Paralyzed, Michael Binder (vocals/lead-guitar); Caterina Böhner (organ/rhythm guitar); Philipp Engelbrecht (bass) and Florian Thiele (drums), caused somewhat of a stir with their first album "Hidden Sun" and suddenly it seemed that everyone, in this scene we call "the underground", was singing the praises of this wonderful new heavy blues/heavy psych outfit from Germany , and quite rightly too because this was no pale imitation of something that had gone before, the sound these guys made together had depth and authenticity. Their next album, the self-titled "Paralyzed", was just as good, if not better, and saw the band slightly ramping up the psych side of their sound but doing so without compromising on any of their heavy blues swagger. Third album "Heavy Road" found Paralyzed getting a little more old school, still incorporating all those elements of heavy psych and stoner rock that they had by now become known for but with an overall dynamic that was a touch more retro and rootsy. With three sonically superb, critically acclaimed albums under their belts one might think that Paralyzed might have hit their creative peak and could not possibly better what they had already delivered, not so, in fact the bands new album "Rumble&Roar" (Ripple Music) is, in our humble opinion, one of the best blues based albums to come out in the last ten years.
"Machine With A Soul" opens proceedings, the song begins life hazy and psychedelic with surf -like guitar textures reverberating over a backdrop of solid tight drumming and low bouncy bass but then shifts up into a more stoner(ish) blues rock groove when the vocals come in, those vocals delivered in husky slightly gravelled tones. Now many have accused Binder of having a voice that sits somewhere between that of Glenn Danzig and Jim Morrison but he is totally his own man here, his vocal a sublime mix of wearied growliness and soulful grittiness. There is a touch of Creedence Clearwater Revival's swampy stridency about next track "Railroad", albeit with far huskier vocals, to the point that Desert Psychlist keeps expecting to hear the line "rollin' on the river" despite the fact that this song references a completely different mode of transport. "Rosie's Town" is unashamedly Doors-ish in feel, thanks in part to Böhner's parping keyboard motifs but also due to Binder channelling some Robby Krieger like textures in his guitar work, bassist Engelbrecht and drummer Thiele meanwhile do a fine job of keeping everything tight solid and groovy. Chugging rhythm guitar, booming bass and swinging drums create a platform for Binder to decorate with gritty vocal tones and searing six-string fills and solos on the explosive and well named "Heavy Blues" while its follow up, the achingly beautiful "The Myth of Love", goes in a completely different direction with ringing acoustic guitars framing a lilting low key Binder vocal. "White Paper" fools you into thinking its going to be following in the footsteps of its predecessor but then morphs into strident blues number boasting a vocal that falls somewhere between a sermon and a rant. It's an unwritten law that any blues based outfit worth their weight in mojo HAS to grace an album with a song boasting torch like dynamics and Paralyzed give us two here, first the excellent "Leave You" an old school type blues that slowly evolves to take on a slightly southern rock flavour and secondly "The Witch" a song that slowly transitions from tranquil and moody to soaring and emotive. Last number, "Truth and Lie" sees Paralyzed merging their blues with their usual essences of stoner rock and heavy psych but also adding a little proto-doom flavouring into the mix, granted it is very low key and understated doomic flavouring but one that's still there nevertheless.
If you love the blues but are not someone who is fully versed in its history, who may have heard names like Robert Johnson, Big Joe Turner, Bessie Smith and Willie Dixon but are not overly familiar with their work, then its highly likely that your love of the genre has come directly from listening to albums from the likes of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, John Mayall's Bluesbreaker's and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. If that sounds like you then Paralyzed's "Rumble&Roar" is an album you will want gracing your music collection, a superb heavy blues based opus with a truly authentic feel that will reignite your love of the genre and hopefully inspire a whole new generation to explore its merits.
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