Omass

While Paragon might be a pretty unknown name and has only got 2 EPs and a single under the belt so far the members are seasoned musicians and have been active in loads of other projects. Their newest EP has been titled “Omass”, consisting of four new songs and 21 minutes of playing time. Pest Records from Romania has released this one as nice and limited digipak, so with the EP being quick and dirty let’s do this review in the same way.

The band combines black, death and doom metal to create an evil cocktail. After an ambient intro things get harsh and grim pretty soon. Paragon Zero do not waste too much time, going full throttle with the first song “Phosphorous Blaze”. This one is a good indication of what to expect over the next 20 minutes. Wasting no time, the riffs attack steady, going for a raw and stomping style. Slow build-ups and interludes are broken up by some faster tremolo attacks, making up for an intense mix.

Paragon Zero are firmly rooted within metal’s raw and feral side, with plenty of interesting and discordant motifs thrown into the mix to provide some added intensity and fierceness to an already wild ride. Rawness and tradition alone are rarely enough to carry a full album, but used as pillars of the sound those can be a dividing factors, separating an outstanding work from average to good stuff. While Paragon Zero might mainly be of interest for fans of dark and extreme music their honest and straight-forward approach could also be of interest for fans of classic metal – think old Black Sabbath and Co – as they have no problem to implement some traditional riffing and uplifting soloing work as well.

Paragon Zero have created a special atmosphere, and small details like a short interlude played by the bass or the raspy vocals of the lead singer help sharpening the picture. The raw and somehow cold mix enhances this impression even further, lending the music a bit of a demo vibe.

Paragon Zero play their music with such accuracy, showing a true passion for the original and primitive style and channeling it into the band’s own creativity. It’s the love for the origins of the genre that drives them, and it shows on “Omass” with flying colors, making it a nice little gem for purists.