August 12, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Just a couple of days ago Paralyzer’s demo crossed my desk. This two-piece thrash outfit from the greater Chicagoland area possessed some chutzpah in its EP, Paralyzing Thrash Attack, yet remained woefully unpolished. Hey, it’ a demo, right? I listen to my old demo now from when I was sixteen and cringe, thankful it remains a discarded, all-but hidden entity. So I received the first full-length titled Turn the World Red last night from the band. I must admit I was a little surprised that a full-length hit me that quickly, but, alas, here it is.

Obviously a small leap over the EP, Turn the World Red is a forty-minute offering that has Eighties underground thrash written all over it. Now, while I’m a product of that era, and happily so I might add, I do recall getting tons of mail from all over the U.S. of thrash bands back then that sounded exactly like this, most of whom never got past the demo stage. To tread carefully here is my main objective; I certainly don’t wish to quell the young men’s enthusiasm because this still sounds better than most of the stuff I’ve heard of late. There are moments of strength here, evident in tracks like “Annuit Coeptis” and “Escape the Maze”. To be honest I’m very glad these guys are doing what they’re doing and keeping the flag waving; this album is certainly a step up from the EP, which was okay but very primitive in both device and content.

In essence, Turn the World Red is indicative of the underground sound, which is always under-polished and somewhat lacking in overall cleanliness. If I were asked if I see a future for these guys I’d say there is some promise, as I mentioned in my review of the EP. Look at Dark Angel’s We Have Arrived; it was an decent demo/EP but absolutely rudimentary in design. When Darkness Descends hit soon after the change was impressive, albeit still primitive. They went on to better avenues as they honed their style and skills. That might very well be Paralyzer, for instrumentalist Tripp Boyd certainly shows some serious promise with his music, while vocalist Mike Mendyk snarls and gasps his way through a decent, if typical vocal effort. There are moments of thrash in here that certainly stick in your head a bit, but with time and experience these guys might well move up the ladder. I have to admit I’m still not sold on the high pitched scream, though it’s few and far between and shouldn’t deter you from at least checking out the album.

I’m impressed with the progression from the EP to this, but for me to rate it any higher would be a disservice.  It is quite decent, yes, but could also use some more tweaking and honing. I’m not dismissing it entirely by any means; I implore you to check them out for yourself. It’s a step forward for a young duo that looks like they might well ring some bells in the future if they stick to the scene and just plug away the man hours to get to that ever-attainable peak. It can be done, my young friends!

Release Date: August 24, 2010
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING

1.  New World Order
2.  The Plague
3.  Hopeless Slave
4.  Citizens Dissent
5.  Author of Liberty
6.  Hell Zombie Armageddon
7.  Death Squad
8.  Annuit Coeptis
9.  Escape The Maze

Total playing time:  39:30

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Paralyzer - Turn the World Red