Paralyzed Stream New Album Heavy Road in Full; Vinyl Preorders Start Friday
The digital edition of Paralyzed‘s second album, Heavy Road, will be released this Friday, July 15, through StoneFly Records. The same date marks the opening of vinyl preorders ahead of a slated Oct. 15 arrival, which puts it precisely one year to the day since the Bramberg, Germany, heavy bluesin’ four-piece issued their self-titled debut (review here) on the same imprint. That in itself should tell you something about the classic-minded ethic under which the band work — one year, one record — but their vibe throughout the eight songs of Heavy Road is more than enough to get the point across in less subtle fashion. The swing of “Pilgrim Boots” like an organ-laced Rolling Stones discovering fuzz in its payoff. Or the opener “Devil’s Bride,” which may or may not be a sequel to “Lucifer’s Road (My Baby and Me)” from Paralyzed, unfurling across 7:38 as the longest track on the album (immediate points) and its anchor lyric, “I do believe she died by the sword,” over-the-top midsection and dramatically shredded finish.
As one would hope, Heavy Road was recorded live at least in its basic tracks, with engineering, mixing and mastering by Jörg Völker at Voelker Studio Bamberg, and it brings the band not only into conversation with the heavy ’70s and the retro-idolizations of various vintage amp hounds from Graveyard on down the line to today’s various practitioners, but also with themselves, building on the accomplishments of the first record in what sounds like a direct, wilful drive to move forward creatively.
This is evident in the songwriting from the outset. Though one might say lead guitarist Michael Binder lays it on a bit thick vocally in that midsection — and I think that’s the point — there’s no question “Devil’s Bride” sets the mood and tempo for the rest of what follows. Binder, along with guitarist/organist Caterina Böhner, bassist Philipp Engelbrecht and drummer Florian Thiele bring past and present together fluidly in their style, and the engagement with color in the lyrics throughout, whether it’s “Orange Carpet,” whatever’s purple in “Mayday,” or “Black Trees Pt. 1” and “Black Trees Pt. 2,” and contrasting closer “White Jar” broaden the Doorsy spirit of “Coal Mine,” which builds from its open beginning into one of Heavy Road‘s most satisfyingly shoved
directives.
The vocals are a major unifying factor across Heavy Road‘s span, with Binder‘s throaty approach more forward perhaps than on the self-titled, but likewise more confident. In the strutting garage rock of “Mayday” and “Black Trees Pt. 1,” one is reminded particularly of Baltimore’s The Flying Eyes, while “Pilgrim Boots” meets its Morrisonian slurring of words with an expanse of guitar soloing, not as urgent as, say, “White Jar” at the finish, or the brazen boogie of “Black Trees Pt. 2,” but not far off either. Whatever else it may do or be, Heavy Road is a stomper, energetically wrought and conceived in connection with classic heavy but developing its own take within that, showing progression in the short time since the debut even in the increase in organ quotient, with Böhner taking on what were guest duties last time around and featuring keys on “Devil’s Bride,” “Orange Carpet,” “Pilgrim Boots,” and “White Jar” — half the record, at least.
Not every song has room for those sustained organ notes — “Black Trees Pt. 2” walks by and waves — but where they fit, they fit well, and it demonstrates Paralyzed‘s interest in continuing to try new ideas, moods and atmospheres, which is something that Heavy Road further bears out in the builds of “Black Trees Pt. 1,” “Devil’s Bride” (is that you, Phantom of the Opera riff?) and the particularly hard-driving finish of “Coal Mine” ahead of “White Jar” closing out. The careening from one moment to the next, the way the album sets and knocks down its targets, the fact that there’s a plan underneath while it sounds like they just rolled up and let rip — it’s all testament to Paralyzed‘s conveyance of aesthetic and purposeful craft. These elements served the group well a year ago, they serve them well on Heavy Road, and one suspects that if they have another LP ready for Oct. 2023, they’ll do likewise then too. Some things are just timeless.
In advance of Heavy Road‘s release on Friday the album is streaming in full on the player below.
Please enjoy:
StoneFly Records is honored to announce the return of Bamberg, Germany based quartet PARALYZED for their newest album on 180g vinyl. Heavy Road is the highly anticipated follow up to their much-lauded self-titled album.
Paralyzed are proud to present you their brand-new full-length studio album called HEAVY ROAD. It´s a wild mixture of Heavy Blues Rock, 70´s Rock and Stoner with loads of shimmering straight organ and psychedelic wafting wah wah guitar sounds backed up with solid stamping bass lines and fogging drum sounds. The album was live recorded at the Voelker Studio in Bamberg. Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Jörg Völker.
Paralyzed – Heavy Road will be released digitally on July 15th, 2022.
Vinyl Pre-Order will go live at the same date on July 15th, 2022.
Vinyl will be officially released on October 21st, 2022.
Stonefy Records is very excited to give this album a spectacular vinyl treatment. The vinyl edition has been mixed and mastered by Jörg Völker. We open the doors for the vinyl pre-orders on July 15th, 2022, at
19:00 CET/1pm EDT/10am PDT/6pm BST.
Tracklisting:
1. Devil’s Bride
2. Orange Carpet
3. Mayday
4. Black Trees Pt.1
5. Pilgrim Boots
6. Black Trees Pt.2
7. Coal Mine
8. White Jar
PARALYZED is:
Michael Binder – Vocals & Solo Guitar
Caterina Böhner – Rhythm Guitar & Organ
Philipp Engelbrecht – Bass Guitar
Florian Thiele – Drums
