ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Monday, October 16, 2017

Single Review: PARAGON COLLAPSE The Stream

The Stream
From their upcoming debut The Dawning to be released by Loud Rage Music
Entangled amidst a web of nine atmospheric minutes lies the heart and soul of blossoming Romanian doom group PARAGON COLLAPSE with their newest single release ‘The Stream’ taken from their upcoming debut album which is set to be released via Loud Rage Music. The group's overall sound is one of conventionality not without its occasional quiddities. At the beginning of the song you really get the sense that it owes a great deal to the pioneers of the doom genre although those comparisons are diminished a tad upon hearing the vocals which, quite frankly, are probably of a better quality than your traditional doom singer. Chunky guitar delay and operatic vocals are the main focus for the first three minutes until the track pacifies itself into a haze of cushioned dreaminess. Such changes in velocity, volume and ambience are indubitably a regular occurrence in what the group have to offer from a creative standpoint, which is why for the rest of the song you do notice a lot of these changes throughout. Another key factor of their sound is the usage of violin, (probably for orchestral sensibility above anything else) and I have to say I was impressed with the sonic quality of the violin. Upon hearing it initially I suspected the operatic quality of the vocals would clash with the stripped-back style of the instrumentation but the addition of the violin balances it out quite nicely, - in fact I'd like to hear a violin solo on one of their other tracks. Nonetheless the track continues its perennial thud until around the sixth minute mark where one is intrigued to hear march-style percussion upon layers of droning acoustics. Upon regaining its original pace and volume the track maintains its credibility as a doom song and ultimately an artistically decent release. -Jaime Regadas

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