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Paroxysmal Descent > Paradigm of Decay > Reviews
Paroxysmal Descent - Paradigm of Decay

PBDZ4: Manic depressant minimalist BM - 80%

vrag_moj, January 5th, 2010

Listening to how this disk sounds – the production, the guitar tones used and the balancing between instruments makes me think of days past where certain studios and scenes delivered a certain sound. With the proliferation of home recording the number of “sounds” has multiplied. With each amateur producer/engineer literally creating their own unique sound. It’s a positive development because it offers a greater variety of experience when delving into extreme music.

Paroxysmal’s first album has a very good production. I mean I can hear, this wasn’t done at Unisound or anything remotely approaching it, but on the other hand the production is something different. The guitar tone here is very interesting – extremely thin and jangly, yet coarsely distorted somewhere in the background with lower chords groaning menacingly when used in the arrangement. The drums sound miked as opposed to triggered – resulting in the characteristic organic plodding rather than the doctored clicking sound.

The music is that sad, downcast and introspective dirge that Abyssic Hate blessed us with on Suicidal Emotions. This influence shines through in some aspects of this recording, but overall, there is much more to Paroxysmal than just that one release. I think it might have been something of a starting point though. The songs are extended, but not unnecessarily drawn-out compositions, the longest here “Beyond the Threshold” being 7 and a half minutes. There is some more of that strobing double-kick work here with up-tempo tremolo riffing thrown over the top that one would have heard on the Misanthropia demo. It made me think that this was a re-worked track in fact, but not so. It must have simply been composed around the same dynamic framework. In general, the album displays some pleasing elaboration on the already excellent demo with painfully sad interludes breaking up the numbing atmospheric structures and bursts of blasts and up-tempo rock beats. It’s a very pleasing listen, even though the underlying music is extremely depressing. It produces that same manic depressant feeling as did the old Bethlehem and the Silencer album. The artiste also pulls out a few unusual tricks: the use of clear electric piano, and a power-electronics/black ambient track, which by the way is a very compelling listen. It’s quite minimalist, but after a few spins has really grown on me, its seeping drones ringing out sadly in the black silence.

Great new band – check them out.

Originally published in Procession of Black Doom zine #4

Paradigm of Decay. - 80%

Perplexed_Sjel, July 6th, 2009

I entertained the idea that I was in for a traditional evening when I allowed the watered down second wave influence that has inspired the creation of Paroxysmal Descent to breech the previously unstirred sound waves and inspire a feeling of corrupt nostalgia that night we first crossed paths on this unromantic voyage of anger and grief that hasn’t been dealt with. This Australian band is akin to traditional bands (Darkthrone and the like), but is also unlike any other I can think of all at the same time. Juxtaposition is an idea us black metal fans have to get used to if we’re to survive the torturous nature of our beloved genre in the modern era. Where once black metal was about a formulaic stance on the worlds most negative aspects, including the human emotions most popular music fails to recognise, today’s variation of the genre is more laid back and open to ideas that might change the perception of the genre, as a whole, in years to come when we look back on it - either with fondness, or confusion as to what went wrong and why. Although musicians may be more open to trying new things with other styles, a lot of fans still refuse to allow them to live in peace and will continue to subject so-called “poser” bands with cries of betrayal as if every musician is Judas Iscariot himself.

This one man band, formed by the unusual entity called Mordance, are no stranger to the black metal field. Previous to this band, Mordance was the only member of another band (which actually changed its name to the band we’re currently dealing with) Misanthropia. He had also had some experience at recording his own material, made in the likeness of what he solely envisaged, in the form one a demo called ‘The Suffering Within’. His experiences in this band are unknown to me as I have never heard Misanthropia before, nor have I ever bothered to read information surrounding the rather obscure band. Though, in fairness, I have only discovered Paroxysmal Descent recently myself. Given the bands previous name, which is fairly stereotypical, I assumed the musical direction was much the same as it is here - second wave inspired, bleak, cold and distant black metal with a twist that was unforeseen in the lead-up to this confrontational debut. Like fellow Australian act, Elysian Blaze, Mordance has the capabilities of being able to fuse the funeral doom sound with a black metal sound, meshing together a range of different influences that each scorch the soundscapes with a red hot poker stick, marking their individual influence on the end product with undefeated scorn.

