Collision Course... Paradox 2

Collision Course... Paradox 2 is a long-awaited sequel concept work on which Royal Hunt, using weighty guitar, classical, gorgeous keys and dramatic vocals, revisits the world of the classic Paradox. Welcoming Mark Boals on vocals, it digs more deeply into the previous work’s story. While holding a complex, elaborate construction, the songs never lose their powerful thematic melody. A record that supported a grand concept with sure playing. From the development from the opener “Principles of Paradox” to “The First Rock” and the drama of “Divide and Reign” to the powerful “High Noon at the Battlefield,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “The Clan” and “Blood in Blood Out” deepen the work’s grand world. Grand choruses and arrangement built precisely down to the details powerfully support its strong narrative. A record that beautifully binds progressive, structural beauty and melodic metal’s immediate catchiness. Though taking on the high hurdle of a classic’s sequel, it splendidly answers those expectations. An engaging, fulfilling work fusing Mark Boals’s powerful voice and Andersen’s outstanding songwriting — a record on which grand drama unfolds again.