Paragnosis… The obtaining of knowledge through an external source. But then you knew this already, didn’t you?
Most musicians start off with just instruments, then look for a vocalist who fits into and complements the band’s style, but Paragnosis did things differently. After releasing their debut single in 2015, they decided to pursue their brand of Prog Metal with the microphone set on silent. The band, Christian Realmuto on guitar, Thomas Salyer on bass and Matt Scott on drums, have now released their first EP, Clarity in Three. Originally released in 2016, it’s now being re-released with, as they say, a fresh coat of paint and the inclusion of a new song, ‘Asthmatic,’ a six-minute workout fluctuating between a hypnotic beat and a serious thrash workout.
The problem with this EP is Paragnosis play with the standard power trio format of guitar, bass and drums, and whilst some of their hooks and melodies are quite catchy, they’re necessarily very limited in what they can achieve, particularly as, with the best will in the world, none of the band are top notch musicians.
Opening track ‘Maggots’ starts, like most tracks on this release, with a gentle guitar intro, then settles in an almost unchanging groove for most of the next six minutes plus, with a lapse into something slightly more up-tempo midway through, and some guitar histrionics towards the end. This pattern largely sets the scene for the rest of the EP, with the exception of tracks like ‘Foresight,’ with its strident guitar work, and ‘Asthmatic,’ which builds in intensity as the song progresses and includes some powerful riffing, and likely to be a stage favourite. More pieces like this would have made Clarity in Three a much better release. As it stands it’s hamstrung by its instrumental rigidity.
