by Steve Joyce
I’ve been a Dilemma fan since enjoying their vibrant live set supporting Flying Colors in 2019. I was captivated by the presence of maestro drummer Collin Leijenaar in particular. I quickly purchased their 2018 album “Random Acts of Liberation” and it’s been in regular rotation ever since. How exciting, then, that Dilemma now unleash their third opus, “The Purpose Paradox” – a 63-minute musical odyssey and, cementing their prog rock credentials, it’s a concept album with a fantastic story.
Leijenaar, of course, will need no introduction to Neal Morse fans; he was the powerhouse behind Morse’s pre-NMB ‘Euro’ band. His percussive dexterity is immortalised on Morse’s awesome “Sola Scriptura & Beyond” live DVD and the magnificent “So Many Roads” triple live album.
For “The Purpose Paradox”, the Dilemma line-up is completed by Paul Crezee (guitars), Kristoffer Gildenlöw (bass), Robin Z (keyboards) and new vocalist Jermain van der Bogt, aka Wudstik. There are cameos from Dream Theater alumnus Derek Sherinian and Snarky Puppy’s Mark Lettieri.
Produced by Leijenaar and with mixing and mastering by legendary music wizard Rich Mouser, the album is sonically awesome: the delicate moments are rendered beautifully and the faster, louder passages – of which there are gratifyingly plenty – pulsate from the speakers with dynamic intensity.
The concept features a man named Neon and his quest for fulfilment, with support from an unconventional guide named Electra. Neon battles the corporate machine known as The Hand and seeks to discover the ‘outer light’. Escapist hokum for some listeners, possibly, but like many prog fans I’m a sucker for a good concept and I found the story to be engaging, adding hugely to my enjoyment of the music.
Instantly capturing the attention with a flamboyant keyboard riff, album opener ‘Sanctuary’ showcases the many different sides of Dilemma. It has everything you need from a prog song: catchy melodies, stomping rock choruses, a quiet interlude and a prog-metal workout evoking the rowdiest moments of Neal Morse, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and Frost*. It’s like distilling the best of modern progressive rock music into an eight minute overture.
New vocalist Wudstick is immediately awe-inspiring, belting out choruses with hair-raising power, and he’s equally effective on the quieter, more reflective moments. He’s clearly a singer of wide range and skill, rivalling the best of his contemporaries on the modern prog scene. He’s massively augmented Dilemma’s already powerful sound.
Second track ‘I Am Neon’ continues in similar style with another rocking intro in 7. Some would argue that this is an overdone prog trope, and they’re liberally used on this album, but this band is especially good at them so why not?! The vocals are gorgeous on this song, even if the lyrics are a little hard to connect with (…“celestial voices”…) – but it’s the epic outro that is the searing memory of this song. Marvellous stuff!
‘Electra’ introduces Neon’s enigmatic companion. Featuring Gildenlöw’s brooding, menacing bass, the song has tasteful keyboard/guitar solos, a singable chorus and an action-packed coda that is one of the grooviest prog moments since the overture to Spock’s Beard’s Snow. The drumming here is extraordinary.
A word, then, about Leijenaar’s playing on this album. His ability to rock out in odd time signatures rivals a certain blue-bearded contemporary for groove, chutzpah and “balls & chunk”. The spectacular tom fills and intricate kick/snare interplay are electrifying. The drum parts perfectly complement the music. Leijenaar is at least the equal of any of his more celebrated peers and his playing on ‘The Purpose Paradox” should be award-winning. Judges of prog rock awards take note!
Although a major triumph for Leijenaar, all band members contribute stellar performances that strike an ideal balance between musicality and virtuosity. I must call out keyboardist Robin Z as a highly impressive player who almost steals the show from Leijenaar. The keyboards throughout the album are outstanding and a huge pleasure to listen to.
Returning to the album, next song ‘Thunder’ also has many aspects to delight prog fans: a melancholic piano-led intro and verse, a radio-friendly chorus (that would sound at home on an Asia album), a gorgeous keyboard solo and a tasteful guitar solo by Crezee, one of several on the album. It’s one of the strongest songs here, and a good choice of single.
‘Allies’ rocks out in a 5/5/5/6 groove and boasts a soaraway chorus which musically suits the “out of the stratosphere” lyric. The much heralded keyboard solo by Sherinian, lauded by Dilemma’s publicity as the “King of Keyboards” is…okay, but didn’t ‘wow’ me; it feels a bit throwaway and in my humble opinion doesn’t match the quality of Robin Z’s keyboard parts throughout the album. The band’s rhythm section is on fire, however, and despite a slightly jarring key change in the final chorus, the song rocks hard and has a joyously naughty outro.
For this listener, things take a dip ever so slightly with the next couple of shorter songs, ‘Not Enough Now’ and ‘Glow’ – there’s some hummable keyboard parts and a nice guitar solo, but these songs don’t quite scale the heights of the others, in my view.
Happily, the album is firmly put back on course with penultimate song ‘Cities’ – it has my favourite vocal performance of the album (the “I don’t want to see tomorrow” refrain is truly impactful) and there’s a brilliant guitar solo. It’s my favourite track on the album and one of the best tracks I’ve heard by anyone all year.
Which brings us to the 15-minute album closer, ‘Outer Light’. There’s everything to like here: prog metal grooves that have you headbanging in seven (if you can…) and some deliciously funky bass by Gildenlöw. There’s a thrilling ‘Octavarium’-style instru-mental extravaganza which is tantalisingly shorter than I think it could have been. The playing here is absolutely phenomenal; Mark Lettieri’s guitar solo is truly dazzling. Finishing the album in cinematic style is the one-two knockout punch of a dramatic vocal by Wudstick, straining every sinew with a heart-stirring “…in the end…” lyric, followed by a reprise of the song’s exciting chorus, bringing the album to a shattering denouement.
With ‘The Purpose Paradox,’ Dilemma has delivered an entertaining album that is definitely one for prog rock fans to get their musical rocks off! Perhaps losing one or two of the shorter tracks would have delivered a tighter album musically, but the concept’s narrative flow is important and overall it’s a cohesive, satisfying journey. There’s an abundance of breathtaking music and the performances by all band members, Collin Leijenaar and Robin Z especially, deserve recognition in all the major award categories. This will no doubt be one of the better albums to come out this year. ‘The Purpose Paradox’ is certainly a must-listen for Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Dream Theater fans and one for all lovers of modern progressive rock to revel in and enjoy.
Released on September 20th, 2024
Pre-order the album here: https://shop.dilemma.band/
Tracklist:
1 SANCTUARY 7:58
2 I AM NEON 6:10
3 ELECTRA 5:59
4 THUNDER 6:12
5 ALLIES 6:08
6 NOT ENOUGH NOW 4:26
7 GLOW 5:18
8 CITIES 5:06
9 OUTER LIGHT 15:40
The band:
Wudstik – vocals
Paul Crezee – guitars
Kristoffer Gildenlöw – bass
Collin Leijenaar – drums
Robin Z – keyboards
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