Paragon - Screenslaves

Published January 10 2009

*=Staff's pick	Hellgore* Disconnected Emtombed Screenslaves Bloodfeast The Blade In The Dark* Death Next Door The Killing Hand Waxworks Larger Than Life (Backstreet Boys cover) L'eredita' (Italian version of The Legacy)

Genre	Heavy Metal	Andreas Babuschkin	Vocals
Tracks	11	Martin Christian	Guitar
Runningtime	50 Min.	Günny Kruse	Guitar
Label	Massacre Records	Dirk Seifert	Bass
Release	14 November 2008	Christian Gripp	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboard
Similar artists	---

Recorded at Black Solaris Studios and produced by Uwe Lulis (Rebellion, ex-Grave Digger), the long running german act Paragon now release their 9th full length album. True to their tradition, they serve us standard heavy metal, nothing more, nothing less. I have always liked them throughout their career even though they have never offered anything out of the ordinary. Some great riffs and good melodies you can at least be sure to get when laying your hand on a new Paragon album.

The same thing goes for Screenslaves but I think that this is way below par compared to their earlier work, especially when comparing to for example the albums Forgotten Prophecies and Law Of The Blade. It starts decent with Hellgore and the couple of following songs, but I miss a good punch behind everything. It sounds a bit weak and the really good riffs and choruses are scarce. The production in general also contributes to this since it is kind of thin.

They peak during shorter segments in the songs Bloodfeast, The Blade In The Dark, The Killing Hand and Waxworks but the moments are too few to make a solid impression. The vocals of Andreas Babuschkin is another story. The man can't really sing, but still it works. Perhaps it is very beneficial for the band, because without his characteristic voice this would really be just one fish in the vast ocean of bands.

They do what they are supposed to and faithful followers and fans will recognize themselves. I am however afraid that they, along with me, will find this to be a rather mediocre release from the German metallers.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	5	6	6	4

Summary
4,5 chalices of 10 - Tommy