Review Summary: Destructive, yet intrinsically catchy Finnish death metal of old.
When one thinks old school death metal, the first countries to jump to mind are usually the USA and Sweden, as those were the most prominent band generators. That doesn't mean one can just write off all the other parts of the world, as there were quite a few nice bands from outside those basic confines – Canada spawned a few classics, Holland generated a couple of worthy bands as well, and Finland... oh boy, don't get me started on Finland. Finnish death is some of the most potent stuff you'll find out there, assuming you're after devastatingly heavy riffs with quite a bit of doom sprinkling, well thought out songwriting and a crushing, rich production. Your average Finnish demo makes everything else (especially some poorly recorded examples of Sweden's buzzsaw tone) sound like a wasp in a tin can, pulverizing the listener with an impenetrable wall of low-end thunder. The case is different with a bunch of Finnish full-lengths, but that's a topic for another story... the main point – Finland is one heck of an overlooked death metal scene that's worth investigating.
One of the bands you should check out on your journey is Paraxism, as their steady stream of demos is an interesting account of a search for a unique and interesting sound which ends in success. In the process, the band loses some of its death metal nature, opting to trade it in for a firm, yet not overly cheddar melodic presence and intriguing instrument cameos. When they were just starting out, they were one heck of a death outfit though.
The short, five-song demo tape showcases the band's most closely-bound take on the locally established sound while mixing in their innate knack for melody. This is anything but Gothenburg, though, don't worry – it's all in the riffs. The guitar parts are monumental, and are the obvious driving force behind each of the songs. The melodic presence stems from the fact that quite a few of the riffs are tonal – take “Fierce Indignation” and witness its intro guitar motif worm its way into your brain. There's no lead, it's just a trivial, yet perfectly crafted power chord riff that opens up the song with gusto before doing a handy segue into the pounding (and somewhat less tonal) verse. The whole song is distinctly death metal, but at the same time it's some of the most rewardingly catchy stuff this side of Demilich.
The rest of the demo follows suit, never abandoning the trademark Finnish pulverizing heaviness while discretely channeling the band's melodic sensibility and penchant for memorable songwriting. The songs are uniform in style, but each offers a firm identifying factor that prevents the demo from becoming boring. The second part of the tape loses a bit of the momentum of the first tracks, opting to showcase a few more defined melodies in between the livelier riffs, planting the seed for the band's future evolution. There's no violin solos or anything of that nature, but it made a sturdy foundation for some of Paraxism's later excursions (“Reality Excess” feels like the forefather of the ridiculously awesome outro to “Futures...” from the 1993 promo).
Unfortunately, not everything is perfect about this tape. Its main fault is the performance and recording quality. Whilst the overall sound is fantastically heavy, and the guitars are flawless (no, really – whoever tracked the guitars did a mighty fine job, and I wish a number of Swedish acts had this guitar sound) with the bass rumbling along for good measure, the drums sound dreadful. The bass drum is practically inaudible, and the snare and cymbals are, quite frankly, pathetic. As for the drum parts... let's just say the guy isn't accommodated to playing at this pace. The end result sounds like a frantic banging on random household utensils, trying to keep up with the riff onslaught. It's somewhat hilarious actually, but it does detract from the overall experience. Sure, youthful energy, sloppiness is to be expected, but it really could have been a bit tighter.
The vocals are of dubious quality in places as well. At the time Paraxism had a double-throat attack, and it wasn't that bright a move as only one of the vocalists had an intimidating, throaty roar that fit the thick, bottom-end riffs. The second vocalist brought forth a style akin to death metal's formative days, back when people weren't really aware how to growl – an annoying, mid-pitched attempt at sounding destructive. This decision isn't really understandable, as they had a perfectly adept growler in their ranks... however, the band was only starting back then, so such inexperienced slip-ups should be tolerated.
Still, it's a rewarding listen overall – the riffs are gargantuan, and their subtle melodic side coupled with their memorability, all while being true to old school death metal virtues, drives the demo onward. The “try to bang on pots and pans in time with the music” drumming and some dubious vocal lines get in the way, but a surprisingly good guitar sound manages to make the demo sound crushing anyway. Sometimes I wonder what would have been if Paraxism decided to stay true to this more conventional approach to death metal and not wander off at a tangent... I guess we'll never know.
