“Give yourself a hand ‘cause you gave up on this. It was dying wish and still you called it quits”. With the first few notes sung by Jayna Doyle over the notes brought forth by the talented Blake Arambula’s dark synth and guitar work, I was hooked. This synth-rock band isn’t some pop outfit. It’s a band with a message and the edge necessary to connect with fans all over the world.
I’ll admit, I usually loath synth rock. It always feels too bright and too forced. However, Death of Paris doesn’t give me that feeling at all. The music sounds a bit like old Orgy. Dark rock. However, Jayna Doyle pushes this band beyond that level.
Her voice is amazing. Her lyrics are amazing. The performance she puts forth on this album crushes anything put out by Paramore. She’s a rock diva, and people will see that soon.
However, a great vocalist doesn’t mean much if there isn’t a talented group of musicians behind her. Luckily for her, she’s found her crew. While the musical parts aren’t overly complicated, they are orchestrated in such a way that they create an almost symphonic feel. Especially the synthesizers. They are all over the place, and Arambula has some truly impressive runs.
On the album, Arambula does the guitar work as well. It’s quite amazing to see one musician put so much work into an album. He has some runs and nice licks, but he sits back and rocks out with the best of them, allowing the music to mesh together and work as a singular piece of sound. The drumming is intense and meshes well with the electronica sound. Patrick Beardsley handles the guitar work live, and he’s equally amazing.
Another thing I love about this band is the sheer amount of things they do well. From the amazingly catchy East or West, to the straight rock of Narcoleptic, to the beauty of Oubliette, this band can do it all, and do it well.
On top of the incredible music, they put on a hell of a show. They have an incredible light show that goes with the performance and really cranks up the drama. It’s a very visceral and well thought out program. This is a highly intelligent band who knows how to interact with fans.
Overall, this is one of my greatest surprises I have heard this year. You really need to do yourself a favor and check these guys out. Death of Paris gets my highest commendations.
--The Professor
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