The New Jersey–based independent label Sensory Records—associated with many up-and-coming progressive metal bands and responsible for signing Riverside, Delain and Circus Maximus, among others—signed Redemption to a two-record deal including the self-titled debut record which was released in 2003.
Inspired by a song-writing competition that progressive metal legends Dream Theater had through their online presence, van Dyk set about writing new music.
With Quirarte and Sherwood, van Dyk recorded an instrumental which was released as one of the winners of the contest to members of Dream Theater's fan club at the time.
As Sherwood had decided to focus on other things, Quirarte enlisted a musical acquaintance of his, Sean Andrews, to play bass on Redemption's follow-up record, The Origins of Ruin.
The musical core of Alder, van Dyk, Versailles, Andrews and Quirarte represented for nearly a decade a stable group in the band's relatively tumultuous lineup.
Van Dyk, at the time a senior executive with The Walt Disney Company, secured a leave of absence in order to free his schedule for a six-week tour.
In October 2008, in the process of a routine physical, van Dyk was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow that at the time had a median life expectancy of three to five years and was largely considered incurable.
Van Dyk chronicled his diagnosis and treatment online at his blog[1] as a means of helping others dealing with the disease, and continues to volunteer his time in patient outreach and counseling.
Now back in Los Angeles, Redemption teamed up with Grammy Award-winning producer Neil Kernon to complete work on the band's next record.
With its contract with Inside Out now completed, van Dyk partnered with Redemption's original label, Sensory Records, to release its second live album and video.
Desiring a return to the sound of Snowfall on Judgment Day, Redemption worked again with Tommy Hansen and released the much-delayed record, titled The Art of Loss, on February 26, 2016.
When the band was to discuss limited touring in support of the record, Alder informed van Dyk that he was compelled to return to Fates Warning on an exclusive basis.
At this festival, van Dyk was introduced by Englund to Vikram Shankar, a multi-instrumentalist keyboard prodigy who at the time was best known for YouTube recordings of progressive metal and rock songs arranged for piano.
Due to its complex arrangements and the heavily pre-booked schedule of Jacob Hansen, the record took an unexpectedly long time to produce.
The album was co-produced by van Dyk and Shankar, and mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni, who also played lead guitars in a guest capacity on the record.