Parius – The Signal Heard Throughout Space
Willowtip Records
Release Date: 07/10/22
Running Time: 01:01:15
Review by Laura Barnes
10/10
Grab your binoculars, because we are headed to the opera! Oh, and you should maybe grab your spacesuit, too, because this is a space opera.
“The Signal Heard Throughout Space” is one giant leap for Parius. Their previous album, “Tales From The Eldritch Realm” was a flaming meteor of Lovecraftian Melodeath, and there’s only one problem with flaming meteor albums: how on earth can the next album top it? For Parius, the answer is to go bigger and bolder, venture where they’ve never ventured before (okay, I promise I’ll stop with all the space references now). The songs are longer, the vocals are cleaner, and keyboards have crash-landed onto the scene. I have no doubt that there will be some listeners who feel alienated by this shift (Melodeath fans are renowned for being change-averse – I swear, they’ve been holding a grudge against In Flames for about 17 years now…), but I also have no doubt that they’ll endear more people than they’ll piss off. Progressive Metal fans will love this. Sci-fi nerds will love this. Concept album enthusiasts (i.e., me) will eat this shit up like cheese on toast.
The album follows a lone spaceship Captain searching for the source of a distress signal and describes the various places (both literal and emotional) where his search takes him. During ‘Suspended Animation’ we feel his loneliness and doubt. ‘Spaceflight Dementia’ contrasts a melodic chorus with frantic guitars to create an uneasy atmosphere. And ‘Dimension Y’ has a wonderfully funky bassline! If there’s one thing Metal albums need more of, it’s groovy, groovy bass guitars. And despite their more melodic approach, Parius can’t be accused of ‘selling out’ or any other such nonsense. ‘The Acid Lakes of Ganymede’ and ‘Contact!’ are heavy-hitters that heavy-hit it right outta the park! The more sporadic use of harsh vocals on this album means that when they are used, they’re effective. While this may sometimes result in a sound that is Metalcoreish, it never strays too far from Prog Metal territory. It’s like if Rush or Iron Maiden had a baby with some of the quirkier darlings of Metalcore – Ice Nine Kills, Avatar, Avenged Sevenfold in their “City of Evil” era, etc. What these bands and Parius have in common is a crucial element that lies at the heart of most great art: playfulness.
I can sit here all day and talk about guitar solos and time signatures (I know how you Prog fans feel about your time signatures), but none of this will be able to convey just how fucking FUN this album is! It is an absolute HOOT! On top of the rock solid song-writing, it is the tiny, tiny details that really uplift this album. The unexpected twists and turns taken in each song, the subtle subversion of expectations you didn’t even know you had, and the pulpy sound effects all work to make “The Signal Heard Throughout Space” an unforgettable listen.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Spacelog
02. The Signal
03. Suspended Animation
04. Spaceflight Dementia
05. The Acid Lakes of Ganymede
06. The Human Molecule
07. Contact!
08. Dimension Y
09. The Outer Limit
10. Arecibo
LINE-UP:
Lous Thierry – Vocals
Ryan Rauch – Guitars
Kenny Rentz – Bass
Sean Gallagher – Keyboards
Dan Siver – Drums
LINKS:
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