ALBUM REVIEW: Devil’s Collection – Paradise In Flames

South America is a metal haven; the most passionate fans in the world, some of the biggest names hailing from there and an underground scene that produces some phenomenal acts that are all desperate to break out of their home and make it on the global scene. One such band are Brazilian symphonic black metallers PARADISE IN FLAMES, who have been honing their craft since 2002 and have now released their third album Devil’s Collection via Blood Blast, a brand new branch of Believe and Nuclear Blast.

If you’re going to call an album Devil’s Collection when it isn’t a greatest hits package, then it’s going to need something extremely special about it to stand up to the notion that it is from the annals of the Dark Lord’s archives, which is certainly suggested by the album cover. To PARADISE IN FLAMES‘ credit, there are moments where they really sparkle. Opening track Nehemiah’s Possession blends the bombast of strings with the harsh terrains of black metal well and it gives the first chance for listeners to experience the vocal trade off between founding member A. Damien and newest recruit O. Mortis.

One of the standouts across the album, their contrasting gutturals and screams make for an abrasive experience, particularly when they touch on groove on It’s All Wrong and death metal in the case of Hell’s Now. Longest track The Tepes is a solid effort at combining everything the band are showcasing, with the vocals at their most evil in places and ethereal in others, coming together at the end in a maelstrom of multiple voices and swirling guitars.

What the album lacks, however, is its staying power. Yes, it’s good whilst you’re listening, but as one track ends and the other begins, there isn’t a huge amount that sticks in the mind for very long. Indeed, the only one that accomplishes this is the outro, No Life on Earth, which is a piano-led composition combined with the sounds of an ocean. The departure from what has come before is striking enough to pique an interest, but at 84 seconds long it doesn’t come close to saving what has come before. Tracks such as Has Never Seen a World Without Wars and Satan’s Law deliver a punch when in the moment, yet fade as soon as they reach their climax. True, the bar for symphonic black metal has been set extraordinarily high by the likes of CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR, but with that in mind, an average extreme music fan is going to want something better than just another copycat, which PARADISE IN FLAMES cannot accomplish this time around.

There is certainly potential in what PARADISE IN FLAMES are doing, but it isn’t enough to just perform well on an album. If they are to reach the next level, they need to find an area that can really give them an edge musically and Devil’s Collection has a couple of ideas, but nothing more. Unless they discover this fast, they seemed destined to a career as a token extreme metal band on bills that tour Brazil and never rising above the middle of local festival lineups.

Rating: 6/10

Devil’s Collection is out now via Blood Blast. 

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