When two veteran musicians, separated by the Pacific ocean, Dale Thompson (of the Bride and The world will burn fame) and Tiago James de Souza (Sole axe-wielder of the Hand of Fire) decide to collaborate, they come out with a brutal debut record “The Reapers” and are calling themselves Perpetual Paranoia – which stems out of a constant fear one evades through the passage of time.
With the advent of the internet and technology, a lot of people have come together from different spheres of lives and aligned thoughts and ideated on work that baffles and captivates the intended audience. Leveraging the benefits of the above, Perpetual Paranoia came to existence and composed an amalgamation of Thrash, doom and hard rock in this album. The lyrical duties were fulfilled by Thomson and the song writing and arrangements were managed by Souza. The band had signed up with Rottweiler Records and N.O.G. and released this album in August 2018.
Without much ado, I queue up the record and as it opens with “Intro” it immediately paints a scary yet ambient soundscape with ghastly shrills lingering at the backdrop. “The Reaper” starts off as a monologue and before you know it speeds up with a doom styled guitar riff accentuated with blast beats. The vocal delivery modulates and swings between different styles that of doom and thrash metal. There’s a subdued guitar soloing which is not very evident but needs to be picked up to laud the fine craftsmanship of the guitarist.
“Whatever it takes” blitzes on with rugged guitars chugging with choppy shreds, Dale brings a storm with his grand vocal delivery and Tiago showcases his guitar prowess with umpteen face melting guitar solos. And trust me when I speak of the guitar solos, as they are my personal favourites and highlights I look for in any song. “I say Jesus” starts off with a bit of electronica but jumps right in with the guitars pelting out a catchy riff and raw energy that resonates throughout this song. “Ten Thousand Saints” rumbles with a bassline and doom styled guitar riffing with Dale taking his delivery a notch higher, bringing about a range of octaves. The choppy guitars moulded with the energetic vocals on both these songs makes them a definite a head banging candidates.
“Your sin will find you” pulls off a haunted soundscape with the vivid intro on the keys, and the guitars creating a pretty dark and hypnotic sound that carries throughout the song. Again the subdued guitar solo not getting its fair share of limelight needs to be spotted with caution. Songs like “The Veil”, “Holy Ghost” and “Romance X” makes this album a momentous piece of art, with so much progression and heaviness that it makes you crave for more.
“The God Syndrome” again surprises us with an unusual start and goes on to remark on the creativity that has been brought forward in this album without relying on the traditional styles of metal. What appears on this track is an experiment done well, with its timely surprises which keeps you plugged. “Let the Dead Bury the Dead” sounds straight off a thrash metal record and the album culminates with the doom styled “Dream Before the Nightmare” giving us a catchy chorus and guitar solos that run flawlessly throughout the song.
Production – The production on this album is average, there was a lot of dissonance not because of the musical composition but because of how the tracks were mixed probably.
Conclusion – The song writing hits a peak and the songs have been crafted and structured so well that at no point is the listener distracted and remains spellbound and hooked. The only reason I’m lowering the score is because of production quality. Rest assured, I recommend you give this momentous work of art a buy.
Rating: 9/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Tracks
1. Intro
2. The Reapers
3. Whatever It Takes
4. I Say Jesus
5. Your Sin Will Find You
6. The Veil
7. The God Syndrome
8. Romance X
9. Holy Ghost
10. Let the Dead Bury the Dead
11. Ten Thousand Saints
12. Dream Before the Nightmare
Line-up:
Dale Thompson – vocals and lyrics
Tiago James de Souza – guitars and everything
Release Date: 1 augustus 2018
Record Label: Retroactive Records
Follow them at: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Noisetrade
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Lyric video for ‘Whatever It Takes’
Video for ‘The Reapers’