The stories told on this album revolve around topics we casually call "heavy" and "sensitive." They revolve around the lyrics from the sixth track, "If Else": "(…) Its getting close to midnight / No reason to exist." They revolve around the lyrics from track number seven, "Inheritance": "(…) Wishing for another day / Hoping for another way with you." They revolve around the lyrics from track number three, "Null The System": "(…) Program me into obscurity / And rewrite my lines / When I am in total disrepair / I can reload my mind." They revolve around issues of loneliness, addiction, and isolation. They revolve around the rhythm of connecting to the "network," the rhythm of being a character in a digital landscape, the protagonist of another game whose only friend is another computer character. Login – logout, life – digital death. This album is about our addiction to technology, machines, computer toys and gadgets, about the meaninglessness of existence in the real world, the next world, the everyday world.
This is the third album by the English band The Paradox Twin, recorded with the collaboration and artistic guidance of John Mitchell, known from bands like Arena, Frost*, and In Bites. Their debut album, "The Importance of Mr. Bedlam," from 2018, was already a hit, and the first single from it, "Planeta," was nominated for a Progressive Music Award before the album even saw the light of day. Their second album, "Silence From Signals," released in 2021, solidified this recognition, and this year saw the release of their third album, "A Romance of Many Dimensions." And although romance in the classic sense isn't mentioned here, the longing for romance, closeness, a sense of belonging, and love is undoubtedly the driving force behind the music of subsequent compositions. The protagonist of all the musical stories on this album is missing "something," missing the relationships typically established between people, between two people in love... so what's left for him... THE NETWORK! Login - logout. A generated world of all possibilities - the everyday real world.
Perhaps that's why, musically, everything on this album is a profound lament and a display of powerlessness. The arrangements are delicate, yet also melancholic and depressing. Beneath the guise of delicacy and melody lies a whole emotional diversity describing the fate of modern man. Powerlessness, anxiety, isolation, detachment, and sadness intertwine with an unfulfilled longing for "the other," for simple friendship with someone real. The opening track, "Linter," quietly and delicately begins its synthesizer intro, and the story seamlessly connects with the next, "Operator." The beginning is a disquieting drumbeat against a backdrop of delicate electronics reminiscent of the flow of informational beats. Add to that the magnificent anathem vocals. These two compositions, like the others, are built somewhat according to the tried-and-true anathem recipe: the increasing power of the vocal line and the accompanying instrumentation. From delicate silence to rumbling guitar expression. But there's no denying it's a good recipe, a good team and... it works perfectly here.
"Null the System" and "My Main Function," the next two compositions, are the musical result of a situation well-known in the world of computers. What happens when we see the famous blue screen on a monitor? Delicacy vanishes, composure vanishes, anger begins to boil in every cell of the body, the nervous system sends enormous impulses to every muscle, commanding fists to pound the table, eyes narrow in surprise at the unexpected situation. And that's what these songs are like. They blend delicacy with brutal metal ferocity. The power of metal riffs blends with magnificent vocal duets, which are the strongest point of these compositions. Please don't be discouraged by the fluid musical anger pouring out of "Null the System," because the following "My Main Function," also constructed according to an anathema recipe, brings a bit of respite with its opening. This time, we're dealing with a single vocalist performed by Danny Sorrell, whose timbre perfectly imbues the song with a narrative character, while also allowing for the gentle entrance of a second, female vocalist, wonderfully interpreted by Sarah Bayley, who attempts to soften the subsequent metal sounds. And while the entire track has its own unique character, I can't help but say that the final, metal-tinged section could have been a bit shorter. Besides that, the vocal duet… the arrangement… the sound… everything is somewhat reminiscent of Anathema, starting with the "Weather Systems" album.
The fifth track, "UI," sounds a bit different. It's dreamier, more mellow, calmer, slightly rock-like, and mysterious. Listen to the drawn-out, drawn-out guitar sounds and the orchestration, in the form of violin. This is a musical breakthrough on this album. After a successful beginning and the highly expressive subsequent tracks, this one sounds like a ballad of a lost soul. It's downright astonishing, and the words, repeated like a mantra: "(...) Falling away," sound like a great resignation from everything.
The following tracks are merely further explorations of narrative emptiness and isolation. "If Else"—the album's best—sets a depressing rhythm with percussion, the only addition being equally sad synthesizers. "Inheritance"—the album's most delicate—entices with its opening acoustic guitar and delicate vocal line. It's a magnificent four-minute ballad with a remarkably interesting arrangement. "Pixel Shader" breaks the depressing-sad mood created by the previous two tracks with a powerful guitar. The half-instrumental-half vocal pulsates with electronics, against which the guitar begins its low-pitched riff dance. This is the phase the album's narrative protagonist dreams of—the erasure of what was, while simultaneously anxiously awaiting what will happen next.
This album must end with an acoustic ballad that sounds like hope emerging, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. "Nested Scratch"—its lightness brings hope and beautifully concludes this very, very interesting release. If anyone would like to start listening to this album with a bright song, full of hope, faith, and love, "Nested Scratch" is the perfect choice. It's also a good track to add to your personal "must-play" list.
What's the power of this album? The vocal duets. They're a magnet for listening. The slightly anathema-esque arrangements work well. The three tracks mentioned above from the second half of this album sound perfect. The rest are equally impressive. Will this be enough to convince anyone to listen? I don't know, but it's definitely worth a try. The trio of Danny Sorrell (vocals, synths, guitars, keyboards, programming), Sarah Bayley (vocals), and Graham Brown (drums) have recorded a very good album under the watchful eye of John Mitchell. A very succe
