Seeking Redemption

Andy Read speaks to Redemption's Nick van Dyk

Andy Read travels to Amsterdam for a chat with songwriter and guitarist Nick van Dyk, and discovers that the Redemption story is a dream-come-true for a man whose real ‘day job’ is to bring fairytales to life!

For most people, the dream of becoming a rock star is driven by a desire for fame and fortune. The first milestone towards that goal is reached when you have sold enough records to give up that much hated ‘day job’. For Nick van Dyk, the story of his journey to rock‘n’roll stardom really does sound like a Hollywood fairytale. Take a well-dressed, middle-aged father who has never been in a band before. He has a few songs he’s written and one day meets the lead singer of his favourite band at a gig. The famous singer agrees to join his band, they get a record deal, win rave reviews across the world, and finally land a tour across North America supporting one of the world’s top metal bands. But no matter how big his band becomes, the one thing Nick van Dyk is unlikely to give up, is his day job! But more of that later. First, we have some music to discuss.

Widely regarded as the best Progressive Metal band to emerge for many years, ‘The Origins of Ruin’ is Redemption’s third album and its first for the respected Inside Out label. It sees composer, guitarist and keyboard player Nick van Dyk continue his alliance with Fates Warning frontman Ray Alder and Agent Steel guitarist Bernie Versailles, and follows their the widely-acclaimed 2005 release ‘The Fullness of Time’. Initially a one-off studio project, the success of the debut album led to the creation of a proper band line-up. Now, with the release of its third album, Redemption is about to hit the road for a major US tour in support of ProgMetal legends Dream Theater.

As a gentle warm-up for that tour, early Spring sees the band headlining three festivals, including their debut European appearance at the Headway Festival in Amsterdam. Having been an admirer of the band since the beginning, the chance to see them perform live was the only reason I needed to jump on Eurostar for a weekend of music. The opportunity to chat to the man behind the band was an added bonus. So, late on the Saturday afternoon, I am escorted into a small office by Claus, the band’s friendly manager. There I find Nick van Dyk with a Diet Coke in one hand and a mobile in the other, giving his band instructions on how to get to the venue.

I begin by inviting the guitarist to bring everyone up-to-date with a bit of a history lesson.

How did the band begin and how did he manage to hook up with such a renowned musician as Ray Alder?

‘It’s largely a matter of serendipity,’ he offers. ‘I had always played around and written some music, but never thought anything was gonna come of it. I’d been a huge fan of Fates Warning for years and I accidentally bumped into Ray Alder at a Flotsam and Jetson show in Los Angeles. We started up a conversation and I did the usual thing of saying ‘I love you guys. Bla bla bla bla bla’. But I didn’t overstay my welcome and so said ‘Goodbye’ and that was that.’

‘Then two weeks later I went to a Saxon gig at a tiny little club, where I saw Ray again with Bernie (Versailles). I didn’t know Bernie at the time but I had met the guys two weeks ago and so thought I’ll buy them a beer and say ‘Hi’. But then I thought, ‘Well aren't I a huge loser if I do that?’ Then I thought again, and said ‘Hey I’m at a Saxon concert by myself. How much more of a loser can I possibly be?!’

‘So I went over, we had a good conversation and Ray invited me over to a rehearsal that Fates was doing the next day just prior to their European tour for ‘A Pleasant Shade of Grey’. So I got to sit on a couch and had a two-hour performance just for me, which was amazing.’

‘Anyhow, we became friends and about a year later I got to know Ray well enough to play him some of my music and wound up writing one of the songs, ‘Taste’ on the first Engine album (Ray’s solo project). By this time I had written a lot of music and I really wanted to do something with it. So I asked Ray to produce it, as I didn’t dare to ask if he’d like to sing on it. He agreed to help, and with his name and a bit of money I was able to get some great musicians like Jason from Symphony X. We recorded the first album mostly just for fun. I never thought anything was gonna come of it. I sent it to Ken Golden (boss of the independent Sensory Records) and he thought it was marketable. So we put it out and it did enough business where we thought it’d be worthwhile proceeding. So we put a new band together, I wrote a bunch of material and we played the ProgPower show in Atlanta with Corey Brown as the singer, whose now in Balance of Power.’

