Cork based Alternative Rock outfit Paradox return with their fourth official full length studio album to date which has been taking shape for over a year at Wavefield Recording Studios in Bantry, West Cork.
Formed in 1996 by brothers Pete Mac and Mike Mac the early Paradox sound was heavily influenced by the Grunge Era of the 90’s.The band has shaped and evolved their sound over the years while still maintaining their Alternative Rock sound. Paradox have released 3 studio albums to date. Their debut album ‘Circle of Growth’ was recorded in Los Angeles in 2000 and released on a US label. Their second album ‘Sacred’ was recorded and released in 2004 and the bands last album ‘Corporate Pollution’ was released in 2011. Singer and songwriter Pete Mac also recorded and released a solo album in 2009 in Berlin, Germany.
The band shot a music video for their track ‘Mr. Bureaucracy’ in 2012 which was nominated for best song at the Berlin Music Video Awards, Dublin International short film and music awards the Portobello Film Festival London in 2013.
In 2012 the ‘Corporate Pollution’ track ‘Repress Excess’ was also used on the soundtrack for Canadian horror movie ‘Truth’ which screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Canada International Film Festival’s Royal Reel Award.
Paradox have toured both Europe and the US as well as playing support to the likes of Therapy?, Kerbdog and Shonen Knife in 2013.
2014 saw Paradox back in the studio recording their 4th album to date at Wavefield Recording Studios in Bantry, West Cork with multi tasking musician and engineer Brian Casey on the desk.
Titled ‘Chapters’ the 14 track album combines a variety of new sounds some of which have not yet been heard on any previous Paradox album. The first single ‘Nothing Lasts’ features slow melancholic Cello tones carrying the song to it’s climatic refrains of ‘Nothing Lasts’. A music video also accompanies the single. Cello makes an appearance on various other tracks on the album such as the track ‘Eat’ which subject focuses on the treatment of animals in factory farms and was initially inspired by the controversial documentary Earthlings.
The new album has been a working progress for over a year which originated in September 2013 with songwriter Pete Mac playing all instruments on the recordings. Paradox drummer Mike Mac joined his brother Pete in the studio for a session in May 2014 after dropping back from his Canadian travels to drum on 4 tracks on the album.
Overall ‘Chapters’ is far more experimental than any previous album with the band pushing their limits as much as possible in the studio which included recording in different rooms, distorting various bass sounds and having what became a trademark routine for many songs of a noise track when recording the electric guitar. The Noise Track basically consisted of Pete improvising spontaneously with a heavily distorted guitar while recording over various tracks with nothing rehearsed as the noise track was being recorded to add an extra live feel to certain tracks.
As the album name suggests this is the next chapter in the band’s history with many songs reflecting chapters in the band member’s lives.
