Customer Reviews

Paradox

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, yeah -- kinda, sorta.

Royal Hunt would be best described as a neo-classical/progressive metal band. To my ears, Royal Hunt is a pretty even mix of Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery and neo-classical rock. People often compare Royal Hunt's neo-classical side to Yngwie Malmsteen. But it is the keyboards, courtesy of Andre Andersen (Royal Hunt's main songwriter), that give Royal Hunt a neo-classical sound, not the guitar. The guitar is more straight forward, kinda reminding me of George Lynch's style of playing at times.

This is a very good cd which borders on greatness from time to time.

D.C. Cooper should also be noted for his excellent vocals. I think of him as an even mix of Mike Baker (Shadow Gallery), James LaBrie (Dream Theater) and Dennis DeYoung (Styx) when it comes to his voice. That's a dang good combination.

The songs are a bit too much alike at times but they are good. Many "progressive" bands like to indulge in instrumental excessiveness but Royal Hunt never goes overboard. They come close but they never cross the line that seperates technical silliness from tasteful instrumentals.

Good album.

Wow. The first time I heard this album, it blew me away. This is one of the few progressive concept albums that I have that you can really "get" on the first listen. The liner notes do help, explaining Andre Andersen's view on the hypocrisies present in religion. Please note that this isn't an anti-religious statement, just the radical approaches that some take in the name of God. "God does not create evil, only man does..."
Anyway, back to the music. Fabulous. The opening track feature the recurring "long way home" motif. The next 3 tracks are incredible rockers with killer choruses and vocals. D.C. Cooper is amazing. This album is filled with powerful songs and lyrics that do not let up throughout.
The album also has 2 tracks that are not part of the main concept. The first is the instrumental "Martial Arts," followed by "The Final Lullaby." Both are just as great as the other songs, showing how well the band can work outside of a concept-album environment. Overall, a great prog album.

At least while DC Cooper was still there.

I would love to have this voice! This is probably my favorite Royal Hunt album. The sound is slightly less refined (but that seems to be the intent of the production), and works amazingly well as a "rough around the edges" sound.

River of Pain: excellent song... driving throughout

Tearing Down the world: Sometimes I don't see why bands throw in a vocal sample as an interlude from track to track (as is done in transition with River of Pain). But for that, the song is exceptional. The punch/counterpunch of keyboards to guitar is phenominal.

Message to God: A somewhat (hah!) bitter sounding song, perhaps a bit over the top on the keys, but hey - that my instrument, so it's not too much of a minus.

Long Way Home/Final Lullaby - both very hauntingly melodic songs - lullaby is a great ending sequence, and Long Way, a great segue.

Time Will tell - a good song, probably my least favorite song (lyrics sound too forced into their beats), but still will beat out many other bands best song!

Silent Scream - my favorite song on the album... WOW - keyboards rule the day here. Who'd have thought a harpsichord would kick on a progressive album?

Martial Arts - an instrumental on speed, adrenaline, and waaay to much caffine.... cool, huh?

Too bad DC left after only a few albums with Royal Hunt, or they would compete with Dream Theater and Shadow Gallery for most airplay in the house/car/computer (much to my wife's chagrin, "TURN IT DOWN!")

After hearing D.C. Cooper's vocal performance on the first Explorers Club CD Age of Impact (which was pretty much that album's only redeeming virtue), I knew had to check out Royal Hunt. The first Royal Hunt album I tried turned out to be the band's best work - Paradox.

Paradox is a great album for anyone with an ear for progressive music. Royal Hunt's unique sound straddles the line between progressive metal and melodic rock, and has a strong emphasis on keyboards and vocal melodies. The vocals really set this album apart from the crowd, and that is largely due to the talents of vocalist DC Cooper. He has amazing range and his voice is just ideally suited to the kind of songs that keyboardist Andre Anderssen writes.

Paradox is the band's fourth studio album, and the second (and final) album to feature DC Cooper. It marked a definite step forward for the band in terms of musicianship, concept, and lyrical content, all of which seem more mature on this album. If the band hadn't fired DC Cooper shortly after its release, you get the feeling this could have been the start of something big.

This Royal Hunt album should appeal to fans of progressive and power metal, as well as melodic rock fans. It is quite melodic, the musicianship is technically very sound, and the vocal performance is top notch. Fans of DC's solo work should definitely pick Paradox up, as it is one of the best studio albums to feature the singer.

NOTE: There are a few different versions of this album, some with bonus material. The best I've seen is the slipcase edition that contains the Paradox: Closing the Chapter live album as a bonus disc.

Royal hunt,a very interesting band that delivers a very interesting album,it's a conceptual cd because it mantains a unified continuity between each track,musically and liricaly. the Royal Hunt keyboard player Andre Andersen is the similar to Yngwie Malmsteem on keyboards. you're going to find a powerfull cd with a lot of neo-classical influence on the music,one of the major characteristics of royal hunt is the way that the keyboards demonstrate such a high profile by the use of solos,orchestral effects,and so much more. I'm sure you'll love the keyboards,vocals and basically the whole album,it's got a great sound,it's fun to listen to,over and over and if you like elaborated music you'll surely like this.

Royal Hunt's 'Paradox' album has very unique, fresh (for metalheads) sound. This is not merely a collection of songs, but more of musical show. Their use of a flute is awesome. 'Long Way Home' is a great ballad.

Like others who have submitted reviews, I bought this CD after hearing DC Cooper on Age of Impact, plus I heard "Tearing Down the World" on a Magna Carta CD sampler. This is a really great album for progressive rock fans. Cooper's vocals are excellent and the music is very orchestral and interesting. I thought I'd never like a new band again until Magna Carta started releasing all of their CDs. Too bad you can't hear cool music like this on the radio!

I can't begin to say how shocked I was when somebody gave me this CD as a gift and I thought it was some cheap gift, man was I wrong. This is some of the most beautiful, awesome (fill in your own adjective) music I have heard in years. Something like Moody Blues crossed with Yes and add in House of Lords harmony. You cannot get the impact of this CD from the samples, you need to buy this.

What a talent this group is and so off-the-radar, under-appreciated! Their music has so much depth and the musicianship is fantastic. Love "Final Lullaby". Have added several of this group's songs to my collection and am enjoying hunting for more!

The album is perfect. It is a conceptual album that has ideas and thoughts. The music is on one wave. All songs are in harmony. The music enchants the listener from the beginning to the end.