Modern progressive rock band DILEMMA will release their third full-length album, ‘The Purpose Paradox’ on Sept. 20th. This concept album, spanning over 60 minutes, will be available on CD, double LP and via all streaming platforms, and distributed internationally by Butler Records, a division of V2 Records. It features 9 brand-new tracks ranging in length from 4 to nearly 16 minutes.
Today, the band is pleased to share the video for the 3rd single from the album.
Watch the video for “Sanctuary” here:
‘Sanctuary’ is the third single from the new concept album ‘The Purpose Paradox’ by the Dutch modern progressive rock band DILEMMA (Butler Records/V2 Records). The album’s narrative centers on a man named Neon, who represents the everyman of our contemporary world.
In his search for connection and fulfillment, Neon finds guidance from an unconventional mentor named Electra. She helps him realize that often, the things we look for are the ones that find us first. In ‘Sanctuary’, the album opener, we see the world from his perspective. More specifically, the nightlife of the city he lives in. At a club that seems to offer everything he needs, he appears to have found his place. Yet, Neon’s true quest seems to begin here…
Robin Z (keyboards): “In the eight-minute epic ‘Sanctuary,’ everything that defines Dilemma comes together for me. It’s a track that encapsulates energy, melody, a break that starts softly and swells into pure progressive rock, and a chorus that instantly embeds itself in your mind. The virtuosity of Collin (drums) and Kristoffer (bass) lays the groundwork for a musical journey where Wudstik sings with every fiber of his being, Paul (guitar) drives the song forward—sometimes subtly, sometimes with full force—and Robin (keys) adds occasional surprising twists. For me, ‘Sanctuary’ is the ultimate opener for our new album, The Purpose Paradox. It offers a perfect glimpse of what lies ahead in the following tracks. What choices will Neon, the protagonist of the album’s story, face? And will he ultimately find the peace and safety promised to him at the outset?”
This track shows the many different sides of DILEMMA – eight surprisingly versatile minutes of modern progressive rock music for fans of bands like Dream Theater, Toto, VOLA, Marillion, Neal Morse Band, Spock’s Beard, Threshold, Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, Frost* and IQ.
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‘The Purpose Paradox’ showcases a broader side of DILEMMA—louder, faster, more technical, more progressive. With new frontman Jermain van derBogt(Wudstik), the vocals have become rawer and more varied. Almost six years after the previous record ‘Random Acts of Liberation’ the band sounds reborn. Like its predecessor, ‘The Purpose Paradox’ was produced by drummer CollinLeijenaar,who, together with the famed music wizard Rich Mouser (The Mouse House, LA), was also responsible for the mix and mastering. Thanks to their unmatched ears, the result is an audio experience that DILEMMA has worked on with great pride over the past years
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
Where it all started
The band has been around since the end of the last century. After their successful debut‘Imbroccata’ in 1996 (which was released by SI Music/Roadrunner Records, received excellent reviews and became a progressive cult classic, especially in Japan) the band fell quite for quite a few years.
But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. So, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, DILEMMA decided to make a notable comeback in 2018 with the release of their follow-up album, ‘Random Acts of Liberation’. This album was also met with critical acclaim and was enthusiastically welcomed by fellow progressive rock musicians such as Neal Morse, Arjen Lucassen, and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater). Dutch progressive rock magazine iOPages even named ‘Random Acts Of Liberation’ album of the year.
The band began writing new music while former singer Dec Burke was still a member. Burke played a significant role in creating several songs, despite working remotely from the UK while the rest of the band was in the Netherlands. Due to this physical distance and other musical commitments, DILEMMA and Burke eventually decided to part ways.
The new vocalist became Jermain van derBogt(Wudstik), who had successfully replaced Dec Burke already during a European tour. Wudstikis also the singer of the band For All We Know (together with Ruud Jolie, guitarist of Within Temptation) and the world-class Dream Theater tribute band Regressive Hypnosis.
Furthermore, he contributed various vocal parts to Arjen Lucassen’s Ayreon projects. In April 2023, Wudstikwas was officially introduced as a new band member when DILEMMA successfully performed as a support act for the world-famous prog act Marillion. Ready to rock with the release of ‘The Purpose Paradox’, the band is eager to surprise the world of progressive rock, pop and metal once again. The first shows to promote this new concept are already scheduled at DeBoerderij, Zoetermeer, and AFAS Live, Amsterdam (after-show Dream Theater).
And let’s be honest, it’s about time. As the band eloquentlystates in their new song ‘Thunder’: We’re digging in the land of our fantasy, living off thefat of our memory, until we leave again. Sobring on those shows, DILEMMA is ready to rock!
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