Single review: PARADOX – Mountains And Caves

AFM Records [release date 13.08.21]

German giants of Thrash, Paradox are well known within the genre. They have a sizeable coterie of discerning fans who’ve followed them since the band’s inception, in 1986. Had their chosen genre been say, melodic metal, they would easily be as big as Helloween or Iron Saviour. No question.

Any doubts about that claim will be dispelled by listening to this first single, ‘Mountains and Caves’, trailing their eighth album, Heresy II, due in September.

This is dramatic, high density metal. The song is armed with speeding bullets of thrashed out melody and barbed, fret melting axework, surrounded on all sides by resounding, menacing riffs.

As the song opens, Charlie Steinhauer and Christian Munzner’s pummeling guitars signal an early warning, gathering momentum as we anticipate an explosive change of pace and noise. On cue, Steinhauer launches his breathless, quasi spoken word growl.

The compact chorus courts with dissonance, playing up the psychological darkness in the lyrics, while remaining true to a catchy melody.
It’s one of the best pieces of thrash you’ll hear this year. Roll on the full album. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

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