11Paranoias is the vessel of Adam Richardson, vocalist and bassist of Ramesses, which was initially founded around the same time Ramesses went into a form of hiatus. At first, the project also featured fellow Ramesses drummer Mark Greening, who was later replaced by Satan’s Wrath and ex-Capricorns member, Nathan Perrier. The line-up is complete with Mike Vest of the mighty Bong, with the members of 11Paranoias distilling a collective sound of their previous tenures.
I cannot say that I was a huge fan of the initial steps that 11Paranoias made to the scene. The albums that they released so far, Spectralbeasteries and Stealing Fire From Heaven, did not intrigue me; but Reliquary for a Dreamed of World raises the bar significantly. They have shown a distinct will to go deeper into the psychedelic realm, following doom/sludge methods – an aspect that has been steadily enhanced over their releases, but is now complete with this new record.
11PARANOIAS Reliquary For A Dreamed Of World is Out Now via Ritual Productions
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Doom/sludge plays a big part of 11Paranoias’ sound, which is no surprise when you look at the resumé of its members. Heavy, insanely distorted and torturously slow, they make sure that this comes across from the very beginning of “Peripheral Metamorphosis.” The dirty vibe, with the saturation at a high, and the vocals buried beneath the heavy riffs allow this devastating aspect to come in full force.
As was the case with their previous works, psychedelia plays a significant part in the band’s vision. Enhancing their heavy sound with effects and trippy moments was always a very suitable accompaniment to doom/sludge, but in Reliquary… this aspect has truly blossomed. The psychedelic overtones have taken on a style of their own, with a liquid manifestation, creating an unearthly haze in “Meditation On The Void” and a complete loss of consciousness in “Avallaunius.” There is a more rock-y tone that comes through, not so much the typical psychedelic doom, but rather an alien jam session, heavily influenced by the late ’60s and early ’70s.
The two parts co-exist in a state of coherence, able to compliment each other and switch places when it is needed, something that leads to very strong moments, as in the epic “Destroying Eyes.” Which brings the other aspect that reveals a progress of sorts: the tracks themselves are more thought-out – their structure is moving and changing, with the band not dwelling in a monotonous rendition of sludge riffs. “Destroying Eyes” displays this in a magnificent manner, and even more so does “Phantom Pyramid,” which is literally constructed brick by brick. The elements are preserved and experimented with, the structures are fluid and changing, the production of the record is superior to the past releases – all showing that 11Paranoias is reaching for something more.
