ECHOES FROM THE GROUND reviews
After a long 5 year wait, Paramaecium has delivered an album that only
they could produce!! From the opening violin piece, this takes you on
a journey, almost as if you are walking side by side with Henry Barclay
himself, through his seemingly incredible vigil. The music is astoundingly
heavy and slow for the most part, really only ever picking up to mid tempo
at best. It is brutal, and yet beautiful at the same time, with Andrews
earthly growls and the clean droning that is now customary, combined with
the operatic female vocals, it never loses any of its power. Every song
has an extremely majestic feel to it.. and everything is in its right
place.. The story line is very well written and fits very well with the
music. The artwork is nice.. very simplistic, but it works with this album..
The production is crystal clear, which allows the music to pound you as
you take each step through the voyage!! The wait was well worth it.. This
is a Masterpiece!!
Yaark (Australia)
Wow...this is AWESOME, i love all the tracks, they are all
very very heavy, everything sounds great, the guitars sound especially
cool. The violins add so much also. Great storyline. Well done Andrew
and the rest of those who worked on this masterpiece.
crunch
It was a great day when this disc arrived in my mail box.
I dont mind if it takes a few years for Paramaecium to release a new album
because you know you will get something special. This is not just another
great metal album, it is more than that, it is a masterpiece in brutal
music. From the opening slow sludging riff, you know this is going to
be a satisifying journey. Paramaecium blend together perfectly a mixture
of some of the most unearthly growls I have ever heard with beautiful
female vocals, not to mention the haunting violin pieces. Usually i dont
go much for clean vocals in extreme music, but Andrew does a superb job,
fitting the music exceptionly well, some of his vocals on the first song
even remind me of an early Pink Floyd song....Anyway enough said, I highly
recommend you purchase this disc, you will not be disapointed, I guarantee
it. 10/10
aceman (Australia)
I got the record today, and have only had the chance to
listen to it once so far. But I can easily tell that I love this album.
It's so Paramæcium. The gutteral vocals are as always perfect and
haunting. The clean vocals, both male and female, are also astounding.
The music is mid-paced/slow and has many violin parts/soloes and the mix
of it all is great. I can't say that there is any bad song on the album
but "They Tend To Die" is as of now my favorite track. Mainly
because of the vocals and mix between male and female + the heavy and
growing groove at the end of the song.
Lars (Denmark)
I always need to listen through a record 3 or 4 times before
I can tell how I feel about it. As always with Paramæcium, the songs
really grow on me with time. So here's my views, song by song:
1. Night fears morning: Starts off with violins reminding
of "The unnatural conception" before the majestic and repetitive
main riff kicks in. Great melodic verse followed by a cool, monotonous
chorus. I think the clean vocals on this song is the best Andrew has ever
done! A lot of violins. The main riff goes on and on, almost to the edge
of boredom but stays on the right side. Very promising start!
2. Over the sea: Heavy song, but I don't like the riffs
too much. We are introuduced to Andrew's death vocals, who are top class
as always!! A really eerie but cool chorus here. There is also some talking
like on WAF. One part on this song reminds me a bit of typical Mortification/Steve
Rowe ("Out of the darkness, into the daylight" etc).
3. The chosen land: Powerful riffs. The violins take on
an oriental feel. Midway through there's a great aggressive part - yes!
4. Slow, dark song with guitar work similar to some songs
on "Exhumed". Stunning soprano! The riff at the end has a real
drive, and the soprano "screams" (maybe not the right word )
works great.
5. I: Heavy, driving chorus. Majestic, melodic verse with,
again, some of the best clean vocals done by Andrew. "Simple"
but effectful violins. One of my favourites!
6. My failing heart: Dark, doomy verse. Nice exchange between
soprano and growling throughout the song.
7. And then it takes off! This is doom metal, folks. Heavy!
Slow! First class growling! And on top of this hovering, haunting soprano!
This song is fantastic and so atmospheric. But lo! towards the end come
riffs that I have heard before! I turned my brain inside out, listening
to several songs on WAF before i reached a conclution: Is this an echo
from "The grave, my soul"? A slightly modified echo, that is?
Anyway, imo one of the absolute best songs Paramæcium have
ever made.
All in all: Lots of great violin and soprano. The best growling
and clean vocals by Andrew ever. Thinking back on previous albums, maybe
I miss the flute and clean guitar parts a bit, but you don't think about
that as you're listening to this album. "Echoes from the ground"
will keep me satisfied and amazed for a long time. Maybe, yes maybe, is
this the best album by Paramæcium so far. Thanks Andrew, you never
cease to impress. Thanks also to Jason De Ron and all the others who took
part in this.
Glorfindel (Norway)
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