Paranoid Fantasy – Everlasting Madness
I am a bit of a list freak, well a lot actually, and an ongoing project I have is to have a physical release by a band or artist from every country in the world. Some countries are difficult to nigh on impossible to get but I can now attempt to add Paranoid Fantasy if I can manage to get hold of their first EP on CD as the band hails from Algeria. There is a temptation to allow some slack when reviewing releases from bands outside of the normal areas but that does the band no favours whatsoever as this outfit hits us with a death metal release that skirts the fringes of melodic and technical subgenres.
After the brief intro, noticeably the sound and production is a little hollow especially the drums which is compensated for by the actual playing which is bold and technical as the EP opens with 'Cyber Demystification'. There are obvious influences here from luminaries such as Morbid Angel and Death but that should be interpreted solely as influences as their song writing has unveiled ambitious compositions that run the gauntlet of high speed guitar runs and hyper drum work outs. The myriad of tempo fluctuations create high impetus that hints at other tech outfits such as Obscura though I’d be negligent to suggest that the band was equivalent to such an act but the tendrils are there.
'Perpetual Agony' continues the onslaught and here the production inadequacies show in the snare blasting which blur into an amorphous tangle which for some is OK but I personally prefer it to have definition and even if the sound was intentional it does create a disordered listen. However the guitar is frenzied, constantly changing as the drum fills and double kick create a barraging backdrop for the persistently switching tempo fluctuations that have the hallmarks of Morbid Angel and continues into the slower 'Beyond Perception'. The abrupt changes in pace work well especially when linked to the lead work which is excellent especially in this track and leaves 'Continuity In Chaos' to end the release before a bonus track is tagged on the end. Again the flurries of speed are splashed with copious double kick work outs and though my comments about the snare are valid your ears do normalise to it as you listen to the EP. The bonus track comes from the bands self-titled demo and has a different atmosphere and is much denser, it is also more traditional death metal and gives an indication as to where the band has come from musically.
Paranoid Fantasy have just started their journey and on the strength of their first EP they have a good grounding to move forwards with their next effort which should be awesome.
After the brief intro, noticeably the sound and production is a little hollow especially the drums which is compensated for by the actual playing which is bold and technical as the EP opens with 'Cyber Demystification'. There are obvious influences here from luminaries such as Morbid Angel and Death but that should be interpreted solely as influences as their song writing has unveiled ambitious compositions that run the gauntlet of high speed guitar runs and hyper drum work outs. The myriad of tempo fluctuations create high impetus that hints at other tech outfits such as Obscura though I’d be negligent to suggest that the band was equivalent to such an act but the tendrils are there.
'Perpetual Agony' continues the onslaught and here the production inadequacies show in the snare blasting which blur into an amorphous tangle which for some is OK but I personally prefer it to have definition and even if the sound was intentional it does create a disordered listen. However the guitar is frenzied, constantly changing as the drum fills and double kick create a barraging backdrop for the persistently switching tempo fluctuations that have the hallmarks of Morbid Angel and continues into the slower 'Beyond Perception'. The abrupt changes in pace work well especially when linked to the lead work which is excellent especially in this track and leaves 'Continuity In Chaos' to end the release before a bonus track is tagged on the end. Again the flurries of speed are splashed with copious double kick work outs and though my comments about the snare are valid your ears do normalise to it as you listen to the EP. The bonus track comes from the bands self-titled demo and has a different atmosphere and is much denser, it is also more traditional death metal and gives an indication as to where the band has come from musically.
Paranoid Fantasy have just started their journey and on the strength of their first EP they have a good grounding to move forwards with their next effort which should be awesome.
- Intro
- Cyber Demystification
- Perpetual Agony
- Beyond Perception
- Continuity In Chaos
- Cerebral Atrophy
