicians and composers Shimoyama works with on the album are from the Rainbow meets Malmsteen school of old school power metal as well, however, with the likes of Galneryus’ keyboard player Yuhki, Cerebellar Rondo guitarist Atsushi Mashiro and Blindman’s Tatsuya Nakamura all contributing material.

However, the most successful partnership here appears to be the one with Yutaro Abe. There is a sense of drama and build-up in ‘Beneath The Wave’ that doesn’t sound miles away from Symphony X, while Saber Tiger drummer Yasuhiro Mizuno and bassist Koichi Terasawa of Blizard and Sly fame are an extraordinarily tight rhythm section. Former Anthem drummer Takamasa Ohuchi appears on the other Abe composition ‘The Last Survivor’ instead of Mizuno, which despite its consistently high energy level features surprisingly subdued vocals by Shimoyama during the verses. The instrumentally dense section before the solo is one of the highlights of the record.

Yutaro Abe’s compositions are hardly the only worthwhile tracks on the album though. ‘Chaos Region’, a composition by Earthshaker guitarist Shinichiro Ishihara, is probably the most pleasant surprise on here due to its more modern sound and somewhat unpredictable structure, while Nakamura’s ‘Grace Of My Heart’ is a classy, elegant hardrocker with an excellent chorus. The best lead guitar work on the album may just be provided by Bow Wow frontman Kyoji Yamamoto on the closing ballad ‘Whisper In The Dark’. The other ballad, ‘Life After Life’, has a bit of a weird, semi-jazzy vibe, but also a fantastic bass solo by Terasawa and a great guitar solo by Atsushi Yokozeki. Once it sinks in, it is quite a nice sequence break from all the shredding.

While not necessarily a surprising album, ‘The Power Of Redemption’ is different enough from Saber Tiger to be a worthy release and it is nice to see Shimoyama embracing his seventies rock inspired heavy metal roots again. He is obviously highly skilled at singing this type of music and the musicians he chose to work with really did a great job bringing out the best in his voice. Anyone yearning for a new Double Dealer record or apprehensive about the new Concerto Moon album should definitely give the album a chance. But really, if you like your metal with plenty of neoclassical guitar runs and great, Dio-esque vocals, you cannot go wrong here.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Last Survivor’, ‘Chaos Region’, ‘Beneath The Wave’

 

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