‘Fossilized city of mass execution, Scarred in the fog among graves, Twisted visions of primal militias, Burning down the nomadic maze’ (Dulling The Blade)

I’m not sure I’d be courting too much controversy to suggest that Slayer have been a foundational inspiration for Paranoiac.  Of course, Slayer have helped to shape many bands in the more metallic leaning spheres of hardcore, but few wear this influence with such heart on sleeve clarity.  And the strength of this commitment holds the Los Angeles band in good stead.  It allows them to assuredly call with equal relish on the blistering ferocity of Reign In Blood and the sheer atmospheric intensity of South Of Heaven, together with their own bristling hardcore fuelled energy, to introduce a powerfully fresh dynamic to this classic sound.

The first three tracks are drawn from the band’s 2023 demo, Morbid Psycho, and the three on the flipside are brand new tracks.  The opener, Devil’s Door, is a perfect example of the band’s approach, opening with brutal velocity, before snapping into a muscular groove, and then closing out with a savagely squalling solo.  Across the balance of the album, they continue to deftly marshal these constituent elements to striking effect. The seething convulsions of Midnight Heat hit home particularly hard, though my personal highlight is, perhaps, Mental Laceration.  It is built around a vivid reimagining of the ominously chiming opening to South Of Heaven, a riff to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand tall.