Review Summary: Going in with a bang.
You hear an ominous, waving, high-pitched guitar riff as you’re walking in. You take a seat, surrounded by black and an increasing amount of orange. The sound slowly intensifies, creeping towards the boiling point. Then, you start to feel the velocity – the train is taking off in an unknown direction.
Goria made one hell of a debut on Polish music scene and “Preludium” is one hell of an opener. The first paragraph sums up my impressions on the initial buildup, and it’s only getting better from here. The instrumental section does a phenomenal job at bleeding emotions onto the recording. It’s dark, energetic and memorable, the riffs effortlessly pierce through the listener’s cranium and the drumming is a joy to listen to. There’s also the question of vocals, which are sounds of pure desperation. Cygareta jumps back and forth between dramatic, breathy cleans and a beautifully filthy rasp, and if I was to make comparisons, I’d say she sounds roughly as if Beata Kozidrak had a kid with Bruce Dickinson. Sum all that up and you get a killer linear ride through existential crisis. And that’s just the first track.
Taking
Paradoksu ciąg dalszy at face value, it’s simply dope metallic hardcore.
However, that leaves out a significant portion of its character – the introspection. The thread running through the album is the “paradox” - an event that derails one’s life, as well as general social topics. If you know Polish, you’ll find yourself amidst ponderings about the confusion of adolescence, rape, disappointment with society and self-loathing. And trust me when I say that there’s skill behind these lyrics – the halfway-vague phrasing allows them relatability without fully obscuring their roots, and they hit right where they should. For those unfamiliar with the world’s best language… take two of my favourite excerpts butchered by rough translation (or maybe just use a dictionary, mate).
Allergy to caress / Allergy to touch / Allergy to warmth / A flame of longing burns inside the heart / The need for warmth will be satisfied by the flash of the lighter / Thighs scorched among tangled thoughts (“Paradoks 201”)
And when it comes to meet, I’m ashamed again / You hold out your hand, I look away, I’m shutting in / Cause how can I look at your face when I doubt your imagery? / I’ll never understand how you can look at me and not feel repulsed (“On”)
If you don’t understand the lyrics, you’re missing out on
a lot, but even the sound itself is soaked up with emotions. Everything here is telling, from the pained anger and the theatrics of the hardcore bulk of the record to the little things, like the
acapella outro in “Teatr” or the scream for help followed by a hush at the start of “Paradoks 201”.
I’ll say it again:
Paradoksu c.d. is one hell of a debut. I have a few minimal lyrical nitpicks, but that would be it. All the good stuff is present: compelling performances, varied song structures, memorability and emotional depth. This band is going places, especially given that they hit the road immediately after the release. What else can I say? Goria has barely just surfaced and already have a top-notch record to their name. Cheers from Lubelskie, ladies and gentlemen.