‘We probably would have proceeded with him as vocalist, other than Ray had now heard the material and liked it enough to actually ask if he could sing it. Well, I wasn’t gonna turn that down! So I spoke to Corey and I think he understood.’

‘Anyhow, that was in 2002 and although we recently changed our bass player, it’s more or less been the same line-up and it now feels like a real band.’

Redemption really is the perfect combination of the best elements of the Metal genre. From Progressive Metal, there are the extended solos, the complex, multi-layered arrangements, and tracks that aren’t worried about passing the five-minute mark. From Melodic Metal, there are strong hooks and harmonies with catchy guitar and keyboard melodies. Whilst from Power Metal, there is the double bass drum and the speed and heaviness that gets the neck-a-rolling.

Whereas the band’s self-titled debut was a pure concept album, and where ‘Fullness..’ also included a four-part suite, on the new album van Dyk has allowed each song to stand-alone. I wonder whether that was a conscious decision.

‘Yes. I really wanted to try and get away from the clichés as far as possible. On ‘Fullness …’ I had a bunch of stuff that was kinda thematic. I wanted to present that in a slightly connected way (the track ‘Sapphire’). A lot of people interpreted it as one, 20-minute-long song, which was not what I intended. However I thought that the four songs also stood on their own, rather than just having to be listened to as part of the suite. I just think it’s so clichéd and expected for every ProgMetal band to have their concept album. I wanted to take a step away for that. There is a thematic relationship in a loose way between the songs on the new album but each one is left to stand on its own.’

Certainly the carefully-crafted lyrics are a key ingredient to the Redemption sound. I ask their creator whether my assumption that they are largely inspired by personal experiences, is correct.

‘Yes, or rather extrapolations thereof,’ he confirms. ‘I’m not that miserable all the time! First of all, I find it rather silly to just sing about dragons and trolls. I like Tolkein as much as the next guy, but come-on people, it’s 2007! The other thing, is that when you retell a story you’re putting an additional layer between you and the story. So if it’s done in this very introspective way, it’s easier for people to connect with the lyrics. I think a lot of our songs are very emotional, both in the music and in the subject matter.’

For someone who clearly keeps a close eye on the world around him, it’s maybe surprising that so far van Dyk has steered clear of political issues. I wonder if it has been a conscious decision not to mix music and politics.

‘I was really close to making something of a statement and I may yet on the next album,’ he admits. ‘I’m actually a very big free markets guy but I’m also kinda mortified by what our government’s done. I was pretty moved by the movie V For Vendetta and wouldn't be surprised if there was a song touching on some of those themes on the next album. But no, we’re not a political band. We’re not a religious band. We’re just a band.’

One of my favourite songs on the last album is the track ‘Parker’s Eyes’. As an example of the depth of his lyrics, I invite van Dyk to give an explanation as to the song’s meaning.

‘Parker is my daughter. She’s now four years old. It’s funny you mention politics as a lot of people think that that song’s about 9/11 – I guess because of the news excerpts that we used. But it’s not. It’s about all the horrible things that people do to one another. One example is 9/11, but Hitler's in there plus stuff from Iraq and so on. I was telling our manager that my four-year-old was asking me the other day what lying means. As parent it just tears you to pieces having to explain to a perfect, little, innocent child that people are just horrible to one another. How do you explain rape or murder to a four-year-old? Thank god I don't have to do that yet. But sooner or later I’m gonna have to explain to her to be careful, because somebody could kill her. Anyhow, don’t get me started. But it’s not a political song. It’s a song about the loss of innocence.’ As mentioned earlier, the idea of having the singer from your favourite rock band play in your own group is probably every would-be musician’s dream. Three albums into this dream, I ask van Dyk to explain how it feels.

‘It’s got to the point now, where I ‘m not effected by the novelty as much,’ he admits. ‘It’s great and it’s flattering that he would choose to put his name to something of mine. Obviously he has his own legacy to worry about and typically people are only remembered for the worst thing they have done! We did rehearse a couple of Fates Warning songs. For me to be playing a Fates’ song, with him singing it, is just – wow.’

Sadly though, that is never likely to be something that anyone else will get to see.

‘No, we thought about playing one or two Fates’ songs as a part of our show. But Ray really wanted us just to do Redemption stuff. I can understand that, even if as a fan it would have been fun to play.’

As the Fates Warning singer is still en route to the venue, I ask van Dyk if he knows when we can expect some new material from the legendary band.

