
Alpha Centauri
-- Cyanide Paradise --
27/08/2019
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Melodic death metal |
Album artists:
■ | Linn Liv | Vocals |
■ | Martin Vos | Guitars, vocals |
■ | Jeff Wennekes | Bass |
Review
written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
My first
encounter with the people behind Cyanide Paradise was when Carol “Raven
Shredder” went to Metaldays 2018 and took pictures of the Dutch blackened symphonic
death metal band Pictura Poesis who were performing at the New Forces stage
during the festival. Eventually I was contacted by the band’s vocalist Linn Liv
who offered her sincere praise for Raven Shredder’s pictures and the three of
us kept in contact with each other ever since. Recently Linn introduced me to
her new project Cyanide Paradise and its debut EP and that’s what I’ll be
shredding right now!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“Reach for
the Stars” is the first release from the Dutch melodic death metal band Cyanide
Paradise formed earlier this year and consisting of members from the
aforementioned extreme symphonic metal band Pictura Poesis (vocalist Linn Liv
and bassist Jeff Wennekes) as well as guitarist Martin Vos who played in the symphonic
metal act Veil of Delusions. “Reach for the Stars” is an independent release and
consists of 4 tracks for a solid 20 minute runtime.
Compared to
the bands where Cyanide Paradise’s trio hails from, its sound is more down to
earth and straightforward. While both Pictura Poesis and Veil of Delusions rely
on plenty of symphonic stuff along with some good heavy riffage Cyanide
Paradise’s style is stripped from anything other than highly melodic guitar
riffs, screeching vocals and mid-paced bass and drum rhythms. The drums were
made using a drum computer, but the band made the wise decision to put as much
emphasis as possible on the guitar melodies and extreme vocals and that’s
exactly wherein Cyanide Paradise shines the most.
Linn Liv’s
vocals are naturally raw and attention-grabbing while Martin’s guitar work is
full of energy and power further backed by Jeff’s groovy bass lines. It evokes
an upbeat, high-octane feel despite the overall heaviness of the songs and the
harshness of Linn’s vocals. It’s a thematically dark EP, but the commanding
vocals and melodic guitars make this one package to headbang and air-guitar to
with pure lust for life.
[SHREDDING VISION]
Cyanide
Paradise’s lyrics deal with contemporary world issues like global pollution, threatening
nuclear warfare, epidemics and the foreboding end of all life on earth. However,
the Cyanide Paradise folks don’t hang their heads in hopelessness. Instead,
they’re confident that we, humanity, can overcome total annihilation by either radically
changing our philosophies and lifestyles or by launching ourselves into space
in the hopes of finding a new, habitable planet. And I must admit that their
mix of dread and optimism is clearly sold through their dark heroic death metal
sound.
[SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
The title
track of “Reach for the Stars” takes the cake here. It’s a long and
multi-faceted song with both distorted and operatic guitar riffs, inspiring
vocals and an epic ending, all helping this song provoke a larger-than-life atmosphere.
Another favorite of mine is the preceding track, “Pestilence.” The fastest and
heaviest track on the EP, featuring badass vocals as well as being the only
track with a guitar solo! And an epic one at that! More of that stuff, please!
Personally,
I felt that the EP’s first two tracks weren’t as impressive compared to its
other two tracks. “Subatomic” is very catchy but also quite repetitive compared
to the other songs and while “Enlightenment” has more varied sections compared
to “Subatomic” it lacks some of the punch of the other songs. Still, I had some
fun with those first two tracks and a lot of fun with the other two, so prepare
the launch pad for…
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
7,5 trips
to Alpha Centauri out of 10. While Cyanide Paradise’s first outing has a couple
of hiccups, I’m very pleased with overall quality and raw power I’ve heard from
this band thus far. Cyanide Paradise’s less-is-more philosophy is very
effective as they managed to create a larger-than-life feel using just the
regular metal arsenal of engaging vocals, solid drum beats and soaring guitars.
Well-recommended if you’re looking for a quick and sweet melodic death metal
fix! Here’s the lyric video for “Reach for the Stars."