The 1987 debut from German thrash outfit Paradox, titled Product of Imagination, thrust the young band into the international metal spotlight, launching them into a contract with Roadrunner Records and enabling them to head out on tour with such established acts as Helloween, Candlemass, Overkill, and Tankard. Their sound was along the lines of Metallica, Exodus, Death Angel, Testament, Destruction, and Megadeth, featuring thrashy guitar riffs, blinding solos, a mix of gruff & melodic high pitched vocals, and pounding rhythms. Listening to this Metal Mind remaster today, the music of Paradox sounds extremely dated, but still manages to impress 20 years after its initial release. Lead guitarist Markus Spyth is the star of the show here, as his nimble leads blister across such tracks as "Continuation of Invasion", "Mystery", "Paradox", and the crushing title track. Lead singer Charly Steinhauer has a decent enough voice for this type of metal, and he adds in plenty of rapid & beefy rhythm guitar riffs as well. Bassist Roland Stahl & drummer Axel Blaha round out the line-up and do a fine job throughout. Some of the arrangments remind a bit of fellow Germans Helloween, especially the Walls of Jericho album, as far as the speedy riffs and harmony guitars go, but there are also plenty of Bay Area styled thrash moments as well. This remastered edition sounds just fine, featuring a few bonus live and demo tracks, and the booklet contains full song lyrics.The 80's incarnation of the band only managed to put together two releases, and the line-up was almost completely overhauled by the time their sophomore album came out. The band resurfaced again ten years later with another new line-up, featuring members of Sieges Even & Blind Guardian, but then lost steam until recently, where they are rumored to once again be trying a comeback. In the meantime, their debut has received some pretty royal treatment here, and is a solid example of the 80's European thrash scene.
Track Listing
1. Opening Theme
2. Paradox
3. Deat, Screaming And Pain
4. Product Of Imagination
5. Continuation Of Invasion
6. Mystery
7. Kill That Beast
8. Pray To the Godz Of Wrath
9. Beyond Space
10. Wotan II
11. Paradox -bonus live
12. Death, Screaming And Pain -bonus live
13. Execution-bonus live
14. Pray To the Godz Of Wrath -bonus demo
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