Band:	Paradox
Album:	Tales Of The Weird
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	December 14, 2012
A review by:	R'Vannith

01. Tales Of The Weird
02. Day Of Judgement
03. Brutalized
04. Fragile Alliance
05. Escalation
06. Brainwashed
07. Slashdead
08. Zeitgeist
09. The Downward Spiral
10. A Light In The Black [Rainbow cover][Japanese bonus]

The one thing that has always been central to Paradox's infectious style of thrash is melody. It's the kind of melody you can almost cut and spread with a knife and attention is always given to making it as tangible as possible throughout the band's studio efforts. Their releases during the heyday for the genre in the late 80's served up intense pockets of speed/thrash and while this remains the case with Tales Of The Weird their sound is now noticeably different.

A most likely cause for the new efforts of an old thrash act bearing a more modern sound is inevitably the production technology available. But along with the modernization of production in their post-2000 releases Paradox's thrash has become increasingly characterised by a heavy/power metal flavour. While some may find that such integration detracts from the edginess of the riffs it certainly bolsters tracks like the frenetically jumpy licks of "Day Of Judgement" granting a muscularity to the highly melodic guitar work.

Their secret weapon this time around is the time bending talent of Obscura and Spawn Of Posession guitarist Christian Muenzner. His presence partnered with Charly Steinhauer make the lengthier pieces like the over 9 minute title track pass with as much thrashing ferocity and consistency as the shorter energetic bursts of "Slashdead." Transitions from dual guitar lines to solos are typically standard and stubbornly refuse to show themselves at times and this does result in a slight over familiarity with the melodic leads.

Steinhauer's vocals rarely fall short of supporting the concentrated melodies though he occasionally slips into disharmonious moments such as in the chorus of "Brainwashed", where the guitars also stagnate somewhat. Generally he performs more than competently, bracing the album with his slightly accented and vigorous delivery.

Inclusions such as the usual atmospheric introductions and recognizably thrash interlude "Zeitgeist" all aid in the distinguishing between tracks. However the melodic riffs are so cogently expressed within each track that they offer clear distinction in themselves.

Before you lock in your favourite thrash releases from this year give a listen to this potentially worthy and irresistibly energetic contender.