VM-UNDERGROUND

Extreme Metal Fanzine est. 2012

Latest Updates

Filter by: band
[%] - [[0-9]] - [A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [J] - [K] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [O] - [P] - [Q] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [U] - [V] - [W] - [X] - [Y] - [Z]
Filter by: label
[[0-9]] - [A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [J] - [K] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [O] - [P] - [Q] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [U] - [V] - [W] - [X] - [Y] - [Z]
Filter by: style
[A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [P] - [S] - [T] - [V]
Filter by: country
[A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [I] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [P] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [U]
Filter by: vmu-author
[A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [J] - [K] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [O] - [P] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [V] - [W] - [X] - [Y] - [Z]

Paranorm – Empyrean

paranorm – empyrean

Info

Swedish outfit Paranorm first released their demo back in the year 2010. Their first official EP was released not too much later in the year 2011. In 2014, instead of releasing a full length album, they were only able to put out another EP. In their defense, the EP had some good material on there.  Unfortunately for the band, they were not able to release a full album until the year 2021. What we have currently is a debut album the band has obvious been working on for more than several years with eight songs for almost an hour of the melodic Tech/Thrash variety.

As far as the vocals are concerned, they might be “harsh” in the vein of Kreator, but do not really stand out to me as they seem to lack outright pronunciation. This could be viewed as a negative aspect and in someways is, but clearly vocalist Markus Hiltunen was mostly focusing on his musicianship. As far as the actual musicianship is concerned, everything is fine. There are melodic moments, fast moments, and moments with sweeping solos that made my head turn at key moments. These four Swedish guys display on each of these songs that they are all skilled at what they do. There are some impressive moments. What we have here is a decent Tech/Thrash release for fans of the newer bands of the genre such as Skeletonwitch or Vektor. While Paranorm’s debut album is impressive in it’s own way, do not expect them to reinvent the wheel.

This is a release for those not looking for Traditional Thrash Metal who want their style to be more of a flashy mixed bag. At the same time, though, this release is straight forward and I appreciate that there are no segue songs or intros…just eight songs with some stellar moments where the dual guitar attack really shines. However, traditional 80s thrashers might want to stay away as this release might be for more adventurous ears. If you like your Thrash Metal dirty and mean, this release was not necessarily made for you. This first album was fine, but for me in particular, this is not a must have. I like the band’s science fiction theme, and that was what really caught my eye at first glance. I would like them to explore that theme in a more dynamic vein with their next album. I can see this band really going to town with some crazy ideas for their next release. This band will most likely be something to watch out for in the future. (Old Man Stares)

Paranorm

Related Articles

Redefining Darkness Records

Related Articles

Reviews

News