Reviews

Holy shit. All this time, I thought Nebraska was only good for some crucial ears of corn, intolerant man-mountain rednecks and ‘Husker football.  Here is Blackmarket Activities‘ case that Omaha is not just a home to current wiener dudes Conor Oberst, them boys in The Faint, or pretty much Saddle Creek’s entire roster.  Behold…the devastation that is Paria.  With their first Blackmarket release, “Misanthropos” making it’s way into the hands of the masses this month; Paria is poised to make its mark in the hardcore and metal scene. 
 
Taking heavy influence from bands ranging from As I Lay Dying to Bodies in The Gears of The Apparatus, Paria packs quite a wollop with the bone rattling bass, razor precise drumming and nightmarish, whirling guitars track after track.  The highlight though, is the range the vocalist is able to cycle through with timing and a feel for the mood of the music that makes it come alive.  He adds to this soundtrack of madness particularly well.  These comrades tear through this 50 minute disc without looking back.  The title track, which starts us off is easily the best song on the album (an album that includes 2 instrumentals; ugh).  One of my only issues with the album is the Van Halenesque tapping that finds it’s way into just about every track. 
 
Their transitions from part to part are smooth and they thankfully leave out a lot of the dead stops that labelmates like Psyopus have to do just so that the listeners brain doesn’t liquefy.  I’m definitely excited to see what these boys do with themselves now that they have found Blackmarket, the new flagship for underground metal and grind, who in turn has found the megamonster Metal Blade to capitalize on its distribution prowess and industry clout.  Paria is poised to take the scene by storm.  And to my friends in Nebraska; you can throw away your 311 t-shirts now – Paria is the band that will lead your haggard musical scene into the next generation of extremity.  Not only do they totally disregard any ‘reggae-dub’ influence that may have penetrated certain Nebraskan bands passed, they combine elements of the more melodic European style, the grinding East Coast brutality and that endearing West Coast sass to form a sound akin to chainsaws through skin and bone. This is it, folks.  This is the band we’ve all been waiting for. 
 
For Fans Of:  As I Lay Dying, Unearth, The Red Chord, Psyopus, Crowpath.