Parius

Saturnine

 

Louis Thierry – Vocals

Ryan Rauch – Guitar

George Fenton – Guitar

Ian Staab – Drums

 

 

1.  Doctor Device

I like how this song begins, you know that its going to have a great tempo, and will build up well. The lead guitar riff is great, being layered with a driving rhythm guitar riff. This is one of those songs that when you listen to it while driving, you start to accelerate without knowing it. The guitar riff at the 1:48 mark is great, and then to make things that much better the vocals fade in. This song sounds like the band is fusing some elements from the late 90’s with today’s metal. It sounds bad ass, I am really enjoying this song.

2. Galactic Termination

The song hits you with the guitars right out of the gate, and doesn’t let up. This song is catchy, I am rocking out to this one right now, based on what these guys are delivering I anticipate the album being better and better with each song. The guitar solo around the 1:50 mark is solid, and straight to the point. I like that about it, they kept the guitar solo simple yet effective. Clocking in at just under two minutes, the song maintains a groove, and is entertaining from start to finish.

3. Grave Of The Firegod

I like how this song begins, in your face vocals, heavy with a hard and fast attack. This has a great tempo, upbeat and will encourage you to headbang the whole time. Right around the 1:07 minute mark we get a cool rhythm. This may be my favorite track, there is something about it, the guitars really give us a groove that works, and then the drums compliment it by playing out on the toms. They hit us with a whipping guitar solo, gotta love when bands have a guitarist or two that can shred.

4. Mannequin Soldier

This song starts out with a chugging style rhythm with double bass rolling throughout. I will go on record to say I made it through halfway and liked what I heard so I hit the back button just to hear it again. I’m not sure if it is one guitarist doing the solo’s or if they trade off for songs, but they keep raising the bar. I dig the vocal range that Louis posses, some gravelly lows but can hit the highs as good as anyone else. The guitar solo I speak of is just a downright dizzying solo that trades off but seems to have old school shredders influence behind them.

5. Archaic Diabolical

This song has a solid intro that builds up and hits you with what sounds like a 3:4 time signature and a 165-170 BPM tempo. This has excellent guitar work coming from both guitarists, they really jive together and seem to work well. The drums are on point, and throw some blasts in there alongside the guitar solo. Now I feel differently about my decision on what my favorite song is. This song is incredibly catchy, it has a groove and you really lock into it. This would be a great song to see live.

6. Saturnine

They waste no time going from the last song to this song, they get right down to it, and hits you with a fast pace tempo. I am enjoying everything about this song, you can head bang to this song, its got a groove, and Ian seems to be upping his game on the drums. He seems to be adding more and more to each song as they play, this song is a very energetic song, and utilizes rapid blasting and double bass. Louis delivers the vocals like an automatic firearm, switching from the highs to the lows with only a fraction of a second in between. This is a bad ass tune, only about two and a half minutes long, but boy is it a ruthless assault.

7. Confined

This is a great track that starts things off with a great driving rhythm and a short disgorging growl, the first verse is great, the rhythm behind the vocals in on point.  The song transitions nicely into the chorus section that is catchy as hell, the song does another round of verse and chorus, this second chorus lasts longer than the first. The second chorus plays out normal speed once and then repeats but at a slower pace and brutal as it will get you moving.  Right around the 1:44 mark we get a nice guitar solo that lasts about forty five seconds and delivers with succession from a simple solo beginning to some fast shredding to transition in the next verse. The last verse is have the bars and goes into the last chorus, then ends with the same driving rhythm from the guitars and drums.

8. Lake Laogai

There is absolutely no time wasted before some serious blasting and shredding going on with this track. This is zero to one hundred MPH is less than five seconds. It has a great feel to it, with a very catchy rhythm. When listening to this song, one has to wonder, “Where has this band been for the past five to ten years?” They bring a lot to the table with this song. High energy, shredding, a solid vocal range, and they really lock in a groove. I am loving the guitar tones at the 2:10 minute mark. This song progresses nicely and doesn’t hold back when it comes to the guitars talents.

9. Progression Through Violence

This has such a badass riff to start the song off with, the way this song starts out it basically grabs you and throws you in a blender. You find yourself headbanging and saying “ FUCK YEAH” then don’t you know they drop a sick bass line around the :40 second mark just to spice things up. This song is awesome, I take it back I now have no idea what my favorite song is, because each one is killer and has little specific areas that are solid ripping metal. The title of this song is very fitting for what it sounds like, and they give us that bass line again. This song is great, I can guarantee you will be headbanging for the entire song and throw the song on repeat halfway through it.

10. The Silence Of The Sirens

This song starts out by establishing the groove, and giving you a solid 210BPM tempo of hard hitting metal. The song is rock solid, with so much to offer, from the rhythm, to the guitar solos. The drums give us a constant beat that you can follow and the vocals are hitting us from different angles with the range. This song is much more melodic than the previous songs, however it is a great listen. This song has a contagious rhythm that you just cant shake, you will indefinitely be headbanging to this one, tapping your foot, and throwing the metal horns up \m/

11. Fresh Graves, Old Tombs

This has some old school elements to it, and locks down the groove with the very first fifteen seconds of the song. Once you have made it that far, you know exactly what you are going to get into as far as song quality. This song is like taking At the Gates, and Lamb of God putting them together and this is the result. The song is like nothing else really, I can’t describe it any better than that. You have the guitar tones, and vocal styles of At The Gates, and the rhythms, and attack of Lamb of God. This is a killer tune, for fans of blackened, melodic metal, from old school to new school Parius gets it right with his song.

12.  Dark Horizons

This song starts out very melodically with a lone guitar playing for a few bars, then the second guitar joins in playing over the rhythm of the first guitar. I love that fifty second song intro that I just listened to. This seems to be the song they really wanted to end the album with, it is their longest song, and really is what they built the whole album up for. The song sounds like it has harvested all of the other songs, every little unique aspect, and combined them to make this track that wraps up the whole album. The guitars are great from the beginning with the melodic tones, to the shredding for the solo sections. The vocals are crushing every level of the range, the highs to the lows. I feel as though the guitarists really display their talents while also paying some tribute to their influences. You can hear so much from the guitars, the tones, the style of riffs and solos. The drums are unwavering, right on point with every change, and also raising the bar with each song.

 

 

I was very impressed with this album, I found myself wondering why haven’t I seen this band touring yet. These guys have a great sound, I really enjoyed this album. You can hear elements of At The Gates, to Lamb Of God, to Metallica mixed throughout. These guys aren’t playing for one particular crowd, be it, metalcore, or melodic metal, or deathcore or any of the sub genres. They are playing for fans of metal. If you have been a fan of metal anywhere from the 90’s to present day, these guys are playing metal for you. I give this album a 9/10 because every song was great, every song was entertaining and didn’t lose my attention. They brought so much to the table with this album, and strategically picked the track list order to be able to raise the bar with each track as the album progressed.

 

Produced by Parius & Chris Kelly
Engineed, Mixed, and Mastered by Chris Kelly at Dungeon Audio
Bass tracks recorded by Ryan Rauch and John Stank
Guest solos on tracks 8 and 10 by Valera Godin, and on track 12 by Chris Kelly and Mike DeMaria (Alustrium)

 

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Pick up the album by heading on over to their BANDCAMP PAGE

-Badger \m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com