Paralysis – Life Sentence

With the “You Can’t Win” EP released last year, New Jersey thrash band Paralysis made quite an impact. The band managed to catch a lot of attention due to the quality of guests they attracted on that release (Gerre, Josh Christian, Bobby Gustafson). Just over a year later, they have another release, this time showing the band trying to stand solely on their own merits. “Life Sentence” does exactly that, as it is a succinct 30-minute effort where the band unleashes many of their best songs.

Though there were some stellar lead guitarists on the last EP, this album really isn’t in need of guest shredding because Paralysis features more than enough impressive fretwork on their own. One of the best examples is the sweeping intro to the solo on “Your Will”, which leads to a solo that is just a little more technical-sounding than your average thrash band. The guitars in general have a lot more bite to them on this release than on “You Can’t Win”, making even some of the tamer riffs sound vicious.

Paralysis is at their best when following a simplistic thrash formula. In general, their better moments are fast, utilize gang vocals (“Life Sentence” and “All Your Lies” having the best examples), and feature catchy, simplistic choruses. If there is one easy criticism of “Life Sentence”, it’s that there are far too many mid-paced moments on the record. They’re still absolutely crushing and no doubt mosh-inducing, but when contrasted with the more aggressive moments, it is clear which sound is superior. 

Aside from this, there isn’t too much to criticize on “Life Sentence”. Paralysis is adept at writing solid thrash tunes, which may not reinvent the wheel, but they’ll certainly get the pit going. Their vocalist straddles the line between death metal and thrash metal, with a slight emphasis on the former. This again makes Paralysis fairly consistent with much of the thrash scene today. As a result, “Life Sentence” is a safe record, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. If you’re a fan of thrash metal, it’s worth hearing as there are a couple of truly great tunes, but this is a very different beast from some of the more forward-thinking thrash that seems to be universally praised.

Be sure to check out and like Paralysis on Facebook!

Highlights

"Your Will"

"Life Sentence"

"All Your Lies"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott

Paralysis – You Can’t Win

“You Can’t Win” is the newest EP from New Jersey thrash group Paralysis. Before even thinking about the music on this release, the most immediate standout is the guest lineup. Boasting veteran names like Gerre (Tankard), Josh Christian (Toxik), and Bobby Gustafson (ex-Overkill), this EP is a star-studded release. All three guests show up in a big way on this EP. Gerre is probably the most noticeable of the three since he contributes vocally, but Josh’s solo is pretty wild, and exactly what you’d expect to hear on a Toxik record.

A lineup this great typically means one of two things: either the band is using big names to try and give them more credibility, or that their music rules so much that these guys are excellent additions to the record. Fortunately, “You Can’t Win” falls into the latter case. This EP has plenty of great music to offer thrash fans across all five tracks. The title track is a definite standout, simply because of how catchy it is. Utilizing stellar gang vocals to shout the chorus, this song is especially memorable. The closer, “All Your Lies”, takes this a step further, creating a crossover sound that would not be out of place on a Leeway record (to name one example).

Even though there are a lot of gang vocals, the singing of the band’s frontman is definitely more death metal inspired than thrash. A very throaty growl is prominent throughout the record, though there’s no difficulty in understanding the lyrics (which are incredibly angry!). Nevertheless, the riffs are distinctly thrashy in their approach. In general, they tend to be stronger when they’re faster and more upbeat (though this has always been the case in thrash). In fact, if there’s one area of improvement for Paralysis, it would be in the guitar tone. I hate to recommend something being louder, but the guitars feel very muted, and lack the punch that heavier tones have. “You Can’t Win” would surely benefit from being a bit more in your face. 

This is a minor complaint though, as the music that is presented here is killer. This is a savage release that offers more aggression than a lot of thrash albums (largely due to the vocals). The songs are surprisingly memorable, and offer more variety than one might expect. The awesome guest appearances only add to the quality of this release, and make it one of the more unique entries in thrash for 2016.

Be sure to check out and like Paralysis on Facebook!

Highlights

"You Can't Win"

"All Your Lies"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott