German thrashers, Paradox, return with Riot Squad (also called Riot Act in some publications), their fifth studio album, and follow-up to 2007’s Electrify. Fans may have worried how long they would have to wait for a new album after the previous 7-year gap. But the band promised a shorter wait, and they delivered. And beyond that, Charly Steinhauer (vocals/guitar) also promised fans that this would be a faster and heavier album than its predecessor. That really seems to be the case with Riot Squad. The Quartet assaults you with 10 tracks of vicious riffs with a surprising melodic punch.
If you like early Metallica or Slayer, you definitely won’t be disappointed in Paradox. Steinhauer’s vocals are reminiscent of James Hetfield in those early years, and the music is maybe even more mosh-provoking. Paradox have been around as long as Metallica, and you can sense that experience while listening to Riot Squad - they know what they’re doing. The lead guitar and drums don’t ever get a break, and when you think they might be entering a slower section, they speed things up even more. There aren’t any obligatory slow songs to be found on the disc. Notable tracks include “Rise in Rank” which has some cool guitar echoes and complex rhythms that pair perfectly with the constantly moving drums. It starts out with a great crunching guitar melody in the higher notes, which immediately made me want to hit the repeat button. And as the vocals jump in and the song really gets going, things shift completely and they kick it in double time, which made me smile. “Nothingness” has a great intro with some of the slowest guitar stuff on the album, as the melody rises out of the sound of wind and other effects. The vocals are lower than other songs, and sound great down there even when he almost speaks/growls some parts of the verse. “Planet Terror” almost has a progressive feel to it, and “Psychofficial” saves the fastest, most brutal stuff to close the album.
There is a direct relationship between how loud I played this album and how much I liked it. Cranked up in my car, it sounded great. But it tended to get a little repetitive for me. I’m not the thrasher I used to be, I guess. That said, what they do, they do really well. A new generation of “Guitar-Hero” players only now discovering these kinds of bands would do well to check out Paradox. And Riot Squad is probably their strongest and most ferocious album yet.
By Matt Milligan
