REDSHIFT is 3-piece progressive metal band from Bath, UK, influenced by all exponents of the genre from Dream Theater to Rush. When we first heard their song “Entropy” we thought: Pure madness. Glorious madness. Those two statement still stand true or we should say are even truer after listening their complete new album titled ”Laws of Entropy”, out now.
Redshift’s sound is brilliantly refreshing and there’s a little bit of something for everyone and we don’t mean there’s a song for everyone. Be it metal, clean vocals, then harsh vocals, progressive, fusion, bass… whatever. There is a little bit of something for everyone in each and every song on ”Laws of Entropy”.
In having a little bit for everyone within a song, Redshift has an incredible sense of creating smooth transitions in a way rarely heard before. More often than not, when a band or artist is trying to put more than one idea, sound, technique into a song, it’s jarring and fails – Redshift soars beautifully.
You need to listen to these guys…
The guys in Redshift – all young, talented musicians – understand the highs and lows of an instrument, differentiating styles and technique, and undertones and how to seamlessly tie them together in cohesive track after cohesive track.
Honestly, as a music fan, it’s pretty damn impressive. It’s also fun. Not to just listen to, but to also be able to pick and pinpoint these various ideas and aspects and have a eureka moment about a song or a particular section of a song.
With a showcase of frenetic explosivity, Redshift begin ‘Birth’ with a flurry of fast and technical instrumentation. The early chaos slipping into something more rhythmic as the vocals arrive and the progressive elements settles into something extremely dynamic sounding. It’s a fascinating listen that changes and evolves as it goes on.
It feels like an introduction though when compared to the following ‘Discovery’. A grandiose and epic trawl through the imagination of Redshift that has varied tempos, chunky guitars, heavy drums, and a wicked blend of rasping and clean vocals. An exhilarating journey of a track that is up there as one of the best efforts on the entire album.
Yet, once again, Redshift take things even further musically and even deeper into their concept with ‘Civilisation’. With their imagination running wild, some of the heaviest sounding progressive metal moments of the record, and mood-altering melodies, they continue to impress.
Things gets crazy with the aforementioned ‘Entropy’, Redshift showcasing a playfully odd side to their music. One of the more difficult tracks to grasp but a fascinating, refreshing listen. On ‘Singularity’ the heavy use of synth gives off a strong sense of old-school sci-fi and leans into rockier areas for something quite different.
All coming together for a stupidly big finale called ‘Blueshift’. A track that is around 21 minutes long and the most captivating track of all. The immense level of progressive ideas is startling. The flow and how the tone shifts so simply, but effectively, is impressive, and how it manages to hold the attention as it does all of this is unforgettable. While it might not be the most obvious track for a new listener to hear, there’s no doubting that it will amaze any and all who hear it.
It’ is the apex of an upward trajectory for Redshift and no-one should overlook the excellent progressive metal ideas that come before it.
”Laws of Entropy” is a wonderful and epic progressive journey into the pure and glorious madness of what it’s like to be a young adult in the world today.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
01. Birth (5:33)
02. Discovery (8:24)
03. Civilisation (11:41)
04. Entropy (7:36)
05. Singularity (5:33)
06. Blueshift (21:06)
Redshift – Laws of Entropy (2023)