Paradox
Tales Of The Weird AFM Records
Heavy Metal the Deutschland way, you can’t beat it really! For instance Metal Icons Paradox are back with a fire in hell vengeance 'Tales of The Weird' is an album of melodic, thrash, greatness. Paradox are coming up to thirty years in the business and the bands sixth album is a work of molten metal that seers and cuts to the bone. The album opens with the title track and this is a true epic, running at over nine minutes, the songs beginning a thunderstorm, delicate acoustics then bam!
We are exposed to the majesty and might of Paradox and they mean business, a melodic, cut throat opener with soaring guitars from Christian Munzer and Charly Steinhauer ripping into the fabric of the world. Daniel “Evil Ewald” Buld executes the drumming with a ferocity of an angry machine gunner, decimating all who stands in his way as 'Day of The Judgement' kills and destroys this is fast and superb.
Personal favourite on here and straight onto my iPod is 'Brutalized', this is brutal, but with a power metal curve that really appeals and rocks you to the core. Steinhauer's vocals are excellent, the musicianship is wicked and the bass from Olly Kelller really shines through. It's deep, absorbing and hellishly good.
'Fragile Alliance' is well delivered, but typical European metal, which isn’t a bad thing, but for me personally doesn’t really rock my boat till you get half way through and the guitarists show the world who’s boss, with jaw-droppingly great riffs.
Talking of great riffs, check out the musicianship on 'Escalation', soaring guitars, drumming from the recesses of Babylon this is a neck breaking track that could leave you in traction for weeks!!
I love the way the track kind of dips in the middle then the guitar ferocity comes back in and really delivers and leaves you in no doubt how awesome Paradox are. There’s no let up as 'Brainwashed' and 'Slashdead' continue the intensity to the max, as your brain is smashed against your skull for 'Brainwashed', so it shall be for 'Slashdead', which cuts and dices into a carcass with precision and molten steeliness.
There’s some respite as the instrumental opening of 'Zeitgeist' let’s your neck muscles relax, but not for long believe me! Then we get to the final track, a cover of the Rainbow classic 'A Light in The Black', well what you can say I am damn sure Ronnie James Dio would have been impressed with this version, it's really top notch and one of my favourite versions of a Rainbow song I have ever heard.
If I had got my mitts on this album when it was released at the end of last year 'Tales of The Weird' would have been in this reviewers top five of 2012 without a doubt.
I admit it took few listens to fully appreciate the greatness of this album from these Bavarian rockers, but once it grabs hold it won’t let go!
Review by: Seb Di Gatto 8.5/10
Tracklisting:
1. Tales Of The Weird
2. Day Of Judgement
3. Brutalized
4. Fragile Alliance
5. Escalation
6. Brainwashed
7. Slashdead
8. Zeitgeist
9. The Downward Spiral
10. A Light In The Black
