As French metal continues to prove itself a hot bed for adventurous new bands and voraciously tempting sounds, quintet Worselder add their stock to the brew with new album Paradigms Lost. A web of flavours and styles fused into ear pleasing, imagination catching encounters, the ten track release is a quick and easy to devour proposition revelling in additional time offered to blossom into something even more impressive.
Hailing from the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains, Worselder emerged in 2008. Quickly they tempted local and in turn national attention with a sound drawing on each individual member’s influences and experiences in previous outfits alongside nineties inspired thrash and power metal; an instantly rich mix only blossoming in depth and adventure across the years and releases. Debut album Where we come from was released in 2010 to strong responses though it was the MMXIV EP four years later which especially sparked critical acclaim and led to the band sharing stages with the likes of Firewind, Dagoba, Black Bomb A, and Huntress among many. Recorded across 2016 with Elise Aranguren and mixed and mastered by Bruno Varea (Dagoba, Satyricon, Lenny Kravitz), Paradigms Lost sees the Worselder sound and invention at a new level of maturity and imagination. It is a release which as suggested makes a potent impact straight away but shows greater strength upon subsequent listens as its layers and less open complexities are increasingly revealed.
Infighting gets things going, the opener luring ears with a brooding bassline before rapacious riffs and bone rattling rhythms courted by toxic grooves erupt. Equally rapacious vocals from Guillaume Granier and the band soon join the surge before things settle down a touch with the vocalist quickly showing his potent range and dexterity. There is a whiff of industrial metal to the track initially, Society 1 coming to mind as the track jabs with spiky discontent, but soon its melodic and grooved instincts are entangling and stretching its thrash fuelled charge.
It is a great start hinting at the wealth of flavours ready to embrace ears across Paradigms Lost and its next up title track. From the crackle of fire and portentous rhythms within a similar atmosphere, the song strides forth with melodic vocals and harmonies lying keenly on more rapacious and aggressive sounds. The guitars of Yoric Oliveras and Jérémie Delattre cast another instinctive incitement, a mix of predacious trespass and sonic imagination to be hooked on whilst the scything beats of drummer Michel Marcq rousingly pierce the heavy prowl of Yannick Fernandez’s bass. The track’s twists and turns are as fluid as the array of sounds woven together within the excellent proposal but carry an unpredictability which has the imagination firmly enthralled within the first listen.
The instinctive rock ‘n’ roll prowess of next up Seeds of Rebellion has ears won just as quickly; the similarly striking and irresistible song proceeding to instil that core with anthemic dexterity and spicy grooves. All is delivered with lust but control amidst expectations spoiling imagination loaded with a bold unpredictability before Idols unveils its classic/heavy metal attributes within an aggressively tenacious air. Though the track does not quite ignite personal tastes as forcibly as its formidable predecessors, it only grows and pleases more and more with every listen.
Through the melodically calmer waters of The Sickening and the old school spiced Severed, the album has total attention. The first is a tantalising mix of warm melodic temptation and more bullish volatility as vocal and lyrical insight explores ears and thoughts. At times sultry and exotic, in other moments a more rapacious challenge, the track captivates from start to finish, giving neck muscles and hips a workout with its emerging thrash inspired grooving. Its successor similarly casts a net of ear entwining grooves this time fuelled and coloured by that power/classic metal essence with Granier’s croons and roars on melodic fire.
My Consuming Grief has a darker edge and deceitful volatility to its heart; a shadowy emotive power skirting and courting the drama and adventure of the melodic power metal seeded exploits. It too has ears and imagination swiftly gripped before Home of the Grave dances on the senses with its opening melodic flirtation. It is a glorious enticement only increasing its invitation as darker heavier hues from guitar and rhythms join in. Managing to become more primal and charming with each passing minute, the track provides another addictive highlight to the release.
Worselder toy with the imagination through The Haven next, a song exploring dark hues more akin to the likes of Dommin and Rise To Remain though its instinctive classic metal attributes shape the excellent encounter before the album closes with the shadow clouded, atmospherically apocalyptic Land of Plenty. In its imposing darkness there is hope and elegant melodies bring that light as the song rises from its solemn beginnings to challenge and inflame the senses. More of a slow burner than other tracks within Paradigms Lost, it almost festers in ears and imagination as it makes a potent impact and striking moment to eagerly point out.
Inspirations to the band apparently include the likes of Coroner, Testament, and Pantera; a trio which across the whole of an album but especially in the final song alone you can appreciate in a release which simply draws attention back time and time again as we can attest to. Paradigms Lost has all the qualities and impressiveness to push Worselder into global attention, now it is up to the world to embrace them.
Paradigms Lost is available now through Sliptrick Records on Amazon and other stores.
http://www.worselder.com/ https://www.facebook.com/worselder/ http://worselder.bandcamp.com/
Pete RingMaster 20/06/2017
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
coming after the brief chaotic tempest seared by the classical tones of Janus weaving harpy like harmonic toxicity across its sky, the instrumental Enter The Exosphere. The following Blood Sisters sets its dramatic walls from the start, flames of sonic taunting and melodic colour caging the attention whilst rhythms frame it all with deliberate prowling intent. Once secure in its entrapment the excellent vocals of Janus, with a husky growl to her tones, rides boldly on the cantering charge of eager riffs and probing drums jabs which then open melodic arms through the infectious chorus. Throughout there is a constant menace to vocals and sound which flares up and casts shadows over the rampant muscle clad energetic core. It is an excellent track which twists and turns through dark provocation and warm evocation, the perfect scenario for light and dark to wage physical debate within brewing thoughts and maelstrom courting imagination.
