Ringo Christiaan Van Droffelaar and
Øystein Hansen (ex-
Fortíð) met on the hallowed fields of the
Wacken Open Air festival in 2007 and from that chance encounter the seeds of
Paracrona were sown – a new force in creative, adventurous, extreme metal. By 2016 the two men were working in earnest on the songs that would become their debut album,
Sun God, which was completed three years later in 2019 – just as the clouds of the Covid-19 pandemic were beginning to gather on the world’s horizon. Yet more adversity was cast in Paracrona’s path when Ringo was then forced to lock horns with cancer – an enemy he was thankfully able to overcome. Now, at long last, Paracrona can unveil the results of their years of work and struggle – the blazing brilliance of Sun God has arrived!
Lyrically Sun God is a call to freedom, a song of liberation that wants to open people’s eyes to the walls of deceit and misdirection that have been built around us by the power hungry manipulators who structure our society. Musically it embodies that sense of free thinking and creative liberty, entwining a dark, black metal core in artfully woven strands of melody and imagination. Muscular traditional metal riffs summon in the unrestrained ‘Thriller’, which features the drumming of Baard Kolstad (Leprous, Borknagar etc) while ‘New Impurity’ is an ever expanding maelstrom of cold shadows. Brilliant lead guitar passages climb the obsidian steps of ‘Carry The Cross’ (again featuring Baard Kolstad) and ‘Mendacious’ unfolds with an overwhelming twilight majesty. Each individual song offers a wealth of treasures to explore and embrace. You can wander the halls of the Sun God time after time and still find new wonders with every listen.
Mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström (Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, Dimmu Borgir etc) at Studio Fredman, with additional drum recordings taking place at Marius Strand’s Strand Studios (Borknagar, Pantheon I, Susperia etc), Sun God possesses the sonic power and depth that its multilayered compositions and stunning personal performances demand. Adorned in the dramatic artwork of Siri Valdman – who also contributes backing vocals to the album – Sun God will be available in digital and CD formats from May 24th. Vibrant, creative, challenging and opulent, Sun God is a remarkable debut album and a must hear for all lovers of fascinating, dramatic, original music.
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