German thrash/power metal band Paradox is back once again and those who are familiar with these guys will not be disappointed as you get more of the same on the release Riot Squad. Cranking up the speed and aggressive sound that has been made famous by the likes of Anthrax and Metallica, the band then puts it on cruise control for the duration of the disc. In the short term this is a decent ten songs of old school goodness but their one dimensional sound and the sameness of tempo does get a bit tiring by the end. Don't get me wrong, what they do, they do very well and I would love to have them at my next party but I would definitely want to limit the length of their set.
There are some highlights to the disc that really caught my ear. "Hollow Peace" is a terrific anthem like tune filled with the thrashy goodness that permeates the disc. "Dream Hero" has a balls to the wall approach that the headbangers will want to reserve some pain killers for and "Planet Terror" has an old school power metal feel that is a lot of fun. The remainder of the disc falls somewhere within the categories of these songs but seem to blend together much more than these stand outs.
Charly Steinhauer has a good quality vocal ability and is not shabby when it comes to the guitar either. I just wish they would branch out a little more like they did on the standout songs I listed above. There are some very good moments on this high energy disc but when traveling with the pedal to the metal for the whole trip it is best to let off the gas once in awhile or everything tends to blur together.
Track listing:
1. Suburban Riot Squad
2. Hollow Peace
3. Riptide
4. Rise In Rank
5. Evolution Reset
6. Nothingness
7. No Place To Survive
8. Dream Hero
9. Planet Terror
10. Psychofficial
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