J-Metal Reviews: PARANOIA "COME FROM BEHIND"

By Badman

Oh, you guys again? Already back for more eh? Well, you’re in luck you neck-snapping SOBs! This week’s Metal review just came out of the forge scalding and scorching. From the flames of the Nine Circles, I present the killer band PARANOIA!

Hailing from the infamous Kansai region, in the city of Osaka, there is little actually known about this band. They formed in 1985 and lasted until 1988, due to disagreements of musical direction. Despite a short lived career, PARANOIA successfully released one full-length album a year before disbanding. Another interesting fact is the lineup consisted of two members who would end up in two prolific J-Metal bands. Vocalist Nov would eventually become the frontman of legendary thrash metal band AION and bassist Heath who would later join the ranks of the biggest Japanese metal acts of all time, X JAPAN. Hold onto your butts because I am here with PARANOIA's one and only album "COME FROM BEHIND"!

I dove into "COME FROM BEHIND" with zero expectations and, as a pleasant surprise, it turned out to be one hell of a ride. The album’s sound is a straight-forward pursuit of classic Heavy Metal. The album isn’t groundbreaking by any means but contains great elements for a great listen. It’s brash, vigorous, and littered with kickass tunes. All metalheads will dig the riffage and grooves here. I also loved the dynamics of the whole record. Heath's bass is audible as hell! I love how clear it cuts through the mix. Guitarist, Nao, is one killer guitarist and he shows off his skills; His solos are blisteringly wild, but flavorful. Nov stands out the most between all band members. His extremely unique, almost raspy, voice is absolutely ferocious! His aggressive vocal style flavors each track an extra heavy UMPH! I honestly believe this album would fall into mediocrity without Nov at the helm.

Would I recommend it? Hell-to-the-f**k yeah! The overall listen wasn’t something out of this world extraordinary but the ride from start to finish was a fun one. Those who love that more aggressive tone and style to classic heavy metal would love this. Each song will have you rockin’, if not moshin’, or both! Be wary when you give this a listen or you will have some killer tracks "COME FROM BEHIND"!

Standouts:
GET AHEAD
KILLING IN THE ROMANCE
YOU GET BAD BLOOD AND CHANGE
COME FROM BEHIND
HONEST PROMISE
REVENGER

The entire album can be listened to (probably not the most authorized of sources) via the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRkipfcrb6Q