Dichotomy – Paradigms (2013)

Hailing from Ireland, today we have a killer Melodic/Technical Death Metal band that leaves aside (most) of the Core influences and manages to sound more like Death and Carcass than all the other Technical DM bands these days. Delivering eight pummeling tracks, “Paradigms” is a very impressive debut full-length than if it wasn’t for the subpar vocals, it would be one of the best Tech-DM releases of 2013.

Opening with the mellow instrumental track “Empyrean”, the band immediately gets down to business with the hectic “The Sentient Oppressed”. The guitar work is fast and precise with a crushing melodic vibe that nicely picks up the pace and complements the vocals. While not the best combination of growls and screams, the band does a decent job in delivering fast and brutal sections like on the devastating “All – Seeing Eye”.

The acrobatics continue with the incisive guitar/drum work on the moshing epic “Polarity”. While having some clear elements of modern Tech-DM bands like Obscura and Spawn of Possession, there is a clear Carcass/Death vibe fused into the riffing and arrangements. Pummeling through the melodic onslaughts of songs like “No Catharsis” and “Covenant of the Forsworn”, Dichotomy keeps things fresh and engaging by not overly repeating their riffs and drum patterns.

Our favorite track in this release is the instrumental “Alea lacta Est”, a song were the band showcases their abilities and restraint and the vocals don’t get in the way. As the album closes with “Of Strife Of Discord”, we are left very impressed by how the band manages to deliver concise songs that don’t abuse Core-ish influences and have a certain old-school vibe hidden within. If you are a fan of Technical/Melodic/Progressive Death Metal, “Paradigms” is one album you should be looking into adding to your collection. We are sure that the band will be picked up soon by some label looking for talent, since this is one thing that Dichotomy has in excess.

Label: Self-Released

Release: August 14th, 2013

Genre: Melodic/Technical Death Metal

Country: Ireland