‘They are writing right now and working out some live dates,’ he reveals. ‘One of the things I had to sort out when Ray joined, was to make sure that he could fulfil his commitments to both bands. We are very busy now, while Fates is going through a quiet period. Sooner or later we will wind down, I’ll start writing the next record and Fates will gear up again.’

Considering that the ‘new’ album had only been out a few weeks, I’m surprised to hear that van Dyk has already started work on the next album.

‘It’s probably, in my head, about halfway done. But the thing is, being honest, it’s not easy to remember the Redemption material. So with the tour coming up, I’m afraid that if I start writing new stuff, I’ll forget all the current stuff. I mean, rehearsing this stuff with the band is a real challenge. We also have a show at the ProgPower Festival in Atlanta, where we’ll hopefully shoot a DVD. That will be nice’

Whether ‘The Origins of Ruin’ is a better album than ‘Fullness..’ is a tough question. It may not quite have the brilliant peaks of its predecessor but neither does it have as many troughs. It is a more coherent and consistent album and with repeated listens, it leaves a richer and more lingering taste. In around five years time, both of these Redemption albums will be considered classics of the genre.

The fact that the band’s creator is an amiable and engaging family man with a real fan’s enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, the music, is an added bonus.

So where does that all leave the ‘day job’. Well, initial references to Hollywood and fairytales were not a million miles away. Nicolas van Dyk is better known as a ‘senior executive’ in one of the world’s biggest movie makers - Walt Disney. Yep, we’re talking big money, big screen business deals here. With a spell at the Harvard Business School behind him, van Dyk has spent his career in the movie business, including time starting Artisan Entertainment, best known for The Blair Witch Project. I’m intrigued as to how anyone can hold down such a high-powered job, yet also fulfil the demands of being in a band, with all that demands in terms of writing, recording, rehearsing, touring and the endless promotional work.

‘It’s an interesting dichotomy,’ he offers with a grin. ‘It’s a little challenging. I don’t have the luxury of being able to take six weeks off at a time for touring. The Dream Theater tour is a big opportunity for us. I’m taking as much vacation as I can and we’re bringing in another guitarist – Sean Entriken from Primary - who will play the dates I can not get to.’

‘This is in many ways still a lifetime dream. I never thought I’d have the opportunity. So I’d be crazy not to do what I can. Bit in reality, at the end of the day, it’s my day job that pays for my hobby.’

Interview for DPRP by
ANDY READ

CONCERTS with Dream Theater and Into Eternity

24.07.2007 - OAT - San Diego, CA, USA
25.07.2007 - Dodge Theater - Phoenix, AZ, USA
27.07.2007 - Gibson Amphitheater - Los Angeles, CA, USA
28.07.2007 - Berkeley Community Theater - Berkeley, CA, USA
30.07.2007 - E Center - Salt Lake City, UT, USA
31.07.2007 - Paramount Theater - Denver, CO, USA
02.08.2007 - Nokia Theater - Dallas, TX, USA
03.08.2007 - Verizon Wireless - Houston, TX, USA
06.08.2007 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO, USA
07.08.2007 - Riverside Theater - Milwaukee, WI, USA
09.08.2007 - State Theater - Minneapolis, MN, USA
10.08.2007 - Rosemont Theater - Chicago, IL, USA
11.08.2007 - Tower City Amphitheater - Cleveland, OH, USA
13.08.2007 - State Theater - Detroit, MI, USA
17.08.2007 - Bell Center - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
18.08.2007 - Molson Amphitheater - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
21.08.2007 - Bank Of America Pavillion - Boston, M, USA
24.08.2007 - PNC Bank Art Center - Holmdel, NJ, USA
25.08.2007 - Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY, USA
05.10.2007 - ProgPower USA Festival, Atlanta, GA, USA*

*with Sonata Arctica, Threshold, Virgin Steele, Firewind, Communic, Raintime a.o.

LINKS:

Redemption Official Website
Redemption MySpace
InsideOut Music
Fates Warning Official Website
Agent Steel Official Website
Prymary Official Website
ProgPower USA

DPRP Review of Redemption's "Redemption" (2003)
DPRP Review of Redemption's "The Fullness Of Time" (2005)
DPRP Review of Redemption's "The Origin's Of Ruin" (2007)