It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything really new in the metal world. After researching recent releases I found one that really stood out. Hailing from Uppsala, Sweden, Paranorm blend thrash, death and black metal with progressive and sci-fi vibes. There’s a few bands out there similar things blending different elements of extreme metal with sci-fi themes, and I love it! Empyrean is Paranorm’s debut LP following two EP’s, 2011’s Pandemonium Rise and 2014’s The Edge of Existence, and it’s exciting to hear what they have to offer.
The album opens with a thrashing blast in the form of “Critical Mass” which offers a perfect summary of what’s to come. The main riffing is quite straightforward using some higher pitched power chords and harmonised ideas, with raspy growling vocals. The tempo ramps up around the halfway mark bringing some catchy melodic elements and shredding solos. Follow-up “The Immortal Generation” starts bringing an epic feel with it’s slower melodic opening and fast high pitched riffing before introducing some classical-flavoured ideas.
The first true epic of Empyrean comes in the form of nine and a half minute-opus “Edge of the Horizon”. The song begins on a more sombre note with lush acoustic guitar arpeggios, harmonies and cool licks building to the huge distorted guitar chords and epic melodies. Following the intro is some straightforward headbanging thrash before getting more technical ideas across. The half-time chorus with the huge melodies gives a very Gothenburg-style melodeath flavour which contrasts well with the more blistering riffs. The mid-section also makes for a cool shift in vibe with the stabbing guitars leading in to the slamming beat and standout bass moments. The song fades out before “Intelligence Explosion” kicks in offering more thrashing goodness and melodic lines.
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The halfway point of Empyrean is marked by “Cannibal” which goes for a more straightforward approach with speedy single note alternate picking and stabbing chords. The technical moments and melodies remain though the vocals come across particularly brutal. The next epic follows, slightly shorter than its predecessor at just under nine minutes, in the title track. There’s a lot going on throughout the song moving through high pitched thrashing, discordant embellishments, and plenty of harmonised melodeath moments. The middle makes for a nice change of pace, bringing in acoustic and clean guitars building to another awesome neo-classical idea. The thrashing returns for the home stretch with some killer lead guitar throughout the whole song.
Penultimate number “Lost Cause” is the shortest track, and offers a welcome change of generally more straightforward riffing – still with cool technical embellishments – and a simpler structure. A banging palate cleanse after a lot of longer songs before the final song. The album closes with “Desolate Worlds (Distant Dimensions)” continuing the style Paranorm have displayed with Empyrean. There’s lots of cool interplay between the two guitars, with some call and response ideas in each speaker. The mid-section brings more lush acoustic arpeggios for a moment of calm beneath the guitar solo before transitioning seamlessly to some classical-style sweep picked arpeggios before returning to the main thrash riffing.
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Empyrean overall is a great collection of extreme metal songs. Paranorm have carved out their own style within their niche, with a thrash metal base and expertly combining elements of death metal, black metal, prog on top. The riffs overall are catchy and songs flow well, even from section to section in the longer songs. The production stands out with a meatier tone than some of Paranorm’s contemporaries – that’s cleaner yet still keeps some of that scuzzy biting edge to the guitar sound. With a killer debut LP in Empyrean, Paranorm are definitely a band to keep an ear out for.
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Empyrean will released February 26th via Redefining Darkness Records
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