Formed in 2015, Swedes Paralydium return with their second album Universe Calls, the follow up to 2020's Worlds Beyond, with a new vocalist in Alexander Lycke, replacing Mikael Sehlin. Over the seven songs on offer here, we get a masterclass in how to write Progressive Metal.
The album begins with Prelude, a two-and-a-half-minute instrumental, which showcases the drumming of Georg H Egg and the keyboards of Mike Blanc. This is followed by lead single Sands of Time which has an Eastern feel to it. Musically it’s good, although the vocals are not to my taste, but they work on the slower passages, with a fine guitar solo by John Berg the highlight. Berg comments on the lead single. " Sands of Tim takes you on a journey through vast deserts where a man rises to power, destined to dominate the world. This powerful track blends mighty melodies with hard hitting riffs and grooves, setting the tone for the album and hinting at what's to come".
Forging the Past follows, the tinkling keyboards sound straight out of an eighty’s horror movie. The bass of Jonathon Olsson and the drums really lock together for most of this track, which in part reminds me of eighty’s Marillion. The track contains a lovely acoustic guitar solo approximately halfway through, and with additional electric guitar and keyboard sections, it’s a good song. Up next is The Arcane Exploration Part 1 which has an epic feel. When the vocals start there’s a slight West End Musical vibe, but once it gets going it quickly becomes a driving and dynamic tune. There are similarities with early Marillion to me once more, and it’s a lengthy song at nearly 12 minutes in length. It’s worth noting that the two parts of The Arcane Exploration (Part 1 and Part 2) fill almost half the album.
Forging the Past follows, the tinkling keyboards sound straight out of an eighty’s horror movie. The bass of Jonathon Olsson and the drums really lock together for most of this track, which in part reminds me of eighty’s Marillion. The track contains a lovely acoustic guitar solo approximately halfway through, and with additional electric guitar and keyboard sections, it’s a good song. Up next is The Arcane Exploration Part 1 which has an epic feel. When the vocals start there’s a slight West End Musical vibe, but once it gets going it quickly becomes a driving and dynamic tune. There are similarities with early Marillion to me once more, and it’s a lengthy song at nearly 12 minutes in length. It’s worth noting that the two parts of The Arcane Exploration (Part 1 and Part 2) fill almost half the album.
We arrive at Caught In A Dream, a much faster number, which has an initial riffier chug before turning to drums and bass, leading to the vocals and a keyboard heavy passage. The lyrics are interesting here, telling a story of trying to find your way through adversity.
Interlude follows and really lives up to its name, it is nothing more than an instrumental follow on from Caught in a dream, before concludes the album. It feels a little like a showcase for each musician can do, once again throwing up images of eighty’s horror musical score. Small flourishes of guitar blend with thick keys, throughout. It’s the longest track at 13 minutes in length, and although there is the odd moment where it drags, there’s enough here via the tempo changes to keep it interesting until the end.
Universe Calls is released on 23rd August via Frontiers Music
Pre-order / Save the album here
Review by Andrew Matthews
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