
When an old man cries.
-- October Changes --
07/01/2021
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Gothic Metal |
■ | Industrial Metal |
Album artists:
■ | Wendy Van Craen | Vocals |
■ | Luk Michels | Rhythm guitar |
■ | Sven Luypaert | Bass |
■ | Wesley Marivoet | Drums, programming |
■ | Bert Lempens | Lead guitar |
Review
written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
I’ve been
in touch with October Changes (mainly bassist Sven and vocalist Wendy) for
about a year and half now. During that time, I played some of their singles on
BMS ON AIR and I also reviewed their preceding single, “The Puppet Factory” a few
months ago (read it here: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/241)
as well having an enjoyable interview with vocalist Wendy (read it here: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/147).
And now the band has released yet another single called “The Dark Paradise.”
Let’s make this one quick, good shred!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“The Dark
Paradise” is the third single from the Belgian gothic/industrial metal act
October Changes, who formed in 2018. As was the case with their earlier singles,
“Decay Of Sleeping Beauty” and “The Puppet Factory”, this new single is released independently and
sent to us by our longtime Dutch business partners called Hard Life Promotion.
Seemingly upbeat
techno melodies usher in this new October Changes single but they eventually
get replaced by heavy metal instrumentation while the aforementioned electronic
tunes softly jam on in the background. It’s a very straightforward track without
any significant tempo or tone changes. Compared to the band’s earlier single,
the excellent “Puppet Factory,” “The Dark Paradise” is more guitar-driven and
thus feels more like a classic metal song but with a similar dark gothic feel. Wendy’s
voice is as soft-spoken as always but, in typical October Changes’ fashion, the
lyrics she sings tell a much darker story compared to the joyful beats and vocals.
Thus far, October
Changes’ singles have always been very varied, as “Decay Of Sleeping Beauty”
was an intimate ballad and “The Puppet Factory” was a dark industrial tune and
now “The Dark Paradise” focuses on full-on heavy metal. But one great
consistent element of October Changes is the twofaced nature of their songs and
this is certainly the case with “The Dark Paradise” as well. The song sounds
powerful and happy on the surface but if you pay attention to the song’s underlying
theme you’ll notice that another tragic story is been told here. That being
said, however, I do still prefer the more orchestral style of songs like “The
Puppet Factory” instead of a track like this one. In any case “The Dark
Paradise” is a very enjoyable track with plenty of creative and productive
power on its own.

[SHREDDING VISION]
The tragic
story behind “The Dark Paradise” is the psychological effects of a toxic
romantic relationship between an honest, well-meaning man and a manipulative
woman. A relationship built on lies, false expectations and other forms of mental
abuse and which eventually results in the husband, now an old man, to stare in
the distance and cry as he has finally come to the realization that his entire
marriage was nothing but an illusion that now gets brutally shattered.
The band
uses the sea, a beach and a young woman walking through the sand to provide a visual
metaphor for “The Dark Paradise.” I believe this scene is a reference to the
Sirens, evil creatures from Greek mythology who used their gorgeous looks,
enticing music and seductive singing to seduce unfortunate sailors towards them
and then have their ships wrecked against the rocks where the Sirens sit on.
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
7,5 Siren
calls out of 10. While not my favorite of October Changes’s currently released
singles, “The Dark Paradise” is still a very solid gothic metal tune with an industrial
undertone and a tragic theme that I can warmly recommend to everyone who digs
gothic, symphonic or industrial metal. Here’s the single!