Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz | Detailed or mini-review submissions: song, EP/album | Suggest an artist

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Gramilla - Paradox (song review) |self-released, Villains, 2012|

If you're a fan of rock or metal music and come across a band tagged with these genre names, your appetite for heavy tunes and brooding vibes increase immediately. In the case of Gramilla's song entitled "Paradox" which was released on their Villains album, you'll get these impressions pretty fast.

This quintet was formed in California in 2009 and is represented by the following musicians: Efren Pacheco (vocals), Kerr Leonard (guitars), Craig Leonard (guitars), Matt Bird (bass) and Arture Bezie (drums). After releasing their demo in 2010, the band then worked on their first full length album which features 10 songs and brings with it mostly alt-metal and hardcore rebellious sounds (don't miss "Every Mans Vice"!)

"Paradox" is the second song, however one of the shortest tracks on this release. It begins with dark guitar riffs followed by screaming vocals that bring an element of protest and criticism into the song. Efren sounds like very good and highly accomplished singer. His voice has a bit of a dirty tone with elaborate colors, so it perfectly corresponds within the context of the rock and roll style, but could also be successfully matched to sub-genres such as grunge, punk or hardcore as mentioned above.

The mid-tempo of "Paradox" is underlined by groovy drum beats and bass lines. The guitars are layered quite wisely and the solo's sound almost like sewing stitch riffs placed in the right spots. These methods of arranging a song allowed Gramilla to break any possible monotony amongst the rhythm while taking the irascible moods to a higher dynamic when synchronized with less rhythmic notes.

"Paradox" doesn't carry many positive moods, although it's not happiness that we usually expect from heavy music. Most listeners of heavy music desire these sort of compositions to let them release their frustration and anger. This is due to many common and ordinary life issues that fans may encounter on a daily basis and which can accumulate pretty fast. However, if you think 'harsh' doesn't go along with 'melodic' or 'catchy' in terms of moods, then "Paradox" can certainly change your mind. The vocal transitions along with the guitar solos are all it takes to prove this point extremely well.

Gramilla sounds like a great new band with the potential to be discovered. Become a fan of theirs and offer your support by purchasing their music, checking them out on-line and seeing if they're playing live at a venue in your city.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Magazine, December 19th, 2012. Proofreading: Scott M. Owens)

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