Parius
The chaps in Parius, a melodic death metal band from the suburbs of Philadelphia, recently got in touch so we could check out some of their tracks to see what was going on. Formed in 2011, the band have dedicated their time together to writing tracks, honing their style, and beginning to develop their reputation as a unit. Now in the process of recording their debut album, I thought this was the ideal time to see what was going on and how they were getting on, so headed over to their FB page to check out some tracks for myself.
Opening with Grave Of The Firegod there’s an immediate In Flames style riff to set things in motion, the heavy assed guitar work forming into a heavy yet funky mix of distorted elements, all working together to form a sound which is going to satisfy even the heaviest of fans. Guttural vocals roll around the heavy mix as the bass heavy melee of backing elements all continues its distorted journey, this is melodic metal at its finest, and the sort of thing which is going to ignite crowds and build a hell of a reputation. Couple this heavy outlook with a definite sense of intricacy and melody and what you’ve got here is metal which is heavy, yet accessible and damned good to hear, a hell of an introduction to a band! Moving on to Galactic Termination the theme of heavy continues, this time bombarding your ears with a mix of rolling drums, roaring vocals, hammering bass lines and more of that intricate guitar work. Firmly heavy, more so than the previous track, there’s a real raw edge to this one, something which suggests that this is the live sound of the band, the sort of thing you can expect to see when you get out to see them live. Personally, I love the raw edge here as it seems to show off the band in their element, showing that they’re perfectly capable of doing tracks without the need for digitalisation or studio effects.
Lake Laogai follows on and once again seems to raise the bar for the level of heavy we can expect from these guys. Sounding more like an older recording, there’s a definite shift in the sound when you reach this track, almost like it was an earlier track for the band and one which, if re-recorded, has the potential to be a killer track on their upcoming album. Intricate guitar work combines with pounding rhythms courtesy of the bass and drums, leaving no doubt that when it comes to their music, Parius are more than able. Returning to their more bass heavy sound for Doctor Device, the pace returns to that which opened the tracks and harks towards an almost Dark Tranquility style influence in the backing guitar work. This was one of my personal favourites off of the bands selection on their Facebook page, there’s simply something about it which reminded me of the metal I first discovered all those years ago, the sort of thing which got me into the proper heavy stuff and made me the person I am today – definitely a track to make sure you check out.
Closing the selection with Dark Horizons we’re left on a calmer note, the distortion moving aside for a moment to allow the soft and dark opening moments to have their moment. This sudden shift to the softer side of things stands this track out as another serious high point from their selection, the sort of track which would work well either as a track in the middle of the album or even as an opener just to show off what to expect. Moving from soft back to distorted, the band soon resume their rampage and finish the selection with a track which holds all of the bands hallmarks, all of their intricacies and all of the power we’ve come to expect. Another serious high point to close the tracks, this is a track which you have to hear, and another I’d hope to see on the new record.
I’m always wary of bands that describe their music as melodic death metal as all too often, that term is used when a band aren’t sure what it is they do. In this case though, I needn’t have worried as Parius seem to almost define the genre, hammering out tracks which combine melody and all out power with aplomb and leaving anyone who listens to it powerless to do anything to resist. Definitely a band I’ll be looking to hear more of, make sure you check these guys out!
To find out more about Parius and to check out their music for yourself, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Grave Of The Firegod there’s an immediate In Flames style riff to set things in motion, the heavy assed guitar work forming into a heavy yet funky mix of distorted elements, all working together to form a sound which is going to satisfy even the heaviest of fans. Guttural vocals roll around the heavy mix as the bass heavy melee of backing elements all continues its distorted journey, this is melodic metal at its finest, and the sort of thing which is going to ignite crowds and build a hell of a reputation. Couple this heavy outlook with a definite sense of intricacy and melody and what you’ve got here is metal which is heavy, yet accessible and damned good to hear, a hell of an introduction to a band! Moving on to Galactic Termination the theme of heavy continues, this time bombarding your ears with a mix of rolling drums, roaring vocals, hammering bass lines and more of that intricate guitar work. Firmly heavy, more so than the previous track, there’s a real raw edge to this one, something which suggests that this is the live sound of the band, the sort of thing you can expect to see when you get out to see them live. Personally, I love the raw edge here as it seems to show off the band in their element, showing that they’re perfectly capable of doing tracks without the need for digitalisation or studio effects.
Lake Laogai follows on and once again seems to raise the bar for the level of heavy we can expect from these guys. Sounding more like an older recording, there’s a definite shift in the sound when you reach this track, almost like it was an earlier track for the band and one which, if re-recorded, has the potential to be a killer track on their upcoming album. Intricate guitar work combines with pounding rhythms courtesy of the bass and drums, leaving no doubt that when it comes to their music, Parius are more than able. Returning to their more bass heavy sound for Doctor Device, the pace returns to that which opened the tracks and harks towards an almost Dark Tranquility style influence in the backing guitar work. This was one of my personal favourites off of the bands selection on their Facebook page, there’s simply something about it which reminded me of the metal I first discovered all those years ago, the sort of thing which got me into the proper heavy stuff and made me the person I am today – definitely a track to make sure you check out.
Closing the selection with Dark Horizons we’re left on a calmer note, the distortion moving aside for a moment to allow the soft and dark opening moments to have their moment. This sudden shift to the softer side of things stands this track out as another serious high point from their selection, the sort of track which would work well either as a track in the middle of the album or even as an opener just to show off what to expect. Moving from soft back to distorted, the band soon resume their rampage and finish the selection with a track which holds all of the bands hallmarks, all of their intricacies and all of the power we’ve come to expect. Another serious high point to close the tracks, this is a track which you have to hear, and another I’d hope to see on the new record.
I’m always wary of bands that describe their music as melodic death metal as all too often, that term is used when a band aren’t sure what it is they do. In this case though, I needn’t have worried as Parius seem to almost define the genre, hammering out tracks which combine melody and all out power with aplomb and leaving anyone who listens to it powerless to do anything to resist. Definitely a band I’ll be looking to hear more of, make sure you check these guys out!
To find out more about Parius and to check out their music for yourself, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
