Paragon: Force Of Destruction

Putting the testosterone back into power metal

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Truth be told, power metal does have a tendency to be a little on the wimpy side. You may well cry that they’re telling epic tales of sword-wielding heroes but let’s be honest, those swords are rubber and the heroes wear fake tan.

Occasionally, however, a band manages to inject a little bit more oomph into the genre. Paragon are such a band. Far less polite than most, for the last two decades these Germans have packed the sort of punch that makes the average power metal band cry in their cocoa.

Songtitles like God Of Thunder, Iron Will and Blood & Iron may seem a little familiar, and some of those riffs do have the warm embrace of an old friend, but that matters little when done this well. There’s no attempt to be cool and trendy, no eye on the dictates of fashion, just fist-banging riffs, big choruses and glorious solos.

Everything about Force Of Destruction screams metal, more specifically, the 80s output of Running Wild and Helloween. Nice.