HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY AND PAST REVIEWS

HISTORY

Around 4 years ago, in a crypt in East London PARADOX began creating overwhelmingly dark and bleak sounds with vocals screaming the truth and victory of Christ. A three-piece family outfit, they released a three track demo tape called ‘THE OUTCASTS’, which received a mixed reception. The hand painted tape, also containing three bloodied nails, shifted around 200 copies worldwide and gained reviews in over 22 zines and band interviews in 11, within both the Christian and secular underground. They also had tracks featured on six different compilations and have played over ten gigs on the London scene.

At the end of ’98 THE INVOCATOR was welcomed into their hallowed ranks to add his voice and take the sound to the next level of despair. More aural soundscapes of black sludge were penned and the next, darker slab was recorded at the beginning of 2000. 200 copies of the ‘THROUGH PAIN THERE IS JOY'’ CD, hand painted and containing a bloodied cloth and thorns, were sent out for promo purposes. In the live show an ethereal atmosphere is created through extreme lighting and the use of blood, fire, masks and spikes.

PARADOX are continuing to refine and hone their ‘HOLY BLACK SLUDGE’, welcoming new members and an additional guitarist. They will continue to combine the deep hopelessness of doom metal with the raw, primitive evil of black metal and the crushing brutality of death metal. They will record in a professional studio by the end of 2001, their newer songs taking their aim of being the most extreme and depressing band on the planet even nearer to it’s goal. Their share the motto of TARANTULA PROMOTIONS in both musical and spiritual terms–

‘NO LIES, NO DEATH, NO FEAR, NO COMPROMISE''

LINE UP:

‘THE INVOCATOR’: Deep, Despairing Howls of Immeasurable Agony

‘JOHN TARANTULA’: Crushing Rhythm Attack, Harsh Tongues of Pain

‘???’: Underground Bass Rumblings of Despair

‘???’: Hammer Pounding Destruction

'???': Slicing and cutting 6 string violence

'THE DARK FAERY': Heavenly Keys of Light,

REVIEWS of ‘THROUGH PAIN THERE IS JOY’ Demo 2000:

“Paradox combine extreme muddy sludge and dirgish black metal which ends up sounding very extreme, mournful and punkish. This release appeals to me in two ways-on the one hand it is very extreme, fast and crazy and I like it for that, and on the other hand it annoys the heck out of me because it sounds so bad......their vehicle of choice if it were a car would be a beat up mid-80's Ford Escort with flat tires and the windshield busted out......This release has really bad recording, but it's so horrible, that its awesome. Don't ask me how, but it is. Paradox has some nice low growls, as well as some high screams, but thrown into the mix are some very pain-filled, agonising moans that just sound cool. The music is mainly very slow, but it picks up certain times throughout the CD. ” DEAD E ZINE, USA

“Filling, rattling, industrial strength metal...microphone annihilating vocals and dense, driving noisy rock. I love this because there are times when you just need to turn everything up to 11 and remove your neighbours ornaments from the mantelpiece.” CROSS RHYTHMS MAG, UK

“Actually, this band is quite original, mixing growling death - like vocals with slow doomy metal. Slow, brooding, dark sludge metal.” HM MAG, USA

“Dark and sludgy metal, like a lot of old death/doom, the band slide through their four tracks...as if the music has to be reluctantly forced from the speakers in jolts.” TOMBSTONE MAG, GREECE

“A devoutly Christian band playing slow roasted death metal with a production ropier than a dominatrix's den.” TERRORIZER MAG, UK

REVIEWS of ‘THE OUTCASTS’ Demo 1997:

“as murky, claustrophobic and as ugly as the darkest foul medieval dungeons, it drips with anguish; suffering oozes from every pore...” KENTUCKY FRIED AFTERBIRTH # 5

“Slow death metal with harsh vocals” VAMPIRA ZINE #2

“Painfully slow with an agonised vocalisation, not many niceties to appeal to your average customer” HAIR OF THE WOLF #4

“Grind / death metal, heavy and well produced” FRIEND OF THE DEVIL ZINE

“a mixture of doom / death, perhaps with a touch of black, all blending nicely to constitute an original mixture of sounds” WREATHE OF THORNS #7

“A solid demo that promises a lot of development” RETRIBUTE #1

“for a Holy band this is sure evil sounding and hits the gut like a gore demon from the lowest cleft of Hell. Paradox’s music is raw molten bolts of godlike belching which shatters the air with holy woe.” GODREAH #9

“a weird and original mixture of death, doom and black metal. It takes a few careful listens to fully discover their music but fans of rougher styles of metal will then surely appreciate their music a lot” TURN OR BURN!?! # 2

“Black metal with an atmospheric underground sound...their next tape will be much better, though this one is pretty good” HOT DIGGETY DOG # 4