Translated from the original French
I had already got carried away over their first demo "Ruler"... But this time, I cracked!!! Yeah, I cracked!! Because PARADOX is without any doubt the best Christian metal band to have appeared recently on the White Metal scene. The five-track demo "Power And Glory" could have (should have) been a first mini-album, as much for its musical and lyrical quality as for its sound quality...! "Power And Glory", the first track on the demo, is the best song PARADOX has ever written: a very heavy rhythm, very melodic vocals, high-perched, and a speed chorus (yeah, speed!!), hyper melodic, in which the talented Manuel Castillo howls: "Jesus Christ is coming back with power and glory!!" Manuel's vocals are hyper well placed, very high, and are one of PARADOX's many strong points. The drummer (16 years old) is completely crazy, and shows a very great talent: Efrain Galicia is already one of the best drummers on the Christian hard scene.
Every track on the demo is excellent (there's no other word!!): "Just Want To Love You" and "Meet The King" are tremendous. Phil Galicia, the bassist, gives enormously, on every track. Note that it is he who writes all of PARADOX's songs...! PARADOX, though far heavier, inevitably brings to mind STRYPER's beginnings.
"Sweet Reunion" marks the first time PARADOX uses keyboards: it is a slow (the first!) dedicated to the memory of John Vidaurri, their former rhythm guitarist, who died in a car accident. "Sitting all alone sometimes, I wish you were here today to share a laugh or two. I miss the way you played. It's as if it were yesterday. I want to take you in my arms, but you are so far away... I am happy that you share the joy of God, but it hurts to be apart. But I know that one day I will see you again; and it is good to know that there will be no more end"... Words that grab you in the guts... Besides, the guys in PARADOX play with their guts. Listening to this demo, it is obvious.
"Power And Glory" closes with an instrumental track: "God's Amazing Grace", a melody very famous in Christian churches. It is in fact a solo by the guitarist, Fernando Hernandez, who does not play the guitar hero, but who offers a very complex solo, very different from the usual patterns. All of this over a bed of keyboards... A treat!!
PARADOX lived through a very hard experience, following John's death, but the band comes out of it far stronger, and blessed a hundredfold. Nobody can remain indifferent faced with these guys, because PARADOX loves God. PARADOX really loves God. And this fire that burns in them cannot leave anyone indifferent. PARADOX is a flame of fire.
If you only want to get hold of a single Christian metal demo, "Power And Glory" is the one you need. PARADOX is a legendary band even before having been signed!!
And what if PARADOX were, right now, the best Christian metal band, and the one most in love with Jesus Christ?
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