Album Review: Paranoid Visions – Corona-Verse Realties

In 2019 Paranoid Visions set out their ambitious target of releasing a series of 5 box set albums, every 3-6 months, to conclude with an album marking the 40th year as a band!

Each box set would consist of a coloured vinyl 10”, a CD version, a lyric sheet, an art print and a chapter of Deko’s poetry/lyric book.

Part one, Adverse Reality (on blue vinyl), came out late in 2019 and, Now after a huge knock to the schedule that came in the form of an invisible enemy, which turned out to be a bit of a poetic twist that led to Corona-Verse Reality, a stunning Orange vinyl offering.

The first half of the album, being written and recorded just before lockdown, and consisting of some special Paranoid Visions slants on the wrongs in the world.  Truth hurts is a term that should always precede any album from this no holds barred anarcho punk band, if you ever feel that your not being listened to by any part of the state, have a hatred for multinational organisations that control your life at every turn, give no time to racists or bigots of any shape or form, then your in for a treat and will find yourself chuckling inside at the simple truths that you know exist and Decko has given time to write such forthright words, and set them to music that perfectly portrays the anger or distain that lurks within each track.

What Paranoid Visions do so well, is take a subject and not only spell it out perfectly, but they fill each track with music and samples, that give it a life, you find yourself fully immersed in the mood of the lyrical content.  Take ‘Slimey Member’  the bass line that kicks it off, gives a feeling of underlying treachery laying in wait, then your’e hit with a vocal that shouts distain for all sick racist individuals and more. ‘Pretty Paulie’ lets just use this: “The Irish Times reported on January 4th 1941, that there was no loss of life in the bombings, with the exception of a dead Parrot found in on of the two houses”

 Then there is ‘Ignostic’ a to the point spitting of truth!

The second half of the album, as you may be aware when listening, was written and recorded during lockdown.  Including two snippets of bumbling fools that just happen to be leaders of the two nations that actually fell for the rhetoric and voted with their brainwashed minds.  With songs and spoken words, they paint a picture of life during such times, how going ‘Back To Normal’ could actually be a something we should be afraid of and this new normal could have awoken some to the past injustices, how being in ‘Isolation’  is your chance to be a soldier and a hero, one who helps saves lives, rather than taking them, a bit of a irony there.

To pick out a stand out track was difficult, but personal preference would have to be ‘Art Is A Hammer’  without art there would not be freedom!  

If your’e a compassionate and free thinking person, this should be on your to buy list, and if not, it should still be on your to buy list!

The album is available as 10” ORANGE VINYL, CD and BOX SET: 10” vinyl, CD, 56 page book of Poetry and Lyrics, Art print, Lyric sheet.

Available to buy from LouderThanWar SHOP and Paranoid Visions BANDCAMP