Thrash metal is always a madly thrilling experience. No reservations; only fun and madness. Paradox is very well known for its groove-laden and melody brimming take on thrash metal. The band’s latest and eighth offering ‘Heresy II End Of A Legend’ is sheer speed loaded with rich harmonies and crushing riffs. In its very old-school-driven sounds and musicality, the album sounds really refreshing in the context of metal music today.
The album rips open with the song “Escape From The Burning” with its fast catchy riffs, thundering drums & bass, and epic singing. This set the mood for the rest of the album – a prospect that is endlessly exciting. Do you know what else gets me excited? Christian Münzner’s virtuoso on the guitar and his solos. This album is made very special. Songs such as “Mountains And Caves”, “Children Of A Virgin” and “Journey Into Fear” are mind-blowing. The raw sound captures so much energy. It is a joy to have this felt from the speakers. Head-crushing riffs are the watchword of this album. Just when you thought that a lot of metal is starting to sound generic, we see Paradox using its traditionalist metal roots rooted in its own experiences from the ’80s to absolutely deliver joy in the guise of the fresh variety. To bring up the sounds and the moods of the past and make it modern and cutting edge is quite telling of how incredible the band is. The album features two epics over nine minutes with “A Meeting Of Minds” and “The Great Denial’. I do not think a classy melodic thrash album is ever complete without at least one long epic song. We are treated to two absolute ace songs off the album. No reason to not dive head into the album or even start out with these two tracks if you have missed out on Paradox all these years.
All in all, ‘Heresy II End Of A Legend’ by Paradox is a thrilling ride. One of the biggest achievements of this record is that in the midst of all the stellar musicianship and precision playing, the record feels incredibly human. This makes the music feels complete especially in the context of almost machine-like music today. The biggest takeaway is that while this genre of metal is an aesthetic that is decades old with countless bands still has countless fresh sounds to offer up to this day. The production is a gentle balance between the raw sounds of the yesteryears coupled with contemporary approaches to sound. The end product is really a unique sound.
The air of familiarity with the music of Paradox lies in the idea that this is trash and nothing else. Rest is fresh. The songwriting on the instrumental side of things also takes a contemporary approach while sticking close to its trash roots and tradition. This is a remarkable reinterpretation of the past. There is always going to be hope in music that the past will always inspire the future. While Charly Steinhauer produced the album doing a fantastic job, the icing of the cake with mastering was done brilliantly by Hannes Grossmann in MordorSound Studio in Veitsbronn. The band’s newest line up features Charly Steinhauer, Christian Münzner, Olly Keller and Peter Vogt. A brilliant lineup for a brilliant album. It is hard to find anything amiss in‘Heresy II End Of A Legend’ by Paradox. It is quite the treat.