PARADOX - CLOSING THE CHAPTER

This is a very strange record. It seems to be released only to fulfill some contractual obligations, since singer D C Cooper was leaving the band at the time and it looked unlike that any new product from Royal Hunt was coming out soon. Well, that´s my theory because I cannot see why they would release a live album composed solely of tunes from their Paradox album. It is ok that Paradox is without any doubt their best - and most progressive - work to date. But why not include a few classic tracks like Epilogue or Last Goodbye just to make it more atractive to fans? It´s a mystery.

However, tracklist choices apart, this is a fine live record that shows the classic line up at their peak. The recording sound is just perfect and the production is crystal clear. And that can be a little annoying too: it sounds too much like the studio counterpart, even if, at parts, a few tunes do gain a little extra energy in the live format. And I must say they never have such collection of excellent songs to match. Paradox was surely their most inspiring moment and they deliver the goods with passion and precision on stage. Just listen to Andre Andersen´s unique orchestral keyboards delivery, Jacob Kajer´s inspired guitar solos and Steen Mogensenp´s elegant, classical, bass lines. But above it all, it´s D C Cooper amazing vocals that shines all through the CD, proving he is one of the best singers around.

So good indeed I can´t geve this album less than 4 stars due to their brilliant perfomance and the high quality of the their material, even if it could and would be better if they cared enough for the fans to add a few extra songs to make it a little different. Still...Royal Hunt was at the time one of the most original and interesting bands to be labeled as prog metal. A great show.