Russian Gothic Page - PARA BELLUM "Para Bellum"

PARA BELLUM "Para Bellum"

This is the first release of a well-known on the local scene of Saint-Petersburg band, and also the first release of the FUZZ Records label. On this page you can read some CD reviews and listen to a couple of tracks from the album in MP3. You can order the CD on our distribution page.

PARA BELLUM "Para Bellum" Reviews

A couple of tracks from the album in MP3

PARA BELLUM "Para Bellum" Reviews

I first happened to come across the creative work of PARA BELLUM a few years ago. When in Leningrad, I met the leader of the band, Leonid Fomin, who invited me to their rehearsal. Though they already described themselves as "gothic", I had vague doubts about their belonging in this genre, for their sound was grunge-alternative, and even their cover of Bauhaus didn't impress me much. After a few years the band released its debut album. I can compare it only to the one rehearsal I have head, and the album definitely wins. The general sound became more heavy and aggressive, which did it only good. Lyrics in Russian is a bit straightforward and highbrow, but quite good. The most difficult point for me in writing this review is assessing their "gothness", which is necessary, for they describe their style as "gothic rock/metal". Here I encounter a few problems. Speaking about the music, there are really many elements of contemporary, non-orthodox gothic rock, but it's hard to say that the entire album is gothic rock in style - unfortunately, there are many breaks both to heavy metal and to Russian rock: strange guitar solos not in the gothic rock style, and heavy guitar drive. Well, despite such stylistic breaks, this could be referred to as gothic rock, if it wasn't for the lyrics. As I've already said, the lyrics are very good, but I still come to the conclusion that Russian lyrics and gothic rock aren't combinable. We have already come across people trying to play Russian gothic rock and all of them sound inconvincible, resembling the traditional Russian rock. Here the situation is the same. It seems to me that if PARA BELLUM used English lyrics, they would make marvelous gothic rock a-la MALAISE, THE 69 EYES or even HIM (be the way, the cover of the CD is funny, looks like HIM). So the prospects of this album and PARA BELLUM in general with the gothic audience seem insecure to me, but the album has a very big potential and I won't be surprised if it becomes popular with Russian fans of gothic rock.
coroner
Russian Gothic Project

A couple of tracks from the album in MP3

Riverside (5:46)