The insignia is felt throughout as Mordance weaves in and out of numerous genres and sub-genres, from ambient to atmospheric, and even, as stated, keeping a flame of respect lit up for the second wave. I assume traditional fans won’t have a hard time adjusting to this new plague of distinctly distant sound and even new fans, whose open mindedness that led them to this wonderfully bleak genre to begin with, might be open to this challenging piece. From an outside perspective, even I had trouble seeing this being something that would openly challenge me and my beliefs about the stereotypes that revolve around the black metal genre. The bands history and even the introduction to the full-length, entitled ‘Paradigm of Decay’, forces me to generalise and conjure up “facts” that I believe will be true in regards to the bands sound. Unfortunately, I have seen some scathing remarks about this band playing within the depressive fields of black metal, but I don’t personally believe that to be true. This sound may have some qualities of that sub-genre, like the slowly paced guitars and repetition factor that stirs up a whirl wind like effect on the atmosphere, but Paroxysmal Descent shouldn’t be considered a one dimensional band. This multi-functional style of black metal caters to numerous styles, as stated, like ambient and even a small degree of funeral doom with its unsuspected involvement of keyboards, which are sparse, but significant.

I refuse to believe that this debut deserves to be lumped into one single category and forgotten forever as it betrays the modern era with its depressive style. I hear a multi-purpose, multi-functional and multi-dimensional style enforced on us by Mordance with his surprisingly use of keyboards and odd involvement of bass here and there, when for large parts its fairly unnoticeable. Songs like ‘Loathing’ are typical of Paroxysmal Descent. Repetitive instrumentation and snarled vocals which, again surprisingly, lead from the front. Often, vocals within black metal are deemed largely unnecessary, or are even seen as an added instrument for effect, but not here. The snarling is situated perfectly alongside the double bass, tremolo efforts and cold atmospherics. Its in the break downs of songs that Paroxysmal Descent truly show their worth and limitless tactical style by providing the listener with some, albeit repetitive, interrogative black metal madness. I hate to use the word “catchy”, but a lot of the material is, even down to the bass, which bounces off the wall of noise effect the guitar distortion creates. There are, of course, passages of profuse sadness which are liable to be tagged as depressive, like on songs such as ‘Throes of Abjection’, but these sections are where the funeral doom influences come in, for me.

Although this debut is short in length, it packs an almighty punch with its black/thrash style that breaches the inner soul with no trouble, pounding away at our insides with its jagged edges and quirky themes through the talented musicianship. This is a record that falls into the category of - “grows on you” - the more you hear it. In some ways, its inclusion into the hall of Total Holocaust fame isn’t a surprise (are there aren’t many things that are unsurprising about this record). With bands like the crazed Aska, the chaotic Emit and the Judas Iscariot worshipping of the distorted Black Circle, Paroxysmal Descent have found a place to call home where their music is suited to. However, the similarities to those bands are only worth mentioning when considering the demented style of the distortion laden feel that all of the aforementioned bands use when portraying their ideologies, none are similar in more ways than one or two and with this darker-than-usual style Paroxysmal Descent have going on, they deserve more plaudits than the other three put together. At least this band has a bit of dynamism to fall back on (see the keyboards on ‘Beyond The Threshold’) and although this unholy style may be similar to certain other bands (even unusual acts like Impavida are brought to my attention by the eerie keyboards on ‘Throes of Abjection’), this is different in its own right. A sturdy debut with a few notable passages of instrumentation due to logical song writing and generally, worthwhile.