Paranoid

HEAVY MENTAL FUCK-UP!

THE SIGN/KONTON CRASHER SWEDISH PUNK/METAL RUFFIANS STREAMLINE THEIR ASSAULT Swedish crashers Paranoid have been charting a funny old course, teetering between bigger – albeit reliably outré – labels like Svart and Southern Lord and the ultra-DIY likes of Viral Age and At War With False Noise.

Now they seem to be giving straight-up heavy metal a try by signing with The Sign, though

if you’ve heard their Sepultura, Celtic Frost and Pentagram covers, then the hook-up kinda makes sense. Heavy Mental Fuck-Up! sees the band’s deft mix of Scandinavian d-beat and Japanese hardcore fully intact, expertly played and shot through with a motörcharged sense of metallic fury. Things are cleaner and perhaps a tad less reckless than previous recordings, but the passion, energy and excitement are still there – no mean feat considering the template they’re relying on is almost 40 years old.

FOR FANS OF: DISCHARGE, ANTI CIMEX, VICTIMS

ALEX DELLER