Esoteric
Paragon of Dissonance


4.5
superb

Review

by GodL1ke USER (8 Reviews)
November 15th, 2011 | 212 replies


Release Date: 2011 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Another quality release from the leaders of funeral doom? You bet your ass.

Throughout their career, Esoteric have experimented with different formulas to create their own brand of funeral doom. Their debut album Epistemological Despondency showed a very raw and exposed side of them. By the time they released Maniacal Vale, they had polished their sound in all possible aspects and yet demonstrated their trademark aura of chaos. On Paragon of Dissonance (as its title suggests) they take this chaos to the next level. By evolving their newfound style and adding more variety in their songwriting, Esoteric have created their most diverse, haunting and accessible album to date.

I will not delve much into the sound of the album; it is as it always has been. The guitars are thick, densely layered and deliver the aural assault expected when you combine doom and death metal. Greg’s vocals are still top-notch and he isn’t afraid to abuse them when necessary. The bass and the drumming, however, must get a special mention. Not that one can ever say that they ever lacked in this department, but because they have raised their game as a whole, the rhythm department sections have now become fascinating to listen to. They add that little extra touch that the band needed to demonstrate an overall evolution.

Those who have heard and appreciated The Maniacal Vale will know what made it so spectacular. The music underneath was always simple but it was accompanied by complex melodies and transitions which just made it a joy (not literally) to listen to. Well, guess what? They’ve topped that as well. The music continues with the vocals on top and in the background you will hear brilliant guitar solos that perfectly synergize with the sinister sound of the album. The songwriting has so much more to it now that there is no way anyone could get bored listening to it. With the evolution of vision they have demonstrated, it would now not be wrong to call Esoteric the forerunners of funeral doom.

This album has everything you need and will need for the next month. With a running time of almost a 100 minutes, it may not be a simple listen but it doesn’t get more rewarding than this. This is highly recommended to all fans of metal in general and to those who want to listen to an album that might just top their album of the year list.



Recent reviews by this author
Gigan Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic LandscapesEsoteric Metamorphogenesis
Ion Dissonance Breathing Is IrrelevantSadist Crust
Andromeda ChimeraNeuraxis Asylon
user ratings (187)
4.1
excellent
other reviews of this album
JohnJerk (4.5)
An album that will make your ears bleed and make you not care about it at all....

DarkNoctus (4)
a paragon indeed....



Comments:Add a Comment 
GodL1ke
November 15th 2011


809 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Cipher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o0HC6gUJbY

FictionalFlames
November 15th 2011


1528 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

definitely checking this out now after hearing a little bit of Cipher.

scissorlocked
November 15th 2011


3538 Comments


seems doomy though I've never checked the band

Crysis
Emeritus
November 15th 2011


17640 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This was amazing. Review needs much more description of the actual music - if I hadn't already heard this album or heard the band's past work your review would leave me with no idea how this sounds.

Wizard
November 15th 2011


20564 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Review needs some beef, a little more in depth would be nice.



Still need to hear this.

GodL1ke
November 15th 2011


809 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

yea i know i did that on purpose. don't expect this band to attract too many new listeners anyway. but thanks for the tip, i might edit it later to make it more descriptive





rasputin
November 15th 2011


14968 Comments


yea i know i did that on purpose. don't expect this band to attract too many new listeners anyway.


you'd be surprised

next thing you know, esoteric reviewed on pitchfork

GodL1ke
November 15th 2011


809 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

haha i'll be waiting for that to happen

MO
November 15th 2011


24113 Comments


Such a good release. I was sold after the first track.

Apollo
November 15th 2011


10691 Comments


sounds like I need to get this

GodL1ke
November 15th 2011


809 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

fast.

seedofnothing
November 15th 2011


3422 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

album is amazing, i dont even think of this album as funeral doom or whatever u wanna call it. Upon my first listen I just thought of it as really good music./metal. tempos vary perfectly and the overall atmosphere is magnificent



playin her as we speak





bloozclooz
November 15th 2011


1770 Comments


how does one go about betting their ass

DarkNoctus
November 15th 2011


12357 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

i can answer that question :]

Digging: Ataraxie - Le D?é?clin

Wolfhorde
November 15th 2011


15387 Comments


Cipher is a glorious track.

Crysis
Emeritus
November 15th 2011


17640 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

"Non Being" is my favorite.

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
November 15th 2011


10937 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm listening to "Non Being" from the stream...



I'm speechless.........



A trip into the Tartarus..........

seedofnothing
November 15th 2011


3422 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

non being is a masterpeice indeed, glorious



i get a nice feeling of despair from the whole album



Tartarus[2]

Vesper
November 15th 2011


3085 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

"i get a nice feeling of despair"



Hahaha.

seedofnothing
November 15th 2011


3422 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

sounds contradictory but trust me its not, despair is one the best feelings anyone could have, dont worry there's hope at the end of the tunnel too



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy