Artist: Paradox 
   Title: Electrify
   Label: AFM Records

In the late eighties when Thrash Metal was at its prime the likes of Metallica, Slayer were America's own, but in Germany the name of Paradox were making the genre their own.  In 1987 the release of their debut album ‘Product Of Imagination’ won the band best new comer awards with Rock Hard and Metal Hammer, but in 1989 shortly after releasing their second full length album ‘Heresy’, the band would go into hibernation and not return until 1999 when they appeared at the mighty Wacken Open Air Festival.  The result of which was the release of the band's 2000 album 'Collision Course'.  Again the band would disband with depression hitting front man Charly Steinhauer, who was ordered not to sing by his doctors.

Now some eight years later the name of Paradox is again about to rock the very foundations of Speed Metal with their new opus 'Electrify'. The band haven’t diverted from their original roots with this new album, but instead have brought the Power Speed Metal genre slap bang up to date with ten storming tracks of guitar fuelled excellence.  Steinhauer is back to his best and with him he brings Kai Pasemann on guitars, from the 'Collision Course' album, but also some new blood in the band in the shape of Olly Keller on bass and Roland Jahoda on drums.  Together they are Paradox.

With this new album the band have loosely based the tracks along the theme of the film The Lawnmower Man and the internet and its effect on modern man.  It’s a concept album but not in the real context of the genre as each track stands out on its own.

The album gets under way with the rip snorting metal fest that is ‘Second Over Third By Force’, this is old school Thrash with a modern edge that really gets the album off to a flying start.

'Paralyzed' is a short one that begins with Steinhauer getting things started with a more gentle vocal path, then the guitars take over and the track melts into the rampaging ‘Monument’, again it's Old School meets Power Metal.  A real head-bangers delight.

For those of you who like a great guitar and drum based stomper then you’ll just love ‘Portrait In Grey’ with its huge guitar riffs and thumping rhythm section.  The mix of power and speed is just tremendous and with Steinhauer putting in his best vocal performance so far, this is the sort of stuff I expected from the new Metallica album, not the drivel they delivered.

Things really start to heat up with the riff driven ‘Hyperspeed Hallucinations’.  It's balls to the wall stuff, big guitars and a powerhouse rhythm section laying down the foundations for Steinhauers superb power vocal.

Once again the band bring in the Power Metal element along with the Thrash elements on ‘Bridge Of Silence’, before it's back to the massive guitar fuelled tracks like the fantastic ‘Infected’, which just oozes Metal as each riff is spewed out by Pasemann.  This is actually my favourite track off the album.  Think classic Anthrax meets Slayer and you won't be far away with this monster.

After being 'Infected' it's time to be ‘Disconnected’.  Another all out metal assault with screaming guitars from both Steinhauer and Pasemann, wrapped up in Steinhauer’s power-driven vocals with the rhythm section of Keller and Jahoda acting as the backbone to this onslaught.

After the veritable typhoon of Metal things slow down with the Metal Ballad ‘Cyberspace Romance’.  This real change in tempo shows the band have more up their sleeves than just a Thrash album.  This one is Metallica’s 'One' meets Queensryche, soaring guitars and a slower melodic drum beat.

This truly fantastic album closes with the title track ‘Electrify’, a real barnstormer to finish with as Pasemann and Steinhauer unleash their six strings with all their might and bring the album to a close with a metal-heads delight.

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