Cheat The Prophet – Redemption (2025)
Two decades vanished, yet the names remain familiar. Matt Mizenko, Todd Mizenko, and Jamie Boruch, once central to neo-prog outfits Ars Nova and Nepenthe, resurface as a new band called Cheat The Prophet with Redemption (2024). The return lands in a rock landscape that moved from CD bins to paltry streaming grids.
Complex arrangements have survived the years. The playing stays sharp and the finely crafted voices still carry authority. However, the band has been lured by the ghosts of grunge and tired, dated, heavy riff sounds. These choices pinned the band to an earlier era of thick chugs. Thankfully, when the trio leans into inventive melody and progressive rock arrangements, a more compelling album peeks through.
01. Chaos (05:43)
The opener tosses out a memorable vocal hook, then buckles under a lumpy metal grind that blunts the momentum. Bright synth lines try to lift the mood and almost succeed.
02. Bad Bitch (08:11)
A hushed entry sets real promise before a pivot toward 90s-style grunge grit. The title aims for swagger and lands closer to posturing. The back half redeems the track with a fluid guitar solo that threads through shifting harmonies and reminds you why these players earned their past reputations.
03. Marvelous World (Losing Season) (06:53)
The set’s finest piece. Gentle piano and acoustic guitar frame a song that understands patience, space, and payoff. Layered harmony vocals bloom without fuss, and the arrangement develops with purpose rather than piling on for effect. This is the version of Cheat The Prophet that could convert skeptics.
04. Paper White (04:11)
An oasis of acoustic guitar clarity. The piece functions like a palate cleanser, and a sense of calm that the heavier tracks rarely find.
05. Whisper (11:08)
An epic with a split personality that finally resolves. Early hard-rock riffing feels obligatory, yet about two minutes in the song opens into poised piano and vocal writing. A confident guitar break anchors a true progressive middle section; soaring leads, a fascinating circular choir figure that spirals upward, and an excellent synth solo carry the finale. The journey meanders, but the destination impresses.
06. Zaff’s Fez (01:42)
A quick jab of hard rock that downshifts midway. The idea reads like an interlude sketch.
Redemption plays like a reunion between old instincts and modern expectations. The trio still commands craft. The pull toward dated chugging undercuts that craft, as if the band felt compelled to prove heaviness rather than trust nuance. As it stands, “Marvelous World (Losing Season)” and the climactic stretch of “Whisper” make a persuasive case for where this band should head next.
Buy Redemption.