• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Charly Steinhauer and Paradox are back three years after their last album, the lackluster Riot Squad, with Tales of the Weird. The songwriting on Tales of the Weird is a step up from its predecessor and songs like the title track and "Brutalized" leap from the speakers like long-caged animals finally finding a break in the fence. The production is very modern but the guitars, both riffs and solos, are old school all the way. Charly's vocals are gruff and suit the music, but are otherwise non-descript. The album roars along at a speedy clip, for the most part, which keeps the adrenaline pumping. There are some less-than-stellar tracks ("Fragile Alliance," which is quite generic, comes to mind) but the album ends on a high note with some savage soloing on "The Downward Spiral" and a spectacular Thrash Metal version of Rainbow's "A Light in the Black," complete with Hammond organ. I wouldn't have thought Paradox could pull this one off, but they do the song justice.

Paradox isn't going to wow you with creativity, but they will kick your ass with some good, old Thrash Metal. Tales of the Weird is solid and thoroughly enjoyable; just make sure you get a version with the Rainbow bonus track.