| |
Having moved on after the departure of vocalist John West
with new vocalist Mark Boals, Royal Hunt return with the sequel
to their 1995 album Paradox. Now years later, through lineup
changes, where albums have moved from the heavier to the more
symphonic scheme of things, Paradox 2: The Collision Course
is indisputably neo-classical metal at it’s finest, done the
right way. The new album sees the band executing more than
just the progressive metal that was played out over a decade
ago; this time it’s got even more punch, orchestrations, and
all the technical gusto that is worthy of concluding the second
half of this piece of music.
Lush and dense at the same time, the album purveys an
aggressive musical stance, balancing out the ‘song versus
composition’ musical approach, which adds splendor for all
things metal, symphonic and even catchy at the same time.
Boals executes his vocals and harmonies with precision, while
the rest of the band plays a tight knit groove among the highly
skillful arrangements – where it’s synth and synthesis to
brighten the backdrop, the crunching guitars to darken it
all, and hook-laden prowess to keep all things afloat. “The
First Rock,” “Hostile Breed,” “Chaos A.C.,” and “Tears of
The Sun” are among the full-blown epic tracks that show no
benevolence to creating this mass of metal ala-Rising Force,
Labyrinth, and Mattsson; yet the record’s darker side is executed
through the punchy “High Noon at Battlefield” and the emotive
“Blood In, Blood Out;” yet Paradox 2 lacks one thing, and
thankfully so there are no long drawn out ballads or atmospheric
soundscapes; the record is heavy all the way though and through.
With many bands are jumping on the neo-classical metal
bandwagon, all the while literally saturating the ‘scene’
and watering down their own sound, Royal Hunt, although having
been around for years, still offers a breath of fresh air
of symphonic splendor – maybe some bands should looks at this
record and say, this is how you do it, because when it is
all said and done, there is only so much ‘orchestration’ you
can add to the music; too much and the real melodies are gone
– and automatically out the door go the hooks, and you get
lost; for which this band knows when to say when in the arrangements
and technicality department. Filled with a monstrosity of
melodies, Andre Andersen and Co. are the true purveyors of
the orchestral metal mayhem.
|
