Paradise 9 – Science Fiction Reality

Paradise 9 are a band that have sat there on the outer rim of my radar, they were formed back in 1997 and have played so many festivals that I have no idea why I’ve not caught them, but this happens.  With a sound that encompasses so many genres, it slides across space and time too, decades of sounds that have culminated in this eight track meandering oddness.

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Science Fiction Reality is an Album/Ep or something in-between, having already released two albums on two EP’s, this could  a culmination of the latter.  

At first look, the track listing and song lengths did give a bit of a feeling of dread, especially when some class their sound in the prog rock bracket, but to be rather blunt about it, thank fuck that wasn’t quite what you get, although the ending track ‘Safe Havens’ does scarily nod to Rick Wakeman in all honesty.  So that’s the bad stuff out the way, you can thank me later for giving you the heads up on that one.

‘These Are The Days’ opens up the pandoras box, with possibly my favourite track straight out of the trap, it snaps out like a true post-punk belter, drops some wonderful psychedelic guitar in there, but best of all lyrically it has a Crass style to it, a fight for our planet being the theme using Greta Thunberg to hit that home.

What gives this band a leg up, that takes them above and beyond the Prog label, is its wonderful mix of spring guitar sounds and punk rock vocal that slice through its heart.

Throughout, this has a narrative of earthly destruction and technological waste lands,  ‘This Is Your Inheritance’ being the shot over the bow for us all, a much more edgier sound here, adding some weight to the message within, this is what your getting kiddies. ‘Inner Spark’ gives the political state of the world a melodic tongue lashing and ‘Desconstruct Divide And Rule’ hangs out the reality of the political system to dry, within a rhythm filled bass line led beauty.

If I’m totally honest, I’m not to sure where all the space-punk quotes have come from by other writers, this for me is music of rock origin, hints of just about anything else that they can fit in, all wrapped around a punk vocal style that spits out its anger at the state of the planet and the human apathy toward it.

Of its time music, with a conscience. 

Released on April 23rd, you can gets your hands on it HERE

Paradise 9 also have a FACEBOOK Page