Cheer up, metal fans! The old school of heavy metal has proven to be still alive after all these years. Some of that proof lies in the fact that ‘old’ bands still record new albums. As is the case with German heavy metallers Paragon. They’ve been around since 1990 and we’re looking at their ninth studio album so far. It’s called Screenslaves and it’s just great.

I love this kind of old-school kickass heavy metal. The heavy riffs of ‘Hellgore’ prove that even something as old and dusty as the heavy / power sound can still be awesome and inspiring. In sound, the band resembles Grave Digger, except for the fact that vocalist Andreas Babuschkin utilizes a lot of clean vocals in addition to the rawer, melodic ‘screams’.

The classic memorable choruses return in a strong and devastating manner. The melodies are sung in harmonics, which makes the songs sound incredibly epic. The guitar leads sometimes rip through the vocal lines, creating a dynamic whole. The tuning is nice and heavy, with riffs varying from fast, double bass-driven storms to slow-paced headbanging melodics.
 
Unlike a lot of modern bands, Paragon are not afraid to let guitars ring once in a while. Even though the music is quite complex, the accessible melodies and pumping bass will even please the sceptics of classic metal.

Although Screenslaves leaves room for a lot of experimenting, the sound is solid and the music is well-composed. I’d say this is definitely worth checking out if you’re into classic heavy metal with a power edge. On a side note: the Backstreet Boys cover ‘Larger Than Life’ is awesome. Boy, it’s only January and I already have the feeling there’s lots of ear-candy to come this year.