Heavy duty thrills
Pariso's new album has had a low-key release with no hype or build up to speak of, this review copy for instance only arriving in the inbox after the release date, so basically, if you weren't in the know, you probably still aren't.
When I saw Pariso at Swn festival in Cardiff back in 2012 I was impressed with how heavy duty they were. Just how loud and aggressive they sounded in that small space is hard to describe but my ears weren't the same afterwards even with ear plugs in and I was sold on their sound immediately.
The new record, 9 track album Consanguinity, also follows through on the aggression that hits you at their live shows. It feels raw and urgent for the most part; tracks like Equivocation are a snarl of fast drums and riffs with pissed off vocals shouting at you through them, leaving you feeling dirty but somehow energised too.
The album is never just nasty however, right from the start you have the finesse of the slow, doomy (and dare I say melodic) sections of The Separation to lead you in to the sound of the record and many of the other tracks are peppered with interest; (darkly) groovy moments, techy little riffs, snatches of weighty yet dreamy doom like the brilliant Tower Of Genus which introduces lighter female vocals to counteract the darkness to great effect.
Certainly worthy of your time and gets better with repeated listens but probably only for those with a sturdy constitution. Consanguinity was released on 12" through Tangled Talk Records on 1st July 2013. Find out more and buy or download the album for free at the bands website.